The two didn't waste any more time.
Ye Ling found a hidden cave nearby, dragged his prey over, and stashed it inside. He then camouflaged the entrance to avoid it being discovered and eaten by other beasts.
Su Xiyue left her seven or eight baskets in the same spot as before. No beastman besides her would care about those things anyway.
Chu Youyou, the other transmigrator, and Yun Zhu, the reborn one, weren't around either—there was no chance they'd come take them.
Still, just in case wild beasts came by, she set up some simple protection around the area and covered the baskets with wild grass.
"Are you done yet? Quit dawdling."
Ye Ling sounded impatient, his voice cold as he watched her treat that pile of junk like treasure.
As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of white light enveloped him. He transformed into a tall silver wolf, its silver eyes sharp and regal—an awe-inspiring sight.
"Alright, alright! So impatient," Su Xiyue grumbled under her breath. She slung an empty basket onto her back and climbed onto his back, settling into place.
"Sit tight. If you fall and die, I'm not responsible," Ye Ling scoffed. Without waiting for a reply, he took off at full speed toward Rockplate Mountain.
She honestly suspected this dog of a man might shake her off on purpose. At first, she wanted to wrap her arms around his neck, but thinking about how much he hated her, she didn't dare.
Instead, she just gripped his fur tightly to avoid falling.
Despite carrying a person, the Silver Moon Wolf was incredibly fast. The wind howled in her ears, stinging her face.
Su Xiyue squinted against the wind, but couldn't help admiring the scenery of the primeval forest—it was stunning. Nothing but lush green stretching as far as the eye could see, like a vast emerald ocean.
She wasn't sure if Ye Ling was doing it on purpose, but during the run, he jolted her constantly. A few times, she nearly flew off. Thankfully, she managed to hold on tightly to the fur on his back.
Her face darkened. There was no way this mutt wasn't trying to throw her off.
She got smart, though. Every time he tried to jolt her loose, she would throw her arms around his neck and practically cling to him like an octopus, clearly disgusting him.
And Ye Ling was, indeed, completely repulsed.
Especially since this hideous woman was only wearing a grass skirt, meaning her rear was separated from his back by nothing but a few leaves.
Every time they hit a bump, her ample flesh would slap against his back—worse, it sagged and dangled over his sides due to how plump she was.
Utterly nauseating.
Chills ran down his spine. He wanted nothing more than to fling her off.
But the damn woman clung to him like a leech. He couldn't shake her even if he tried.
Ye Ling's face was darker than the bottom of a pot, cursing her a hundred times over in his mind. Eventually, his pace slowed noticeably.
He even stopped jolting her on purpose—he was simply too grossed out.
Su Xiyue noticed the change and gave a cold humph. She knew she'd gotten to him. The corners of her lips curled with satisfaction.
That's what you get for constantly treating me like a plague—this is karma.
Still, she knew when to stop. She stopped clinging to him and sat properly again.
After all, he was her target for "strategy." Pushing him too far would be counterproductive.
Ye Ling let out a silent breath of relief when he felt her let go, and continued on the journey obediently.
After who knows how long, they finally reached the foot of a mountain.
"We're here. Get off," Ye Ling said in his human voice, cold and emotionless as ever.
Su Xiyue slid off his back and looked up at the mountain before her.
It was towering and vast, stretching endlessly into the distance.
Thick greenery blanketed the mountainside, with strange and unusual boulders scattered among the trees—an otherworldly sight.
"This is Rockplate Mountain?" she asked in a low voice.
Ye Ling cast her a glance from the corner of his silver eyes and gave a noncommittal "Mm."
A flash of white light passed over him again, and he returned to his human form, walking straight up the mountain without waiting for her.
Su Xiyue quickly followed.
As she walked, she took in her surroundings. Strange-shaped rocks were everywhere—square, round, pointed, flat, rectangular, even irregular.
She even spotted a few wild scallions growing between some rocks. Her eyes lit up and she hurried over to pluck them.
Wild scallions could eliminate gamey smells. They were great for stir-fry, noodle dishes, or as seasoning.
Back in the apocalypse, every time she had noodles, she liked to pile on the scallions—it was delicious.
Even without meat, she'd finish every last bite.
Ye Ling saw her sudden dash and arched a brow in confusion.
Why was she picking that stinky stuff? The scent was strong and unpleasant—beastmen generally avoided it.
He considered asking, but couldn't be bothered to talk to her, so he held back.
Unaware of his thoughts, Su Xiyue tucked the wild scallions into the basket behind her and began looking seriously for a stone pot—and possibly a stone mill too.
The stone mill could be used for grinding wheat or soybeans.
Sure, they didn't have those ingredients now, but the beast world was full of resources—there would come a day when she'd find them.
After searching for a while, she finally found something suitable.
It was a hollowed-out stone with a bowl-like depression in the center, resembling a large mortar.
The inner walls were smooth, almost as if deliberately polished.
This was practically a naturally formed stone pot!
Su Xiyue's eyes lit up with excitement. With a pot this size, she could finally cook real meals!
Especially for cooking meat—with this stone pot, she could stew it until it was tender, throw in a few seasonings, and it would be absolutely mouthwatering.
Just thinking about it made her drool.
She reached out and gently caressed the inside wall of the stone pot, surprised to find it was incredibly smooth. It wasn't rough at all, nor too thick, which made her even more satisfied.
With this pot, she could finally improve her meals.
Sure, she was trying to lose weight—but that didn't mean she didn't want to eat delicious food.
Ye Ling glanced over and saw her grinning like an idiot at a hollowed-out rock. He instantly knew—this had to be the stone pot she was looking for.
But the thing was heavy. How was she planning to carry it back?
She better not be expecting him to help. That was absolutely out of the question.
Su Xiyue, however, wasn't in any rush to haul the stone pot back. She still wanted to look for a stone mill.
Though she didn't find a proper mill, she did spot a relatively flat stone not far off. The surface was fairly smooth, and it wasn't too thick—about the width of two fingers stacked together.
Her eyes lit up. This stone was pretty decent. If she had a beastman polish it, she could use it as a hot stone grill. Just imagining it made her excited.
With some effort, she dragged the flat stone over to where the stone pot was.
Then she resumed her search. While she still didn't find a real mill, she did spot a smaller stone nearby. It was nicely shaped and very uniform—looked just like a mortar.
Perfect for grinding things—like garlic, chili peppers, or other spices.
Her eyes gleamed, and she immediately ran over and picked it up, tucking it into her basket.
The stone was small and not too heavy, so she didn't worry about it crushing her basket.
She kept picking out various stones—some looked like plates, some like bowls, even one like a knife.
Basically, anything she thought might be useful, she took.
Ye Ling watched her stuff her basket with a bunch of odd-shaped stones, his expression full of disbelief.
Was this ugly freak insane?
But he couldn't be bothered to figure her out. She was a weirdo—clearly not someone you could reason with.
Su Xiyue didn't care at all about the strange look he gave her. She just kept digging around happily.
In the end, she found a large, round stone she thought would make a good upper piece for a millstone. As for the base, she figured she'd search for it another time.
But the stone pot and that round stone were both huge—and incredibly heavy. Aside from the smaller pieces she'd tucked into her basket, there was no way she could lift the big ones.
Let alone carry them back.