As of today, Yi Luo Xiang had already received 84 pieces of moss from Xin Yun, and with the remaining 17 pieces, there was a total of 101 pieces. However, how many pieces could that moss possibly have in total? It would definitely not exceed 140 pieces even if one were to speak till death.
Now, Yi Luo Xiang was not at all afraid that Xin Yun would abandon her, nor was she scared that he would turn around and drink her blood. If he wanted to do that, he would have done so long ago—why wait until today and put himself through such hardship?
Xin Yun finally came to his senses and walked to the bedside with a smile, holding a piece of verdant moss to Yi Luo Xiang's lips, and said softly, "Alright, you must be hungry, come on... open your mouth."
Pressing her lips tightly together, Yi Luo Xiang looked at Xin Yun resolutely and said, "No, I know there's not much left, so I've decided that from now on, I won't eat anymore."
Upon hearing Yi Luo Xiang's words, Xin Yun's face darkened and he said in a low voice, "Yi Luo Xiang, please don't disappoint me, okay? I've worked so hard for so long, just to see you make it out alive. Given your current condition, if you don't eat, you absolutely won't survive. Please don't let my efforts go to waste, okay?"
Looking steadfastly at Xin Yun, Yi Luo Xiang said defiantly, "I know how you feel about me, but just as you want me to leave alive, I too wish for you to survive. If we must sacrifice one of us, then I hope... it's you who makes it out alive..."
Upon hearing Yi Luo Xiang's words, Xin Yun felt very gratified. To have earned such affection from Yi Luo Xiang made him feel his life hadn't been lived in vain, but... the more this was the case, the less he could give up. No matter what, even if it meant sacrificing his own life, he had to ensure Yi Luo Xiang survived.
As he pondered, Xin Yun's expression became serious, and he once again brought the moss to Yi Luo Xiang's lips, saying, "If it were possible, I really wouldn't want to argue with you, nor force you to do anything, but this time, you must listen to me. Come on... open your mouth, you have to eat it."
Faced with Xin Yun's coercion, Yi Luo Xiang gave a miserable smile and shook her head firmly, her mouth tightly closed. Although she didn't speak, Xin Yun knew she had made up her mind and would not eat anything anymore.
As a former fan of Yi Luo Xiang, Xin Yun knew her personality very well—she was very stubborn, rarely made decisions easily, but once she had really decided on something, nobody could change her mind.
Looking helplessly at Yi Luo Xiang on the earthen bed, after a long while... Xin Yun finally smiled, nodding and said, "Alright then, if that's how it is, then... I'll eat!"
While speaking, Xin Yun casually threw three pieces of moss into his mouth, chewing vigorously. Seeing this, Yi Luo Xiang also smiled sweetly; although the moss was in Xin Yun's mouth, she felt an indescribable sweetness from the bottom of her heart.
Suddenly, Yi Luo Xiang only felt a darkness before her eyes, and then... a pair of soft things gently pressed against her lips, and at the same time, a cold, sweet substance quickly flowed into her mouth.
With just a brief contact, Xin Yun quickly pulled away. In that instant, Yi Luo Xiang understood—he had chewed the moss and transferred it to her mouth.
If it were possible, Yi Luo Xiang would immediately get up, grab Xin Yun, pin him down on the bed, and then, mouth to mouth, return the chewed moss. But obviously, that was not something she could do now.
Feeling the bitter and sweet moss in her mouth, Yi Luo Xiang's tears finally burst forth. At this point, all she could do was chew it finely and then swallow. As for spitting it out, that would be a crime—an unforgivable sin. Since she couldn't return it, she had to swallow it and not let Xin Yun's kindness be in vain.
Although the days were hard, as long as one was alive, one had to keep going. In the blink of an eye, dusk came, and Xin Yun once again held three pieces of moss and approached the bed. Seeing this scene, Yi Luo Xiang clenched her mouth tightly shut. No matter what, she absolutely couldn't be fooled again this time!
Looking at Yi Luo Xiang with her lips firmly closed, Xin Yun couldn't help but let out a wry laugh, casually placing the three pieces of moss into his own mouth. Afterwards, he leisurely reached out with his right hand, pinching Yi Luo Xiang's nose.
Yi Luo Xiang was initially puzzled, but she quickly realized what was happening. With her mouth tightly shut and her nose now pinched, she couldn't hold her breath for long.
Despite struggling and enduring for a long time, in the end, she couldn't hold it any longer. Suddenly opening her mouth, she took deep breaths. But at that moment, Xin Yun finally made his move… Yi Luo Xiang once again felt those cool lips, once again tasting that bitter sweetness tinged with fragrance.
Feeling the moss flow into her mouth again, Yi Luo Xiang was still struggling, turning her agile tongue trying to push the moss back out. In this push and shove, their tongues accidentally entangled, and although it was only for an instant, the peculiar sensation still made them both jerk apart as if electrocuted.
The bottom of the well became completely silent in that instant. Yi Luo Xiang's cheeks were flushed as she turned her head aside, unable to utter a word. Seeing this, Xin Yun couldn't help but give a bitter smile. He really had no such intention; otherwise, as a veteran of a thousand romances, he wouldn't be in such an awkward position.
To ease the embarrassment, Xin Yun laughed and said, "Next time, it's better to just eat it obediently, otherwise, I'll still have to feed you like this."
Though still extremely shy, Yi Luo Xiang refused to show weakness and retorted, "Hmph... you dare. If you do this again next time, I'll bite your tongue off."
Heard Yi Luo Xiang's words, Xin Yun was taken aback. What was this all about? Was he flirting with Yi Luo Xiang? This really felt like a dream.
Shaking his head, Xin Yun dared not continue thinking any further. He sat at the foot of the bed, leaning against the wall of the well. Now, with food in short supply, he really couldn't afford to do anything that would consume too many calories.
Sometimes time flies, turning to a month or two in the blink of an eye, but at other times, it creeps by very slowly. It feels like a long time has passed, but in reality, it might have been less than half a minute.
Time passed heavily and slowly. Finally, thirteen days went by, and according to Western superstitions, thirteen is a very unlucky number. Although there's no scientific basis, it often proves to be true. Now… Xin Yun also had this feeling. After holding on for so long, finally, on the thirteenth day, all the moss was gone.
From this point on, there were still three days before the rescue team would arrive, but the two of them had already run out of resources. Not a single piece of moss remained, not a drop of water left. If it were just Xin Yun, perhaps there would be no problem; if he held out for three days, he could survive, but what about Yi Luo Xiang? Once deprived of food, her condition would inevitably deteriorate rapidly, and she probably couldn't even last a day.
This was not an exaggeration. With the food supply cut off, Yi Luo Xiang's consciousness gradually blurred. No matter how Xin Yun called her, she refused to open her eyes, let alone respond.
Looking at Yi Luo Xiang, hovering on the edge of death, Xin Yun was truly in agony. They had endured for so long, was it possible that they would fall at the final hurdle?
If there was even a single piece of moss left, Xin Yun would have fed it to her without hesitation, but now there was nothing left, he couldn't even produce saliva anymore; everything had truly dried up…