A farmer has a shrewish wife; he's busy making money every day.

While munching on a steamed bun, Ye Qingxue also made a trip to the clothing shop to retrieve the wolfskin coat she had had made some time ago.

By the time Ye Qingxue finished eating the steamed buns, she had almost gone into the mountains.

As they ventured deeper into the mountains, they saw many wild fruits on the trees, and Ye Qingxue couldn't resist picking them along the way.

Anyway, it's broad daylight, so it's difficult to sneak into Tiger Stronghold. It'll be easier to move around when it gets a little darker.

Along the way, we picked quite a few wild wax apples, wild hawthorns, and wild persimmons.

Along the way, we also saw Corydalis Rhizome, a herb that is most effective for relieving pain.

Pick them all and put them in the space.

"Congratulations, host, on unlocking a new species. Reward: a bag of Corydalis seeds."

The system also rewarded each of the various types of freshly picked fruits with a bag of seeds.

This delighted Ye Qingxue for a long time.

The deeper they went into the mountains, the denser the forest became, and the more humid the air grew. The winter wind blew shivering, and Ye Qingxue took out a wolfskin coat from her spatial storage and put it on.

Ye Qingxue felt warm all over, stretched her limbs, and continued forward.

In winter, darkness falls exceptionally quickly; after walking for about an hour, the sun was about to set.

Ye Qingxue quickened her pace, needing to find Fierce Tiger Stronghold as soon as possible before sunset.

Fortunately, Tiger Stronghold wasn't too hard to find.

Soon Ye Qingxue saw a patch of yellow light ahead.

Tiger Stronghold was built boldly on the mountaintop, with sturdy walls and a vast territory that encompassed almost the entire open space on the mountaintop.

A huge flag with a ferocious tiger head painted on it was conspicuously planted on the gate of the village.

This Tiger Stronghold is really too blatant; they don't even bother to hide.

Ye Qingxue hid behind a big tree and quietly observed the outer perimeter of the Fierce Tiger Stronghold.

Outside the stockade wall, a torch was placed every five meters, and a burly man stood guard every ten meters, each carrying a long spear.

Ye Qingxue turned to the right and went around to the back of Meng Hu Village, but the situation was the same.

With such tight security, it's hard not to suspect that there might be some secret inside.

After running a few more steps to the right, Ye Qingxue noticed that the flames ahead were exceptionally large.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that there were an unusually large number of burly men guarding that spot, with a guard almost every meter.

What kind of place is this that warrants such heavy security?

Ye Qingxue quietly marked this place in her mind and was about to leave, to take a couple more laps around and take another look, when suddenly she heard a sound from ahead.

"Boss! Third Boss!"

"Hmm, is there anything unusual here?"

"No."

"Okay, let's go in and take a look."

"Yes."

Immediately afterwards, the sound of a lock being opened could be heard.

Ye Qingxue's ears twitched, and when she tried to listen more carefully, there was no sound.

Third in command? Wolf Rich?

he woke up?

Ye Qingxue sneered inwardly as she recalled the day he blocked her at the entrance of Qingshui County.

I'll knock you out again when you wake up!

After waiting behind the bushes for a while, the sound finally came out again.

"Boss, have you found the men working for that little wench who beat me up last time?"

"No."

"Why can't you find him yet! The portrait is so clear, yet you still can't find him. I think you haven't sent anyone to look for him at all!"

"Looking, looking, looking! All you ever think about is finding people! How can you be so petty? Don't you know what situation we're in? If we get caught doing this, you can forget about your head! Looking for people! Who knows if that woman was sent by higher-ups to investigate us? Anyone stronger than you in this area can't be a simple person, can they?"

Although the two were arguing, Ye Qingxue still managed to pick up on the key words.

They're doing something that could get them killed.

As the sounds of their argument faded into the distance, Ye Qingxue knew she probably wouldn't hear anything more today, so she prepared to turn and leave.

Click.

Without noticing, Ye Qingxue stepped on and broke a tree branch.

The sound was quite crisp, but with all the noise inside, they probably wouldn't notice it...

"Who! Who's there!"

Before the thought could even finish flashing through her mind, Ye Qingxue heard the angry shout of the chief of the Fierce Tiger Stronghold.

She quickly lifted herself up and nimbly climbed onto the old man in front of her, using the layers of branches and leaves to conceal her figure.

In the distance, flames blazed brightly, and a small squad of burly men carrying torches ran toward her.

Ye Qingxue leaned against the tree trunk, her body covered in cold sweat, and closed her eyes.

If this continues, we'll be discovered sooner or later!

There was absolutely no other way but to fight to the death!

As the flames drew closer, Ye Qingxue tensed up, ready to unleash her full power.

Hua Hua Hua——

In the distance, a tree suddenly trembled violently, as if blown by a strong wind, its branches and leaves shaking and making a sound.

"Over there! Let's go take a look over there!"

The firelight gradually faded into the distance.

Ye Qingxue glanced over there, and taking advantage of the opportunity, she leaped a few times, weaving between the branches of the trees. Then, finding a clean spot, she gently jumped to the ground and began to run wildly.

Even if she is strong in combat, she could not possibly fight against so many big men with weapons with her bare hands!

Therefore, escaping for your life is the best option!

They quickly escaped down the mountain, by which time it was completely dark.

Ye Qingxue straightened her clothes, put the wolf coat into her spatial storage, brushed the leaves off her head, and then hurried toward the noodle stall.

On the way, Ye Qingxue was still feeling lingering fear.

This boss's hearing is incredible! He can hear even the slightest noise?

No wonder he deserves to be the leader; he must have some skill.

As Ye Qingxue thought this, she also thought of the big tree that made a sound at the critical moment.

The tree certainly didn't make a sound for no reason; it must have been made by someone.

Someone is helping her.

who can that be?

"Qingxue? Qingxue?"

Lost in her own thoughts, Chen's voice suddenly rang in her ears.

Ye Qingxue snapped out of her daze and looked at the two slightly concerned eyes that were leaning towards her.

"Ah, Aunt Chen, Aunt Lu, I'm thinking about something, what's wrong?"

Chen and Aunt Lu exchanged a glance.

"I've been calling you for a while, and when you came back, you just sat there propping your head up on the table, lost in thought, like your soul had left your body," Chen said, placing a bowl of noodles in front of Ye Qingxue.

"Look, we guessed you hadn't eaten yet. Here's the last bowl of scallion oil noodles for today, eat it quickly."

Aunt Lu got up and brought over a bowl of red bean porridge.

"I've heated up this red bean porridge for you. Drink it quickly, it's so cold today, it will warm you up."

Ye Qingxue blinked blankly.

Mrs. Chen got anxious: "Hey, why are you spacing out again, child? Come here, let me feed you."

Ye Qingxue was caught off guard and was fed a large mouthful of red bean porridge.

She quickly took the bowl and smiled, "I can do it myself, Aunt Chen."

My heart was filled with warmth. Besides my parents, there were other people who treated me like family.

Ye Qingxue immediately forgot her earlier tension and began to slurp her noodles and porridge seriously.

After eating, my body felt warm all over.

As Ye Qingxue prepared to return to the village and was about to mount the donkey, she stopped again.

She noticed that the items the villagers had asked her to replace were neatly stacked in the car.

Ye Qingxue panicked slightly. If it was Aunt Chen and Aunt Lu who helped her exchange the items, then her role as a middleman and the one making a profit...

Won't they find out?