Chapter 7: Herbal Exploration: The Dangerous Journey Begins

He Shiqing stuffed the parchment scroll into her backpack, hummed a little tune and stepped into the dark forest.

The compensation Allen gave her was quite generous, enough for her to buy a small villa in the city. She felt happy just thinking about it.

However, the atmosphere in this forest is so eerie that it makes one's feet go cold.

The dense tree canopy blocked out the sun, and only a few scattered rays of sunlight stubbornly squeezed in, casting mottled spots of light on the ground.

The air was filled with the scent of damp earth, mixed with the strange smell of unknown plants. Taking a breath felt like my lungs were being purified - purified to the level of the natives of the primeval forest.

"This atmosphere is amazing! There's no need to add special effects when shooting a horror movie." He Shiqing complained and rubbed the goose bumps on her arms.

She looked around warily, always feeling that something was secretly watching her.

The forest was quiet, with only the occasional chirping of unknown birds, adding a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

Not long after they started walking, He Shiqing felt something was wrong.

The surrounding trees seemed to be getting denser, the light was getting darker, and there was a faint smell of blood in the air.

"No way, is the ultimate move going to be used so soon?" He Shiqing muttered to herself, tightening the dagger in her hand.

Although this dagger is a bit worn out, it is a real weapon after all and can be used for self-defense at critical moments.

Suddenly, a low roar came from not far away, and then a huge beast appeared in He Shiqing's sight.

The beast looked like an enlarged version of a wild wolf, covered with black hair, with a pair of eyes flashing scarlet light, looking ferocious.

"Oh my god! What the hell is this?" He Shiqing gasped in fear, and said to herself frantically in her heart: Alan, you call this the growing environment for rare magical herbs?

Are you sure you're not trying to trick me?

The beast approached step by step, and He Shiqing felt that her heart was about to stop.

She knew she couldn't back down, but she was worried that she wasn't strong enough.

It looks like this beast is not easy to deal with. There is no chance of winning if we fight it head-on.

run?

Where to run?

The terrain in this forest is complex. What if I get lost?

Just as the beast opened its bloody mouth, revealing its sharp fangs, ready to pounce on her, He Shiqing took a deep breath.

In the blink of an eye, the huge body of the beast had pounced in front of him!

With a loud "bang", the beast's sharp claws hit the golden light shield hard, causing a dazzling light.

The surrounding trees were trembling due to the powerful impact, and the fallen leaves were falling like a golden rain.

The beast was knocked back a few steps by the sudden rebound. The scarlet beast obviously did not expect that the seemingly fragile human in front of it could actually block its attack.

He Shiqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the system was powerful, otherwise she would have died here today.

But this is just the beginning.

The beast quickly came to its senses, let out a deafening roar, and pounced on He Shiqing again.

This time, its attack was more violent and faster, its sharp claws cutting through the air, making a sharp whistling sound.

He Shiqing did not dare to be careless. She flexibly dodged the attacks of the wild beasts and fought back using the combat skills learned from the system.

The dagger in her hand turned into streaks of silver light and stabbed the beast's weak points with precision.

Every attack was accompanied by the beast's painful roar.

The surrounding bushes were destroyed by the aftermath of the battle, with branches and leaves flying and dust rising.

The tense battle atmosphere continued to heat up, and the air was filled with the smell of blood and wild beasts' sweat, which made people feel sick.

Although He Shiqing was a little tired, she gritted her teeth and persevered.

The beast attacked again and again, but was cleverly resolved by He Shiqing.

It began to become manic and roared madly, as if it wanted to tear He Shiqing into pieces.

Just when it thought He Shiqing was going to continue attacking it...

He Shiqing suddenly stopped attacking, with a strange smile on her face, "Are you tired?"

He Shiqing suddenly put away the dagger and smiled as if to say "You've fallen into a trap, kid."

She secretly activated the "animal language translation" function in the system and tried to communicate with the manic beast.

"Brother, calm down, we can discuss something!" He Shiqing's voice rang out in the Beast's mind, with a strange echo.

The scarlet beast was stunned at first, then it stopped attacking and tilted its head, as if trying to understand this sudden "sound".

"You... are you talking to me?" The beast's rough voice exploded in He Shiqing's mind, making her head buzz.

"That's right! The answer is correct! How about cooperating with me?" He Shiqing continued to send friendly brain waves.

The beast was obviously still in a daze. In all its long life, this was the first time it had encountered a human being who could "talk" to it.

It stared at He Shiqing warily, and a stream of hot air blew out of its huge nostrils. "What do you want to do?"

"It's very simple. Take me to find the magic herbs. After the task is completed, you will get all the benefits." He Shiqing threw out the bait.

The beast hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist the temptation and nodded.

Although it didn't understand what the "benefits" were, it could feel the kindness emanating from He Shiqing, which was completely different from those humans who had wanted to hunt it in the past.

"Deal!" He Shiqing snapped her fingers, took out a piece of dried meat from her backpack and threw it to the beast.

The beast swallowed the jerky in one gulp, a look of satisfaction in its eyes.

"Come on up, my queen." The beast crawled on the ground and motioned He Shiqing to ride on its back.

He Shiqing didn't hesitate to jump up and sat steadily on the broad back of the beast.

This feeling is even cooler than riding a motorcycle!

"Let's go!" He Shiqing gave an order, and the beast spread its four hooves and ran towards the depths of the forest.

A man and a beast shuttled through the dark forest, leaving behind two afterimages.

Following the footsteps of the beast, He Shiqing came to a valley hidden deep in the dense forest.

The valley is filled with a strong magical atmosphere, and colorful fireflies are flying in the air, making the entire valley look like a dream.

"Right here..." The beast stopped and let out a low growl.

He Shiqing narrowed her eyes and looked at this mysterious valley.

There is a strange fragrance in the air, refreshing the heart.

She had a hunch that this was where the magical herbs she was looking for grew.

"It seems that the good show has just begun..." He Shiqing murmured to herself, with excitement flashing in her eyes.