269: hunting

Dawn broke on the horizon, with birds chirping and insects calling; it was another clear, sunny day.

Xun An Cai's rosy cheeks were filled with satisfaction. The beast-skin that had covered her was nowhere to be found. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes, reached out to touch the space beside her, and found that Xu Sanyan was already gone.

"Ah!"

Xun An Cai let out a startled cry and sat up abruptly. Her chest heaved, and upon closer inspection, a shallow tooth mark could still be seen, not yet faded.

Everything from last night felt like a fleeting dream, leaving her feeling inexplicably empty inside, terrified that opening her eyes would reveal it had truly been just a dream.

"Where are my clothes?"

Xun An Cai searched around in a panic, finally finding the beast-skin under her bottom.

She reached out to touch it and found it was still a bit damp. She brought it to her nose to sniff, then immediately wrinkled her nose in disgust and waved her hand.

"What is this smell?"

It was a fishy, foul stench, like a fish that had been dead for a long time.

Xun An Cai grabbed some weeds from the side and scrubbed the clothes vigorously until the smell lessened, then put them on.

"Where is my man?"

Xun An Cai rushed out of the house in a hurry, scanning left and right, and finally looked at the Three-Headed Dog lying on the ground. "Where is my man?"

"Woof!"

The Three-Headed Dog barked in one direction.

"Let's go."

Xun An Cai kicked the Three-Headed Dog to get it to lead the way.

The Three-Headed Dog trotted ahead, sniffing the ground from time to time. They hadn't gone far before they saw Xu Sanyan not far ahead, using a long blade to chop down trees.

There were six or seven processed tree trunks piled on the ground; it seemed he had already been busy for a while.

"What are you doing?" Xun An Cai tilted her head and asked as she approached.

Xu Sanyan turned his head and drove the long blade into a tree with a 'thud.' "I'm building a wall for your home."

This long blade was something from his Storage Pouch.

He really wasn't used to doing that kind of thing out in the open, and he figured he would be staying here for a while, so it was better to build a wall.

"I'll help you."

Xun An Cai had plenty of strength; she scooped up four tree trunks in her arms and headed home. She looked at the Three-Headed Dog at her feet. "Don't just stand there."

As she spoke, she placed one of the logs from her arms onto the head of the Three-Headed Dog. Its three heads interlocked to balance the log as it walked home.

"Woof!"

The Three-Headed Dog balanced the log with ease.

Xu Sanyan figured it was probably enough, so he stopped chopping and followed them back the way they came.

"Thud!"

As the logs hit the ground, Xun An Cai clapped her hands and looked at Xu Sanyan. "You finish this up; I'm going out to hunt."

"Hmm... I'll go too."

Xu Sanyan thought for a moment and decided to go with her to see. He was very curious about the strength of the beasts in this Secret Realm.

"Fine, but you have to stay close to me. The wilderness is dangerous." Xun An Cai was a little reluctant, but she couldn't bear to refuse.

Besides, she had a little ulterior motive: she wanted to show off her strength in front of Xu Sanyan.

Only a strong woman is worthy of having a man!

"Alright." Xu Sanyan handed her the blade. "Take this."

Xun An Cai took the blade with curiosity, tested its strength, and nodded with satisfaction. "Good stuff."

"Let's go."

The two of them and the dog headed out.

...

Deep in the dense forest, Xun An Cai walked cautiously in front, scanning her eyes everywhere, fully focused on sensing the surrounding aura.

Xu Sanyan followed about ten steps behind her. At this distance, if he encountered danger, Xun An Cai would be able to react immediately.

The Three-Headed Dog stayed by Xu Sanyan's side, keeping watch for him.

The two and the dog had been walking for half a day, and they were now some distance from the Dog Clan.

"Coo-coo!"

Bird calls came from the forest from time to time; countless dangers lay hidden within the seemingly peaceful and tranquil dense forest.

Xun An Cai, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped. Xu Sanyan halted as well, looking past her to the front, where he saw a beast resting.

It was a four-legged beast resembling a tiger or leopard, with a head like a tiger and a body like a calf. It was covered in a layer of light brown fur and was lying on the ground, fast asleep.

However, its pricked ears proved that it had never let its guard down.

A look of joy appeared in Xun An Cai's eyes; it seemed her luck was good today, encountering prey so quickly.

The beast's ears twitched, and its nose twitched as if it had smelled the approach of danger. Its eyes snapped open, staring directly at where Xun An Cai was hiding.

Realizing she had been discovered, Xun An Cai stopped hiding. Without a word, she charged out, the long blade flashing with a cold, sharp light as she struck down suddenly.

"Roar!"

The beast flipped up, its fangs bared with a sky-shaking roar. Sharp claws popped out from its paw pads, and it leaped up with a powerful push from its hind legs.

But it didn't move forward; instead, it retreated backward, dodging Xun An Cai's long blade.

Beasts do not fight recklessly; they first judge the opponent's strength while looking for weaknesses.

But Xun An Cai didn't give it time to observe; failing the first strike, the second followed immediately.

Although she had never used a blade before, her innate combat instincts allowed her to master it in an instant, and it complemented her incredibly swift movement technique perfectly.

From a distance, she looked like a bolt of lightning, suddenly appearing at the beast's side, her long blade slashing straight for its head.

Xun An Cai's slightly dark skin and bulging muscles, combined with the fierce expression on her face, held a unique charm.

The aesthetics of violence!

"Woof!"

Hearing the dog bark, Xu Sanyan finally reacted. The Three-Headed Dog had somehow quietly appeared beside the beast, coordinating with Xun An Cai in a pincer attack—it was perfectly in sync!

Even with Xu Sanyan's many years of combat experience, he couldn't help but have his eyes light up, and he couldn't help but applaud.

"Roar!"

The beast wasn't a pushover either. Seeing it had nowhere to retreat, its inner ferocity was thoroughly ignited. It crouched slightly, its four limbs exerted force, and its fangs, glinting with cold light, snapped toward Xun An Cai's throat.

"Sshhh—"

Xun An Cai dodged the vital spot while flipping the long blade in mid-air. The sharp edge slashed across the beast's side, and a bloody wound immediately appeared.

But she wasn't unscathed either. Although she avoided the beast's fangs, she was still grazed on her waist and abdomen by its sharp claws. The exposed flesh bled, but fortunately, the wound wasn't deep and didn't injure any internal organs.

"Woof!"

The Three-Headed Dog seized the opportunity to step forward and harass it. It was very clever, biting and then retreating, protecting itself while forcing the beast to be distracted.

Xun An Cai didn't care about the wound on her abdomen. A fierce light flashed in her eyes, and she hurled the long blade.

"Thud!"

The beast dodged the long blade, and it embedded itself deeply into a tree trunk.

Before it could recover, it saw Xun An Cai lunging at it. She had actually discarded her weapon to engage in hand-to-hand combat!

Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. So fierce?

"Roar!"

The beast turned to bite the Three-Headed Dog, and Xun An Cai seized the chance to step onto the beast's body, swinging her fist with all her might to strike its head.

"Bang!"

With a muffled sound, the beast stumbled, demonstrating the power of that punch.

Xu Sanyan clicked his tongue secretly. He knew Xun An Cai's strength all too well; last night, she had almost crushed him to death...