80: Reencounter with Xue Min

"Forget it, let's not talk about that anymore. Let's get some food first."

Qin Shou understood in his heart that the senior had probably already designed a growth path for him long ago—to walk the path he had taken and cultivate his Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation method. It was impossible for him to casually give him any other technique, so he stopped dwelling on it. His most important task now was to first settle Nuo Nuo, help her recover her strength, and then complete the system's task to obtain the Heaven-rank reward.

Fortunately, for this police mission, Qin Shou had brought a short knife for self-defense. He took out the knife and, with a few swift movements, skinned the wolf. He planned to clean it first and use it as a makeshift garment for the little girl. Otherwise, with her being naked, it would be difficult for him to take her back to the city. As he handled the wolfskin, he mentally planned his next steps.

After finishing this, Qin Shou skewered the wild wolf on a wooden spit and began roasting it.

The flames licked at the wolf meat, producing a sizzling sound. Fat dripped onto the fire, crackling and popping.

Over an hour later, the aroma of meat began to waft through the air. Qin Shou couldn't help but swallow his saliva. The fierce battle last night had drained him greatly, and he hadn't eaten a proper meal since. He was already starving. The smell of the roasting meat made his stomach growl incessantly.

Even so, Qin Shou didn't rush to eat the meat. Instead, he first tore off a piece of wolf meat from the thigh and brought it to Nuo Nuo.

"Here, eat this."

Qin Shou pointed to the wolf meat in his hand.

"Thank you, brother."

Nuo Nuo nodded obediently, taking the wolf meat Qin Shou offered and eating it in large, hearty bites.

Nuo Nuo was clearly famished, devouring the roasted meat ravenously, unlike a typical five- or six-year-old girl.

"How is it? How does it taste?"

Qin Shou asked intentionally, wanting to gauge Nuo Nuo's reaction and see if she could eat like a normal person.

"Hehe, this is delicious, brother. This tastes better than blood."

The little girl smacked her lips, answering Qin Shou while eating with relish, her face full of joy.

"Good. Since this tastes better than drinking blood, remember not to drink blood anymore, okay? You should eat like a normal person."

Qin Shou nodded with satisfaction, relieved to see that Nuo Nuo seemed capable of eating normal food like an ordinary person.

If Nuo Nuo could only consume raw flesh and blood and couldn't eat ordinary food at all, it would be a real headache for Qin Shou. If that were the case, this nurturing-type task would be impossible. Who had the ability to provide her with fresh blood from living creatures every day in the city?

Moreover, raising a monster that killed without batting an eye and drank human blood daily would cross Qin Shou's moral boundaries.

If possible, Qin Shou hoped Nuo Nuo could live like a normal person instead of becoming a monster obsessed with killing and drinking blood.

Seeing Nuo Nuo eating with such relish, Qin Shou, who was also starving, tore off a piece of wolf leg and began eating heartily.

Perhaps because he was truly starving, even without any seasoning, Qin Shou felt this roasted wolf meat was far more delicious than any meal he had ever eaten.

The wild wolf was quite large. After finishing an entire leg, Qin Shou was completely full and let out a satisfied burp.

"Nuo Nuo, wait here for a bit. I'll go get you some clothes to wear."

"Okay, thank you, brother."

Nuo Nuo nodded, her mouth still full of wolf meat, speaking unclearly.

Qin Shou smiled, picked up the wolfskin, and left the cave.

While gathering dry branches earlier, he had noticed a mountain spring not far from the cave. The water was clear and bottomless, making it a perfect spot to clean the wolfskin.

Qin Shou planned to wash the blood off the wolfskin and temporarily use it as clothing for Nuo Nuo. Otherwise, with her naked, it would be difficult to take her back to the city. He didn't want to be mistaken for a child-trafficking pervert.

Qin Shou arrived at the mountain spring, submerged the wolfskin in the water, and began cleaning it carefully.

"Brother Qin! What are you doing here?"

Qin Shou had only been washing by the spring for a short while when he heard a familiar voice. He looked up and saw it was the buxom Police Beauty who had helped him before—Xue Min.

Beside Xue Min was a middle-aged Criminal Police Officer with a square face. Qin Shou had met him before; his name was Yang Weiguo, a Criminal Police Officer known for his integrity. Qin Shou had previously disguised himself as a woman to act as bait and had coordinated with him. Qin Shou had a fairly good impression of him.

Xue Min didn't know about Qin Shou's cooperation with the police. She jogged over to him, her ample chest bouncing with each step, making Qin Shou feel a bit dazed. The sight was intoxicating.

"Brother Qin, what are you doing in this remote wilderness, so far from any village or town?"

As she spoke, Xue Min inadvertently noticed Qin Shou staring blankly at her chest. Instantly, her pretty face flushed bright red.

Xue Min felt both embarrassed and annoyed, but for some reason, she couldn't help feeling a slight thrill. Her charming face was lowered, too shy to look up.

Seeing this, Qin Shou quickly averted his gaze, not daring to linger.

"Ahem, well, I—"

Just as Qin Shou was about to explain, Yang Weiguo beside Xue Min suddenly saluted Qin Shou with a military gesture, his expression solemn and serious.

"Hello, Brother Qin. Thank you very much for your cooperation with the police this time. You've been a tremendous help!"

Yang Weiguo's voice was loud and forceful, his words sincere.

"Heh, it was nothing. Just doing my duty as a citizen!"

Qin Shou waved his hand casually. Although he had done it for the money, he still had to make his words sound good.

"You two know each other?"

Xue Min looked at the two of them, puzzled.

"Oh, Xiao Min, you don't know. Brother Qin was our informant for cracking the Blood God Cult case. I coordinated with him earlier, and he made a huge contribution this time."

Yang Weiguo explained with a smile.

"So that's how it is. How come I didn't know anything about this?"

Xue Min pouted, feeling somewhat frustrated. She thought to herself, 'Last time, you promised to treat me to a meal, but you haven't contacted me in days. What's worse, you cooperated with the police and didn't even find time to come see me.' This made Xue Min feel a little resentful.

"By the way, Officer Yang, how is the friend I was with during the operation doing now?"

Qin Shou remembered that Guo Gang had been severely injured before he was taken away by the demon corpse, so he couldn't help but worry.

"Don't worry, Brother Qin. We rushed him to the city hospital last night, and he's already out of danger. However, he's been very worried about your safety and keeps insisting on leaving the hospital to find you."

"That's good."

Hearing that Guo Gang was fine, Qin Shou finally felt relieved.

"By the way, Officer Yang, there's one more thing. I'd like to ask for your help."

Qin Shou suddenly remembered Nuo Nuo's situation. This was a perfect opportunity to get her an identity.

"Brother Qin, feel free to speak. If it's within my power, I'll do my best."

Yang Weiguo agreed readily.

"Officer Yang, please follow me."

With that, Qin Shou led Yang Weiguo and Xue Min toward the cave.

The cave wasn't far. Before long, the three of them arrived near the cave entrance.

"Awooo!"

However, as soon as they approached the cave, they heard a high-pitched wolf howl. Qin Shou looked up and saw dozens of wild wolves surrounding the cave.

Qin Shou's heart sank. 'Oh no!' he thought.

Of course, Qin Shou wasn't worried about Nuo Nuo being eaten by the wolves. What worried him was that Nuo Nuo might drain the wolves' essence and blood right in front of Xue Min and Yang Weiguo. That would be a disaster.