The small hill, despite its name, was anything but small. Even at its lowest point, it was half as tall as a person, and getting up wasn't easy.
After several failed attempts to climb it, Wen Sining tossed the umbrella aside. Braving the rain, she grabbed onto the crevices in the rocks and found a good position to climb up.
"Lu Luochen, you owe me another favor!" she shouted as she managed to climb up successfully, thanks to her good physical fitness.
The path above was even more difficult than the one below. There was not only mud but also a slippery surface. Wen Sining almost slipped several times and only managed to steady herself with great difficulty.
After walking for a long time, the rain finally stopped. Wen Sining put away her umbrella. Ahead was a path with no end in sight, and behind her, she couldn't see the entrance she had come through.
Gurgle~ Gurgle~
Strange sounds came from the woods, and large black birds flew in low circles, startled by her footsteps.
Maybe I should go back!
No, I've come this far. There's no way I'm giving up.
These different voices rang out in her mind at the same time. Wen Sining took a deep breath and forced herself to keep going.
On the other side, at Uncle Chen's house.
"Where did you go?"
Lu Luochen was led into Uncle Chen's house by a little girl. As soon as he entered, the old man questioned him.
"Nowhere," Lu Luochen said as he sat on a chair and stroked the little girl who was squatting beside him.
At first, he had wanted to find a signal, but then it suddenly started to rain heavily. When he was about to return the way he came, the little girl beside him grabbed his hand and insisted on taking him home to avoid the rain.
Unable to refuse her kindness, Lu Luochen followed her. When the rain got lighter, he learned that his grandfather and the others were at Uncle Chen's house.
"Sir, the young mistress went out to look for the young master and hasn't come back yet," Uncle Bai interrupted their conversation.
The weather in Lincheng was like a person's mood, turning bad without any warning. The weather in the small mountain village on the outskirts was even more changeable. The rain, which had just stopped, started again.
As it got darker and darker, they searched the whole village but couldn't find Wen Sining.
Uncle Chen called on the young men in the village. After learning about Wen Sining's situation, they volunteered to go up the mountain with torches.
"Luochen, you must bring her back safely no matter what," the old man said seriously as he grabbed Lu Luochen's hand.
If anything happened to Wen Sining, he didn't know how to explain it to Grandma Wen, who had already passed away.
The quiet small mountain village became noisy because of their arrival. Everyone in the village, from the seventy - year - old elders to the young children, joined the search for Wen Sining.
On the winding hills, the scarlet light of the torches shifted with the movement of the people.
In the open space, Wen Sining's name echoed through the mountains and forests.
Leaning against a big tree, Wen Sining propped the umbrella handle on the ground and waited for rescue feebly. Her eyes squinted and then opened again. The pain in her feet made her afraid to breathe deeply.
"Wen Sining!"
The echo between the mountains. Wen Sining's dazed eyes seemed to see the flame of hope.
"Is there only one way to the top of the mountain?"
"There's another one, but the terrain there is too high, and few people ever climb to the top from there."
Lu Luochen stopped a young villager. After asking, he changed his route on the spot.
When the others saw him leave the group, a hot - tempered man rushed forward to block his way. "Can you city people just behave? We've already had to work hard to find one person who got lost, and now you want to cause more trouble?"
The words were harsh, but the other villagers agreed.
Everyone had worked on the farm during the day and was looking forward to a good rest after dinner.
Because of this commotion, they hadn't eaten dinner, and now they all had to search the mountain in the cold and hunger.
"We know the terrain here better than you. If you really want to find your companion, just follow our instructions and don't run around on your own."
"Yes, it's getting darker and darker. If we don't find her soon, it will be dangerous."
There could be all sorts of things in the mountains on the outskirts. Even the people who lived here wouldn't go up the mountain in the middle of the night.
Lu Luochen was persuaded to stay and continued to move forward with them.
When they reached the middle of the mountain, a pleasant ringing sound came from his phone.
Lu Luochen quickly took out his phone. For a moment, he hoped it was Wen Sining calling.
He pressed the red button, and the ringing stopped.
The light of the torches illuminated the whole mountain. Wen Sining felt someone approaching and shouted loudly.
"I'm here!"
"Can you see me? I'm here~"
The mountain responded, and the people in the front heard her. But with the wind, it was hard to find her exact location.
"Everyone, be more careful of your surroundings. There could be some wild beasts around here."
The villager with a steel fork was on high alert, scanning the woods in front of him.
The shining light gradually approached, and a huge object walked out of the woods. The surrounding bushes were trampled, making a rustling sound.
The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment when they saw what was in front of them.
Wen Sining propped herself up on the ground and moved her body little by little.
Was she going to die here?
She felt extremely unwilling.
The people who had caused the death of her parents hadn't been punished yet. How could she leave?
Her fingers wandered on the ground, and she tightly grasped the umbrella. Taking a deep breath, she decided to fight back even if she was attacked by a wild beast.
"Be careful!"
At the shout, the beast let out a whine.
Wen Sining was so scared that her legs went weak, and her vision went black as she fainted.
Lu Luochen carried Wen Sining in his arms, and the villagers jointly carried the subdued wild boar.
Although it had wasted everyone's rest time at night, they had a good harvest. The villagers started a fire and cleaned the wild boar.
On the cold bed board, Wen Sining felt the pain and weakly opened her eyes. Looking at the strange environment, she instinctively guarded against any touch from outsiders.
The foot she had lifted was quickly pressed down, and cold liquid covered the wound.
"Don't move!"
Kang Bai pressed on her ankle while gently dabbing the wound with a cotton swab in his hand.
As it got dark, Wen Sining was so preoccupied with whether to continue that she didn't notice her feet and stepped on a hunting trap the villagers had set beside the grass.
Fortunately, the hunting trap was old and had been used many times, so the sharp corners had been worn down. It only injured the surface of her skin and didn't go deep into the bone.
After applying the medicine, her foot was wrapped in thick gauze.
"Don't walk around for a while, and don't let the wound get wet," Kang Bai said.
Wen Sining obediently nodded and looked at her foot that was wrapped like a pig's trotter.
Was this place her place of misfortune? Since she came here, not only had her fake scar been discovered, but she had also been injured by a hunting trap.
Wen Sining sighed and lay back on the stiff wooden board. The excitement outside had nothing to do with her. She just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
As soon as Kang Bai left, a little girl ran in. She stood by the bed and looked at Wen Sining curiously with her big, bright eyes.