The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Zhenhuan's face turned pale instantly, and a dull ache returned to the center of his forehead. Moreover, the pain was becoming increasingly intense. He hurriedly got up from the ground.

Unexpectedly, due to the intense pain and his dazed state, he almost fell. Holding onto the tree trunk, he saw the light of several torches below the mountain, which had already begun to move uphill.

He heard occasional whooshing sounds as the air was being cut, and then he realized what was happening. These golden soldiers were trying to alert him, hoping he would reveal his location. Knowing they hadn't discovered him, he felt much relieved.

Covering his forehead and crouching low, trying his best not to touch the branches and bushes along the way, Wang Zhenhuan continued uphill along the mountain path. The path he was taking was none other than the one he and the woman had just used to search for food.

In the extreme tension he had just been in, the only thing he could think of was the path he had just walked. This path was not only difficult to traverse, but also winding and crisscrossed with many turns, making it easy to conceal one's presence.

However, due to the excessive exertion he had just exerted and the fact that he had jogged up the mountain, he was almost completely exhausted. Moreover, he hadn't even had a chance to eat the he shou wu he had painstakingly found.

Wang Zhenhuan felt his steps growing heavier and heavier, his body drenched in sweat. The sweat and blood mixed together, making him feel sticky all over, and the autumn wind made him feel even colder.

Although he encountered various situations on his journey south, he had never felt so desperate as he did today. Wang Zhenhuan had always been someone who liked to leave himself an escape route.

But as the saying goes, even the wisest can make a mistake. Wang Zhen had planned everything, but he hadn't anticipated that a Jurchen scout team would pass by the manor in the middle of the night.

Caught off guard, he was somewhat at a loss. The extreme tension, coupled with the sharp pain in his forehead, led to the situation as it is now.

He could have handled things much better; he could have simply blocked the gate, and the Jurchens might have left without seeing the fire. Unfortunately, he was fetching water at the time.

The sudden sound of horses' hooves threw him into a panic. It wasn't that he was cowardly; it was simply that he had heard the sound of horses' hooves far too many times along the way. And each time that sound was heard, it was accompanied by painful memories.

While mentally reprimanding himself, Wang Zhenhuan continued walking. After about fifteen minutes, he arrived at a familiar fork in the road. Without hesitation, he headed straight in the direction the woman had led him.

He didn't know if the golden man behind him was still chasing him, but he was now at his physical limit, and if he stopped, he didn't know if he could stand up again.

Therefore, he had to keep going forward until he reached that narrow valley, where he could ensure his safety. The entrance to the valley was extremely narrow, only half a person's width, where he could defend his position.

Not only does escaping consume physical strength, but thinking consumes even more. Soon, Wang Zhenhuan felt completely exhausted. He was drenched in sweat and trembled uncontrollably, as if he had malaria.

Although no more arrows were flying from behind, he dared not stop. He cut a branch with his scimitar and used it as a crutch. After climbing for another half an hour, he finally saw the crevice.

Wang Zhen let out a long breath. In a daze, he passed through the crevice and collapsed to the ground. Everything in the valley remained the same; beneath the towering trees, the enormous white tiger stood.

Upon seeing Wang Zhenhuan return, it seemed somewhat puzzled. It tilted its head back, its neck tilted in a human-like manner, and looked at Wang Zhenhuan, who was slumped on the ground, as if it were pondering something.

Wang Zhen was completely unaware of all this; he only felt his consciousness fading and his mind becoming hazy. Although he had already entered the valley, he remained fearful that the golden men would catch up with him.

The arrow that had been shot out halfway through his journey had become his nightmare. He struggled to get up from the ground, but after three or four attempts, he could not stand up.

So he gave up on the idea of ​​standing up. He knelt down, facing the crack, and stuck the half-cut branch from the road into the ground to support his waist.

He then tore a strip of cloth from his outer garment and tied the scimitar to his right hand. These few simple actions nearly broke him; he was utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Wang Zhenzhen stood like a statue, kneeling on the ground, staring at the crack before collapsing unconscious. His hand was still tightly bound with the curved blade; from a distance, he resembled a soldier fighting to the death.

Head bowed, awaiting the enemy's arrival...

Wang Zhen could accept his ordinariness and the countless unexpected events that would occur. These things were simply part of life, like being sick or having a headache.

Once you get used to it, you can naturally accept all unexpected events, to the point of reaching a state of silence, numbness, or even frustration. But this is not a subjective numbness.

It was the courage to forge ahead despite the hardships of life! He never complained, he just endured, and although he was in pain, he remained clear-headed.

And this is precisely the right way for him to fight against suffering after experiencing so much!

When his consciousness returned, he felt someone calling his name incessantly beside him. Wang Zhen slowly opened his eyes, and a familiar figure appeared before him.

"Brother—! You're finally awake! You scared me to death. I thought..."

Lin Qingyan's tearful voice roused him from his drowsy state. The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to instinctively open his arms and embrace Lin Qingyan.

He patted Lin Qingyan's back, instinctively comforting him, while looking around. He was still in the valley, and the gap at the valley entrance was right in front of him.

The short, plump woman stood not far away. Seeing Wang Zhenhuan wake up, she seemed somewhat excited and nodded frequently at him. Only then did Wang Zhenhuan remember what had happened last night.

"How did you find me? I was just wondering where to find you all today."

"Didn't you tell your wife that we would meet on the mountain? Your wife carried me all the way up the mountain and hid in a cave for several hours. I was worried that you wouldn't be able to find us, so I wanted to go out and look for you."

When the lady found out, she brought me here. I never expected you to actually be here. When I first came in, I saw you kneeling on the ground, motionless, covered in blood. I was terrified.

"I will never let you walk alone again, or I would rather die." Lin Qingyan became more and more heartbroken as she spoke, her heart bleeding as she looked at Wang Zhenhuan's haggard face.

Wang Zhenhuan gently stroked the girl's hair. The autumn wind blew by with a chill, but he didn't complain about the hardship or the fatigue. Instead, he nodded and said softly.

"I see……"