The next morning.
Just as dawn began to lighten the sky, Li Zhu was awakened by movement near the cave entrance.
Her mother was cooking wild vegetable porridge in a stone pot. The bubbling sound mixed with the fragrant aroma drifted inward, making Li Zhu’s stomach growl.
She rolled over and sat up from the pile of dry grass, rubbing her eyes.
“You’re awake? Hurry and eat. The hunting team is about to leave.”
Her mother walked in with a steaming bowl of porridge, ash smudged on her animal-hide skirt.
“Li Heng has already gone to gather. He said not to rush—he’ll wait for you at the tribe entrance.”
Over the years, Li Zhu had often followed the hunting team into the forest to gather. Otherwise, how would she have discovered all those “new foods”?
She responded and quickly put on the white animal-skin dress her mother had made, then braided her hair into two plaits.
There was no mirror, but she leaned over a basin of water to look at her reflection. The wispy bangs on her forehead and her round eyes stared back at her. She couldn’t help smiling.
This face was far more lively and beautiful than the sallow, overworked one she had in her previous life.
After finishing her porridge and stuffing two strips of roasted meat into her pouch, Li Zhu hurried toward the tribe’s entrance.
From afar, she saw A Tang and A Ning already there.
A Tang stood between her two beast husbands—Sui Yan was carrying a large bamboo basket for her, while Ming Zhu checked his stone spear.
A Ning stood beside A Mu, holding a delicate vine-woven basket containing a water pouch and hemostatic herbs.
“A Zhu, over here!” A Ning waved, her cheeks still flushed with newlywed shyness.
Li Zhu ran over and patted their baskets. “Well prepared, I see.”
“Of course!” A Tang lifted her chin proudly. “I made my beast husband weave the biggest basket. Today I’m filling it to the brim with Sweet Pulp Berries!”
“Ohhh, your beast husband, huh~?” Li Zhu teased.
To her surprise, even the usually bold A Tang blushed.
Love really was magic—it could change anyone.
Soon, the hunting team arrived.
Over twenty male rabbit beastfolk, most carrying bows or stone spears. At the front stood Li Heng.
He wore a brown leather vest made from wild bull hide hunted last year—far sturdier than ordinary animal skins.
Seeing Li Zhu, he frowned slightly.
“Wear this.”
He handed her a small bone whistle carved with simple patterns.
“It’s a signal whistle. If there’s danger, blow it. I’ll hear.”
Li Zhu accepted it and tucked it into her clothes.
“I know, Brother. We’ve gone out with you so many times and nothing’s happened. Don’t worry. We’ll stay nearby and won’t run off.”
Still uneasy, Li Heng reminded A Mu to keep an eye on the three females before signaling the team to depart.
The southern forest lay about half an hour away.
Morning dew dampened the grass along the path. The air carried the fresh scent of soil and vegetation.
Li Zhu walked in the middle, listening to A Tang chatter about how her beast husband had woven her basket, while A Ning softly discussed with A Mu whether last night’s stew needed more ginger.
Her mood grew lighter.
Half an hour later, they arrived.
Li Zhu gazed at the lush green forest and inhaled deeply.
Ah—she loved this feeling.
It felt as though her entire body were soaking in a natural spring wrapped in the fragrance of grass and trees. Especially after rain, the forest was irresistible—endless small mushrooms to pick, endless wild vegetables to gather.
“Brother, we’re going gathering! Don’t worry—we’ll stay in this area.”
“Go. Be careful.”
As usual, the three girls headed into the shrubs together.
The only difference this time? A Tang and A Ning each had a beast husband accompanying them.
The two newly bonded couples chattered endlessly.
Li Zhu called out twice and realized no one was listening.
Hah! These two, forgetting their friend for the sake of their men!
Newlyweds indeed. How cold the world is. How things change. Alas.
Li Zhu quietly moved aside. She had no intention of being a third wheel.
The five focused on gathering, unaware that not far away, a pair of ink-dark eyes was watching them curiously.
Another half hour passed. The sun climbed higher.
“A Tang, A Ning, how’s it going? I didn’t find Sweet Pulp Berries, but I picked two baskets of mushrooms and greens!”
“A Zhu, we didn’t find any either. Just a small basket of mushrooms.”
Li Zhu looked at their baskets—which held barely half of what she had gathered—and fell speechless.
So the two couples came out here to date, huh?
Ha. She was the only single one—reduced to a full-time gathering machine.
“That’s all you picked? Looks to me like you came to be ‘mushroom connoisseurs.’ It’s not about how much you gather—it’s about whether you’ve said enough sweet nothings. Good thing I picked extra. I’ll share some with you, or you won’t even have enough to make mushroom soup when we get back,” Li Zhu teased.
The four of them flushed red. A Tang and A Ning quickly rushed over and hooked themselves onto her arms, one on each side.
“A Zhu~ you’re the best A Zhu~”
“Say a few more compliments,” Li Zhu replied, fully admitting she loved this kind of flattery.
“A Zhu is the prettiest~ A Zhu is the cutest~ A Zhu is the most, most, most, most, most kind, generous, and gentle A Zhu in the entire continent~”
Ahhh…
Who could understand? Inside, Li Zhu was already over the moon. The corners of her mouth had curled up before she even noticed.
“Hmph. Fine. I’ll reluctantly forgive you for neglecting me today~ Here—half for each of you!”
She handed over a basket of mushrooms.
“Thank you, A Zhu~”
“Let’s go find your brother and the others.”
As they talked, the three girls headed back toward the gathering point.
“A Zhu, I want to hear the rest of that story you told last time!”
The two beast husbands followed quietly behind, their faces brimming with happiness.
“Oh, you mean Chang’e? Where did I stop last time…? Oh right! Peng Meng broke into Chang’e’s house and forced her to hand over the elixir of immortality.”
“Yes, yes! What happened next?”
“To keep the elixir from falling into Peng Meng’s hands, Chang’e had no choice but to swallow it in one gulp. Then she suddenly felt as light as a swallow. Her body began to float uncontrollably—until she drifted all the way up to the moon.”
Ze Yu listened, his mind full of confusion.
How could a body float uncontrollably? What kind of medicine was so powerful? And… what was the moon?
“A Zhu, what’s the moon?”
“The moon? It’s that big, bright, glowing thing in the sky after it gets dark.”
Sometimes Li Zhu truly wondered—why did the beastfolk know about the sun, but not the moon? Not even the stars?
Ze Yu fell into thought.
So that was the moon.
“Then what happened? Did Hou Yi never see Chang’e again?”
“That’s right. He never saw her again.”
Just like her—never seeing PPT slides or project proposals ever again!
Before they knew it, the three had returned to the meeting point.
Li Heng and the others were already waiting, each holding some gathered goods.
“Brother, did we keep you waiting? We lost track of time while picking.”
“We just finished not long ago. Let’s head back.”
“Okay.”
The group began retracing their steps.
But they had barely walked a few paces when—
“Look! Isn’t that Sweet Pulp Berry?”
A Tang suddenly pointed toward a patch of shrubs ahead, her eyes sparkling like stars.
Everyone looked.
Clusters of round, purple-red fruit hung from the bushes, plump and juicy-looking.
“It is! It really is Sweet Pulp Berry!” A Ning exclaimed, tugging A Mu as she prepared to run over.
“Wait.”
Li Heng raised a hand to stop her, his gaze sweeping the surroundings warily.
“This forest is too quiet. Something’s wrong.”
Rabbit beastfolk were naturally cautious, with sharp instincts for danger.
Li Zhu halted as well and listened carefully. Normally, at this hour, birds would be chirping and insects buzzing. But now, aside from the rustling of leaves in the wind, there was nothing.
“Brother… what is it?”
A chill crept into her chest as she instinctively touched the signal whistle hidden in her clothes.
Li Heng said nothing. He simply pulled the stone spear from his back and gestured for everyone to step back.
At that moment, heavy footsteps sounded from deep within the forest.
The ground trembled faintly beneath them.