Chen Xinghai abruptly raised his head, the shock in his eyes completely unconcealed. He had already lost count of how many times he had been astonished today—Mother always managed to surprise him!
“Mother, can I really recover?”
He asked in disbelief, his voice trembling slightly.
“Yes, it should take about half a month.”
Xiao Ying nodded. Treating him daily would roughly take that amount of time.
If her strength were greater, one day would suffice.
Yet Chen Xinghai was already overjoyed. Half a month was nothing—he had endured over a decade already.
“Thank you, Mother!”
At this moment, Chen Xinghai was overwhelmed with emotion, and all his wariness and suspicion toward Xiao Ying vanished completely.
Mother was so capable—if she wanted to harm them, it would be effortless. There was no need for her to go to such lengths.
This could only mean that Mother genuinely cared for them.
“Stretch your foot out,” Xiao Ying said.
Chen Xinghai flushed instantly. His feet were filthy, covered in mud from the mountain earlier, and he hadn’t washed them yet.
But Xiao Ying showed no disgust. She placed two fingers on the injured area, slowly channeling spiritual power until she nearly depleted her own reserves before stopping.
“That’s enough for today. We’ll continue tomorrow.”
She withdrew her hand. In a few more days, he should be able to walk more smoothly.
“Thank you, Mother.”
Chen Xinghai was deeply moved, feeling much relief in his injured foot.
Xiao Ying waved her hand dismissively. Helping Chen Xinghai recover was also for the sake of enabling him to do more in the future.
Since she had decided to live well here, she needed to cultivate her own people. And who could be closer than her own children?
In her previous life, she had managed to establish a massive sect—why couldn’t she do it again in this lifetime?
That noon, the three of them enjoyed a hearty meal. Chen Xinghai and his sister ate until their mouths were greasy, feeling so blissful they could almost cry.
Xiao Ying didn’t let them overeat. Having starved for so long, their stomachs were already compromised, and eating too much suddenly would do more harm than good.
After the meal, the siblings processed the remaining game, as leaving it too long in this weather would cause it to spoil.
Xiao Ying entered her space and harvested a patch of rice. The portion from yesterday was nearly finished.
This time, she harvested about one-tenth of an acre, yielding over a hundred pounds—enough to last for a while.
She gave some to the two to handle and stored the rest temporarily in the small wooden hut, to be retrieved as needed.
She also dug up several hundred pounds of potatoes and piled them up. Tomorrow, she planned to visit the town to see if she could start some business with them.
After finishing these tasks, she drank a cup of Spiritual Spring Water and meditated to restore her spiritual power.
When she emerged again, only about two hours had passed outside.
Judging by the sky, there was still plenty of time before dark. She decided to venture into the mountains again, hoping to hunt something more.
She still owed money to the gambling den, needed to find a way to redeem the two children, and also had to buy land and build a house. There were many expenses—a hundred taels of silver wouldn’t even cover it. She had to find ways to earn more.
“Mother, are you going out?”
Seeing her heading out, the two, who were cleaning the bloodstains in the yard, immediately approached.
“Yes, I want to see if I can hunt something more. I plan to go to town tomorrow,” Xiao Ying said without hiding her intentions.
The siblings exchanged glances, hesitating to speak.
Finally, Chen Xinghai asked, “Is it to repay the gambling den’s debt?”
“That’s just one part of it.”
“I’m sorry…”
The two children hung their heads in shame. It was clearly the previous mother who had incurred the debts, yet the current mother had to repay them.
Xiao Ying smiled and said, “You have nothing to apologize to me for. If anyone should apologize, it should be the previous Xiao Ying apologizing to you. As for me, since I have inherited this body, it means I have also inherited all her karma.”
Therefore, she would not complain but would strive to resolve the problems.
The siblings were both moved and filled with admiration. Their mother was truly remarkable—or rather, formidable.
“Take good care of the house. I’ll be back soon.”
After giving her instructions, Xiao Ying left the courtyard.
“Elder Brother, I admire Mother so much.”
Chen Xingyun’s eyes sparkled with excitement. It was the first time she had ever admired someone so deeply, as if looking up at a towering mountain.
“Yes.”
Chen Xinghai nodded in agreement. Their mother was different from everyone else here—her strength, her magnanimity, her unwavering resolve. Their mother was a true powerhouse.
He not only admired her but also aspired to be like her, hoping that one day he could grow into such a person.
Xiao Ying was completely unaware of their thoughts. This time, she ventured deep into the mountains with ease, catching several rabbits and pheasants along the way, all of which she kept alive.
If she raised these animals in her space, she would have a steady supply of game to eat in the future.
Unconsciously, she had traveled over ten miles into the mountains, much farther than she had gone in the morning. At this distance, even hunters rarely ventured.
Unfortunately, she still hadn’t encountered any large prey.
Just as she was about to turn back, Xiao Ying suddenly heard a soft, graceful deer call not far ahead.
Her heart stirred, and she immediately headed toward the source of the sound, deliberately lightening her footsteps.
After walking about a hundred meters, the sound of rushing water reached her ears, and soon she saw a river.
The river was quite wide, at least thirty to forty meters across, with clear water that seemed to originate from deep within the mountains, flowing joyously and swiftly.
Strangely, she had no memory of this river, as if the people of Chenjia Village had never seen it all these years.
The water sources in Chenjia Village relied on wells, ponds for storing water, and a small river about two miles away.
However, that river was truly small, only five or six meters wide, and it would dry up during severe droughts.
She speculated that the small river was likely a tributary of this one.
On the opposite bank of the river, a Sika deer was drinking water, occasionally lifting its head to look around, clearly very alert.
Xiao Ying finally understood why large predators were so scarce—they were likely blocked by this river and couldn’t cross over.
Just as the Sika deer finished drinking and was about to leave, Xiao Ying reached out her hand, and a bow and arrows instantly appeared in her grasp.
She drew the bow and nocked an arrow, aiming as if she had done it countless times before. The arrow shot through the air in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, a silver-white streak of light cut through the sky, speeding toward the Sika deer on the opposite bank with lightning speed!
It all happened in a flash.
Just as the deer was about to dash into the forest, the arrow whistled through the air and struck its hind leg.
“Yoo…”
A cry of pain echoed as the deer was thrown to the ground by the immense force. The arrow had pierced clean through its hind leg, and the pain rendered it completely powerless to fight back.
Another arrow followed immediately, this time striking its neck and ending its life.
But now a new problem arose: the Sika deer was dead, but how could she retrieve it? A thirty-to-forty-meter-wide river stood in between.
After a moment’s thought, Xiao Ying had an idea.
She found a dry tree branch as thick as a bucket. The branch grew perfectly straight and was about four to five meters long—ideal for use as a boat.
She immediately drew her dagger and channeled spiritual power into it. The blade instantly glowed with a faint radiance.
With a swift horizontal slash, she cut through the branch as effortlessly as slicing through tofu, encountering no resistance at all.
After trimming off the smaller branches, she tossed the log directly into the river, where it floated lightly on the water. A simple wooden raft was now complete.
She leaped gracefully onto the log, circulating spiritual power beneath her feet, and began moving toward the opposite shore.
Upon reaching the other side of the river, she first retrieved the two arrows she had shot. With only seven arrows in total, she needed to reuse them.
Only then did she go to inspect the Sika deer.
The deer was sizable, weighing around 150 to 160 jin, and it was a male. The antler velvet on its head was well-developed, likely weighing two to three jin.
Xiao Ying was quite pleased. The antler velvet alone should fetch a good price.
She stored the Sika deer in her spatial storage. Seeing that it was already getting late, she decided to head back.
Early the next morning, she would take it to town to see what she could get for it.