Chapter 84: That's how it's always portrayed in TV dramas.

Chapter 84: That's how it's always portrayed in TV dramas.

Jiang Huaiyu, having witnessed countless life-and-death situations on the battlefield, was much calmer than her.

He quickly scanned the area, patted Jiang Yutang on the shoulder, and said in a calm tone, "Don't panic, there's no sign of him here. Let's follow the tracks on the ground and continue walking in."

Jiang Yutang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed Jiang Huaiyu's footsteps.

However, the forest was too dense, with lush trees and thick fallen leaves covering the ground, making it almost impossible to see any paths. It was clear that few people came here regularly.

The two searched for a while longer, but still couldn't find any trace of Cheng Lanzhou.

Just then, a rustling sound came from afar, as if someone was moving around by parting the branches of a tree.

Jiang Huaiyu's face darkened, and he immediately pressed Jiang Yutang's head down to squat down, but he didn't pay attention to the force and directly pressed Jiang Yutang's face to the ground, making a soft "thud".

Then, looking displeased, he lowered his voice and said, "Don't make a sound!"

Jiang Yutang stared at him in disbelief, her face covered in mud, her lips trembling as if she were cursing.

Jiang Huaiyu put her finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture, pointed in the direction the sound came from, and then pointed to the ground, indicating that she should stay where she was. She then gripped her folding knife, crouched down, and quietly crept over to investigate the situation.

Jiang Yutang wiped the dirt off her face and watched the other person's figure disappear behind the tree before carefully shrinking behind a large tree, holding her breath and waiting.

The only sound was the wind rustling through the leaves. Every second felt like an eternity. She clenched her fists and cautiously surveyed her surroundings.

But before long, another noise suddenly came from not far away in another direction. This time the sound was closer, and the rustling sound was moving towards her.

Jiang Yutang tensed up in fright and instinctively moved slowly into the woods behind her, trying to find a more secluded place to hide.

Just as she moved between the two trees, a warm hand suddenly reached out from behind and covered her mouth, while another hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into a firm embrace.

Jiang Yutang froze in fright, about to struggle and resist, when she heard a familiar, slightly hoarse voice from above her head: "Don't move, it's me."

It's Cheng Lanzhou's voice!

She stopped struggling instantly, and her tense body relaxed.

Cheng Lanzhou was hiding in the corner between two large trees, with the branches in front of him intertwined, just enough to conceal the two of them.

Jiang Yutang looked up at the outside, the dappled shadows of the leaves falling on her face. She even held her breath, staring intently at the movements outside.

A moment later, several burly figures walked over, cursing incessantly with heavy out-of-town accents: "That kid is fucking weird! He killed three of our brothers with just a broken knife, and now he's vanished without a trace!"

Another man spat on the ground, his tone vicious: "What's the rush? He's been stabbed and lost a lot of blood, he can't have gone far! Let's follow the blood trail, we'll definitely catch him!"

The four bandits were about to head in another direction when the leader suddenly shouted for them to stop.

He squatted down on the ground, pointed to a clod of earth, and suddenly raised his voice: "Hey, there's blood here!"

The group's gazes immediately followed the two drops of dark red blood to the hiding place of Jiang Yutang and Cheng Lanzhou.

Jiang Yutang's heart skipped a beat, and her hand, which was planted on the ground, unconsciously shifted. Her fingertips were covered with warm, damp blood. Then, hearing Cheng Lanzhou's slightly rapid, uncontrollable breathing behind her, she realized with a start that it was Cheng Lanzhou's blood.

Cheng Lanzhou gently released his hand from her mouth, his lips close to her ear, his breath carrying a hint of blood, and whispered, "I'll rush out and hold them off. You run east and don't look back."

Jiang Yutang trembled with fear, but still nodded timidly, then shook her head.

Cheng Lanzhou frowned and warned her in a low voice, "You'll only be a hindrance if you stay."

"I know!" Jiang Yutang immediately retorted, shaking her head because she didn't know where east was. She wasn't from the north, so how could she distinguish between east, west, south, and north?

Just as the bandit at the front was about to reach out and peel away the branches, Cheng Lanzhou's legs were already tense, his muscles taut, ready to unleash a powerful kick at any moment.

At the critical moment, a shrill scream suddenly came from afar, followed by another, breaking the silence of the forest.

The bandits' expressions changed as they recognized their comrade's voice. The leader cursed, "Damn it, something's happened over there!"

He immediately stopped investigating the bloodstains and hurriedly led his men to chase after them.

Jiang Yutang blinked, still somewhat bewildered by the large question mark above her head.

Is it really true, just like in the TV series, that the villain Luo Luo is so single-minded? If it were her, she would definitely check this place before leaving.

The TV series was absolutely right!

She breathed a sigh of relief and was about to turn around and ask Cheng Lanzhou how his injuries were when the tree branch in front of her was suddenly pulled away from the outside!

One of the escaped bandits was hiding behind a tree, his face beaming with excitement. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and took a deep breath, about to call out to his companions.

Before the bandit could shout, Cheng Lanzhou suddenly raised his leg and kicked him hard in the chest.

The bandit screamed and was kicked away like a tattered sack, crashing heavily to the ground. He twitched a couple of times and then fell silent.

After Cheng Lanzhou finished the movement, he couldn't help but groan as he pulled his leg back. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, clearly indicating that the kick had aggravated his wound and was causing him considerable pain.

Jiang Yutang quickly helped him up, her voice urgent: "How are you? Where are you hurt?"

Cheng Lanzhou waved his hand, his face pale but still calm: "It's nothing, just a superficial injury. We need to leave quickly." He leaned against the tree trunk to stand up, staggered a bit, and barely managed to steady himself.

Jiang Yutang looked down at Cheng Lanzhou's abdomen and saw that his dark clothes were soaked with blood, and dark red bloodstains were still dripping down the hem.

Her eyes instantly reddened, and her voice changed tone: "You call being stabbed a superficial wound?"

Without another word, she grabbed the other person's hand and pressed it against the wound, her tone urgent and firm: "Hold it down firmly! Don't let go, we'll find a safe place and bandage you properly."

After saying that, she put Cheng Lanzhou's arm around her neck and used all her strength to support the tall man who was over 1.9 meters tall as she walked forward.

Cheng Lanzhou was tall and heavy, and his injuries made him even more so. Jiang Yutang gritted her teeth, sweat quickly beading on her forehead, but she dared not relax for a moment.

Fortunately, they didn't go far before they found a hidden little cave. The entrance was covered by vines and could not be found unless you looked carefully.

Jiang Yutang helped Cheng Lanzhou slowly move inside, and after carefully checking the inside and outside of the cave to make sure no one was nearby, he let him sit down against the rock wall.

She quickly unbuttoned Cheng Lanzhou's clothes, and what came into view was a hideous wound, about three inches long, with everted edges, still oozing blood, which made her heart tighten.

Cheng Lanzhou looked around, his thin, bloodless lips slightly parted: "There are signs that someone has stayed here. The bandits will find this place sooner or later."

"I know, but we need to bandage your wound first." Jiang Yutang immediately reached into her pockets, trying to find the bandages she had brought with her, but after searching for a long time, she couldn't find anything, and her expression changed.