The joy of finding a water source made me drop my guard. Under the cover of darkness, I didn’t notice there was a pit under my feet! I lifted my foot to step forward but landed squarely on the slippery edge of the pit. Losing my balance, my body tilted uncontrollably, and it was too late to grab onto anything. My hands flailed uselessly in the air, grasping only at the thin air, and I slammed heavily into the bottom of the pit.
My right leg hit first, bearing almost all of my body weight and the impact of the fall. My head hit hard on a rock at the bottom of the pit, and my mind went blank with a ringing sound, my vision blackened, and I lost consciousness.
It felt like a century passed before I slowly came to, my consciousness returning with difficulty.
“Hiss—”
My forehead hurt, my leg hurt, and my whole body ached.
The branch that fell with me had already burned out, yet faint embers still glowed, suggesting I hadn’t been unconscious for very long. I painstakingly blew on it, and the branch slowly began to burn again.
Leaning against the rock wall, I sat up. My forehead was throbbing; I reached up and felt something sticky and warm. It must have been bleeding. My right foot was in searing pain, my entire leg was numb from the pain, and I couldn’t put any weight on it.
I felt my right leg in the darkness and was shocked to find the bones in my ankle dislocated. It must be broken. How unlucky not to have seen the pit.
I cursed my uselessness, but thinking about it now was pointless. After resting for a while, I took a deep breath and tried to stand up. I finally managed to stand, and in the pitch black, using the faint spark, I could barely make out that the pit was about two meters deep, with smooth walls. It would be very difficult for me to climb out on my own while injured.
“Xiao Wen! Xiao Wen!”
I shouted Wen Lingyu’s name from the bottom of the pit, and her response quickly came from outside.
“What’s wrong? Is something happening?”
I felt a bit awkward. My purpose in coming here was to take care of others, but now I’ve gotten myself into trouble too.
“I had a small accident. Can you come in?”
I heard Wen Lingyu’s cautious footsteps outside. After about two minutes, she also approached.
“Be careful, there’s a deep pit here.”
Wen Lingyu’s movements halted. “Phew, I almost stepped in… Li Yuze, are you in the pit?”
I replied helplessly, “Yes.”
The air fell silent for a moment. Wen Lingyu shone her torch to look at me, her voice filled with worry. “Are you hurt?”
Even more helplessly, I said, “Yes.”
“I’ll pull you up.” She said, extending her hand towards me.
But the pit was too deep; I couldn’t reach her hand even when she stretched it out. Besides, how could a small girl like her possibly pull me up?
“You can’t pull me up. You should get water and go back to take care of them first. I’m fine.”
Wen Lingyu bit her lip and reluctantly agreed. I heard rustling sounds, which must have been her collecting water.
“Li Yuze, wait for us. When Xu Zirong is better, he’ll come and pull you up.”
I leaned back against the bottom of the pit, forcing a smile at her.
The darkness quickly returned, leaving only the sound of cold water for company. The temperature in the cave was very low; my windbreaker wasn’t enough. I suddenly heard a “clattering” sound, and it took my sluggish mind a long time to realize it was the sound of my teeth chattering from the cold.
When the body is in an extremely cold environment, it shivers involuntarily, this is the body’s natural protective mechanism.
I pulled my windbreaker tighter but accidentally jostled my injured right leg, and the sudden, excruciating pain made me break out in a cold sweat.
It was too cold, I was truly too cold. The cave felt like it was freezing, solidifying everything.
“I’ll just sleep for a while,” I thought vaguely, deceiving myself that I wouldn’t be so cold once I was asleep.
I curled up, lay down, and closed my eyes, my consciousness quickly fading.
In a daze, I seemed to return to that solitary stilt house. I sat on the wooden bed, bright, moon-like light pouring in from the small window, casting a faint shadow on the floor.
The mountain wind also poured in through the window. Pulling the blanket up did no good; I was freezing all over, a chill seeping into my bones.
I got up to close the window but suddenly noticed something dark at the sill. I looked closer and saw they were those black insects!
They crawled in through the window in groups, like countless black waves.
“Ah!”
I stumbled backward in fright, my back hitting the wall, a dull pain shooting through me.
The insects surged in from the window, and the entire house seemed to sway precariously as if overwhelmed.
It was terrifying; they would devour me!
With that thought, I bolted towards the main door. As I opened it, a pale face suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Shen Jianqing.
He stood silently at the doorway with no expression, his eyes dark and deep in the night. A silver ornament hung in his hair, making his face appear even more handsome and bewitching. He stared at me, his voice like a phoenix’s cry yet bone-chillingly cold: “Li Yuze, where are you going?”
His gaze was terrifying, so dark I couldn’t see his pupils, like a beast that had lost its reason.
I instinctively tried to close the door, but he stretched out a long arm, blocking it.
Behind me were the black insects; in front of me was Shen Jianqing.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my leg!
I looked down to see a black insect biting fiercely into my right ankle bone, its four legs clinging to my foot, digging in with force.
“Ah—” I cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground.
Shen Jianqing took another step forward, repeating mechanically and coldly, “Li Yuze, where are you going?”
He looked down at me from above, as if gazing at an insect, pressing me tightly: “Li Yuze, where are you going?”
“Li Yuze, where are you going?”
“Li Yuze.”
“Li Yuze…”
“Li Yuze!”
The voice by my ear shifted from cold to concerned, from near to distant. I felt as if I’d fallen into a fog, fumbling around, struggling to follow the source of the sound.
The black mist gradually dispersed, and a distant red light grew closer. I struggled to run towards that pinpoint of light, and the voice in my ear finally became clear.
“Li Yuze…”
“Li Yuze, wake up!”
I struggled to open my heavy eyes. Flames flickered around me, and Xu Zirong, Qiu Lu, and Wen Lingyu were looking at me from the cave entrance.
“You all came…” I sat up, my head throbbing, dizzy with every movement.
“Are you okay?” Wen Lingyu asked with concern. “Last night I couldn’t see clearly; you’re badly injured from the fall!”
I didn’t want their pity, so I pretended to be strong and said, “I’m fine, it’s not that serious.”
Qiu Lu said, blaming herself, “It’s all because of us two that you fell.”
I helplessly rubbed my forehead but accidentally touched the freshly scabbed wound, wincing in pain. “Don’t just stand there watching, help me up first!”
Xu Zirong quickly came forward and extended a hand to me. I struggled to get up, balancing on my right foot, and barely managed to grab his hand.
Xu Zirong tightened his grip, using brute force to pull me straight out of the pit.
“Can you still walk?” Xu Zirong frowned. “Your hand is so hot.”
I shook my head. “Probably not. My ankle bone is broken.”
Xu Zirong put my arm over his shoulder and helped me walk out. We reached the cave entrance, and it was already bright outside. I squinted, and it took a while for the stinging in my eyes to subside as they adjusted.
“Don’t look so glum ah, it’s like I’m dying,” I said, pretending to be nonchalant as I sat down. “How are you two feeling?”
Wen Lingyu said, “Same as before, the fever broke at dawn.”
“And we feel completely normal, no discomfort at all.” Xu Zirong added.
But Qiu Lu and Xu Zirong exchanged glances, both showing expressions of shared concern. Once was a coincidence, however twice definitely wasn’t.
“The wine that day might have been problematic,” I said, not entirely sure, but the important thing now was to get out quickly and have them undergo a thorough medical examination. “We were too careless. That group of Unassimilated Miao people wasn’t well-intentioned towards us. You two should leave quickly; only by getting out can you find the cause of your illness.”
Wen Lingyu asked, “What about you?”
I took a deep breath. “I can’t go with you guys now. With my leg like this, not only can I not walk far, but I’ll also be a burden to you guys.”
“No way! We came together; how can we abandon you and leave first?” Tears welled up in Wen Lingyu’s eyes.
Qiu Lu also said, “You got hurt taking care of us.”
“Exactly! It would be inhuman of us to leave you here!” Xu Zirong said, half-crouching in front of me. “Get on, I’ll carry you out even if I have to carry you on my back!”
Looking at them, my heart was suddenly filled with emotion. Our time together had changed my initial perception of them, and I genuinely considered them friends. Although Wen Lingyu was delicate, she was thoughtful; Qiu Lu was hearty and straightforward; and Xu Zirong was strong and stout and very loyal.
In such a dangerous situation, they never once thought of abandoning me, which touched me deeply. They were all very, very good people, and I felt very content to have met these friends.
“The longer we stay in the forest, the more dangerous it gets. Me coming with you guys would only slow you guys down,” I said, forcing a smile, trying not to look too disheveled. “You guys go out first, find people, and then come back for me. Isn’t that easier than taking me with you guys? And I’m really worried about your health.”
Qiu Lu and Xu Zirong stopped talking.
I made the final decision: “Go quickly. I’ll wait for you guys here, but don’t make me wait too long!”
Seeing my insistence, they had no choice but to compromise, leaving behind drinking water and some dried food.
“Ah Ze, we’re leaving now. Please be careful here. We’ll come back to rescue you as soon as we find someone,” Xu Zirong babbled like an old woman before they set off. “You seem to have a fever. I’ll leave you some fever medicine; remember to take it.”
I nodded repeatedly, urging them, “Go quickly. Be very careful on the way.”
The three of them reluctantly packed their things and set off again. I leaned against the mouth of the cave, watching their figures gradually recede, eventually obscured by layers of branches and leaves until they were out of sight.
I hoped they would be lucky and get out of this boundless forest soon.
