Chapter 41 Finding Food

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What a foolish woman!

That was what I was thinking. Though I felt stifled and wronged, I knew I could not lose my temper and slap her.

They say that once words have left your mouth, even if they are a lump of filth, you still have to swallow them back down yourself.

If Lan Fang had truly been thinking that way, it proved she was not a bad person. But given our current circumstances, it would have been sheer suicide! This was no place for charity. Clearly, Lan Fang had not yet been frightened enough by hunger. At that thought, I made a quiet decision.

After I roared at her several times, I saw her reddened eyes and faintly trembling body, along with the confusion and fear in her gaze. My heart ached slightly, but when I thought of Luo Wei floating in the river, the man from last night, and Huang Jianfen lying nearby, my expression darkened.

“What you think is your own business!” I did my best to calm myself, though my face still looked grim. “These medicines, including what you took yesterday, will last you only two days. Even with some herbs, if you still can’t recover, you should understand what the outcome will be!”

I sprang to my feet. If I had not acted on impulse at the time, Lan Fang’s thoughts would have been enough to make me regret everything now. When I turned my eyes away from her, her face indeed grew pale, and her body began to tremble even more violently.

Her lips moved and quivered several times. She clearly wanted to say something, and tears even began to spill from her eyes. Her stubborn expression showed that she wanted to argue, but when she saw the grim look on my face, her own thoughts finally overcame her defiance, and she slowly lowered her head.

“Xiangxiang and I need to keep these medicines as a safeguard against at least one emergency each.” My expression must have been icy, but the more I thought about it, the calmer I became. After all, in this rainforest, who knew what might happen? No one could predict it.

At present, Qu Xiang and I were both fine, but I absolutely would not take that risk. When we had seen Luo Wei, the danger had still seemed far away from us. But Huang Jianfen’s appearance last night, followed by our narrow escape from death, had made me instantly understand that death could descend at any moment.

If we did not want to die, we had to prepare for the worst!

“I understand...” Lan Fang’s voice trembled slightly as she lowered her head.

She clearly understood what I meant and knew the situation she was in. After all, Huang Jianfen was lying right beside her. If I had not led her away last night, she could not even imagine the consequences. And later, in the water, if that man had truly killed me, she dared not imagine what would have happened to her either.

So, once she seemed to realize how naïve her thoughts had been and understood why I was angry, this was the first time she had shown any willingness to yield before me.

Of course, I had rarely interacted with her before. At the company, she had been someone far above me, while I had been nothing more than a newly hired stone cutter.

“A Jing, that’s enough...” Qu Xiang had actually woken up, apparently having heard the latter part of what I said.

She was naturally a clever woman. Seeing Lan Fang’s expression, she moved directly toward her, slipped an arm around her shoulders, and comforted her in a low voice. “All right, all right, Sister Fang. You know A Jing meant well. Don’t cry. We’ll definitely be all right!”

“I understand! I do...” Perhaps seeing Qu Xiang awake caused the tension in Lan Fang’s nerves to ease somewhat.

She had probably sensed the predicament she was in, and after hearing my words, it was inevitable that she felt some despair and worry. But when she thought of how I had set aside medicine for her, she also felt embarrassed. Thus, nestled in Qu Xiang’s arms, her body gave a slight shudder as she sobbed softly. She had probably been holding it in for a long time, refusing to let herself cry.

Yet the sight of her like that only made it harder to bear.

I said nothing more to them, knowing that Qu Xiang was the person best suited to comfort her. Besides, there was no point dwelling on this matter. I was not naturally domineering, but I understood that if we wanted to survive, I had to be forceful in certain situations.

The greatest problems before us now were the unknown dangers and the need to find food. So when I heard Qu Xiang murmuring words of comfort, I paid it no mind. Instead, I stood up and looked around. First, I wanted to see whether anyone might be approaching. Second, I wanted to find out whether there was any food nearby.

Then I climbed upward along the spreading branches of the enormous banyan tree.

Once I realized that I was trapped here and would not be able to leave anytime soon, I understood that every step in this rainforest concealed a deadly threat. The slightest carelessness could cost us our lives. Beneath a beautiful exterior, the Grim Reaper was usually lying in wait.

The relaxed expression that had once rested on my face had vanished without a trace. Danger prowled all around us. The rainforest was thick with vegetation, and there was not even a proper path. After climbing higher, I could see vines stretching everywhere. At that moment, we had almost nothing at all.

How were we supposed to survive?

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Could we survive at all?

The slaughter and escape of the previous night, followed by our narrow escape from the jaws of death, had completely shattered my illusions.

If we wanted to stay alive here, we had to find the means to survive in this dangerous rainforest. As I studied the surrounding environment and recalled everything I had experienced over the past few days, I understood that when the time came, I might have no choice but to risk my life exploring the rainforest again and again.

Our movements and wandering over the past two days had already taught me that many places in this rainforest were damp. The ground might look soft beneath one’s feet, but at any moment it could prove fatal. I did not even dare tell Qu Xiang, lest I increase the fear in both our hearts.

But I understood that in the days ahead, I could not be the only one venturing out. That was why I had tucked and tied my trouser legs into my shoes. I was afraid that venomous insects or mosquitoes might bite me, because a single bite could be enough to leave me collapsed in this seemingly tranquil rainforest.

We had yet to face the enormous dangers of nature. But I absolutely refused to believe that everything here could remain so peaceful.

Now, standing atop a massive branch, I carefully steadied myself and began looking in every direction. I examined every patch of ground with care, because I knew that countless creatures could be hiding either above our heads or beneath the rainforest canopy.

Something that looked like a leaf or a twig might actually be a venomous snake—or even a poisonous insect. The slightest lapse in attention could cost us our lives. This was not mere paranoia. When I had visited Yunnan in the past, the local people had warned me about it more than once.

In truth, I had climbed higher simply to see whether there were any birds nearby.

Although they could fly and were normally difficult to catch, they had probably never encountered a human being. If we found them, it would undoubtedly be an excellent opportunity for us.

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