The stream water was cold, soaking Mark's chapped lips and gradually clearing up his chaotic thoughts. He tore off a piece of clothing to simply treat the wound. The clothes were a little dirty and had a strong smell of blood, but he couldn't care so much now. He looked up at the sky. The morning light was slightly revealed, the mountains in the distance were shrouded in a thin mist, and the air was filled with a damp smell of soil.
He picked up the branches on the ground and drew a simple map of the camp on the damp soil. He carefully recalled the escape route, marked the enemy's position, the distribution of sentries, and possible escape routes on the map. As he drew, he whispered to himself: "There is a cliff in the east, a river in the west, and... the patrol area of the scarred man in the south..."
He drew a circle on the map with a branch, marking the patrol area of the scarred man in the south. "The patrol there is relatively lax, maybe I can break out from there, and then find a safe place to restore energy and wake up Bingying, otherwise I can't get back the energy fragments." He murmured in a low voice, with a flash of determination in his eyes.
After Mark tied his horse to the hidden bushes and confirmed that there was nothing unusual around him, he walked upstream along the stream. The gurgling stream made a pleasant sound, and the water washed the stones on the riverbed, making a gurgling sound. The trees on both sides were dense, blocking the sky, and the sun shone through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground. The air was filled with the fragrance of soil and grass, which made people feel relaxed and happy.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, Mark found a high ground with a wide view. He lay in the grass, carefully pushed aside the dense branches and leaves, and observed the situation in the camp. The camp was still brightly lit, with shadows of people, and guards patrolling back and forth from time to time. He noticed that a thick smoke rose from the center of the camp, rising into the sky, and it was particularly eye-catching in the early morning sky. "What are they doing?" Mark was puzzled and frowned.
The smoke was getting thicker and thicker, and the air was filled with a burnt smell. Mark suddenly realized that this might be a deliberate fire set by the enemy in order to force him to show up. "Damn it!" He cursed in his heart. He had to leave here as soon as possible, otherwise he would be surrounded by the enemy and it would be difficult to escape.
He quickly returned, untied the reins of the horse, and climbed on the horse. He bypassed the camp and continued to flee in the opposite direction of the smoke. The horse's hooves stepped on the fallen leaves, making a "rustling" sound, which was particularly clear in the silent forest. He looked back at the camp with thick smoke, and his heart was full of resentment.
He rode his horse all the way, through the dense forest, over the rugged mountain road, and stopped only when he was exhausted. He found a hidden cave. The entrance was not big and was blocked by dense bushes. It was difficult to find if he didn't look carefully. The space inside the cave was not large, but it was enough for him to live. He covered the entrance of the cave with bushes and vines to ensure that it was difficult to find the existence of the cave from the outside. After doing all this, he led the horse into the cave, and then blocked the entrance with some large stones, leaving only a small hole for ventilation.
The cave was dimly lit, the air was humid, and filled with the smell of soil. He tied the horse to a relatively dry place in the cave, then leaned against the wall of the cave, closed his eyes, and prepared to rest and recover his strength.
The flickering firelight reflected on his face, flickering, and his tense nerves gradually relaxed, and his exhausted body gradually sank into sleep. Outside the cave, the wind whistled, the leaves rustled, and occasionally a few low roars of wild beasts came, but none of these could disturb Mark who was sleeping in the cave. He needed to rest and recover his strength to deal with the current predicament.
"Da Da..." The sound of horse hooves came from far away.
Mark suddenly opened his eyes and jumped up from the ground. The cave was dark, with only a faint light coming through the entrance. He pricked up his ears and listened carefully to the noise outside. The sound of horse hooves became clearer and clearer, mixed with some vague human voices. He gently moved the stone blocking the cave entrance and looked out through the gap.
Two horseback figures appeared in the field of vision. They were wearing dark clothes and holding torches in their hands. By the light of the fire, Mark recognized that one of them was the scarred man. The other man was burly, carrying a longbow on his back, a short knife hanging on his waist, and a full beard on his face, looking very fierce.
"Ji Gu Ji Ji!" The scarred man's tone was a little anxious. The bearded man didn't speak, but just clamped the horse's belly hard and sped up.
Mark quickly blocked the cave entrance with stones again, and then turned around to check the situation of the horse. The horse seemed to feel the danger and snorted uneasily. Mark patted the horse's neck gently and whispered comfortingly: "Don't be afraid, we will leave here soon."
He quickly put the saddle back on the horse's back, and carefully came to the cave entrance, confirming again that the scarred man and the bearded man had gone far away.
He moved the stone away, dodged out of the cave, and quickly climbed onto his horse. He quickly left along the path behind the cave in the opposite direction of the scarred man. The mountain road was rugged, and the horse's hooves made a "clack" sound on the gravel. Mark crouched down, trying to reduce the target as much as possible, while carefully observing the surrounding environment.
He rode through a dense forest and came to a valley. The valley was filled with gurgling streams, birds singing, and flowers blooming, which was in sharp contrast to the tense atmosphere before. Mark pulled the reins to let the horse rest for a while, and he also got off the horse to stretch his stiff limbs.
Mark recalled the rune knowledge he learned in the ancient ruins, and those complex runes flashed through his mind one by one. He knew that these runes contained powerful power. If they could be used correctly, they might help him quickly recover energy and awaken the ice beast Bingying without energy fragments. With Bingying, Mark would not be afraid of anyone.
Mark tried to draw the rune array on the floor according to the rune details in his memory. Mark sat in the rune array, trying to communicate with the energy in his body.