Cave (4)

He didn’t know how long he had been falling down the steep slope. The branch in his hand had been lost somewhere and his body hurt everywhere, but finally, after a few final tumbles, his body came to a halt.

Taking a deep breath, he waited for the dizziness to pass slightly, scrambled to undo the jacket wrapped around his head, and staggered to his feet.

Luckily, he did not seem seriously injured and none of his limbs was broken. Even though his whole body hurt and his hands were sticky and covered in blood, his mind was clear.

He stood up and stumbled, looking around. Sure enough, the valley seemed deserted, but fortunately, the ground was pretty flat and the landscape below was not rocky.

If it had been all rocky, he would’ve most likely lost his life and he was incredibly thankful at this moment.

“Qin Yuan! Qin Yuan, where are you?” he called in a hoarse, trembling voice.

There was no response and the valley was cold and silent, with only the sound being the sound of the falling snow.

He jumped to his feet and ran around, his heart burning with impatience as he searched: No hurry. We both rolled down from above. Even if he deviated, he wouldn’t be too far away. I will definitely be able to find him!

Sure enough, within a dozen meters or so, a curled-up figure was visible behind a dark mountain bush, lying quietly there!

Ruan Qingmu ran frantically, stumbling several times along the way before he reached the dark figure.

Sure enough, it was Qin Yuan. In the shimmering glow of the snow, he was motionless, his face half-covered in blood.

Ruan Qingmu shook, but a voice in his heart desperately screamed: Calm down. Calm down a bit. His boyfriend only has him now…

His breath was still there, so his breathing was not seriously affected. He gently touched his head and face. Although there was a lot of blood, there was no flow of blood that surged out, so at least he had not been cut in the main artery.

“Qin Yuan… Qin Yuan, wake up. Can you hear me?” He did not dare to move him casually, fearing Qin Yuan might have some major fracture and moving him randomly could cause secondary injury, so he only kept calling out and gently patting his face.

Qin Yuan seemed to let out a soft cry. His face was deathly pale in the moonlight and snowlight as his long eyelashes moved and his eyes opened slightly.

Staring blankly at Ruan Qingmu, he looked as if he was slightly unable to discern the situation. Only after a long time did he call out in a soft voice, “Ruan Ruan? Is that you…”

Ruan Qingmu’s heart ached with pain, but he had a smile on his face. “Yes, ah. It’s me. The mountain isn’t steep. I climbed down here.”

Qin Yuan looked at him with dark eyes and his gaze was slightly disoriented. “Liar… When I fell, I counted the seconds. It’s quite a long journey.”

Ruan Qingmu almost shed some tears. “Where do you feel pain in your body? Try to move your four limbs.”

Qin Yuan obediently let out an “Mm,” his eyes dazed, moving everywhere, and said softly, “My four limbs are all right… but my ribs are probably broken.”

Ruan Qingmu’s heart ached so much he could hardly breathe, only feeling his chest and ribs also vaguely hurt. “What about your spine? Do you feel numb? Does your head hurt or not? Do you want to vomit?”

Qin Yuan gasped for a short while. “My spine is all right. I feel slightly dizzy… but it’s all right.”

The hell with being fine. Falling from such a high place with no means of protection and only relying on his arms to hold his head, he was afraid that a concussion, at the very least, would be inevitable.

Ruan Qingmu looked around and gently let go of him. “Wait for a while. I’ll go and return quickly.”

Lying in the snow all the time was not an option and hypothermia alone could kill a person. Although the little mute had gone to look for someone, not everything was certain. Until someone arrived, they still had to take matters into their own hands and do something to save themselves actively.

With a sharp eye, he had already noticed what appeared to be a dark hollow in the side of the mountain a few steps away. When he ran closer to look, it turned out to be a small cave sheltered against the wind. Upon detecting its scent, there was no unpleasant odor, nothing like a large animal’s nest but more like a naturally formed terrain.

He went in to explore, and it was much drier inside, with no snow drifting in from outside and some dry hay on the ground. He wondered if some small animal had come to rest here briefly.

He turned around and ran back, feeling torn. Qin Yuan looked like he had injured his ribs and it was best not to move him, but the cold temperatures could be fatal if he left him lying in the snow like this.

He carefully asked Qin Yuan, “Can you move? How about we go there to take shelter from the wind? Xiao-Zhuang has gone to look for people. Someone will come soon.”

Qin Yuan’s feet and hands were frozen to the point that they felt like pins and needles, so he hummed softly. “Let’s go.”

Ruan Qingmu carefully supported him. “If you feel a sharp pain, you have to tell me. We will stop immediately.”

Qin Yuan leaned against him and slowly moved toward the cave a few steps away without saying anything else or asking about Xiao-Siquan’s condition.

His shoulder was next to Ruan Qingmu’s and the two slowly moved toward the cave. Gradually, Qin Yuan’s head dropped onto Ruan Qingmu’s shoulder like it was too heavy to bear.

Ruan Qingmu’s tears fell silently.

At this time, Qin Yuan must be very afraid of him worrying, but if he could hold on, he wouldn’t let himself look this vulnerable.

How many ribs were broken? Was the concussion severe? Could there be intracerebral bleeding or a broken bone poking through the chest cavity or something?

He didn’t dare to think about it anymore and added strength to his arms, finally half-assisting, half-dragging Qin Yuan into the cave and gently laying him flat on his back.

“Qin Yuan… You can’t fall asleep.” He called out softly, “Talk to me.”

Qin Yuan struggled to open his eyes, and there was a faint glint of light in his eyes in the pitch blackness. Yet, his breathing became somewhat disordered.

“Ruan Ruan, this place… looks so familiar.” He stared blankly at the top of the cave above his head, his voice soft and weak.