Chapter Nine, Farewell to Loved Ones

Nie Mo noticed that she did not say a word, which he found somewhat unusual. He intended to say something, but as Xia Xiaorong turned around and glared at him fiercely, he felt quite perplexed. He truly did not understand women, especially such beautiful women.

How do you know, and why are you so well-informed about matters in the mountains

Once she truly started running, how could she possibly keep up with Nie Mo? If it weren't for being chased by that monster last night, Nie Mo wouldn't have realized just how fast he could actually run. "Well, let's go then. I'll try to run a bit slower."

When they were about to leave, they encountered a small problem: Xia Xiaorong could not climb down from the tree. Apart from the spot where they were standing, the main trunk of the tree had hardly any branches, making it almost smooth, and it was at least five or six meters high from the ground. She truly did not understand how Nie Mo had managed to bring her up this tall tree.

Xia Xiaorong glanced down at Nie Mo, feeling somewhat nervous. "Can you catch me?"

Nie Mo climbed up the tree, only to see Xia Xiaorong holding a gun, vigilantly observing the surroundings. "I thought you were asleep; I didn't notice any movement while I was under the tree"

Xia Xiaorong looked at him, somewhat hesitant, and after a moment said: "Who exactly are you? The speed at which you killed that bandit and ran is beyond even that of an excellent soldier."

At that moment, her entire heart raced, for she saw the enormous shadow swiftly pursuing them. The speed was truly remarkable, but Nie Mo was even faster, always maintaining a certain distance between them. It was unclear how much time had passed, but Xia Xiaorong felt a wave of nausea and began to feel dizzy. Before long, her head grew heavier, and eventually, she felt nothing at all.

Nie Mo took two pieces of fruit from his pocket and handed them to her. He had picked them on his way back, but he hadn't brought a bag with him, so he couldn't take many.

Now, with the * picture * book, we have reached deep into the mountains. It is all quite similar wherever we go, as we do not know where the person we are looking for is. Therefore, we can only rely on luck, as long as we do not encounter that monster from yesterday.

"Hehe, is this what you refer to as a woman's sixth sense?" After saying this, Nie Mo added, "Wait here for a moment, I will go down to check the situation. Remember not to move around; some animals are very alert."

Nie Mo knew that ever since he narrowly escaped from that cave, his body had indeed undergone many changes, though even he was unaware of the specific nature of these changes. He did not expect that the monster had failed to catch up with him, but he did not intend to share with the woman before him the events he had encountered and experienced. Under the moonlight, she appeared very beautiful, which reminded him of Mo Zining. He wondered how she was doing now.

They had not walked far when they heard gunshots coming from a dense forest in the distance, causing a flock of birds to take flight, likely startled by something. Nie Mo hesitated, unsure whether he should go take a look, worried it might be that monster. He was not afraid of bandits, but he was concerned that it could be the police or Mo Ziqing and the others who were in danger. Xia Xiaorong simply watched him, as if she felt that everything should depend on this man before her, already beginning to develop a sense of reliance. Xia Xiaorong did not notice these psychological changes within herself.

Nie Mo placed her gently on a patch of grass, fed her a few sips of water, and as he looked at the woman before him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of compassion. The entire night had been spent in turmoil for the sake of his loved ones, and now, witnessing a family member suddenly die before his eyes, many would find it difficult to endure such a shocking experience.

"Well, and your friends too." She laughed and continued, "What is your relationship with that man and woman who went up the mountain? Of course, it’s fine if you don’t want to say now. At first, we didn’t know whether you were in cahoots with those bandits, so..."

"What happened to my foot? We..." Before she could finish her sentence, she noticed her precarious position and almost fell down. Fortunately, Nie Mo pulled her back just in time. She looked at Nie Mo in astonishment, "How did you bring me up this tree?" The man before her was becoming increasingly inscrutable; his speed was even faster than that of the monster, and he had brought her up this tall tree. She dared not even think about it.

When Nie Mo returned, the sky was beginning to lighten, indicating that dawn was approaching. However, based on his experience, it was likely to rain in the mountains today. Upon reaching the large tree, he looked at Xia Xiaorong lying on the tree and noticed she was quite still. He thought to himself, could she have fallen asleep? But it didn't matter much. Even though she had been a soldier, that was in the past, and today they had traveled a long way and encountered dangers, so it was inevitable that she would be very tired. However, this was not the time for sleeping.

The sky is bright now, but the weather today is not very good; the light is somewhat dim. The humidity in this forest is quite heavy. Considering that Xia Xiaorong's foot is feeling a bit better, he took all the things and after a while, Xia Xiaorong calmly asked, "Where shall we go now"

You can rest assured, just let go quickly

Yes, he is my fourth uncle. Our entire family consists of police officers, just in different departments

Nie Mo circled around the tree where they were staying but found nothing unusual. He always felt that something was off about the mountain today. In such mountainous areas, there are usually many wild animals. Just yesterday, he had encountered some with Mo Zining and the others. However, up to this point, apart from that unknown creature, they had not encountered any other animals or signs of wildlife. Why was that? He did not believe it was simply because they were too lucky to encounter any wild beasts; that seemed quite strange. Yet, up to this point, apart from that unknown creature, they had not encountered any other animals or signs of wildlife. Why was that? He did not believe it was simply because they were too lucky to encounter any wild beasts; that seemed quite strange.

In the end, Nie Mo decided to go and see for himself. The distance was somewhat far, and they needed to arrive there quickly. He glanced at Xia Xiaorong's feet, and she seemed to understand his intention, saying, "Rest assured, I will do my best to keep up with you."

Nie Mo glanced around and said softly, "You were bitten by a poisonous insect and have been unconscious for nearly three hours. However, you are fine now. You may have difficulty walking temporarily, but you will recover in a few hours."

This indeed surprised Nie Mo; it turned out to be a family of police officers. In fact, for a woman like her to insist on going up the mountain to find that captain, he should have realized that their relationship was likely more than just a professional one. Family can indeed provide immense courage to many. Thus, he comforted her by saying: "Rest assured, we will definitely find him"

Xia Xiaorong did not think much; she closed her eyes and relaxed her hands, falling straight down. "Ah!" She felt that her scream had not yet faded when Nie Mo caught her, lying in his arms. Startled and disoriented, she saw Nie Mo smiling at her: "You are a police officer and have served in the military; you are not an ordinary woman."

"Do not move around." Saying this, Nie Mo stepped forward a little and helped her adjust her sitting posture. He added, "It will be much better when dawn arrives."

Xia Xiaorong struggled to open her eyes and saw a man tying a knot on his foot with a strip of cloth. Instinctively, she kicked out, but fortunately Nie Mo dodged quickly; otherwise, being kicked off would not have been pleasant. They were currently on a massive tree, where the intersecting thick branches provided them with a decent place to perch.

Nie Mo turned around and climbed down the tree, and only then did she notice a tear on the side of his clothing. Glancing at the cloth strip wrapped around her foot, which was indeed part of his garment, she recalled the scene of him carrying her while running, feeling an inexplicable sense of emotion in her heart

Xia Xiaorong said somewhat shyly: "Actually, it was just a precaution; I feel that the likelihood of you being a bad person is quite low"

The several corpses before them were the police officers who had ascended the mountain yesterday afternoon, among them was her fourth uncle. Nie Mo stood behind her, vigilant of the surroundings, concerned that there might be an unexpected danger. After a while, he confirmed that there should be no danger, and returned to Xia Xiaorong's side. Her petite body was still convulsing, so he crouched down to look at her. She was crying profusely, almost like a weeping child. He intended to say some comforting words, but he did not know how to express them. Then he felt a soft, fragrant body collapse into his arms, and there was no further movement. Upon looking, he realized that the woman had fainted.

Nie Mo stood under the tree waiting for her. Seeing that she had not moved for a long time, he called out, "What's wrong? Can't you come down? Do you want me to come up and help you?" Xia Xiaorong glanced at Nie Mo below the tree, gritted her teeth, and thought that she could not let others look down on her. Naturally strong-willed, she decided to rely on herself. Just as she was about to grab a nearby branch to climb down, she suddenly felt her body suspended in mid-air, let out a cry, and found herself hanging from the branch, nearly falling down.

Leaving Nie Mo's embrace, she did not refute him even once. She did not tell Nie Mo that although she did not have a severe fear of heights, she had been somewhat afraid of heights since childhood, which was also the main reason for her injury during her military service

Nie Mo smiled and said, "My home is in the mountains; I've seen everything." Although he said this, many things he encountered a few days ago had already exceeded his understanding. He glanced at the sky and added, "It's almost dawn. Just wait until your foot feels better before we set off; for now, let's stay here." As he spoke, he took out some water and handed it to her, then finished off the remaining half of his bottle of water, which was meant for both drinking and washing. He felt the need to rest well, having expended too much energy earlier.

Seeing this, Nie Mo shouted, "Just jump down, and I will catch you"

What is that for a long time

Nie Mo knew that she had long since let go of her guard against him, smiling as she looked at her. "It's alright, if I were you, I would think the same way. But if I were truly a bad person, and you followed me up the mountain so recklessly from the very beginning, then you would really be in danger."

Due to Xia Xiaorong's influence, it took them about an hour to get there. Even so, Nie Mo was still cautious, unsure of what had just happened here. The two of them pushed aside the lush leaves in front of them, and upon looking, they were both taken aback. The most shocked was Xia Xiaorong; before Nie Mo could stop her, she had already dashed out, falling to the ground and bursting into tears

Xia Xiaorong's complexion was not very good. Looking at her somewhat stiff body, he felt a bit of admiration for this woman and said, "Do you feel any better with your foot? Let's wait a little longer, and then we can continue on our journey."

Xia Xiaorong intended to say thank you, but the words lingered on the tip of her tongue without being spoken. She thought of the police who went up the mountain in the afternoon and said softly, "I wonder how Uncle Xia is doing"

Without much thought, he directly hoisted Xia Xiaorong onto his shoulder, disregarding her objections, and took off running. At first, Xia Xiaorong struggled a few times, but afterward, she could only allow him to carry her.

Upon seeing Nie Mo, she seemed to relax significantly, shifted her body slightly, and smiled, saying: "I have been following your lead and didn't dare to move at all"

Xia Xiaorong noticed that not only did he not answer her question, but his expression also seemed rather unpleasant. She assumed he was unwilling to speak with her, which made her feel somewhat unhappy, so she refrained from asking him again. The position she was in, leaning against this branch, made her quite uncomfortable, and she unconsciously shifted her body, feeling a sharp pain in her foot, letting out a soft grunt.