Chapter 009

The rules of Wilderness Challenge were very simple. Contestants could only carry the essential survival supplies provided by the program and had to survive in the designated area for one week. During this time, they had to handle all their own food, clothing, shelter, and transportation while making their way toward the finish line. After one week, the first contestant to reach the finish line would be crowned the champion of the episode.

The survival supplies provided by the program included a backpack, a tent, a sleeping bag, a compass, paracord, a knife, a flashlight, and a single day’s worth of food and water. Beyond that, the contestants had to find their own sources for any additional food and water.

Setting aside the search for food and water, simply surviving in the deep mountains and old forests for a week while trekking across rugged terrain to reach the finish line was no easy feat. Those who came to participate in this survival challenge were all confident in their physical fitness, especially Xing Lei and Wu Chong. Both were martial arts actors by trade, and their physical capabilities were far ahead of the rest of the group, making them the favorites to win.

After the live broadcast of each season of Wilderness Challenge began, the official homepage would post a poll where viewers could vote for the contestant they believed would win. Viewers who guessed correctly could receive commemorative prizes sent by the officials. Although the sixth season had only just begun, every contestant had already received a fair number of votes from the audience.

Every contestant, that is, except for Lu Jianxing and his teammate.

Looking at the child on the screen who seemed capable of nothing but being cute, not a single person thought they could possibly win the championship.

After explaining the rules, the host handed out simple maps to everyone, one for each team. The red dot marked on the map indicated their destination seven days from now.

The host announced, “Contestants, for the next week, show us your full strength. We will be waiting for you at the finish line!”

The challenge began.

After looking at the maps and using their compasses to study the directions, several teams quickly made their decisions. Xing Lei and his junior fellow apprentice were the first to shoulder their backpacks and depart, followed by Zhan Yue and her brother. Xie Yunqian and Pei Xiwang stood in place and discussed things for a moment before the two of them walked toward Lu Jianxing.

Qiao Man was currently hugging the map and studying it when a large shadow fell over him. He looked up to see a man standing before him with a beaming smile.

“Xingxing,” Xie Yunqian issued a friendly invitation, “would you like to team up with us?”

Lu Jianxing asked, “Team up?”

“As you can see, the conditions here are primitive and the environment is dangerous. Besides, you also have…” Xie Yunqian glanced quickly at Qiao Man before retracting his gaze and continuing, “With the four of us together, we can help each other. More people means a better chance of winning.”

[What chance of winning? It’ll be a miracle if they aren’t a total burden.]

[Xie Yunqian is way too nice! He could have just left on his own; Xing Lei and the others have already set off.]

[I’m honestly done with Lu Jianxing’s character. In a serious survival competition where everyone brings a proper teammate, he brings a kid. Is he intentionally using a child to play the pity card so everyone will go easy on him? I hate people who play mind games like this.]

[Qianqian, don’t pity this guy!]

Lu Jianxing hadn’t expected Xie Yunqian to invite him to team up. Xie Yunqian’s status in the industry was much higher than his own; even before his career troubles, he couldn’t have compared. The two of them had only met a few times in the past and weren’t particularly close. There was no reason for Xie Yunqian to sacrifice his own chances in a competitive race like this just to help him.

Furthermore, although Xie Yunqian’s teammate Pei Xiwang had agreed, the look he cast their way was one of impatience. Clearly, he didn’t want to team up and had only refrained from refusing out of respect for Xie Yunqian.

Just as Lu Jianxing was about to decline, someone tugged on the corner of his clothes. He looked down. “What is it, Qiao Man?”

Qiao Man didn’t speak. He tilted his head back, staring unblinkingly at Xie Yunqian – or more accurately, at the amulet hanging around his neck.

The child’s eyes were dark, round, and clear. Normally, being stared at by a child like that would only make one’s heart soften, but for some reason, Xie Yunqian suddenly felt a surge of unease. He tucked the amulet inside his collar, leaned down, and asked gently, “Little friend, do you want to team up with us?”

Qiao Man shook his head.

Xie Yunqian was speechless.

“Ahem.” Lu Jianxing quickly pulled the child behind him and said apologetically, “Sorry, Brother Xie. Qiao Man is a bit shy around strangers.”

Xie Yunqian straightened up and smiled dismissively. “And what do you think about teaming up?”

Lu Jianxing politely declined. “I appreciate the kind offer, but Qiao Man doesn’t really like being with strangers, so I think we’ll pass.”

Seeing this, Xie Yunqian didn’t insist and soon left the starting point with his teammate.

In the blink of an eye, only the two of them were left at the starting point. Having no desire to show off or win the championship, Lu Jianxing didn’t mind the delay. When the child reached out his arms toward him, he leaned over and picked him up.

“Xingxing,” Qiao Man leaned close to his ear and whispered, “that amulet of his is a bit strange.”

Lu Jianxing’s footsteps paused. He glanced at the camera pointed directly at them and, without moving his lips, let out a soft sound of confusion.

“I didn’t get a clear look before he put it away…” Qiao Man frowned, unable to quite put it into words. “I feel like it’s not a good thing. Don’t get too close to him.”

“Mm.”

Lu Jianxing cast a worried glance in Xie Yunqian’s direction. He didn’t have much of a relationship with the top star, having only met him a few times at events. Their only real contact was once backstage while preparing for an event; he had accidentally been scratched by an accessory Xie Yunqian was wearing. The bleeding had stopped quickly, but Xie Yunqian had apologized to him several times.

The top star seemed like a good person; he hoped nothing bad would happen to him.

But for now, preparing for the competition at hand was more important.

Lu Jianxing asked, “You’ve been looking at the map for so long. Have you figured out which way we should go?”

Qiao Man sighed. “I can’t understand it.”

The map provided by the program was too simple. Aside from knowing the red dot was the destination, Qiao Man couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Lu Jianxing shouldered the supplies for both of them and carried the child forward. “Then we’ll just see where the road takes us.”

Qiao Man was full of fighting spirit. He raised his small hand and pumped his arm, shouting, “Let’s win the championship!”

Lu Jianxing added calmly, “Just staying alive is enough.”

…

The various teams split up at the entrance. The live stream was divided into four channels to record each group’s progress, allowing viewers to freely choose which team they wanted to watch and observe their survival situation.

The live broadcast began at noon. Preparation for the start had wasted some time, so by the time they entered the forest, there were only a few hours left before nightfall.

Long-time viewers of Wilderness Challenge knew that the first thing to do upon entering the forest was to find a suitable campsite. The production crew had prepared a day’s worth of food and water for the contestants, leaving the first day for them to observe the environment and make preparations to deal with future changes.

The path after entering the forest was somewhat difficult to traverse. Lu Jianxing stopped carrying Qiao Man and set him down to walk on his own, conserving his own strength in the process. Before participating, he had done plenty of research, and he spent the journey observing his surroundings while searching for a place suitable for camping.

He didn’t forget to ask, “Manman? Are you tired? Do you need me to carry you?”

“Not tired!”

After a while, he asked again, “Are you thirsty? Do you want some water?”

“Not thirsty!”

“Then you…”

A flash of bright yellow flickered in his peripheral vision. The child, wearing his Little Yellow Duck Backpack, trotted ahead on his short legs. Step by step, he showed not the slightest hint of fatigue.

Lu Jianxing was speechless.

He had no choice but to quicken his pace and catch up. “Manman, slow down.”

Qiao Man pitter-pattered back and took his hand.

He had lived on the mountain since he was a baby and was used to walking mountain paths. When he went down the mountain to find his master, he had relied on his own two feet, so this was nothing to him.

On the contrary, Qiao Man looked at Lu Jianxing, who was panting slightly after walking for several hours, and asked with concern, “Xingxing, are you tired?”

Lu Jianxing replied, “Not tired.”

“Then are you thirsty?”

“Not thirsty.”

“Then you…”

“…” Lu Jianxing changed the subject. “Manman, it’s getting dark. We need to find a place to pitch the tent and sleep tonight.”

Qiao Man’s attention was quickly diverted. He looked around, dutifully beginning the search for a campsite.

Most viewers had gone to Xie Yunqian and Xing Lei’s streams. Zhan Yue’s stream also had a fair number of viewers, while only a tiny fraction remained in Lu Jianxing’s stream, mostly his own fans. During this time when they were largely ignored, the bullet chat in the stream was unusually peaceful.

At this moment, seeing Lu Jianxing unceremoniously ordering the child around, the fans reacted: [????]

[Who’s the adult here and who’s the kid??]

[Xingxing, doesn’t your conscience hurt?]

[Even as your fan, I can’t watch this anymore!]

On the other side, the other streams soon found their night quarters.

They worked with their teammates to pitch tents, gathered dry branches from the area, and started fires using flint.

As time passed, the sky gradually darkened. The daytime heat faded, and the nighttime temperature dropped rapidly. With such a large temperature difference between day and night, the importance of a fire became evident.

The contestants sat by their fires to keep warm, gnawing on the dry bread from their backpacks for dinner while discussing their route for the next day using their maps.

Xing Lei was lucky enough to find a small riverbank with a clean water source. While others were taking small sips to conserve water, he drank his fill happily.

The audience gathered in his stream was massive: [I feel like Xing Lei could actually win the championship!]

Zhan Yue sprayed herself and her brother with insect repellent. She smiled sheepishly at the camera. “I’m a real mosquito magnet. When I found out I could bring a teammate and one extra item for this show, I thought it was just wonderful.”

“This spray is very practical,” her brother, Zhan Yan, added from the side. “There are many insects in the forest. Getting bitten too much can easily lead to infection.”

[True, true. The insects in the forest are absolutely terrifying.]

However, an accident occurred on Xie Yunqian’s side. Neither of them was very good at pitching a tent. After finally getting them up, the one Pei Xiwang had pitched wasn’t secured properly and collapsed in the wind, forcing them to waste time setting it up again.

By the time they finished re-pitching the tent, it was almost dark.

Xie Yunqian didn’t say anything reproachful, but the tone in the bullet chat was very aggressive: [Is he here to help or just to be a burden?]

[It’s only because Xie Yunqian has a good temper. They could have used the daylight to look for other food nearby, but all that time was wasted by him.]

Pei Xiwang himself was extremely guilt-ridden, pursing his lips as he started the fire. It took a few comforting words from Xie Yunqian to make Pei Xiwang’s guilt feel a bit more manageable.

Xie Yunqian stared at the flickering flames of the fire and said with some worry, “I wonder how Lu Jianxing and the boy are doing…”

Pei Xiwang looked up. “Brother Xie, you were kind enough to invite him to team up and he refused. Don’t worry about him.”

Xie Yunqian looked troubled. “But he’s carrying a child with him. It’s really not easy. I wonder if they’ve managed to start a fire?”

[I really feel bad for that kid… Lu Jianxing brought him here, but did he even consider how to take care of a child?]

[Children get sick easily. The temperature is low at night; he might catch a cold. And this is the wilderness—what if he eats something bad and gets an upset stomach?]

[He even brought a bunch of mystical Talisman Paper and a Luo Pan. What’s the use of that stuff? Don’t tell me Lu Jianxing’s gone off to become a Taoist.]

[Exactly! He would’ve been better off bringing a lighter like the other teams. At least they could start a fire when it gets dark! The forest is so dangerous at night. Even I know how important a fire source is. Is Lu Jianxing out of his mind?!]

[The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Can’t someone from the production crew stop Lu Jianxing?]

The viewers cursed while they worried.

They wanted to see celebrities struggle for entertainment, but they weren’t necessarily willing to see a child suffer. It was hard enough for an adult to last seven days in the wild, let alone a five-year-old. Thinking this, many people rushed toward Lu Jianxing’s live stream, grumbling all the way.

If anything really happened, there would still be time to call the police!

To their surprise, Lu Jianxing’s livestream wasn’t as bad as they had imagined.

Lu Jianxing and his companion had already found a suitable campsite. It was flat and open, their tent was already pitched, and their sleeping bags were laid out. They weren’t lagging behind the others at all. Most shocking of all, a large leaf sat next to their tent, piled high with red wild berries.

Seeing the confusion of the newcomers, the fans helpfully explained: [Xingxing and the kid just gathered these.]

New viewers: [???]

[Isn’t this luck a bit too good?]

[What kind of luck does Lu Jianxing have? Everyone else is doing wilderness survival, and he’s here for a camping picnic?]

[It’s just luck. It might be good luck on the first day, but can it really last for seven days?]

[Besides, he didn’t bring any fire-starting tools. It’s almost dark and they haven’t started a fire yet. The temperature alone will be brutal. Just pray the kid doesn’t get sick.]

The new viewers flooding into the livestream were aggressive and harsh. The fans’ attempts to explain on Lu Jianxing’s behalf were instantly drowned out by the surging wave of insults.

Lu Jianxing was oblivious to all this. He finished piling up the branches and called out, “Qiao Man, we can start the fire now.”

“Coming!”

Hearing the call, Qiao Man came trotting over, his Little Yellow Duck Backpack bouncing on his back.

He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a piece of Talisman Paper, not forgetting to warn, “Xingxing, step back a bit. Be careful.”

Lu Jianxing obediently took a step back. Qiao Man held the Talisman Paper between two upright fingers. With a flick of his wrist, a cluster of flames ignited at the tip of the paper.

Every viewer behind their screens suddenly sat bolt upright.

[?]

[???]

The flame dropped onto the pile of branches. Soon, the wood caught fire, lighting up a bright blaze in the dim twilight of the forest.

[????]

[Holy crap!!!]