Xun Hui was dumbfounded and suddenly sat on the bed, "But, I can’t just watch you jump into a pit of fire, can I? It’s all mother’s fault for being useless..."
"Indeed it’s a pit of fire, but whether or not to jump is up to me," Yang Ruxin smiled, "As long as I’m unwilling, nobody can push me into it. You just have to not agree, and everything will be fine..." In this era, that’s the downside, one can’t be in charge of their own marriage. But having a mother who is a pushover has its advantages, at least she won’t forcefully make what she thinks is the right decision.
"Alright, mother will definitely not agree," Xun Hui hurriedly nodded, thankful that her eldest daughter was smart enough to go and inquire about the situation. Otherwise, wouldn’t that be a deception?
"Okay, I rarely get a day off, I’m going to take a stroll in the mountains," Yang Ruxin saw that Xun Hui understood and got up to leave. It was unusual not to have to gather firewood for the family, so she took the opportunity to see if she could find something like a wild chicken or a rabbit on her walk.
"I’ll go with you," Sanni immediately volunteered.
Yang Ruxin’s gaze instantly fell on Sanni’s ankle.
"Never mind, I’ll stay at home," Sanni could only obediently retreat.
"Big sister, let me go with you, I..." Erni stood up.
"No need for anyone, I’ll go by myself, I’ll be back before it gets dark," Yang Ruxin shook her head then turned around and left.
"Big sister, you must come back," Sini said in a childish voice from behind Yang Ruxin.
"Don’t worry," Yang Ruxin waved her hand and then left the Yang Family’s courtyard in a hurry. Walking through the village, she finally let out a breath, feeling oppressed in there.
By the time she reached the foot of the mountain, Yang Ruxin realized she hadn’t brought anything, not even some water to drink. Luckily, she had her spatial storage which had everything she needed to eat and drink; otherwise, she would have been at a loss.
This mountain was not unfamiliar to Yang Ruxin, but for some reason, today she felt like exploring deeper into it. After crossing Dragon Nose Peak, she could see Dragon Eye Peak in the distance.
The deeper she went into the mountain, the denser the forest and the steeper the terrain.
Fortunately, Yang Ruxin had a dagger she had taken from Zhao Feihu. Despite its small size, the dagger was exceedingly sharp, slicing through wrist-thick vines in one strike, saving her a lot of trouble.
In her previous life, Yang Ruxin had climbed mountains, but she had never been through such primitive forests or hunted wild chickens or rabbits, so she had no experience at all. Luckily, the dense trees blocked the sunlight, making it quite cool inside the forest.
She did not know how long she had climbed, only that when she looked up through the gaps in the trees, she could see that the sun was directly overhead—it meant she had been climbing for most of the day. Yet, she hadn’t even seen a wild rabbit, much less birds.
"What’s going on?" Yang Ruxin exhaled, found a relatively flat rock to sit on, and wiped the sweat from her forehead, "Could it be that the wild chickens and rabbits knew I was coming and hid in advance?"
Just then, she felt the ground shake as if it were quaking, followed by a distant growling sound.
Yang Ruxin was startled and quickly stood up. What was happening? Could it be that fierce beasts were fighting? No wonder there were no small animals around; they must have been scared away. But should she also start running now? She didn’t want to end up as unintended collateral damage.
Yet, before she could even move, she saw a huge white tiger engaged in a fierce battle with a black bear not far away in the forest.