Chapter 107: Why Is She Running?

Nightfall.

The three women—Xiang Xinyao and her mother and sister—lay on the bed, chatting.

The bed was a little small, and it was a tight squeeze for all three of them.

Madam Xiang Taifu and Xiang Xinyu insisted on pulling Xiang Xinyao to lie between them.

Xiang Xinyao felt helpless. Ugh! I’m squashed like a sandwich.

In the other room, after a brief chat, Xiang Yanzhuo and Xiang Yanchen sat cross-legged on their bed, practicing their martial arts.

Although the two brothers didn’t have the best martial arts talent, they still practiced diligently every day. However, their skills weren’t as advanced as Xiang Yanlin.

In the largest room, Xiang Taifu lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep.

Xiang Yanlin and Mo Jinn an each brought a chair and placed it at the foot of the bed. They sat cross-legged, accompanying Xiang Taifu as he tried to sleep.

Once Xiang Taifu finally drifted into a deep sleep, the two of them focused their minds and began practicing.

Back in the room with the three women, they chatted until late at night. The Xiang Taifu wife and Xiang Xinyu, who couldn’t do martial arts, finally couldn’t keep their eyes open and fell into a deep sleep.

Once she was sure they were sound asleep, Xiang Xinyao quietly got up, carefully moved to the other side of the bed, and slipped into her spatial storage.

The cornmeal was running low, and she needed to grind more. With her family here, she could only sneak into the space to feed the animals and couldn’t stay in there for too long.

That night, she drained all her inner strength, grinding two bags of cornmeal.

She prepared some food for the wild boars, chickens, ducks, and geese, then drank a glass of spiritual spring water before leaving the space.

Seeing that Madam Xiang Taifu and Xiang Xinyu were still sleeping soundly, she let out a sigh of relief. She then sat cross-legged in a chair to recover her inner strength.

By dawn, her inner strength was about seventy percent restored.

Madam Xiang Taifu and Xiang Xinyu were still sound asleep.

Xiang Xinyao put on her shoes, got up, and quietly opened the door, stepping outside.

Aunt Ji and her two daughters were already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

Xiang Xinyao smiled sweetly and walked into the kitchen. “Aunt Ji, I’m heading out for a bit, so I won’t be eating breakfast at home.”

Aunt Ji asked, “Where are you going? Breakfast will be ready soon. Can’t you eat first and go after?”

“Don’t worry, Aunt Ji. I’m not hungry. We don’t have much meat left at home, so I’m going into the mountains to hunt some wild meat. I also need to go to the county town in the afternoon.”

“Ah, that’s fine. We don’t have anything nice to offer our guests anyway. Just go quickly and come back soon. By the way, the buns are ready. Take a couple with you.”

“Thank you!”

Aunt Ji hurriedly lifted the lid of the pot, using chopsticks to pull out two steaming buns and place them in a bowl.

After Xiang Xinyao finished washing up, she grabbed the buns and slung her basket over her back, ready to head out.

Just then, Xiang Yanlin and Mo Jinnan came out of their room.

Seeing Xiang Xinyao heading out, Xiang Yanlin quickly called, “Little sister, where are you going?”

Xiang Xinyao turned around and replied, “Second Brother, I’m going into the mountains. We’re out of meat, so I’m going to catch some.”

“Wait, I’ll go with you,” Xiang Yanlin said eagerly.

Mo Jinnan added, “I’ll go too.”

Xiang Xinyao shook her head. “You both stay. I’ll be back soon. You can come with me another time.”

“Little sister, please take me with you! I want to see the mountains too!” Xiang Yanlin said, looking hopeful.

“Alright, go wash up quickly, grab two buns, and let’s get moving. We need to go to the county town in the afternoon,” Xiang Xinyao agreed.

Xiang Yanlin and Mo Jinnan quickly washed up, each grabbing two buns, and followed Xiang Xinyao into the mountains.

Along the way, Xiang Xinyao warned, “If you come across wolves, avoid them. Don’t hurt them. If they attack, call me loudly.”

“Why?” the two asked at the same time, puzzled.

“Why is she running?”

Xiang Xinyao explained, “The wolf pack is my friend. They help me guard the entire mountain, so whenever you encounter them, avoid them and don’t harm them.”

Mo Jinnan and Xiang Yanlin looked at her in disbelief.

Unless the wolves had been raised by humans from a young age, how could they possibly get along with people?

Mo Jinnan asked, “Did you raise those wolves from when they were young?”

Xiang Xinyao shook her head. “No, I tamed them. It took a lot of effort, and it took me over a month to tame them.”

Xiang Yanlin looked at his younger sister with admiration. If his sister could tame wolves, she was truly amazing.

Mo Jinnan narrowed his eyes, intrigued by this little girl even more.

He had been practicing martial arts since childhood, with extraordinary talent. Now, he had reached the Martial Emperor level.

Yet, this little girl—when she had saved him last time—he hadn’t sensed any trace of internal energy from her.

Just half a year later, the internal energy fluctuations around her were now quite apparent.

It was well-known that breaking through from a martial artist to a martial master was the most difficult stage. No matter how talented someone was, it usually took at least a year or more to achieve.

But based on the fluctuations of her internal energy, it seemed that although she was still a martial master, she was very close to breaking through to Martial Spirit level.

Xiang Yanlin also noticed the energy fluctuations around Xiang Xinyao. After holding back for a while, he finally asked, “Little sister, who taught you martial arts?”

Xiang Xinyao slightly furrowed her brow, then replied, “A mysterious old man taught me. Every time he comes to teach me, he covers his face. I don’t know who he is, and he doesn’t allow me to call him master. I’ve never seen his face.”

Mo Jinnan asked, “Was it the same person who taught you medicine?”

Xiang Xinyao nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

Seeing that Xiang Xinyao didn’t want to talk more about it, neither Mo Jinnan nor Xiang Yanlin asked any further.

Once they entered the mountains, the three of them split up.

However, neither Xiang Yanlin nor Mo Jinnan went too far from Xiang Xinyao, in case she ran into any danger.

An hour later, Xiang Xinyao had hunted a wild goat.

Mo Jinnan was carrying two stunned roe deer. He hadn’t killed them, only knocked them out.

Xiang Yanlin was holding two wild rabbits, two wild chickens, and a nest of wild bird eggs wrapped in his clothes.

When Xiang Xinyao saw the roe deer Mo Jinnan was holding, her eyes widened in surprise.

Wow!

The female roe deer was pregnant. Although it wasn’t obvious yet, she could tell immediately.

Her mind was racing, thinking of how she could trick Mo Jinnan into handing over those two still-living roe deer, so she could keep them in her space to raise.

It was perfect—one male and one female, and the female was pregnant. If they were killed and eaten, it would be such a waste.

Unable to come up with a good plan, Xiang Xinyao decided to play the role of a compassionate person.

“Master Mo, would you be willing to trade your roe deer for my wild goat?” she asked.

Mo Jinnan looked at her in confusion.

They were both meat, meant for eating once they were brought back. Was there really a need to trade?

Xiang Xinyao feigned reluctance and said, “The female roe deer you have is already pregnant. It would be a shame to kill it now. How about we let them go? It feels cruel to take two lives at once.”

Mo Jinnan’s expression darkened, and he directly handed the two roe deer to her, saying, “I didn’t harm them. Do whatever you want with them.”

Xiang Xinyao took the roe deer, threw the wild goat into Mo Jinnan’s arms, and ran deeper into the forest.

Xiang Yanlin and Mo Jinnan exchanged confused looks. Why is she running?

After running a short distance, Xiang Xinyao made sure neither of them were following or could see her. She then quickly stored the roe deer in her space.