Chapter 22

“Song Chunzhi, why did you lie?”

“Lie?”

Song Chunzhi was startled by Gu Huaishan’s sudden movement. As she snapped out of her daze and heard his questioning tone, confusion spread across her delicate face. A cold sweat formed in her palm; had he discovered something? She stared at the man before her, his entire demeanor distant and stern, and cautiously asked, “When did I lie?”

“You told the story of how you rescued Yu Ming three separate times, and your wording was identical each time. Are you saying you didn’t lie? Normal people can’t repeat themselves word for word like that.”

Gu Huaishan’s thick brows furrowed tightly. His sharp gaze fixed on her face, searching for any clue. He hadn’t questioned her earlier in front of everyone because her file showed no issues. But something about it all just didn’t sit right. His gut told him she was lying.

“That…”

A cold sweat trickled down Song Chunzhi’s back. Gu Huaishan really was sharp. He even remembered each of her replies. Dangerous man. She gave an awkward chuckle, looked him in the eye, and answered with slight embarrassment.

“I figured you’d probably ask about how I rescued Yu Ming, so I organized my thoughts ahead of time. I’ve never seen that many soldiers up close before, let alone people in leadership positions like you. I was nervous…”

“Hmm.”

Gu Huaishan’s cold eyes narrowed slightly. Her answer seemed reasonable. As he looked at the girl before him, her small face filled with anxiety, he felt he might have gone too far. Just a hunch, and here he was interrogating her. Feeling a bit guilty, he rubbed his nose and spoke gently.

“Sorry. I overthought it.”

“It’s alright, Commander Gu. You’re a soldier, it’s natural to be cautious.”

Song Chunzhi quickly waved it off, signaling that she didn’t mind. But inwardly, she made a firm decision: from now on, she had to stay far away from Gu Huaishan. Otherwise, it was only a matter of time before he found out she had supernatural powers.

“Take these back with you. Consider it my apology.”

Gu Huaishan reached into a nearby cabinet and pulled out a net bag. He placed it in Song Chunzhi’s arms, his cold expression tinged with guilt as he pressed his lips together.

“Commander Gu, I really can’t accept this. You should take it back. I honestly don’t mind what happened earlier.”

Song Chunzhi looked down and saw something familiar inside the bag. As she expected, it was the same one from that morning. She panicked and quickly tried to hand it back to him. She had already decided to keep her distance. She couldn’t accept anything else from him. It had just been a question earlier, not something that warranted an apology gift.

“Song Chunzhi, are you upset?”

Seeing her push the bag back again, Gu Huaishan felt uneasy. Why didn’t she want it? Everything inside was something girls usually liked. His cold eyes studied her beautiful, expressive face as he asked in a deep voice.

“I’m not upset. It’s just… these things are expensive. I can’t afford to repay you.”

Song Chunzhi shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and inched away, trying to avoid eye contact. She answered casually while glancing out at the sky; she still had to head back up the mountain. She couldn’t afford to waste more time here.

“I never said you had to repay me. Just take it.”

Gu Huaishan’s brow rose as he widened his eyes slightly. He responded firmly, noting her evasive behavior. It confirmed what he suspected… she must be holding a grudge against him.

In her haste to avoid him, Song Chunzhi moved her hand behind her and accidentally brushed against his fingers. The warmth of the touch made her heart skip. Seeing how persistent Gu Huaishan was gave her a headache. Hadn’t she made her rejection clear enough? Was he this generous with everyone?

Just as she was struggling to find a way to reject him once and for all, an idea flashed in her mind—a perfect move.

“Commander Gu, do you like me? Are you trying to pursue a relationship?”

Song Chunzhi looked up with her big, round eyes, her delicate face bright with expectation. She smiled sweetly as she asked the persistent Gu Huaishan her bold question.

“W-what?”

Gu Huaishan froze. He stared at her in disbelief, unsure if he had heard correctly. His cold gaze landed on her radiant face, and something stirred deep in his heart.

While he stood there stunned, Song Chunzhi’s eyes sparkled with mischief. Clever girl. This trick might be a bit cliché, but it worked like a charm on men. She quickly reached for the door, flung it open, and darted out, calling out cheerfully behind her.

“Commander Gu, I’m heading off now!”

Long after she left, Gu Huaishan remained rooted to the spot. He glanced down at the bag still in his hands and shook his head with a faint smile. That girl really didn’t follow the usual playbook. He quietly pushed aside the strange feelings in his chest and made a mental note: next time he saw Song Chunzhi, he had to warn her that joking about relationships wasn’t something to be said so lightly.

After leaving the station, Song Chunzhi retrieved her bamboo basket from Xiao Tian and headed straight for the mountain. So much time had passed that the sun was already leaning westward.

Her thin figure made its way up the mountain, and as she walked, she couldn’t help but think about Gu Huaishan. He was so generous, handsome, and already a company commander at such a young age. What she had said earlier was just an excuse. If she really thought about it, there was no way someone like Gu Huaishan would be interested in someone like her. Just imagining it seemed impossible.

Once she reached the mountain, Song Chunzhi went straight to the cave she had visited last time. After checking and finding no signs that it had been disturbed, she entered with her bamboo basket on her back. Once she fell asleep inside, her soul left her body and began wandering the mountains with the basket.

Even though it was summer, the temperature deep in the mountains was pleasant. Song Chunzhi ran and hopped through the forest like a cheerful little rabbit. She wasn’t sure if she would be as lucky as last time, but even if she didn’t find rare herbs, the common ones here were still more abundant than those outside.

She didn’t let any herbs she recognized go to waste and put them all into her bamboo basket. Once dried, they could be sold for money, and she busied herself with great enthusiasm.

Suddenly, she spotted a plump rabbit squatting ahead, munching on grass. Its reddish triangular eyes blinked in a daze, making it look quite cute. Song Chunzhi immediately grew interested and floated toward the rabbit.

The rabbit didn’t sense any danger and continued chewing grass absentmindedly. Song Chunzhi set her basket aside, crouched down carefully next to the rabbit, and reached out. With one swift move, she grabbed its leg.

As the rabbit struggled, Song Chunzhi smiled with satisfaction. It had snow-white fur and long ears standing upright on its head, looking very adorable. But being cute was of no use, what mattered was that it tasted good. Since her rebirth, she hadn’t had a single bite of meat. Just thinking about fragrant rabbit meat made her mouth water.

Feeling quite pleased, Song Chunzhi tied up the rabbit with a grass vine, tossed it into her basket, and continued forward, swaying her head as she went. The deep forest had almost no paths, but thankfully, as a soul, she could float through the difficult terrain. Though it took some effort, it was still more convenient.

When she heard rustling coming from the bushes ahead, she immediately perked up and looked in that direction. A flash of vibrant colors caught her eye, and she paused. What was that?

Driven by curiosity, she moved closer and discovered a wild pheasant with a broken leg flapping about. Her eyes lit up at once. This was a real treasure. Though wild pheasants were skinny, people in the village said their meat was especially fragrant, even if she had never tasted one herself.

“Today is my lucky day.”

She sighed inwardly. The rabbit had been caught using her powers, but this pheasant was pure luck. A pheasant with a broken leg wasn’t easy to find. Rubbing her hands together in excitement, she reached out with her transparent hand and grabbed one of the pheasant’s wings.

Sensing danger, the pheasant tried to flee, but with its broken leg, no amount of flapping could escape Song Chunzhi’s grasp. Looking at the bird’s iridescent feathers glimmering in the sunlight, she said with a smile, “It’s quite pretty.”

After tying it up like she did the rabbit, Song Chunzhi contentedly carried the basket and headed back the way she came. Though she hadn’t found any valuable herbs today, catching two meat dishes made her feel overjoyed. She hummed a silent tune and was just about to reach her hiding place when she noticed that the branches at the cave entrance had been disturbed.

Her heart skipped a beat. What if someone had found her body? After all, when her soul was out, it couldn’t be woken up. She hid quietly in the bushes and watched the cave from a concealed spot.

After a long while, two people came out… a man and a woman.

Song Chunzhi squinted to get a clearer look. She didn’t recognize the man, but she did recognize the woman. She was from their village, from the same production team, named Li Shanhong. Li Shanhong was in her thirties and looked decent, but she had a tough life. Her husband was unreliable, lazy, and idle, always out messing around and never doing proper work. She had two daughters and lived a hard life.

Once she confirmed they were far enough away, Song Chunzhi crept back to the cave. Not far from the entrance, she saw several damaged lotus leaves laid out. She let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, she had placed her body deeper inside the cave, so it hadn’t been discovered.

She pushed away the messy thoughts in her mind and hurried back into her body. After covering her bamboo basket well, she headed home.

“Chun… Chunzhi…” Li Shanhong rubbed her sore legs and rested for a bit. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her and quickly turned her head. When she saw who it was, she looked slightly uneasy and called out stiffly.

“Sister Hong.” Song Chunzhi noticed the awkward expression on Li Shanhong’s face. A man and a woman had just walked out of the cave, and considering what the inside looked like, it was hard not to imagine things. Still, she forced a smile and greeted her.

“Chunzhi, were you on the mountain the whole time just now?” Li Shanhong nodded and walked down the mountain with Song Chunzhi, cautiously asking her the question. Although the cave was in a remote spot, seeing Song Chunzhi there gave her a strange sense of panic. She feared the situation had been exposed. Song Chunzhi had always been a quiet and honest girl in the village, so she believed the girl would tell her the truth.

“Yes, I was digging up some wild vegetables and looking for fruits.”

Song Chunzhi glanced at the tense Li Shanhong, already guessing what she was worried about. But she didn’t intend to say too much. She answered casually, then looked at her with a puzzled face and asked, “Sister Hong, why are you up the mountain now? Weren’t you supposed to be cutting wheat in the fields?”