Chapter Sixty-Four: Generosity

I was indeed exhausted, but I knew that during the first half of the night, nothing much was likely to happen. Therefore, while sitting on the tree fork, I dozed off in a daze.

Although my consciousness was hazy, it was actually a form of relaxation. Especially since I could faintly hear Peng Qi and Jia Lü chatting in low voices nearby, wondering whether they were discussing their expectations for the alliance or their anxieties about the night.

I estimated that these past couple of days hadn't been easy for them, even after snatching my backpack. After all, rushing around to find food—and as Peng Qian had told me earlier, their suspicion that others were still lurking here—gave a clear picture of how strained their nerves must be.

Of course, they also talked about food. Though it was just a few simple bowls of soup, and I hadn't even given them any black salt, they were clearly already thrilled. At the moment, I couldn't be bothered to quibble over such things, nor did I believe they would resort to outright robbery right then and there.

I also wanted to tell them about Brother Wen and his people, but they mentioned that the fellow they had beaten to death had fallen down a cliff, causing them to lose the bow and arrows, recovering only a few sharp spikes. This made us take their words with a grain of salt.

Though I had no idea why Brother Wen had sent those two men to appear, I understood by now that this space was truly vast. Brother Wen and his people were limited in number, so monitoring their own territory clearly posed a certain degree of difficulty.

I cradled the wooden bow, with the arrows laid out on a flat branch beside me, standing guard at a height of five or six meters up this large tree.

To anyone else, it might have seemed like I was on patrol, but in truth, I was lingering in a state between wakefulness and slumber.

I knew I needed to find a balance and relax whenever possible, so I seized every chance to rest. Naturally, given these people's ill intentions, I shouldn't have been dozing off, but recalling the principle that the most dangerous place is often the safest, I boldly took a calculated risk.

So I daringly remained seated there, with my machete still strapped to my wrist, ready to respond to any sudden emergencies at a moment's notice. I guessed that even if someone saw me, they wouldn't come over to take such a risk.

After all, I had a bow and arrows in my hand, alongside this sharp machete. Anyone wishing to plunder resources would at least consider the consequences first, provided they weren't entirely foolish.

Of course, the main reason I dared to be this bold was because of the special nature of these arrows.

Though I wasn't entirely certain yet, I recalled a certain kind of tree I had once seen in the rainforest, coupled with the uniqueness of the quiver, which clearly required avoiding casual contact when storing these arrows. In my heart, I was over ninety percent sure that these arrows had been purposely coated with something.

What was this green substance? I suspected it might be some toxic material.

The people who used these arrows likely made a living by hunting wildlife, but due to the toxicity of the projectiles, they wouldn't use them lightly, especially not on common prey.

I felt my theory was a bit audacious, but when dealing with Peng Qian and his crew, certain things seemed strange. One only had to look at why those two fellows hadn't used their arrows to directly attack us when they had the chance to realize something was amiss.

Therefore, to protect Qu Xiang, Lanfang, and ensure my own safety, I needed not only constant vigilance but also the deterrent effect of the bow and arrow—I couldn't just put on a show.

Gradually, I noticed someone over there curled up and falling asleep beneath a tree, while another had climbed up into the branches. However, they maintained a two-person watch throughout this time. Seeing their setup, I wasn't surprised at all; instead, I felt a certain admiration for their precautions.

Though I didn't know whose idea it was, it was clear that they weren't completely foolish when it came to securing all directions against danger.

"A-Jing, you should sleep..." Hearing Qu Xiang's even breathing, Lanfang's low voice sounded from nearby.

I suddenly shook my head, opened my eyes, and scanned my surroundings alertly. The embers of the campfires here and there seemed to have diminished significantly. However, for the sake of the sentries' visibility, their group kept adding firewood to their fire from time to time, whereas our campfire had burned down to mere faint sparks.

I didn't care if they knew I had a fire starter; in fact, keeping our side dark made it harder to expose our position. Of course, there was also an astonishing discovery I had made over the past few days: after adapting to the dark, my eyesight had become exceptionally sharp.

Often, relying solely on the faint starlight and moonlight, I could actually make out the surrounding scenery quite clearly. Therefore, I preferred to blend into the darkness myself. Yet it seemed my approach was somewhat flawed, as I had nearly overlooked Lanfang and Qu Xiang's feelings.

Seeing that I wasn't asleep, Lanfang indeed spoke up, "A-Jing, throw some wood on the fire, and then I'll take over the watch!"

I couldn't say much to her, even though I felt how close she was to me and could even catch her scent. I quickly climbed down the tree, added wood to the campfire, and then climbed back up to hand the wooden bow to Lanfang, gesturing toward the arrows beside it. Feeling somewhat anxious, I specifically reminded her not to touch the arrowheads.

To my surprise, Lanfang held the wooden bow looking somewhat nervous. In the dim light, I could see a hint of shyness in her eyes. To ease the atmosphere, I couldn't help saying, "Sister Fang, you look as though someone is about to climb up here. There's no need to be so tense..."

"No, no, A-Jing, I just feel that since you all have been working so hard for my sake, I must be earnest and vigilant about whatever tasks fall to me, and I absolutely cannot afford to make any mistakes!" Unexpectedly, Lanfang seemed quite magnanimous at this moment. Perhaps afraid of waking Qu Xiang, she pressed her upper body extremely close to me.

This caused my heart to thump wildly. Ever since the tension of the past few days began, I realized I hadn't felt this way in a long time. Seeing the apology in her eyes and recalling how aloof she used to be, a soft sigh escaped me: "No need to be nervous, just be careful and make sure to protect yourself!"

"Mm-hmm!" Hearing me say that, she let out a soft acknowledgment.

Shortly after, I gently lifted her up. Naturally, I couldn't keep her in the narrow fork where I had been staying, so I settled her in a slightly higher spot. Through our interactions over the past few days, she hadn't rejected me when I held her; I could even sense her body trembling slightly in the dimness.

"A-Jing, get some good rest. Don't worry, I'll keep a very careful watch!" I didn't know when it had started, but Lanfang had imperceptibly come to rely on me. Although she still didn't speak much, she now seemed not only open but truly sincere.

"Sister Fang, remember this: first of all, I will never use certain circumstances to lord over you with an unfair advantage. Even though you are injured and Xiangxiang is just a girl, if we want to survive here, we will discuss matters together whenever something comes up!"

Naturally, my words were very straightforward at that moment. It was probably just a reflection of my usual mindset, devoid of any pretense or posturing whatsoever!