Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Up the Mountain Again

An Guoming’s words immediately caught the attention of the An family.

The basket weaver stopped, the person at the sewing machine paused, and the one studying the dictionary looked up.

An Guoming felt a little awkward under their collective gaze and subconsciously cleared his throat.

"Um, I was thinking... now that we’ve made so many schoolbags, we can start looking for ways to sell them."

Once An Guoming started speaking, it no longer felt so difficult.

"Last time, Eldest Brother and I went door-to-door to sell them, but we didn’t have this many. We can’t go door-to-door again. It’d be best if we could sell them in one large batch."

After he finished, An Guoming subconsciously looked toward An Ning.

The rest of the An family did the same. Unwittingly, An Ning had become their focal point.

"I agree with Second Brother. I’ll go out with him tomorrow."

"You don’t have to, An Ning. It’s not like I’m going to pick a fight. This time, I’m not going through the black market. I’ll look for legitimate channels. Nothing will happen."

An Ning considered it. ’That’s fine, too.’

Besides, An Guoming had to learn to stand on his own two feet sooner or later. She couldn’t be there for everything.

’Even if we fail this time, it’s a loss we can afford.’

’Worst case, we’ll just have to go up the mountain a couple more times.’

With that thought, An Ning nodded at An Guoming. "Alright, you go on your own, Second Brother. I’m planning to take a stroll up the mountain tomorrow morning."

An Ning immediately turned her head to look at Lin Cuihua, who was about to speak.

"Mom, don’t worry. I’ll be careful."

Once everything was settled, everyone returned to their work.

An Guoming took stock of the schoolbags. They already had over a hundred.

For a small shop, that was enough for a complete inventory order.

After night fell completely, the village gradually grew quiet.

「The next morning.」

An Ning rose early to head up the mountain. On her way out, she made a shushing sound at the large rooster.

"I’ll catch some worms for you when I get back. Remember to go for a run with Second Brother."

An Ning watched the rooster give a very formal nod, then she smiled, vaulted over the wall, and was on her way.

As for why she didn’t use the gate, An Ning would only say that this way was more convenient.

She ran swiftly toward the mountain. She expanded her spiritual power in a small radius around herself, carefully observing every plant and tree.

’The book I read last time said that ginseng grows in cold, damp environments. It’s found on shaded slopes with deep humus or in dense forest grass where the sunlight is weak.’

’I need to go a bit deeper into the forest.’

An Ning had already memorized more than two-thirds of the dictionary, so she now had a firm grasp of the book she’d committed to memory at Fatty’s place.

Her spiritual power paved the way, saving her a great deal of time she would have otherwise spent searching. Bit by bit, she ventured into the dense forest.

Once inside the dense woods, massive, leafy trees blotted out the sky, blocking most of the light.

The already dim path grew even darker and quieter.

It was an eerie, bone-chilling silence.

The slightest rustle in the undergrowth made one suspect a living creature was about to charge out from any direction.

Dead branches and fallen leaves tangled with new growth on the ground. The dim light made it difficult to see the path ahead.

An Ning crouched down, tucked her pant legs into her socks, and pressed onward.

She deliberately stuck to the shaded areas. The cold, musty scent of decay mingled with the fresh aroma of vegetation, making it hard to tell which was stronger.

"WOOF WOOF—"

An Ning’s head snapped toward the sound. It was vaguely familiar.

"Da Huang, run!"

’It’s Jiang Xia.’

Without hesitation, An Ning sprinted toward the sound.

Just then, Jiang Xia was holding a machete, shielding Da Huang, whose back was covered in scratches.

Across from him was a full-grown brown bear. Its loud HUFFING and low growls made it clear that it was enraged.

Jiang Xia’s eyes were fierce. He couldn’t retreat now. If he showed even a sliver of fear, the bear would tear him and Da Huang to pieces.

Just as the man and bear were locked in a standoff, An Ning appeared.

She materialized silently behind the brown bear and made a hushing gesture at Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia didn’t play the hero and try to send An Ning away. If he broke his focus now, it wouldn’t do either of them any good.

An Ning was satisfied with Jiang Xia’s composure. She raised her own machete, suppressed her aura to minimize her presence, and crept closer to the brown bear.

But an animal’s senses are always sharper than a human’s. The brown bear moved.

"Its belly!"

An Ning shouted, and Jiang Xia leaned back, thrusting his blade straight at the charging bear.

At that same instant, An Ning leaped high from behind, swinging her machete straight for the brown bear’s head.

Perhaps sensing that An Ning’s attack was the greater threat, the brown bear abandoned Jiang Xia and turned to meet her instead.

A massive paw swiped at An Ning.

The situation changed in an instant. Jiang Xia rolled forward and slashed at the bear’s leg.

Both attacks landed simultaneously. An Ning put all her strength into the blow, and her machete struck the bear’s shoulder—but the blade snapped on impact.

Jiang Xia’s machete also struck the bear’s leg, but it only inflicted a shallow wound.

"ROOOAR—"

The brown bear’s furious howl echoed through the forest.

"Run!"

Jiang Xia shouted. His strike had landed, but he had no intention of continuing the fight.

’I’d like to take it down,’ An Ning thought, ’but I don’t have a weapon anymore. It’s not that I can’t kill a bear bare-handed, but I’d have to use my spiritual power.’

’But with Jiang Xia here, I can’t reveal my spiritual power.’

So, running was the only choice.

An Ning dropped from the air, ducked between the bear’s legs, and snatched Jiang Xia by the collar, dragging him as she ran.

"Da Huang, keep up!"

Da Huang understood and obediently fell in behind her.

For a moment, the four-legged Da Huang and the two-legged An Ning—who was also dragging a person—were running at about the same speed.

Even while being dragged, Jiang Xia had time to think, ’I probably couldn’t keep up with her speed even if I were running on my own.’

The escape for the two humans and one dog went smoothly, as the bear didn’t give chase.

It had probably sensed that the one who’d aimed for its head was too dangerous.

Once the trio had finally put some distance between themselves and the bear, Jiang Xia found an opportunity to speak.

"Uh, Miss Heroine, can you put me down now?"

"Oh? Alright."

An Ning let go the moment she spoke. With a THUD, Jiang Xia landed on the ground.

He coughed several times, his voice hoarse, and repeatedly patted his chest with one hand.

When Jiang Xia finally managed to sit up, he gave An Ning a completely speechless look.

"If you’d kept running for another minute, I would have been the first person in history to be strangled to death by his own rescuer."

An Ning’s gaze fell upon the reddish marks on Jiang Xia’s neck. The ligature lines from his collar were indeed quite noticeable.

"Ahem—first time saving someone. Not much experience. I’ll do better next time."

"Next time?" Jiang Xia waved his hands frantically and shook his head. "Let’s hope there isn’t a next time. My life is pretty valuable, you know."

Seeing that Jiang Xia had quickly recovered his arrogant demeanor, An Ning asked in confusion, "If it’s so valuable, what were you doing picking a fight with a bear?"