Qin Qingman and the others were walking through a forest full of various nut trees. In this long winter, some animals that don't hibernate would occasionally come to search for fallen nuts hidden under the snow. At this moment, Qin Qingman was looking for traces of larger animals.

The death of the original Qin Qingman was not just due to her own weakness; it was also caused by greedy people like Zhu Hongxia. If these shameless people hadn't delayed returning the resources they owed to the original owner, she wouldn't have died so silently and unnoticed. Qin Qingman, now inhabiting this body, had always planned to avenge the original. Seeing Zhu Hongxia and her group acting so greedily, she finally made up her mind.

Some debts, she thought, could only be repaid with blood.

While Zhu Hongxia and her companions were busy climbing trees and searching the holes for nuts, Qin Qingman quickly walked away. Even though the snow was deep, reaching above her knees, she pressed on without stopping. As she moved, she listened carefully for any noises around her.

What she needed to avoid now were people, not animals.

About ten minutes later, Qin Qingman came to a stop and glanced back. She knew it wouldn't be long before Zhu Hongxia and her group caught up again, but this time, Qin Qingman smiled.

Because she heard a very faint snuffling sound.

Looking at the bag in her hand, Qin Qingman dumped all the nuts onto the snow. The handful of nuts she had been holding earlier had already been scattered bit by bit as she walked.

Satisfied with the trap she had set, she quickly moved away from the area.

The snow was deep and made walking difficult. Qin Qingman was already sweating, but she kept walking with determination, leaving the place as quickly as she could.

Not five minutes after she left, a shadow moved swiftly to the spot where she had scattered the nuts. The creature immediately started eating, happily snuffling as it devoured the food.

Meanwhile, Zhu Hongxia and her companions had just finished raiding several tree holes. They were smiling smugly now, their mood even better.

Feeling pleased with herself, Zhu Hongxia urged her two sisters-in-law and her sister-in-law by marriage, "Come on, let's hurry and catch up with that little brat Qingman. Don't let her hog all the good stuff."

She was clearly intent on exploiting Qin Qingman for all she was worth.

"You're so clever, second sister," complimented Yao Chunying, one of the sisters-in-law.

"Good thing you came up with this plan. Otherwise, we'd be wasting our time checking last year's tree holes. Following Qingman is a great idea. Let's catch up with her quickly and split the spoils," the other sister-in-law added.

There's a saying: birds of a feather flock together. Like Zhu Hongxia, her two sisters-in-law were also not the most virtuous of people.

Under the bright sunlight, the tracks Qin Qingman had left in the snow were clear and easy to follow, and Zhu Hongxia's group was happy to pursue them in silence this time, keeping quiet so as not to alert Qin Qingman.

They had been walking for a while when Zhu Hongxia suddenly stopped, cocking her head to listen. In a low voice, she asked, "Did you hear something?"

"What noise? Isn't it just the snow sliding off the trees?" Qin Xiang, Zhu Hongxia's sister-in-law, replied, looking confused.

In this area, the winters were always harsh, with thick snow covering the ground and branches. It wasn't unusual to hear the sound of snow slipping from the overloaded tree limbs, especially in the stillness of the forest.

"It's not the sound of snow falling," Zhu Hongxia said, her expression growing tense. She prided herself on her sharp hearing and trusted her instincts.

The noise Zhu Hongxia mentioned made the rest of the group tense. If the sound wasn't coming from people or snow sliding off the trees, it could only mean one thing: animals.

"Should we call for the others?" Qin Xiang, wide-eyed, scanned her surroundings. Although she couldn't see anything unusual, an unsettling feeling gnawed at her, giving her the sense that danger was near.

She was growing more nervous by the second and thought that gathering more people might be their best option. After all, nothing would scare off a wild animal like a crowd of villagers.

"Don't shout."

It was Li Meina who stopped her first. "If there's really an animal around here, making noise might only provoke it. And if it's a dangerous one, it wouldn't matter how many of us there are. We wouldn't stand a chance."

Swallowing the saliva her dry mouth had produced in fear, the entire group took a moment to calm themselves, giving up on the idea of calling for help.

"Let's just go back."

After much thought, Zhu Hongxia decided that retreat was the best course of action. As much as she wanted to find more food, her life was far more important.

"Yeah, let's retreat."

Qin Xiang and the others trusted Zhu Hongxia's judgment. They huddled together tightly and cautiously began to back away, step by step.

In this kind of situation, without being able to see the threat, they knew not to turn their backs and run. It was important to stay alert and move cautiously, eyes and ears focused on their surroundings.

Just as they were drenched in sweat from the tension, the sudden flapping of wings startled them. The rush of wind swept over their heads, followed by the noisy calls of two pheasants that had landed on a nearby tree, causing a fresh cascade of snow to tumble down in sheets.

The falling snow felt like a miniature blizzard, showering down on them in sparkling waves.

It also scared Zhu Hongxia and the others out of their wits. Every hair on their bodies stood on end, and goosebumps prickled their skin.

"That damned thing! Scared the life out of me!" Zhu Hongxia cursed loudly, spitting into the snow as if to rid herself of her fear. "Ugh, ugh, ugh!"

Seeing that it was just a couple of pheasants, Zhu Hongxia was both relieved and furious, her harsh curses echoing through the forest.

Qin Xiang and the others, equally spooked, joined in the swearing.

As they shouted and cursed, their muscles began to relax, and they took a moment to wipe the sweat from their foreheads.

But what they didn't realize was that their yelling had attracted the attention of a nearby wild boar, busy munching on nuts.

Annoyed at having its meal disturbed, the wild boar grunted menacingly. This time, its snorts were filled with anger.

Its small eyes glittered with aggression.

"Oh no, wild... wild boar!"

Just as Qin Xiang was in the middle of a rant, she turned her head and locked eyes with a massive wild boar not far away.

It was huge.

Instinctively, Qin Xiang let out a terrified scream before turning and running for her life. In moments like these, survival instinct kicked in-whoever ran the fastest would survive.

Her scream shocked Zhu Hongxia and the others, who turned just in time to see the wild boar snorting in fury. This only served to enrage the beast further.

With a powerful thrust of its legs, the wild boar charged straight toward them.

Knowing that none of them were the type to share danger, Zhu Hongxia's group immediately scattered, stumbling and floundering through the deep snow as they fled, each one shouting desperately for help.

Qin Qingman was in a rather unfortunate situation.

Her plan had been to teach Zhu Hongxia and her companions a lesson, but now, Zhu Hongxia was running in her direction, bringing the wild boar along.

Forced into action, Qin Qingman had no choice but to start running as well.

A wild boar's hide was thick and tough, making it impossible to deal with unless you had a gun.

"Qingman, Qingman! Help me!"

As Zhu Hongxia fled for her life, she spotted Qin Qingman and immediately started screaming for help. What she didn't realize was that her high-pitched shriek only made the boar change direction, now charging toward her instead.

Zhu Hongxia had initially planned to use Qin Qingman as a shield, but her scream only redirected the boar's focus back onto herself. Hearing the sound of its heavy steps thundering closer behind her, she felt her face drain of all color in terror.

Zhu Hongxia was terrified, and so was Qin Qingman.

She had no intention of dealing with the wild boar alongside Zhu Hongxia. She used every ounce of strength to sprint toward an escape route she had identified earlier. The path led to a slope that descended toward a small cliff a few meters high. At the speed the boar was charging, it would never be able to stop in time.

Regret gnawed at Qin Qingman. She should've never wasted time watching Zhu Hongxia and the others make fools of themselves.

Breathing hard, she pushed herself to run faster, but her legs were growing heavier by the second.

This body-originally belonging to the frail Qin Qingman-wasn't as strong as she had hoped. Despite pushing herself to the limit, her pace slowed. The untouched snow was making it harder to move, and she sank deeper into it with each step.

Zhu Hongxia, however, had been strengthened by years of farm work. She sped up, running faster as she followed the trail of footprints Qin Qingman had left behind. Soon enough, she zipped past her like the wind.

Selfish people always think of themselves first. As she flew past Qin Qingman, Zhu Hongxia shoved her hard.

Caught off guard by the push, Qin Qingman lost her balance and tumbled to the side.

In that moment, she thought she was finished.

But just as she braced herself for the wild boar to charge at her, it barreled right past her and slammed into Zhu Hongxia's back instead.

Zhu Hongxia screamed as the boar's impact sent her flying more than ten meters. When she hit the ground, she didn't make another sound.

Satisfied after sending someone flying, the wild boar turned its attention back to Qin Qingman, who had just managed to get to her feet.

Snorting and digging its hooves into the snow, the boar lowered its head, preparing for another charge.

Qin Qingman, facing the steep slope, remained calm. Slowly, she stood up.

The boar, now fully prepared, launched itself at her again with terrifying speed. It was moving so fast that Qin Qingman barely had time to throw herself to the side.

In one desperate motion, she flung herself out of the boar's path, narrowly avoiding being trampled as the beast shot past her, galloping uncontrollably down the slope.