Volume One, Chapter 15: Could It Be Too Simple?

When Wu Xingxue and He Cang learned about each other’s worlds, they fell silent simultaneously.

He Cang had previously guessed that Wu Xingxue was probably not from the same continent as him, but he never imagined that they weren’t even from the same world.

After Wu Xingxue gave a brief explanation, He Cang quickly understood concepts like parallel worlds and different timelines.

He also learned about the “apocalypse” in Wu Xingxue’s world—monsters ran rampant and resources were scarce.

But there was one positive aspect.

According to the new terms he learned from Wu Xingxue, this meant their level of technology was advanced.

“Humans, huh...” He Cang had only heard of them in legends. Their ancestors were humans who, through continuous evolution, merged with powerful beasts. Eventually, they became the beastfolk as they were now—capable of shifting into beast forms but living mostly as humans.

Tears of envy welled at the corner of Wu Xingxue’s mouth.

Hearing the young beastfolk chieftain speak, she learned that their land was filled with wild fruits, fertile soil, plump little beasts, and sweet spring water.

Absolutely pure and uncontaminated.

Moreover, the fruit she had given to He Cang earlier was just something she casually picked—not some rare treasure.

If that was the case...

Wouldn’t that mean there were treasures everywhere in the Beast Realm?

Wu Xingxue asked, “Do you still have any of those round fruits you gave me the first time?”

He Cang replied, “Not for now. If you want some, you’ll have to wait.”

From He Cang’s explanation, Wu Xingxue learned that the Qionghu Tribe was facing a life-or-death crisis.

And the repair fruits she wanted could only be found if He Cang left the tribe.

If He Cang died...

He absolutely could not die!

Wu Xingxue felt anxious. “Did the medicine I gave you yesterday work?”

He Cang sensed her urgency and thought she was worried about his injury. He felt touched—she was truly a good person.

Feeling even more guilty, he said, “It helped a lot. I should thank you—thanks to your medicine.”

“Just a few ordinary fruits exchanged for such useful medicine—I’m the one who benefited,” Wu Xingxue said.

Something felt off to her, so she carefully chose her words, “Don’t you think those fruits are... well, special?”

“Special? Especially sweet?” He Cang replied seriously. “Our Qionghu Tribe usually eats those fruits just to hydrate. I’ve eaten the kind I gave you before—they’re only sweet, nothing more.”

Wu Xingxue thought for a moment and guessed that maybe since beastfolk were born and raised in an environment brimming with energy, consuming energy-rich fruits and foods, they had adapted to them.

Hence, they couldn’t sense anything unusual.

Wu Xingxue hesitated for two seconds but ultimately didn’t explain that the fruits had special effects on humans.

She feared He Cang might seize the opportunity to raise the price.

Since becoming incapacitated that month, she had seen too many people trample on her in her lowest moments.

She didn’t want to give him leverage—if he were unscrupulous and knew she urgently needed the repair fruits, he might demand exorbitant prices to threaten her...

Wu Xingxue steadied her nerves.

She must keep control in her own hands.

Better to say nothing for now and wait.

She relied on so little now and couldn’t afford a misstep.

Seeing her silent, He Cang asked, “Do you still have the medicine you gave me yesterday? Can I trade with you?”

He paused, sounding embarrassed as his voice lowered, “But I don’t have anything good to offer you in exchange.”

Wu Xingxue remained silent.

Was this young beastfolk chieftain too simple?

Could he really hold up a whole tribe?

Or was he pretending?

Having just been scammed by Luo Jing during the day, she found it hard to trust a stranger so easily.

Though she thought this, she spoke gently, “Anything you give me is fine, but I have to sell it first to earn money and then buy medicine for you.”

He Cang’s guilt peaked.

She was just too kind.

No, once he got through this crisis, the first thing he would do was find that fruit she liked!

He Cang made up his mind.

The next morning, Wu Xingxue went to the appraisal center with a purplish-red herb.

According to He Cang, this herb was currently the most abundant in their tribe.

Of course, its effect was ordinary—only reducing swelling and bruising.

“To them, it only reduces swelling and bruising, but maybe on us humans, it might have better effects,” Wu Xingxue hoped silently to sell it for a good price, so she could buy medicine for He Cang and also renew Grandma Qin’s small shop lease.

If she could open the shop again directly, that would be even better!

Wu Xingxue smiled faintly, realizing she was thinking too far ahead.

Near the entrance of the appraisal center, two people were crouched sneakily behind a dead tree.

“Captain, why do we have to hide? How can you be sure Wu Xingxue will come today?” asked a short man named Wang Liang, who was closest to Shen Chi in the team.

Shen Chi had dragged him out early, saying they needed to catch Wu Xingxue.

Shen Chi shushed him and lowered his voice, “That sly brat would run away if she saw me at the door! Today, I must bring her home!”

In truth, Shen Chi wasn’t sure if Wu Xingxue would come today; he was just trying his luck.

Yesterday, he wanted to confront Wu Xingxue but realized he didn’t even know where she lived now.

Thinking of this left him uneasy, though he couldn’t say why.

Only one thought pushed him—bring Wu Xingxue home.

Wang Liang pouted and couldn’t help but say, “Captain, don’t you hate her? Wouldn’t it be better if she left now?”

Shen Chi looked puzzled. “Who said I hate her?”

Wang Liang listed, “Four months ago, Wu Xingxue brought you food and you found her annoying and told her to leave quickly. A month ago, when her power core shattered, you said she deserved it. Yesterday, you said your whole family hated her and called her vicious, and you also said—”

“Shut up!” Shen Chi snapped, doubts flashing in his mind.

Did he really say all that?

Then he reconsidered, “She has problems herself, otherwise why would I treat her like that for no reason?”

At that moment, Wu Xingxue appeared, and Shen Chi’s eyes lit up.

“She’s here!”

Wang Liang saw Shen Chi’s gaze fixed intently on Wu Xingxue and worried he was about to clash with her.

“Captain, maybe we should just go back to the team.”

“The ranking mission starts tomorrow. This time, we’re ranked alongside Meng Wei’s team. It will affect everyone’s commissions and ratings for the next half-year. We’ve been working hard all year for this.”

The exploration teams ranged from E to A ranks, with ranking missions every six months. Their team and Meng Wei’s were both B-rank. Success this time would promote them to A, doubling their commissions for the next six months.

But failure would drop them to C-rank, slashing their pay, and they’d have to wait another six months to try again.

Who could guarantee they’d survive half a year?

All explorers crammed their heads trying to reach A-rank because A-rank teams enjoyed a unique benefit.

If a member died, the safe zone would pay their family a generous monthly pension for life—something no other rank had.

Their five-person team had suffered to climb from E to B over a year; now they were counting on this promotion.

Especially since their rival was Meng Wei’s team.

Everyone was burning with determination.

Wang Liang didn’t expect their captain to suddenly fixate on Wu Xingxue at such a critical moment.

Shen Chi watched Wu Xingxue enter the appraisal center with a dark expression.

“Meng Wei’s nothing. This time, I’ll crush him. I’ve already made arrangements—don’t worry.”

With that, he strode toward the appraisal center.

Wang Liang sighed and followed, unsure what preparations their captain had made to be so confident.