Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao drugged the campsite so she could leave and search for the injured man, though she first raided everyone’s supplies. She headed into the forest with her backpack full of biscuits, unconcerned about the dangers ahead.

• Gu Han and Gu Ling bickered while Chu Hui watched the surroundings, and Su Qiao secretly tossed powder into the fire.
• Su Qiao told the group she would take the night watch, then waited until the fragrance from the fire made everyone unconscious.
• Su Qiao entered the tents and filled her backpack with the group’s biscuits despite 444’s anxious protests.
• Su Qiao said the injured man should be able to survive with one broken leg and a high fever, then left the campsite to go find him.

Su Qiao returned to the cave after running through the forest and found Jiang Han feverish but still conscious. She took away his dagger and tried to give him medicine, but he bit her hand.

• Su Qiao followed 444’s route through the woods and reached the cave after three hours of running.
• 444 told Su Qiao that Jiang Han was feverish and delirious but had not passed out.
• Jiang Han heard Su Qiao approach and threatened whoever was outside the cave.
• Su Qiao revealed herself, but Jiang Han demanded to know why she had returned.
• Su Qiao grabbed Jiang Han’s chin and tried to give him medicine, then seized his wrist and took his dagger when he lunged at her.
• Jiang Han bit Su Qiao’s hand as she was about to pour the medicine into his mouth.

Su Qiao forced medicine on the injured Jiang Han and prepared to flee with him as pursuers approached the cave. Jiang Han was left confused as she ordered him to carry a pack and follow her.

• Jiang Han bit Su Qiao, who shoved him away and forced medicine down his throat.
• Su Qiao explained that the medicine reduced fever and pain, fought inflammation, and boosted immunity.
• 444 warned Su Qiao that pursuers were nearing the cave and urged her to leave quickly.
• Su Qiao gathered supplies, gave Jiang Han a dagger and a pack, and ordered him to obey her without talking or biting.
• Su Qiao tied a thick rope into a net while Jiang Han struggled to understand why they were leaving the cave.

Su Qiao carried the injured Jiang Han out of the cave and fled through the dark forest while pursuers searched for him. As his medicine began to work, Jiang Han offered to get down, but Su Qiao refused to leave him behind.

• Su Qiao tied Jiang Han into the Rope Net, hoisted him onto her back, and ordered him to put away his dagger and turn off his flashlight.
• Jiang Han realized someone was chasing him and silently obeyed Su Qiao's orders.
• Following 444's warning, Su Qiao changed course and ran left through the forest with Jiang Han on her back.
• After more than half an hour, Jiang Han's pain and fever eased, and he asked Su Qiao to put him down.
• Su Qiao kept carrying Jiang Han and warned that putting him down would let his pursuers kill him; Jiang Han replied that he was difficult to kill.

Su Qiao carried the injured Jiang Han through the night while evading their pursuers, then brought him to a cave beneath a cliff. Once they were safe for the moment, Jiang Han asked who wanted to kill him, but Su Qiao said she did not know.

• Jiang Han said he was willing to die rather than let his enemies cripple him, and Su Qiao criticized his reckless strategy.
• Su Qiao ran for more than two hours while Jiang Han watched their surroundings from her back.
• Su Qiao asked 444 to find a safe cave, and 444 located one beneath a cliff.
• Jiang Han asked Su Qiao to put him down, but she carried him on and told him to apply Insect Repellent Powder.
• Su Qiao cut Jiang Han free from the rope and caught him as his broken leg nearly gave way.
• Jiang Han thanked Su Qiao and asked who wanted to kill him, but she said she did not know.

Su Qiao brought the injured Jiang Han to a cave and prepared it as shelter while he questioned why she had returned after abandoning him. She explained that she had come back secretly, and the chapter left their strained relationship unresolved.

• Su Qiao checked the cave for danger, spread medicinal powder, and unpacked supplies while Jiang Han watched.
• Jiang Han asked why Su Qiao had returned, and she snapped that he should be grateful she had saved him.
• Jiang Han accused Su Qiao of having given up on him after he spent five years by her side.
• Su Qiao blamed Jiang Han for getting hurt while protecting unrelated people, though 444 reminded her that he had been trying to protect her.
• After Jiang Han asked again why she had come back, Su Qiao softened and said she would not have returned secretly if she had truly given up on him.

Su Qiao returned to the cave and learned that the mission involved finding a tomb and retrieving Bamboo Slips and a flute, then told Jiang Han that the Su Family might have brought her along to use her blood to open the Main Tomb Chamber. She hinted that she might not be Old Man Su’s granddaughter, leaving Jiang Han stunned as she built a fire and urged him to rest.

• Su Qiao returned to the cave, gave Jiang Han food and water, and asked what Old Man Su had told him about the mission.
• Jiang Han explained that they were supposed to find a tomb and retrieve Bamboo Slips and a flute.
• Su Qiao told Jiang Han that opening the Main Tomb Chamber required a Su Family descendant’s blood, and he realized she might have been brought there for that purpose.
• Su Qiao suggested she might not be Old Man Su’s granddaughter, then told Jiang Han to sleep while she gathered firewood.
• Su Qiao lit a fire, but Jiang Han stayed seated and said he could not stand.

Su Qiao saved the wounded Jiang Han and brought him to a cave, where he struggled with the embarrassment of her carrying him and admitted he had feared she would abandon him. He fell asleep after she told him to be quiet, and Su Qiao left the cave at dawn.

• Su Qiao carried Jiang Han to an air mattress, gave him a blanket, and gathered dry grass to prepare the cave for the night.
• Jiang Han, embarrassed by her casual affection, suggested they take turns keeping watch, while Su Qiao sat by the fire to cultivate.
• Jiang Han told Su Qiao he had thought she would leave him behind and explained he had followed her partly to investigate his parents’ deaths and the clues pointing toward the Su family.
• Su Qiao ordered Jiang Han to sleep, while 444’s nagging revealed it had pressured her to prepare medicine and rush back to save him.
• Jiang Han watched Su Qiao by the fire, then fell asleep; at dawn, Su Qiao left the cave.

Su Qiao reset Jiang Han's broken leg and prepared medicinal paste to help it heal. Afterward, Jiang Han roasted a rabbit for them in the cave, where they sat together in comfortable silence.

• Su Qiao gathered herbs and rabbits, then examined Jiang Han's misaligned broken leg.
• Su Qiao set Jiang Han's bone, applied medicinal paste, and splinted his leg, telling him to avoid putting weight on it for fifteen to twenty days.
• Jiang Han asked how Su Qiao knew how to set bones and prepare medicine, and she replied that he knew little about her.
• Su Qiao cleaned a rabbit, and Jiang Han took it from her and roasted it over the fire.
• Jiang Han and Su Qiao sat quietly beside the fire while the rabbit cooked.

Su Qiao enjoyed her first satisfying meal with Jiang Han in the cave and spent the following days hunting, gathering herbs, and cultivating. Meanwhile, the group argued over whether to search for her or continue their journey.

• Su Qiao eagerly ate Jiang Han’s roasted rabbit and said it was delicious.
• Su Qiao hunted more animals, gathered medicinal herbs, took turns guarding at night with Jiang Han, and continued cultivating.
• After discovering Su Qiao had left, the group argued about whether to look for her.
• Gu Ling objected to delaying the journey, while Old He worried that Su Qiao was in danger in the mountains.

Gu Han, Professor Tang, and Old He decided to return to the cave to look for Su Qiao, while Su Qiao and Jiang Han spent five days in hiding. When Su Qiao spotted five men she believed were hunting Jiang Han, she packed their supplies and carried him deeper into the cave.

• Gu Han insisted on looking for Su Qiao, and Professor Tang agreed because the woods were dangerous.
• Chu Hui suggested returning to the cave where they had left Ah Gou, and Professor Tang agreed that Su Qiao had likely gone back for him.
• Five days later, Su Qiao overheard five men nearby and suspected they were hunting Jiang Han.
• Su Qiao threw their backpack onto a boulder, carried Jiang Han on her back, and hurried deeper into the cave.

Su Qiao and Jiang Han hid in a narrow crack while five men searched the cave for them. After the men left, the pair climbed down, and Su Qiao headed out to make sure they were gone.

• Su Qiao carried Jiang Han toward a crack in the rock and put him down so he could enter first.
• Su Qiao and Jiang Han squeezed into the narrow crack as five men entered the cave and found the remains of their fire.
• The men left, then returned briefly to check the cave again before departing a second time.
• Su Qiao and Jiang Han waited three minutes, climbed down, and Su Qiao said she would have fought the men if not for Jiang Han's injured leg.
• Su Qiao went to check that the men had truly left while Jiang Han followed behind her.

Su Qiao and Jiang Han continued hiding in the cave after their pursuers left, and Su Qiao gradually grew more comfortable with him. After another ten peaceful days, she gathered a rare herb and returned to find Jiang Han walking toward her on a crutch.

• Su Qiao had 444 scan the surroundings, then stayed in the cave with Jiang Han because the pursuers had already searched there and his leg needed rest.
• Jiang Han kept cooking for Su Qiao, and their days together passed peacefully for another ten days.
• Su Qiao climbed a stone slope to collect a rare medicinal herb while 444 remarked that Huilong Mountain's ridges resembled a coiled dragon.
• Su Qiao gathered the herb and descended, where she found Jiang Han leaning on a wooden crutch and questioned why he had come out while his bones were still fragile.

Su Qiao took the injured Jiang Han back to the cave to recover while Professor Tang and the others continued searching the woods for her. Gu Han insisted Su Qiao was still in the mountains, while Gu Ling wanted to stop searching.

• Su Qiao warned Jiang Han that his injured leg could leave him crippled, and he promised to be careful.
• Su Qiao said Professor Tang and Old He probably had not reached the stone gate, which had remained closed for seventeen years.
• Su Qiao gave Jiang Han the basket and went hunting, while he limped back to the cave to heal his leg.
• Gu Ling refused to continue searching and suggested Su Qiao and Jiang Han might have been killed or left the mountains.
• Gu Han insisted Su Qiao was still in the woods because she had come to scout the way and would not abandon the opportunity.

After searching for Su Qiao and Ah Gou for more than ten days, the group argued over whether to keep looking or continue toward the Mysterious Tribal Ruins. Professor Tang agreed to one final day of searching before they moved on if they found no trace of them.

• Gu Ling kicked the grass and complained that Su Qiao had likely taken Ah Gou away, while Gu Han insisted on continuing the search.
• Gu Ling told Gu Han that Ah Gou had been close to Su Qiao for years, but Gu Han angrily defended Su Qiao and ordered her to stop slandering her.
• Gu Ling asked Professor Tang whether they could stop searching and resume their journey to the Mysterious Tribal Ruins.
• Chu Hui suggested that Su Qiao might be tending to Ah Gou somewhere secluded and said further searching could take months without success.
• Old He proposed searching for one more day and then moving on if they found no one, and Professor Tang considered the plan.

Gu Ling insulted Old He and was reprimanded by Chu Hui and Professor Tang. After she ran off, a venomous snake bit her, and the group treated the wound before continuing their search.

• Gu Ling berated Old He for interfering, but Chu Hui and Professor Tang defended him and told her to apologize.
• Gu Ling refused and ran away, prompting Professor Tang to apologize to Old He for her behavior.
• The group heard Gu Ling scream and found her sitting in the grass with a painful leg wound.
• Chu Hui identified the wound as a venomous snakebite, and Gu Han tried to suck out the venomous blood.
• Chu Hui stopped Gu Han and used a syringe to draw out the blood, then said herbal medicine should help Gu Ling recover.

After Gu Ling was bitten by a snake, Old He treated her and the group set up camp. Professor Tang and Old He suspected Su Qiao might have gone ahead, so they decided to search the road in front of them and wait for her.

• Old He identified the snake as only mildly venomous and confirmed Chu Hui's medicine could help Gu Ling recover.
• The group set up camp while Old He gathered herbs for treating external injuries.
• Professor Tang and Old He discussed whether Su Qiao and Ah Gou had left the mountains or gone ahead of them.
• Old He suggested Su Qiao might have traveled ahead alone, and Professor Tang decided to search the road in front of them.
• Old He complained that Gu Ling's injured foot would delay their journey by several days.

Professor Tang pressed to continue the search for the stone gate, while Gu Han and Chu Hui suspected that Su Qiao had gone ahead alone for her own reasons. Su Qiao returned to the cave, where Jiang Han had been anxiously waiting for her.

• Professor Tang said the group would stop for at most one more day and planned to persuade Gu Han and Chu Hui to carry the injured Gu Ling.
• Chu Hui questioned whether Professor Tang and Old He were hiding something, but Gu Han dismissed his suspicions.
• Gu Han and Chu Hui speculated that Su Qiao might have left to pursue her own mission, and agreed to rely on their own abilities.
• Su Qiao quietly returned to the cave, where Jiang Han hurried over and asked why she had taken so long.

Su Qiao and Jiang Han discussed why she had spared Professor Tang’s group, then encountered them by a stream three days later. Jiang Han wanted to attack, but Su Qiao stopped him so she could learn more about their identities.

• Su Qiao told Jiang Han she had encountered Professor Tang and his companions but had not killed them because she still needed answers and their help reaching the tomb.
• Jiang Han grew furious that the group was hunting Su Qiao for her blood, but her explanation that she had delayed them eased his anger.
• Three days later, Su Qiao and Jiang Han ran into Professor Tang’s group at a stream while returning from the forest.
• Jiang Han drew his knife and said he would kill them, but Su Qiao restrained him and insisted they first find out who Professor Tang and Uncle He were.
• Su Qiao reminded Jiang Han that the group was no match for her, and he paused, remembering her abilities.

Su Qiao confronted Gu Han, Gu Ling, and Professor Tang after they found her and Jiang Han by the stream. She said she would withdraw from the expedition and take Jiang Han back, but the others argued that the journey and lack of a boat made leaving impractical.

• Gu Ling spotted Su Qiao and Jiang Han by the stream and told the others they had found them together.
• Gu Han excitedly approached Su Qiao, but she avoided his embrace, and Gu Ling blamed her for the group's hardships.
• Su Qiao challenged Gu Han and Professor Tang over their complaints, pointing out that they had left Jiang Han injured and alone in the mountains.
• Su Qiao said she would withdraw from the expedition and take Jiang Han to a hospital for treatment.
• Professor Tang and Old He tried to dissuade Su Qiao, citing the long walk back and the absence of a boat.