Chapter 15: Entering the Mountain

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

They had been waiting for their friends from the village. They were chatting and laughing as they headed up the mountain together.

Knowing that they did not like her, Zhou Xiaoli knew her place and did not approach them. She quietly followed behind them instead.

“How unlucky. Why did I meet this jinx when I’m out?”

Zhou Guihua complained with disdain.

Liu Yuanyuan looked back and pursed her lips. “How rude. No matter what, you’re her aunt and yet, she didn’t even greet you. How rude of her.”

Zhou Guihua had a look of rejection and disdain on her. “Don’t. I can’t take it. It’s good that she doesn’t come over. Let’s go. Let’s walk faster and not with her. With a jinx like her following us, we probably won’t be able to find a single mushroom.”

Lu Huahua held Zhou Guihua’s arm with a look of disdain. “That’s right, that’s right. Don’t let her come over. I don’t want to be tainted by her.”

“Just a few days ago, she was very close to that ingrate, Wei Chiyu!”

Zhou Guihua snorted and pursed her lips. “What’s so strange about that? They’re all the same; people who have a father but don’t have a father to raise them. Birds of a feather flock together.”

“Exactly.”

Instantly, there was a burst of laughter.

As they spoke, they quickened their pace and soon pulled away from Zhou Xiaoli.

Zhou Xiaoli did not care about this at all. She walked slowly along the small path in the mountain.

Making a compass required quality wood. In order to find suitable wood, Zhou Xiaoli left the path into the mountain and headed deep into the mountain.

There were many villagers picking wild herbs and mushrooms halfway up the mountain.

The village chief’s wife, Liu Yan, saw Zhou Xiaoli walking deeper and deeper into the mountain. She couldn’t help but shout out to her.

However, perhaps due to the distance or the strong wind in the mountain, Zhou Xiaoli did not hear it.

“Look at this child. Why is she walking faster and faster even when I have called out to her? She even dares to enter the deep mountains alone.” Liu Yan said worriedly.

At this moment, Zhou Guihua and the others were also digging for wild vegetables nearby. Seeing this, they said, “Auntie Liu, stop shouting. That jinx must have pretended not to hear you on purpose. Her life or death has nothing to do with us.”

Liu Yan sighed. “You can’t say that. It’s very dangerous deep in the mountains. If she were to encounter tigers or bears, would she be able to stay alive?”

Zhou Guihua snorted again. “Auntie, don’t worry about her. I know that jinx the best. She specializes in jinxing others and not herself. She won’t die that easily!”

At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli had already disappeared into the mountain. Liu Yan shook her head and did not say anything else.

—

Naturally, Zhou Xiaoli was no fool. This was her first time entering the deep mountain, and she had been making marks along the way.

Few people would come this deep into the mountain. Wild vegetables, mushrooms, and so on were everywhere. Before she could find the kind of wood she was looking for, she had already dug up a lot of ginger.

Ginger was mostly used as Chinese medicine then and was relatively expensive. Only rich families would use it as condiments. Therefore, it was a good thing.

Zhou Xiaoli dug some wild herbs and mushrooms up while walking further in to find suitable wood.

Finally, her hard work paid off. She found a Chinese bishopwood tree which was a special wood used to make the compass.

Best of all, the size and thickness of the tree were also suitable to make a compass. After putting down the basket on her back, Zhou Xiaoli took out her ax and began to cut the tree.

The sound of a tree being cut down rang out in the forest. The sound woke Wei Chiyu up, who was lying on a tree while waiting for his prey to fall into his trap.

He pinched the space between his eyebrows. His eyes were filled with sleepiness and a hint of impatience from being woken up abruptly. He looked towards the voice and saw Zhou Xiaoli chopping at a tree.

Just as he was wondering why Zhou Xiaoli had come this deep into the mountain to cut down trees, he was interrupted by a sound.

As someone who hunted in the mountains all year round, Wei Chiyu instantly became vigilant when he heard the noise.

Zhou Xiaoli, who was focused on chopping the tree down, noticed the sound as well. She couldn’t help but stop, and pricked up her ears as she vigilantly observed her surroundings.

It seemed to be the sound of an animal running, but there were also sounds of collision and grunts. Gradually, the sounds got closer and closer. Amidst the various sounds, Zhou Xiaoli captured the sound of wild beasts. It was the cry of a wild boar!

In the blink of an eye, and with two roars, two wild boars darted out of the bushes one after another.

The direction they were flying toward was where Zhou Xiaoli was.

Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was about to be pounced on by the wild boars, Wei Chiyu, who was on a tree a little further away, turned pale with fright. Just as he was about to jump down, he saw Zhou Xiaoli move.

She quickly ran to the cliff at the side, grabbed the hanging vines, and climbed up nimbly.

The two wild boars crashed straight into the cliff.

Perhaps they had crashed into the cliff with great force, the two wild boars only managed to get to their feet after a long time.

At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli had already used the vine to climb onto a protruding rock on the cliff. She sat on it and looked down.

One of the two wild boars was very strong and big, while the other was of a much smaller size.

After they got up, they roared and began to fight again.

From the looks of it, it was most likely that the two wild boars were fighting to mark their territory.

Seeing how ferocious they were, Zhou Xiaoli could not help but sigh. No wonder the hunters who went up the mountains said that they were more afraid of encountering wild boars than wolves.

If they encountered a wolf, they might be able to scare it away with their skills. However, the wild boar would not know fear.

Their movements were quite loud. Zhou Xiaoli had managed to cut the tree down mid-way, but the wild boars thereafter knocked it down completely. This saved Zhou Xiaoli a lot of effort.

Finally, after a few rounds, the smaller-sized wild boar was defeated. It laid on the ground, injured and did not move another inch.

The big one was also seriously injured, but it noticed Zhou Xiaoli’s existence by then. After circling around, it guarded the cliff and refused to leave.

Man and pig stared at each other for a while. Zhou Xiaoli realized that the wild boar had no intention of leaving.

Not only that, it was also lying there in wait, as if it had all the intentions in the world to wait for Zhou Xiaoli to come down.

Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and looked around. Then, she noticed a large rock beside her. The rock was not one with the cliff wall, but was embedded in it. It looked like it was about to drop.

As such, Zhou Xiaoli came up with a plan. She climbed up the vine to the rock.

Before Zhou Xiaoli could lure the wild boar under the rock, the wild boar followed her of its own accord.

After confirming the location, Zhou Xiaoli found a sturdy vine and tied it to her waist. With that, she began jumping up and down on the rock.

With a loud bang, the rock under her feet loosened. With another jump, it fell.

At the same time, Zhou Xiaoli fell and hung on the stone wall eventually.

As for the wild boar below, as it was injured and could not react fast enough, the rock landed directly on it.

In an instant, a tragic roar rang out. The wild boar struggled a few times and gradually stopped moving.

After confirming that there was no movement from the wild boar, Zhou Xiaoli climbed down calmly along the vines.

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