Lin Xi collapsed to her knees, reaching out her small hands in a futile attempt to shield the tinder that had just begun to emit a wisp of blue smoke.
However, the icy raindrops seemed to have eyes of their own. They pelted down mercilessly and incessantly, instantly dousing that tiny, fragile spark—and with it, her last shred of hope.
It’s over.
This thought struck her brain like a bolt of freezing lightning.
She was soaked to the bone. The cold rain clung to her tattered clothes, frantically draining what little warmth remained in her body.
The wound on the back of her head, though temporarily sealed by the mashed purple-flower herb, began to throb again. As the rain soaked through the poultice, waves of piercing, itchy pain radiated outward.
Even more lethal was the dead rabbit lying nearby. The thick scent of blood, diluted and spread by the rain, acted like an irresistible dinner invitation to every hungry predator lurking in these woods.
Without fire, she wouldn’t survive the night.
The cold, the injury, the hunger, and the beasts prowling the darkness—any one of these was enough to claim the life she had fought so hard to keep!
“Gulu, gulu…” Huzi circled her anxiously, a low, uneasy growl vibrating in his throat.
His once fluffy fur was now matted wet against his skin, making him look even smaller and more pitiful than usual. He could feel his master’s despair and the immense, sudden malice descending upon them from the heavens and earth.
Lin Xi bit her lip hard until she tasted blood.
She couldn’t give up! She had just sworn to the moon that she would live, that she would have her revenge, and that she would find her father! How could she die here? To die in such a wretched, nameless, godforsaken place!
Her will to survive was like a steel bar being forcibly bent; under immense pressure, it snapped back with startling resilience.
She snapped her head up. The rain blurred her vision, making it almost impossible to keep her eyes open.
Giving up on the delusion of starting a fire, she instead focused all her mental energy. She condensed it into a primal, powerful distress signal and broadcasted it frantically in every direction!
『Save me!』
『I need a place—somewhere to hide from the rain! I—』
『A dry, safe cave!』
『Please, help me!』
This wave of intent was no longer tentative or pleading like before; it was filled with an indisputable command and the desperation of someone on the brink of death. Like an invisible shockwave, it pierced through the curtain of rain and the dense layers of the forest.
“Chirp! Chirp!”
The first to respond was the bright-feathered kingfisher. Like an arrow shot from a bow, it streaked over from the direction of the creek, circling above Lin Xi’s head with a series of urgent, piercing cries.
『This way! Quick! Follow me! There’s a place!』
The kingfisher’s intent was clear and anxious. Without a moment’s hesitation, Lin Xi grabbed the stiffened rabbit and hoisted it onto her thin shoulders. With her other hand, she scooped up Huzi and stumbled after the bird.
This rabbit was food she had traded half her life for; there was no way she was leaving it behind!
The rain intensified, the sky turning as dark as night.
The mountain path became a muddy morass. With every step, her ankle sank halfway into the muck, requiring immense effort just to pull it back out.
Lin Xi’s physical strength was draining rapidly. The wound on the back of her head throbbed with agonizing pain from the jarring movement. Several times, her vision went black, and she nearly collapsed into the muddy water.
Just as she was about to give up, another miracle occurred.
“Zhi zhi!” Several squirrels, who should have been hiding in their holes to avoid the rain, actually leaped down from the trees.
They didn’t approach Lin Xi directly; instead, they scurried ahead of her on the path. Using their large, bushy tails, they quickly swept away the piles of fallen leaves that had become incredibly slick from the soaking rain, clearing a relatively safe trail for her.
Up ahead, a torrential stream—swollen by the storm—blocked her path. The turbid, muddy yellow water churned with broken branches and rocks, letting out a thunderous roar. Forget a three-year-old child; even an adult wouldn’t dare wade through it lightly.
Lin Xi’s heart sank to the bottom. Was this a dead end?
Right then, from beneath a nearby earthen slope, a dark, pudgy figure burrowed out.
It was an adult badger! Usually, these creatures are extremely timid and would have vanished without a trace the moment they saw a human vanished without a trace.
But at this moment, as if it had received a life-or-death command, the badger braved the torrential rain and rushed to a withered tree that had been blown down by the wind near the stream. Using its sturdy body and powerful front claws, it began to push and shove with all its might.
“Boom!”
That withered tree was actually forced into a new position, acting like a single-log bridge that just barely managed to span across the turbulent stream!
Lin Xi watched this scene in shock. An indescribable current of warmth surged from the depths of her cold heart, instantly spreading through her entire body. These silent creatures—animals that humans dismissed as “mere brutes”—were using their simplest, most direct methods to build a lifeline for her!
She hesitated no longer. Gritting her teeth and carrying the rabbit that weighed even more than she did, she cautiously stepped onto the slippery log bridge. Hu-zi seemed to sense the gravity of the situation; he jumped from Lin Xi’s arms and dug his claws firmly into her shoulder, lowering his center of gravity to share the risk with his master.
The gale howled, and the log bridge beneath her feet wobbled under the impact of the rushing water. Every step Lin Xi took felt like walking on the edge of life and death. Her heart hammered like a drum, but her gaze remained exceptionally steady.
Finally, she successfully crossed the stream!
She turned back, wanting to say thank you to the badger, only to find that it had already disappeared into the curtain of rain as if it had never existed. Only the kingfisher remained, chirping anxiously a short distance ahead, urging her onward.
After trudging through the muddy mountain paths for another ten minutes following the kingfisher, Lin Xi’s physical strength finally gave out. Her vision went dark, her legs buckled, and she began to tip forward.
“Meow-wu!” Hu-zi let out a sharp cry, suddenly hooking his claws into her collar and pulling back with all his might.
At that exact moment, the kingfisher’s chirps became incredibly joyful and urgent.
Lin Xi forced herself to look up, following the direction where the kingfisher was circling. She saw a massive waterfall, formed by the rainstorm, cascading down from high up the mountain cliff with a deafening roar. And behind that white curtain of water, a dark cave entrance was faintly visible!
It was a cave!
A perfect hiding place, completely concealed by the waterfall!
A burst of wild joy erupted in Lin Xi’s eyes. A brilliant light erupted in her eyes. Using every last ounce of her strength, she shouldered the rabbit, clutched Huzi to her chest, and dove headlong into that bone-chilling curtain of water!
The moment she pierced through the water screen, the world suddenly opened up.
This cave was much larger and far drier than her previous hiding spot. The interior was filled with the scent of dry rock and faint dust—a stark contrast to the damp, decaying air outside. The ground was relatively level, and in one corner, there were even piles of long-dried grass, brought in by some unknown animal.
She was safe.
Lin Xi could no longer hold herself up. With a heavy thud, she collapsed onto the ground along with the rabbit. She felt the dull ache where the rabbit’s carcass hit her shoulder, but she was too numb to care. A wave of immense exhaustion and a sense of security submerged her like a rising tide.
She lay on the cold but dry ground, gasping for air. Hu-zi ran to her side, incessantly nuzzling her cheek with his wet head, a satisfied and relieved purr vibrating in his throat.
Outside the cave, the wind howled and lightning crashed as if the world were ending. Inside, however, was a peaceful harbor, isolated from all danger.
Lin Xi curled her body into a ball, hugging Hu-zi tightly. She could sense the few squirrels that had escorted her all the way quietly slipping inside near the entrance, shaking the rain from their fur. They didn’t come close, staying at a distance to share in this hard-won peace.
An unprecedented warmth dispelled the cold from her body. These furry little creatures were her most reliable kin in this world.
She slowly closed her eyes, preparing to sleep and recover her strength. But just as her consciousness was about to drift into darkness, her gaze inadvertently brushed against the deepest depths of the cave.
It was pitch black back there.
Yet, within that endless shadow, something seemed to reflect the faint, fleeting flash of lightning that pierced the sky through the cave mouth.
It was a tiny… extremely faint, watery shimmer.
What is that?
Was it another pair of a beast’s eyes? Or… did this cave hide a secret she didn’t know about?
The heart she had just let settle instantly leaped back into her throat.