Snap!
Suddenly, the sound of a branch breaking came from the bushes nearby.
Xia Wanyue instantly turned her head, eyes sharp and alert, staring in that direction.
For a long moment, there was no further sound.
She cautiously edged closer. A black-clad foot entered her field of vision.
Then another foot.
Then hips, back, and finally a head.
A man dressed in luxurious brocade lay sprawled on the ground, blood pooling beneath him. An arrow was embedded in his back, and his fine clothing had been torn to shreds by branches.
He lay motionless, his left hand gripping a broken branch—the source of the sound.
“According to novel logic, you don’t pick up random men lying by the roadside.”
I didn’t see anything. I didn’t see anything.
Xia Wanyue straightened up and turned to leave.
“Sa…ve… me…”
A faint, broken plea drifted from behind.
Hearing it, Xia Wanyue quickened her pace and vanished into the woods.
“As long as I run fast enough, trouble can’t catch me…”
“No, no—this guy is clearly being hunted. He’s got an arrow stuck in him. Absolutely not. I need to get far away before I get dragged into this mess.”
She accelerated again, running in the opposite direction.
Only after she’d gone a long way did she stop, panting heavily.
“Damn it, I’m exhausted. I’m still in postpartum confinement! Walking this much—I’m going to hemorrhage.”
Spotting a small cave beneath a rocky outcrop, she glanced around and went inside to change her sanitary pants.
She brushed aside the grass covering the entrance and stepped into the cave.
After changing, she was just about to find a spot to bury the used pair—
Two glowing eyes stared at her from the darkness.
A foul stench wafted from behind.
Xia Wanyue stiffly turned her head. The smell grew stronger.
She tightened her grip on the watermelon knife and slashed backward.
Roar—!
A black bear lunged out of the darkness.
Before it could fully close in, her blade struck its paw.
Xia Wanyue rolled across the ground and flung the blood-soaked sanitary pants aside.
The bear howled in pain. Catching the scent of blood, it hesitated, unsure which direction to pursue.
Xia Wanyue didn’t give it the chance.
At this moment, only speed, precision, and brutality would keep her alive.
Her knife swung again, chopping straight into the bear’s neck.
Its hide was thick and tough—if not for her immense strength, the blade might not have cut through.
A gush of blood poured from its neck.
The bear went berserk and charged her at terrifying speed.
The cave entrance was narrow.
Several times, she nearly got caught by its claws. Each time she seized an opening, she struck again—every blow aimed at the neck.
Finally—
Crack.
With one final slash, the bear’s neck snapped.
Its massive body froze for an instant before collapsing to the ground with a thunderous boom.
Xia Wanyue’s already-weak body could no longer hold. She fell flat onto the ground.
She lay spread-eagle, gasping for air.
The road ahead would only grow harder. She needed to start strengthening her body early—otherwise, fleeing from famine later would be even worse.
She couldn’t rely on her space forever. She still had three children to protect.
After resting for a long while, she forced herself upright, grabbed the bear by its paw, and dragged it into her space.
She dumped the bear in the courtyard, went to the bathroom to wash up, and changed clothes before coming out.
Most of her clothes were shredded.
She only had one set left.
After rummaging through the wardrobe, she finally found a piece of ancient-style clothing.
Thankfully, wearing hanfu had been trendy these past few years—otherwise, she wouldn’t have owned any.
She slipped it on, then boiled water, plucked a wild chicken, chopped it up, and put it into the pot.
After blanching it, she transferred it to a pressure cooker, added a piece of angelica root. There were mushrooms and red dates in the fridge too—those went in as well.
While it simmered, Xia Wanyue rested and drank some water. When the chicken was done, she turned off the heat and exited her space.
Leaving the cave, she saw it was getting late and hurried back the way she came.
She returned to where the man lay.
Climbing a tree, she scanned the surroundings.
Aside from birdsong, there was no movement.
The man in the bushes lay utterly still.
So much time had passed—he was probably dead.
She slid down the tree and approached cautiously.
Picking up a stick, she poked him.
No response.
He looked dead.
Gripping her knife tightly, she crept closer. Reaching out, she touched his shoulder, intending to roll him over—
A hand suddenly shot out and seized her wrist.
Startled, Xia Wanyue reacted faster than she could think, slashing down with her knife.
“Ugh—!”
A muffled groan followed. The man spat out a mouthful of blood.
His grip tightened.
“Let go. If you don’t let go, I’ll kill you.”
Using her arm for leverage, the man flipped over in one swift motion. His other hand lifted high—
A hidden sleeve arrow shot out.
It flew straight toward her and embedded itself in her shoulder.
Fortunately, he was too badly wounded and dizzy—his aim was off. Otherwise, the arrow would’ve pierced her throat.
She staggered back two steps. Thankfully, he was still holding onto her—otherwise, she would’ve fallen.
Pain and fury surged through her.
Her blade flashed, slicing cleanly across his neck.
Blood sprayed.
The man’s raised arm dropped limply.
“…I just changed clothes, and now they’re dirty again.
“I only wanted your money. You wanted my life.
“Anyone who wants my life dies. You’re no exception.”
She kicked the corpse in irritation.
“Hiss—”
The movement tugged at her wound.
She pulled the arrow from her shoulder. The barbed tip tore out a chunk of flesh.
She sucked in a sharp breath.
My poor shoulder…
You’ve really suffered with me—first getting smashed by Little Li Shi, now shot with an arrow.
Gritting her teeth, she angrily carved an X across the man’s face with her knife.
Damn… he was actually pretty handsome.
What a pity.
She crouched down and began searching his body.
From his chest, she pulled out several silver notes, a money pouch, a letter, and a token.
There was a jade pendant hanging from his waist and a string of jade beads on his wrist.
“Hmm… that jade crown isn’t bad either.”
She yanked it off his head.
She also stripped off the sleeve crossbow.
“This thing’s good—hidden weapon. Perfect for self-defense.”
Xia Wanyue thoroughly looted him from head to toe—she even took off his shoes and shook them upside down.