Chapter 654 - 654: A Contrast in Character

Zhao Yuan snorted, no longer bothering with the man. He walked over to Xiang Ping's side. After inspecting the first aid Lin Xue had performed, he nodded in approval and said, "Nicely done!"

This wasn't just to make his girlfriend happy. Lin Xue's first aid was, without a doubt, the best possible choice under the circumstances.

Still, Zhao Yuan took out a Silver Needle and inserted several near Xiang Ping's most severe wounds. He stimulated the acupoints and meridians, causing the nearby muscles to tighten and compress the blood vessels from within, thereby stemming the bleeding more effectively.

Xiang Ping struggled to prop himself up, telling Zhao Yuan and Lin Xue, "Thank you, both of you. You saved my life. I will never forget this kindness!"

Zhao Yuan and Lin Xue calmly accepted his gratitude.

Immediately, Zhao Yuan helped him up and lifted him onto his back.

Seeing this, Hu Shiqing hurriedly said, "Brother, let me carry him."

Zhao Yuan looked him over for a moment before shaking his head. "You can't. You've used up too much of your stamina. You won't be able to carry him out of this forest in one go."

Hu Shiqing was momentarily stunned, not expecting Zhao Yuan to have seen right through him with a single glance.

"Follow me. I'll lead you out of the forest," Zhao Yuan called out. After getting his bearings, he strode off.

Hu Shiqing supported the two women and hurried to keep up.

As for Lin Xue, who cultivated the Four Saints Technique, the difficult forest terrain didn't slow her down in the slightest. She moved with great speed, taking the lead to help clear a path.

The wolf pack rose and followed behind the group. They were the White Cat's new underlings, so naturally, they had to follow their boss.

Shi Qi also wanted to leave the forest with them, but after he had taken only a few steps, the wolves noticed him. They all turned, their twenty-odd pairs of glowing green eyes staring coldly at him.

Shi Qi's legs immediately went soft with fear. He collapsed to the ground, and an acrid stench emanated from his crotch—the sight of more than twenty wolves had made him piss his pants again.

But what terrified Shi Qi even more was the thought of being abandoned, left all alone in the forest.

'Who knew what other Wild Beasts were in these mountains besides the wolf pack? If I run into one, I'd be a dead man, no doubt about it!'

He frantically begged for mercy, "Brother Hu, I know I was wrong! What I did earlier was completely out of line. I'll apologize to everyone, I'll kowtow! Please forgive me! Don't leave me alone in the depths of these damned mountains! Take me with you, I'm begging you!"

After a moment's hesitation, Hu Shiqing pleaded with Zhao Yuan on his behalf. "Brother, why don't we just take him with us?"

Zhao Yuan asked, "You plan on forgiving him?"

Hu Shiqing sighed. "Forgiving him is impossible. But he came into the mountains with me, after all. By all rights, it's my responsibility to get him out. From now on, though, I'm absolutely done with him! If he could abandon us this time, who knows what even more despicable things he might do in the future."

Zhao Yuan glanced at him and said, "You're quite a loyal person. Fine. I'll do you this favor. Let the coward follow us. My wolves won't kill him."

"Thank you, brother! Thank you so much!" After showing his gratitude, Hu Shiqing shouted to Shi Qi, who was still kneeling and kowtowing nonstop, "Get up and follow us!"

Shi Qi was overjoyed. He scrambled up from the ground and cautiously followed the group. Sure enough, the wolves issued no more threatening warnings.

Shi Qi finally let out a sigh of relief.

After following Zhao Yuan for some distance, Hu Shiqing was shocked to find that even while carrying Xiang Ping, Zhao Yuan's steps were light and steady. It was as if he weren't carrying a grown man weighing well over a hundred pounds, but a weightless leaf.

And Lin Xue, who looked so delicate, also displayed superhuman stamina. She helped clear the path the whole way without even getting winded, which was truly stunning.

While marveling at this, Hu Shiqing suddenly remembered that these people had saved his group, and yet he didn't even know their names.

He felt deeply ashamed and hurriedly asked, "Brother, you saved us, but I still don't know your name."

"I'm Zhao Yuan, and this is my girlfriend, Lin Xue," Zhao Yuan replied.

"Zhao Yuan, Lin Xue."

Hu Shiqing repeated their names a few times, committing them to memory.

"My name is Hu Shiqing. You both saved my life, which makes you my benefactors. I will definitely repay you!"

Xiang Ping, who was on Zhao Yuan's back, also spoke up. "I'm Xiang Ping. Little Brother Zhao, Miss Lin, thank you for saving me."

"You're both too kind," Zhao Yuan said. He hadn't saved them with any thought of getting a reward. "Oh, right. Where did you park your cars?"

"Xiaqiao Village," Hu Shiqing answered.

"Alright, I'll take you to Xiaqiao Village then," Zhao Yuan nodded. He glanced at Hu Shiqing and his two female companions. "You'll have to grit your teeth and hang on for a while. Xiang Ping's injuries have improved after Lin Xue's simple bandaging and my Silver Needle to stop the bleeding, but these are just stopgap measures. We need to get him to a hospital for treatment as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, we can handle it!" Hu Shiqing said with a nod. His two companions also chimed in, saying they could endure.

Even though Zhao Yuan took the shortest route, it still took over four hours to get out of the forest and reach Xiaqiao Village with Hu Shiqing's group in tow.

The wolf pack didn't enter the village. On Zhao Yuan's orders, they remained in the forest.

Hu Shiqing's group had parked their cars in an empty lot in Xiaoqiao Village.

There were three of them: a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a Land Rover, and a Land Cruiser.

Shi Qi, who had followed them into the village, got into the Land Rover without a second word and drove off.

Hu Shiqing flipped off the back of the retreating Land Rover and said indignantly, "That bastard. He just left like that, without even thanking Little Brother Zhao."

Zhao Yuan laughed. "It's better that he didn't. I'd rather not be suffocated by the reek of piss on him."

"That's true. The stench on him is enough to give you a headache," Hu Shiqing said, laughing as well.

With Zhao Yuan's help, he got Xiang Ping into the Land Cruiser, folding down the back seats so he could lie down. One of the female companions got in to take care of Xiang Ping, while the other went to get the Grand Cherokee.

Hu Shiqing opened his backpack and pulled out a thick stack of cash—from the look of it, at least several tens of thousands.

He handed the money to Zhao Yuan and said, "Little Brother Zhao, I'm in a hurry to get Xiang Ping to the hospital, so I won't say any more for now. Please take this. Consider it a token of our gratitude."