Chapter 364
The woman couldn’t find anything suspicious about Lu Xinyi, but she couldn’t say the same thing about Li Yuren. There was something about this man that made her wary. He didn’t seem like a regular mountaineer who was lost on the terrain.
Lu Xinyi’s wound started to bleed again which was caught the man’s attention. With her being injured—even if they were spies sent by those traders, he wouldn’t give them any chance to leave. Not when his friends were also in a vulnerable state.
“Fu Rui, let’s just keep them as captives for now,” the woman told the man who was clearly in distress because of their predicament.
The man who was called Fu Rui scoffed before turning his back to the newcomers. He looked over his shoulder with eyes flashing a killing intent.
“Jiao Jiao, you look after them. Although this cave is huge enough to shelter seven people, you can’t let them escape. Who knows if these two are hunters or not?”
He left the three at the entrance of the cave and walked inside. His figure fading on the darkness inside the cave.
Lu Xinyi held Li Yuren’s arm when she noticed that he was starting to sweat profusely, and his breath was becoming more uneven as they traveled. Judging from his terrible expression, he was already at his limit.
“Come in. The rain is about to fall. You two look like a mess.” Jiao Jiao led the two inside and lit a torch to light up their way.
The moment Lu Xinyi’s foot stepped inside the cave, she suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling crashing into her. It wasn’t unwelcome but weirdly familiar. It was as if she’d been in this place before, and she felt safe at the moment.
“Lu Xinyi?” Li Yuren called her out when she halted her steps and seemed in a daze. “Are you hurt?”
His questions brought her back to reality. She shook her head and followed Jiao Jiao who raised a brow on her but kept her silence as she waited for them.
The three continued to walk until they reach the threshold of the huge cave. There were several tunnels inside which would easily make one lose himself if one wasn’t paying attention. Lu Xinyi’s words were caught in her throat when she realized that Fu Rui and Jiao Jiao weren’t alone in this cave.
Three bodies laid on straw mats on the cold ground. One boy, a woman, and a man. Fu Rui sat beside the man with a worried look plastered on his face. His one arm cradled an Armalite while Jiao Jiao sat quietly beside the boy and started sharpening her blades. It was only then Lu Xinyi found out that these people were dangerous. No wonder, Li Yuren told her not to leave his side.
Fu Rui and the man laying on the ground resembled each other. They were probably brothers in their late twenties although Fu Rui looked older than the other. Meanwhile, the woman called Jiao Jiao seemed like in her teens. Her body wasn’t fully developed as a woman. The sick boy looked ordinary. In Li Yuren’s opinion, the boy was probably around twelve years old. The other woman was in her early thirties. Her face was so pale that even her lips were peeling and had no color on it.
Li Yuren and Lu Xinyi sat across the group with only a bonfire separating them. Lu Xinyi removed her raincoat and dropped her backpack on the ground. Too bad she didn’t bring a spare shirt to change. Her bag was filled with edible mushrooms and fruits and some herbs she found back at the mountain.
Beside her, Li Yuren also discarded his wet black coat and white shirt revealing his upper torso that was filled with several scars. Fu Rui and Jiao Jiao stopped whatever they were doing. Their eyes narrowed once they spotted Li Yuren’s scars. Certainly, he wasn’t just a mountaineer that he claimed he was.
Fu Rui added more branches into the fire. When it started to blaze, the cave they were in started to feel warmer.
“Give me your dagger.” Li Yuren moved beside Lu Xinyi and open his hand towards her. Lu Xinyi blinked before she hurriedly took her blade from its confinements and handed it to him.
Li Yuren carefully cut the side of Lu Xinyi’s trousers to reveal the wound on her leg. Thankfully, it wasn’t deep and wouldn’t need to stitch it up; but it needed to be cleansed. He took the water bottle from her backpack and splashed the remaining water on her wound. He then took the small first aid kit and applied an ointment on her wound before wrapping it with a clean bandage. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“Here.” After Li Yuren cleaned her wound, Lu Xinyi handed to him a huge mango that was larger than a fist of a man. “I didn’t get many goods while surveying the mountain trail. You haven’t eaten anything today so please take it.”
Li Yuren looked at the fruit on his hand and nodded.
“Take a rest. I’ll keep watch. You must be tired from all the running and walking you did since last night.”
Lu Xinyi opened her mouth to decline. He was the one who should get some rest. Her mind was still in a whirlwind trying to figure out why he jumped after her. In the end, nothing came out from her lips. She laid down on the cold ground and curled her body. At least, she wouldn’t die from cold this day.
She instantly went to the land of slumber. Li Yuren stayed close beside her, cut the fruit on his hand, and ate. Once his fever broke, he would try to hunt for food later. Fu Rui crossed his arms on his chest, with his weapon kept on his side. His eyes were closed, but Li Yuren knew that he was very much awake and aware of his surroundings.
—
What Li Yuren couldn’t understand was why the Children of the Wolves were hiding in this cave. According to the past report he received, they were supposed to be assisting the illegal traders in delivering the smuggled guns and ammunition to Jiang City.
“You know who we are.” Fu Rui’s question didn’t surprise Li Yuren at all.
He quickly glanced at Lu Xinyi’s sleeping form, making sure she wasn’t listening.
“En,” Li Yuren admitted but refused to say any further. If he made a mistake and revealed his identity, they wouldn’t spare Lu Xinyi’s life. These people were orphans that were raised to kill people. The Children of the Wolves had started making its name three years ago and had been seen as a threat by the government.
From kidnapping to assassination to smuggling, they had been considered as one of the best. No one who they were and where they came from except the mark of the head of the wolf left on the crime scenes.
Li Yuren himself wasn’t surprised when he saw the members of the group although seeing a child as young as the boy joining the group never crossed his mind.
“Fu Rui…” Jiao Jiao warned the man. She knew what Fu Rui was thinking at that point. If Li Yuren posed as a threat, he and Lu Xinyi should die here.
Who would have thought that the other hired mercenaries by those traders would dare to ambush them? If it wasn’t for Fu Rui’s brother who was poisoned during their escape, she bet they wouldn’t see another sunrise again.
“Another reason for us to keep you in captive,” Fu Rui muttered.
Silence engulfed them. Li Yuren was deep in his thoughts trying to figure out a way to let Lu Xinyi escaped. Looking at Fu Rui, he could sense that something was wrong.
After a long time, his fever broke after a short nap. He woke up when he heard Lu Xinyi coughing beside him. The sound wasn’t loud, and it seemed that she was about to get sick.
She had been soaked in water and wet from the rain. It was no wonder her body was failing. He could no longer keep his eyes shut. He sat up and checked on her. Her face was unusually pale, and her body trembling slightly. She was still asleep and curled on the ground, with only his coat covering her body.
He reached out a hand to touch her forehead but stopped when he heard her calling a name.
“Yi…”
He retracted his hand as if he was burned by her. He felt his heart clenched inside his chest. He was with her, but she was calling another man’s name.
Li Yuren scolded himself. He was no right to get angry. She wasn’t his in the first place so then why did his heart clench painfully?