“Hey, little idiot, where are you looking? I’m talking to you!”
Wang Er pointed directly at Song Xiaoyu and sneered.
“Two days ago, you smashed my brother Erniu so badly he still can’t get out of bed. He’s lying at home right now! If you don’t hand over twenty taels of silver today, don’t even think about leaving!”
Li Liu immediately chimed in.
“Big Brother, why waste words on her? Let’s tie her up first. Her crippled hunter father will definitely cough up the money!”
Song Xiaoyu swept a calm glance over the pair.
They were both notorious troublemakers in the village.
Wang Er was built like an ox, broad-shouldered and thick-limbed.
Li Liu was so fat he resembled a pig being fattened for the New Year slaughter.
Song Wen’s expression darkened.
Raising his hoe, he stepped in front of his sister and blocked the road.
“Wang Er, Li Liu, are the two of you tired of living? How dare you insult my sister? Apologize to her right now!”
Song Wu rolled up his sleeves and cracked his knuckles.
“If you two don’t kneel down and kowtow to my little sister today, don’t even think about leaving!”
Wang Er burst into laughter as though he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
“Hahaha! I’ll insult her if I want to. Wasn’t your sister born a little idiot with a broken brain?”
He looked at the two brothers mockingly.
“Actually, now that I think about it, maybe the two of you inherited the same brain.”
Li Liu immediately joined in.
“That’s right! A whole nest of idiots from the same mother! Hahaha!”
Before Song Wen and Song Wu could react, Song Xiaoyu had already moved.
Her figure blurred like a shadow.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of the two bullies.
Smack!
Smack!
Two crisp slaps rang out.
The force behind them was astonishing.
Both youths staggered backward, nearly losing their footing.
Bright red handprints instantly appeared on their faces.
Song Wen and Song Wu stared in shock.
For a moment, neither of them knew what to say.
Little Sister had become this strong?
The deity in her dream had not only taught her medicine but martial arts too?
The brothers exchanged envious glances.
They definitely needed Little Sister to teach them a few moves later.
Song Xiaoyu looked at the pair with complete disdain.
“Go back and tell Li Erniu this.”
“That day, he threatened me and caused serious emotional trauma to my delicate spirit.”
“I haven’t even gone to demand compensation for my mental suffering yet. That already shows how generous I am.”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
“But if he dares come looking for trouble again, I’ll make sure he really ends up with broken arms and legs. Then he’ll never get out of bed.”
Her icy gaze and overwhelming presence thoroughly frightened Wang Er and Li Liu.
Without another word, they turned and fled.
They were only village youths after all.
When faced with someone truly intimidating, their courage vanished instantly.
Thinking back on what had happened two days earlier, the whole matter had been ridiculous.
The original Song Xiaoyu had merely gone out for a walk when she encountered Li Erniu.
Bored and looking for entertainment, he had started teasing her.
The teasing quickly escalated into vicious insults aimed at her parents and brothers.
Although the original owner of this body possessed the mind of a small child, she loved her family deeply.
Unable to tolerate hearing them insulted, she had picked up a stone and hurled it directly at Li Erniu’s forehead.
The stone had broken the skin and drawn a little blood.
Terrified by the result, the original owner had run home immediately afterward.
The Li family had come to cause trouble once, but since there was no money to squeeze out of them, the matter had eventually died down.
Who could have guessed that Li Erniu would send these two lackeys today?
After receiving such a lesson, they probably wouldn’t dare show their faces for a while.
Song Wu immediately leaned toward his sister.
“Little Sister, those moves just now were amazing. Can you teach your brother too?”
Song Xiaoyu snapped her fingers.
“No problem.”
The answer delighted Song Wu immensely.
The three siblings then continued toward the back hill.
At this hour, many village women had already arrived with their children to dig wild vegetables along the mountain’s outer edges.
Everyone knew that as long as they stayed near the perimeter, they would generally be safe from large predators.
Moreover, people usually gathered in groups. If anything happened, a single shout could summon help.
“Little Sister,” Song Wu said excitedly, “if you teach me martial arts, I’ll catch two rabbits for you later. Tonight I’ll roast rabbit meat!”
Song Wen shook his head.
“I think Little Sister came up here with a purpose. Let’s hear what she has planned first.”
Song Xiaoyu lowered her voice.
“Brother Wen, Brother Wu, our family lives in a leaking thatched hut. We sleep on wooden planks. We don’t even have proper doors, windows, or furniture.”
She sighed dramatically.
“We’re dirt poor.”
“So today, I plan to pull off a huge score.”
Several village women nearby happened to glance in their direction.
Song Xiaoyu immediately motioned for her brothers to lean closer.
The three siblings gathered together and began whispering.
Not far away, Xiao Wang was digging wild vegetables with Song Tiedan and Song Xiaozhu.
She noticed the three children and frowned.
Why had they come to the mountain without any adults?
What if something happened?
She silently resolved to keep an eye on them.
Guided by the treasure map inside her medical space, Song Xiaoyu led her brothers around a dense grove and arrived before a secluded mountain cave.
Snow had piled heavily at the entrance.
After brushing the snow aside, they discovered thick vines covering the opening completely.
Beyond them lay only darkness.
On the treasure map, a cluster of black dots pulsed steadily.
Beside them appeared several small words.
Notice: Adult Black Bear
Beneath the icon stretched a long red health bar.
The bar was already more than half depleted.
Clearly, the bear had suffered serious injuries in a recent battle.
Song Xiaoyu rubbed her hands together excitedly.
Her luck today was incredible.
This was a bargain waiting to be picked up.
A fully grown black bear was valuable from head to toe.
Its fur alone could be made into winter clothing worth a fortune.
The bear paws, gallbladder, meat, and bones could all be sold for excellent prices.
A healthy black bear would be terrifying.
But this one was badly injured.
With a little effort, she could probably finish it off.
The treasure map also showed several medicinal herbs growing nearby.
Chinese knotweed.
Smilax glabra.
Atractylodes macrocephala.
Even if the bear escaped somehow, selling those herbs would still guarantee a profit.
The cave interior was pitch-black.
Song Xiaoyu warned her brothers not to rush inside.
If they accidentally stepped on a venomous snake or insect hidden in the darkness, the consequences would be disastrous.
She first gathered the medicinal herbs shown on the map.
Only after finishing did she return to the cave entrance.
Song Wen and Song Wu immediately looked toward her, waiting for instructions.
Song Xiaoyu pulled aside the vines.
Fresh bear blood stained the ground near the entrance.
A heavy scent of blood lingered in the air.
Without hesitation, she reached into her medical space and retrieved an iron bow and a matching arrow.
The brothers’ eyes widened.
Before they could even ask where the weapon had come from, Song Xiaoyu had already drawn the bowstring.
Inside the cave, the injured black bear was licking its wounds.
She carefully aimed at its nose.
A bear’s nose was one of its most sensitive weak points.
A successful strike there could instantly disable it.
Her eyes narrowed.
The bowstring hummed.
The arrow shot forward like lightning.
Unfortunately, the black bear sensed danger at the last moment.
It twisted aside.
Instead of striking the nose, the arrow merely sliced across its face.
The next instant—
ROAR!
A deafening roar exploded from the cave.
The entire mountain seemed to tremble.
The black bear’s eyes locked onto the three intruders.
Its sharp teeth flashed as it let out another furious howl.
“Xiaoyu! Get back!”
Song Wen’s heart nearly stopped.
He lunged forward, grabbed his sister, and dragged her away from the cave entrance.
Then he shouted at the top of his lungs:
“Brother Wu, run!”
The three siblings immediately turned and sprinted for their lives.
Fortunately, the black bear’s injuries severely limited its speed.
Although it pursued them relentlessly, it remained some distance behind.
Even so, the thunderous sound of its pursuit was enough to make anyone’s scalp go numb.