“Huh? Isn’t that Xia Zhi, that little bitch? Shouldn’t she be in the military camp right now? What’s she doing out here?”  

At the corner, Gu Chonglin stared at Xia Zhi’s retreating figure. After a moment of confusion, he gritted his teeth in anger—she had thoroughly humiliated the Gu family in front of everyone.  

Well, now was his chance to teach her a lesson.  

Gu Chonglin hoisted his hoe onto his shoulder and followed Xia Zhi up the mountain.  

Once on the mountain, Xia Zhi glanced around before swiftly climbing up a dense, leafy tree. She settled onto a forked branch and lay down.  

With her eyes closed, she basked comfortably in the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, her crossed legs swaying gently. It was pure bliss.  

Meanwhile, her consciousness had already entered the space prepared by the system-a traditional Chinese medicine clinic. Xia Zhi surveyed the massive cabinet filled with medicinal herbs, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

[Host, our medicinal herbs are inexhaustible. No matter how many you take, they’ll replenish afterward.] 

As she examined the space, the system’s voice piped up in her mind, sounding oddly ingratiating.  

Xia Zhi nodded thoughtfully, then turned her attention to another door on the right. That must be the laboratory she had heard about.  

She walked over and tried pushing it, but it didn’t budge. Frowning in confusion, she realized—was this just for show?  

[Don’t worry, Host! Once you reach 100,000 points, you’ll unlock this laboratory. You’ll earn corresponding points for every person you save. These points can be exchanged for equipment or other items.] 

Xia Zhi sighed and let go of the door handle. She had really wanted to see what an advanced laboratory looked like.  

Standing in the center of the clinic, Xia Zhi took in the three large cabinets of herbs—practically every type she could need. On the other side were shelves of medical books. The entire space exuded an antique charm.  

Curious, she pushed open another small door, and to her surprise, it opened easily.  

Before her lay a medicinal herb garden. Xia Zhi’s eyes lit up—this was perfect! Now she wouldn’t have to worry about exposing her secrets. Excellent!  

Clapping her hands, she got to work, first selecting the herbs Lu Beiting needed, along with some ingredients for medicinal cuisine.  

Once she finished, she snapped back to reality—only to hear rustling sounds below. Instantly alert, she carefully opened her eyes and peeked down.  

Gu Chonglin was poking around in the grass with his hoe, muttering in confusion, “Huh? Where did that little bitch go? I saw her come up here with my own eyes.”  

Xia Zhi narrowed her eyes. This guy just wouldn’t give up, still obsessing over her few hundred yuan even now.  

Sitting up quietly, she watched as Gu Chonglin continued searching while cursing her under his breath. She pondered how to teach him a lesson when suddenly, movement sounded in the distance.  

Xia Zhi straightened and looked over—a troop of over a dozen wild monkeys seemed to have detected their presence and were now charging toward them.  

She immediately tightened her grip on the branch beside her. Wild monkeys were notoriously savage, their combat skills fierce and brutal. Falling into their hands meant certain injury, if not death.  

After a brief internal struggle, Xia Zhi jumped down from the tree. “Hey, Gu Chonglin! Run! A bunch of wild monkeys are coming this way!”  

“Hah! You little bitch, so you were hiding up there. Give me back my money!”  

The moment Gu Chonglin spotted Xia Zhi, he slammed his hoe into the ground. So what if there were a few wild monkeys? He wasn’t scared.  

Xia Zhi raised an eyebrow, adjusted her basket, and turned away. Fine, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

She knew all too well how fierce wild monkeys could be in a fight. When she was little, her grandfather had worked in the mountains, keeping an eye on the monkeys for the locals. Once, a troop of them had suddenly gone berserk while descending the mountain, dragging a man right off the cliff.  

By the time they found him, his body had been rolled into a ball. It took tremendous effort just to straighten his limbs.  

Out of a doctor’s compassion, she had warned Gu Chonglin. But if he insisted on being reckless, that was his problem.  

Seeing Xia Zhi about to leave with her basket, Gu Chonglin rushed forward and grabbed her. “Xia Zhi, give me back my money!”  

“What money? That was what your family owed me. Now let go, or don’t blame me for what happens next.” Xia Zhi glared at him coldly. What a shameless scoundrel.  

“Owed you? You gave it willingly! Now you’re turning around and blaming us? You’ve got no conscience!” Gu Chonglin scowled, refusing to release her.  

The rustling grew louder. Xia Zhi pinched the nerve in his wrist, and with a yelp of pain, he finally let go.  

Clutching his numb arm, he stared at her in disbelief.  

Xia Zhi shrugged. “I’m leaving. Good luck not getting torn apart by the monkeys.”  

Gu Chonglin opened his mouth to curse, but then the screeching of monkeys echoed behind him—lots of them. His face paled. He grabbed his hoe, but as he turned to leave, his eyes darkened with malice.  

You little bitch. If you won’t return the money, then just die!

With a vicious yank, he grabbed the edge of Xia Zhi’s basket and pulled hard.  

“Ah!” Xia Zhi fell to the ground, sharp stones cutting into her palms. When she looked up, Gu Chonglin’s face was twisted with hatred.  

“You’re scared, aren’t you? Then stay here and let the monkeys tear you apart!”  

He hoisted his hoe and turned to leave, but their struggle had already drawn the monkeys in. They were surrounded.  

The air filled with the aggressive shrieks of the troop, perched in the trees, watching them with sharp eyes. One wrong move, and they’d attack.  

Xia Zhi held her breath, mind racing. There were so many—could she handle this?  

She pulled a sickle from the bottom of her basket and slowly pushed herself up.  

Gu Chonglin tightened his grip on the hoe, took a few deep breaths, then suddenly crouched and hurled a rock at Xia Zhi.  

Her eyes flashed coldly. With a swift kick, she sent the rock flying back. The sudden movement agitated the monkeys, and they lunged.  

Xia Zhi instinctively kicked out, but one monkey latched onto her pant leg, refusing to let go. She swung her sickle, aiming precisely.  

Gu Chonglin, meanwhile, was in worse shape. Though strong, he wasn’t agile. After fending off a few monkeys with his hoe, his movements slowed, and soon, several clung to him.  

“Ah! AAAAAH!”  

His screams echoed through the mountains. Xia Zhi fought her way backward, expression grim. She had no idea how many more monkeys were in these woods—Gu Chonglin’s cries would only draw more.  

“Xia Zhi! Help me! HELP ME!” He writhed in pain on the ground.  

More monkeys appeared. Xia Zhi’s breathing grew heavier.  

Am I really going to die here today?