I became incredibly cute after dressing up as an animal!

Xiao Zhang's left ankle was swollen beyond recognition.

He sat on the muddy ground, rolled up his trouser leg, and took a look. He was surprised to see a large lump on his ankle, with shiny, purplish-black skin.

He tried to stand up, supporting himself on the ground, but as soon as his left foot touched the ground, a piercing pain shot from his ankle to the top of his head, and he sat back down in pain.

He couldn't stay here; the risk of a second mudslide remained in the valley. He had to leave.

Xiao Zhang gritted his teeth, shifted his weight onto his right foot, and supported himself with his hands on the ground, slowly standing up.

He picked up a thick tree branch to use as a walking stick and prepared to set off.

The muddy road caused his good leg to sink in and he would pull it out, while his bad leg would drag behind. Every jolt made him break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

He had walked less than twenty meters when his crutch slipped, causing him to lose his balance and fall sideways into the mud. His left foot was pinned down by his body, and he cried out in pain.

Lan Xiaoxiao quickly ran over.

She squatted down next to Xiao Zhang, looking down at him, "Waaah!"

"You must have fractured your bone. Help me up."

The panda's voice was urgent, but not in a frightened way; it was more of a worried one.

Xiao Zhang lay on the ground, panting. When he saw Lan Xiao's face approaching, he instinctively said, "It's okay, it's okay, I'm fine, don't be afraid."

He thought Lan Xiao was frightened; it must have been nervous seeing a human injured and lying on the ground.

Xiao Zhang tried to get up by supporting himself on his arms, but Lan Xiaoxiao simply stuck her head under his arm and nuzzled him.

Xiao Zhang was stunned for a moment.

Lan Xiaoxiao arched her back again, her shoulder pressing against Xiao Zhang's elbow as she pushed upwards.

Xiao Zhang suddenly realized that Lan Xiao wasn't scared; it was helping him! Lan Xiao meant, "Support my back and stand up!"

Xiao Zhang stared at the panda in front of him, which looked like a mud monkey, opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

His hand rested on Lan Xiaoxiao's back. The fur was wet, the mud was sticky, but he could feel the temperature underneath.

Lan Xiaoxiao stood steadily, motionless, her four legs rooted to the ground as if they were planted in the ground.

Xiao Zhang supported her back and slowly stood up. He dared not put his left foot on the ground, and his right leg was trembling. He put most of his weight on Lan Xiaoxiao, but Lan Xiaoxiao did not move at all.

Xiao Zhang stopped. He leaned on Lan Xiaoxiao's back, looked down at the panda that only reached his thigh, and suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

"Lan Xiao," his voice trembled slightly, "are you a deity?"

Lan Xiaoxiao: "Eek??!!"

"Otherwise, why would you be so nice?"

Xiao Zhang supported Lan Xiaoxiao as they walked step by step uphill. Lan Xiaoxiao walked very slowly, taking small steps to match Xiao Zhang's pace.

After walking about three or four hundred meters, the muddy ground turned into a gravel slope, and finally the ground became a bit firmer.

Xiao Zhang sat down against a tree, stretched out his bad leg, and gasped for breath.

Lan Xiaoxiao stood next to him and didn't leave.

She looked in the direction she had come from, at the hillside that had been washed away by the mudslide, and at the distant, unseen forests.

Where is the first year of junior high school...?

Lan Xiaoxiao looked away and glanced at Xiao Zhang.

Xiao Zhang was panting with his eyes closed, his lips were pale, and his forehead was covered in sweat. His left foot was so swollen that his shoe was deformed, and purplish-black bruises spread from his ankle to his calf.

Xiao Zhang opened his eyes and found Lan Xiao looking at his feet.

"It's nothing, just a fracture," he said. "It'll be fine once it's set."

"Eek..."

With his injuries so severe, if he encounters a second mudslide, he certainly won't be able to escape and will undoubtedly die. He needs to get down the mountain as soon as possible.

Xiao Zhang leaned against the tree, caught his breath for a while, and then started talking. He didn't know why he was talking to a panda; perhaps he had just experienced a life-or-death ordeal.

"Lan Xiao, were you swept down by the mudslide? Where's Chu Yi? Why isn't Chu Yi with you?" He paused, "...Did Chu Yi go into heat and leave?"

"Eek!"

no!

The little bear shook its head with a serious expression.

Xiao Zhang's words caught in his throat. Had he seen the panda shake its head?

"you……"

Those round, black eyes held neither the ferocity of a wild beast nor the fawning of a pet; they were simply a calm, human-like gaze.

"...Lan Xiao, can you understand me?"

Lan Xiaoxiao neither nodded nor shook her head, she just looked at him.

Xiao Zhang changed the subject: "Was the first-year student also swept down by the mudslide?"

Lan Xiaoxiao nodded: "Mm!"

Xiao Zhang was stunned. It seemed that the little blue panda could really understand human speech!

"Is it injured? Did you see it injured?"

Lan Xiaoxiao didn't answer. Her round eyes looked worriedly at the forest. She wanted to go find Chu Yi.

"Didn't you see it, or is it not injured?"

No matter how Xiao Zhang asked, the panda didn't respond.

As expected, pandas cannot understand human speech.

However, images of the two pandas together were captured last year, so it's unlikely they'll be separated so soon this spring.

Lan Xiao was covered in mud, clearly having been swept away by a mudslide. Chu Yi, who was with it, must have been washed away as well.

If Xiong isn't around on the first day of the lunar month, something must have happened.

Lan Xiao's eyes were full of worry as she kept looking into the mountains. Something must have happened to Chu Yi.

After resting for a while, Xiao Zhang stood up with the help of his crutches. Lan Xiaoxiao walked over to him again and offered her shoulder.

"No need, Lan Xiao, you go find Chu Yi, I can walk by myself."

He could tell that Lan Xiao was always looking into the mountains and taking a few steps forward, clearly indicating that she wanted to leave.

Lan Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment after hearing this, her eyes glancing at Xiao Zhang's foot, which was swollen beyond recognition.

Xiao Zhang was soaked to the bone and covered in mud. The wind was chilly, and he had lost his bag. He had no food, no water, no warm clothes, and was injured like this. The chances of him successfully getting down the mountain alone were very slim. He might even collapse from hypothermia by the roadside...

Lan Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth. Should she send Xiao Zhang down the mountain or go find Chu Yi?

She stood on the scree slope, looking in two directions.

One direction leads down the mountain, which could save Xiao Zhang; the other direction leads to the place where Chu Yi disappeared, which is all mud and fallen trees.

She should go find Chu Yi; Chu Yi's fate is unknown, and she is suffering every second.

But can she find it alone? The mountain is so big, and the area swept by the mudslide is so vast. How long will it take for her, a bear, to find it by sniffing around with her nose?

"The rescue team must have gone up the mountain," Xiao Zhang suddenly said. "If there's a mudslide, a rescue team will definitely come up the mountain to look for me."

"!" Lan Xiaoxiao had completely forgotten about the rescue team.

There's a very obvious method, but many hands make light work!

She escorted Xiao Zhang down the mountain, ensuring his safety and also hoping they would encounter a rescue team.

We'll try to get the rescue team's help to find Chu Yi!

Humans have the equipment and more people, so they can definitely search much faster than she, a single bear.

Lan Xiaoxiao immediately walked in front of Xiao Zhang, turned around to look at Xiao Zhang, and called out, "Meow."

Come on, this way.

"Are you asking me to go with you?" Xiao Zhang tried to understand Lan Xiao's words.

Lan Xiaoxiao led the way, and Xiao Zhang followed!

When they encountered difficult places, Lan Xiaoxiao would turn back to be his crutch and support, almost carrying him on her back.

A man and a bear, limping and walking very slowly.

As Xiao Zhang walked, he talked, but it was unclear whether he was talking to Lan Xiao or to himself.

"I'm afraid this foot is going to be useless. Professor Xu will definitely scold me when I get back. He said we should go into the mountains in pairs, but I ran up here alone, thinking I was just going to collect a camera. I deserve it."

Lan Xiaoxiao listened to his rambling.

"Lan Xiao, don't worry, Chu Yi is stronger than you, he'll definitely be fine. Maybe he'll smell your scent and come looking for us. Once we meet the rescue team, we'll all look for Chu Yi together."

"Waaah!"

You're very perceptive, man.