The man clutched his chest and staggered, almost falling to his knees.

“Are you alright? Is the poison flaring up again?”

The man didn’t respond to Lu Qingqing.

He turned and walked away.

His steps were unsteady, yet he still carried an ethereal grace, as if he might ride the wind and vanish at any moment.

And then—he actually vanished.

“Thud!”

He fell into a pit.

Faced with the choice of dragging a wolf or saving a person, Lu Qingqing chose to catch the birds first.

The pigeon and the flying squirrel in her arms almost escaped!

Once she tied the birds securely, she ran to the edge of the pit.

It was a hunter’s trap, probably set for wild boars—two meters deep and lined with sharp bamboo stakes.

Anyone who fell in would be impaled, gut-first!

The man was gripping the edge with both hands, holding himself up with sheer willpower.

“Did glue seal your mouth shut? Can’t you call for help? Grab the fabric!” Lu Qingqing scolded, exasperated.

She hadn’t heard a sound and thought there was no danger. Who knew the man would silently tough it out?

A piece of clothing dropped down into the pit.

The man looked up.

Behind his mask, his eyes swirled with gray. The sunlight was harsh—he could barely see.

That piece of clothing seemed to descend from the heavens, glowing with a golden light.

His gaze focused as he desperately grabbed it, like clinging to a rope that would save him from the abyss.

Lu Qingqing struggled to haul him up.

The new clothes her sister-in-law had just made for her were now wrinkled beyond saving.

She put them back on and sat there panting, propping herself up with both arms.

“Even if not many people come here, they shouldn’t be setting such dangerous traps! A normal person would’ve been dead for sure!”

“Hey, mister—I offended you before by accident, but now we’ve saved each other, right? You’re not going to hold a grudge, are you?”

“Oh, and could you tell your two friends not to attack me again if they see me?”

“By the way, if I may ask, what kind of poison do you have? I know a bit of medicine—want me to take a look?”

After all that, the man said nothing.

Like a mute.

His eyes were fixed on the cloth pouch at Lu Qingqing’s waist.

It was handmade by Feng Xiaowan, with a delicately embroidered vine and a circle of tassels at the bottom.

“Want some candy?”

Lu Qingqing pulled out a piece of crisp sugar candy and offered it.

The man’s eyes locked on the candy—but he didn’t take it.

Idiot.

Lu Qingqing put the candy away. No point wasting her time.

There were wolves here—she shouldn’t linger.

She found a large stone and tossed it into the trap, smashing the sharp bamboo spikes.

Then she double-checked the wolf was truly dead before hoisting it over her shoulders.

Wolf meat was valuable—warming, warding off cold, strengthening the body.

The pelt alone was worth five taels of silver!

All in all, a dangerous trip that paid off handsomely.

Lu Qingqing naturally claimed the wolf as hers. Not bothered by the weight, she headed back to retrieve her basket.

Suddenly—

“Hmm… Xiuwen-ge, are you serious?” a shrill, fake-sweet voice came from thick bushes nearby.

“Totally. You don’t even know how disgusting Lu Qingqing is. She’s lazy as hell—her brother washes her clothes for her.”

“And she doesn’t bathe! Always stinks. I can’t even stand within three feet of her without gagging.”

Lu Qingqing: “…”

Scumbag couple.

They climbed the mountain and still couldn’t shut up about her.

Why not just… get on with their censored business?

Talking about her was such a waste of time!

“Do I smell bad?” the shrill voice grew even more unbearable—like nails on a chalkboard.

“Yeah… smells sweet…” he replied suggestively.

Just as Lu Qingqing expected.

She peeked through the bushes.

Eye-searing.

A pale, skinny monkey paired with a burly brown horse.

What a combo.

If she suddenly screamed now, would the skinny guy be crippled for life?

Lu Qingqing thought it over… and decided not to ruin it.

Better to let them “bond forever.”

She turned around and fetched a long stick.

Bit by bit, she used it to hook all their scattered clothes from the ground.

“Ugh! Who’s the stinky one now?” Lu Qingqing scoffed, disgustedly picking up the clothes with the stick and backing out of the bushes.

But just as she turned around—

She got startled by someone standing outside!

Holy crap!

When did this man show up?!

He was just standing there, openly eavesdropping!

“Shh…” Lu Qingqing quickly gestured for him to leave.

Inside, the pair seemed fully immersed. The sounds were getting louder and louder.

Did they forget they were on Earth?

Lu Qingqing was now certain this man had a screw loose.

He didn’t even look embarrassed—and he still wouldn’t leave!

Fine. She wasn’t going to deal with it anymore.

She hoisted all her gear and bolted.

Only when she disappeared completely did the man finally turn away.

Curious, he stepped over to where Lu Qingqing had been crouching.

When he saw what was going on in the bushes, his calm eyes suddenly narrowed sharply.

Then he turned away in disgust and left quickly.

…

Lu Qingqing returned to the usual path down the mountain and tossed the pile of clothes aside.

Every day, lots of people came up here to hunt or forage.

Someone would definitely find the clothes.

Whether that led to “follow-up drama” would depend on those two scumbags’ luck.

She carried the wolf—nearly as tall as she was—down the mountain, instantly stirring an uproar.

“Sweet heavens! Lu Qingqing killed a grown wolf!”

“This girl is not someone you want to mess with!”

“That wolf must be worth a lot!”

“Word is she punched it right in the head and cracked its skull!”

As soon as she got home, someone knocked on the door—it was a young village hunter.

“I’m going to the town tomorrow to sell pelts. Want me to take yours too?”

“Ah, but we don’t know how to process pelts…”

The Lu men could skin animals, but tanning leather properly was another matter—it could seriously affect the value.

“I can help with that.”

“No need to trouble you,” Lu’s father said politely. “Why don’t you just buy it outright? What do you think it’s worth?”

In the end, the hunter paid twelve taels for the entire wolf.

But Lu Qingqing asked to keep the wolf’s teeth.

After he left, Lu Feng asked suspiciously, “We’ve never really dealt with this hunter before. Why’s he showing up now?”

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s interested in your little sister!” their father chuckled.

Back when their daughter was unremarkable, not a single matchmaker came calling. That made him worry.

Now that she was capable, he still worried.

Worried about where to find her a man who was truly good enough. All the village boys were unworthy in his eyes.

Especially not some hunter!

Soon, a second visitor arrived.

It was Chen Cuihua, who hadn’t visited in years.

“I heard Lu Qingqing caught a wolf. I came to buy some wolf’s blood—to use as medicine for my husband.”

“Sorry, the wolf was just sold to Zhang the hunter,” Lu’s father explained.

Without another word, Chen Cuihua turned and left, her face expressionless.

Lu’s father sighed.

As the sun set and darkness fell, the mountain village grew quiet.

Suddenly, dogs began barking—one after another.

At the foot of the mountain, clamor and shouting could be heard.