Chapter 23

“Crack!”

At that moment, a sudden sound of a tree branch snapping interrupted Xiao Yi’s grim expression.

“…”

“…”

After comparing numbers, Xiao Yi looked slightly embarrassed, then stood up and spoke.

“Shen Captain, long… time no see. Hi everyone, long time no see.”

This time, without Shen Mengsan needing to say anything, Xiao Yi himself knew why they had come—it made him feel a little awkward.

“‘Long time no see’? You’ve barely been apart for twenty-four hours.”

“My god Xiao Shen, can you just give us a break? Being your rescue team captain is the worst luck I’ve had in eight lifetimes.”

Upon hearing Xiao Yi’s words, Shen Mengsan had already been silently grumbling inside.

But who doesn’t know how to switch expressions? He smiled lightly and spoke.

“It seems we’re truly fated to cross paths with Xiao Shen! Thanks again, Dr. Xue!”

“…”

Upon hearing this, Dr. Xue’s eyes lit up as he walked straight toward Xiao Yi.

This man—he had wanted to study him last night.

At that moment, Xiao Yi was startled by Dr. Xue’s gaze and quickly waved his hands, refusing three times over.

“N-no need! I feel fine, I don’t need it, I’m perfectly okay.”

“No, you do need it. Unless you want to quit the competition!”

Dr. Xue, now approaching, spoke with certainty, holding in his hand…

“How’s Dr. Xue doing?”

After Dr. Xue stood up, Shen Mengsan asked, recalling Li Yong’s specific instructions: they must give Xiao Yi a full medical checkup.

Ensure his health, at least meet the minimum health standards for participation.

The image of Xiao Yi colliding at high speed with the black bear had worried many, and even hostile rumors had spread.

After all, even the black bear, with its strength, had limped after that collision—how much more so a frail human body, far inferior in physical quality?

As for Xiao Yi being killed by the bear, Li Yong never even considered it—he had always been certain the bear couldn’t kill Xiao Yi.

“This shouldn’t be… this shouldn’t be!”

After the examination, Dr. Xue frowned and muttered.

Hearing this, the rescue team members all looked at Xiao Yi with regretful expressions.

After all, Xiao Yi’s strength was undeniable, and he was the show’s biggest draw.

If he were eliminated now, it would be a major loss for the production team.

“He shouldn’t be this unharmed, should he?”

“…”

“…”

After Dr. Xue finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

“Come on, Dr. Xue, you’re a doctor—don’t drag out your sentences. Just say it all at once, okay?”

“If you talk like this on an operating table, you’ll get beaten by the family.”

Shen Mengsan, meanwhile, quietly exhaled in relief—before coming, Li Yong had hinted clearly: Xiao Yi must not leave, unless he was truly beyond saving.

There was no choice—they needed traffic, and Xiao Yi was currently the top traffic magnet among all contestants.

While other livestreams had suddenly hit a million viewers, Xiao Yi’s had already surged past five million.

During his epic battle with the black bear, his livestream peaked at six million concurrent viewers.

That number was on par with the biggest celebrities—even top-tier idols—when they launched on Yinfu.

Mainly because this guy was just too good at creating drama, too perfect for the show—even if he sometimes gave everyone heart attacks.

Fortunately, Xiao Yi didn’t know how others viewed him; otherwise he’d scream his innocence.

He just wanted to find some clay, build himself a better shelter, and survive these hundred days—why was that so hard?

Seeing Dr. Xue still suspicious, Xiao Yi internally sensed something was very wrong.

This damn Dr. Xue—could he really be thinking of dissecting and studying Xiao Yi?

Xiao Yi quickly changed the subject. “I told you I was fine! You didn’t believe me.”

“Since you’ve all noticed, I won’t hide it anymore—I’ll tell you: when I was a kid, I studied a bit of qi-dissipating martial arts with an old master. That collision with the bear looked dangerous, but I’d already dissipated most of the force.”

Since science couldn’t explain it, Xiao Yi would explain it with ancient martial arts.

The world hadn’t yet seen Ma Daoshi exposed, the “rat-tail juice” technique hadn’t been cracked—this ancient martial arts theory still held high credibility.

Indeed, after hearing this, Dr. Xue’s gaze toward him softened considerably, and he even retracted his scalpel slightly.

Meanwhile, in the livestream chat, dozens of “know-it-alls” appeared.

“I knew it—my god is so awesome, with such immense strength—could this be the result of medicinal baths?”

“That collision with the black bear must’ve used China’s top technique: four ounces deflecting a thousand catties.”

“You think his speed is so fast because he’s using the legendary lightness skill?”

“This explains why his body is so extraordinary.”

That’s right—legend says ancient generals and martial arts families had secret methods combining medicinal baths to refine their bodies.

“I’m jealous—I’ve always dreamed of being a martial hero. Why didn’t some old master pick me and pass down a secret technique?”

“Damn, I feel like I’ve stepped into a wuxia world—but this explanation is the only one that makes sense for Xiao Shen’s anomalies.”

…

…

Fortunately, Xiao Yi wasn’t watching the live chat—if he had been, he’d have silently given a thumbs-up and shouted, “You all get it!”

From now on, whenever he did anything strange, everyone here would explain it for him.

“Sorry everyone, sorry for making you come all this way for nothing!”

Xiao Yi stood and thanked them—he knew they’d come to rescue him, even if they arrived a little late.

Hearing this, the group initially felt speechless.

But fortunately, nearly half of the ten rescue team members had already been won over by Xiao Yi’s strength and charisma.

So now, hearing his words, they merely waved it off, saying it was nothing.

Some even felt slightly excited—after all, they’d rescued Xiao Shen.

“Pack up!”

Shen Mengsan gave Xiao Yi a helpless look, then finally spoke.

What else could they do? Stay here and wait for Xiao Yi to treat them to dinner?

Wasn’t the base’s braised beef, four-joy dumplings, and cola chicken wings delicious enough?

After watching Shen Mengsan’s group leave, Xiao Yi turned his attention back to finding food.

After all, the rabbit had escaped—he was still hungry, and one must focus on the present.

Fortunately, there were some still-green blueberries nearby, enough to ease his hunger for now.

The bad part was, most tasted sour and astringent, though a few were very sweet.

They could be stored as food—use them to whet the appetite after eating too much rabbit meat.

The only thing Xiao Yi disliked was that the blueberries stained his teeth black shortly after eating.

It damaged his idol image.

Of course, these blueberries couldn’t fill him up—they could only serve as a light snack.

After gathering some for later, Xiao Yi resumed his search for clay.

But that damn bear and rabbit had wasted too much of his time, so this clay search could only last two hours before he had to return to his shelter.

He didn’t want to wander the wilderness at night—who knew what other damn creatures he’d encounter then?

One stupid bear and one foolish rabbit were already enough to drive him crazy.