"Brother Yangzi! Are you alright?!"
Xue Bingbing leaned against a tree trunk, her eyes wide, unable to see clearly what was happening over on Zhou Yang's side. She had no idea whether Zhou Yang was injured or not. Her hands were tightly clenched into fists, and her heart pounded heavily against her ribs.
Not a sound came from Zhou Yang's direction for a long moment.
Xue Bingbing's delicate brows furrowed deeply, her expression exceptionally anxious. Pressing her lips tightly together, she called out once more.
"Brother Yangzi! Can you hear me?!"
At that moment, Zhou Yang had no attention to spare for his surroundings. He was staring intently at the System interface, listening to the notification chime sounding in his mind.
【Congratulations to the Host for successfully killing the prey. Conducting hunting evaluation...】
【Prey: Adult Amur tiger, weight 250 kg, male, hazard level: Super high】
【Hunting Evaluation: S-grade (Host killed the king of beasts with a bow and arrow, performing exceptionally well. Following detailed analysis by the System, you have obtained hunting bonus points, System experience, System upgrade, and unlocked new items in the Mall)】
【Bonus Points: 400 + 20】
"I'm suddenly rolling in wealth!" Zhou Yang rejoiced inwardly.
With a quick mental command, he closed the System interface, braced one hand against a tree trunk, and dropped down to the ground.
With a soft thud, Zhou Yang cushioned the landing by bending his knees and stood firmly on the soil. Not far away, the Amur tiger lay flat on its back, completely motionless, the pooling blood soaking into the earth beneath it.
"Brother Yangzi!"
Hearing Xue Bingbing's voice calling out to him at last, Zhou Yang hurriedly looked up. Xue Bingbing's face was as pale as a sheet; only now, seeing that Zhou Yang was unhurt, did a trace of color slowly return to her cheeks.
"Bingbing, I'm fine!" Zhou Yang smiled, waving enthusiastically. "Wait there, Bingbing, I'll get you down now."
With that, Zhou Yang walked quickly to the tree where Xue Bingbing was stranded. Estimating the height, he told her she could hold onto the tree trunk and jump down.
Hearing Zhou Yang's plan, Xue Bingbing's face turned green all over again.
"Brother Yangzi... this height... are you sure?"
Xue Bingbing looked as if she had been thrust back in front of the fierce beast once more, her eyelashes fluttering rapidly as her voice trembled.
"Bingbing, trust me." Zhou Yang opened his arms in a hearty smile.
"Mmm... alright."
After a moment of hesitation, Xue Bingbing bit down hard on her lip to pump herself up. Zhou Yang had managed to kill such a ferocious tiger; she couldn't afford to show herself up too much either.
With that thought in mind, Xue Bingbing carefully hugged the trunk she had been standing on and swung her body down, hanging by her hands.
Finding the right spot and gauging whether he could catch her, Zhou Yang steadied his focus and spoke.
"Bingbing, let go."
Xue Bingbing took two deep breaths, released her grip, and her entire body instantly plunged into free fall.
"Ah!!" A scream escaped Xue Bingbing.
Without a second's hesitation, Zhou Yang bent his knees, timed it right, and lunged forward, catching Xue Bingbing in his arms. Using his own back as a cushion, he hit the muddy ground heavily, rolling three or four times before finally coming to a halt.
Because the brunt of the impact had fallen on Zhou Yang, Xue Bingbing didn't feel much pain at all. She kept her eyes tightly shut, though a bit of dirt and grass had smeared across her face.
Although the physical fitness of his body in this life was far inferior to his past life, his training from before had long since taught him how to minimize injuries during such falls. Therefore, after rolling to dissipate the momentum, Zhou Yang—even while carrying Xue Bingbing—suffered nothing more than a few scrapes, leaving his bones unbroken.
"Bingbing, are you alright?"
Gently loosening his grip, Zhou Yang rolled over into a sitting position and helped Xue Bingbing up.
Xue Bingbing didn't speak; she simply stared at Zhou Yang with unblinking eyes.
"Bingbing?"
Flushed by her intense gaze, Zhou Yang felt his earlobes warm up as he averted his eyes slightly.
To his surprise, Xue Bingbing reached out directly, her slender, spring-onion-white fingertips brushing across Zhou Yang's face to flick away a speck of dust.
"Brother Yangzi, you've got something dirty on your face."
Xue Bingbing's voice was crisp and gentle. Zhou Yang's cheeks grew even hotter. He lowered his head, not daring to meet her gaze, entirely devoid of the ferocious aura he had shown while fighting the fierce tiger.
Seeming quite satisfied with Zhou Yang's reaction, Xue Bingbing raised the corners of her lips slightly, withdrew her hand, and clasped it behind her back.
"Brother Yangzi, how on earth are you so amazing? You actually managed to take down a beast like that."
Xue Bingbing's gaze drifted back to the massive creature lying on the ground. Although the tiger was no longer moving, for some reason, she still felt as though it might suddenly leap back to life at any second.
"Just lucky, I suppose."
Zhou Yang had already put away his bow and arrow. Looking at the tiger's carcass on the ground, he still felt a chill run down his spine. Even in his past life, when lacking proper equipment, he would never have dared to pick a fight with an Amur tiger. That he had managed to turn the tables in this life—relying on a bow and the tiger's own carelessness—was truly a rare stroke of fortune.
"Let's go harvest the wild herbs you wanted first!"
Zhou Yang's heart was beating faster than it had during the fight. Fearing that Xue Bingbing would dwell on the subject, he took the initiative to change the topic.
Knowing they had already delayed far too long, Xue Bingbing lowered her head slightly. Right now, Zhou Yang was her pillar of strength; she would simply follow wherever he led.
Stepping forward, Zhou Yang returned to the spot where the fierce tiger lay. After frowning in thought for a moment, he covered its carcass simply with a few tree branches, then marked several large trees nearby with his hunting knife.
"Bingbing, let's get ready to move!"
As the sharp blade pierced into the trunk of the final tree, Zhou Yang carved a small triangle into the wood, flipped his knife away into its sheath, and turned his head to speak to Xue Bingbing.
"Okay!"
Xue Bingbing hurried to Zhou Yang's side. Before leaving, she cast one last timid, lingering glance at the tiger carcass partially concealed beneath the branches.
Since Xue Bingbing frequently came up here to dig for herbs, she was quite familiar with the terrain. Aided by the System and working in tandem with Xue Bingbing, Zhou Yang increased their gathering speed dramatically. In no time at all, the two of them had a bountiful harvest, stuffing their canvas sacks to the brim.
Looking at the bulging sacks in her own and Zhou Yang's hands, Xue Bingbing's cute dimples appeared, and a sparkling smile flashed in her eyes.
"Let's go, Bingbing. We'll head down the mountain first, and later I'll ask my dad to help haul the tiger back."
Zhou Yang glanced up at the sky, seeing that the weather was exceptionally clear, and said with a smile.
"Okay!"
Excitedly, Xue Bingbing trotted along beside Zhou Yang.
The two of them walked quickly toward the path leading down the mountain when suddenly, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.
Reflexively, Zhou Yang pressed a hand to the hilt of his knife.
Xue Bingbing furrowed her brows and reached out to tug at Zhou Yang's sleeve.
The next second, a scruffy-looking human head burst out from the bushes.