Chapter 383: Surprising Encounter in the Cave
Ye Ningwan nodded, "I’m not as beautiful as her, but I’m more capable, and I am well-liked by our master. Naturally, she’s jealous of me. Later, she hit her rebellious phase and always liked flirting with boys ambiguously, which made our master angry and he hit her. That was it—she stole some of the master’s treasured collections, renounced the sect, and went around tarnishing the sect’s reputation. Our master was so enraged he fell ill, almost dying from it. Although he eventually recovered, he held on to it at heart. Even though he told me on his deathbed that he’d forgiven her, I can’t be so magnanimous, let alone with all the harm she’s done to me now."
"Is it true that you can’t forgive anyone who’s harmed you?" Zhan Hanjue asked.
He recalled what Chen Tan had told him, that he had also hurt Ye Ningwan before.
Four years ago, he made her leave heartbroken, leaving her to give birth and raise the child alone abroad.
Now that she’s back, she still won’t accept him.
Is it also because she can’t forgive?
"Well, it depends on the harm," Ye Ningwan replied.
"What if... what if it was me..."
"Wait, is that toad grass? I didn’t expect there to be so much toad grass here." Ye Ningwan suddenly interrupted him and ran forward.
Zhan Hanjue had to swallow back his words and went with her to see the toad grass.
"What is this grass used for?"
Zhan Hanjue watched her carefully dig up the grass and place it into a cloth bag she carried with her.
"This is toad grass, it clears heat and detoxifies, and it can reduce swelling and promote urination. Since the earthquake just passed, there will definitely be some diseases. This herb can treat some illnesses and is very effective," Ye Ningwan explained.
Zhan Hanjue helped her collect the herbs.
Ye Ningwan saw his hands were all covered in mud and, remembering his cleanliness, quickly said, "Don’t do it, I’ll do it myself."
"Why not let me help?" Zhan Hanjue asked.
"You have a cleanliness issue, I’m afraid you’ll find it disgusting," Ye Ningwan explained.
"So, you’re looking out for me?" Zhan Hanjue felt a surge of joy internally.
Ye Ningwan frowned at him. This person is weird! Constantly shifting between surprise and joy; what’s he thinking about?
"Alright," Ye Ningwan stood up after collecting.
However, Zhan Hanjue quickly squatted down again.
"What’s wrong?" Ye Ningwan asked.
"Look here, it seems like a footprint," Zhan Hanjue said.
Ye Ningwan hurriedly squatted down as well and indeed saw a small footprint under the grass.
After the earthquake, it rained, so the footprint was pressed down, but the grass straightened afterward, covering the footprint, so it didn’t disappear.
"That child passed through here," Ye Ningwan said.
Zhan Hanjue nodded, "Let’s keep moving forward and see if there are other clues."
"Do you remember the child’s name? We should call out for him," Ye Ningwan said.
Zhan Hanjue nodded and loudly called out the child’s name several times.
"Little Shitou, Little Shitou."
However, after calling several times, there was no response.
Zhan Hanjue said, "Let’s keep looking forward; he might have already moved ahead."
Ye Ningwan nodded and continued searching with him.
Soon, they found fragments of clothing on the way, likely torn off by the thorns.
"Must be ahead." They continued climbing up.
But there was no signal here.
Zhan Hanjue wanted to call others to inform them they had found a clue, but the call couldn’t go through.
"Should we go back and bring more people to help find?" Zhan Hanjue suggested.
They had reached halfway up the mountain and didn’t know how much longer it would take to find the child.
However, it was already getting dark.
Ye Ningwan shook her head, "No, the terrain here is very similar; if we leave, it will be difficult to find this place again later. Since we have a clue, we should push through to find him. It’s already dark, and the child has been out for a night; every additional moment out here is dangerous."
"Alright, let’s continue up the mountain." Zhan Hanjue supported her and they continued onward.
However, they didn’t expect it to start raining after completely dark.
Heavy rains poured down quickly, and Ye Ningwan and Zhan Hanjue were soon soaked.
Zhan Hanjue tried to shield her from the rain with his hands, but it was useless.
"No, we must find shelter from the rain," Zhan Hanjue said.
Ye Ningwan nodded, "Okay, let’s find a place to escape the rain first."
Fortunately, there was a cave up ahead, and the two of them hurriedly ran inside.
"Luckily, there’s a cave here, we can shelter from the rain for now."
Zhan Hanjue quickly wrung out his clothes and went over to check on Ye Ningwan.
"Shh, don’t speak," Ye Ningwan made a hush gesture.
Zhan Hanjue frowned.
"It seems there’s something in this cave," Ye Ningwan whispered.
Zhan Hanjue immediately became alert, spreading his arms to protect Ye Ningwan behind him.
Ye Ningwan couldn’t help but smile slightly and told him softly, "Don’t worry, I can protect you."
She carried medicine powder to repel wild animals, and also had silver needles for protection. If it really was a wild beast, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Moreover, this place probably didn’t have large wild animals like tigers or lions; it was likely smaller animals, not difficult to deal with.
"Turn on your phone’s flashlight," Ye Ningwan reminded.
Zhan Hanjue nodded, quickly took out his phone, and turned on the flashlight.
Although there was no signal, the flashlight still worked.
With the flashlight on, Zhan Hanjue shined it toward where Ye Ningwan indicated noise, and indeed saw something huddled in the corner.
However, it wasn’t a wild animal but a child.
"Little Shitou?"
Ye Ningwan called out and hurried over.
The child heard his name, slightly raised his head, and looked at her in a daze.
Ye Ningwan rushed over and picked him up.
This child was so skinny and small, already six years old but not much bigger than three-year-old Tuantuan.
His clothes were soaked, and he was also running a high fever.
The little guy had gone two days and a night without food, and with a high fever, it was a miracle he survived.
"Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, we’re here to rescue you," Ye Ningwan comforted him.
She quickly took off his wet clothes.
Wearing those wet clothes would only worsen his condition.
But not wearing clothes wasn’t an option either.
Ye Ningwan thought of something, told Zhan Hanjue to look for branches and leaves in the cave.
Zhan Hanjue quickly searched and found quite a few.
"I have a fire here, light the branches and leaves to dry the clothes," Ye Ningwan said.
"How come you even brought a fire?" Zhan Hanjue was surprised.
Ye Ningwan said, "Remember, this is a survival skill essential for the wild."
"If it weren’t for you, I would never come into the wild," Zhan Hanjue said honestly.
Indeed.
Who was he?
He was Zhan Hanjue, the president of the Zhan Group, whose place should be in the skyscraper-filled modern metropolis.
The experiences he should have are of stirring up a storm in the business world.
Not in a desolate wilderness, doing things like lighting fires to dry clothes.