After eating a few mouthfuls of medicinal herbs and finding some edible wild vegetables, which were bitter without cooking, Shu An realized that even a lot of vegetables wouldn't fill her stomach. She needed something more substantial.
Cautiously exploring, she suddenly heard a slight rustle in the grass ahead. Shu An froze, her gaze fixed forward.
About a minute later, the creature behind the grass jumped out. Shu An breathed a sigh of relief; it was just a rabbit.
It was a rabbit about as large as her beast form. The rabbit, startled to see her, was about to drop the carrot it was holding and flee. However, upon realizing she was just a harmless little white beast, it stopped.
The rabbit regarded her with a mixture of curiosity and caution. Shu An, meanwhile, looked at the carrot in its mouth, carefully identifying the leaves, planning to dig for carrots herself later.
Rabbits are timid creatures, but when they encounter something weaker than themselves, they sometimes try to bully it.
The plump rabbit in front of her was acting rather smug. Not only did it refuse to share the carrot, but it also nudged her with its mud-covered hindquarters.
But the white spirit beast was not one to be trifled with!
She might not be able to defeat others, but did a mere rabbit think it could lord over her?
Her white paws blurred as she swiped, leaving the rabbit's face scratched. That wasn't all; Shu An leaped onto the rabbit and, with her sharp teeth, severed its major artery. To its dying moment, the rabbit never imagined that the little white beast could be so ferocious. It regretted not running away immediately!
With food secured, Shu An, carrying the large rabbit, returned to the tree hollow, intending to start a fire to roast the meat. However, there was an inconvenience: she couldn't roast it in her beast form, and if she transformed back into human form, she had no clothes.
Having been educated since childhood, appearing naked was too embarrassing for her. Even alone in the wilderness, if some beastman were to see her, the consequences were unimaginable!
Shu An sighed again. When traveling, one couldn't be too particular. Raw meat would suffice.
With her claws, she tore off the skin, then ate the flesh and blood. Fearing the smell of blood might attract wild beasts, she deliberately carried the meat to a spot far from the tree hollow to eat. After finishing, she used her paws to dig a hole and bury the remaining skin and bones.
It was the first time she had eaten so much, and her stomach felt distended. She ran back to the tree hollow to rest. All this exertion had made her paws and white fur dirty.
Shu An couldn't bring herself to lick her fur clean, so she made do. She lay in the tree hollow, gazing outwards, her heart filled with confusion. It seemed she had truly arrived in Xihai, her Aunt Ya's homeland. But how would she get back?
And how would she survive in the forest?
When one is down on their luck, even drinking cold water can get stuck in their throat. As dusk approached, it began to rain. Shu An went out again and gathered some grass to block the entrance of the tree hollow. The hollow wasn't warm, but it was dry. With her fur covering her, it wasn't too cold. She curled up and slept through the night.
She dreamt that her father had come to find her and take her home. But when she opened her eyes, she was still in the tree hollow.
Shu An dejectedly pushed aside the grass blocking the entrance. The forest, cleansed by the spring rain, had an air filled with the fresh, clean scent of vegetation, but she was in no mood to enjoy it.
She was extremely thirsty; she needed to find a water source.
There was dew on the plants, and Shu An licked it to relieve her dry mouth, but it didn't quench her thirst.
She didn't know which direction the water source was in, so she could only walk blindly in one direction, weaving through the grass. Her white fur became stained a dirty green, which looked unsightly.
The forest was full of various dangers. Along the way, she encountered no gentle small animals, but plenty of snakes. She had been fleeing continuously and had long lost her sense of direction. Now, she couldn't even find her way back to that tree hollow.
However, she was still fortunate. After running for an unknown amount of time, she finally saw a water source. At the water source, only a few small herbivorous animals were drinking, making it the safest place.
Shu An lay by the river and drank her fill. Suddenly, a sense of danger washed over her, and she immediately moved away from the riverbank, warily scanning her surroundings. The very next second after she ran, a gaping maw lunged out of the water, but the creature missed, biting only air.
However, another small animal drinking nearby was not so lucky. It was swallowed whole by the large mouth from the water, though a few managed to escape.
Shu An was stunned. Good heavens, even drinking water was so dangerous!
She couldn't help but think of the water缸 at home, which was always full. Her father was truly amazing. Sob, she missed home so much!
Shu An dared not approach the riverbank again, nor did she dare move too far away. She feared that if she wandered off again and got lost, she might not starve to death, but she would definitely die of thirst. She decided to find a hiding place nearby. The vegetation near the water source was lush, so there was no shortage of food.
As she was searching for a suitable large tree to make her home, the ground suddenly began to tremble, as if a group of large creatures had arrived. Shu An's expression changed, and she instinctively scrambled up a tree, crouching on a branch, using the leaves for cover, and looking back.
It was a herd of Triceratops. The leading Triceratops was enormous, its thick limbs creating craters with each step. Beside it was a slightly smaller Triceratops. Comically, each of them had some eggs on their heads, presumably their young.
Shu An squinted, feeling that the two leading Triceratops looked somewhat familiar. As they approached, Shu An's eyes widened in surprise. The Triceratops leader had writing on its ear – it was Big Horn Brother!
Shu An almost wept with joy. The Beast God had blessed her; she had actually met Big Horn Brother here!
"Big Horn Brother!"
Big Horn, who was drinking water, thought he was hearing things. Did he just hear his sister's voice?
"Big Horn Brother, I'm in the tree over here!" Shu An called out, her front paws gripping the branches.
She couldn't just jump down; the Triceratops herd would trample her to death.
Big Horn stopped drinking and turned to look behind him. With a height of nearly three meters, he was the largest in the herd. His gaze passed over the heads of his kin to spot the little white beast in a certain tree.
Big Horn let out a surprised cry, seemingly unable to understand why Sister An was in his territory!
Buzz, beside him, was equally surprised, but she didn't think as much as Big Horn. She was simply happy, as if seeing an old friend.
Big Horn walked over, and Shu An jumped down, landing steadily on Big Horn's back. "Big Horn Brother, it's so good to meet you here!"
Shu An nuzzled against Big Horn's back to show affection.
Big Horn wanted to nuzzle back, but the position was awkward, and the difficulty was too high, so he gave up.
Big Horn couldn't speak the beastman language, but he could understand some of it. What followed was Shu An's rambling. He understood the general meaning: Sister An was brought here by bad people, and her parents hadn't come.
Big Horn let out a comforting sound: "Don't worry, let your brother protect you!"
Buzz gently nudged Shu An with her horn as if to say hello.
Shu An smiled and waved a paw. "Sister-in-law Buzz, it's been a long time. Are these your children?"
She curiously touched an egg, being careful not to apply too much force, fearing she might dislodge it. If the egg broke, a little nephew would be lost.