Chapter 152: Yet He Was One Step Too Late

Lin Jingyue and Jiang Xun did not concern themselves with the aftermath of the incident.

Jiang Xun intended to take Lin Jingyue straight back to the educated youth dormitory, but the two detoured toward the mountain cave.

"Grey might be in trouble."

Those people had weapons; something must have happened to the wolf, or it wouldn't have appeared.

"Grey!" They found the whimpering wolf not far from the cave entrance.

The once majestic wolf now lay in a pool of blood. Lin Jingyue’s expression shifted, and she rushed over. Fortunately, it was still alive. She poured water from her canteen into the wolf's mouth and pulled silver needles from her small satchel. She was glad she always remembered to carry her bag; it served as a useful cover for her abilities.

"Should we take it back and hide it in the cowshed?" Jiang Xun frowned. Leaving the wolf on the mountain would likely lead to more trouble.

Lin Jingyue understood. Since Jiang Xun made this suggestion, he must be very familiar with the cowshed, so she didn't ask further questions. She nodded.

After some emergency treatment, Grey’s condition stabilized. It had suffered from excessive blood loss, but fortunately, no vital organs were hit. While she treated the wolf, Jiang Xun quickly fashioned a makeshift stretcher. With Grey lying on it, the two carried it down the mountain.

At the cowshed, Jiang Xun went in first. It was unclear what he said to the people inside, but Elder Lu came out, cast a deep, searching look at Lin Jingyue and the wolf on the ground, and then nodded.

"This wolf can stay here for at most two days." Given their frail condition, if the wolf were to turn aggressive, they would be defenseless.

"Don't worry, Elder. Two days will be enough. Grey is very intelligent; it won't attack anyone without cause," Lin Jingyue assured him quickly.

Elder Lu nodded, "You are responsible for the wolf's food."

"Of course," Lin Jingyue agreed.

Once Grey was settled, the two returned to the dormitory. Lin Jingyue felt exhausted; her nerves had been highly strained all day, and she just wanted a hot bath and a good sleep.

After waking up, Lin Jingyue smelled the aroma of food. She paused for a moment, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she opened the door. Sure enough, Jiang Xun was at the stove.

"You're awake." Jiang Xun looked at her with eyes full of deep tenderness. His voice was soft, with a lingering lilt that carried an indescribable affection.

Lin Jingyue walked over and nudged his shoulder with her forehead. "Mm."

Seeing her act so attached to him, Jiang Xun’s heart melted.

"Want something to eat?" He had been simmering a bowl of thick, creamy eight-treasure congee.

"Mm."

Lin Jingyue sat by the stove, holding the congee he gave her and eating in small bites, listening as he recounted what had happened afterward.

That day, Jiang Xun had been working on the hillside when he heard faint gunfire. Fearing for Lin Jingyue, who had gone into the mountains, he dropped everything and ran. He happened to run into Song Shiwen, who was bringing Gu Yizhi down, just as the rescue team arrived. Song Shiwen handed Gu Yizhi over to the others, grabbed some gear, and went up the mountain with Jiang Xun. They moved so quickly that they left the rescue team far behind.

Jiang Xun followed the sounds and soon found where she had been. The rest was the emergency situation they had just navigated. After they descended, others handled the cleanup. Many people had heard the shots, but the police station sent word that someone had been hunting with a shotgun and had already been arrested, urging everyone not to panic. The people of the Qingshan Brigade didn't doubt it.

The incident seemed to pass quietly. Grey’s recovery was rapid; it was back on its feet in two days. Lin Jingyue gave it another bowl of spirit spring water before letting it return to the mountains.

A week later, Lin Jingyue saw Li Chengxi again. When Li Chengxi spotted her, a flash of complex emotion crossed his eyes, which Lin Jingyue did not miss.

She smiled. "Was the person sent back?"

Li Chengxi regained his composure and smiled as well. "Safely arrived in the capital. Don't worry."

"That's good," Lin Jingyue nodded.

"By the way, this is for you from above," he said, handing her a package.

Lin Jingyue raised an eyebrow, took it, and opened it. A smile reached her eyes. "Thank you."

"I knew you'd like it," Li Chengxi chuckled. "Although it's only two thousand yuan, but..."

"I understand," Lin Jingyue interrupted. The money was secondary; what mattered was that the higher-ups remembered her contribution.

Li Chengxi looked at Lin Jingyue, his eyes gentle. "Jingyue, you..."

"Stop!" Lin Jingyue looked up. "Don't look at me or speak to me in that tone; my partner will misunderstand."

Li Chengxi froze. Coincidentally, he felt a gaze fixed on him. Looking up, he saw Jiang Xun pushing a bicycle into the courtyard. He was sitting in a chair inside Lin Jingyue's room, while Jiang Xun stood in the yard. It seemed as though he was the one in his own home, yet he somehow felt he had already lost.

The warmth in Lin Jingyue’s eyes when she looked at Jiang Xun was completely different from how she looked at him.

"You're back," Lin Jingyue said with a sweet, gentle smile.

Jiang Xun’s lips curled into a tender smile. "Mm, I brought you some white sugar cakes."

He calmly placed the cakes on the small table in her room, nodded in greeting to Li Chengxi, and then looked back at Lin Jingyue. "You two talk; I'm going to cook."

"Okay."