The air was deathly silent around him, and Li Fan could even hear the roar of his own heartbeat echoing in his ears.
Just moments before, an arrow had missed his nose by a hair's breadth, striking the tree trunk beside him with pinpoint accuracy.
Li Fan was certain that the shot was no accident; the archer had clearly been capable of delivering a fatal blow.
"Run?" The thought formed and was immediately dismissed. How could a man outrun an arrow?
Escape was futile; he would never be able to outrun such an arrow in his lifetime.
The next arrow would likely be the end of him.
The figure perched in the tree across from him was small, but the skill with which she handled the bow was anything but lacking, bordering on masterful.
It seemed that the only option left was to resort to the French military salute.
Li Fan thought this and promptly raised his hands, surrendering without hesitation.
But the sudden movement startled the small figure, who nearly shot an arrow in response.
Wait a minute, Li Fan realized, this was another world, after all. Could it be that they don't understand the concept of surrendering with one's hands up?
Li Fan then remembered the small figure's pointed ears and fluffy silver tail; it was clearly a beast-person.
He remembered that when a red panda is startled, it stands up and waves its paws to appear larger and more intimidating. Could the beast-person in the tree be a member of the red panda tribe, interpreting his surrender as a challenge?
Fortunately, his concerns were unfounded.
After confirming that Li Fan was not going to make any other moves, the beast-person in the tree leaped lightly to the ground, landing smoothly.
"My goodness, if that were me, I'd have broken my legs long ago. These beast-people from another world are indeed built differently," Li Fan marveled, waiting for the creature to approach.
Now, he was at the mercy of the beast-person, hoping for the best.
As the beast-person drew near, Li Fan could finally see her clearly.
She was a young girl of around fourteen or fifteen, with a petite frame less than five feet tall, dressed in clothing made from the hides of beasts.
She had a head of pure silver hair that complemented her delicate face, making her look incredibly cute, especially with her stern, tightly pursed lips that gave her a kind of "cute but fierce" appearance.
If it were just this, the girl might seem like nothing more than a temperamental little loli.
However, her head sported a pair of sharp, upright ears, and her behind was graced with a fluffy, silver tail that swished back and forth.
She was indeed a beast-person.
This was what beast-people from another world looked like?
Although Li Fan was now a captive, his curiosity was still piqued as he encountered the beast-race, especially such a young beast-person girl for the first time.
Li Fan took a closer look, trying to discern from her ears and tail that she was not a member of the red panda tribe, but likely a wolf among the beast-people.
The wolf girl was highly alert, her ears twitching at the slightest sound, and her hands were tightly gripping her bow, aimed at Li Fan as she approached step by step.
Li Fan couldn't help but wonder; how could such a petite frame pull back a bowstring on a bow nearly as tall as she was?
He didn't dare to relax, maintaining his posture of surrender, waiting for her to approach."Human, hand over all your belongings." The silver-haired wolf girl's voice was clear and slightly childish.
Li Fan relaxed slightly upon hearing this. So, it was just a robbery!
Li Fan wasn't scared; he wasn't one to brag, but all he had on him was this outfit and a hatchet. The only valuable item he owned, an emergency kit, had been stored in the system's space.
Could they really take his silk underwear too, just because they were robbing him now?
"Fine, don't shoot, I'll give you everything." Li Fan quickly dropped his hatchet.
"Shoot?" The wolf girl was confused, not understanding the meaning of "shoot," but she didn't ask any further, keeping her guard up.
However, when she saw Li Fan put down the hatchet and not do anything else, she thought he was stalling for time and got angry.
"Human, don't test my patience, hand over all your belongings now."
Facing the angry wolf girl, Li Fan was helpless and had to start taking off his clothes.
The wolf girl, seeing this, was momentarily stunned and called out, "Despicable human, what are you doing?"
Li Fan, also surprised, replied, "Aren't you asking for all my things? Besides this hatchet, I only have this clothes on."
This statement surprised the wolf girl again, and she asked eagerly, "Wait, aren't you a hunter? I even put a rabbit in your trap specifically to lure you out. How can you trick me? Hunters often carry healing herbs in case of emergencies. Give me that medicine."
Li Fan facepalmed. So, she was fishing for him with that rabbit!
Li Fan, feeling helpless, responded, "I'm not a hunter. Look at my hatchet; I'm just a woodcutter."
The wolf girl was completely at a loss, her bow losing its aim, muttering to herself in a daze.
"What about my sister... her wound... what should I do..."
Li Fan saw this as an opportunity and was about to sneak away when he took just one step, which didn't go unnoticed by the wolf girl.
The wolf girl quickly pulled back her bowstring, aiming the arrow at Li Fan again, her voice filled with anger: "It's all because of you humans. If my father hadn't been ambushed, my sister and I wouldn't have had to flee here. She wouldn't have been injured or poisoned. Since I can't save her, you won't live either..."
As she spoke, the wolf girl's emotions grew more and more, her hand seemingly about to let loose the arrow.
What a robber's logic! Li Fan's face was one of terror, but after waiting for what seemed like a long time, the arrow didn't fly.
Looking up, Li Fan realized that the wolf girl was still holding the bow, her face flickering with indecision, as if she wanted to be fierce but couldn't bring herself to do it.
Alright, just a talkative tough guy.
Li Fan felt slightly more at ease, but he didn't dare to bet that she wouldn't shoot, so he quickly spoke up, "Wait, you want the herbs for healing, right? I've learned some medicine; maybe I can help you."
"You've learned medicine?" The wolf girl didn't believe it.
Li Fan naturally hadn't learned any medicine, but might get him shot. So, he took a deep breath and said firmly, "I really am a doctor. Just yesterday, I even saved a severely injured person."
This was true; although it was all thanks to the emergency pills, he had saved someone, and Li Fan felt justified in his claim.
This confidence seemed to hold the wolf girl at bay.
The wolf girl looked at Li Fan with hesitation.
Li Fan seized the moment and continued, "Time is crucial for healing; every minute counts for your sister's survival."
Hearing this, the wolf girl bit her lip and said, "Human, behave yourself. If I find out you're lying, I won't spare you."
The threat was cute and fierce, but it didn't make Li Fan nervous; instead, he wanted to laugh.
However, considering she had a weapon in her hand, Li Fan didn't dare to be careless and followed the direction indicated by the wolf girl obediently.
The wolf girl, still a bit skeptical, but also desperate, led Li Fan to where her sister was.
The moment Li Fan saw the injured wolf girl, he knew that she was in bad shape. Her fur was matted with blood, and her eyes were glassy and weak.
"Quick, take off your clothes and use them to make a tourniquet. We need to stop the bleeding," Li Fan instructed the wolf girl.
The wolf girl, though confused, didn't hesitate and did as she was told.
Li Fan then took out the emergency kit from his system space and quickly applied the herbs and bandages to the wound.
"This will have to do for now. We need to get her to a safer place, and then I can give her more thorough treatment," Li Fan said, looking around.
The wolf girl understood and quickly helped Li Fan carry her sister away from the dangerous area.
After finding a suitable spot, Li Fan continued to tend to the injured wolf girl's wounds, giving her the healing pills that he had in his emergency kit.
"These should help ease the pain and start the healing process," Li Fan explained.
The wolf girl watched, her eyes filled with hope and gratitude.
"Thank you, human. You've saved my sister's life," she said sincerely.
Li Fan nodded, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
"I'm just glad I could help. Now, you two should rest and recover. I'll keep a lookout for any danger," he offered.
The wolf girls nodded gratefully, and Li Fan couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie with them.
"If you ever need help, remember, I'm just a stone's throw away," he said, before leaving them to rest.
As Li Fan walked away, he couldn't shake off the feeling that his life had just taken an unexpected turn. He had gone from being a simple woodcutter to a healer in a foreign land, and he couldn't wait to see where this new path would take him.