Chapter 9

Ye Baizhi’s words were met with unanimous agreement. With no objections, the group followed her lead and continued forward to explore. She crouched down, pressing her ear against the ground to listen. “There doesn’t seem to be any danger nearby. You can move around the area and search for food.”

Qiu Shi was taken aback. “Baizhi, can you really determine that just by listening to the ground?”

“We usually climb trees to get a better view of the surroundings.”

Ye Baizhi patiently explained, “Try pressing your ear to the ground and listening—you’ll notice the difference.”

She couldn’t delve into the scientific details of how different mediums affected sound transmission, nor how the ground carried sound faster than air. Instead, she let them experience it firsthand, knowing they would come to understand on their own. Their survival and hunting knowledge had always come from direct experience. The same was true for food—what was deemed safe to eat had been passed down through generations. Anything unfamiliar was avoided.

Qiu Shi quickly crouched, pressing his ear against the ground. Even Ye Chuan and the others followed suit, cautiously listening.

After a moment, Qiu Shi straightened up, his face filled with astonishment. “It’s true—you can hear so much more than when standing upright.”

“If large wild beasts are roaming nearby, we’ll be able to hear them quickly, recognize the danger, and evade them in time.”

Realizing this, Qiu Shi gazed at Ye Baizhi with admiration.

By now, no one doubted her abilities. Some even speculated that she had learned these skills in the Imperial City.

The Central Imperial City—their most coveted, legendary sanctuary. Yet they all knew they would never be able to set foot there.

“Baizhi, you’re truly amazing.”

“Baizhi, thank you for teaching us this.”

These were survival skills, and she had shared them with them so openly. In truth, had she kept quiet, she could have simply returned later to secretly gather the radishes for herself. Everyone understood the significance of her generosity. But Ye Baizhi had never been concerned with something as trivial as radishes—she was well aware that a vast, untouched forest was full of resources, and treasures were scattered everywhere.

After confirming that there were no dangerous wild beasts nearby, and no unusual sounds, the group continued forward.

After walking for a while, they arrived at a cluster of hawthorn trees and began gathering the fruit.

“I really don’t want to eat these red fruits anymore.”

“There’s no choice—they’re a bit sour, but at least they’re food. When hungry, they help fill the stomach.”

“Besides, after eating too much meat, your stomach feels uncomfortable—having some of these red fruits helps settle it.”

In truth, most people still didn’t enjoy the sour taste of the red fruit.

Ye Baizhi examined the so-called “red fruit”—it was actually hawthorn.

However, the hawthorn here was much larger than what she remembered from her previous world, nearly two to three times the size. Nearby stood several chestnut trees. The chestnuts were of normal size, their spiky husks still intact, with no visible splits or fallen nuts on the ground. It seemed that they weren’t ripe yet, as autumn had only just begun.

Instantly, roasted chestnuts came to mind. Chestnuts could be used in stir-fries, cooked in meals, or added to stews. Though these chestnuts were still unripe, she could use her wood-based abilities to accelerate their ripening.

While walking earlier, she had unconsciously absorbed some plant energy, strengthening her abilities enough to hasten food maturation.

Not hearing his sister speak, Ye Chuan paused in his task of picking hawthorn. Looking up, he followed her gaze.

“Sister, those have thorns. If you’re not careful, you could hurt yourself. And they’re not ripe yet—it’ll take about two months for them to fall naturally and split open, making them ready to eat.”

“It takes a lot of effort to gather them, but when winter comes and food is scarce, they can be stored as supplies.”

Listening to Ye Chuan, Ye Baizhi understood why they had ignored the chestnuts.

She nodded. Since this place wasn’t far from the tribe, she could return later, discreetly store them in her space, and use her abilities to ripen them for immediate consumption. For now, she wouldn’t touch them—she didn’t want to reveal her spatial ability.

While everyone was busy picking hawthorn, Ye Baizhi found herself craving ‘tang hulu,’ but unfortunately, none were to be found. Honey was also difficult to obtain—hornets in the area were aggressive, and no one dared to provoke them.

If sugarcane were available, it could be processed into sweetener. Sadly, sugarcane only grew in the warmer southern regions, making it impossible to find in the colder northern territories. Beetroot could also be used for making sugar, but it wasn’t readily available either.

For now, Baizhi put those thoughts aside. While the others gathered hawthorn, she wandered around, searching for food. Using her bone knife, she pushed aside the tall grass, scanning the ground carefully. She did spot something—wild vegetables, specifically shepherd’s purse.

In the post-apocalyptic world, this kind of naturally grown wild vegetable was highly sought after, fetching high prices. Its unique texture made it an excellent choice for dumplings, wontons, and buns.

If only there were flour—paired with meat, shepherd’s purse dumplings would be perfect. Unfortunately, flour was not available.

Without hesitation, Ye Baizhi started digging up the edible greens with focus. Shepherd’s purse had to be blanched before consumption. It could be used in salads, steamed dishes, stir-fries, and soups. As she was absorbed in her task, she suddenly sensed something was off. Her instincts were sharp, and it felt as if someone was watching her. She lifted her head, scanning her surroundings—but saw nothing unusual.

Shaking her head, she dismissed the feeling, thinking it was simply her natural vigilance in an unfamiliar world. Unbeknownst to her, her intuition was correct.

After gathering some hawthorn, Ye Chuan walked over and saw his sister digging through the grass. He lowered his voice and said, “Sister, these aren’t edible. An elder from the tribe once ate them and suffered terrible stomach pains—she was sick for days before the shaman could heal her.”

Ye Baizhi knew that shepherd’s purse had to be blanched before consumption. It contained oxalic acid, which could worsen discomfort for those with weak digestion—especially the elderly, who needed to be extra cautious when eating it. She explained, “Big Brother, this is safe to eat. If you boil some water and blanch it for a while, there won’t be any issues.”

“This is the truth.”

Ye Chuan looked at his sister, instinctively trusting her words. At the same time, he felt a pang of guilt—was it because of his weakness that she had to resort to eating such things?

If only he still had his former strength.

…

Meanwhile, as Ye Baizhi was busy digging for wild vegetables, two trusted subordinates of the Snow Wolf King, Xue Youchen, had just returned with the information they had gathered.

Xue Feng and Xue Lei were grief-stricken, feeling as though their lord had suffered a great injustice. How had that vile female from the Imperial City managed to entrap their king?

Their noble, ethereal king—one who carried the grace of a celestial beast—had been approached by that notorious, despised woman.

They wanted to cry!

“Your Majesty, this is our failure. We were negligent, allowing Ye Baizhi to get close to you.”

Ye Baizhi was not even worthy of setting foot within a thousand miles of their king. Yet… it seemed she had taken advantage of his weakened state after the tribulation to humiliate him. They deserved punishment.

“However, Your Majesty need not worry—Ye Baizhi has now fallen into the Rabbit Tribe and is merely surviving on grass.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. When we found her, she was digging in the dirt for weeds, claiming they were edible. At this rate, she may not survive the winter… which might just serve as revenge on your behalf.”

Before Xue Lei could finish speaking, an icy glare from their king sliced through the air, sharp as a blade. The chilling pressure bore down on him.

With a heavy thud, Xue Lei dropped to his knees, beads of cold sweat forming on his skin. He dared not utter another word.

Was their king angry?

Had he said something wrong?

No—what did this mean?

Did their king not want them speaking ill of Ye Baizhi?