One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

At 7:15 a.m., the first true ray of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds of the Guizhou mountains, like a golden sword slanting into the valley. Dewdrops condensed into glistening beads on the tips of grass blades, and under the sunlight, they evaporated into a faint white vapor carrying the scent of earth and humus.

Nie Lingfeng, with Chen Duo in tow, quietly left Biyou Village, which was still struggling amidst the embers and chaos. They didn't take any known roads, didn't use any transportation, and didn't even follow common wilderness routes like streams or ridges. Nie Lingfeng simply relied on an almost instinctive intuition, choosing the most rugged, secluded, and uninhabited direction, plunging headlong into the vast and desolate primeval forest.

His steps were steady, but not fast. Each step landed precisely on a protruding rock, exposed tree roots, or relatively dry moss, leaving almost no trace. His long, gray hair was casually tied back with a cloth strip, and his dark gray, fitted clothing blended almost seamlessly into the shadows of the forest. The travel bag and Snow Drinking Knife on his back swayed slightly with his steps, yet strangely, they made no clanging sound.

Chen Duo followed about three steps behind him.

She changed out of the heavy white protective suit and into the dark blue coarse cloth clothes Nie Lingfeng had given her—clearly Nie Lingfeng's own spare clothes, too big for her. She clumsily rolled up the sleeves and trouser legs several times, tying them tightly with thin vines, but they still looked loose. She still carried her faded light blue backpack, which seemed to contain only a few simple changes of clothes and the neatly folded old protective suit.

Her steps were far less light and steady than Nie Lingfeng's. Her long period of confinement and training as a "weapon" had left her lacking essential wilderness survival experience and physical strength. Her hiking boots (also given to her by Nie Lingfeng, and similarly too large) slipped frequently on the wet, damp leaves and moss. The uneven ground, the overgrown vines, and the drooping branches all became obstacles to her progress. She walked with great difficulty, her breathing becoming rapid from the start, and the fine strands of black hair on her forehead were quickly soaked with sweat, sticking to her pale temples.

But she didn't complain, didn't say she was tired, and didn't even ask to stop. She just bit her lower lip, her emerald eyes fixed on Nie Lingfeng's back, trying to adjust her pace and breathing to keep up. Occasionally, she would stumble, but she would just grunt, quickly grab a tree trunk or rock to steady herself, and then continue to follow.

After walking for about two hours, the sun rose higher, and the humidity in the forest rose, making it unbearably hot and humid. Nie Lingfeng stopped beside a mountain stream.

The clear stream babbled through the moss-covered rocks, splashing water droplets that refracted into rainbows in the sunlight. Several large boulders, smoothed by the flowing water, lay along the bank, surrounded by lush ferns and clumps of unidentified wildflowers.

Nie Lingfeng sat down on a relatively flat boulder, took the water bottle from his waist, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. The cool mountain spring water, with a hint of sweetness, dispelled the thirst in his throat. He turned his head to look behind him.

Chen Duo was leaning against the trunk of an old pine tree, her back slightly bent, her chest heaving. Fine beads of sweat covered her forehead, sliding down her pale cheeks, gathering at her chin, and dripping onto her clothes, leaving dark streaks. Her lips were a little dry, even slightly chapped, but her clear, bright green eyes remained fixed on him.

"Are you tired?" Nie Lingfeng put down the kettle and asked, his voice sounding gentle against the backdrop of the mountain stream.

Chen Duo hesitated for a moment, first nodding, then shaking her head. She seemed not very good at expressing the subjective feeling of "tiredness," or perhaps, in her past understanding, "tiredness" was neither allowed nor needed to be noticed.

Nie Lingfeng understood her hesitation, and a pang of sadness struck him. He beckoned, "Come here, sit down and rest for a while. Have some water."

Chen Duo followed his instructions and walked to the boulder. Instead of sitting down immediately, she first imitated Nie Lingfeng, taking down the simple bamboo water bottle from her waist—a bottle Nie Lingfeng had hastily made for her from a section of thick bamboo before their departure. She unscrewed the stopper and sipped the water slowly. She drank quietly, almost silently, with only a slight movement in her throat. Her eyes, however, remained fixed on Nie Lingfeng, as if observing a complex instrument, or perhaps confirming some connection she hadn't yet fully understood.

The cool water quenched her thirst, and she let out a long, almost inaudible sigh before sitting down a little distance away from Nie Lingfeng, hugging her knees and resting her chin on them.

The two stood about half a meter apart, neither speaking. Only the sounds of the mountain stream, the birdsong in the forest, the rustling of leaves in the wind, and their soft breathing blended together to create a natural tranquility.

After a long while, Chen Duo suddenly spoke, her voice very soft and tinged with uncertainty:

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm going with you?"

Nie Lingfeng was looking down at a group of small silver fish swimming in the stream when he heard this, so he turned his head to look at her. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light on her face, making her emerald green eyes appear even deeper.

"You'll speak when you want to," Nie Lingfeng smiled, a faint smile that carried a reassuring power. "If you don't want to speak, then don't. The important thing is that you chose to come with me. For me, that's enough."

He paused, then added, "Everyone has their own past. Some are willing to share, some need time. You don't need to explain anything to me, Chen Duo. You just need to know that from now on, every choice you make is your own. And I will respect them."

Chen Duo listened quietly, a faint hint of confusion flashing in her eyes, as if she didn't quite understand the concept of "respecting choices." In her limited life experience, "choices" were often accompanied by costs, orders, or worse. She looked down at her hands, her knuckles white from gripping the water jug ​​tightly, her hands still clad in special black gloves.

"I..." she began again, her voice even softer, as if afraid of disturbing something, "I don't know what to do. After Uncle Liao... died, I don't know where to go. Biyou Village... Village Chief Ma took me in, gave me a place to live, gave me food, and asked me to help look after that stove... He said it was 'work,' different from being 'used' before."

She paused for a long time, seemingly struggling to organize her thoughts and describe the complex and vague feelings that were etched in her memory.

"But... I could feel that he was afraid of me too. The way he looked at me, the way the other people in the village looked at me... was very similar. When they got close to me, their bodies tensed up, their breathing became shallow, and their heartbeats quickened... like... like getting close to a caged wild beast that might go berserk at any moment."

Her tone was calm, as if she were narrating something unrelated to herself, but Nie Lingfeng could hear the deep loneliness and pain buried beneath that calmness, a loneliness that even she herself might not have been clearly aware of.

"Only you..." Chen Duo raised her head, her emerald eyes looking directly at Nie Lingfeng. There was no accusation or resentment in them, only a pure, almost straightforward statement, "When you are near me, your breathing is steady, your heartbeat is regular, and your body is relaxed. You are not afraid of me. You... touch my hand, and you are not afraid either."

Nie Lingfeng felt as if a soft, cool hand had gently squeezed his heart, causing a subtle, persistent pain. He reached out, not to touch her hand, but to gently stroke her hair through her rough protective cap.

"You don't need to be afraid anymore." His voice was steady, carrying an undeniable promise. "With me here, no one can be afraid of you anymore. You don't need to be afraid of yourself either. We will face and solve those things that frighten you and others together."

Chen Duo blinked, her long eyelashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow beneath her eyes. She didn't dodge Nie Lingfeng's hand, nor did she respond further; she simply quietly felt the warmth and weight emanating from above her, still clearly felt even through the fabric.

A few seconds later, she suddenly tilted her head very slightly, almost imperceptibly, so that her hair would fit closer to Nie Lingfeng's palm.

This was an extremely subtle movement, so subtle that she might not even have realized it herself.

But Nie Lingfeng sensed it.

He withdrew his hand, his smile deepening, his eyes revealing genuine joy.

"Have you rested enough?" He stood up, brushing the grass clippings off his clothes. "Let's walk a little further and find a suitable place to settle down. We'll be living there for the next three months."

Chen Duo nodded, stood up, and put her schoolbag back on.

The two set off again. This time, Nie Lingfeng deliberately slowed his pace, even stopping occasionally to point to a peculiar plant by the roadside or a squirrel that had scurried past in a panic, telling Chen Duo their names in simple words. Chen Duo listened attentively, her emerald eyes following the direction of his finger, occasionally uttering a single-syllable question word or repeating the name he spoke.

Sunlight filtered through the layers of tree canopy, casting shifting dappled patterns on them. The air was thick with the scents of earth, decaying wood, wildflowers, and the sweet and sour aroma of some unknown berry.

After walking for another hour or so, as the sun approached noon, they found an abandoned house in a sheltered mountain hollow.

The log cabin had clearly been abandoned for a long time. The main structure was built of large logs, the gaps filled with dried, cracked, and crumbling mud. The roof was covered with a thick layer of thatch, but several sections had collapsed, revealing the dark rafters underneath. A crooked wooden door was ajar, its hinges rusted shut. Only empty frames remained of the windows, with a few tattered pieces of oil paper clinging to them.

The surrounding environment was quite tranquil. In front of the wooden house was a small, relatively flat clearing, covered with soft grass and low-lying wildflowers. Behind the house, a steep mountain wall nestled against the rock face, a thin mountain spring seeping from a crevice, forming a small, crystal-clear puddle behind the house before flowing away along the rock crevices. Several sturdy old trees surrounded the area, their lush foliage providing natural shade.

"This will do." Nie Lingfeng put down his travel bag, looked around, and nodded. This place was secluded, had a water source, and was relatively safe.

He pushed open the creaking wooden door, and a stale, musty smell mixed with dust and animal excrement hit him. The room was dimly lit, and with the light filtering in through the doorway, he could see a space of about ten square meters: against the wall was a tattered bed made of rough wooden planks, the straw mat on it long since rotted into a dark brown mass; a three-legged table lay askew on the floor, the fourth leg missing; a rusty, makeshift stove, which looked like a blacksmith's forge, stood in the corner, with fragments of broken earthenware pots scattered around it; several cobwebs hung on the walls, and the floor was covered with a thick layer of dust and small animal footprints.

Chen Duo stood at the door, not going in immediately, but quietly looking at everything inside. Her emerald green eyes were devoid of emotion, as if she were assessing whether an unfamiliar environment was "usable".

Nie Lingfeng rolled up his sleeves and began to tidy up. He showed no disgust or hesitation, as if he had long been accustomed to such simple and even harsh living conditions.

He first used a sturdy branch to carefully clear away the broken thatch and rotten wood from the collapsed area of ​​the roof. Then, he cut new, resilient branches and plenty of fresh thatch from nearby and meticulously repaired the leaks. His movements were swift and skillful, like those of an experienced old hunter.

Next, he cleaned up the trash and dust in the house, washed the planks of the broken bed with stream water, and laid out the relatively thick waterproof cloth and blankets he had brought. He righted the toppled table, found a suitable branch from outside, and used a dagger to trim and shape it, replacing the missing leg. He vigorously hammered and scraped away the thick rust and clogged flue of the rusted stove, then moved several flat stones from nearby and built a simple stove platform around it.