Previously, Lu Xunji had always carried him on his back; Xie Ji had never realized that Lu Xunji could be so heavy.
With the over 1.9-meter-tall figure pressing down on him, Xie Ji was exhausted, dizzy, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
Damn it, why can't he cry? He has to cry out to the heavens!
"Lu, Lu Xunji, don't fall asleep, do you hear me?" Xie Ji carried Lu Xunji on his back, walking forward step by step, holding a map and barely able to make out the direction.
Fortunately, Lu Xunji had the foresight to teach him how to use the map beforehand.
Perhaps he had long been prepared for not being by Xie Ji's side.
"I'm talking to you." Xie Ji trembled with tears as he spoke with difficulty, "I've been talking to you. If you can hear me, don't fall asleep. Listen carefully to what I'm saying, okay? I'm telling you, if you die, I really don't want to live anymore, really."
Lu Xunji leaned against his back, unresponsive, her hands hanging down, dangling beside his face, hot tears frequently falling onto the back of her hands.
"I'm sorry," Xie Ji sobbed, rambling on and on. "It's all my fault, really. I'm such a drag. If it weren't for me, you would have gotten your pass and left long ago. I even blamed you, saying you were so nice to me because you were after me... Lu Xunji, a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. You've been so good to me, always so good. It's me who's been bad, I've been hurting you. I've changed now, I'll definitely be very, very, very good to you from now on. If you want to experience it, you'd better hold on..."
Xie Ji's voice became extremely hoarse as he spoke, but he dared not stop, fearing that if the surroundings became quiet, Lu Xunji would fall into a deep sleep.
Two thermos cups and a filter were used as gas masks, and he couldn't even get a sip of water.
Even so, he dared not stop.
I don't know how long I carried Lu Xunji like this. From dawn to noon under the scorching sun, the temperature difference in the forest was huge. Xie Ji was alternating between hot and cold, and his mind was no longer able to think. He was almost relying on his willpower to keep carrying Lu Xunji forward.
Two teachers in camouflage uniforms came into view. They saw Xie Ji, exchanged a glance, and then walked towards Xie Ji.
"Congratulations, student! You've successfully reached the finish line. Please show your pass here, and then you can go down to rest."
One of them spoke in his ear, Xie Ji's ears were ringing and he couldn't hear clearly. His mind couldn't process what they were saying, and he just kept carrying Lu Xunji forward.
"This..." Another teacher hesitated for a moment, then quickly called someone over, trying to help Lu Xunji off Xie Ji: "Student, you've reached the finish line, the assessment is over! We found your pass in your backpacks. You and your companions have passed the assessment and are now students of the Imperial Military Academy. You can go and rest now!"
As soon as Lu Xunji was removed from Xie Ji's back, he reacted sharply and clung tightly to Lu Xunji: "No! No, don't touch him! Get away! Don't touch him!"
A group of doctors in white coats arrived, and several of them held Xie Ji down and forcibly injected him with a sedative before they could pull Lu Xunji off Xie Ji.
Xie Ji lay on the ground, his eyes glazed over, his misty blue eyes staring blankly at the sky. He was still talking, muttering incoherently, each word a hoarse syllable, as if ground by scalding sand, repeating it over and over again with a tearful voice.
Everyone could clearly distinguish that sentence:
" Xie Ji, Ji, go outside... Xie Ji... Xie Ji, go outside, take Lu Xunji outside... go outside... Xie Ji, take Lu Xunji outside..."