Stone Crevices under the Moon

A cold wind swept across the northern slope as Luo Jun and Li Shi separated to search for suitable crevices among the rocks for overnight shelter.

It didn't take long for Li Shi to discover two massive boulders tightly pressed together.

Luo Jun approached to inspect them. Both boulders stood over ten meters tall, and due to the ground sinking a long time ago, they had leaned towards each other, forming a cave-like opening.

The space below was only eighty centimeters wide and filled with scattered rocks and weeds.

However, the crevice was not open on both sides. The side against the mountain was covered in weeds, and when it rained, water would flow from the mountain into the crevice, making it damp inside.

Li Shi stepped sideways into the crevice and found her feet sticking to the ground.

"The ground is wet. Yesterday's rain flowed in here," she remarked.

Surveying the surroundings, Luo Jun realized there was no better resting place available. Although the ground was wet, they still had time to cut some grass or pile up soil and stones to make it more even.

"This will do. Let's tidy up a bit while it's not dark yet," Luo Jun suggested.

After speaking, he entered the crevice and started tossing the scattered rocks outside.

Li Shi threw the rocks to the front where Luo Jun stood, and he would then move them out. They were all fist-sized small fragments, most likely washed down from above by the rain.

"Do we need to remove the weeds?" Li Shi asked.

"No need to pull them out. Just bend them down and spread them on the ground. Later, you can cut more grass on this rocky slope and spread it here. I'll go gather some firewood; otherwise, it will be too cold at night," Luo Jun instructed.

He thrust a dagger into the ground and left it there while Li Shi obediently agreed.

She was already exhausted, and blisters had formed on the soles of her feet, so she couldn't do any heavy work. But cutting some grass, as Luo Jun suggested, was still manageable.

Luo Jun descended the rocky slope and searched for dry firewood in the valley.

The valley was lush with abundant vegetation, and there were plenty of dead branches. However, it had rained yesterday, saturating those branches with water, so Luo Jun couldn't find any usable dry firewood.

He had no choice but to give up on finding dry firewood. Instead, he used the dagger to shave off some branches and carried them back, intending to sharpen them into stakes and secure them at the entrance of the cave.

This way, they wouldn't have to worry about any animals sneaking in while they slept.

Originally, if they had managed to start a fire, this step could have been skipped. Li Shi returned earlier than Luo Jun and brought back a lot of grass to spread a thick layer on the cave floor.

It took Luo Jun some time to sharpen four stakes, each about one meter and three centimeters long. Although these stakes were only the size of a young girl's wrist, they would become sturdy and useful once cleverly nailed into the ground at the entrance.

Luo Jun diagonally hammered two stakes into the ground on the left side, then diagonally hammered the remaining two stakes on the right side, creating a mesh-like structure.

Now, the entrance could be completely sealed off.

However, the two stakes hammered into the ground on the right side were placed internally. Before nailing the internal stakes, there was still free access in and out of the cave.

While Luo Jun was busily constructing the fence at the entrance, Li Shi had already made the interior of the cave quite comfortable.

Luo Jun lay down as he entered the place, without the slightest worry that the water underground would seep in. In fact, unless the ground was spread very thin, there was no need to worry about water seeping in during a night's sleep.

The girl was exceptionally meticulous in her actions, even piling up a thick layer on both sides of the stone wall.

Due to the limited width inside, although they could stand inside, their heads were already touching the two adjacent boulders.

Luo Jun lay down flat by himself, and Li Shi could only lie down on her side next to him.

After setting up the resting cave, the sky in the mountains had already darkened.

Luo Jun asked Li Shi to take off her shoes so he could see how badly her blisters had become.

With great difficulty, Li Shi took off her shoes. The socks inside were already soaked, and when she took them off, the flesh at the blistered areas stuck to the socks. Upon seeing it, Luo Jun noticed that the blisters had already worn away the skin, exposing the pink flesh on the soles of her feet, with clear footprints visible.

Although this kind of wound was not lethal, it was very painful, and every step taken while walking would bring a sharp sting.

If she persisted in walking relying solely on willpower, the injury would become even more severe and prone to infection.

Luo Jun helped her take off the other shoe, and it was the same condition.

Luo Jun hadn't expected the girl's feet to be in such a state, yet she had endured it for so long. Her strength was like that of a sensible child, enough to make one feel heartbroken.

"Uncle, can I still walk?" Li Shi asked weakly, noticing that Luo Jun's complexion wasn't looking good.

"No, your wounds are so severe that even walking back to the shelter would be impossible. If we had good medical conditions, you could still hold on for another day, but we don't have that luxury. You must rest properly," Luo Jun said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a row of purple pills. Each pill was only slightly larger than a grain of pearl rice.

"Uncle, what are these?" Li Shi asked in astonishment.

"These are potassium permanganate tablets that I brought from the medical kit," Luo Jun explained. This row of potassium permanganate was just one-tenth of what was in the medical kit. Each box contained two tablets, and there were ten rows. A few days ago, when Luo Jun went out, he had shaved off one row with a dagger.

"Why do you carry these tablets with you?" Li Shi asked, shocked.

"You don't have that kind of awareness. When soldiers go out on missions in the field, carrying a box of potassium permanganate is the safest option. It's used for disinfection when necessary," Luo Jun said, taking out one tablet from the row of potassium permanganate and crushing it on Li Shi's sock.

Potassium permanganate needs to be diluted in water according to the proportion, but Luo Jun didn't have a container, so he could only sprinkle the powder on Li Shi's sock and then pour out some fresh water to disinfect her sock, squeezing out some more onto Li Shi's injured foot.

Once the socks were dry tomorrow, she could wear them again.

"Ouch!"

Luo Jun squeezed some undiluted potassium permanganate from the sock onto Li Shi's wound, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Undiluted potassium permanganate can corrode wounds, so it's a bit painful. But it will get better soon. You won't be able to wear socks tonight, so untie the cuffs of your pants and wrap your legs with them," Luo Jun instructed.

Li Shi was wearing Luo Jun's tactical pants, which were already quite long. She had tied them up, but now she let them down, allowing her entire foot to be hidden inside the pants.

"I need to pee..."

Luo Jun was about to use gauze to help bandage her, but she awkwardly lowered her head and said.

"Just pee here, I'll hold you."

Luo Jun said, and Li Shi, not being overly delicate, blushed and nodded. She couldn't stand up now, she couldn't even take off her tactical pants.

Luo Jun directly held her in his arms, and then, like holding a child to pee, he carried her to the edge of a stone cave.

Li Shi felt very embarrassed, her face turning red up to her neck. She struggled for a while before finally being able to pee.

Luo Jun helped her pull up her pants again, to prevent her from sitting on a pile of grass and getting poked or cut on her buttocks.

"Is your face really that thin? When it was convenient on the lifeboat, didn't you let me take a look?"

Luo Jun saw Li Shi like this and jokingly said.

"It's not about being seen... it's just really embarrassing. I'm going to sleep!"

Li Shi blushed and lay down on her side, while Luo Jun went to the cave entrance and hammered in two pointed stakes. There was a strong smell of urine at the entrance, but Luo Jun didn't feel uncomfortable. He had experienced even more uncomfortable environments than this.

He was just worried that the smell of urine would attract some wolves, wild dogs, or feline animals with sensitive noses.

But compared to that, he was even less willing to remove the stakes and carry Li Shi out just to pee.

Luo Jun lay down, and Li Shi was no longer facing away from him. She turned over directly and placed one of Luo Jun's hands under her neck as a pillow, snuggling against Luo Jun's body as she slept.

Outside the cave, it was already dark, and there were still some insects in the forest that hadn't gone into hibernation, chirping.

Li Shi placed one leg on Luo Jun's body, and her pretty face leaned towards his beard. It was unclear whether this girl had an excess of hormones, but she actually took the initiative to kiss Luo Jun.

Luo Jun tasted the tenderness of a young girl and was momentarily stunned.

"Do you still have a lot of energy? Or do you think something romantic will happen between us here?"

Luo Jun held her soft waist tightly, while his other hand covered her mouth, lifting her pretty face.

In the darkness of the night, her appearance couldn't be seen clearly, but her rapid breathing was clearly audible.