Zhao Yuan abruptly pulled onto the drapery in a moment of panic. Pitch-black darkness shrouded the inside of the tent. He immediately turned on the light.
The people outside would want nothing more than to break into the tent and see what was going on. However, they were afraid that the delicate Lin Wenxi would easily collapse. Thus, all of them transformed into the young imperial guards of the Ming Dynasty, searching for crevices in the tent or pushing open the draped door ever so slightly. Unfortunately, even though it was Wang Xiang who helped Lin Wenxi build the tent, Lin Wenxi had many nuisances helping him reinforce the tent. The tent was built so tightly sealed that not even wind could enter.
Inside the tent, Lin Wenxi also heard the commotion outside. He said nothing but kept his hands over his eyes.
"Hey, even if it's a girl who saw me like this, I don't think she'll have such a big reaction? Haven't you gone nude in your upper half?" Zhao Yuan asked self-assuredly.
Lin Wenxi continued to cover his eyes and ignored him.
"If you don't open your eyes, I'll be taking my pants off." Zhao Yuan grinned. He leaned forward and tried to pull away Lin Wenxi's hands that were covering his eyes. Lin Wenxi once again cried out in alarm. He chided Zhao Yuan in a strained voice, saying, "Scram!" The people outside the tent roared with laughter.
"Hey! Is there any reason left in this world? Do you know what this is? The rabbit that you let off just now excreted on my body! If I don't enter your tent and let you smell the stink, I... I'll be wronging myself!" Zhao Yuan brought his chest closer to Lin Wenxi as he spoke. Lin Wenxi panicked when he smelled the exceptional smell but dared not to yell. He could only suppress his hatred and say, "What will it take for you to go out?"
"Wipe it clean for me. Seeing as I'm deprived of a meal of rabbit meat and stinking of piss, shouldn't you take some responsibility?" Zhao Yuan's chest came even closer to Lin Wenxi.
Lin Wenxi expressed his unwillingness.
A clamor rose outside the tent and Wang Xiang was eventually selected as the representative. He was already opening the tent that he built from the outside when the tide of people pushed him in, causing him to stagger and fall forward. Right then, Zhao Yuan was in the press-up position with both hands supporting his body, restraining himself from approaching Lin Wenxi yet not really approaching him. Unexpectedly, with the weight of several people on him, Zhao Yuan lay flat on Lin Wenxi's body with a muffled thud.
Lin Wenxi felt as if the entire sky had darkened before his eyes.
Everyone soon recovered their senses and scattered one after another. Zhao Yuan climbed up from the ground with great difficulty. Lin Wenxi was so badly crushed under all that weight that he was nearly suffocating. When he saw a slurry, gooey stain on his spotlessly white shirt, he silently sent everyone out and closed the tent door.
Outside the door, everyone's attention was drawn to Zhao Yuan's muscles—his two plank-like, sturdy pectoral muscles that were like armor, six protruding abdominal muscles that were so well-contoured that they looked as if they were engraved onto his body, and flexed muscles on his arms. His physique wasn't on the large side but just looked like Michelangelo's David. Its masculine disposition was visible from inside out, making it look like a valiant warrior. Zhao Yuan's bronze-colored skin was like the burning sun. In a flash, the girls cried out in surprise and drooled over him, unable to control themselves. During the military training, the dorm strictly prohibited the exposure of chests. Thus, not even Wang Xiang saw Zhao Yuan's beautiful masculinity. He couldn't stop himself from pumping his fist at Zhao Yuan's chest. "So you have this sort of inner beauty!"
Under everyone's intense gazes, Chen Wanxin leisurely walked up to Zhao Yuan and willfully wiped the stain on his chest. She left him with several napkins for him to complete the cleaning and then gracefully walked away while everyone watched enviously. Zheng Kai burned with jealousy and took off his jacket on the spot. He stood in front of Zhao Yuan and showed off his own refined bicipital muscles. He said in a rough voice, "Mine aren't inferior to yours!"
Zheng Kai's physique was simply superb. His every muscle was like a finely cut piece of art. Unfortunately, his muscles were a little too big. The girls felt a little intimidated by them instead. Though there were sounds of admiration, it was still no match for the affection they felt for Zhao Yuan.
"Alright, alright. You're just like a shaved orangutan. What's there to look at?" Chen Wanxin curled her lips. Zheng Kai immediately hung his head dispiritedly and put on his clothes. He then aimed for stripping Wang Xiang's clothes, but the latter nimbly dodged left and right and caused Zheng Kai to chase him round and round. Just as they were bickering, Lin Wenxi opened the door to his tent. He had already changed into a beige-colored jacket and tossed the sullied jacket to Zhao Yuan. He said in a low voice, "Wash it!"
"Wash it? How do I wash it?" Zhao Yuan was troubled. They didn't carry much water with them and clothes were usually washed at the supply point, where they could instantly dry them. Zhao Yuan gave it some thought. He searched for a point on the map and then hastily ran off without another word.
"Say, isn't it the same to wash the jacket when we're at the supply point? Why must you ask him to wash it now? You can't even dry it." Chen Wanxin was secretly fuming.
Lin Wenxi didn't even spare her a glance and returned to his tent without replying.
"What a freak," Chen Wanxin said indignantly.
"Maybe that's the only clothing he has. See how he changes his clothes only once a day," Shu Xiaoman said with a laugh.
"Show me your elbows," Chen Wanxin said.
Shu Xiaoman raised her hand in confusion. Zhang An'an was already covering her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"You elbows didn't turn to the opposite direction! How can your words be so unpleasing to the ear!?!" Chen Wanxin said coolly. Shu Xiaoman couldn't help laughing involuntarily.
The several leaders of the girls' squad had already set off while Chen Wanxin waited anxiously in place. By then, most of the tents had already been dismantled. When it was almost noon, Zhao Yuan returned from far away in high spirits while holding Lin Wenxi's clean clothes in both hands. In the beginning, Lin Wenxi was regretting his decision to send Zhao Yuan away and delay everyone's time. When he saw Zhao Yuan panting in exhaustion as he ran over, he lowered his head and silently looked at Zhao Yuan's hair that had gotten drenched from the fog and dew of the mountain. There were also many bloody stains on his calves after getting scratched by gods knew what. His new injuries overlapped with old ones. Moreover, he must have put in quite some effort into capturing the rabbits yesterday. Lin Wenxi returned to his tent and when he came out, he handed Zhao Yuan some Folium Callicarpa Pedunculata to stop his bleeding.
"You recognize Folium Callicarpa Pedunculata?" Zhao Yuan was astonished.
"Hm." Lin Wenxi's expression turned a little disappointed. In his memories, there seemed to be a childhood playmate who taught him how to distinguish Folium Callicarpa Pedunculata. The playmate also knew how to capture rabbits. However, it was such a far away time. Everything that was worth being engraved into his memory was cut away by the blade of never once seeing each other again.
"Then I'll be enjoying your favor! Help me paste it on." He lifted his ankle.
Lin Wenxi couldn't help but say, "You're really asking for a beating."
Zhao Yuan laughed heartily and immediately urged everyone else to set off. He pointed at the map, saying that he had found a stream that could lead them directly down the mountain.
The girls of the same dorm hastily gathered to come up with a countermeasure. Zhao Yuan's impressive action would certainly draw great appreciation from Lin Wenxi. They discussed what they should do next.
Shu Xiaoman suddenly lifted her head. "Sister Wanxin, why do you look a little unhappy?"
Zhang An'an laughed wickedly. "Looks like someone has put herself in someone else's shoes."
While the two girls pestered her, Chen Wanxin looked longingly at the dismantled tents of the guys of Dorm No. 216. She didn't know where they had gone. Several military instructors were carefully inspecting if the bonfire they left behind had completely stopped burning lest an accident occurred.
Since the guys and girls were competing for a different set of ranking, the guys had been taking good care of Chen Wanxin and the others. They had long surpassed other girls while Zhao Yuan and the rest had been delayed a great deal due to their food and drink issues. No wonder they would so hastily run far away.
This proved that the guys of Dorm No. 216 weren't just good at capturing rabbits.
The group traced the terrain under Wang Xiang's leadership and studied the topography of the mountain. To their surprise, they discovered that they didn't have to go down the mountain via the winding road and could instead follow the creek downward. They soon saw another mountain top, where the first supply point was located. The flow of the creek was neither fast nor slow. It wasn't a shallow creek either. Based on the topography of the mountain, Wang Xiang concluded that there couldn't possibly be a waterfall. Thus, it was completely safe for them to follow the creek downward. However, there would be strange stones protruding from the sides of the creek every now and then. If they went down from the coastal side, they didn't know if they would be able to get a direct route. A glimpse through the binoculars told them that there were already a significant amount of olive-green silhouettes hidden from the view in the forest beneath the mountain. From the looks of things
"Zhao Yuan!" Wang Xiang uttered a pained cry. If something bad happened to Zhao Yuan, it would be impossible for him to escape censure. He had studied the map and topography of the mountain very well. There was no way that there would be a waterfall here. For a moment, Zheng Kai forgot to release his grasp on Lin Wenxi. Only when Lin Wenxi began struggling that he remembered him and immediately let go. The two of them crawled to the shore. If the waterfall was about ten meters high, the bamboo raft would probably have hit the waters by now. The raft flowed along the current and swiftly disappeared out of sight. Meanwhile, the pool of water under the waterfall was so quiet that it was terrifying. Lin Wenxi couldn't help wanting to climb down the waterfall but Zheng Kai was dragging him across the water and hauling him up the shore. He could only stare foolishly at the deep waters underneath as if he was possessed. "Climbing is prohibited!" The
Sure enough, their journey to the second depot was much more difficult than getting to the first depot. With the girls stopping by every now and then to poke at the flora, their journey was greatly delayed. Zhao Yuan appeared a little anxious. He handed his knapsack to Wang Xiang and ran ahead of everyone else. He was unable to get through to Lin Wenxi on the phone. Several days ago, Zhang Dong had reminded them that the signal was very unstable on the mountain and requested the students to work in teams. Zhao Yuan was currently regretting not making Lin Wenxi stay earlier. The only thing was no one could guess what Lin Wenxi was thinking, with his temper and tendency to speak in half sentences! Zhao Yuan ran back to the spot where he separated with Lin Wenxi earlier and then traced him via two different directions for a good ten minutes. When he saw no sign of Lin Wenxi, he couldn't help feeling somewhat anxious. He cleared his throat and yelled all over the place. Th
Lin Wenxi fell on the ground, and his face twisted in agony. He was a little out of breath. "What's wrong? You're still so lively earlier!" Zhao Yuan felt Lin Wenxi's forehead. "I feel... weak all over," Lin Wenxi said with great difficulty. "Eat something first." Zhao Yuan then went off to look for Lin Wenxi's knapsack everywhere, only to find some of the food items and commonly-used tools soaked. The tent had already flown god knows where. It turned out that this pit was a large slope. When he looked down, he saw a muddy marsh with a sign erected atop: "Danger. Do not enter." Having experienced falling down a waterfall, Zhao Yuan wouldn't try and force it. However, there was no way for Lin Wenxi to consume those things. Worried, Zhao Yuan propped up Lin Wenxi and tried to help him walk upward. Lin Wenxi dropped to a squat. "Make the call and tell them I'm giving up. I don't want to walk anymore. Just let me s
"Dear God! What did I just see?!" Shu Xiaoman's screech caused Zhao Yuan to immediately relax his hand. He said solemnly, "You know how to play along." Lin Wenxi instantly stopped crying and nodded. "Damn it! Isn't it just a little fall? You're just like a girl, crying that much! I didn't even say anything!" Zhao Yuan said loudly as he rubbed Lin Wenxi's hair roughly. He also tried weaving a braid with Lin Wenxi's hair. "Isn't it because you're too fat and squashed me?!" Lin Wenxi retorted hatefully. "I'm fat? Lin Wenxi, don't you think your reason is too far-fetched?" When Zhao Yuan saw that Lin Wenxi had yet to recover his senses, he had no choice but to add, "I just farted, that's all. To think you'll get such a fright that you fell down! How strange!" Lin Wenxi was momentarily stunned. He suppressed the smile that was threatening to show up on his face and replied, "Good that you know yo
The sun descended in the west, blanketing the world in a layer of sunset glow. The golden evening light spilled on a bunch of tired but excited faces. The air seemed to have become completely still as the autumn scenery stretched on before them. Silence fell over everyone, submerging them in tranquil peace. The setting sun returned to the mountain, unveiling curtains to the night and the starry sky that washed away all the daytime clamor. Every now and then, autumn insects would make some noise. The breeze passed through the forest and caressed their faces. The air was so fresh that one couldn't help wanting to take a deep breath. In the dark night without the city lights, young hearts could find those innocent flavors of life more easily. The group carefully studied the map before deciding on their route for tomorrow. However, they found out that they were still nearly one hundred kilometers away from their second stop. Everyone estimated that they had unexpectedly wa
The next morning, when Zhao Yuan got out of his tent, he discovered something unusual. "How come there are two holes in the tents? Did some mouses come to gnaw on the tent? But these holes are about one meter above the ground? How could mouses do that?" He deliberately remained silent about that, and made a fire to cook noodles for everyone. The team had enough noodles but did not have enough sauce. In the end, among the seven bowls of noodles he cooked, only five had sauce. He went to ask Lin Wenxi to get up, but he still looked sleepy. He wiggled a little with a meaningful smile on his face. "You brat..." Zhao Yuan thought and pinched his ear. Lin Wenxi finally got up while smiling. After that, Zhao Yuan went to the other tents to wake up the others. Soon enough, nearly everyone got out of their tents and ruched toward the noodles. Although Chen Wanxin was a girl, she showed a raw energy like a man and quickly finished her b
Wang Xiang grumbled to Zheng Kai, but Zheng Kai completely ignored him. He just kept eating while saying to Zhao Yuan, "Hey, bro, I want one more fish." Wang Xiang went to sit down beside Chen Wanxin and said, "Wanxin, could you please..." Chen Wanxin exchanged a look with Zhao Yuan. Zhao Yuan spread out his hands and said, "I'm too tired to cook now." After a moment of thought, Wang Xiang went to beg Lin Wenxi. "Brother Wenxi, it's my bad. I'm sorry. Please help me." Lin Wenxi pretended to misunderstand him and said, "But I don't know how to fry a fish. How can I help you?" While saying this, he carefully picked the fish bones out before putting the fish into his mouth. Wang Xiang bashfully whispered something into Lin Wenxi's ear. The next moment, Lin Wenxi stopped eating and looked at Zhao Yuan. "If you give me a sweet smile, I'll cook the fish."