After successfully shaking off the bandits' pursuit, the pair dared not linger, pressing onward toward higher ground. Gu Liang's body remained weak, but his spirit had lifted considerably from their recent successful maneuver. He no longer merely followed Emma's lead passively, but began actively scanning their surroundings, searching for spots suitable for rest or defense.
"Look over there," Gu Liang pointed to a section of mountainside ahead on the left. A massive rock formation jutted out abruptly, creating a natural, shallow cave several meters deep. Its entrance faced southeast, catching the morning sun while the overhanging rocks shielded it from direct rain. A small, relatively flat clearing lay before the cave, offering decent visibility to observe the slopes below.
Emma followed his gaze, studied the spot for a moment, then nodded. "Good location. Easy to defend, hard to attack. Sunlight. Being near the summit means water might be nearby—we'll need to look for it." She approved of his find.
They approached the cliff face cautiously, with Emma scouting ahead as usual. Only after confirming no signs of beasts inhabiting the cave did they step inside. The interior was dry, the floor solid rock, and the space far more spacious than the tree hollow they'd used before—ample enough for standing and moving about.
"We can spend the night here," Emma said, setting down her backpack with a visible sigh of relief. A relatively secure temporary base was crucial for recovering strength and planning their next move.
Gu Liang leaned against the rock wall and sat down, letting out a long sigh. The continuous mental strain and physical exertion had re-exhausted him, despite his recent recovery.
"Rest. I'll scout nearby for water and see if I can find any food." Emma said, slinging her bow back over her shoulder and grabbing the empty water bottle and a small cloth pouch.
"I'll go with you," Gu Liang struggled to stand. He couldn't bear the thought of her venturing out alone.
"No need," Emma pressed his shoulders firmly, her grip leaving no room for refusal. "You need to recover your strength. This high ground offers good visibility. Staying here to keep watch is more useful than going out with me. Keep an eye on the slope below. If you see anything, use this." She handed him the metal whistle. "A long blast means danger."
Gu Liang met her calm, resolute gaze and knew she was right. He took the whistle, clenching it tightly in his palm. "...Be careful."
Emma nodded, then turned and vanished nimbly into the woods beyond the cave entrance.
Gu Liang was left alone in the cave. Leaning against the inner wall of the entrance, his vigilant gaze swept over the slope below and the distant forest. The cold whistle in his hand and the backpack Emma had left beside him gave him a strange sense of security. He knew he wasn't useless; guarding the camp was equally important.
Time slipped by in silence. The setting sun began its descent, painting the horizon in a magnificent orange-red. Gu Liang's stomach growled uncontrollably, hunger pangs washing over him.
Just as anxiety began to creep in, the light at the cave entrance dimmed as Emma emerged. She carried a water flask filled to the brim, and her cloth bag held fresh, wild-taro-like tubers and several plump grass mice that had met an unfortunate end.
"Found a small mountain stream—the water's crystal clear," Emma said, setting down the water jug and shaking the cloth bag. "Lucky me, found something to fill our bellies."
Gu Liang watched her hands, smudged with earth, and the fine sheen of sweat on her face. His heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. Silently, he handed her his own water flask, gesturing for her to drink first.
Emma accepted without hesitation, took a few sips, then began preparing the food. With her hunting knife, she deftly skinned and gutted the grass rats. Gu Liang took the tubers and used the small knife Emma had given him for self-defense to scrape off their outer skin. No words were exchanged, yet their movements flowed naturally and in perfect harmony, as if they'd worked together countless times before.
When the campfire was lit in the sheltered spot by the cave entrance, its dancing flames drove away the night chill and illuminated their weary yet slightly relaxed faces. Grass mice sizzled and oozed fat as they roasted on sharpened branches, while the tubers baked in the hot ashes beneath the fire. The air filled with the long-missed, comforting scent of food.
This was their first meal since crossing over, eaten in relative safety with a steady fire source.
The roasted rodent meat, though lacking seasoning, carried a primal richness, while the steamed tubers were starchy and sweet. Seated around the fire, they ate this hard-won, almost "sumptuous" dinner in silence. The warmth of the food soothed their weary bodies and frayed nerves.
After finishing, Gu Liang took the initiative to gather the remains and bury them in the earth, preventing the scent from attracting unwanted trouble. Emma added some thick, slow-burning branches to the fire, ensuring the flames would last longer.
When he returned to the fire, he saw Emma had already retrieved the first-aid kit and was examining iodine swabs and gauze by the firelight.
"Your wound needs dressing," she said, lifting her head with her usual calm tone, devoid of any emotion. "Let's clean it first."
Gu Liang's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. In the firelight, his ears felt slightly warm. Yet he didn't hesitate, merely murmuring a low "Mm-hmm" before obediently sitting beside her. This time, there was no life-or-death urgency compelling him. Instead, beside the flickering, warm campfire, he consciously and willingly entrusted his most painful wounds to her care once more.
Emma moved with greater skill and speed than before. She carefully cleaned the area around the wound with a clean cloth dampened in warm water, then disinfected it with a fresh iodine swab. When the swab touched his skin, Gu Liang's muscles still tensed instantly, but he clenched his teeth tightly, uttering not a sound and not flinching.
"Healing well, no deterioration," Emma murmured, her tone part professional assessment, part reassurance. She then applied fresh powdered ointment and rebandaged the wound with clean gauze and bandages.
The entire process was brief and silent. When Emma finished packing her things and said, "All done," Gu Liang exhaled softly, as if he'd just emerged from a hard-fought battle.
Night deepened, and stars emerged against the ink-blue canopy, so clear they seemed within reach. Far from the light pollution of modern society, the primal grandeur of this sky held a power that shook the soul.
The two sat by the fire, neither speaking for a while. The days of fleeing, fighting, injuries, and fear settled into the momentary calm.
Gulong stared at the dancing flames, then spoke softly, his words directed at Emma yet echoing like a private monologue: "I never imagined... I'd end up sitting in a place like this, eating food like this."
Emma paused her hand as she stirred the embers, not looking up. "Do you regret it?"
Gu Liang paused, then shook his head. "I don't know. But at least... I'm still alive." He paused again, his voice growing quieter. "And I'm not alone."
The last words were so soft they nearly vanished in the crackling of the wood, but Emma heard them. She lifted her head and looked at him. In the firelight, the lines of his profile still bore the pallor of illness, but his eyes no longer held only the hollow stillness and wariness of before. There was a faint glimmer there now, a spark of life.
"Mm," Emma murmured softly. She turned her gaze back to the fire. "Living means infinite possibilities."
Infinite possibilities. The phrase stirred something within Gu Liang. His thoughts had been consumed by vengeance and escape, while Emma's were focused on "living better," on "settling down," on "the future."
"About what you said earlier about settling down," Gu Liang couldn't help asking, "What kind of place are you looking for?"
Emma's gaze drifted toward the boundless starry sky beyond the cave and the dark outlines of the forest, her eyes distant: "Close to water, fertile land, easy to defend, hard to attack. Preferably... far from the main tribal territories." She turned her eyes back to Gu Liang. "We need a real 'home'—a place where we don't have to worry about constant attacks, where we can farm and raise livestock in peace, where we can... slowly recover."
Home. The word felt too warm, too extravagant. Gu Liang had nearly forgotten the feeling of "home."
"Sounds... difficult," he admitted frankly.
"Hmm." Emma didn't deny it. "But it's worth trying. Do you want to keep running like this forever?"
Gu Liang remained silent. He didn't want to. He didn't want to live another day of that nomadic, precarious existence.
"We will find it," Emma said quietly, yet with an unwavering certainty, as if stating an established fact.
Her conviction infected Gu Liang. As he watched the dancing flames, a small patch of the frozen wasteland in his heart—a place sealed by hatred and despair—seemed to melt quietly in the warmth of the campfire and Emma's words. A faint, fragile green sprout named "hope" began to emerge.
Deep into the night, the fire gradually dwindled.
Emma smothered the last sparks completely with dirt, leaving only a faint glow of embers providing a feeble warmth. Darkness descended once more, but this time, Gu Liang felt none of the previous panic or chill.
He wrapped himself tightly in the thermal blanket, lay down on the dry rock floor, and listened to Emma's steady breathing beside him and the distant, unknown night cries of creatures outside the cave. Slowly, he closed his eyes.
This time, no nightmares haunted him. Weariness and the lingering warmth of the fire carried him into his first deep, dreamless sleep since crossing over.
After he had fallen into a deep slumber, Emma opened her eyes in the darkness. She listened quietly to his steady breathing, confirming he was truly relaxed before closing her eyes once more, fulfilling her duty as the night watcher.
Below the cliff, the campfire had died out, but something warmer than flames was quietly growing between the two lonely souls.
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