Considering Ye Lin’s climbing ability, Qin Tian chose a tree that wasn’t very tall to hide in—the trunk was only about three or four meters high.
At this height, Ye Lin could just climb up using Qin Tian’s shoulders, and it wasn’t too low either. Even if the wild boars found them, there was no need to worry much.
However, the branches of this tree were too thin and small to allow Qin Tian and Ye Lin to stand side by side. So the two of them were each holding onto one side, standing on one leg like a golden rooster, unable to switch feet.
This was fine for a short time and wouldn’t cause much trouble, but after such a long period, Qin Tian’s legs were already numb. Of course, it was still within his tolerance.
In contrast, Ye Lin was almost at her limit. Her standing leg trembled uncontrollably, and looking at her, it was clear she was gritting her teeth to endure it.
At this rate, not only Ye Lin but even Qin Tian himself might not hold on and could fall from the tree.
If they were lucky, the three wild boars wouldn’t be able to follow due to their severe injuries. But if luck was against them, tonight might very well be their end.
It seemed the only option was to try to lure the wild boars away, then take advantage of the moment to leave and find another place to hide.
Qin Tian’s mind raced, analyzing the situation and devising a strategy.
Leaning toward Ye Lin, Qin Tian whispered in her ear, “I’m going to throw my shoe out. If the three wild boars are attracted to it, we take the chance to leave.”
Ye Lin nodded.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Tian slipped off his shoe and threw it hard toward the bushes in the distance.
At the sound, the three wild boars immediately stood up.
Without even investigating, the three wild boars dashed off, running as fast as they could, disappearing from Qin Tian’s sight in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Qin Tian was stunned. He had anticipated many reactions from the wild boars but never expected them to run away.
“Like startled birds,” the phrase suddenly popped into Qin Tian’s mind.
With that thought, he recalled the previous herd of wild boars and wondered if they had been frightened by something to cause such chaos.
He wasn’t sure if the three wild boars would return, but taking advantage of the moment, Qin Tian jumped down from the branch.
His legs still numb, he hadn’t yet regained his balance before he collapsed to his knees on the ground.
“Qin Tian!” Seeing this, Ye Lin quietly called out.
“I’m fine.” Qin Tian waved his hand. After a second or two, he stood up and opened his arms, shouting to Ye Lin, “Jump down.”
***
The branch was only three or four meters high, but combined with Ye Lin’s height, from below it looked close to five meters—higher than a first-floor balcony. Just looking at it was intimidating.
Yet Ye Lin didn’t even flinch. She jumped straight down from the branch but, having stood for so long, her foot slipped at the moment of takeoff, and she fell forward.
Fortunately, Qin Tian had been watching closely and didn’t panic. He stepped forward, but there was a slight miscalculation.
Though he caught Ye Lin, they collided fully.
Qin Tian’s face was buried in Ye Lin’s chest, and before he could react, her impact threw off his balance. Both of them fell backward, hitting the ground.
Luckily, after being soaked by rain, the earth was soft and loose. Neither was hurt, though the pain was unavoidable.
“Qin Tian, are you okay?” Ye Lin sat up and asked with concern.
“If you kept sitting there, who knows.” Qin Tian squinted.
He had taken most of the impact, and the back of his head had pressed hard against the ground. He felt a buzzing sensation in his skull.
Hearing this, Ye Lin realized just what kind of situation they were in. She had been sitting on Qin Tian, and her wet clothes had turned transparent, revealing her underwear.
The sight was enough to make anyone’s hormones spike.
Blushing, Ye Lin hurriedly got up and helped Qin Tian to his feet.
***
Still tense and without a moment to rest, Qin Tian scanned the surroundings before pulling Ye Lin toward another tree.
This tree was taller than the one they’d been hiding in, but its branches spread wide and were thick and sturdy—an excellent hiding place.
Using the same method, Qin Tian helped Ye Lin climb to the treetop, then climbed up himself.
This time, they didn’t have to stand. The horizontal branches provided a place for them to sit.
Qin Tian and Ye Lin sat side by side, sinking into silence as they quietly recovered their strength.
The rain kept falling, though it had lessened, and the jungle grew quiet as if nothing had happened.
They stayed like this for an unknown amount of time until finally, there was a change.
A ray of sunlight appeared in the distance, driving away the darkness wherever it touched.
After coming to the deserted island, Qin Tian and Ye Lin had seen countless sunrises and were long indifferent to them.
But for some reason, today’s sunrise seemed extraordinarily beautiful—so beautiful it was unforgettable.
At that moment, the rain stopped.
***
The tension holding Qin Tian and Ye Lin began to relax, their bodies felt heavy and icy cold.
After a whole night of rain, their faces were pale, fingers wrinkled, looking weak.
They jumped down from the tree one after another, ignoring the muddy ground, and sat under the tree to rest.
They rested for over an hour, and when the sun had fully risen, Qin Tian and Ye Lin stood and headed toward the collapsed wooden shelter.
Despite being trampled by the wild boar herd, the roof of the wooden shelter was mostly intact. Only a few frame beams were broken. It was thanks to Qin Tian’s foresight in placing the shelter where it was that it had avoided a direct hit.
Picking up the shoe he had thrown far away, Qin Tian reinserted the stakes into their original positions and lifted the wooden beams back onto them.
With the shelter rebuilt, Qin Tian glanced inside.
Protected by the shelter from the rain, most of the items inside remained dry. Even the wild boar skins were only a little dirty.
Only the wood at the edges and bottom was soaked.
Other than that, nothing else was damaged.
They hadn’t added any firewood overnight, so the campfire had dwindled significantly.
Qin Tian took some dry wood from inside the shelter and tossed it onto the dying fire.
He called to Ye Lin, “Take off all your clothes inside the shelter to avoid catching a cold. I’ll help dry them and return them to you.”
Too tired to speak, Ye Lin nodded and slipped into the shelter while Qin Tian stepped aside.
***
After a moment, Ye Lin handed out her long skirt. Qin Tian caught it, glanced at it, and said, “Take off your underwear too.”
For a long while, there was no sound from inside the shelter.
Guessing the result, Qin Tian turned to leave, but then Ye Lin’s hand suddenly reached out again.
“If you dare do anything weird with my underwear, I’ll kill you!”
Her face flushed red, Ye Lin hugged the wild boar skin inside the shelter.
She had never let a man see such intimate clothing, let alone let a man help wash them.
If not for their current dire situation, she would never have handed her underwear over to Qin Tian.
“Don’t worry. I’m not interested in your underwear.” Qin Tian sighed, baffled by the strange thoughts running through her mind.
Ye Lin’s underwear was a plain set, pale yellow and ordinary, with zero appeal to Qin Tian. Even if it were enticing, he wouldn’t have any wicked intentions.
“Go away!” came Ye Lin’s voice from inside the shelter.
Shrugging, Qin Tian headed toward the campfire but stopped when he saw the large mud stains on the long skirt.
He turned and walked toward the creek instead. “The clothes are pretty dirty. I’ll wash them first.”
Since arriving on the island, although they had bathed, they lacked spare clothes and hadn’t cleaned their clothes properly. Now was a good opportunity for a thorough wash.
“Make sure you come back quickly.” Ye Lin warned. After last night’s ordeal, she was afraid Qin Tian might encounter other beasts while away.
“I’ll try.” Qin Tian vanished into the bushes before she finished speaking.
***
It had rained all night, and the creek had swollen drastically.
What had been knee-deep water was now waist-high, and the current had become rapid, though not strong enough to sweep someone away.
Qin Tian stripped naked and jumped into the water, washing off the mud from his body.
Half an hour later, Qin Tian finished cleaning his clothes, put on his shorts, and climbed ashore.
Even knowing no one was around, he still couldn’t accept being naked in the open.
He didn’t return immediately but went to where the fish traps were set.
The traps remained, but there wasn’t a single fish inside.
Looking at the adjacent Cao Fish pond, the bushes covering it had all been swept away, and there was no sign of any fish.
Judging by the water plants along the shore, the creek must have overflowed during the night, washing away the bushes that covered the pond.
The fish inside took the chance to escape.
Since Qin Tian and Ye Lin had cured wild boar meat, they had been eating fish less often, storing the fish caught daily in the traps in the pond.
Qin Tian clearly remembered there were still a dozen or so fish in the pond when he left yesterday afternoon, but now, all were gone.
Still, Qin Tian wasn’t too upset. As long as the traps remained, there was no need to worry about having no fish to eat.
After checking around, Qin Tian returned to the camp.
***
After a night, the campsite was a mess, but Qin Tian had no energy to tidy up.
He built a rack from wood and hung the clothes to dry, then sat by the fire to rest.
“Ding — Host has completed the dangerous rainy night task, earning 3000 Points!”
The System’s voice suddenly sounded, startling Qin Tian, who had just relaxed.
He was about to curse but brightened instantly at the reward.
Three thousand Points—an impressive amount!
This was the first time Qin Tian had received so many Points.
Even his usually calm demeanor stirred with the urge to shout, but thinking of last night’s ordeal, he calmed down considerably.
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