Xie Ji licked his lips, rested his forehead on Lu Xunji's shoulder to calm his breathing, and smelled gunpowder, dirt and blood around his nose. Only then did he realize that Lu Xunji had been shot in the arm.
"Take off your clothes so I can see them." Xie Ji quickly got up, grabbed his backpack, and started looking for saline solution, medicine, and gauze.
Lu Xunji stood up and said in a low voice, "Let's walk forward a bit; there should be a water source ahead."
But your injury...
"It's not far, we'll be there soon. The wound needs cleaning, but it's nothing serious."
Xie Ji thought about it and felt that Lu Xunji's words made sense, so he picked up both bags and said, "Let's go then."
Lu Xunji reached for Xie Ji's bag, but Xie Ji dodged it, saying, "Your shoulder is injured, I'll carry it."
Lu Xunji said in a low voice, "You're not injured on the other side, you shouldn't expend too much energy."
Xie Ji slung his bag over his shoulder. "You underestimate me. Although I'm not as strong as you, I'm still a man. I have plenty of strength and skills. Enough talk, let's go."
Unable to argue, Lu Xunji could only purse her lips and let Xie Ji lead her away.
Xie Ji was carrying two bags, and his pace was noticeably slower than usual. He was sweating more on his face, but he stubbornly didn't utter a sound and kept walking with his head down.
After walking for most of the day, Xie Ji finally saw the water source that Lu Xunji had mentioned. It was a small stream that wasn't very wide, with various lush plants growing on its banks.
To prevent the possibility of snakes or other animals inside, Xie Ji helped Lu Xunji sit down to the side. He first tapped the area with a wooden stick for a while, and then cleared a space with a dagger and a cutting gun.
Lu Xunji leaned against the tree trunk, his face somewhat pale.
Xie Ji fetched water, filtered it through a filter, and then fed it to Lu Xunji, giving him a couple of sips.
"How are you? Does it hurt a lot?" Xie Ji squatted down in front of him and reached out to unbutton his shirt.
After removing his camouflage outer jacket, revealing a white inner lining, Xie Ji realized just how badly Lu Xunji was injured.
It looked like a bullet had only grazed his arm, but it was more like it had passed right through it. The fabric of his entire arm was soaked in blood, which even spread to his chest. There was a deep wound where the bullet had grazed, with the surrounding area slightly charred, clearly a severe burn.
Xie Ji gasped, his hands trembling as he applied medicine to Lu Xunji's wound. "How... how could it be so serious? So much blood..."
As he spoke, he used clean water to wash Lu Xunji's wound, disinfecting and stopping the bleeding, while searching for medicine for Lu Xunji in the system store.
Lu Xunji had his eyes closed, but he frowned as Xie Ji cleaned his wounds, probably because he was in pain. Xie Ji quickly blew on his wounds, which was better than nothing.
"It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt. It'll be fine after we apply the medicine, then it won't hurt anymore." Xie Ji sniffed, quickly applying the medicine to Lu Xunji, muttering reassuringly, "It's alright."
Lu Xunji opened his eyes and looked down to see Xie Ji with his head down, his eyes red as he applied medicine to him.
He raised his hand and gently rubbed his cheek. "Don't cry."
Xie Ji quickly rubbed his eyes. "You're so badly injured, why didn't you tell me? You even tried to carry my bag, you're just... you're just...-"
Lu Xunji's furrowed brows relaxed, he chuckled softly, and lowered his head without saying a word.
Xie Ji cupped his face in her hands. "Don't fall asleep. I know you're very sleepy, but don't sleep too soundly, okay?"
Lu Xunji raised his hand, grabbed his wrist, and rubbed his wrist against his head.
With burning hot skin and a throbbing pulse, Lu Xunji was shivering all over from the cold and couldn't help but bite Xie Ji's wrist.
Its sharp fangs seemed to want to pierce the delicate skin and suck out the warm blood.
Xie Ji gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and said, "You... you drink it, just consider it replenishing your blood!"
Lu Xunji chuckled again, licked his lips, and then released him. "Is this how you replenish blood, you little illiterate?"
"I know this isn't how you replenish blood, but it's at least a psychological comfort." Xie Ji looked at him and said earnestly, " Lu Xunji, don't be afraid. No matter what, I'm here. I won't let you die."
Lu Xunji gave him a deep look. "I will not die."
Xie Ji nodded vigorously. "Yes! We won't die! We won't die! That's good!"
The medicine from the system store was indeed quite effective, and the bleeding stopped quickly. Lu Xunji leaned on Xie Ji's shoulder to rest, Xie Ji would touch Lu Xunji's face from time to time, afraid that his body temperature was too high or too low.
Fortunately, Lu Xunji's body temperature gradually returned to normal, and Xie Ji's anxious heart finally eased a little.
This time, Lu Xunji rested for a long time before he had the strength to open his eyes.
Xie Ji was afraid of disturbing Lu Xunji's rest, so he dared not move or sleep, afraid that he would not notice any movement around him. He sat stiffly for six hours, serving as a human pillow for Lu Xunji.
He was so sleepy that his eyelids were drooping, and he had no choice but to pinch his thigh hard, the pain bringing tears to his eyes, in order to stay awake.
The two obtained enough water from the stream before leaving it to continue their search for patrolling soldiers in the forest.
They need at least one more pass.
Lu Xunji's injuries were too severe, Xie Ji couldn't bear to let Lu Xunji like before, fearing that it would tear open the wound and cause bleeding again. So he decided to sneak around like the old lady with the gray curly hair before.
After all, patrolling soldiers also need to sleep.
However, this approach is not only inefficient, but also has a very high chance of failure, far less efficient than before, and the two of them don't have enough supplies to sustain such consumption.
Xie Ji decided to return to his old profession.
While frantically fleeing from the patrolling soldiers, he couldn't take it anymore and pulled out his Bagua compass from his bag. "Wait a minute! Young man, do you know fortune telling?!"
Patrol soldier. "...?"
Are you feeling lost about your future? Are you scheming for wealth? Or perhaps you're struggling to survive in the sea of unrequited love? Come and have a divination, child! It will answer your questions, help you avoid misfortune and attract good fortune, and save you from the turmoil of love! Don't miss it!
Patrol soldier. "..."
"Really, I'm very accurate!"
Patrol soldier. "."
"Aaaaaah! Everyone says I'm incredibly accurate, so why are you still pursuing me? I'm begging you, just let me touch your pocket, I just want a pass! Is that so greedy? I'm begging you!"
Unfortunately, few of these patrolling soldiers respected Xie Ji's authority, and in the end, Lu Xunji had to resort to violence to resolve the situation.
"It's no use talking to them like that." Lu Xunji skillfully searched the unconscious patrolling soldiers for supplies. "Stopping us is their military order."
Xie Ji came up to check Lu Xunji's wound, but Lu Xunji stopped him. "If I check it eight hundred times a day, I might as well take off my clothes and run naked in front of you. No need to look, the medicine you gave me is very good, don't worry, I'll take you out."
Xie Ji was initially suspicious, but seeing that Lu Xunji was eating and drinking well along the way, and was fighting energetically, and that his clothes were clean with no blood seeping out, he felt a little relieved.
On the seventh day of their wandering in the primeval forest, the two finally obtained their second pass from a patrolling soldier. By this time, Xie Ji was covered in dirt, his beautiful golden hair was covered in mud and had completely lost its original color, and his clothes were tattered. He exuded a very natural aura.
He's reached a point where, given a vine, he can grab it and swing through the woods, uttering incomprehensible roars.
Lu Xunji was no better off, but he looked even wilder.
"Which direction is the finish line again?" Xie Ji asked weakly, leaning on his cane. "Things will be much easier from here on out. We just need to find the direction of the finish line and keep walking."
"Hmm." Lu Xunji looked at the map. "Let's rest today. Tomorrow we'll find a higher place; I need to figure out our direction."
They were surrounded by tall trees whose canopies completely blocked out the sky. It was midnight, and it was pitch black all around, with only a single lamp providing light.
The two found a relatively flat spot nearby, sprinkled insect repellent powder around it, and sat inside the circle eating compressed biscuits.
The canned meat they had seized earlier was long gone. As for the two preserved plum candies, apart from the one Lu Xunji stuffed into his mouth, Xie Ji had been reluctant to eat the remaining one. He kept it in his chest pocket, taking it out every day to look at it, touch it, and then putting it back.
After finishing the compressed biscuits, Xie Ji quickly crawled into his sleeping bag. According to the previous division of labor, Lu Xunji was to keep watch for the first half of the night, and Xie Ji would keep watch for the second half.
But most of the time, Lu Xunji stayed up all night, only taking a few short breaks each day to rest, totaling no more than three hours in total.
Xie Ji sometimes really had to admire how strong Lu Xunji was; how could someone be so masculine?
When Xie Ji woke up in his sleeping bag at night, he would vaguely see Lu Xunji's figure, and his sense of security would grow stronger.
Lu Xunji, a very reliable male competitor.
He sat up from his sleeping bag, then got up and sat down next to Lu Xunji, saying in a low voice, "I'm done sleeping, you should go and rest."
"Hmm." Lu Xunji responded, but didn't move, looking at Xie Ji's profile in the dim light.
Xie Ji turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"
Lu Xunji said, "It will be over soon."
Yes, once the location is confirmed tomorrow, they'll only need to travel for one more day at most before this assessment is over.
"Do you regret it?" Lu Xunji asked him.
Xie Ji, confused, asked, "Regret what?"
"To take the special exam." He paused, then quietly added the verb, "For me."
Xie Ji smiled and said, "I should be asking you, don't I? Do you regret it? You clearly had the qualifications to enroll directly, but you still came to accompany me to the special exam and took care of me... You've been taking care of me and protecting me all this way."
Lu Xunji shook his head. "I like this feeling."
Xie Ji paused for a moment, then asked, "How does it feel?"
"It feels good to be needed." Lu Xunji looked down at him.
Xie Ji scratched the tip of his ear but didn't say anything.
"We're leaving tomorrow," Lu Xunji said.
Xie Ji nodded. "Mm."
Want a kiss?
Xie Ji: "... No, brother, you changed the subject way too fast."
Lu Xunji raised an eyebrow. "I thought I had been laying the groundwork for a long time."
Xie Ji: "..."
So all that talk of yours was just a setup, and your real purpose was actually "I want to kiss you," right?
"No way," Xie Ji refused. "We haven't brushed our teeth in days!"
Lu Xunji: "I don't mind."
"I find you disgusting!" Xie Ji snorted. "I'm so dirty and smelly right now, how could you possibly eat me? Lu Xunji, I think you're just really hungry..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Xunji cupped his cheek and kissed him.
"My darling is never dirty," Lu Xunji said in a hoarse voice. "She smells so good."
Xie Ji: "..."
Kissing maniac.
Xie Ji tilted his head back and kissed Lu Xunji, the sounds of their intimate kisses becoming even clearer in the quiet night.
He wasn't good at breathing while kissing, so he was often left dizzy and disoriented by Lu Xunji's kisses. He would open his hazy eyes and look at the handsome face so close to his, his mind wandering freely.
Damn, he's so handsome even up close.
Xie Ji thought to himself.
Madman Bro's looks are just too good-looking in every way.
"Ugh, that's enough, that's enough..." Xie Ji tilted his head back, distancing himself from Lu Xunji: "I'm not kissing anymore, your tongue hurts from sucking on it."
"Sorry." Lu Xunji leaned in and gave him a long, reluctant kiss on the lips. "My sweet little puppy."
Xie Ji was shocked and stared at him in disbelief. "You called me a dog!"
He was kissed and hugged, and he still got scolded!!!
Lu Xunji rubbed his ear. "Huh? Aren't you?"
"Of course not!" Xie Ji retorted fiercely, "I could never be a dog of Nantong!"
Lu Xunji couldn't help but laugh, "Then whose dog are you?"
"I—!" Xie Ji shouted, "I'm not a dog! Lu Xunji, don't go too far! I'll really get angry!"
Lu Xunji grabbed his wrist and sniffed it, then whispered, "Say ' Xie Ji is Lu Xunji's dog.'"
Xie Ji thought he was being unreasonable, "Why should I say anything?!"
"I like it." Lu Xunji his head. "I'll feel great if you say that."
No, buddy?
Are you... so desperate to be the master?
I'll say it again, you guys in Nantong really know how to have fun.
Xie Ji stood up. "I won't say! You scoundrel!"
I treated you like a brother, but you treated me like a dog?!
Xie Ji turned his back to him, deciding that from this day forward, he would never give this damn Nantong a kind look!!
Lu Xunji continued his persistent harassment from behind, "I'm so tired. I really want to take a shower, then throw you on the bed and exhaust myself, draining your energy and spirit, and finally hold you and sleep soundly."
Xie Ji: "I'm telling you, don't go too far, Madman Bro!!"
"Mmm." Lu Xunji leaned against the tree trunk and whispered, "It feels much better to say it out loud."
Xie Ji's ears burned as he listened, and after stammering for a while, he finally moved back to ask him, " Lu Xunji, what... what is our relationship now?"
His relationship with Lu Xunji was too puzzling; he wanted to find out.
He needed to confirm Lu Xunji's thoughts before he could implement his strategy; as for whether to refuse or accept, he hadn't decided yet.
Lu Xunji was taken aback by his question, but quickly smiled and turned the question back to Xie Ji: "What do you think our relationship is?"