"Follow the marks and continue to return." Chi Hao said, reaching into his embrace and pulling out a small medicine bottle, emptying its contents into Jing Minghe's mouth.
Qiao Qiao's lips parted, wanting to ask but not daring to. The scene that followed rendered her speechless with shock.
Jing Minghe's complexion regained color at a visible speed. The arm that had been bleeding moments ago stopped flowing, and Chi Hao carefully removed the blood-soaked bandage from it.
Qiao Qiao hadn't seen the full extent of the injury to Jing Minghe's arm, but judging by the bright red bandage, it was no minor wound.
Yet, at this moment, Jing Minghe's arm was perfectly healed, with not even a scar left. On the surface, it appeared completely unharmed.
Jing Minghe himself was astonished by the rapid healing. If what Chi Hao had just given him was the "Muscle Regeneration Liquid" from the rest area's vending machine, then how many points did Chi Hao's medical card have?
Even if it had many, it was unlikely he could afford such an advanced medical item as Muscle Regeneration Liquid. After all, they had already used up most of their previous points buying a first-aid kit and various common medicines for Yumi. It was absolutely impossible to accumulate so many points in just two instances, even with Chi Hao performing optimally.
"What's wrong?" Chi Hao asked softly. "Are you feeling unwell anywhere else?"
"No," Jing Minghe straightened up, flashing Chi Hao a smile. "I'm fine, Ge. It's so good to have you."
Hearing this, Chi Hao nodded with satisfaction. Before Jing Minghe spoke, he had been contemplating how he would find an opportunity to teach this kid a lesson if he dared to utter a single polite word.
However, his Minghe had never disappointed him.
"Let's go." Chi Hao took Jing Minghe's hand, seemingly oblivious to anyone else.
Qiao Qiao, walking beside them, kept glancing at the two men from the corner of her eye. She couldn't understand why Chi Hao, who exuded an aura of low pressure, treated Jing Minghe with such extraordinary gentleness, as if he had transformed into an entirely different person.
Was this truly the duality one person could possess?
Before the sky completely darkened, the group finally reunited.
Shi Wan walked slowly, supporting a severely injured Yumi. Both of them looked ashen-faced, and Shi Wan's eyes were filled with despair.
"Minghe? You're alright?"
Upon seeing Jing Minghe, Yumi finally showed a flicker of life.
"Yes, I'm fine."
On their way, Qiao Qiao had already informed Chi Hao and Jing Minghe about Chen Mo. Seeing Shi Wan's state, Jing Minghe sighed silently.
Though death was commonplace here, no one could easily accept the loss of a loved one. He couldn't even imagine losing Chi Hao, let alone...
Gently patting Chi Hao's hand, Jing Minghe walked over, took Yumi from Shi Wan's grasp, and said, "Let's go. We need to find a place to rest before it gets dark."
Shi Wan bit her lip tightly. She couldn't give up yet; she had to know who had killed her lover.
Like the previous night, the group used large leaves to create a small enclosure. Chi Hao placed the golden glowing stone in the center to illuminate their surroundings.
Seeing that Jing Minghe's injuries were completely healed, Yumi felt bewildered but didn't question it, instead focusing on treating her own wounds.
While tending to her injuries, Yumi discovered something incredible: her external wounds were healing rapidly, especially the areas bathed in the golden light.
Yumi looked at the glowing stone, then turned to Chi Hao, doing her best to suppress certain thoughts. Regardless of Chi Hao's demeanor outside, here, he was undoubtedly a strong and trustworthy companion, just like Jing Minghe.
After a short rest, they began to report their experiences and the clues they had acquired.
When Jing Minghe mentioned the phrase "blood guides the direction, silver light paves the road" that he and Yumi had seen, before anyone else could question it, Chi Hao uttered two words.
"Seize."
Hearing these words, Yumi and Qiao Qiao exchanged glances, their thoughts aligning. In this instance, the word "seize" seemed unrelated to them. According to the rules of the hunting game, they couldn't have their time seized, nor could they seize others' time.
However, no matter what, they were players in this instance. They weren't sure what this irrelevance meant, whether it was good or bad.
Given that their lives were at stake, both of them felt a degree of unease.
Jing Minghe toyed with a small pebble he'd picked up, leaning against Chi Hao, and calmly analyzed, "Based on the current situation, we all have butterfly marks on our wrists. Besides that, there's another point, and that is, it's related to color."
"Exactly!" Yumi nodded emphatically. "Yes, color. The golden pupa also has color descriptions."
"But what does that mean?" Qiao Qiao asked softly.
Jing Minghe chuckled. "Sister Qiao, have you been confused by this instance? Isn't this an important clue?"
"Ah, yes, yes it is. I actually..."
Yumi patted Qiao Qiao's shoulder in reassurance.
Jing Minghe's gaze swept over everyone as he continued, "Since it's related to color, let's think in terms of colors. Blood guides the direction; the color of blood is red. Silver light paves the road; silver light is white or colorless."
"Wait," Qiao Qiao said, confused. "But we don't have red or white butterfly marks, do we?"
Qiao Qiao paused, then continued, "Yumi and I have cyan or green butterfly marks. Mr. Chi has a multi-colored butterfly mark. Ding Chang, Diao Tian, Zhuo Fei, and Gao He have black butterfly marks. Du Heng, Chen Mo, and Shi Wan have blue butterfly marks. Only Jing Minghe is left. He can't possibly have both red and white colors by himself, can he?"
At first glance, Qiao Qiao's statement seemed sound. However, upon closer reflection, Yumi suddenly realized something and turned to Qiao Qiao, asking, "How did you know the color of everyone's butterfly mark?"
The discussion the previous night had been with Shi Wan and Chen Mo; Qiao Qiao hadn't been present.
"I, I saw it," Qiao Qiao replied. "That's the clue I have. Besides Jing Minghe, I saw everyone else's names there, along with their corresponding butterfly marks."
"Where?" Yumi pressed. "Where?"
Qiao Qiao didn't conceal it. "On a petal. But after I looked, it disappeared. I don't know if I remembered it correctly, but it shouldn't be far off. There was also a sentence attached."
Before anyone could ask, Qiao Qiao added, "Pairs mean life, singles mean death."