HLnovel Chapter 18 requires a bit of acting skills.
Chapter 18 requires a bit of acting skills.
If everyone has the money to rebuild their homes, then everyone can get through the winter safely.
She looked up and around. Zhao Family Village was surrounded by mountains, and the village was shrouded in fog and humidity, so the harvest was destined to be poor.
However, people rely on the mountains for sustenance and the water for livelihood. Since the harvest in the fields is poor, they should dig out valuable things from the mountains.
However, no one dared to even approach the foot of the mountain. If they needed firewood, they would burn rice, wheat, or corn stalks.
Straw is only suitable for starting a fire; the firepower is too weak and cannot be compared with firewood at all.
Zhao Taohua headed toward the nearest mountain, which was overgrown with trees, but everyone preferred to burn straw rather than go there.
This won't do. This winter's heavy snow not only requires sturdy houses to protect against the snow, but also continuous heating of the kang (a traditional heated bed) to keep warm. The little bit of straw in the field simply cannot last through the winter.
The villagers dared not even approach the foot of the mountain because there were often packs of wolves there, but they had never entered the village to snatch anyone, which Zhao Taohua found strange.
When she arrived at the foot of the mountain, she was immediately drawn to a plant called *Juncus effusus*. The entire plant can be used medicinally, and it can relieve coughs and asthma, as well as detoxify and kill parasites.
These aren't herbs, they're money!
Looking further ahead, she saw a centella asiatica plant in a damp patch of grass.
The mountain is overflowing with trees and medicinal herbs; it's practically a goldmine!
Zhao Taohua was so excited that she had already stepped into the foot of the mountain.
"Ow~"
Just then, she suddenly heard a wolf howl, a chill ran down her spine, and when she looked up, she saw many wolves on the hillside above, looking down at her.
These wolves had grayish-white fur, agile bodies, and their eerie green eyes gleamed with a cold light.
Zhao Taohua's heart clenched, and her breathing became rapid, but her feet seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to move an inch.
Instantly, countless bloody images flashed through her mind. How could she not have foreseen this calamity?
The next instant, with a "whoosh," a powerful arrow flew past her and immediately struck the leading wolf king.
"Ouch!"
The wolf king barely struggled twice before collapsing to the ground, and the other wolves scattered and fled.
Meanwhile, some smaller creatures also escaped.
At this moment, Zhao Taohua finally understood why she hadn't anticipated this calamity: it was because Shen Ming would help her resolve it.
These wolves and those little creatures seemed somewhat afraid after seeing Shen Ming?
"Zhao Taohua, what are you doing here? It's dangerous here."
Shen Ming's tone carried a seriousness he had never shown before.
Everyone in the village knows that the foot of the mountain is dangerous. If he hadn't happened to be passing by today, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
When Shen Ming dragged the wolf king to the foot of the mountain, he found Zhao Taohua still standing there dumbfounded. If you looked closely, you would see that her body was trembling slightly.
"what happened to you?"
Shen Ming said worriedly.
Zhao Taohua looked at Shen Ming with a pained expression and pitiful eyes: "Brother Shen Ming, my legs seem to be numb and I can't move them."
Now that we've encountered her, it wouldn't be right not to replenish her spiritual energy.
However, she had just recovered from the shock and was afraid that she would not be able to grab his hand when he was not paying attention.
Therefore, at this point, a bit of acting skills are needed.
Shen Ming was speechless. Was he really that scared?
"Menstrual demons are much scarier than wolves. Where did your imposing manner go when you were dealing with her?"
Zhao Taohua stared at him unhappily: "Brother Shenming, a spirit is a spirit, and a wild beast is a wild beast, aren't they the same?"
If she were that all-powerful, she would be invincible, and nothing in the world could stump her.
"Help me and let me walk a bit?"
Shen Ming walked up to Zhao Taohua and offered her his right arm so she could rest it on him.
Zhao Taohua was secretly delighted, but on the surface she still pretended to be still in shock and carefully reached out her hand to touch it.
However, the next moment, Zhao Taohua remained standing still.
Shen Ming looked at her in confusion: "Let's go!"
"Brother Shenming, I can't move my legs."
Shen Ming looked down and saw that her legs were still trembling slightly.
He squatted down in front of Zhao Taohua with a helpless expression: "Come up here."
The foot of the mountain is too dangerous; let's get people to a safe area first.
Zhao Taohua looked at Shen Ming's exposed nape. Since he had offered himself up, she shouldn't blame him!
She obediently leaned against his back, rolled up her sleeves, and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, embracing his entire neck.
Instantly, a large amount of spiritual energy surged into his body, more and faster than ever before!
A smug smile crept onto Zhao Taohua's lips. Sure enough, with the increased skin-to-skin contact between her and Shen Ming, the rate at which her spiritual energy was replenished was both faster and more abundant.
As soon as Shen Ming stood up, he felt his neck being strangled, making it hard to breathe: "Are you trying to strangle me to death?"
Zhao Taohua hurriedly loosened her grip, but only a little bit.
I thought I wouldn't have a chance to replenish my spiritual energy from Shen Ming today, but I didn't expect...
Zhao Taohua hid behind Shen Ming, laughing like a little mouse that had stolen some sesame oil!
Shen Ming walked for a while, then placed Zhao Taohua in a safe area and warned her, "There are wolves at the foot of this mountain, so don't go any further."
Zhao Taohua countered, "Brother Shen Ming, when will the wolves come down from the mountain?"
When you are extremely hungry.
Shen Ming blurted it out.
“Those wolves were all very strong and robust; they didn’t look like they were starving at all.”
With that, Zhao Taohua retraced her steps, preparing to return to the foot of the mountain where she had just been.
"Are you crazy? Those wolves will come back!"
Shen Ming grabbed Zhao Taohua.
She turned around, stood on tiptoe, and looked into Shen Ming's eyes: "Then, Brother Shen Ming, you must protect me well~"
As she spoke, she continued walking down the mountain. The first howl she heard was not from a wolf at all, but from those little creatures!
She looked behind a tree root and saw a round, white little body standing there, looking like a dumpling.
It has two round black dots on its face as eyes and a simple arc as a mouth, giving it a very cute expression.
When Zhao Taohua looked at it, its mouth opened slightly.
Immediately, a small white body appeared on its head, and soon a row of them stood straight behind the tree trunk, all looking at Zhao Taohua.
Because Zhao Taohua's gaze was fixed on them, they were somewhat unsure whether Zhao Taohua could see them.
"What are you looking at?"
The moment Shen Ming approached, all the little creatures scattered and fled, just like mice seeing a cat.
Zhao Taohua's lips curled into a cold smile. These little cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong!
What, are you afraid of Shen Ming's malevolent aura?
When the little ones were halfway there, they were suddenly blocked by something.
The road ahead is clearly visible, yet there seems to be no way to escape, not even by burrowing underground.
Just then, they heard footsteps behind them. They turned around in fright and saw Zhao Taohua standing right behind them!
"Go ahead and bark, why aren't you barking anymore?"
Zhao Taohua said to them.