Chapter 153: Chapter 153: Wanna Be Friends?

Su Qing, confused, followed Qiao Wensong a little farther away. Here, they were a good distance from the criminals, far enough not to be overheard.

Su Qing asked, "Captain Qiao, is there something you wanted to tell me?"

Qiao Wensong nodded. "Speaking of which, we were never able to give you the reward for helping us catch those human traffickers. You used a fake name, so we couldn’t find you. I still don’t even know your real name. Those men we just arrested are drug traffickers—vicious, unscrupulous, and they’ll stop at nothing. It wouldn’t be good for them to know your real name. That’s why I’m asking you in private. When I get back, I’ll help you apply for the reward from my superiors."

Hearing this, Su Qing smiled. "Captain Qiao, there’s no need. I didn’t help you for a reward."

"You helped us so much. It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t reward you."

"Really, there’s no need," Su Qing said with a smile. "I was just lending a hand since I was there."

It was clear Su Qing truly didn’t care about any reward, so Qiao Wensong smiled. "Even if you don’t want a reward, we’ve met twice now. We can be considered friends, can’t we? It’s okay to tell a friend your real name, right?"

Since Qiao Wensong had put it that way, Su Qing smiled and said, "Alright. My name is Su Qing."

"Hello, Su Qing. It’s a pleasure to meet you." Qiao Wensong smiled and shook her hand. "I’m Qiao Wensong."

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, too," Su Qing said with a smile.

Qiao Wensong then said, "Su Qing, are you sure you don’t want to leave with us? Da Hu Mountain is too dangerous. And what I told you earlier is just what I know. This mountain has many areas that are forbidden zones for humans; who knows how many more unknown, potential dangers there are."

Su Qing replied, "I want to stay in Da Hu Mountain for a while longer. If I really can’t find the Chicken Blood Vine, I’ll leave the mountain then. I won’t be going with you this time."

"Alright, then. Please be careful." Seeing Su Qing’s insistence, Qiao Wensong could only add, "Leave the mountain as soon as you can."

"Okay." Su Qing nodded, then took out several small medicine bottles and handed them to Qiao Wensong. "Here’s some powder for treating external wounds and some powder and liquid for snake venom. You should take them. I noticed two or three of your team members are injured. Have them use this powder, otherwise, their wounds could get infected."

"I can’t accept this. If you give it to us, what if you don’t have enough for yourself?" Qiao Wensong refused, worried she wouldn’t have enough left.

"Don’t worry, I brought plenty. I have more than enough for myself." Su Qing pressed the bottles into Qiao Wensong’s hands, telling him which one was for external wounds and which was for snake venom.

"Thank you." Qiao Wensong gave Su Qing a solemn salute. The weight of this gesture of goodwill was immense.

After a brief rest, Su Qing helped Qiao Wensong apply the medicine to his injured team members. Then, the two groups prepared to part ways. Qiao Wensong once again urged Su Qing to be careful in the mountains.

Su Qing nodded.

Brother Sun stared at Su Qing, his eyes narrowing. "You just wait. As long as I’m alive, I’ll get you for this."

The team member holding Brother Sun shoved him. "You should worry about whether you’ll even survive first."

Su Qing paid Brother Sun no mind whatsoever. After bidding farewell to Qiao Wensong and his team, she continued deeper into Da Hu Mountain.

On Qiao Wensong’s side, a team member quietly asked, "Captain, that young woman is incredible. What’s her story?"

"I don’t know either. I’ve only met her twice, so I don’t really know her." Qiao Wensong was actually just as curious about Su Qing’s background and felt a pang of regret. ’It’s a real shame not to specially recruit such a capable young woman.’ However, he had just tried to subtly sound her out, and it was obvious Su Qing had no interest in the idea. Thus, Qiao Wensong had to let it go.

To each their own, after all. You can’t force someone.

Su Qing walked for another half a day through Da Hu Mountain before she spotted a waterfall in the distance. Nestled among green mountains and wild fields, a cascade of water like a white silk ribbon plunged from a cliff, making Su Qing marvel at the magnificent beauty of nature.

At the base of the waterfall was a large pool. When Su Qing looked into the water, her eyes lit up.

Fish!

Su Qing immediately decided to catch some fish to roast. She would also put some in her storage space. Currently, her space was stocked with wild boar, pheasant, rabbit, and roe deer, but no fish. Today was the perfect opportunity to stock up. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

There was a small bamboo grove right next to the pool. Su Qing made use of the local resources, fashioning a fishing rod from a stalk of bamboo. After finding some earthworms for bait, she settled down by the edge of the pool and began to fish.

Perhaps because few people ever came to this pool, the fish weren’t particularly wary. Before long, Su Qing had caught five or six large fish, each the length of her forearm. She stopped for the time being, planning to continue after she’d roasted a fish and had her meal.

After storing the other fish in her space, Su Qing set up a pile of kindling. Just as she was about to start the fire, she felt a powerful rush of air from behind. Without a second thought, she instantly rolled to the side. When she looked back, she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. ’Well, what do you know.’ Right where she had been squatting, a magnificent striped tiger was crouched low on its forepaws, staring at her intently.

In all her days in Da Hu Mountain, she had relied on the warnings from the mountain’s plants and hadn’t encountered any large beasts. She had only hunted small prey, focusing most of her energy on finding the century-old Chicken Blood Vine.

But today, her excitement at finding the pool had made her focus solely on fishing, and she hadn’t bothered to carefully survey her surroundings. ’Thinking about it now,’ she mused, ’a large pool like this is bound to be a watering hole for all the nearby animals. This tiger was probably just coming for a drink.’

And she’d run right into it.

"ROAR—" Its missed pounce clearly displeased the tiger. It stared at Su Qing with hostility, seemingly furious that she had intruded upon its territory.

"Hey there, big guy. Nice to meet you." Su Qing wasn’t the least bit afraid of the tiger. Seeing it roar at her, she just greeted it with a wide smile.

"ROAR—" This tiger had lived its whole life deep within Da Hu Mountain and had never seen a human before. Su Qing was the very first. She looked completely different from any other animal the tiger had ever encountered, and its eyes showed a mix of confusion and wariness.

Although its missed pounce had irritated it, the tiger didn’t attack rashly, as it was unsure of Su Qing’s capabilities. Instead, it maintained an offensive stance, continuously sizing her up, as if trying to gauge the power disparity between them.

"How about we be friends, big guy?" Su Qing continued to ask the tiger, smiling brightly.