Outside the cave, the thunder rumbled with a heavy boom. With every flash of lightning, a faint, shimmering ripple deep within the cavern was illuminated for a fleeting second before vanishing back into the thick darkness. It looked like an eye lurking in the shadows, brimming with both unknown temptation and danger.
Lin Xi’s heart instantly leaped into her throat.
Was it a blessing or a curse?
Having endured so many hardships already, she was no longer the little girl who would shrink back out of fear. Curiosity, along with an intuition rising from the depths of her soul, overrode her dread. She gently patted Huzi, who was equally on edge in her arms, and used her mental energy to soothe him: 『Don’t be afraid. Let’s go take a look.』
She didn’t stand up immediately. Instead, she tended to her own condition first. Tearing a relatively clean strip of cloth from her tattered clothes, she carefully wiped the rainwater from around the wound on the back of her head, ensuring the yedo violet medicinal paste hadn’t been completely washed away and was still doing its job. Then, she dragged the now stiff rabbit to the furthest corner of the cave and weighed it down with a few stones to temporarily prevent the scent from spreading too quickly.
Only after finishing this did she take a deep breath. She picked up a sharp-edged stone from the ground to serve as a makeshift weapon. With the stone in one hand and Huzi in the other, she took slow, cautious steps toward the depths of the cave.
The cavern was deeper than she had imagined. The further in she went, the dimmer the light became, and the air grew increasingly cold and damp. The ground beneath her feet was no longer dry earth but slick, moss-covered rock. From the cave ceiling, icy droplets of water fell from time to time, splashing against her neck and making her shudder involuntarily.
In her arms, Huzi let out low, throaty whimpers, his fur bristling slightly. He felt something—but the sensation wasn’t the terror one feels toward a natural predator. It was… a tension mixed with both awe and curiosity.
This made Lin Xi even more certain that whatever lay ahead was not a wild beast.
After walking about several dozen meters and turning a corner, the view suddenly opened up.
This appeared to be the end of the cave—a relatively spacious stone chamber. In the very center of the chamber, within a natural stone basin about the size of a washbowl, sat a pool of spring water, clear enough to see the bottom.
That water was impossibly clear, like a single piece of flawless crystal. At the top of the stone chamber was a hair-thin crack. The flashes of lightning from outside were piercing through this very crack, striking the surface of the water to create the eye-like shimmering ripples Lin Xi had seen earlier.
A crisp, sweet scent, carrying the faint fragrance of greenery and wood, wafted toward her. Just by smelling it, Lin Xi felt her head—which had been heavy and groggy from blood loss and exhaustion—instantly clear by several degrees.
This is the place!
Lin Xi’s eyes lit up immediately. She felt an almost instinctive certainty that this pool of spring water was absolutely no ordinary thing!
She hurried to the edge of the stone hollow and crouched down. Huzi was even faster than her; he leaped from her arms and extended his tiny pink tongue, cautiously taking a lick of the spring water.
“Meow-woo~”
With just one sip, Huzi’s reaction left Lin Xi stunned. His emerald eyes, which had looked somewhat dull from being caught in the rain, instantly became sparkling and bright, like two polished green gems. His fur fluffed up at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if an invisible force had instantly evaporated all the moisture. He let out an extremely contented cry and then affectionately rubbed his head against the edge of the stone hollow, clearly wanting more.
There really is something strange about this!
Lin Xi hesitated no longer. She reached out her small hands, scooped up a palmful of the crystal-clear spring water, and brought it to her lips.
The moment the water entered her mouth, an indescribable sweetness and coolness exploded across her palate. It then transformed into a warm stream that slid down her throat and flowed into her four limbs and hundreds of bones.
Boom!
Lin Xi felt as if a gentle bolt of lightning had struck her brain!
The throbbing pain and heaviness that had plagued her head since her injury vanished in an instant. Her mind became clearer than it had ever been before!
Following that, the warm current began to circulate through her body. As it flowed past her knees—where the jagged rocks had sliced her skin—a cool, tingling sensation immediately replaced the burning pain. As the warmth surged toward the back of her head, a much stronger itching sensation came from beneath the medicinal mud covering her wound, as if new flesh were growing at a startling speed!
Even her stomach, which had been hollow and aching from long-term malnutrition, felt soothed by this warm current. Though the hunger remained, that agonizing, burning sensation in her gut disappeared.
This water… this water is practically a divine medicine!
Lin Xi stared at the spring water in the stone hollow in shock, her heart thumping wildly. She proceeded to take several more. she drank several gulps, only stopping when she felt a warm glow spreading through her entire body, filling her with strength.
She stood up and stretched her limbs. Her body, which had been exhausted from the frantic escape and her injuries, now felt charged with explosive power! It was as if all her previous depletion had been completely replenished by those few sips of spring water—and then some!
Even more thrilling was the change in her “Beast Taming” ability.
She closed her eyes and concentrated. This time, what she could “hear” was no longer just the blurred emotions and intentions of the surrounding animals.
She could clearly “hear” the squirrel at the cave entrance muttering in its mind: ‘This human cub is so strange… but the scent on her isn’t unpleasant…’
She could “hear” Huzi acting spoiled: ‘Master, this water tastes so good, I want more! My paws feel so much stronger after drinking it!’
She could even “hear” the faint consciousness of a hibernating scorpion in a crevice in the corner of the stone chamber: ‘…So noisy… Is it… springtime yet…’
After drinking the spring water, her mental power had undergone a qualitative leap! Her range of perception was broader and the details were clearer—it was like upgrading from an old, crackling radio to a high-definition digital TV!
This was nothing short of a godsend!
Lin Xi looked at the small pool of spring water, her eyes blazing with fervent light. She knew that this spirit spring would be her greatest asset for survival and growth in this danger-ridden mountain forest.
With it, she could rapidly recover from injuries and fatigue.
With it, her beast-taming abilities would grow stronger, allowing her to communicate with more animals and gather more help and information.
She even had a premonition: if she drank this water long-term, her chronically malnourished and frail body would be completely transformed!
Suppressing her wild joy, she began to think calmly. A treasure like this had to be guarded carefully. This cave was incredibly secluded and hidden by the waterfall, making it the perfect sanctuary. She decided that until she found her father or gained enough power to protect herself, this would be her secret base!
“Huzi, from now on, this is our home.” She stroked Huzi’s head, her voice filled with unprecedented resolve.
Huzi let out a happy—”Meow,” Huzi let out a soft cry, rubbing his head vigorously against her palm.
With her physical strength and spirit restored, the sensation of hunger became sharp and clear once again. Lin Xi glanced at the rabbit in the corner, a keen glint flashing in her eyes.
Now, she finally had the energy to deal with it!
She walked over to the rabbit and pulled out her piece of flint along with another hard stone. Her previous failures had taught her a lesson: the tinder had to be bone-dry. She looked up at the unknown withered vines hanging from the roof of the cave, and an idea formed.
Climbing the stone wall, she used a sharp rock to hack off a large handful of dry vine, shredding the fine fibers to create fresh tinder.
This time, she was fully prepared.
She placed the tinder on a dry stone slab, using her body to block the slight breeze blowing in from the cave entrance. Then, she took the two stones and struck them together with all her might!
Sizzle!
A cluster of bright sparks landed precisely on the dry tinder.
A thin wisp of blue smoke rose, followed by a soft whoosh as a tiny orange flame flickered to life, burning stubbornly and joyfully in the dark cavern!
Success!
Watching the dancing flame and feeling the heat wash over her face, Lin Xi’s eyes grew hot, nearly welling up with tears. This firelight did more than just dispel the cave’s damp chill and darkness—it illuminated her path forward!
She immediately piled the pre-prepared dry branches onto the fire, and the flames soon stabilized. The warm glow cast a bright light across the entire stone chamber.
With fire, the spiritual spring, and food, her chances of survival in this mountain forest had increased exponentially!
However, just as she was immersing herself in the joy and preparing to butcher the rabbit, a thick, bloody scent of a beast drifted in on the wind, accompanied by a suppressed, greedy, and threatening growl from behind the waterfall outside.
“Roar… ugh…”
That sound didn’t belong to any small animal she recognized. It was the cold, cruel declaration of a true predator.
It seemed the warmth and light within the cave had attracted an uninvited guest.
The smile on Lin Xi’s face froze instantly. She whipped her head around toward the cave entrance hidden behind the curtain of water, and her heart sank straight to the bottom of her chest.