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

late at night.

The fire in the cave was reduced to a few dark red embers, flickering weakly, the heat long since dissipated.

Lin Qingqing was awakened by the cold.

The mountain night wind seeps in through any crack, pouring in through the gaps in the vines at the cave entrance, chilling you to the bone.

She shrank her neck, trying to grab the thin blanket that had been covering her, but her hand reached out and touched nothing.

The blanket had somehow slipped to my feet.

Just as she was about to sit up to pick it up, a warm coat was draped over her head. The coat was heavy and instantly kept out the chill.

Lin Qingqing peeked half her face out from the collar of her coat.

Qin Lie leaned against the stone wall, one long leg bent and the other casually stretched out, the hunting knife in his hand not yet sheathed, but resting on his knee.

The firelight was too dim to see his face clearly; all that could be seen was his blurry yet extremely imposing silhouette.

"Big brother, did I wake you up?" Lin Qingqing's voice was soft, with a nasal tone from just waking up.

Qin Lie didn't reply, but simply moved his body closer to the wind. His broad back completely blocked the wind blowing in from the cave entrance.

"Sleep a little longer, it's not dawn yet."

Lin Qingqing was unable to sleep.

She looked at Qin Lie, who was only wearing a thin vest that clung tightly to his body, outlining his well-defined muscles.

That coat was the only thing he was wearing to keep warm.

"I have a blanket, big brother." Lin Qingqing pulled her coat down, wanting to return it to him, "You have an injury on your waist, you can't get cold."

Just as my hand reached out, it was intercepted by a large hand: "It's damp. I'm not cold, you cover yourself with it."

Qin Lie had a strong grip, and Lin Qingqing frowned. She thought about suggesting that the two of them could share a coat, but before she could speak, she inexplicably glanced at Gu Qiangying, who was already fast asleep.

When she turned her gaze back, she met Qin Lie's somewhat deep expression. Qin Lie grabbed Lin Qingqing's hand and pulled hard, causing Lin Qingqing to stumble forward uncontrollably and crash directly into his arms.

Solid and scalding hot.

This was Lin Qingqing's first reaction.

Before she could calm her shock, a large hand had already gripped her slender neck.

"Well……"

All voices were silenced.

Qin Lie lowered his head and kissed him fiercely.

Without any expression or closing his eyes, he looked down at the still-shaken Lin Qingqing.

The male's sense of territoriality is very strong. He pried open her teeth with an unyielding force, sweeping away every inch of sweetness.

Not far away, Gu Qiangying turned over, making a rustling sound.

This sound made Lin Qingqing stiffen, but this momentary hesitation only aroused the man's ferocity.

Qin Lie suddenly released his grip on her neck and instead tentatively tugged at Lin Qingqing's hair, not with force, but with a domineering touch.

Lin Qingqing was forced to tilt her head back, enduring this sudden plunder.

Just when Lin Qingqing felt like she was about to suffocate, Qin Lie finally released her.

Their foreheads touched, their breaths mingling.

Qin Lie glanced meaningfully at the sleeping Gu Qiangying, then rubbed his thumb forcefully across her swollen, red lips. "Don't you like it?"

Lin Qingqing seemed to understand Qin Lie's meaning. Suddenly, she remembered what happened at the guesthouse with Gu Qiangying and Jiang He. Her eyes reddened a little, as if she had been bullied badly.

Like it?

Being pampered, flattered, and cared for is naturally something to enjoy and feel comfortable about.

But she still didn't dare to speak, or even look at Gu Qiangying, for fear of meeting a pair of clear-headed, mocking eyes.

Looking at her timid yet obedient appearance, Qin Lie's Adam's apple bobbed twice: "If you want it, you can have it."

(To be supplemented)

……

The fog in the mountains dissipates slowly; it's only when the sun climbs above the treetops that the white veil is completely lifted.

This place is indeed dangerous.

Below was a bottomless abyss, dark and bottomless, with only the howling of the wind crashing against the rock face. Opposite was an almost vertical cliff, with a few crooked trees occasionally growing from the bare cracks in the rocks.

Gu Qiangying stood on the edge of the cliff, pointing to an inconspicuous patch of green on the opposite cliff face.

"See that? It's that thing."

Lin Qingqing looked in the direction he was pointing.

About ten meters from the cliff top, a tiny plant stubbornly took root in a crack in the rock. Its leaves were long and thin, and a few inconspicuous little yellow flowers bloomed at the top, trembling in the wind.

Shilongrui.

"How are we supposed to pick these?" Lin Qingqing asked, her heart pounding. "There's not even a place to put our feet down."

"That's why these things are precious." Gu Qiangying shrugged, turned to Qin Lie, and said, "Big brother, it's up to you now. My hands are for scalpels; climbing this kind of cliff is something only you can do."

Qin Lie didn't waste any words.

He removed his equipment, leaving only a bundle of climbing rope and the hunting knife.

"Stay up there and don't move."

This was said to Lin Qingqing.

After saying that, he tied one end of the rope to an old pine tree that was as thick as two people could hug, and the other end to his waist. He tested the tightness, then turned around and jumped down without hesitation.

"Big brother!" Lin Qingqing exclaimed and rushed to the edge of the cliff.

Gu Qiangying reached out to pull Lin Qingqing, but missed. Seeing Lin Qingqing's anxious look, she immediately regretted letting her older brother go downstairs.

Qin Lie was extremely fast.

Like a nimble gecko, he swiftly descended along the rock face. His toes touched a protruding rock, and using the momentum, he swung his body aside, firmly grasping the next rock.

Lin Qingqing stared at the rising and falling figure, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

Only after Qin Lie reached out and picked the herb, carefully placed it into the cloth bag in his arms, and then grabbed the rope and began to climb upwards, did she dare to breathe a sigh of relief.

When his muddy hand gripped the rocks on the cliff edge and he flipped himself up, Lin Qingqing's legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground.

Qin Lie untied the rope around his waist, dusted himself off, walked up to Gu Qiangying, and took the cloth bag out of his pocket and threw it to him.

"Inspect the goods."

Gu Qiangying took it, opened it, glanced at it, and a satisfied smile appeared on her lips. "Good quality, all the roots are intact. Brother, you're still got it! You're still got it."

Qin Lie ignored his teasing and turned to walk in front of Lin Qingqing.

The little girl was still sitting on the ground, looking up at him, her eyes red with tears of anxiety.

Qin Lie squatted down, extended his rough thumb, and vigorously rubbed the corner of her eye. The calluses on his fingertip scraped against her delicate skin, causing a sharp pain.

"Are you about to cry?"

Lin Qingqing sniffed, shook her head, and then nodded.

For a fleeting moment, she was truly terrified. Terrified that the rope would break, that he would slip, that he would simply vanish into that bottomless black hole.

Qin Lie's eyes darkened as he looked at her.

He suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Don't cry for me, it's not worth it."

"But if you really want to cry, wait until we get home, and I'll let you cry your heart out."

Lin Qingqing's face instantly turned bright red, and she stared wide-eyed at Qin Lie, seemingly unable to believe that such crude words had come from the mouth of this taciturn man.

Qin Lie stood up as if nothing had happened and casually pulled her up from the ground.

"Let's go, down the mountain."

……

The old hunter's house was halfway up the mountain, not much better than the previous thatched hut.

Before you even enter, you can hear heart-wrenching coughing sounds coming from inside, as if they're coughing up their lungs.

Gu Qiangying's demeanor changed as soon as she entered the room.

"Crush this herb; it's a medicinal guide." He handed the stone dragon herb to Lin Qingqing, then opened his medicine box and took out a stethoscope.

Lin Qingqing didn't dare to delay. She found a broken bowl, picked up a stone, and started pounding the medicine.

Green juice splattered out, staining her fingers green.

The old hunter lay on the bed, emaciated, his chest heaving violently. Each cough brought a trickle of blood to his lips.

"Hold him down, I'm going to administer acupuncture," Gu Qiangying instructed.

Lin Qingqing put down the bowl and went over to press down on the old man's shoulders. The old man's struggles were not strong, but the convulsions he was having before his death were terrifying.

The silver needle in Gu Qiangying's hand fell.

Half an hour later, the old hunter finished the bowl of medicine mixed with the juice of the stone dragon. He finally stopped coughing and fell into a deep sleep.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go." Gu Qiangying turned and glanced at her. "Want to stay and be a child bride?"

Lin Qingqing snapped out of her daze and quickly followed, her steps becoming lighter.

As they reached the door, the old hunter's son, who had been waiting nearby, chased after them.

He was a man in his thirties, his face weathered, holding something wrapped in animal skin, rubbing his hands nervously.

"Dr. Gu, Brother Qin... we really don't have any money." The man shoved the animal skin bag into Qin Lie's arms. "My dad found this in the deep mountains a couple of years ago. He said it looks like something from the military, but I don't know anything about it. If you don't mind, you can use it as payment for the consultation."

Qin Lie frowned slightly, initially intending to decline.

But when he saw the texture of the animal hide, he suddenly stopped moving.

"Big brother?" Lin Qingqing noticed his unusual behavior and leaned closer. "What's wrong? What's this?"

Qin Lie remained silent for a moment, then looked at Gu Qiangying.

Gu Qiangying was taken aback. She looked down at the thing in Qin Lie's hand but couldn't see anything special about it.

"It's nothing." Qin Lie stuffed the animal hide into his bag. "This will cover the consultation fee."