Chapter 84

Ye Baizhi had heard of Zhan Peng from Shi Fan before—how his mother had passed early, and his father died not long after from a severe hunting injury. Since the age of ten, he’d been living on his own, taking care of himself. Fortunately, he had talent and had reached third-tier strength, enough to support himself through hunting.

But with no one to rely on, life had been a constant struggle between hunger and survival.

Shi Fan wasn’t usually one to meddle, but he thought highly of the boy.

Once, during a hunt, Shi Fan had nearly been injured by a fierce beast—Zhan Peng had come to his rescue. That debt stuck with him. Since then, he had quietly looked for ways to support the boy.

But Zhan Peng was stubborn. He never accepted anything offered to him. Even when starving, he’d only eat what he hunted himself.

Shi Fan couldn’t help but admire his grit—a tough, proud kid. He couldn’t bear the thought of Zhan Peng dying just like that, so he came to ask Madam Ye for help. And truthfully, he only dared now because they’d grown familiar with her family recently.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the courage to speak up.

Ye Baizhi’s expression changed. “What happened to him?”

“He must’ve been bitten by some venomous beast while hunting in the mountains. He collapsed at his doorstep. His face turned dark—I think it was definitely a venomous bite.”

They all knew—getting bitten by a toxic beast usually meant certain death. So whenever they went up the mountain to hunt, they were always extremely cautious. They made sure to steer clear of crawling beasts—many were venomous, and some downright deadly.

Still, everyone believed Madam Ye was exceptional—especially as a skilled healer.

Even Suni, who had once stopped breathing, had been brought back by her. That’s why Shi Fan thought she might have a way to help.

As soon as Ye Baizhi heard, she understood the situation. She grabbed her small medicine kit. “Let’s go. I’ll take a look.”

Inside the kit were herbs she and Ye Wulan had prepared in recent days—just in case. She hadn’t expected they’d be needed so soon.

Zhan Peng lived in a tiny, weathered stone house—humble but meticulously kept.

Shi Fan’s wife, Shao Yao, was watching over the boy inside. When she saw Madam Ye arrive, she quickly stepped aside with respectful urgency. “Madam Ye, you’re here!”

Ye Baizhi nodded, skipping the pleasantries, and went straight to the bedside to examine him.

“He’s been bitten by a venomous snake—definitely poisoned. Fortunately, I arrived in time. He can be saved!”

Shi Fan and Shao Yao were overcome with relief at those words, their anxiety easing in an instant. When Madam Ye said he could be saved, they believed her without question.

Ye Baizhi made a small incision at Zhan Peng’s wound with a dagger, then used silver needles along with her wood-type powers to draw out the poisoned blood. She worked steadily until all the dark, toxic blood was expelled. Only when clean blood flowed from the wound did she begin to clean and dress it.

Every movement was smooth and precise.

Looking at how thin and frail Zhan Peng was for someone so young, Ye Baizhi let out a quiet sigh. She knew that not just here in the village—there were many orphaned beastmen children like him wandering the outside world.

Life on the Beast Continent was full of danger.

Beastmen born without strength were often abandoned by their clans or even by their parents. This was a world ruled by survival of the fittest.

If you couldn’t hunt, you wouldn’t survive.

Not every tribe was like the Rabbit tribe—willing to shelter those without power. However, Ye Baizhi believed that if people learned to farm and raise livestock, even those without hunting skills could still survive. With that thought in mind, she channeled more wood-based healing energy into Zhan Peng to ensure he would recover fully.

“All done. He’s out of danger now—just needs a good rest,” she said calmly.

Shao Yao and Shi Fan looked at her with awe in their eyes—stunned, moved, and deeply respectful.

Shao Yao bowed respectfully. “We’ll stay here and watch over him until he wakes.”

Ye Baizhi didn’t say much—just nodded and quietly left. After seeing her off, Shao Yao’s eyes shimmered with admiration. “Madam Ye is truly remarkable.”

Shi Fan nodded. “Of course she is. Otherwise, how could she have neutralized such a deadly snake venom so easily?”

“I’ve never heard of anyone surviving a venomous snakebite.”

Shao Yao added, “I saw her save Suni with my own eyes at the market. I didn’t know who she was at the time, but even then, I thought—someone that kind and that capable… how rare.”

“Most people wouldn’t take such a risk. If they failed to save someone, they’d be blamed for it.”

“But she didn’t hesitate at all.”

“She saved Suni—and in doing so, she saved her whole family. I admired her so much for that.”

“I never expected we’d end up knowing someone like her.”

That’s why Shao Yao instinctively held so much respect and admiration for Madam Ye.

Shi Fan also felt it and said with a sigh, “Good thing we had the courage to go ask Brother Ye to teach us how to make shoulder poles back then…”

Shao Yao grinned. “Exactly—now we can earn extra by selling woven baskets and back carriers.”

It was Madam Ye who taught them how to weave those baskets. She told them they could sell them for income. But they didn’t have a stall, nor could they afford the rental fees for one. So Madam Ye came up with an idea: they could sell through the general store on consignment. That meant they delivered their goods to the store, and the shopkeeper sold them on their behalf. If an item sold for three blue spirit stones, one would go to the storekeeper. That way, the shopkeeper earned something risk-free.

Naturally, the shopkeeper was happy to agree. With plenty of space, he had no problem setting aside a little area for them. So even without a stall, their family was making around ten blue spirit stones a day—and that alone made them genuinely happy.

If they wove and sold more, their income would grow, too.

Just imagining it filled them with a sense of hope and excitement. It felt like life was finally moving forward.

…

Back at home, Ye Baizhi returned to find that Ye Wulan had already cleaned the malt and chopped it into fine bits. When he saw her walk in, his voice was gentle. “You’re back.”

Ye Baizhi deeply cherished the gentle warmth of her life with Ye Wulan. It gave her the feeling of a steady, quietly flowing stream—a life of lasting peace.

No matter what she did, he was always by her side.

Setting down her medicine kit, she explained, “Mm, that was Zhan Peng. He was bitten by a venomous snake. I’ve already used my wood-type ability to purge the poison. He’s fine now.”

“He just needs rest—he’ll be alright when he wakes up.”

Ye Wulan put down his knife and took her hand, inspecting it carefully.
“Be cautious. Some snake venom can be fatal even with just a little contact.”

“I know—don’t worry, I’m okay.”

Only after checking her thoroughly and confirming she was unharmed did Ye Wulan relax. With the danger behind them, the two got back to preparing malt.

Da Bao would wake up in the afternoon and join them.

Ye Baizhi steamed sweet potatoes and then mashed them together with the sprouted malt to make sweet potato malt candy. She twisted the finished mixture onto wooden sticks and let them cool—ready for sale at their stall the next morning.

“If only we had glutinous rice,” she murmured. “We could make authentic malt candy with that and the malt sprouts.”

She was starting to crave rice and glutinous rice again.

Ye Wulan’s eyes lit up slightly. “Glutinous rice? The city should have some for sale.”

Hearing that, Baizhi’s eyes sparkled. “You mean there’s glutinous rice in the nearby city?”

“Those round little grains like this big?” she asked, gesturing with her fingers.