Ye Ling led her deep into the Taguer Forest and walked for a while before stopping.
His body flickered with white light, about to shift into human form, yet he didn't even greet Su Xiyue.
Seeing she was about to be left behind, her brow twitched as she cursed silently, "That dog of a man, not even a greeting."
Just as he was about to transform, she quickly jumped down and landed steadily on the ground.
Ye Ling caught sight of her movement, raised an eyebrow in surprise, and glanced at her unexpectedly.
Then his face twisted with disgust as he coldly said, "Stay put and behave, or if you die, it's not my problem."
Without waiting for a reply, he transformed into a wolf and swiftly disappeared from sight.
Clearly, he went off hunting.
Su Xiyue paid no mind to his attitude, instead scanning her surroundings carefully.
She noticed that besides herself, there was no other beastman nearby and couldn't help but feel dumbfounded.
So, they just left her here alone?
Wasn't her father supposed to have Ye Ling take care of her?
Leaving her all by herself like this—what kind of "taking care" was that?
Her face darkened.
Staying put was impossible. She came along to gather supplies; how could she find anything just standing around?
But she didn't rush off immediately.
First, she tore off some flexible yet sturdy vines nearby and sat under a large tree to start weaving a backpack basket.
Having a basket would make carrying things much easier.
The resources in the beast world were abundant—wild fruits everywhere, ripe and plentiful. It was useless to have no container to carry them.
She picked a long, flexible vine as the main frame of the basket, gently feeling its texture and strength—it seemed reliable.
She began weaving the basket's base, crossing the vines to form a circular bottom.
Then she gradually wove upward, shaping the body of the basket.
She had seen survival shows and watched others make baskets before, so she understood the process, though she had never made one herself.
Now, thrown into the situation, she had no choice but to try.
Fortunately, her hands were quite skillful. After a bit of trial and error, she got the hang of it and her movements became faster.
Before long, she had finished weaving a basket.
Though the shape wasn't perfect, it was decent enough, with a sturdy bottom capable of holding weight.
Who cared about appearance—as long as it could carry things, it was good.
For convenience in carrying, she carefully chose two thick vines to tie securely at the top of the basket, one on each side, knotting them tightly so they wouldn't come undone.
Looking at the nearly finished basket, a satisfied gleam flashed in Su Xiyue's eyes. She slung it on her back and began searching for supplies.
Taguer was rich in resources—wild fruits were everywhere: wild bananas, goat milk fruit, jujubes, wild loquats.
It was the height of summer, and the hills were laden with fruit—large and sweet. After a short walk, she had filled more than half her basket, which grew heavy, though the basket was sturdy.
She didn't dare pick too many wild bananas—they spoiled easily and were hard to preserve.
But she gathered plenty of jujubes, which could be made into candied snacks. They'd be perfect treats during the coming winter.
Nearby, she spotted two chestnut trees—tall and grand, heavy with fruit, many already cracked open.
Chestnuts were a good staple food—small but filling.
They could be eaten raw, roasted, or boiled.
She first collected the fallen spiny husks into her basket.
After clearing the ground, she found a long, thin stick nearby and carefully climbed the tree.
It took a lot of effort—her body was too heavy to climb easily.
She stood on the main trunk since it was thickest, afraid to step elsewhere and risk breaking a branch and falling.
With one hand gripping the trunk and the other holding the stick, she vigorously struck the areas dense with spiny husks.
"Crackling sounds rang out."
The spiny husks fell rapidly.
Soon, the ground was covered in them—at least several dozen pounds.
She enjoyed knocking them down so much that she didn't notice a voice suddenly coming from behind.
"What are you doing?"
Su Xiyue nearly jumped out of her skin and almost fell, but she caught the tree in time to avoid a deadly fall.
Still trembling, she looked back.
Xuan Ming stood there, watching her with a strange expression, clearly puzzled by her actions.
Seeing it was Xuan Ming, she relaxed and shot him an annoyed glare.
"Do you have no idea how to walk quietly? Don't you know startling people—no, startling beasts—can scare them to death?"
Xuan Ming said nothing, only stared at her in surprise.
How did someone so heavy even manage to climb a tree?
In his mind, Su Xiyue was lazy and gluttonous, always lying in the cave waiting to be fed.
Not to mention climbing trees, even walking quickly was hard for her.
Now, she was not only industrious but brave—following them hunting and even daring to climb trees?
Could it be that her newfound powers were changing her?
Su Xiyue ignored his gaze, dropped the stick, and carefully slid down the tree.
She crouched on the ground and began gathering the spiny husks.
She wanted to peel the chestnuts to bring back but realized it was too much work, so she simply collected them to peel later.
Xuan Ming watched her and couldn't help asking, "What are you doing with these? They're prickly, the nuts inside are small, and barely fill a tooth gap."
Almost no one in the beast world bothered with these—they were painful to handle, meager in flesh, and hunting meat was far more worthwhile.
Su Xiyue glanced at him. "Don't underestimate them. These taste good, fill you up, are nutritious, can be stored a long time, and are perfect for winter."
She kept gathering, and before long, her basket was full.
There were still plenty of spiny husks scattered on the ground with nowhere to put them.
Fortunately, vines were everywhere in the beast world.
She gathered some vines nearby, squatted down, and began weaving another backpack basket.
Xuan Ming was surprised when he heard that these spiny husks could be stored for a long time.
He wondered how she suddenly knew so much and where she had learned it from.
But he didn't dwell on it; there wasn't much meat inside anyway.
Even if she brought all of them back, it wouldn't last more than a few meals.
He watched curiously as she tore vines and started weaving something, initially confused.
Only when the basket took shape in her hands did he begin to understand.
His gaze shifted to the basket already filled with spiny husks—it was clear she was making the basket for carrying things.
He raised an eyebrow. It did seem very convenient for holding items.
"What's that called? How do you know how to make it?" Xuan Ming couldn't help but ask.
Su Xiyue paused her weaving and casually replied, "It's called a backpack basket. It's used to carry things. As for how to weave it, I just figured it out on my own."
She couldn't very well say she learned from watching TV back in the post-apocalyptic world, so she gave a vague answer.
Xuan Ming said nothing, only fixed her with a deep, unreadable stare.
She didn't mind and focused on weaving.
This time, the basket looked much better than the last one, and her speed had increased.
Ding!
Xuan Ming's affection level has changed. Would the host like to check?
At that moment, the system's voice echoed in her mind.
She paused slightly and glanced at Xuan Ming, but didn't check immediately. Instead, she silently asked, "What's his current affection level?"
"Minus 40."
The system's response was concise and clear.
Su Xiyue was a little surprised. She remembered that when she woke up this morning, Xuan Ming's affection was at -60.
In less than a day, it had risen by 20 points.
It must be because she revealed her powers, and now with her weaving baskets and collecting spiny husks, she was showing diligence and capability.
Hardworking and competent females naturally earned more favor.
A faint smile tugged at her lips as she looked at Xuan Ming again and cheerfully asked, "Aren't you going hunting?"
There was no prey near him, so he either hadn't caught anything or hadn't found any signs of game.
"Of course I am. You be careful yourself."
Xuan Ming cast her a glance and left the words hanging in the air.
A flicker of black light flashed around him, and in an instant, he transformed into an enormous black wolf.
With a leap, he vanished into the forest.
Su Xiyue watched him disappear and smiled slightly before turning her gaze away.
She moved the two baskets full of supplies under the tree and set them down for the time being, planning to come back for them later.
No one in this world cared for such things, so she wasn't worried about theft.
There was still plenty of time, so she prepared to explore the nearby area.
She slung an empty basket over her back and set off.
After walking a short distance, she suddenly stopped, her eyes fixed in a certain direction.
"Huh? Is that wild ginger?"
Not far off, a patch of plants grew that looked remarkably like wild ginger.
They were thriving, with broad, lush green leaves that looked very inviting.
However, compared to what she'd seen in her previous life, these were much sturdier, and the leaves had subtle differences.