The two looked at each other, placing their hope on that one tree.
But that one tree grew on the right side, on the masked man's side.
Meng Jingwei shifted to the right, trying to give herself a chance to grasp the large tree, as it might be her only chance of survival.
But the masked man was likely her biggest obstacle to survival, and she had to seize the opportunity.
Both moved towards the right, nearing the tree. However, with both of them on the right, the resistance increased. The water rushed fiercely, causing the thick wooden pole to suddenly tilt, becoming vertical and pointing downstream.
This suddenly moved them further away from the tree horizontally.
"I'll pull you, let go."
Meng Jingwei directly grabbed the masked man's hand, urging him to release the thick wooden pole and swim towards the riverbank. Even a small struggle could secure a chance at life.
At this moment, Meng Jingwei had no choice. Even for a sliver of hope, even if the masked man might survive and then cut the rope, severing her path to survival, she had to fight for it.
Because...
She didn't want to die!
Beneath his mask, the masked man's eyes cast a meaningful glance at Meng Jingwei, then he directly let go of her.
The rope tied them together. After letting go, he struggled hard towards the right.
Ten meters...
Six meters...
Three meters...
One meter!
The ten-meter distance was covered in the blink of an eye, but the masked man was still some distance from the tree.
Meng Jingwei's heart pounded with fear; she was incredibly tense, afraid of missing the chance again.
But at the critical moment, the masked man suddenly pulled out a dagger, gripping it tightly. Just as he was about to miss brushing past the tree, he fiercely thrust the dagger into the tree trunk.
Meng Jingwei immediately released the thick wooden pole she was holding, preventing the excessive impact from sweeping the masked man away and ruining their last chance to struggle.
The man used the force to his advantage. Even though Meng Jingwei applied pressure, he still reached out and grabbed the thick wooden pole, slowly climbing up, successfully escaping danger!
Meng Jingwei was still in the water. Using the rope's strength, she slowly pulled herself towards the masked man.
But the masked man raised the dagger in his hand. With a slight swing, Meng Jingwei would be swept away by the river!
Her heart pounded. Never had she felt such a strong will to live as at this moment.
Meng Jingwei said nothing and continued swimming towards him. As she got closer, the masked man directly stabbed downwards with the raised dagger.
In that instant, her heart turned cold, as if she had already seen her death.
But Meng Jingwei was unwilling. At the last moment, she struggled against the current, reaching out to grab the tree trunk, but she still underestimated the water's impact.
She was swept back dozens of centimeters!
Was she truly going to die here?
A huge question mark appeared in Meng Jingwei's mind.
But at this moment, the masked man grabbed her hand and pulled her over. Together, they climbed onto the bank along the tree that slanted towards the shore.
Having exhausted their strength, they lay on the riverbank, too tired to struggle further.
Meng Jingwei asked, "Why did you save me?"
At the moment he stabbed downwards, she thought the masked man would cut the rope, letting her fall into the turbulent river. But to her surprise, the man simply put away his dagger and pulled her out of danger.
Her question received no answer from the masked man.
They lay on the riverbank like that, getting up only after their strength had recovered, and headed into the distance.
"Who exactly are you?"
As they traversed the forest, the roaring sounds of the fierce river faded, and everything became quiet. Even the rain had stopped.
Meng Jingwei asked the man beside her.
He no longer stooped and limped as he had before, but stood tall and moved with swift strides like a normal person.
Meng Jingwei should have realized the man's identity was questionable long ago. However, their decision to come to Dongpu Village was recent, and the masked man had been in the village long before they arrived.
This was why she believed the masked man couldn't have had issues with the timeline.
As it turned out, she had been too careless.
The masked man ignored Meng Jingwei. They continued walking forward. As the surroundings were desolate, they eventually chose to climb a mountain.
When they stood panting on the summit, looking around, they saw nothing but wisps of mist; no people or villages were visible.
"At this flood current speed, it's at least 40 kilometers per hour."
Meng Jingwei spoke while checking the time on her wrist.
It had been five hours since she woke up that morning.
From the village chief's house to the riverbank, estimating half an hour; from emerging from the water to reaching the mountain, estimating an hour. This meant they had endured three and a half hours after falling into the water, and were already 140 kilometers away.
This distance was too great.
Meng Jingwei was unfamiliar with the local geography and was temporarily at a loss.
The rain that had stopped began to fall again. Meng Jingwei felt weak all over, her steps faltering.
She looked down at her right hand. A large gash had been made on her arm, which had turned pale and swollen from being soaked in water, a horrifying sight.
And at her wrist, after saving that scoundrel masked man last time, she had made a cross-shaped incision to let blood after being bitten by a snake. Although it had gradually healed, the scab had come off after being soaked in water.
Meng Jingwei's arm ached, but there was nothing to relieve the inflammation. She feared most that the wound would fester.
She tied her wrist with her clothes, but as it kept raining, tying her wrist was not ideal.
She let nature take its course, no longer bothering with it.
The masked man glanced at her wound, said nothing, and started walking down the mountain.
Meng Jingwei followed the masked man. They walked down the mountain for an unknown duration, her pace slowing down, and slowing down further.
"You're walking too fast, can you slow down a bit?"
Meng Jingwei couldn't keep up and said to the masked man.
Little did she know, the masked man had already subtly slowed his pace considerably, but she hadn't noticed.
"If we don't get out of here soon, we might starve to death."
Within a hundred-mile radius, if it remained desolate, it would be a significant challenge for them.
After the heavy rain, the surroundings were filled with murky yellow water, undrinkable. Walking for a long time would consume energy, and without food, they couldn't go far.
With her strong willpower, Meng Jingwei followed the masked man forward. Finally, as night fell, she collapsed on the ground, her strength completely depleted, unable to walk any further.
Hearing the sound behind her, the masked man turned back and saw her sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree, her face pale. His eyes looked at her with a complex expression.
The masked man walked up to her, took out a dagger, its sharp blade pointed at Meng Jingwei, as if to say: Since you are dying, I shall send you on your way, thus completing my mission.
Meng Jingwei slowly closed her eyes, without struggle, without speaking.
Because she knew, if the masked man wanted to act, he would have done so long ago. Why would he wait until now?
Zheng—
With a sudden sound, the masked man plunged the dagger into the tree behind her. "I'll let you go today. If we meet again, it will be because your luck has run out."
With that, he turned and left.
He left the dagger for her.
It was considered repayment for her saving him on the mountain that day.