Xiao Si's First Kill

So, she wanted to stock up while no one else knew about this—otherwise, when the time came, there wouldn't be any meat to buy!

Just then, the fishing line on the rod started to shake. Ji Xinghe quickly pulled up on the rod, and a faintly glowing wooden treasure chest was lifted out of the water.

Seeing this, Xiao Xi's vines twitched at the top of her head, then reached out to hook Ji Xinghe's finger.

When Ji Xinghe looked over, Xiao Xi pointed at the fishing rod again. "Master... Xiao Xi... help."

Ji Xinghe nodded. "Alright."

She wouldn't let the child's enthusiasm for helping get doused, nor would she brush it off by saying she was too young and couldn't do anything.

If you love someone, you learn to respect them and let them try, even if they don't do it well.

As adults, supporting them is enough.

Handing the fishing rod to Xiao Xi, Ji Xinghe opened her system panel.

The moment she clicked into the chat page, private messages came flooding in.

Filtering out the junk messages.

Ji Xinghe directly clicked on Monster Slayer's avatar.

Monster Slayer: "Selling, I've got 150 units of various meats at 500g each. Pics, pics."

"One pack of instant noodles for 5 units, one bread for 3 units of meat, deal?"

"Got any fire-starting tools, big shot?"

"Was busy just now, didn't see the message."

"Still buying meat? If you take it all, I'll give you a discount."

150 units of meat—barely enough for Xiao Xi for a dozen meals. She'd thought he had a lot more...

But it was only the first day. Ji Xinghe remembered that in her past life, this guy was also a big meat seller.

Players had even given him a nickname: "Butcher."

Thinking of this, Ji Xinghe took out the flint and placed it on the wooden treasure chest, using the system's photo function.

Player 001: "I've got flint. Pic."

The message sent, and within a minute, he replied.

Monster Slayer: "Twenty units of meat for that pair of flint, deal?"

Ji Xinghe shook her head. If he didn't have fire, that meant he couldn't cook raw food.

Right now, he was the one in more of a rush.

Player 001: "Twelve packs of instant noodles, five (500g) cream breads, and one pair of flint for your 150 units of meat."

Player 001: "I'm selling cheap. Look at that shark meat of yours—stinky and nasty. The food I'm giving you is high-fat, high-satiety, delicious portable stuff."

"Stretch it out, and it'll last you half a month. With fire, you can grill your own meat for extra meals."

In her past life, she often ate just one meal a day.

If she hadn't thought this guy had a knack for monsters and she'd need long-term raw meat trades, Ji Xinghe wouldn't have given him so much food.

She was trading what she could eat for raw meat he couldn't eat yet—from any angle, he was coming out ahead.

Of course, Ji Xinghe wasn't losing either.

After all, this meat could feed Xiao Xi, filling her up and giving her experience points...

The other party barely hesitated before sending a message back.

Monster Slayer: "Deal."

Monster Slayer: "Want to add as a friend? I'll sell you meat in the future too."

Player 001: "Sure. For now, meat is my top priority."

With that, they added each other as friends.

When the exchange went through, both sides felt like they'd won.

The raw meat automatically entered her backpack, and Ji Xinghe browsed the trading market again.

She traded two bottles of water with "Pray for the God of Wealth's Love" for two bottles of nutrient solution.

Other than that, she didn't see any suitable items—either too expensive or useless.

As for snagging bargains, she really didn't run into any.

Nobody was stupid. Even if some didn't know how to use certain items, they could tell high-tier stuff wasn't going to be sold cheap.

Unless it was a special situation, where someone desperately needed a specific resource...

She closed the panel.

Looking up, she saw Xiao Xi's vines pulling up on the fishing rod. The next moment, a black iron treasure chest surfaced.

Like a parabola, it quickly landed on the beach.

Ji Xinghe's gaze followed it until she spotted a pile of treasure chests beside Xiao Xi.

She counted—quite a few black ones.

Warmth surfaced in her eyes, her gaze softening into a curve.

Xiao Xi was far better than that glutton from her past life—understanding and considerate.

It was a two-way street. Though it was her pet, they hadn't known each other long; deep feelings couldn't form overnight.

It was still small, unable to hunt on its own, so she had no complaints about feeding it.

But if it only ever took, Ji Xinghe would grow tired—and unwilling.

She admitted her own selfishness and calculations.

In this Survival World, anyone too kind, too naive, or too foolish wouldn't last long.

Yet she wasn't a heartless machine.

Treat her well, and she'd repay it a hundredfold.

Of course, the same went for enemies who harmed her.

She stashed all the treasure chests into her backpack.

Just as she was about to open them, the Fishing Rod tucked among Xiao Xi's vines suddenly jerked.

Ji Xinghe rose, her gaze sharp as she locked onto the half-emerged, crystal-like soft sphere floating on the water's surface.

Xiao Xi froze for a moment, its vines twisting in confusion as if looking at Ji Xinghe.

Seeing her nod, Xiao Xi finally hauled the monster ashore.

Ji Xinghe's skill was already at her fingertips, ready to activate with a single thought.

Just then, the monster let out a strange cry.

Sensing no discomfort, Ji Xinghe checked her panel.

Code
The monster has activated the skill Illusion Song on you. If your mental value falls below 15, you will experience hallucinations.

Your mental value is 60. You have perfectly resisted it.