After becoming a widow, I became the apple of a rough man's eye.

The rain in the mountains is unpredictable; it stops but doesn't completely stop, and the mist seems to have a life of its own, seeping out from the mud beneath our feet.

The deeper you go, the dimmer the light becomes, and all around you are ancient trees that haven't seen the sun for hundreds of years, their bark covered with thick moss that drips wetly.

The path under our feet could hardly be called a path; it was just a muddy ditch worn into the ground.

Lin Qingqing followed along, her shoes covered in mud, each step feeling like a tug-of-war.

She didn't say anything, nor did she complain of being tired; her breathing just grew heavier and her chest heaved violently.

The tall figure in front stopped.

Qin Lie turned around, mud and water dripping down the blade of the machete in his hand. He stared at Lin Qingqing's face, flushed from lack of oxygen, for a while, then reached out his hand.

"Give it to me."

Lin Qingqing waved her hand, panting, "It's not heavy, just a few steamed buns."

"Give it to me." Qin Lie didn't waste any more words, and his tone left no room for negotiation. He reached out and tried to tear off the straps from her body.

"Brother, you're all bundled up like a general store owner, with that bag hanging around your neck. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were going to open a small shop in the mountains." Gu Qiangying walked at the very back, holding a broken branch as a walking stick.

He pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping coolly over Qin Lie's bulging backpack. "Qingqing is worried about you and afraid of damaging you. We still need you to clear the way."

Qin Lie simply grabbed Lin Qingqing's small bag and casually hung it around his neck, like a breast protector.

"Mind your own business," Qin Lie said, turning around to continue hacking away at the thorns blocking his path.

Gu Qiangying chuckled and took two steps forward, right behind Lin Qingqing.

This location was chosen in a tricky way.

The road ahead was extremely steep, almost a 45-degree incline, and covered in slippery yellow mud.

Lin Qingqing grabbed onto the tree trunk beside her and started climbing, but her foot slipped and she fell backward.

"what!"

Before the short exclamation could even escape her lips, Qin Lie reacted with lightning speed, turning around abruptly and grabbing her wrist with his large hand.

Gu Qiangying was right behind her, and with a quick movement, she reached forward and placed her hand on her lower back, steadily supporting her falling body.

These two, one in front and one behind, sandwiched her in the middle.

Lin Qingqing was still in shock, her heart pounding in her throat.

"Are you alright?" Qin Lie frowned and pulled her closer to him.

"It's okay..." Lin Qingqing used the support to steady herself and tried to pull her hand back, but she couldn't.

Qin Lie looked at the mud-covered liberation shoes on her feet, stuck the machete into the ground, squatted down, and turned his broad back to her.

"Come up."

Lin Qingqing was taken aback. "The road is so slippery, you won't be able to walk if you carry me."

"Come on up." Qin Lie repeated, his tone becoming more serious. "Make sure you can walk, and don't twist your ankle."

Lin Qingqing knew Qin Lie meant well, but she couldn't bear to let him carry her; the road was still long and it would be too tiring.

Gu Qiangying laughed out loud.

He withdrew his hand from Lin Qingqing's waist, looked at Qin Lie's lower back for a moment, and then said, "Brother, isn't this unnecessary?"

Gu Qiang's tone carried a hint of irritating rationality: "With this slope, you're carrying a grown man on your back, your center of gravity will be unstable. If you slip and fall, I won't be able to get both of you out, and all three of us will be stuck here."

Qin Lie knew that Gu Qiangying's concerns were reasonable, but the words coming out of this third brother's mouth were simply unpleasant to hear.

Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two men, Lin Qingqing walked behind Qin Lie, reached out and straightened the straps of his backpack, her voice soft:

"Big brother is the pillar of the family; you need to save your strength for paving the way. What if we get into danger if we overwork ourselves? You are our backbone; we can't afford to waste your energy."

That sounds nice.

Qin Lie's expression softened, and he picked up the knife again. "Be careful."

Gu Qiangying raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on Lin Qingqing's seemingly obedient face. "Qingqing's way of speaking is getting better and better."

Lin Qingqing kept her eyes straight ahead, gripping the tree trunk as she climbed up, and whispered a retort: ​​"Third Brother taught me well, you become like those you associate with."

Gu Qiangying was delighted.

This little rabbit has sharp teeth and a keen tongue.

"Okay, a little darker is better." He reached out and gently patted the back of her head. "Too white will get dirty easily."

The three continued climbing.

The higher you go, the denser the vegetation becomes, with unidentifiable vines coiling around the trees like snakes. The air is filled with the smell of rotting leaves.

"Shilong Rui likes the shade, it's right below that cliff." Gu Qiangying pointed to a cliff not far ahead.

By this time, the sky was already getting dark, and the wind in the mountains was howling.

Just as they were about to reach the cliff, the bushes next to them suddenly began to shake violently.

"Splash—"

It wasn't the sound of the wind, but the sound of heavy objects crushing over the grass and trees.

Qin Lie abruptly stopped and raised his hand to signal to stop.

"Don't move."

His voice was extremely low, and his whole body tensed up instantly.

Lin Qingqing didn't dare to breathe loudly, clutching Gu Qiangying's sleeve.

Gu Qiangying's smile vanished. She turned and shielded her behind her back, while her other hand reached for the medicine box at her waist, where a scalpel was located.

The next second, a dark figure, accompanied by a heavy groan, shot out of the woods like a cannonball.

A wild boar.

It must have weighed two or three hundred pounds, its mane stood up like steel needles, its two fangs gleamed with a ghastly white light, and its eyes were bloodshot; it was clearly insane.

It gave the three of them no time to react, and with a kick of its hind hooves, it charged straight at Gu Qiangying and Lin Qingqing.

If that hits hard, your intestines will spill out.

"My love!"

Gu Qiangying shouted, trying to push her away, but the wild boar was too fast, and a foul-smelling wind rushed straight to her face.

Lin Qingqing's mind went blank, and even her scream got stuck in her throat.

At the critical moment, a tall figure blocked their path.

Facing the wild boar head-on, Qin Lie advanced instead of retreating. Just as the boar's tusks were about to pierce his thigh, he twisted his body sharply to the side, avoiding a fatal blow. Then, he kicked the boar hard in the most vulnerable part of its neck.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the wild boar was kicked so hard that it fell to the ground and let out a pitiful howl.

As the wild boar fell, Qin Lie quickly drew his hunting knife and struck the boar's neck several times until it twitched twice on the ground and could no longer get up.

Lin Qingqing's legs went weak, and she almost knelt on the ground.

She watched Qin Lie's retreating figure.

He stood there, and when danger came, he never thought of giving way even slightly, even out of instinct.

This is Qin Lie.

My heart was pounding, filled with an indescribable sense of awe and excitement.

Qin Lie put away his knife and only turned around after confirming that the wild boar was dead.

"Were you scared?"

He walked up to Lin Qingqing, his cold, hard face revealing no emotion, only his slightly rapid breathing betraying the explosive force he had just unleashed.

Lin Qingqing shook her head and subconsciously reached out to grab the hem of his clothes. Qin Lie took her hand in return; his palm was hot and rough, with a reassuring warmth.

"Do you still want your back?"

An untimely voice interrupted.

Gu Qiangying walked over and, regardless of whether Qin Lie wanted to or not, reached out and pressed on the spot where his lower back and hip bone connected.

"Hiss—" Qin Lie frowned, slapped his hand away, and said, "Get lost."

"Looks like it's not broken." Gu Qiangying withdrew her hand, pushed up her glasses, and although she didn't say anything nice, her inspection just now was professional. "That kick just now was quite powerful. If you had twisted your back, I wouldn't be able to carry you in this desolate wilderness."

Qin Lie gave him a deep look, then turned to look at the sky.

The fog in the mountains grew thicker and thicker, and people could not be seen even a few meters away.

In this kind of weather, even experienced hunters wouldn't dare to wander around in the woods.

"We can't leave now," Qin Lie said in a deep voice. "There's a cave ahead. We stayed there before when we were hunting. We'll make do for the night."

Looking at the white fog all around her, and then at the dead wild boar on the ground, Lin Qingqing felt that unease well up in her heart again.

"Let's go." Gu Qiangying bent down to pick up Qin Lie's machete, weighed it in his hand, turned around and smiled at Lin Qingqing, "Qingqing, your brother really went all out with his back."

He emphasized the words "go all out and hurt your back," and glared at Qin Lie as he turned his head.