Chapter 17: Protecting Her
Su Muyao’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. “It’s fine, let’s dig them up together!”
“This is cabbage. With wheat and cabbage, we can make cabbage and pork dumplings, and cabbage and pork buns. We can also stir-fry the cabbage.”
Looking at the large heads of cabbage, Su Muyao’s mind filled with all sorts of delicious dishes.
“And we can pickle the cabbage to make sauerkraut, which can be stored for a long time.”
“When the snow season comes and the mountains are sealed, and we can’t go out to hunt for food, we can just stir-fry the sauerkraut with cured meat.”
“The cured meat will have to be smoked in advance, so it can be stored for a long time too.”
Even if they couldn’t hunt in the winter, she had ways to make all sorts of food so they wouldn’t go hungry. Besides, she had sweet potatoes planted in her dimension’s fields and had also transplanted some green onions and ginger she found in the forest yesterday. She also transplanted some of the cabbage into her dimension.
A flicker of understanding crossed Hua Linye’s face. So it really was food. Most people would have instinctively dismissed such a thing as a weed.
Hua Linye quickly began to help dig up the cabbage. With his help, the entire patch was harvested in no time. Su Muyao stored it all in her dimension.
“Thank you. I’ll make you all something delicious tonight.”
Hua Linye’s eyes sparkled with a captivating light. “Wife Master, there’s no need to thank me. It is my honor to eat the food you make.”
The old Su Muyao would never have been so polite. She would have arrogantly ordered them around. Su Muyao didn’t take Hua Linye’s words to heart; the man was a master of charm and sweet talk.
“Let’s go find some medicinal herbs now,” she said.
“Alright!”
Hua Linye naturally transformed back into his beast form and continued to carry Su Muyao deeper into the forest.
About an hour later, they arrived at a valley. Even from his back, Su Muyao could smell the rich aroma of medicinal herbs.
“It’s medicinal herbs! I can smell a lot of them,” she said happily.
When Hua Linye leaped into the valley, her view opened up, and she saw the valley floor covered in all sorts of herbs.
Hua Linye sensed her excitement but felt he had to warn her. “Some of the herbs here are poisonous. You can’t touch them carelessly. A wild beast once stumbled in here by accident and died on the spot from poisoning.”
Su Muyao nodded. “I know, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
She recognized most of the herbs, but some were completely new to her, not even mentioned in the ancient medical texts from the apocalypse. But she had the System. For any herb she didn’t recognize, the System could help her identify if it was poisonous.
After Su Muyao got off his back, Hua Linye shifted back to his human form. Su Muyao took out her bone knife and carefully began to dig for herbs. She spotted a few key ingredients that could help her detoxify her body and restore her original appearance. There were also herbs for making hemostatic medicine, insect repellent, and medicine for treating colds.
Looking at all of this, a bright, radiant smile lit up Su Muyao’s face. She moved forward and carefully dug up some herbs, placing them in her dimension. Hua Linye watched her closely, afraid she would suddenly be poisoned.
When Su Muyao turned her head, she met Hua Linye’s worried, frowning gaze. She looked up at the sky; the sun was directly overhead, meaning it was noon. Wanting to show her gratitude, she said, “Hua Linye, let’s have lunch! I have some sweet potatoes in my dimension. We can roast them.”
Hua Linye looked down and met her bright, captivating eyes. A thought stirred within him. “You wait here and don’t move. I’ll hunt some game nearby.”
Su Muyao nodded. “Okay.”
Still worried, Hua Linye transformed into his fox form and scattered some of his fur in the surrounding area. “I’ve left my scent here. If there’s any danger, I’ll be back immediately.”
Su Muyao was stunned. Although they despised her, they were still doing their best to protect her.
Not long after Hua Linye left, a chilling laugh suddenly echoed through the air. Hearing the sound, Su Muyao’s whole body instinctively went on alert. She looked around but saw nothing.
“System, did you find anything?”
“Host, I didn’t find anything. But the herb at your feet is poisonous. Don’t touch it.”
Su Muyao focused. “I heard a beautiful but chilling voice. There was killing intent in it, and it made me feel a sense of danger.”
The System was surprised. “Ah, Host, my current abilities are limited. I can’t help you detect the source of the danger.”
“It’s okay,” Su Muyao said. “We’ll get stronger.”
“I suspect it’s the five beastmen husbands the original owner had in the Beast Imperial City. They want to kill me.”
“Are they sending people to kill you, Host?” the System asked. “Don’t worry, Host! I am the System! I have energy! I can protect you!”
It was especially fond of its Host. If the Host was in danger, it would sacrifice itself to protect her. Because it had just transmigrated to this world, it was still weak and hadn’t leveled up yet. If it leveled up, it could protect the Host even better.
“It’s fine,” Su Muyao said. “If it comes down to it, I’ll just use that method to quickly increase my strength.”
The System knew what she was talking about. “Host, if you forcibly devour the life force of all the plants within a hundred-meter radius to enhance your ability, your body won’t be able to withstand it, and you could easily explode and die. Even if you could withstand it, there would be side effects. Your body would become very weak, and it would take a long time to recover.”
“That’s why I won’t use it unless I have no other choice,” Su Muyao said.
The System tried to comfort her. “Don’t be afraid, Host. I just sensed that the fox fur your nine-tailed red fox husband left behind has his spiritual power on it. If you’re in danger, he’ll come back.”
Su Muyao’s expression was indifferent. “They probably wish I were dead. I’m not expecting them to come back and protect me. They hate me to the core.”
Just then, a sharp screech suddenly pierced the air. A giant, sharp-beaked black bird dove towards Su Muyao. The first attack was unexpectedly blocked by a red glow that erupted around her.
Su Muyao was surprised. The fox fur really did have power, acting like a barrier to shield her from danger. So Hua Linye really didn’t want anything to happen to her?
After being repelled, the giant, sharp-beaked bird spun around and dove at her again. Su Muyao channeled her ability, holding the bone knife in one hand to protect herself while her other hand began to rapidly absorb the life force of the surrounding plants. Her blood was beginning to boil within her.
But just then, a flaming arrow shot through the air and pierced the giant bird attacking her. At the same time, Hua Linye landed in front of her, shielding her with his body. His nine tails fanned out, enveloping her in a protective embrace, blocking all attacks.
Seeing Hua Linye’s figure, Su Muyao froze. He really came back!
Hua Linye didn’t say a word, he just fought. Two more giant, sharp-beaked black birds suddenly appeared in the sky, attacking them ferociously. While protecting Su Muyao, Hua Linye drew his bow and fired.
One of the giant birds transformed into a human and screeched, “Hua Linye, you’ve been poisoned by fire! If you force yourself to use your magic weapon to fight us, your spiritual sea will go into a frenzy, and even if you don’t die, you’ll be crippled! It’s not worth it to protect such a vicious female!”
“Our master has a secret method to override the beastman husband contract. Even if she dies, you won’t. So if you cooperate with us, my master will teach you the secret method.”
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