Just then, the group at the foot of the mountain also heard the commotion coming from above.  

“That noise is coming from the mountain—Xia Zhi went up there, didn’t she? Oh no, something must have happened!”  

Li Qiao stared worriedly in the direction of the mountain.  

“Hmph, serves her right if she dies!” Zhang Xiao sneered. If that little bitch died, it’d be for the best. The six hundred yuan might as well be considered payment for her life.  

Hao Liping’s eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth curled into a widening smirk as she looked toward the mountain. Yes, dying would be perfect—then no one would compete with her anymore.  

“Sister Zhang, a person should really watch their words and accumulate some virtue!” Li Qiao couldn’t hold back from retorting after hearing Zhang Xiao’s malicious gloating.  

With such a poisonous tongue, wasn’t she afraid of karma?  

Li Qiao set down her basket and ran toward the military camp.  

Seeing the guard at the gate, she called out, “Comrade, comrade! Something seems to have happened on the mountain. Please go take a look!”  

Xu Rufeng rushed out, grabbed a pair of binoculars, and immediately sounded the alarm.  

“Auntie, you all should head back first. We’ll check it out. Stay safe.”  

“Alright, alright! Comrade, please hurry. That girl Xia Zhi is still up there.”  

Xia Zhi?  

Xu Rufeng suddenly remembered the person who had left at noon. “Auntie, was she wearing a floral blouse and carrying a basket on her back?”  

Li Qiao nodded quickly. “Yes, yes! The commotion on the mountain was pretty loud. You should hurry!”  

Xu Rufeng’s expression changed. He exchanged a few words with his comrades, then grabbed his gear and headed up the mountain.  

When Lu Beiting heard the alarm, a faint unease crept into his heart.  

Soon, Zhang Yi rushed in. “Battalion Commander, there’s some trouble on the mountain. Squad Leader Xu has already taken some men to check it out. Don’t worry.”  

“Where did you say?” Lu Beiting immediately propped himself up and grabbed Zhang Yi’s arm. The mountain—hadn’t Xia Zhi said she was going to gather herbs there this morning?  

“T-The mountain,” Zhang Yi stammered, confused. After scanning the room and noticing Xia Zhi’s absence, coupled with Lu Beiting’s reaction, he suddenly understood.  

“Battalion Commander, don’t worry. Sister-in-law will definitely be fine.” After saying this, Zhang Yi also rushed out.  

Damn it all! The battalion commander had finally found a good wife. Please don’t let anything happen to her!  

A trace of panic flickered across Lu Beiting’s usually calm face. He tried to stand, but his legs refused to cooperate. A wave of helplessness washed over him.  

What use was he in this state? He was practically useless.  

Meanwhile, back on the mountain, Gu Chonglin had reached the point where he could no longer even cry out. Barely conscious, he stared despairingly at the sky, consumed by regret. If only he had listened to Xia Zhi and run away earlier.  

Xia Zhi swiftly dealt with several monkeys, then glanced at Gu Chonglin, who had passed out. She quickly pulled out a pouch of medicinal powder from her space and scattered it toward the monkeys.  

Almost immediately, the monkeys’ movements slowed.  

Xia Zhi flipped through the air, delivering a spinning kick that sent several more monkeys fleeing. Soon, the remaining monkeys hesitated, no longer daring to approach, circling warily at a distance instead.  

Xia Zhi gripped her blood-stained sickle, her gaze fierce. “If you don’t scram now, I’ll slaughter every last one of you!”  

The lead monkey screeched a few times, and the rest of the pack finally scattered.  

Xu Rufeng, who had sprinted up the mountain without stopping, arrived just in time to witness Xia Zhi’s clean, decisive moves and the sheer intimidation that had driven off the monkeys. Stunned, he stared at her in amazement.  

No wonder she was the battalion commander’s sister. That aura was exactly like Lu Beiting’s when he was cutting down enemies on the battlefield.  

Xia Zhi slumped against a tree, patting her chest in relief. That had been terrifying.  

“Are you okay?” Xu Rufeng stepped forward, concerned.  

Xia Zhi brightened at the sight of him. “I’m fine, I’m fine! Hurry and check on Gu Chonglin—he’s probably about to die.”  

Xu Rufeng followed her gaze and spotted the figure lying in the grass.  

Just then, the rest of his squad caught up. Xu Rufeng quickly waved them over. “Quick, we’ve got an injured man here!”

Several men quickly stepped forward to help carry Gu Chonglin.  

Xu Rufeng thoughtfully picked up the basket from the ground for her, though all the medicinal herbs inside had scattered.  

“It’s getting dark. Maybe we should head back first. If you don’t mind, I can come with you tomorrow.” A faint blush appeared on Xu Rufeng’s rugged face.  

Xia Zhi was visibly taken aback, while the other soldiers nearby immediately started teasing him.  

Zhang Yi, who had just sprinted up the mountain and hadn’t even caught his breath, overheard Squad Leader Xu’s overly friendly tone toward Xia Zhi. He quickly cut in, “Hey, hey, hey! Squad Leader, what do you think you’re doing?”  

Xu Rufeng looked at him, puzzled. “What? I’m just… being helpful.”  

Zhang Yi’s lips twitched. He snatched the basket from Xu Rufeng’s hands. “No need for your help. I’ll accompany Sister-in-Law tomorrow.”  

“Si-Sister-in-Law?” Xu Rufeng’s eyes widened in shock.  

“That’s right. This is Xia Zhi, Battalion Commander Lu’s fiancée,” Zhang Yi said with a cold snort. Trying to steal the commander’s woman? Not a chance.  

Xu Rufeng’s face flushed with embarrassment. He turned to Xia Zhi. “Sorry, forget I said anything.”  

Then, with slightly unsteady steps, he hurried down the mountain, his mind buzzing in confusion. Wait, wasn’t the battalion commander’s wife supposed to be surnamed Hao?  

Xia Zhi awkwardly rubbed her nose and turned to Zhang Yi. “Zhang Yi, hand me the basket. Some of the herbs are still usable. Let’s gather them for now.”  

Zhang Yi quickly passed it to her. Xia Zhi took it and began collecting the herbs that had fallen onto the grass.  

As Zhang Yi surveyed the scene—the dead monkeys, the discarded sickle—his surprise grew. Who would’ve thought that Sister-in-Law, who seemed so delicate, was actually this capable? Not only was she skilled in medicine, but she also had such impressive combat skills. His respect for her deepened.  

Noticing his scrutiny, Xia Zhi quickly explained, “My dad taught me a few moves when I was a kid. Never thought they’d come in handy today.”  

In her past life, Xia Zhi had often followed the army. Though it was peacetime, terrorist threats still existed. For self-preservation, she had naturally picked up some survival skills. Plus, her grandfather had been a hunter, so this wasn’t entirely unusual.  

Remembering that Xia Zhi’s father was also a soldier, Zhang Yi dismissed his doubts.  

“Right, right. Sister-in-Law, let’s head back. If we’re too late, the battalion commander will worry.”  

Xia Zhi raised an eyebrow. Lu Beiting, worried about me?

A faint smile tugged at her lips as she shouldered the basket and started down the mountain.  

As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, they were met with ear-splitting wails.  

“Ahhh! My dear husband, how can I go on without you?!”  

When Zhang Xiao saw the group carrying someone down, she had been inwardly gleeful, eager to confirm whether Xia Zhi, that little bitch, was really dead. But then she caught sight of a familiar face and froze.  

Snapping out of it, she threw herself onto Gu Chonglin, howling in despair.  

Liu Yanfang, standing nearby, nearly fainted from shock when she realized it was her own son.  

Watching the scene, Xia Zhi sneered inwardly. What goes around comes around. Serves him right.

If he hadn’t harbored such malicious intentions, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.  

But when Zhang Xiao spotted Xia Zhi, her eyes burned with hatred. She grabbed the nearest object and lunged at her.