Chapter 8

Lin Caocao and the others stared at the object in Ye Baizhi’s hands, utterly astonished. Their perception of her had changed—any lingering doubts seemed to melt away, and their eyes shone with admiration. It was as if Ye Baizhi carried a certain radiance.

The realization struck them—if these things growing underground were indeed edible, they wouldn’t have to rely solely on picking fruits from the trees anymore, especially since most of the nearby fruit had already been harvested. To find fresh, large fruits or other edible plants, they would have to venture deep into the forest. Yet here they were, barely outside the tribe, already discovering food. The excitement in their hearts was indescribable.

Of course, they were grateful to Ye Baizhi for finding it. However, their caution remained.

Lin Caocao, shedding her previous reservations, fixed her gaze on Ye Baizhi and asked, “Is this really food? Can we eat it?”

“In the past, when we went foraging, some things looked like food, but eating them would make us sick. We had to be careful.”

That was why, when gathering food, if they didn’t recognize something, they would rather leave it untouched than take unnecessary risks unless someone was willing to stake their life on testing it.

But unless they were truly desperate, no one was reckless enough to gamble their life just to see if something was edible.

Ye Baizhi understood everyone’s caution. Without hesitation, she wiped the dirt off the radish, peeled its skin with a bone knife, and took a bite.

Crunch!

The crisp sound echoed. Before anyone could react, she was already eating the radish.

Ye Chuan, who had been focused on his work, had quickly dug up several radishes. Hearing the noise, he instinctively looked up—only to see his sister eating an unfamiliar plant. Alarmed, he froze. His face turned pale as he hurriedly dropped the radish in his hand and rushed to check on her. “Sister, are you… are you okay?”

“If you start feeling unwell, we need to go back immediately and find the shaman.”

Ye Baizhi waved her hand dismissively. “Brother, don’t worry, I’m fine.”

With that, she quickly finished the entire radish. She couldn’t help but marvel—bodies in the Beast World seemed to get hungry so easily. She had eaten breakfast, yet after just a little activity, she was hungry again.

The radish helped to fill her stomach.

“This tastes pretty good. It’s food. Later, we can use radishes to make stew.”

“If you’re still uncertain, you can wait a day and see. If I’m fine, then you can come back here and dig up more radishes.”

Everyone was both shocked and awed, their gazes toward Ye Baizhi shifting into admiration and deep respect.

Lin Caocao, overwhelmed, spoke up. “You… you’re really willing to risk your life to test it?”

“If this truly is food, then you’ve discovered a new source of sustenance for our tribe. You are the bravest warrior among us.”

“The entire tribe owes you its gratitude.”

Seeing the almost reverent way they looked at her, Ye Baizhi suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. She had come from a post-apocalyptic world, where she had accumulated a vast amount of knowledge. She ate the radish because she knew it was safe—not because she was some heroic figure.

“It’s really nothing special,” she replied.

“I think it’s great. Brother, let’s dig up more.”

Watching his sister, Ye Chuan finally relaxed after confirming she was fine. He shook off his initial shock and got back to work. Each time he dug up a radish, he would glance at his sister again, ensuring she was truly unharmed before his heart could settle.

Soon, they had gathered a pile of radishes, too many to fit into their baskets.

Ye Chuan pulled out a vine-net he had woven, placed the radishes inside, and used a bone knife to secure the load—carrying it over his shoulder for easier transport.

Ye Baizhi found it inconvenient to carry the radishes by hand. She quickly improvised, using tree branches to weave a basket and vines to create straps, allowing it to be worn on the back.

“Big Brother, you can carry this on your back and put the radishes inside. This way, it won’t get in the way while walking or working.”

She then made another one for herself.

Qiu Shi, Lin Caocao, and the others watched in awe as she skillfully crafted the basket. They were astonished by how useful it was. None of them had ever thought of such an idea. Even if they had, they wouldn’t have known how to weave it.

Seeing how quickly Ye Baizhi assembled the basket, it looked simple enough, but they still had no clue how to replicate it.

After hesitating for a moment, Qiu Cai timidly approached her. “Baizhi, earlier, I doubted you and thought all of this was just grass. I’m sorry—I really didn’t know anything.”

Ye Baizhi understood that the Rabbit Tribe had a simple and sincere way of life. Their minds weren’t burdened with complex schemes or suspicions. Smiling, she replied, “It’s alright. I recognize these because I ate them in the Imperial City.”

“You can dig up some radishes and take them back as food.”

“Radishes can be stored for a long time, so even if you don’t eat them now, you can keep them in the cave and use them during the winter.”

During winter, when heavy snow seals the mountains and the cold becomes unbearable, only certain tribes, like the Snow Wolf Clan, can continue moving through the icy terrain unaffected. Many other tribes must remain within their settlements, waiting for winter to pass. They need to store enough food, or else they’ll struggle to find anything to eat during the harsh months—starvation could become a real threat. Hunting is nearly impossible since the thick snow keeps most wild animals from appearing, making it even harder to find food.

Qiu Cai looked at Ye Baizhi with gratitude in her eyes. “Baizhi, you’re truly incredible.”

“I once believed the rumors about you and misunderstood you—I shouldn’t have.”

Lin Caocao and the others nodded in agreement. Indeed, they had been wrong to trust hearsay.

“It’s true, you’re nothing like the rumors.”

Ye Baizhi felt a twitch at the corner of her mouth—was it really this easy to change their opinion of her?

She had planned to prove herself further. Still, it was a good thing. Since she intended to build a life within the Rabbit Tribe, gaining their acceptance was essential. It would be beneficial for her mother, her elder brother, her second brother, and her uncle.

Otherwise, if the tribe rejected her while her uncle, the tribe’s leader, continued protecting her, his authority might suffer greatly.

“No worries. It’s natural for there to be misunderstandings when people don’t know each other well.”

“And back when I first returned, I wasn’t used to everything yet—I probably didn’t interact with everyone much.”

“Now that we’ve gotten to know each other better, things feel much better.”

Hearing Ye Baizhi’s words, the others felt an even deeper appreciation for her, recognizing her kindness and understanding nature.

Qiu Cai, having completely changed her attitude, spoke with enthusiasm. “Baizhi, from now on, we’ll never misunderstand you again. If anyone dares to say anything about you, we’ll defend you and explain everything.”

“Exactly, exactly,” the others echoed in agreement.

As they eagerly watched Baizhi’s basket-weaving, she patiently guided them through the process. By the time she finished teaching, each of the six people had their own woven basket, now filled with radishes.

Qiu Shi pondered for a moment before suggesting, “Should we take these radishes back first and then return to dig more? Having extra food stored up would be a good idea.”

After voicing his thought, he instinctively turned to Baizhi, as if seeking her opinion. The others did the same, waiting for her response, as though they naturally followed her lead.

Ye Baizhi said, “It’s still early—we should explore deeper. We might find more food.”

Surviving only on radishes wasn’t ideal; finding a staple food would help keep them from feeling hungry too quickly.