Chapter 44: Ambushed and Besieged

Perhaps driven by hunger, they each ate a segment of the tree heart, about five inches long. Afterward, neither Qu Xiang nor Lan Fang showed any desire to continue. I did not urge them further; after all, in such an environment, to survive well, one must first cultivate mental resilience.

Seeing that they found some solace, I took a piece of the tree heart and used a short knife to cut it into small fragments. Then, by the riverbank, I found a smooth, round stone, cleaned it, and carefully placed banana leaves beneath it. Using the stone, I pressed the tree heart fragments one by one to extract their juice.

Qu Xiang and Lan Fang remained silent but watched confidently, clearly understanding my purpose. Though such a simple act of juicing might be trivial elsewhere, here it presented a certain challenge.

Naturally, I made no show of it. This innate skill—something essential for self-sustenance—was purely a product of imagination and necessity. The only additional step was filtering the juice through banana leaves and using a segment of bamboo as a cup to carefully collect the sap.

I divided the juice into two portions, with about an hour in between, observing the reactions as I fed it to Huang Jianfen. The tree heart was hard-earned; while it might stave off hunger and hydrate a healthy person, I was uncertain if it would aid Huang Jianfen given her severe injuries.

I refrained from further action afterward. Lan Fang was limited in mobility, Huang Jianfen remained unconscious, and though Qu Xiang could assist somewhat, I did not want our collective anxiety to spiral beyond control.

In truth, I longed to find shelter. This place was unsafe. Huang Jianfen’s condition already proved that the hollow tree was vulnerable to attacks. Yet, I understood it was not time to act hastily; only careful planning and preparation would suffice.

So after administering the juice to Huang Jianfen, I sat on a fallen tree trunk, closing my eyes to rest. I tried to sort through my thoughts and waited to see if Huang Jianfen would respond. The past few days had been chaotic and strange.

Qu Xiang and Lan Fang did not disturb me. Perhaps it was because my initial doubts, coupled with a newfound firmness, made Lan Fang realize I was no longer meek. So when I remained silent, they too refrained from interrupting.

Suddenly, after what felt like an eternity while I sat contemplating countless possibilities, Lan Fang’s voice broke the silence, signaling to me.

I opened my eyes immediately and looked over. Sure enough, Huang Jianfen’s body seemed to quiver slightly.

Before I could even stretch, I hurried over and saw her eyes trembling. Though she made no sound, tears welled from the corners of her eyes.

“Alright, alright, don’t cry. Can you hear us? Or at least feel us speaking?” I asked, not overly concerned with Lan Fang’s anxiety but feeling some nervousness myself as I gripped Huang Jianfen’s wrist to check her pulse.

I wondered if she had truly awakened, if she knew we were here watching over her. My voice grew urgent, “We’re safe for now. Tell us, what happened last night?”

Though my approach was harsh, I had to know. I couldn’t risk another accident with her. Her tears at least proved she had some awareness.

Even though her eyes remained closed, impatience bubbled within me, regardless of her state.

“Ah, Jing…,” Lan Fang tried to stop me. I shot her a sharp glance. Seeing the cold resolve in my eyes, she abruptly swallowed the rest of her words, looking down at Huang Jianfen with a mix of frustration and resignation.

“Crying won’t help. If you keep it up, you’ll just attract wild beasts that’ll toss you down and feast,” I muttered, not really knowing if any large predators lurked nearby, but unable to resist teasing her for crying silently.

Lan Fang’s face turned cold at my words; her lips moved as if she wanted to retort.

Unexpectedly, Huang Jianfen’s lips trembled. Seeing her struggle to speak, Lan Fang quickly covered her mouth to stifle any sobs, not wanting to disturb me further.

Feeling warmth return to Huang Jianfen’s body stirred my heart. But it was her lips quivering that truly moved me. I scarcely noticed Qu Xiang and Lan Fang, focused solely on hoping Huang Jianfen would soon respond.

Leaning close to her head, I gently repeated with encouragement, “You can say a few simple words. Tell us what happened. The rest we’ll talk about once you’re better.”

Perhaps my reassurance gave her hope. After a moment of pursing her lips, her throat worked hard as she struggled to speak, “Peng Qian… Peng… Qian… found… a mountain cave…”

“We… wanted to… temporarily… stone pigs… pigs… blind came… some… ambushed us… fierce…”

Though her words were broken and unclear, pressing my ear close, I caught enough fragments to piece together the story.

Peng Qian’s group had found shelter somewhere—though I did not know where—and had been ambushed. Whether this was true or not, my heart pounded wildly.

I did not know if the place Peng Qian found lay within Wen’s territory or had extended into surrounding lands controlled by others. Wherever it was, this news of an attack troubled me deeply.

“Rest now. Recover a bit, and then we’ll talk more,” I urged firmly, unwilling to let her slip away.

Still, her mouth quivered slightly as if she wished to say more. I bore no ill will but feared she might lose consciousness, so I stopped her and frowned, watching her face as she gradually steadied.

Lost in thought, I sat quietly, the weight of the situation pressing down upon me.