Hehua had no idea that Wu Laidi was plotting against her.
And using the very method she hated the most.
After her mother finished cooking, packed the meal, and left, Hehua finished eating, slung a basket over her back, grabbed a firewood chopping knife, and headed out.
Unlike this morning, this time she went straight for the back mountain.
She was practically bursting with excitement.
[Ginseng! Ginseng! Ginseng!]
Niu Niu wanted to rub its forehead.
[What ginseng? Look at the time. If you head deep into the mountains now, when do you think you’ll come back? Besides, you may have some strength now, but you don’t know any actual fighting techniques. Don’t underestimate the predators in the mountains.]
This girl really deserved a scolding.
For the first time, it truly understood how difficult Hehua’s mother had it.
Hehua pouted.
She just wanted to make some money.
What was wrong with that?
In all the novels Niu Niu had shown her, the heroines made it look easy.
They didn’t even have systems.
She had a system.
A useless system.
Niu Niu: “…”
[I heard that…]
Hehua: “…”
That was a little awkward.
Hehe…
Looks like she’d have to learn to control her thoughts and hide things from Niu Niu.
Like insulting it.
Reading Hehua’s thoughts, Niu Niu stirred slightly.
It seemed the Intelligence Awakening Pill really was working.
Although…
Wasn’t she applying it in the wrong direction?
After thinking about what Niu Niu had said, Hehua admitted it made sense.
[Then… what about catching a couple of wild chickens or rabbits?]
That sounded much more reasonable.
[That’s possible. But one can fly, and the other is incredibly fast. You don’t know any techniques or how to build traps. Even though your body is stronger and faster after the Marrow Cleansing Pill, relying on brute force alone won’t make catching them easy.
Your area is rich in natural resources, but very few people actually get to eat meat these days. That’s partly because of the current political climate, but also because these animals are genuinely difficult to catch.
Traps are the most effective method, but how many people dare openly set traps nowadays? Even experienced hunters have to hunt secretly using their own skills.]
Hehua’s enthusiasm slowly faded.
[Then what should I do?]
Niu Niu answered calmly.
[Find a patch of grass and lie down for a while. Enter the Learning Room with your consciousness. Time flows differently there. Spend some energy points and learn throwing techniques from an experienced hunter.
You don’t have inner energy, but you do have strength. Great strength can create miracles. Later, you can hunt using stones or sharpened branches. You don’t have a bow or a slingshot, but stones and branches are everywhere.]
Hehua’s eyes lit up.
[Okay! I know the perfect place to lie down. It’s safe and hidden. When I was little, Zhao Xiaomei and I always went there whenever we skipped work while gathering pig feed. It’s our secret hideout.]
Niu Niu: “…”
This child had really been lazy ever since she was little.
With Niu Niu’s help, Hehua quickly learned how everything worked.
She spent fifteen energy points.
Inside the Learning Room, she not only learned throwing techniques but also a great deal about surviving and hunting in the mountains.
When she opened her eyes again, she felt incredibly amazing.
She proudly lifted her chin.
Sensing her thoughts, Niu Niu spoke in an annoyingly teasing tone.
[You’re back, Lianzi.]
[So? How do you feel, Lianzi?]
[Think you can kill a tiger now, Lianzi?]
Lianzi: “…”
Pfft!
Hehua: “…”
Silence was today’s Hehua.
She refused to believe Niu Niu didn’t know she had been completely defeated by a tiger during her training in the Learning Room.
Her smug attitude instantly disappeared.
[Stay humble. Catching a rabbit or a wild chicken is enough. Tigers are another matter. One should be content with what one has.]
Niu Niu suppressed a laugh.
[Very modest.]
The words sounded like praise.
But considering the situation…
They carried more than a little sarcasm.
Unfortunately for Niu Niu, Hehua wasn’t the type to feel embarrassed.
She replied proudly, in a tone so smug it could drive someone crazy.
[That’s one of our nation’s traditional virtues.]
Niu Niu: …
It was speechless.
Having successfully left Niu Niu without a comeback, Hehua happily left her secret hideout.
Along the way, she used her chopping knife to cut suitable tree branches, sharpened them into spears, and carried them as spare weapons.
Whenever she found stones of a good size, she casually stuffed them into her pockets.
Following her instructor’s teachings, Hehua avoided the deep mountains.
Instead, she went to a grassy area near the foot of the mountain.
The place was rich with lush grass and water.
Only a few scattered large trees stood there, along with several hazelnut bushes.
The thick grass stretched out in wide patches.
Aside from children who came every year to pick wild strawberries, only the occasional cattle herder ever visited.
Because of the favorable terrain…
Rabbits loved making their homes there.
Quite a few wild chickens also liked nesting there to lay eggs.
It was truly a treasure spot.
However, because villagers had hunted there so aggressively in previous years, wild chickens rarely laid eggs there anymore.
Most of the animals left were rabbits.
Many people in the production brigade knew rabbits lived there.
Knowing was one thing.
Catching them was another.
Rabbits were incredibly fast.
People also couldn’t openly set snares or dig traps.
As time passed, fewer and fewer people bothered coming.
As a result…
The rabbit population had exploded.
Only every autumn did the production brigade organize a legal group hunt.
Even then, there were far more hunters than prey, and part of the catch had to be handed over.
After so much contact with humans, the rabbits seemed to realize people weren’t much of a threat.
Normally, the rabbits here were unbelievably bold.
Sure enough…
Not long after Hehua arrived, a gray rabbit appeared within her sight.
A blade of grass hung from its mouth as it happily hopped over to a spot not far away.
While chewing grass…
It stared directly at Hehua.
Hehua: “…”
[Niu Niu, it’s so arrogant.]
Niu Niu nodded in agreement.
[So… braised or stir-fried?]
Hehua answered firmly.
[I prefer wild chicken.]
Niu Niu: “…”
After teasing Niu Niu, Hehua felt much happier.
The corners of her lips curled upward as she watched the rabbit with great interest.
The rabbit looked fearless now.
But Hehua knew…
The moment she took even one step…
It would disappear in an instant.
Actually…
She didn’t even need to step forward.
The rabbit would bolt the second she moved her body.
Cowardly…
Yet arrogant.
Throughout the journey, Hehua had kept one sharpened wooden spear in her hand.
She simply stood there, staring at the rabbit for a long time without moving.
The gray rabbit tilted its adorable little head.
Could it be…
Its overwhelming bravery had frightened this human?
Were humans this timid now?
They hadn’t been before.
Having finished the grass in its mouth, it lowered its head to bite another clump nearby.
At that exact moment—
Hehua moved.
Whoosh!
The sharpened branch cut through the air.
The rabbit also reacted instantly, noticing Hehua’s movement from the corner of its eye.
But…
It was too late.
The reason Hehua had waited so long was because she had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to land a single fatal strike.
The rabbit had barely leaped half a body length before the sharpened branch pierced straight through it and pinned it to the ground beside it.
After taking the Strength Pill, Hehua’s power was overwhelming.
Combined with everything she had learned in the Learning Room…
Even though she still needed time to fully adapt to the coordination between her mind and body…
A tiny rabbit was no match for her.
The rabbit hadn’t died immediately.
Without hesitation, Hehua twisted the branch with one hand, giving it a quick and merciful death.
Using her chopping knife, she cut some grass and spread it across the bottom of her basket.
After quickly cleaning the rabbit, she tossed it inside.
Then came the second rabbit.
The third.
The fourth…
She didn’t stop until she had caught six rabbits.
Only then did a wild chicken happen to pass by.
Still unwilling to give up, Hehua searched for more.
But she couldn’t bear to spend energy points asking Niu Niu to scan the area, so she searched on her own.
After looking for quite a while, she finally discovered a hidden wild chicken nest near the edge of the forest.
There were sixteen wild chicken eggs.
But no wild chicken.
Feeling that she had gathered enough, she headed down the mountain.
Before reaching any villagers, she picked some goosefoot greens and amaranth near the foot of the mountain and spread them over the top of her basket.
She planned to chop them up later and feed them to the chickens at home.
The vegetables could hide the contents from people’s eyes.
But they couldn’t cover the strong smell of blood.
Anyone passing close enough would notice it.
So Hehua deliberately kept her distance from everyone she saw, pretending she was still gathering wild vegetables.
She planned to wait until it grew a little darker.
Then she’d hurry home while avoiding anyone she might run into.