In addition to fruit, Si Shuo also spotted numerous medicinal herbs—for stopping bleeding and reducing inflammation, clearing heat and detoxifying, relieving coughs and diarrhea, easing pain, and improving blood circulation.
She wasn't picky, gathering any fruit and herbs she came across. Two-thirds of the fruit went into her space, and the other third went into a wicker basket she was temporarily keeping in her space. As for the medicinal herbs, she only kept a few common types that everyone would recognize on her person.
The windbreaker was airtight, and she was wearing Beast Skins underneath it.
After working on and off for about two hours, the wicker basket was over half full. Hot and tired, Si Shuo cleared a small spot for herself, took off her windbreaker, and rested while sipping some warm meat broth.
Si Shuo absolutely loved the feeling of working up a good sweat. This sense of vitality was something she could have only dreamed of in her past life.
Seeing it was still early, she thought for a moment and took out a Superpower Awakening Pill, which resembled a Milk Sugar candy. She tossed it into her mouth. The elixir dissolved instantly, and a gentle power surged down her esophagus, spreading throughout her body.
Before long, Si Shuo felt even hotter and more exhausted. In a daze, she curled up on the Beast Skins and fell fast asleep.
The faint sound of a horn drifted over, and she woke with a start. A foul stench filled her nostrils, almost making her gag.
Si Shuo slapped her forehead. With no time to clean up, she could only brace herself and pack quickly. She didn't even put her windbreaker on. As she started back, she dragged some of the cut thorny vines with her.
As she neared the exit of the thicket, she took the wicker basket from her space and hoisted it onto her back.
Afraid she would miss the party returning to the tribe, Si Shuo jogged the entire way.
The wicker basket on her back was filled with at least thirty pounds of wild fruit and herbs, yet she didn't feel it was the least bit heavy. In fact, she felt as light as a feather!
'Did my superpower awakening succeed?'
Sure enough, she saw an unread message from the system in her Sea of Consciousness.
System: Congratulations, Host, for awakening the primarily healing-focused Wood Element Ability. Level 1 Skill: As if in the spring breeze. Effect: Provides moderate hemostasis and accelerated healing for injuries and illnesses. Proficiency: 0/100. Support Skill: Level 1 Catalyst Technique. Proficiency: 0/100.
Si Shuo was so excited she couldn't help but clench her fists and stomp her feet. With a superpower, she now had another layer of security on the Beast World Continent!
If she cultivated her superpower to a high level, she could save the people she cared about. She wouldn't have to watch helplessly as they suffered from grievous injuries without proper treatment, becoming disabled or even dying right before her eyes.
'No one understood the feeling of waiting for death more deeply than she did...'
"Si Shuo, where are you?" Yimei's voice called out from nearby.
Si Shuo quickly headed toward the spot where they had separated.
Seeing her emerge from the bushes, Yimei let out a long sigh of relief and hurried over, waving. "My bad. I forgot you can't hear. I should have stayed with you since it's your first time gathering."
Si Shuo smiled and shook her head. "I've been on gathering trips before at the other tribe. I'm just new to this area and lost track of time. I'll pay attention next time!"
As she got closer, Yimei caught the scent coming from her and couldn't help but cover her nose. "Si Shuo, where did you go? Don't tell me you ran into a stink bug while gathering?"
Si Shuo's face scrunched up. Blushing, she nodded vigorously and told a bald-faced lie, "I found a patch of fruit, but it turns out I disturbed a whole nest of stink bugs!"
'Her body had expelled foul-smelling impurities because of the superpower awakening. A smell this strong definitely wasn't the work of a single bug.'
Yimei said sympathetically, "You'll have to be more careful next time, then. Let's get back to the tribe. You can wash up once you're home."
Worried that her smell would rub off on others, Si Shuo put down a piece of Beast Skin before climbing onto the Golden Leopard to ride.
After returning to the tribe, Si Shuo prioritized turning in half of her fruit, then rushed to climb back to her home to take a bath.
The hunting party returned under the setting sun. Zhi Le was at the head of the group, running with his prey on his back. When he arrived at the tribe entrance, he scanned the crowd of welcoming Beastmen but didn't see his little female.
He shifted into his human form. His expression turned cold as he glanced aside to say a few words to a couple of friends before striding hurriedly home.
Seeing him, Yimei smiled and called out, "Zhi Le, the gathering team just got back! Don't worry, Si Shuo is fine. She just had some bad luck and ran into a stink bug nest, so she's washing up at home right now."
Zhi Le let out a slight sigh of relief and nodded to her in thanks, but he still ran home, unable to shake his worry.
When he leaped onto the platform of their home, he was amused to see his little female squatting on the ground boiling water. Her fair face had two streaks of ash on it, and a faint, foul odor lingered in the air.
He gave a low cough, suppressing a smile. "Kitty, I've been running around all day and I'm covered in blood and dust. Why don't you come take a bath with me?"
Si Shuo looked up at the young man in the doorway. They had only been apart for a day, but she realized now that she couldn't suppress how much she'd missed him.
'It was mostly because I was too busy to think about it earlier!'
"I—I gathered a lot of wild fruit and some medicinal herbs today, but I got some smell on me and was worried it would be too much for you. I didn't mean to skip welcoming you back!" she explained earnestly as she stood up.
Zhi Le's eyes softened. "I know. I'm just happy to come home and find you here. You don't need to come to the entrance to greet me. The smell of blood is too strong anyway."
"Come on, let's go bathe. By the time we get back, the meat from the hunt will be distributed and we can eat!"
"We hunted a den of long tusked pigs today. We killed three adults and brought back seven live piglets. I'll take you to see them in a bit."
Si Shuo nodded, put out the fire, and grabbed a change of clothes, intending to head down the stone steps herself.
Zhi Le stepped forward and swept her into his arms. He chuckled. "I love my kitty no matter what. We both worked hard all day, so there's no room for judgment. We're bathing together!"
Si Shuo blushed and squeezed her eyes shut. 'Fine, whatever! I'm already used to the smell, so I can't even tell if it's bad anymore anyway.'
Zhi Le carried her to the same spot by the stream as yesterday.
Si Shuo then remembered that she had gotten a twenty-meter-long large shrimp cage when she opened her survival package that morning.
She glanced at Zhi Le, pursed her lips, and stroked the Beast Mark on her wrist.
"Kitty, stop touching that. I can't take it," Zhi Le said, rubbing his head. His voice grew hoarse, and his eyes took on a crimson hue as he gazed into her gray-blue ones. "The Beast Mark is our bond. When you touch it, it's like you're whispering in my ear. A touch or two, and I figure you're just thinking about me. But when you keep touching it, especially while I'm right here... I start to think you're *wanting* me."
Si Shuo instantly understood what he meant by "wanting." She quickly hid her hand behind her back. "I was just curious! I didn't mean anything else by it!"
Zhi Le raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What else could you have meant, other than wanting me? We need to have good communication. It's my responsibility to take good care of my female and understand all her needs."
'I'm so easily embarrassed, but he just loves to tease me. He really does treat me like a little kitty.'
To change the subject, she just took the large shrimp cage out. The creatures on the Beast World Continent tended to be quite large, and the cage from the system was made of metal wire mesh.
"This just appeared in my space. The instructions say that if you put some bait in it and leave it in the water for a while, it will attract fish, shrimp, and crabs."
'I want to eat some big shrimp!'
Now that she was a Cat Beastman, the mere thought of it was enough to make her mouth water uncontrollably...