Super Island Tycoon

Chapter 1307: Chapter 1306: The Loquat Tree

”There’s danger ahead. Wait here for a while. I’ll go and check.” Jiang Cheng said.

Qiu Qingqing instinctively wanted to object, but she had never seen Jiang Zai look so serious, so she didn’t voice her opposition. She just nodded.

Jiang Cheng walked forward slowly. The gunshots got louder and closer. But just as he reached a corner, the gunshots suddenly stopped. Jiang Cheng quickly hid behind a large tree.

”Hurry and deal with him. What a hassle!” There seemed to be some faint sounds nearby, like clothes dragging on the ground. Jiang Cheng saw two young men carrying a person past him, one at the head and one at the feet. Both looked young and strong. The man being carried had blood on his clothes and seemed unconscious, perhaps dead.

Jiang Cheng felt a sudden unease. These were outlaws, and regardless of their purpose, the fact that they carried weapons and seemed to harm others was reason enough to be cautious.

Jiang Cheng remained hidden behind the tree, until the two men passed by in front of him and made no further sound. Only then did he turn around to look for Qiu Qingqing.

But when Jiang Cheng returned, he found that Qiu Qingqing was missing!

Jiang Cheng felt his heart sink. He couldn’t bear to imagine what would happen if Qiu Qingqing ended up in the hands of those people. Frantically, he called out Qiu Qingqing’s name and searched around but couldn’t find any trace of her.

Jiang Cheng was truly panicking now. He had no idea what to do. He just kept searching the area, looking for Qiu Qingqing. Five minutes passed without a sign of her. Unsure if he should retrace his steps, he prepared to turn around, only to find Qiu Qingqing standing behind him.

Jiang Cheng was taken aback. ”Where did you go?” He asked, anxiously grasping Qiu Qingqing’s hand.

Qiu Qingqing looked bewildered, not understanding what was happening, but she didn’t mind Jiang Cheng’s grip, which wasn’t as unpleasant as others. Plus, he seemed fearful and worried. ”I... I just went to see if there was any food nearby,” she said quietly.

”I thought you... sigh.” Jiang Cheng looked at Qiu Qingqing, genuinely scared she might have been captured by those men, knowing they would be impossible to fight against. He feared something had happened to her.

For a fleeting moment, he really wanted to confront those people to find her.

Qiu Qingqing, seeing Jiang Cheng so unsettled, was somewhat frightened herself, though she didn’t know why he was so anxious, but it was likely out of concern for her. ”I’m fine. I even found some fruit, see if they’re edible.” Qiu Qingqing said.

Jiang Cheng let out a sigh of relief. His earlier fear seemed to dissipate.

”What fruit?” Jiang Cheng asked.

”Oh, here.” Qiu Qingqing wriggled her hand, and Jiang Cheng realized he’d been holding her hand the whole time, feeling slightly awkward about it. He quickly let go.

Qiu Qingqing opened her palm to reveal several small yellow fruits, appearing golden and tempting. But this sort of fruit is often poisonous. Jiang Cheng picked one up and brought it close to his nose to sniff, ”You can’t eat this. You didn’t eat any, did you?”

”No, I didn’t. I feared they might be poisonous, so I didn’t eat any,” Qiu Qingqing replied, waving her hand.

Jiang Cheng sighed in relief, still unsure why he cared so much about her. Perhaps it’s because they were both trapped in this Illusion Realm. Jiang Cheng increasingly believed this realm was not like any common illusion.

”Hungry?” Jiang Cheng asked.

Qiu Qingqing nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed, she discarded the fruits.

”Here,” Jiang Cheng retrieved a box of cake from his Jiezhi Ring. ”Eat this first, and we’ll see if we can find something edible later.” Jiang Zai said.

Qiu Qingqing took it and nodded. She wanted to ask why Jiang Zai was so worried earlier, but seeing Jiang Cheng seemed reluctant to discuss it, she said nothing.

Jiang Cheng led Qiu Qingqing in the opposite direction, hoping to find that White Flower Stone quickly, thinking it was dangerous to remain here with Qiu Qingqing.

They walked about twenty minutes in another direction. Zhou Country was always lush with green mountains and waters, a peaceful and quiet landscape. These were mountain paths, not easy to walk. Jiang Cheng managed fine, but Qiu Qingqing seemed to struggle.

”Let’s rest by the river ahead.” Jiang Cheng suggested, pointing to a small river, and Qiu Qingqing nodded, visibly tired and out of breath.

At the riverbank, Jiang Cheng removed his jacket and spread it on the ground, ”Sit here.” Jiang Cheng had noticed earlier that this place had seen rain before; the ground was still damp.

Qiu Qingqing didn’t hesitate, washed her hands by the river, and sat down.

”It’s getting late. Where will we stay?” Qiu Qingqing asked.

”Let’s go a bit further, maybe there’s a house.” Jiang Cheng replied, feeling he’d made a mistake by not bringing a tent. In such circumstances, sleeping outdoors was not ideal. He’d also observed the dense trees and couldn’t rule out the presence of large animals.

”Alright.” Qiu Qingqing responded, saying nothing more.

Jiang Cheng noted that Qiu Qingqing was more approachable now, unlike her distant demeanor when they first met. She seemed willing to converse.

Suddenly noticing a loquat tree nearby, Jiang Cheng walked under it, inspecting the fruits. He picked one, weighing it in his hand. ”These are edible.” Jiang Cheng informed Qiu Qingqing.

Qiu Qingqing smiled, appearing pleasantly surprised. She went to the river to wash the fruit, and Jiang Cheng saw her happily eating the loquat, prompting him to smile and pick one for himself.

After eating, they walked a few more steps and saw a village. Jiang Cheng felt increasingly astonished to see a village here, even more so when he noticed someone leaving the village, carrying some basins, seemingly heading to the river.

Two girls were observing Jiang Cheng from the village, appearing to discuss something. As they approached, ”Are you from this village?” Jiang Cheng asked.

The girls looked young, about eighteen or nineteen, dressed simply, with curious eyes. One with fair skin blushed upon seeing Jiang Zai, and the other seemed to chuckle. Jiang Cheng wondered what was happening.

”Yes, we are.” The laughing one finally looked up to Jiang Cheng, slowly speaking. Only then did Jiang Cheng realize that she wasn’t speaking Mandarin but rather a dialect.

”Would you like to stay in our village?” The fair-skinned girl, still blushing, looked up at Jiang Cheng and asked softly.