Although he had always been unrestrained and indulgent, he had never touched these substances before. When did it begin? She quickly came to a realization; it must have been a few days ago when, to alleviate the pain from his illness, he used these things to maintain his strength and continue until now.

For her, for the sake of escorting her out of this forest, he disregarded everything and went to such lengths.

Her heart ached terribly, suffering to the extreme.

She wished he would love her less, think of her less.

"Medicine..." His brows furrowed intensely, a look of severe pain on his face.

Ye Lu’s fingers trembled; she didn’t want him to continue being tainted by these substances, sinking deeper, as it would do more harm than good to his condition. But seeing him in such agony, and considering the remaining journey—if he couldn’t hold up...

Her nails dug into her flesh, and she bit her teeth until they bled.

In the end, she still fed him the pill and gave him water to swallow it down.

After taking the medicine, he eased up a little after more than an hour, becoming much more lucid. Looking at her under the light, he saw her extreme exhaustion and the tear streaks still on her face. His heart pained, certain that he must have scared her terribly.

He gestured for her to lie down.

Ye Lu immediately obediently lay down beside him, not daring to embrace him, fearing she would touch his wounds. But seeing him awake, she was extremely happy, smiling at the thought, not wanting to think about anything else.

She just wanted to watch him like this, to keep watching him.

The two of them gazed at each other silently, as if they could never get enough of the view.

Third Young Master Jun reached out to touch her tear-streaked face: "What happened just now?"

He saw the gun discarded on the ground.

Ye Lu then proudly told him about killing a wolf, her tone carrying a hint of triumph.

Surprised, Third Young Master Jun’s dark eyes showed astonishment and thoughtful contemplation.

Then, a relieved smile appeared: "My Ye Lu is truly formidable, even daring to kill wolves now. Your courage is growing."

With this, he felt reassured. It seemed that even without him, she could protect herself. Most importantly, she had broken through her psychological limits to control the situation and could take care of herself in the wilderness.

Ye Lu’s eyes shone brightly as she grasped his hand: "From now on, it’s my turn to protect you."

Third Young Master Jun did not disagree but earnestly instructed her: "This forest isn’t very large and it’s surrounded by densely populated areas, so the occurrence of wild animals isn’t that high. But there could indeed be wolves, so pay attention at night. Make several fires around the tent, and the wolves won’t dare to come close."

"Okay, got it." Ye Lu seemed somewhat dismissive—if those wolves dared to come again, she would kill one at each arrival, kill a pair if two dared to show up.

"Also, the stream water may not be clean. To find clean water, it’s best to look for springs trickling out from the gaps in the mountains, and remember to boil the water before drinking."

Third Young Master Jun relentlessly taught her various survival skills, including how to use a compass, among other things.

Ye Lu listened carefully, not questioning anything, feeling that since he was injured, she would have to shoulder the responsibilities from now on, so she took it extra to heart.

"Alright, sleep now! You have been up for so long and must be tired," said Third Young Master Jun at last, patting her back with an especially gentle voice.

Ye Lu’s eyelids were heavy; today had been incredibly taxing on both her mind and body, indeed wearing her out.

Lying beside Third Young Master Jun, she quietly drifted off to sleep.

Third Young Master Jun looked down at her deeply, a mix of pain and despair surfacing in his eyes, continuing to watch her until daylight.

Ye Lu got up early to prepare breakfast.

After the two of them had breakfast.

Ye Lu was about to discuss what they should do next.