Even After My Death - Chapter 718: 616: Qi Xingzhou Arrives

Chapter 718: Chapter 616: Qi Xingzhou Arrives

Jiang Ning walked on the mountain with Xiao Hua.

It was only then she realized that there had been multiple landslides on the mountain the previous night.

However, these landslides were small and didn’t threaten the cave where Jiang Ning and Xiao Hua rested, hence the system reminder.

The mountain had completely changed overnight.

Countless trees lay across the ground, blocking their way, along with the soil and rocks sliding down from above.

Even as Jiang Ning led Xiao Hua out, she had to cautiously avoid the occasional rocks falling from above.

Having never experienced such things, Xiao Hua felt subconsciously afraid when she saw the scene before her.

The path Jiang Ning had taken into the mountain yesterday was blocked by obstacles, and places that had collapsed could possibly collapse again.

Jiang Ning asked the system to calculate the most suitable descent route, and found that the shortest one still exceeded yesterday’s path by a wide margin.

Jiang Ning, while guiding Xiao Hua around the obstacles, talked to her to divert her fear: “Xiao Hua, why weren’t you with your grandma yesterday? Did you go mushroom picking alone?”

“No. I came with grandma…,” Xiao Hua answered honestly.

From her words, Jiang Ning understood the process of how she got lost.

It had been raining recently, and many mushrooms sprouted on the mountain.

But mushrooms don’t grow in clusters; they’re scattered, with one here and another there, rarely forming a dense group.

Over ten villagers came to the mountain to pick mushrooms, not just from Sanwan Village, but from nearby villages as well, so to ensure efficiency and individual harvests, everyone typically searched alone.

Xiao Hua was originally not far from her grandma.

But being young, her legs worked faster than her grandma’s. Upon discovering a large bunch of mushrooms, she got excited, forgot to inform her grandma, and rushed to pick them.

Moreover, she seemed extraordinarily lucky, not only finding a large bunch of mushrooms but also spotting a wild chicken!

Xiao Hua recognized it as a wild chicken, something that could be sold for money, and immediately wanted to catch it.

The wild chicken noticed her too.

Thus ensued a chase between person and chicken, one flying, the other pursuing.

Xiao Hua didn’t know how long she had been running, and when she couldn’t catch the chicken, she realized she could no longer see Aunt Tian and the others.

She continued wandering alone in the mountain, crying while looking for her grandma, until she was too exhausted to walk further.

The system sharply remarked in Jiang Ning’s mind: [That little dummy, if she had stayed put after chasing the chicken, she probably would have been found. Instead, she went the wrong direction, straying further away…]

The mountain was overgrown with weeds, the soil was dense, and the fallen leaves were slippery. Xiao Hua panted heavily as she was led by Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning picked up a stick for her to use as a cane, but upon realizing Xiao Hua couldn’t walk anymore, she bent down and carried her.

Xiao Hua hugged Jiang Ning’s neck, feeling embarrassed despite Jiang Ning’s reassurance; she remained glum.

It’s likely that after safely descending the mountain, Xiao Hua would develop a psychological shadow toward going mushroom picking in the future.

Jiang Ning didn’t know how long she’d been walking.

Until she heard someone calling her name, and the voice sounded so familiar.

She froze for a moment, then loudly responded in the direction of the voice: “Over here! I’m here!”

Fifteen minutes later, a team of rescuers appeared before Jiang Ning, led by Qi Xingzhou, who quickened his pace upon seeing Jiang Ning’s figure.

Jiang Ning stared steadily as he approached.

Usually always clean and elegant, Mr. Qi now had messy hair, clothes drenched in sweat and dew, shoes caked with sticky mud, and his pants dirtied, looking nothing but travel-worn.

Though Qi Xingzhou never mentioned it, Jiang Ning could sense that he was normally meticulous about personal hygiene, perhaps even a bit of a neat freak.

But now, Qi Xingzhou ignored all that.

He stepped through the dirt in those filthy shoes toward Jiang Ning, focusing entirely on her and the unfamiliar little girl she was carrying.

Qi Xingzhou promptly took Xiao Hua off Jiang Ning.

Upon seeing Qi Xingzhou and the others arrive, Xiao Hua, who had been clinging to Jiang Ning, also noticed.

Seeing someone come to rescue them, Xiao Hua was thrilled.

But as the unfamiliar big brother approached, Xiao Hua inexplicably grew tense.

For some reason, even though the big brother looked handsome, she felt scared.

Children’s emotions are very sensitive, and Xiao Hua vaguely sensed that this big brother’s attitude toward her was somewhat unkind and aloof.

Thus, when he reached out to hold her, Xiao Hua gripped Jiang Ning tightly, unwilling to let go.

Qi Xingzhou frowned and spoke flatly: “Let go; she’s tired.”

His tone wasn’t impatient or harsh, just his usual attitude toward anyone other than Jiang Ning and family.

But this normal coldness made Xiao Hua more frightened than when he didn’t speak.

She held Jiang Ning’s arm tighter.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it! Little girl, let me carry you, alright?” A young man with a strong sense of friendliness stepped forward urgently from behind Qi Xingzhou, smiling as he spoke to Xiao Hua, “This sister has carried you all the way; she must be very tired. Let her rest for a bit.”

Jiang Ning also said, “Xiao Hua, it’s okay. They’re good people, here to rescue us.”

Xiao Hua was passed to the man.

Although Xiao Hua was nine years old, after carrying her, the man found it easier to back-carry her, so he adjusted her on his back.

Now free of extra burden, Qi Xingzhou couldn’t resist looking Jiang Ning up and down carefully.

Originally, Qi Xingzhou intended to hold Jiang Ning, but seeing his hands dirty from the ascent, he restrained himself.

He pursed his lips, saying nothing, but Jiang Ning knew he was worried about her.

She raised her hand for him to see: “I’m fine, not a scratch, don’t worry.”

“Mr. Qi, are there only two people? No others, right?” asked one of the men carrying a tool belt.

Qi Xingzhou looked at Jiang Ning, who quickly affirmed, “No, just the two of us.”

The man nodded and swiftly took out two signal flares from his bag, firing them upwards.

When the signal flares exploded in the sky, the sound was loud.

People on nearby mountain tops could hear the commotion.

Qi Xingzhou succinctly uttered, “Descent.”

The rescue team brought by Qi Xingzhou was a professional rescue team he had hired at great expense.

Xiao Chen was the leader of this rescue team.

This morning, upon hearing about two girls trapped in the mountain all night amidst several small-scale mudslides, Xiao Chen initially had no intention of coming.

Too dangerous, the difficulty too high.

But Qi Xingzhou used sheer financial power to persuade them.

On the way here, Xiao Chen and his team braced themselves for the worst.

To their surprise, they reached easily, found the people, and neither of the mission targets had any injuries.

They only needed to carry the little girl out, and the mission would be over?

This simple?

Xiao Chen felt dazed, as if a pie had fallen on him.

Of course, caution was still needed on the path ahead.

Until they left the mountain, all unknowns were unpredictable.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com