As evening fell, Mu Qingyun opened her eyes and glanced around. Fan Xuanye and Xiong Ruoyou were both asleep. She focused her gaze on Su.
This guy always gave her too many "surprises." She had to keep a closer eye on him.
She stared at him for about fifteen minutes, then casually picked up a small pebble and lightly tossed it at him.
No reaction. Good—he was probably sound asleep.
She lowered her gaze, turned off the livestream, and tiptoed out of the cave.
Using her memory, she headed toward the area where she had previously sensed signs of plant life.
It was deep in the night—everyone should be resting by now. No one should appear in this area.
Still, to be absolutely sure, Mu Qingyun observed the surroundings for a while. Once she confirmed there was no one nearby, she walked forward slowly.
A soft green glow flickered in her left hand as she pressed her palm to the ground. Under the moonlight, she scanned the area, not missing a single sign of any plant breaking through the soil.
After a while, in a patch of damp soil ahead, something seemed ready to emerge.
Seeing this, Mu Qingyun amplified the energy waves of her plant ability. Suddenly, the soil trembled slightly, and a tiny green sprout began to grow slowly.
The root system expanded into a full plant and soon began to bear fruit.
"Whew—" The green glow in her left hand suddenly faded. Her body's energy had been completely drained. At this point, she couldn't even summon a spark of flame.
Damn it. This body's plant ability was unbelievably weak—just accelerating the growth of one plant had consumed all her energy.
She sat and meditated for a bit before walking over to the plant.
Yanking it out, she examined it closely.
As she studied it, her brows furrowed.
This was solanum nigrum—black nightshade. She had seen it before when working at the medical hall in her past life.
Black nightshade could be used as a medicinal herb—but only in small doses. Consuming too much could cause poisoning.
During past famines, many civilians, unfamiliar with plants, mistook nightshade for wild berries and ate it in large quantities. That had led to many tragic deaths.
In short, it could be a beneficial herb—but only in moderation.
Separating the leaves and berries, she stored them all in her pouch.
With that done, she headed back to the cave.
She hadn't felt much before, but now that she understood how weak her plant ability was, she had no desire to sleep—she just wanted to train harder.
Back at the cave, she quietly returned to her spot, pulled out the jacket Su had given her, and draped it over her left hand.
Closing her eyes, a green light once again surged in her palm. Mu Qingyun spent the entire night immersed in cultivation.
She was awakened the next day by an itch on her forehead.
Opening her eyes, she saw Su gently tickling her forehead with a feather. Seeing her awake, he quickly stopped and smiled, "You're up?"
Mu Qingyun: ...
"Mu-ge! You're finally awake—it's already midday!" Xiong Ruoyou and Fan Xuanye were huddled around something not far away. They turned and looked her way.
Midday?
Mu Qingyun frowned slightly and looked outside. Sure enough, a blazing sun hung high in the sky, and the harsh sunlight stung her eyes.
She had been cultivating last night and must have fallen asleep mid-practice.
Instinctively, she wanted to check her plant ability, but the three burning gazes staring at her made her drop the thought immediately.
"Mu-ge, come quick!" Xiong Ruoyou waved at her excitedly from nearby.
Curious, Mu Qingyun raised an eyebrow and got up to walk over.
As soon as she arrived, Xiong Ruoyou and Fan Xuanye stepped aside to clear a path.
The moment they moved, the contents on the ground were revealed to her.
Three breathless birds—and one rabbit that didn't quite look like a rabbit.
Mu Qingyun tilted her head. "What's the meaning of this?"
Xiong Ruoyou quickly replied, "Mu-ge, we saw you sleeping and didn't want to disturb you. Su stayed to watch over you, and the two of us went hunting."
Mu Qingyun looked at the birds—which she could eat whole in one bite—and the obviously mutated rabbit whose edibility was uncertain. She fell silent.
She glanced at the hopeful expression on Xiong Ruoyou's face, then at Fan Xuanye's emotionless face, which was offset by his bright, expectant eyes. She hesitated for a moment, sighed inwardly, but forced a smile. "Not bad."
"Yay! We'll leave it to Mu-ge to cook something delicious!" Xiong Ruoyou cheered, immediately shifting into bear form and lying flat on the ground, eyes sparkling.
"Go rest," Mu Qingyun said, eyeing the birds before deciding to start with the rabbit.
[Barrage comments:]
"Pfft! Anyone remember how Mu-ge said he wasn't a cook?"
"Clearly, out of this little family of four, Mu-ge is the only one who can cook. The others probably just eat raw meat."
"Mu-ge is playing both dad and mom here—hunting, fighting, cooking... he's the perfect boyfriend!"
"Except for his face."
"Come on, really? Mu Qingyun is rude, ugly, and poor—how does he have fans? I'm dying laughing."
"No one's forcing you to like him. If you don't, just scroll on instead of trolling here."
"I have the freedom to comment just like you do. If you don't like my opinion, don't reply to me."
"Okay, okay, enough arguing. Honestly, compared to the first commander, I'd rather have Mu Qingyun as my boyfriend. The commander is too out of reach."
"LMAO, like someone like you could get either of them."
"If I had to marry someone, I'd marry Mu Qingyun over anyone else. He's like the Gray Wolf—reliable, skilled, and hardworking."
"+1"
Mu Qingyun glanced at the screen and happened to see the comments saying they wanted to marry her.
She was confused.
In her previous life, she was stunningly beautiful, skilled in martial arts, wealthy, powerful, and noble. It made sense that people liked her.
But now, she had a plain appearance, came from a garbage-tier planet, had no power or status—why would girls still want to marry her?
And also… who the hell was Gray Wolf?
"You, go fetch some more seawater for me," Mu Qingyun said softly, looking at the birds in front of her.
Birds alone wouldn't be enough. She could make a pot of soup. She still had some black nightshade—using a few leaves would at least add some flavor.
"I'll go!" Xiong Ruoyou immediately volunteered, lifted his front bear legs, and lumbered off toward the coast.
"You're boiling water again?" Su frowned. She hadn't been poisoned even now… Could that mean the water really wasn't toxic?
"Mm," Mu Qingyun replied, quickly butchering the rabbit with her knife.
Before long, Xiong Ruoyou came back carrying a large bucket of seawater.
"Whew, I'm beat."
The moment he put it down, Xiong Ruoyou flopped onto the ground, gasping for air.
Fan Xuanye snorted. "A bear can't even carry water?"