After some hesitation, the red-bellied pheasant ultimately decided not to cross the bridge.
When it saw Gu Xiaomai turn right, it also turned right, following the riverbank. At a narrow section of the river, it flew across to the side where Gu Xiaomai was.
After confirming her location, it returned to No. 1 Mountain, flew up to the treetop, and let out a loud cry:
“GUI——”
The call was sharp and piercing, like a horn echoing through the sky. Though slightly immature, it carried full strength and authority.
It was declaring dominance to all surrounding creatures:
From this moment on, it would take residence on No. 1 Mountain!
The response came immediately—birds and beasts from surrounding mountains cried out one after another. At the same time, Commander Zhu Xingjie of E4 Camp once again issued orders: send troops to guard the silver metal bridge and dispatch teams into No. 1 Mountain to investigate.
The reclamation team members were a little nervous, but after the previous experience, they managed to stay calm.
This was Gu Xiaomai’s first time hearing such sounds—birds chirping mixed with deep, rough beast roars. A faint sense of panic rose in her heart.
What was that chicken doing?
Why was it causing such a huge commotion? Was it for that “special water”?
That night, lying in bed, Gu Xiaomai unusually couldn’t fall asleep quickly.
The details of the two trips up the mountain surfaced in her mind.
The first time she had heard a “cry of pain”—it was likely the purified astragalus plant. Or rather, its “voice” would be more accurate.
But do plants even have voices?
Forget it. She would leave such deep questions to others.
She would just assume they did.
Thinking back, Jiang Chen’an and Yumi had once picked an astragalus plant without digging up the root, and she had internally criticized them for being inexperienced.
Before that, they had encountered a mutated rabbit, been attacked, and her bone-splitting blade had appeared to resolve the crisis.
This time, she had encountered that chicken, assumed it was dangerous, and attacked it out of fear.
One was a real crisis, the other was a perceived one—but both involved fear, and both triggered the bone-splitting blade.
Gu Xiaomai touched the blade hidden under her pillow, wondering if the condensation of that “special water” had anything to do with it.
From what she had observed, the special water seemed to have two known effects.
First, it allowed her to hear the thoughts of plants and animals that had ingested it. If used properly, this ability would make survival here much easier.
But there was a downside: the water strongly attracted that chicken—and possibly all animals, maybe even plants. That still needed further observation.
If mishandled, it could attract competition and put her in danger.
And this secret had to be kept carefully hidden. Otherwise, not only animals and plants, but humans would also become involved.
……
The next morning, Gu Xiaomai woke up as usual to the training sounds from E4 soldiers and the crack of Jiang Chen’an practicing his whip.
Although she woke up at the same time as before, she clearly felt her body had not fully recovered—her stamina and energy were not at their best.
The same condition as after the last mountain trip: the “blood pool” inside her body was low.
This made her suspect even more that the special water was connected to her strange physical condition—but she still couldn’t figure out how.
How the water was formed, and how it was released, remained completely unknown.
The more she thought, the more irritated she became, so she simply got up to practice Tai Chi to calm herself.
After finishing a few rounds, she prepared to head back when she saw Jiang Chen’an and Yumi returning from the river.
“You two finished training? Going back together?” she asked.
They both nodded.
“Does Yumi-ge also train with a whip?”
“I do basic training—using a staff,” Yumi said with a smile. “It’s easy to find; any branch of suitable thickness works.”
He had learned it from Sister Xue after much pleading, though he only picked up the basics and hadn’t improved much since.
“Is Xiaomai also training?” Yumi asked. “We didn’t see you before.”
“I leave later than you and return earlier, so we don’t often meet,” she replied.
In reality, she had just practiced a bit more today.
Compared to them, her training was closer to light exercise.
“I wonder if we’re going to No. 1 Mountain today?” Yumi asked.
“With all the animal howling last night, something might happen. Maybe we won’t go?” Gu Xiaomai said uncertainly.
But Jiang Chen’an disagreed.
“No. 1 Mountain has already been under base control for a while. If we don’t clear out the purified plants soon, it’s a waste of resources. We can’t guarantee they’ll remain in a purified state. Unless something uncontrollable happens, we will definitely go today.”
“But Instructor Mitan hasn’t shown up yet to notify us,” she tried to hold onto hope.
Jiang Chen’an was about to respond when—
A voice came from behind.
“Cough, I’m here to notify you!”
All three turned around.
Mitan was walking toward them.
“Today we continue going up the mountain to search for purified plants.”
At that moment, Gu Xiaomai felt her small hope completely crushed.
She silently began praying in her heart:
Please let that chicken be gone… please let that chicken be gone…
At the camp area, Mitan gathered everyone and gave instructions:
“Last night’s disturbance on No. 1 Mountain has already been investigated. No polluted beasts or dangerous creatures were found. You can proceed safely.
Continue searching within your assigned areas. Once you reach the mountaintop, you may descend. The northern side of the mountain is temporarily off-limits.
Same as before, Jiao Yang will conduct inspections at the base.”
After a few more safety reminders, they set off.
As soon as Gu Xiaomai reached the mountain base, the red-bellied pheasant spotted her and rushed downward.
【Hahaha… tasty water! I’m coming!】
【Good thing I was smart and took this mountain yesterday. Otherwise, other creatures would’ve found her. That good water wouldn’t be mine anymore!】
The deeper it went down, the more carefully it avoided people.
【Even though I am a divine phoenix, I’m still just a chick. I need more of that water before I can stop fearing humans!】
Meanwhile, Gu Xiaomai was also praying in her heart:
Please don’t run into that chicken… please don’t run into that chicken…
At first, things were fine—she didn’t detect it.
But near noon, she suddenly heard increasingly agitated thoughts:
【Why hasn’t this woman left yet?】
【Those two men are really annoying!】
【How do I lure her somewhere alone?】
【Should I just kill those two men?】
Gu Xiaomai shivered internally.
It had already decided to kill people in just a few sentences?
Her Chen’an-ge and Yumi-ge hadn’t even done anything!
No. She couldn’t gamble on this.
She quickly leaned over and whispered to the two of them. Soon after, they left separately.
The pheasant saw them leave and assumed they had gone elsewhere to search for food, so it confidently stepped out.
Seeing that it hadn’t attacked immediately, Gu Xiaomai felt slightly relieved.
It walked toward her in an oddly elegant manner.
Somehow, she could just tell it looked “noble”—its eyes, chest posture, and stance all gave off a “young aristocrat” vibe.
She found it fascinating.
Is this thing becoming intelligent? Would it be a great tonic if eaten?
At that thought, the pheasant’s steps faltered.
Its green neck feathers fluffed up slightly, wings half-spread.
“GUI——” Murderous intent!
“GUI GUI——” Who?! Who wants to kill me?!
It looked around, then locked onto Gu Xiaomai again and approached.
She instinctively stepped back.
What does it want?
To attack me?
Should I strike first?
But I can’t beat it…
The pheasant spoke again:
“GUI GUI——” Woman! I command you to give me that tasty water!
“GUI GUI——” Or I’ll hit you!
It spread its wings. A single sweep cut down a patch of grass like a blade.
Gu Xiaomai sucked in a breath.
Those wings are basically knives.
So it’s threatening me.
She cautiously said, “I don’t understand what you’re saying. Can you simplify it in your mind first?”
The pheasant froze.
【Aaaah—everything I said earlier was wasted?!】
【Damn it, this woman is useless! She can’t understand such noble speech!】
Gu Xiaomai felt secondhand embarrassment from its “dramatic male lead energy.”
The pheasant tried again:
“GUI—GUI—water! I want water!”
It mimicked drinking.
Then it looked at her expectantly.
Gu Xiaomai silently poured a cap of clean drinking water onto the ground.
The pheasant drank—then immediately spat it out.
【Not the same water! She’s lying to me!】
It kicked the cap over angrily.
“GUI GUI GUI!”
Its tone was clearly insulting now.
She pretended not to understand, but internally noted: this chicken is probably highly intelligent.
After a while, it grew even more agitated:
“GUI GUI!” Give me the good water! Or I’ll attack!
Just then, after three knocking sounds in the forest, Gu Xiaomai finally said seriously:
“I really don’t have that kind of water anymore.”
The pheasant froze.
【She’s lying! She definitely has it! I can smell it!】
But Gu Xiaomai shook her head.
“I haven’t mastered my technique yet. Yesterday was just an accident.”
Hearing this, the pheasant deflated instantly.
【Waaah… what do I do about the damage from hatching too early?】
【I want to recover so I can go back to my mom…】
【It’s all that damned thief gull that stole me and forced me to hatch early…】
Its voice turned small and pitiful, like a crying child.
And Gu Xiaomai understood.
She had found another function of the special water—
repairing internal damage.
No wonder she recovered faster every day after using it.
It was constantly repairing her body.
This was a treasure.
She needed to master it quickly.
Finally, she lowered her voice and said:
“Before I master it, I won’t be able to produce that water. You should leave for now—my companions will be back soon. If they see you, they’ll attack immediately.”