Throat?!
These past few days, I have been rushing without paying attention to my throat's condition.
But now, I didn't expect it to recover by itself.
Xyliana was a little confused.
Her throat was soft and light, a seductive sound that didn't match her current state at all.
Could it be that she had to strain her throat every day like before?
She had lived that life enough.
Then Xyliana started to carefully recall.
What had she eaten in the first two days after arriving in the beast continent?
Her brow furrowed as she racked her brain.
Those two days, she barely ate anything except some phoenix fruit!
Yes!
She was starving when she saw a strange phoenix tree in the jungle.
The tree looked unusual; its branches were not normal brown but bright red.
The tree's body glowed faintly, like something from a fantasy drama.
Xyliana had not eaten for a long time.
Yesterday, she was chased, hiding in the lake, and found nothing to eat at night.
She was very hungry.
Finally, she found the phoenix tree, but the fruits on the ground were half-eaten by birds.
Only then did Xyliana dare to pick some to fill her stomach.
Could it be those phoenix fruits?
Looking at the fruits on the table she hadn't dared to throw away,
her heart beat fast with hope and fear.
She reached out, took one, and bit it gently.
Then she slowly tried to speak:
"Hello, hello."
Two slightly hoarse voices came from the room.
It really was because of the phoenix fruit!
Xyliana was excited as if discovering a new world.
"This is great! With these fruits, things will be easier!
But not many fruits are left. I need to find a way to pick more.
This Yicheng is surrounded by mountains and rivers.
In a few days, I should go to the mountain and look for more."
Xyliana thought quietly.
After lunch, she rested a little.
In the afternoon, she spent some time in the kitchen, slicing the phoenix fruits and drying them in the yard.
"Finally finished."
The neatly sliced fruit was arranged on a bamboo tray.
Looking at the fruits she had worked on all afternoon in the yard,
Xyliana wiped the sweat off her forehead with satisfaction.
"Now I don't have to worry about them spoiling!" she said happily, a smile appearing in her eyes.
Then she dragged her tired body inside to rest.
A breeze blew through, the flowers in the yard rustled, and a shower of bright red petals fell, drifting in the air.
The next day,
Waking up early, after eating some snacks from Zhiyina,
Xyliana finished packing.
She carried a bamboo basket, ready to set off for Qinghua Mountain.
Qinghua Mountain was a famous mountain in the beast continent, tall and beautiful, surrounded by fairy mist.
It was said there were many medicinal plants on the mountain, so beast people often went there to pick herbs.
Walking south along the street, not far ahead, she saw what looked like a medicine shop.
Xyliana was pleased.
She had been on this continent a few days.
Although she knew some herbs, the medicinal plants here seemed different from those on Blue Star.
It was better to ask and learn more.
She walked toward the medicine shop.
Entering the shop, she saw the signboard with four strange characters.
She felt a little embarrassed.
The shop assistant was tidying up in the main hall.
Looking up and seeing a young woman enter, he was happy and quickly approached:
"Miss, are you feeling unwell? Do you want some medicine?"
Xyliana looked at the unknown herbs in the shop and said softly,
"I passed by here and saw your pharmacy. I wanted to see what kind of herbs you have. May I take a look? Sorry to trouble you."
"Of course, miss, please come in," Xamun said with a smile.
Xyliana carefully examined the herbs. There were not many in the shop.
She recognized many of them, but wasn't sure if the names matched what she had learned.
After asking the clerk, Xyliana found out these herbs had different names on the Beast Continent.
There were also some herbs she didn't know. The variety was not very large.
"This young man..." Xyliana began slowly.
"Call me Xamun, miss. Everyone calls me that," Xamun smiled and scratched the back of his head, looking honest and cute.
"I wonder if your shop buys herbs?" Xyliana asked softly, thinking to herself:
If this pharmacy buys herbs, she would have another way to earn money.
Hearing Xyliana's question, Xamun paused and then replied,
"We do. Our pharmacy buys herbs all year. Do you have some to sell?"
Xyliana felt happy and quickly said,
"I'm going to the mountain to collect herbs. I passed by and wanted to ask if your shop buys herbs."
Xamun was surprised. He thought, how rare for a woman to go out and earn money.
Most women lived in luxury from childhood. Families protected them closely and wouldn't let them go easily.
A girl like this was indeed unusual.
"We do buy. If you have extra herbs, we will take them," Xamun said quickly, hiding his surprise.
Xyliana smiled with joy. "Thank you, sir."
Xamun waved his hands. "It's no trouble. Our pharmacy buys herbs year-round. Bring your herbs here anytime."
After leaving the pharmacy, Xyliana felt lighter because she had found a way to earn money. Her steps grew faster as she walked toward the countryside hills.
"What a strange girl..." Xamun muttered, watching Xyliana's happy figure. Then he went back inside and continued to tidy up.
The sunset painted the sky orange and covered the city in a bright glow.
Near evening, small stalls popped up on the street selling buns, snacks, and noodle soup. The busy street was full of people.
Exhaustion spread through Xyliana's limbs as she walked home, dusty and tired.
She had been gathering herbs all day on the mountain. Her back and waist ached.
But she had collected a good amount. She kept what she needed and sold the rest to the pharmacy on the way back.
Though the money wasn't much, it was enough for two or three days' meals.
Xyliana happily planned in her mind.
Although the government office gave women a decent monthly allowance, she preferred to find work herself.
Besides, she needed to go to the mountain to collect herbs to hide her appearance, so gathering more wouldn't hurt.
She stopped at a small stall and bought some food, waiting there.
Nearby, customers were chatting loudly.
"Hey, did you hear? A new batch of slaves came to the Willow Alley. They're going to Beast City," said a rough voice.
Xyliana turned slightly and saw a dark-skinned, strong man.
"Really? How do you know?" another asked doubtfully.
"You think I'd lie? My mistress told me," the man said quickly.
Seeing the doubt, he hurried to explain.
"Oh, it's Lord Zongru. Last night..." the other teased with a smirk.
The man looked nervous and embarrassed.
Visiting a mistress wasn't a respectable thing. If known, no matchmaker would help him find a wife.
"Cough, cough. They say there is a rare slave in the group. Too bad Willow Moon Tower didn't buy her. She's going to be sold to Beast City," the man whispered with a red face, sounding a bit regretful.
Though shameful, many beast men were willing to spend money to have fun.
"Too bad. Otherwise, I'd really want to see what she looks like."
"Hey, none of your business. Better save your money for Lord Zongru... Come, drink!"
"Yeah, right. Come on! Drink!" the man said loudly.