Second installment,

...

Wen Yan and Qin Fang didn't even know at what moment they had fallen asleep, although the night was incredibly cold. But the two of them held each other tight, and surprisingly, they slept very soundly.

In such a dark cave, even when daylight broke, no sunlight could penetrate inside, yet Qin Fang's biological clock was incredibly accurate. He almost suddenly opened his eyes while still in a dream.

Qin Fang knew it should be around five in the morning.

"Wen Yan, Wen Yan..."

Wen Yan's back was ice-cold, but the front of her chest, pressed against Qin Fang, remained very warm. Qin Fang gently checked her pulse and, after ensuring there were no issues, he let out a long sigh of relief and woke Wen Yan up.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Qin Fang?"

Wen Yan was still half-asleep, a faint smile hanging on her lips as if she were having a pleasant dream. Being woken up is usually annoying, but seeing that it was Qin Fang who had awakened her, her slight irritation quickly vanished without a trace.

"It's dawn..."

Qin Fang said with a smile, "Let's eat something. After we are full, we'll have the energy to set off..."

It was still steaming baozi, but Wen Yan had already gotten used to the mysteries surrounding Qin Fang. This only made her fall deeper and become more hopelessly infatuated.

This time she didn't ask Qin Fang to feed her bite by bite. Although her body was still ice-cold, she had regained quite a bit of strength. She could handle such a minor matter herself.

After both had their fill, they immediately got up and prepared to depart.

Qin Fang picked up the clothes that had been hanging aside. Inside the cave, with its low temperature and high humidity, the clothes were still a bit damp even after a night had passed, but Qin Fang had mysteriously found a thick piece of hemp cloth.

"Put this on your stomach, then put on your clothes..."

Qin Fang said tenderly, placing the piece of hemp cloth on Wen Yan's smooth abdomen and helping her dress. Despite Wen Yan being completely nude, Qin Fang's gaze didn't wander in the slightest, nor did he entertain any other thoughts. He simply helped Wen Yan put on her clothes one by one, eventually draping his own clothes over her as well.

Even though the clothes were wet, this was still better than wearing nothing at all like before.

"What about you?"

Wen Yan was deeply touched, but looking at Qin Fang, she noticed that he had given all his clothes to her, leaving himself in only a still-damp pair of boxer briefs, holding his jeans in his hands.

"I'm fine. I'll warm up once I move around a bit..."

Qin Fang said cheerfully.

Meanwhile, he mourned for his Sap Outfit in his heart. Despite the small size of the hemp cloth on Wen Yan's stomach, it was the best Qin Fang could do.

The sack from the Sap Outfit, after being torn by Qin Fang, had not remained intact, leaving only a piece of cloth the size of his butt. Although it had become much softer, it was still too small; otherwise, it could have provided some additional protection from the cold for Wen Yan.

Wen Yan didn't say anything, but the glistening tears in her eyes spoke volumes about her feelings at that moment.

And so, the two set off. The cave was a network of paths, and Qin Fang could only follow his instincts as he chose their route.

There was an Underground Dark River below the cave. Qin Fang recalled how he had entered the Dark River and its currents, roughly estimated their height, looked at the various passages in front of them, and then chose one that seemed to lead upwards.

...

"Qin Fang... Qin Fang... please, don't let anything happen to you..."

Meanwhile, the pool where Qin Fang and Wen Yan had disappeared was now under military lockdown, surrounded entirely by soldiers. Tang Feifei and Xiao Muxue knelt by the water's edge, praying softly, while the military had already sent divers to search underwater.

When Qin Fang went to find Wen Yan, Tang Feifei and Xiao Muxue followed the stream down, and after ensuring their safety, they immediately called Tang Cheng while crying.

Tang Cheng quickly sought help from his third uncle, Tang Yongming, who mobilized a platoon of warriors to rush to Liuyun Mountain overnight, sealing off that section of the river, and then sent people to dive into the pool to look for clues.

Unfortunately, although these warriors were good swimmers, nobody dared to attempt to enter the Whirlpool, not even Tang Cheng himself after trying it out without success.

"Feifei, Qin Fang will be fine!"

Tang Cheng frowned, glanced at Xiao Muxue beside Tang Feifei, and vaguely sensed that there was something complicated about the relationship between Qin Fang and Xiao Muxue. However, at such a time, it made no sense to worry about these things. All he could do was try to comfort his sister.

"Brother, you have to save Qin Fang!"

Tang Feifei was now utterly distraught, regretting her refusal to heed Qin Fang's advice not to go rafting, which not only endangered Wen Yan but had also led to Qin Fang's disappearance...

"Feifei, Qin Fang must still be alive!"

Xiao Muxue, although she looked devastated and was visibly worried, was much calmer than Tang Feifei.

"Muxue..."

But Xiao Muxue's attempt at reassurance only made the already heartbroken Tang Feifei burst into louder sobs; it was a heartbreaking scene to any who heard or saw her.

Tang Cheng felt helpless and had no choice but to leave. He realized that his sister was deeply in love with Qin Fang. If Qin Fang was not found, he feared his sister would meet with misfortune too.

"Feifei, trust me, Qin Fang is still alive..."

Seeing Tang Cheng leave in the distance, Xiao Muxue straightened Tang Feifei's body and said with certainty.

"Muxue?"

Tang Feifei stopped crying, tearfully looking at Xiao Muxue, her eyes filled with confusion.

After a brief silence, Xiao Muxue finally spoke softly, "Feifei, I have to be honest about something with you, I hope you won't blame Qin Fang..."

Tang Feifei was even more surprised, not quite understanding what Xiao Muxue was talking about.

"Actually, Qin Fang and I have already..."

Xiao Muxue took a deep breath, mustering up the courage to speak.

"There's no need to say it, I've known for a long time! Get to the main point..."

But unexpectedly, Tang Feifei immediately interrupted her, saying she had known already...

This time it was Xiao Muxue's turn to be stunned. Her relationship with Qin Fang had always been secretive; though there were occasional moments of ambiguity, they had never shown it in front of Tang Feifei.

"This story starts from when I was very young…"

Despite her confusion, Xiao Muxue still explained the bizarre, fated happenings between her and Qin Fang to Tang Feifei one by one...

...

In the darkness.

Two figures groped their way forward, the ground beneath them slippery, droplets of water occasionally falling from above, clinking as they hit the ground.

The occasional drops falling between their necks felt indescribably cold.

Squeak squeak squeak~~

Just then, a sudden noise echoed through the darkness.

"Ah..."

Wen Yan was startled by the abrupt noise, instinctively shrinking into Qin Fang's arms, not moving away until the calm returned. But even then, her face was flushed with embarrassment.

Fortunately, Qin Fang hadn't noticed this; he was alertly watching their surroundings.

The dim light in the cave came from glowstones that emitted a faint luminescence, providing just enough light for Qin Fang and his companion to see the path ahead. However, creatures hidden in the darkness remained unseen.

Wen Yan wasn't the foolishly brave type; facing such an environment made her usual strength feel particularly fragile. Qin Fang hesitated for a moment before bringing her to his side, draping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her closer to his body.

"It's okay now..."

Qin Fang was very composed, holding Wen Yan's shoulder tightly, protecting her as they moved forward. His scouting skill was continuously scanning the environment ahead for any abnormalities, ready to eliminate any danger at the first sign.

"That was just a rat..."

Qin Fang gently patted Wen Yan's shoulder and said, "Wait, a rat..."

But as he said this, Qin Fang suddenly froze, then became exceptionally joyful, "Haha, we're saved, we made it!"

"Qin Fang, Qin Fang... don't scare me, Qin Fang!"

Qin Fang's sudden outburst left Wen Yan perplexed and worried, even a little frightened.

"I'm okay, I'm okay... Wen Yan, we're saved!"

Fortunately, Qin Fang quickly recovered, laughing and saying, and even uncontrollably hugged Wen Yan, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Qin Fang, clarify it for me, I don't understand... What does our rescue have to do with a rat?"

Wen Yan was still confused, so she simply asked.

"The rats, these rats! What is there to eat in this cave?"

Now Qin Fang was in no rush; in fact, throughout their journey, he had been worried about whether they were on the right path. Though he always claimed to be sure, he had never really been certain.

"It seems like nothing... You mean?"

Wen Yan thought for a moment then quickly realized.

The two of them had been traveling for an incredibly long time, definitely more than four or five hours, but they hadn't seen any plants or animals. Apart from rocks, there were only some stalactites, indicating that the environment inside was not suitable for living creatures.

But now, with the sudden appearance of rats, if there was no food inside the cave, the food must come from outside, in the mountains. That meant they were about to escape to safety.

"We've made it out, we've finally made it out alive..."

After a brief stunned moment, Wen Yan cried out excitedly, tears streaming down, because she had been worried and afraid all night and the past few hours, but hadn't dared let Qin Fang see. Until this moment, she couldn't hold back any longer. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)

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