After running wildly in the night wind for an hour, Xie Ji's legs were almost numb. All the bags he was carrying had been transferred to Lu Xunji, and he was being pulled along, which had greatly reduced his strength.
The miasma behind him was still relentlessly pursuing him, but Xie Ji was already seeing stars. After so many days, his physical strength had long since reached its limit.
Suddenly, a soft "plop" sound rang out. Xie Ji, who was running with momentum, couldn't pull his legs up and his hand holding Lu Xunji slipped from his grasp. He fell to the ground, covered in black mud.
"Lu... Lu Xunji!" The stench assaulted his nostrils, and the disgusting sensation in his palm filled him with panic. "I... I'm stuck in a swamp."
The surrounding area is actually a swamp, but the texture is very hard, and it's fine to step on it lightly. Only in a few places is the surface layer thin and easy to sink in.
This is why they all travel during the day; the dim light during the day helps them distinguish these places.
Unfortunately, Xie Ji was really unlucky. It was dark and he couldn't see the road clearly. He was also feeling groggy, and as a result, he stepped into that soft, squishy place.
Lu Xunji squatted down and held his calf, saying in a deep voice, "Lie back and lean against me for support."
Xie Ji hurriedly did as instructed, but the miasma behind them drew ever closer. Sweating profusely, Xie Ji finally managed to pull his foot out, ignoring the fact that his shoe wasn't out. He grabbed Lu Xunji, shouting, "It's out! Hurry, hurry! The miasma is coming!"
He paused, then rushed forward a few steps before realizing that Lu Xunji was still standing there.
Xie Ji: "..."
These past few days, he's relied too much on Lu Xunji, trusting Lu Xunji's decisions far too much, almost obeying his every command without thinking. He follows Lu Xunji's instructions without question, figuring that listening to Lu Xunji can't go wrong.
So he only realized now that when he leaned on Lu Xunji to pull his leg out, the swamp around Lu Xunji's leg could no longer support the strength of two people.
"Damn it!" Xie Ji ran back, a thin mist already enveloping them. Xie Ji grabbed Lu Xunji's hand. "What do we do now?"
Lu Xunji pursed his lips and calmly said, "Take your bag and leave first. Leave me a rope; just tie it to a nearby tree trunk. I'll figure something out myself."
Xie Ji was so angry he wanted to slap him. "If I leave now, am I even human? Tell me how to get you out of here, or we'll both die together!"
Lu Xunji took a couple of breaths and said, "If you leave, we can both survive. The miasma is moving. Find a safe place and come back when it passes. By then, I'll probably be incapacitated. If you can, pull me out and take me out. If not, Xie Ji, walk out on your own."
"I..." Xie Ji's eyes widened.
"Hurry up, do you really want to die with me?" Lu Xunji said, "Dying in this pile of mud, you love being so pretty, wouldn't you cry your eyes out on the way to the underworld? Xie Ji, believe me."
Xie Ji silently took off his backpack, his hands trembling as he pulled out a nylon rope and tied it around Lu Xunji's body. Then he looked up at Lu Xunji.
His legs were stuck in the swamp, with his calves already submerged.
It's unclear how long this miasma will last, but aside from the method Lu Xunji mentioned, we've truly reached a dead end.
Xie Ji quickly rummaged through his backpack, found the filter, and then used a cutting gun to cut open the thermos to make a makeshift gas mask, which he then placed on Lu Xunji's face.
Before fastening the button, he kissed Lu Xunji's lips hard, so hard that it was almost as if their teeth were clashing together, and the smell of blood filled the air.
" Lu Xunji, you can sleep, but don't fall asleep and die, you hear me? I'll come back for you. Whether you're alive or dead, I'll take you out of here. If you die, I'll die with you."
Lu Xunji, with a ridiculous gas mask over his mouth, chuckled.
"Um."
Xie Ji tied the other end of the rope binding Lu Xunji to a thick tree branch, gave Lu Xunji one last deep look, and then turned and ran away.
Lu Xunji behind him was gradually enveloped by thick miasma.
Xie Ji kept running forward, one of his shoes was gone, and his soles were cut and bleeding from the gravel and dead branches on the ground. Every step he took was excruciatingly painful.
His mind was a mess. He remembered a fairy tale: the little mermaid in the sea drank a witch's potion for the prince on the shore. She lost her beautiful voice and her gorgeous fishtail, and gained a pair of legs that felt like walking on a knife's edge with every step.
Xie Ji felt that he was now practically walking on a knife's edge.
She's become a mermaid now, Xie Little Ji.
After running for an unknown amount of time, Xie Ji finally found a cave where he could escape the miasma. Generally speaking, such caves in primeval forests might be more dangerous than the miasma itself, but Xie Ji didn't care about that now and rushed in.
The cave was dry and warm, and contained animal fur and droppings, suggesting it was the nest of some kind of mammal. Fortunately, the cave's owner was not home at the moment.
Xie Ji hid in the cave for a while, ignoring the injury on his foot, and quickly tidied up the things in his backpack, making himself a simple gas mask again using a thermos.
After hiding in the cave for more than three hours, and with the miasma outside only slightly lessening, Xie Ji couldn't wait to rush out and run back.
He has always had a poor sense of direction and easily gets lost when rushing around in the primeval forest, but luckily, the bloodstains on the ground had not yet disappeared.
Xie Ji had to thank his bleeding left foot.
The bloodstains led him back to the swamp where he had been.
Lu Xunji's body was already half-submerged. If it weren't for the nylon rope tied tightly to his body, he probably would have been completely swallowed up by this swamp that had devoured countless creatures.
Xie Ji rushed over and reached out to check Lu Xunji's pulse. Fortunately, although the gas mask was simple, it helped Lu Xunji block most of the miasma, and he had only fainted.
Xie Ji breathed a huge sigh of relief. As soon as the tension in his heart eased, the rapidly secreting adrenaline could no longer shield him from the pain, and his whole body began to scream.
" Lu Xunji, don't be afraid, everything will be alright. I'll pull you out right away, I'll take you out, I promise I'll take you out."
Xie Ji muttered to himself, not knowing who he was talking to. He gritted his teeth, stood up, and, holding onto the nylon rope, walked to the solid ground beside him, pulling on the other end of the rope with all his might.
The rough rope cut into his palm, drawing blood and turning the green rope a bright red.
Xie Ji, completely unaware, tied the nylon rope around himself and, with great effort, pulled Lu Xunji out of the swamp.
He had used up almost all his strength, and could not even bend his fingers. He lay on the wet muddy ground, holding Lu Xunji, panting heavily.
I'm so tired, in so much pain, so dizzy, I just want to die.
Xie Ji's eyes reddened.
He had always been pampered and spoiled, and had never experienced this kind of hardship when he was doing missions during his previous transmigration adventures.
But he glanced at Lu Xunji lying beside him and silently held back his tears.
Do not cry, Xie Ji, do not cry.
He had to get Lu Xunji out of there.