Niley raised her eyebrows. Worried about her? They should worry more about themselves!
Even though that's what she thought in her heart, she still said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm really strong!"
After all, the person was just showing concern. She didn't want to make things awkward.
The two chatted and laughed as they walked. When they reached a place with fewer people, Niley told Han to go back and borrow an ox cart. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain later how she managed to bring down so many wolves.
Han moved quickly and soon returned with help, followed by a large group of people. From a distance, Niley could already hear the noisy chatter.
Some kids who had come with their parents even ran up to her excitedly. When they saw her looking at them, they smiled shyly and curiously.
Then they saw the pile of wolf corpses behind her, stacked like a small mountain. The sight made several of them turn pale in fear.
But since they were still young, they didn't truly understand the danger. Soon, they were walking together toward the wolf corpses behind Niley.
Seeing this, Niley quickly stopped them: "Don't go over there!"
The fathers who came with the kids hurried to pull their children back and scolded them: "What's wrong with you? Those are wolves! Not just one—lots of them! Why are you running up there like that?"
At that moment, Han arrived with the ox cart and the group of villagers. He looked a little embarrassed and said, "I went back to borrow the cart to carry the wolves, but I didn't expect them all to follow me."
Some of the people who came included Han and Mier's father. When they saw the huge pile of wolves, their eyes went wide, and they quickly checked to see if Niley and Han were okay.
"Wife master, big brother, are you two alright?"
"Big brother, wife master, you're not hurt, are you?"
"You went into the deep mountains?"
...
It was obvious that this many wolves wouldn't appear near the outer edge of the mountain. It must mean they had gone deep into the forest.
Mier looked at Niley with worry and frustration. "We said to let you go into the mountain with big brother, but not into the deep forest!"
"Are you stupid? The deep forest is so dangerous. What would happen if something bad happened to you?"
After saying this, he realized he was saying something unlucky and quickly spat three times to ward off bad luck. Then he looked back at Niley and said, "I didn't mean anything bad. I'm just really worried about you and big brother."
"I know. But look, we came back safely, didn't we?"
As she finished speaking, she noticed Han looking at her. She felt a little guilty and turned her head to avoid his gaze.
Han's face looked calm, but he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed inside.
As soon as Mier arrived, she only had eyes for him.
But this strange feeling faded when Village Chief Lan and the villagers began asking him excitedly about Niley fighting the wolves.
Seeing everyone so enthusiastic, Niley didn't stop them.
After the villagers helped load the wolves onto the cart, they still came up to her. Some of them glanced at Mier standing nearby, then asked warmly, "You're Mier's wife master, right? How did you manage to kill so many wolves?"
"There are over twenty wolves here, right? You killed them all by yourself?"
"You're so amazing! Can you teach us how to hunt?"
...
Hearing this, Niley shook her head and said seriously to Village Chief Lan and the villagers, "The deep forest is too dangerous. If you don't know how to protect yourselves, it's better not to go."
Seeing some villagers still wanted to go, she added, "If I take you into the deep forest and something goes wrong, the first thing I'll do is protect myself. If I can't protect you and you end up hurt or worse..."
Village Chief Lan saw the situation and quickly spoke up, "Everyone, stop thinking about going into the deep forest. Have you forgotten what happened thirty years ago?"
"Thirty years ago, in winter, the wolf pack came down from the mountains and attacked our Zhukeng Village. Many people died."
"Even if you won't take us into the forest or teach us how to hunt, can't you at least share some of the wolves you caught with us?"
One villager, seeing Niley refuse again and again, decided to make a move. Before they even finished talking, they reached out to touch one of the wolves.
Niley raised her eyebrows and gave a cold smile. These people really weren't any different from those in the apocalypse.
Village Chief Lan hurried to stop them, but more villagers had the same idea.
Some even pretended to stop others while secretly pushing Village Chief Lan away from the cart and the pile of wolves.
Village Chief Lan had been the leader for many years and wasn't stupid. She broke free from those blocking her and shouted, "Stop right now!"
The villagers froze in place. No one dared make a sound. They looked around awkwardly, avoiding her eyes.
"I remember that whoever hunts something from the mountain gets to keep it," Village Chief Lan said as she looked at them, especially Jiang Mingming who had caused the most trouble. She rolled her eyes at her and continued, "When you hunt, gather herbs, or catch fish in the lake, do you give them to others?"
"Now you see someone bringing back a lot of meat and you're jealous? That meat was earned with her life! If you have the ability, go get it yourself!"
...
Most villagers lived tough lives. Many just wanted to go up the mountain to improve things a little at home. After what Village Chief Lan said, many of them lowered their heads.
They knew they couldn't hunt as much as Niley, but even a little would help their families.
But if they allowed people to take Niley's things now, it would mean they'd have to share their own catch in the future too.
Niley understood what they were thinking. She looked at the ones who had just stirred up trouble and said, "If everyone is willing to share part of what they get from the mountain with the village, then I'll do the same. But how much to give depends on your honesty."
"Of course we should give more! Look at how many wolves she has!"
"You idiot! If she gives us more now, that means we'll have to give others more later too."
"That won't work. That'll just make a mess."
...
Village Chief Lan shook her head but didn't say anything. She understood why Niley was doing this.
Behind Niley, Xing mumbled with a frown, "They never shared anything they brought back before. But now they see so much and suddenly want a piece of it."
When Niley turned to look at him, he gave a sideways glance and muttered again, "It's true. Shameless!"
Xing kept grumbling, and his father smacked him on the back. "Where did you learn to talk like that? You think you can say those things?"
He even glanced at Niley, worried she might be angry.
But Niley didn't seem to notice. She just looked at the noisy crowd and said, "Since everyone has different opinions, let's just stick to the old rules."