"Zhong Hai." The elder gratefully extended his hand and said emotionally, "He has already told us the general situation. Thank you for everything you have done for us."
Luo Zheng shook hands with him politely and said, "You've suffered. I'm here on behalf of the country to bring you back. Sorry for being late; we didn't know about your existence beforehand. Please understand."
"Understand, understand, it's good that you ca, it's good that you ca." Zhong Hai said this, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably, his body trembling due to excessive excitent.
Luo Zheng stepped forward, patted Zhong Hai on the shoulder, and said, "Don't get too excited. We must hurry back as soon as possible. Your companions have already safely retreated to the embassy; don't worry. By the way, can both of you handle the journey? It's quite a distance."
"I'm afraid not. I'm getting old, and just now, the fast run left breathless. Slow walking is fine, but I'm afraid running fast won't work." Zhong Hai replied gratefully.
"Then let's take it slow." Luo Zheng said helplessly. He glanced at Ghost Hand, who also gave a helpless smile. After all, they were old, and understanding was needed. Luo Zheng sighed inwardly and comforted them, "Don't worry; we're out of the difficult tis now. It's just a matter of ti before we get back. With us here, it will definitely be okay."
"Yes, I believe in you. It doesn't even matter if I die, but Yu Xin, being so young, has suffered a lot with . If it wasn't for my invitation back then, she wouldn't have co here. Alas, let's not talk about it. What do we do now?" Zhong Hai looked apologetically at Ghost Hand, sighed, and said.
"Uncle Zhong, it's all in the past. Isn't everything fine now?" Ghost Hand consoled him. Although he was angry that the old man had taken his fiancée away, causing him anxiety for three years, it was an inadvertent mistake. What happened had happened, and there was no point in pursuing it further.
"Let's go." Luo Zheng whispered, glanced at Yu Xin, then at Zhong Hai, and continued, "Here, let help you walk. It's too dark, be careful underfoot, let's walk slowly." He said, moving forward to support him.
Ghost Hand quickly went up to support Yu Xin. The two lagged behind, whispering sweet nothings to each other, while Luo Zheng supported Zhong Hai walking ahead, his brows furrowed, deep in thought. Retreating by other routes was not feasible, as there were many tribal ard forces along the way, which could cause trouble. The only viable option was the Basto Tribe, going back from there.
However, the Basto Tribe shares a border with the Hariri Tribe, where heavy troops were stationed, on the brink of war, with enemies lurking everywhere in the forest. Danger could arise at any mont, so what should they do? Luo Zheng sighed inwardly with frustration, activated the signal device, and communicated with Lan Xing through the earpiece, "Locate us imdiately and plan a safe route."
"Understood." Lan Xing readily agreed. After a while, Lan Xing continued, "The Hariri Tribe forces are moving forward. They can reach the border before dawn. You must detour, which might take a bit longer."
"That's the only way." Luo Zheng replied helplessly.
With Lan Xing's safe route planned, Luo Zheng felt sowhat relieved and proceeded slowly along the safe route. Within an hour, Zhong Hai could no longer continue. After all, he was old, and his nutrition was lacking. Left with no choice, Luo Zheng had to carry Zhong Hai and hurry, handing over his weapon to Ghost Hand.
Fortunately, Yu Xin was young and in good physical condition; with Ghost Hand's care, she managed to keep up. They slowly walked forward, chatting along the way, listening to Yu Xin talk about the three years with the dical team. The Hariri Tribe knew the value of the dical team, highly valued and protected them well. Everyone wasn't subjected to hardships, although the workload was substantial. Over ti, the Hariri Tribe's ard mbers gradually started respecting the dical team, as it was unwise to offend doctors amidst the constant warfare.
Then it was Yu Xin's turn to inquire about the dostic situation and her family. Ghost Hand answered in detail. Despite not having seen each other for three years, the two remained deeply in love, displaying affection that made others envious. When Yu Xin learned about Luo Zheng and Lan Xue's relationship, she was taken aback and looked at Luo Zheng in disbelief for a while. Once she confird she hadn't misheard, she marveled, repeatedly stating that even the ice beauty had found love, leaving Luo Zheng sowhat frustrated. Only then did he find out that Yu Xin and Lan Xue were also well-acquainted.
Talking about Lan Xue, Luo Zheng's mood grew heavy. The Hariri forces were bearing down; could Bar withstand it? If not, what would happen to Lan Xue and the others? Yu Xin originally wanted to probe more, curious about how Luo Zheng and Lan Xue t and connected. In Yu Xin's mory, the ice beauty fancied nobody and was like a fairy untouched by worldly affairs. How could she be in love? But upon noticing Luo Zheng's grave expression, she wisely chose to drop the idea and looked at Ghost Hand with so doubt.
Ghost Hand shook his head, signaling her not to ask more. Yu Xin knew Ghost Hand was a soldier and understood military confidentiality rules, so she nodded knowingly, her curiosity growing stronger, pondering that she would find a chance to ask Lan Xue directly later.
As everyone walked and chatted, dawn arrived unknowingly, significantly increasing visibility and speeding up the march. In the distance, faint explosions could be heard, likely signs that the Hariri and Bar were engaged in combat. Luo Zheng was taken aback. He didn't expect the Hariri to be so hasty, suspecting sothing unknown was at play, causing him to glance at Ghost Hand.
Ghost Hand understood and whispered, "It seems we must pick up the pace."
"Let's go." Luo Zheng continued on, carrying the sleeping Zhong Hai, his expression growing solemn.
With no more mood for conversation, everyone marched in silence. By noon, they finally exited the forest, reaching the hilly area. Zhong Hai had woken up, perhaps rejuvenated from a nap, was spirited and able to walk on his own, looking ahead bewilderedly, and asked, "Where are we? Why are there explosion sounds?"
"This is the border between the Hariri and Basto tribes. The two tribes are at war. We took a detour to get here; leaving through the Basto Tribe avoids inspections and troubles from tribes along the way, making it the safest route. Also, our people are assisting the Basto Tribe in attacking the Hariri Tribe. I must be here. Don't worry; we'll get you back soon." Luo Zheng explained.
"It's okay; three years have passed, a few more days won't matter. Your matters are important too." Zhong Hai said understandingly.
"Alright, let's go." Luo Zheng supported Zhong Hai as they moved forward, occasionally glancing at the direction of the explosions, his expression growing solemn. From the sound of gunfire, the battle was fierce, suggesting sothing had changed. If they couldn't hold back the Hariri's attack, the situation would be dire. This thought made Luo Zheng anxious, wishing to rush over imdiately, but with two people in his care, he couldn't move quickly and had no choice but to suppress his impatience.
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