Gu Ziyan’s hand, hanging at his side, tightened slightly, but in the end, he did nothing.
People riding a horse or camel for the first time often ended up with painful chafing injuries. He had not known that Sheng Xia would be affected as well. It was his oversight.
But time was pressing. Sheng Xia herself had not said a word about it, and he could not make special exceptions for her. Everything depended on her own endurance.
At that moment, Sheng Xia was miserably peeling her pants away from her wound little by little.
The skin had already been rubbed raw before scabbing over, and now the dried blood and flesh had stuck to the fabric. If she wanted to apply medicine, she first had to remove her pants.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, she carefully tugged at the fabric attached to the wound.
Only after fifteen minutes did this torture finally come to an end.
When Jinbao saw the bloody, mangled wound, he immediately moved closer, intending to lick it.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Sheng Xia grabbed him and shook her head with a bitter smile.
What a joke. There was no way she would let Jinbao lick such an embarrassing area.
Jinbao was a boy!
Just imagining that slippery, wet tongue touching her skin was enough to make goosebumps break out all over her body.
Sheng Xia shuddered and quickly shook the thought away before taking out a small bottle from her spatial storage.
She unscrewed the cap, poured a capful of transparent liquid, dipped her finger into it, and carefully applied it to the wound.
Watching the liquid appear, Jinbao was filled with confusion.
Since it was just his saliva anyway, why wouldn’t Sheng Xia simply let him lick the wound directly?
Humans really were strange.
As Sheng Xia watched the transparent liquid gradually diminish inside the bottle, her heart ached.
If she hadn’t accidentally cut her finger while cooking some time ago, and Jinbao hadn’t picked up her injured hand and licked the wound, causing it to heal rapidly, she would never have discovered this miraculous property of his saliva.
To obtain these precious drops, she had cooked countless delicious meals in exchange for them.
Recalling the way Jinbao drooled over dish after dish, Sheng Xia couldn’t help laughing.
This saliva was incredibly valuable. Every drop used meant one less remaining.
As the liquid spread across her wound, the damaged flesh visibly began scabbing over and healing.
Estimating that it would be fully recovered within a few hours, Sheng Xia finally relaxed.
After wrapping a layer of gauze around the wound and pulling her pants back on, she couldn’t resist scooping Jinbao into her arms and gently stroking his fur.
Jinbao, Jinbao, truly a treasure from head to toe!
After playing around with him for a while, Sheng Xia had barely lain down when a piercing scream sounded from somewhere nearby.
Could it be a mutated beast attack?
She sprang to her feet and hurried out of the tent.
People throughout the camp emerged from their tents one after another. The scream had come from Mu Ting’s tent, and Gu Ziyan signaled for Ye Qingqing to investigate.
Controlling a vine in her hand, Ye Qingqing lifted the tent flap. By the firelight, she saw Mu Ting lying inside with a flushed face and sweat-soaked hair, muttering incoherently like someone drunk.
At that exact moment, a one-meter-long black snake suddenly shot out from beside Mu Ting’s feet and lunged at Ye Qingqing.
Before it could get close, the snake was ensnared by vines and firmly pinned in place.
Holding a flashlight, Baza hurried forward. The moment he recognized the snake trapped in the vines, he shouted loudly.
“Quick! Bring me my backpack! That’s a black mamba, the Grim Reaper of the desert. She needs antivenom immediately!”
Upon hearing this, Gu Ziyan strode into Baza’s tent, grabbed the backpack, and rushed back.
Mu Ting was half-conscious, repeatedly calling Gu Ziyan’s name. Everyone present looked awkward but didn’t dare leave.
Only after the antivenom was injected into her vein did she gradually calm down, her body temperature slowly returning to normal.
It was then that everyone clearly saw the snakebite marks on her ankle.
Fortunately, Mu Ting was a Healing ability user, and the bite had been discovered in time, so there was no serious danger.
However, after this incident, everyone learned about her feelings for Gu Ziyan. The looks directed toward him became somewhat subtle.
Gu Ziyan said nothing. He personally examined Mu Ting’s injury and, after confirming she was fine, instructed Xu Dayou to carry her back to her tent. He also told Ye Qingqing to stay with her.
At the same time, he reminded Shen Li, who was on night watch, to remain especially vigilant.
Everyone could tell that Mu Ting had been bitten because her tent had not been properly sealed, allowing the snake to slither inside. No one mentioned it.
When they returned to their own tents, everyone carefully checked to make sure they were securely closed.
After all, being bitten by a snake in the middle of the night was absolutely terrifying.
Meanwhile, Ye Qingqing enthusiastically extracted the black mamba’s venom and gallbladder, carefully storing each separately.
Smiling cheerfully, she asked Sheng Xia to keep them in her spatial storage to prevent them from spoiling.
Only then did she leisurely return to Mu Ting’s tent to rest.
Calmly storing the items in a corner of her spatial storage, Sheng Xia looked at Ye Qingqing’s expression of having found a priceless treasure and suddenly felt that there wasn’t a single normal person in this team.
A black mamba’s venom was among the deadliest toxins in existence. Just two drops could kill an adult.
Yet Ye Qingqing not only wasn’t afraid, she had even extracted the venom by hand. She truly was no ordinary person.
Thankfully, this had only been a normal black mamba. Had it been a mutated variety, the consequences would have been disastrous.
If Baza hadn’t had antivenom and Mu Ting hadn’t been a Healing ability user, she might have received her death flag today.
Thinking back to Mu Ting’s drunken “confessions,” Sheng Xia instantly understood why Mu Ting disliked her.
So she was jealous.
The disdain on Mu Ting’s face had always been obvious enough to see without needing Jinbao to read her thoughts.
Besides, Sheng Xia had no habit of invading other people’s privacy. Who had that much free time to listen to everyone’s inner thoughts?
If Jinbao had to listen to every single person they met, he’d probably die from exhaustion.
Maybe she should find an opportunity to explain that she really had no special relationship with Gu Ziyan.
The male lead belonged to the female lead, not to a supporting female character like her…
She truly wasn’t interested in him…
Wait! Did the original novel even have a female lead?
A headache suddenly came over Sheng Xia.
All she wanted was to survive peacefully until old age. She had no other demands.
Once this mission was over and she had met Su Mei, she would leave the Langya Squad and live her own life.
Thinking about Qin Shuang’s suggestion, forming her own squad and traveling around gathering supplies and exploring sounded rather exciting.
But why was there still a tiny trace of discomfort in her heart when she saw Gu Ziyan worrying over another woman?
Sheng Xia shook her head and forcibly cast aside these troublesome thoughts.
This was the Apocalypse. Why waste time thinking about romance?
Wasn’t having her spatial storage and farmland enough?
Why bother dating?
With that thought, she returned to her tent and went to sleep.
After settling all matters, Gu Ziyan circled Sheng Xia’s tent twice, meticulously inspecting every corner.
He even carefully checked every zipper on the tent before finally going to rest.
Exhausted beyond measure, Sheng Xia fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow, completely unaware of any of it.
At dawn, the members of the team were awakened by the rich aroma of meat.
The moment they stepped out of their tents, they saw Sheng Xia squatting by the campfire, busily frying meat pies.
Nearby, Xu Yi, who had just finished his watch shift, was devouring one with great enthusiasm.
The golden-brown pies gave off an irresistible aroma. One bite released a burst of juicy meat filling that flooded the mouth with flavor.
Even little Jinbao was hugging a pie almost as large as himself and eating happily.
Sheng Xia had not expected everyone to wake up so early and froze in surprise.
Jinbao had been miserable these past few days, unable to eat or drink properly, and had been causing quite a fuss.
Compressed biscuits and military rations weren’t even worthy of a glance from him.
Of course, she wasn’t fond of them either.
She had gotten up early intending to make something delicious for him while treating herself as well.
Unexpectedly, she had only just bribed Xu Yi and finished frying two pies before everyone woke up.
Except for Mu Ting, everyone gathered around the campfire, staring unblinkingly at the pies in Sheng Xia’s hands.
She could practically hear people swallowing their saliva.
Awkwardly, she greeted them.
“Morning, everyone. Go wash up first. They’ll be ready soon. My treat. Everyone gets a share.”
After receiving her confirmation, everyone ignored the chilly aura radiating from Gu Ziyan and scattered to prepare themselves.
As she skillfully flipped the pies, Sheng Xia mentally reviewed the camel-riding techniques Xu Yi had just taught her.
She absolutely had to learn how to ride a camel properly.
She never wanted to repeat yesterday’s torture.
Ten minutes later, everyone was eating hot meat pies with expressions of pure bliss.
Only heaven knew how long it had been since people who spent most of their time on missions had eaten anything this fresh and warm.
Ever since the beast tide erupted, such food had become a luxury.
It was simply too wonderful.
Ye Qingqing even narrowed her eyes in delight.
“Sheng Xia, your cooking is incredible! This is the best meat pie I’ve ever had!”
Sheng Xia smiled. Seeing everyone enjoy the food made her happy as well.
However, a sudden snort shattered the warm atmosphere.
“Hmph. Using the squad’s food supplies however you like. Did the captain approve that?”
“We’ve only just entered the desert, and you’re already wasting resources. When we reach the dimensional rift and food becomes scarce, are you planning to starve us to death?”
“And not only are you wasting food, you’re making such a commotion. Aren’t you afraid of attracting mutated beasts?”
Mu Ting fired off three questions in rapid succession without even pausing for breath.
Limping slightly, she emerged from her tent.
Sheng Xia was speechless at this young lady’s train of thought.
What military expedition carried fresh meat and flour?
Everything Gu Ziyan had prepared consisted of convenience foods.
Just as she was about to argue back, Gu Ziyan spoke first.
“Those are Sheng Xia’s personal supplies, not the provisions I distributed. If you don’t approve, then don’t eat any.”
Without giving Mu Ting a chance to respond, he turned to Sheng Xia and said in a mildly warning tone,
“In the future, if you’re making special meals, just cook for yourself and Jinbao. There’s no need to take care of everyone else.”
The team immediately let out miserable cries.
Ye Qingqing was the first to protest.
“Then I can trade my own things with Sheng Xia, right? That’s free trade. Captain, you can’t interfere with that.”
Gu Ziyan glared at her.
Ye Qingqing fearlessly glared back.
After all, cutting off someone’s food was equivalent to killing their parents.
Taking away her delicious meals was the same as taking her life.
Who would tolerate that?
In the end, Gu Ziyan admitted defeat. He snorted and ordered the team to move out.
Having been reprimanded by him, Mu Ting was so angry she skipped breakfast entirely and set off.
Once morning passed, the coolness of the desert night vanished completely.
As the sun climbed higher, the ground temperature continued rising. Sweat poured from every member of the squad.
Yet since Gu Ziyan had not called for a halt, no one dared complain.
Everyone constantly drank water to stay hydrated.
Only Sheng Xia remained cool and comfortable.
At first, she used her ice abilities to resist the heat. Then she suddenly slapped her forehead.
Has her memory been eaten by a dog?
Quietly, she retrieved a food container from her spatial storage.
Inside were beautiful green leaves covered in what looked like frost. In reality, the “frost” consisted of tiny white hairs.
After withdrawing her ice power, Sheng Xia opened the container. One leaf for herself, one for Jinbao. Human and beast alike enjoyed them contentedly.
The crisp texture combined with the refreshing chill made them the perfect summer treat.
The plant was a type of mutated flora discovered within the ice-and-snow dimensional rift.
During the days she had spent searching for an escape route, Jinbao had dragged her all over the place, allowing her to collect many unusual mutated plants.
All of them had been planted in the black soil of her spiritual farmland and were thriving.
This was one of them.
Sheng Xia had named it Frostleaf Vegetable.
Each leaf provided several minutes of lasting coolness after consumption. It relieved thirst, dispelled heat, and even helped clear the mind.
New leaves quickly grew back after harvesting, and Sheng Xia had accumulated quite a stockpile in her spatial storage.
Soon, aside from the soft sounds of camel hooves crossing the sand, the only other noise came from the frequent crunching of leaves being eaten.
When Gu Ziyan glanced back, he saw Sheng Xia chewing like a little hamster, her cheeks puffing as she ate.
Perched on her shoulder, Jinbao mirrored every movement perfectly.
Naturally, Gu Ziyan wasn’t the only one who noticed.
Everyone in the squad was curious about what Sheng Xia was eating.
After all, everyone else was suffering from the heat except Gu Ziyan, while Sheng Xia looked even cooler than he did, not a drop of sweat on her face.
Ye Qingqing reacted first.
Guiding her camel alongside Sheng Xia’s, she whispered,
“Sheng Xia, what delicious thing are you eating? Can your big sister have some?”
Smiling, Sheng Xia handed over a container.
Ye Qingqing admired the beautiful leaves for all of one second before copying Sheng Xia and tossing one into her mouth.
The refreshing coolness instantly spread throughout her body.
She immediately shot Sheng Xia a resentful look, as though accusing her of not sharing sooner.
Sheng Xia merely smiled.
She had only remembered them herself a moment ago…
With Ye Qingqing leading the way, everyone in the squad except Mu Ting soon received a container of Frostleaf Vegetables.
Gu Ziyan sampled one before having Sheng Xia store the rest for him. As a fire elemental ability user, this level of heat meant little to him.
Once again, Sheng Xia earned a wave of goodwill from the team.
Ye Qingqing practically glued herself to Sheng Xia’s side, terrified of missing out on future delicacies.
The world of food lovers truly was universal.
The two quickly became close friends.
As for Mu Ting, Sheng Xia had never intended to give her any.
Watching Sheng Xia effortlessly win everyone’s favor, Mu Ting’s hatred deepened. Her jealous eyes constantly drifted toward her.
Sheng Xia remained completely oblivious.
After more than a day together, she had discovered that everyone in the squad, except Mu Ting, was easy to get along with. She was happy to share and chat with them.
When Ye Qingqing asked where the magical leaves came from, Sheng Xia omitted everything regarding the Snow Domain fruit and instead recounted the various mutated plants and beasts she had encountered in the Snow Domain.
Although Gu Ziyan walked at the front of the group, he listened attentively to every word.
The moment Sheng Xia finished her story, he spoke.
“Sheng Xia, you can publish information about these mutated plants and beasts in the Huaxia Federation’s Interdimensional White Paper. The Federation government rewards contributors with Contribution Points.”
The others immediately agreed.
Only then did Sheng Xia suddenly remember the Interdimensional White Paper.
When mutated beasts first appeared, the global federation had established it.
Every known mutated beast and mutated plant was recorded there.
Some entries contained only a few brief notes, while others included detailed descriptions, appearances, abilities, and weaknesses.
Its purpose was to help people identify valuable resources and understand the strengths and weaknesses of various creatures.
Sheng Xia froze for a moment before realization struck.
Of course!
How could she have forgotten the Interdimensional White Paper?
In the original novel, it was practically the ultimate survival guide, containing information on strange species from all over the world.
Contributing information earned enormous amounts of Contribution Points.
After all, such knowledge was often purchased with blood and lives.
Without another word, Sheng Xia tossed the container to Jinbao, opened her communicator, selected the Interdimensional White Paper, and registered under the pen name Poppy.
Then she began uploading everything she knew.
Seeing how seriously she worked, the others exchanged amused glances and tactfully refrained from disturbing her.
After all, there weren’t many people left who didn’t know about the White Paper.
Especially among ability users.
Completely unaware of their thoughts, Sheng Xia carefully compiled clear and detailed entries. Whenever she possessed physical samples, she thoughtfully attached photographs as well.
At the same time, a series of concise yet comprehensive reports appeared on the Interdimensional White Paper.
The author was a newly registered user.
At present, most entries focus on already discovered mutated beasts.
Information on mutated plants remained extremely scarce.
Sheng Xia cautiously uploaded only species from the ice-and-snow dimensional rift.
Many of the creatures and plants she remembered had not yet appeared in the world. Revealing too much could easily bring trouble.
Even though she had hidden her identity, there were undoubtedly powerful individuals capable of tracing an account back to its owner.
Sheng Xia disliked trouble.
Caution was best.
The moment those detailed entries, complete with photographs, appeared online, they caused a global sensation.
Countless explorers and organizations immediately began investigating similar dimensional rifts.
Her Contribution Points skyrocketed from zero.
Hundreds, thousands. Tens of thousands.
Only after a period of explosive growth did the increase begin slowing down.
By then, Sheng Xia had accumulated one hundred thousand Contribution Points.
She was stunned.
Back in Xifeng City, ten Contribution Points could buy half a packet of biscuits.
Suddenly becoming wealthy left her feeling a little dizzy.
She couldn’t believe she had forgotten such an obvious method of earning Contribution Points.
What a waste of intelligence.
Otherwise, she might already have become a multimillionaire.
After sighing, she quickly cheered up.
There were still countless mutated beasts and plants in her memory.
If she collected treasures while occasionally releasing information, wouldn’t she practically be winning at life?
The Federation’s system was simple.
Anyone reading information in the Interdimensional White Paper had to pay Contribution Points.
Official announcements were the exception.
Each piece of information cost one point.
All proceeds went directly to the contributor.
Readers could even leave unlimited tips if they found the information particularly useful.
After all, the truly wealthy never lacked Contribution Points.
Watching her balance continue climbing, Sheng Xia nodded in satisfaction.
Another path to wealth had appeared.
Wonderful!
Noticing the greedy little smile on her face, Gu Ziyan’s lips curved upward slightly.
Soon it was nearly noon. The blazing sun scorched the earth.
The air shimmered with heat as ground temperatures rose ever higher.
Mu Ting felt as though she were melting beneath the sunlight.
Looking at the others, all comfortably cool and refreshed, her gaze toward Sheng Xia became even more hostile.
She was a famous socialite of Yanjing.
A proud daughter of heaven.
A rare Healing ability user.
Yet everyone in the squad treated her coldly.
Meanwhile, Sheng Xia had joined only a day or two ago and had already become close with everyone.
What a shameless woman.
If not for Gu Ziyan and his status, she would never have endured this treatment.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, eventually blaming everyone.
Seeing that the conditions were no longer suitable for travel, Gu Ziyan finally ordered a halt.
The team cheered and quickly found shelter beside a shaded rock wall.
Camp preparations began immediately.
Mu Ting looked as though she might collapse at any moment, but everyone pretended not to notice.
After all, she had been forcibly inserted into the Langya Squad.
Officially, she was there as a Healing ability user.
In reality, she was nearly useless.
Aside from treating Gu Ziyan’s injuries, she barely acknowledged anyone else.
During missions, she constantly held the team back and loved throwing tantrums.
As a result, almost no one liked her.
Everyone sat in the shade and quickly replenished their food and water supplies.
The camels rested lazily on the sand as well.
By sunset, the heat had finally faded.
Just as the group packed up and prepared to depart, a thunderous boom suddenly exploded across the sky.
The moment the thunder faded, dark clouds rapidly gathered overhead.
Yet strangely, no rain fell.
The camels became restless, stomping nervously as if desperate to flee.
Uncle Baza raised a hand, signaling everyone to stop.
Handing the reins to Gu Ziyan, he rushed up the rock wall to survey the surroundings.
His expression changed instantly.
Returning at top speed, he spoke urgently.
“A sandstorm is coming. We need to find shelter immediately.”
With that, he took back the reins, untied the lead camel, and smacked its hindquarters, allowing it to lead the other camels away to save themselves.
Hearing this, Gu Ziyan looked into the distance.
Sure enough, a massive wall of sand was roaring toward them.
Sheng Xia saw it as well.
Just their luck. They had barely entered the desert before running into this disaster.
She silently cursed.
Murphy’s Law really wanted her dead every single day.
With only seconds remaining before the storm reached them, Gu Ziyan’s expression turned grave.
He shouted, “Qingqing! Shen Li! Secure that boulder immediately! Everyone else, move!”