14: This technique is truly amazing.

Shen Lian had a calm expression: "Good afternoon, everyone."

Zhu Yingyu responded first: "Good afternoon!"

Everyone could see that Shen Lian had undergone a complete transformation.

Last time he participated in the program, he wore cheap street vendor clothes in old styles, but now his shirt was a famous brand.

Heh, just this one piece must have cost a carefully budgeted fifty thousand yuan.

Zheng Ge stared at Shen Lian, but Shen Lian didn't give him a single glance.

When the time arrived, recording began.

This time, they needed to compete in groups.

For the sake of fairness, they drew lots with three numbers; the number drawn determined the team. Since there were seven guests, one team would have three members.

The results were quickly revealed: Zhao Lin and Fang Ke were one group; Li Jiabo, Feng Susu, and Zheng Ge were another; and finally, Shen Lian and Zhu Yingyu were left together.

Looking at it this way, Zheng Ge's Group 3 clearly had the advantage since they had more people, while Zhao Lin's Group 1 was also good with two agile men. Shen Lian and Zhu Yingyu's Group 2 was at a clear disadvantage.

[Sigh~ I don't even know what to say.]

[Zhu Yingyu lacks physical stamina, as seen in previous episodes. Shen Lian's survival skills definitely won't match the other two members of the 'Three Musketeers.' The outcome is already decided.]

"Yingyu, do your best!" Feng Susu cheerfully made a cheering gesture.

Zhu Yingyu nodded.

"Don't be afraid," Shen Lian suddenly said. "I'll lead you to victory."

Zhu Yingyu let out a light chuckle upon hearing this: "You don't even know the task content yet."

"It's always the same few things."

Seeing he was in a good mood, Zhu Yingyu thought for a moment and said, "Let's agree beforehand: I might not be able to keep up with your pace, so don't yell at me."

Shen Lian: "It's just a game, why would I yell at you?"

Zhu Yingyu felt relieved.

The task card was issued: First stop, reach the banks of Qingxi Stream.

They had passed Qingxi on the first day, separated by half a slope. Shen Lian recalled carefully, and quickly, a brand new route took shape in his mind.

As soon as the director's team said 'start,' the other two teams bolted off. Zhu Yingyu's pace was slow, and Shen Lian was even slower than her. Compared to the others who were racing against the clock, these two looked like they were out for a scenic stroll.

[Giving up already?]

Chu Yilan stared at his tablet, feeling that this wasn't Shen Lian's style.

"Shen Lian, walk faster!" Zhu Yingyu urged.

"One step at a time," Shen Lian reminded her. "It just rained, and the mountain path is very slippery. It's not worth it if we take a fall."

Just as he finished speaking, an "Ouch!" was heard; it sounded like Fang Ke.

Shen Lian: "See?"

Influenced by him, Zhu Yingyu stopped panicking.

When they reached a fork in the road, Shen Lian chose a different direction. "This way."

Zhu Yingyu: "We haven't been this way before."

"I observed from above that day. If we're going to Qingxi Stream, this way is not only easier to walk, but also closer. Trust me."

Zhu Yingyu was relatively passive regarding tasks; since Shen Lian was decisive, she let him lead the way.

[One dares to point, the other dares to follow.]

Feng Susu looked back and didn't see Shen Lian or Zhu Yingyu. "Oh dear, they couldn't have gotten lost, could they?"

"Doesn't matter, this is a group competition now." Li Jiabo was dismissive, secretly wishing Shen Lian would get lost to save him from the internet's constant comments about his ugly eye-rolling. "Hurry up, keep up with Zhao Lin and the others."

Zheng Ge smiled but didn't respond.

The path Shen Lian chose was indeed much flatter, and even the vegetation seemed to grow towards the sides, as if specifically clearing a path for them.

[What the heck! How did Shen Lian know?!]

The small path was easy to walk, and Zhu Yingyu's mood improved. Shen Lian saw purple wild orchids blooming by the roadside and picked one for her.

Zhu Yingyu was pleasantly surprised: "Thank you!"

[Ah! My poor heart.]

[Zero CP chemistry, but the way these two interact is very comfortable to watch.]

Gradually, the split-screen view of Shen Lian's side attracted more and more viewers.

It really seemed like he had studied a map beforehand; his sense of direction was clear.

Suddenly, Shen Lian stopped in front of a large thicket. He pointed to a nearby rock and said to Zhu Yingyu, "Rest for a while."

Zhu Yingyu didn't stand on ceremony.

Then she saw Shen Lian starting to pull at the tall plants.

"What are you doing?"

"Silver-backed Kudzu vine. It's better than I imagined. These stems are flat and have excellent toughness."

Zhu Yingyu understood the words but didn't know what they were for.

Shen Lian stripped the leaves, stepped on the roots to pull them straight, and then carefully measured them one by one.

There was an expert in the bullet chat who typed quickly: [Don't tell me Shen Lian plans to weave a basket.]

[Huh?]

[If Shen Lian has this ability, I'll eat a cutting board raw.]

Shen Lian really did.

He sat down beside Zhu Yingyu and asked her to help hold one end of the selected Kudzu vines. There were three in total. First, he overlapped two sections, pressing and crossing them upwards. Then, he added the third one midway. With a change in technique, he began weaving.

The entire process had no hesitation at all.

The bullet chat was flooded with question marks.

Shen Lian spoke: "I grew up in the mountains and farmlands as a child, so I can identify many things."

This point actually matched the Original Host's background.

Zhu Yingyu was curious: "Who taught you all this?"

"Self-taught," Shen Lian said. "I'm smart; I can learn anything just by looking at it."

[Stop bragging, bro. Just look at your own trashy acting skills.]

[Dog Shen is starting to act cool again.]

[I'm an insider. Let me just say, this technique is actually pretty good.]

The young man's fingers were like bamboo joints, very beautiful. Even a casual glance was pleasing to the eye.

Shen Lian spoke unhurriedly, but his hands moved faster and faster. In less than ten minutes, the bottom of a basket emerged.

"Rested enough? Let's go." Shen Lian signaled for Zhu Yingyu to let go, then took the lead, continuing his work as he walked.

[I'm getting a sense of deja vu, like when my mom used to knit sweaters and dragged me behind her...]

[Hahahahaha!]

[This 'housewife' aura is hitting me in the face~~~]

Housewife my ass, Chu Yilan thought. Anyone with that perception simply hadn't witnessed Shen Lian's fists.

About half an hour later, the basket was almost finished. Shen Lian tied the three extra strands at the ends together so it could be carried on the back.

"Shen Lian? The sound of water!" Zhu Yingyu suddenly shouted in excitement.

"Mm." As Shen Lian expected, "We're almost there."

The director's team was dumbfounded because the path Shen Lian took was indeed the optimal route!

If Shen Lian could hear their thoughts, he would surely sigh: 'Heh, mortals.'

Li Jiabo was hoping Shen Lian would get lost, but as it turned out, they got lost themselves while following Zhao Lin and the other's pace.

The vegetation was dense, and it was too easy to take a wrong turn. They had no choice but to find a high point to look around. Zhao Lin's sense of direction was decent, and he pointed out a shorter path.

But while it didn't look far from above, the actual walk was full of twists and turns.

The road was too slippery and the humidity was high. Feng Susu fell several times in a row. Once, she accidentally grabbed Zheng Ge, and they both fell together, causing Zheng Ge's fans to curse her out.

The group could be described as exhausted.

As they were coming down the mountain, Shen Lian and his partner happened to be going up. When the two sides made eye contact across the bank of Qingxi Stream, Shen Lian was amused. "Oh, what a coincidence."

Li Jiabo's eyes widened. "How did you get here?!"

"I walked here," Shen Lian said dismissively. Then he looked them over one by one and laughed: "Are you guys playing 'Who's the Mud Man'?"

His tone was gentle, but the mockery was at full blast.

Including Zheng Ge, who had been specially protected, there were large patches of black mud on his face, legs, and back. The others were even worse off.

In contrast, Shen Lian and Zhu Yingyu were clean from head to toe, except for the edges of their shoes.