Chapter 008

Chapter 008

To make sure he wasn't mistaken, Bai Xiaoyu approached and squatted down, tracing the slender leaves of the herb with their emerald green tinged with dark red.

Three-leafed red-stemmed, fine veins dark red; from its appearance, it was indeed the Marrow Cleansing Herb. He pinched a leaf, smelled it, and then put it in his mouth.

A bitter taste with a burning sensation quickly numbed his tongue.

Bai Xiaoyu's eyes held a smile; it really was the Marrow Cleansing Herb.

The Marrow Cleansing Herb is the main ingredient for refining Marrow Cleansing Pills, which have the effect of purifying one’s essence and marrow.

If he could get one, the original body's weak constitution would be saved.

The original body had grown up taking medicine, yet still had a constitution and mental strength rated F.

Any random child in the starry universe could easily outmatch him physically.

No wonder Xiao Zhu didn’t feel at ease letting him come alone and insisted on accompanying him.

Living two lifetimes, now being protected by a child—this was something he had never imagined.

Seeing Bai Xiaoyu's interest in a somewhat peculiar little herb, Yu Xi also squatted down, reaching out to touch the slender leaves. "Teacher Bai, is this herb valuable?"

Bai Xiaoyu nodded, "This is the Marrow Cleansing Herb, used to refine pills..."

Remembering that people in the starry universe usually use potions, he changed his words: "It's a potion that can strengthen the body and improve one's aptitude."

Yu Xi's eyes lit up, "Then let's quickly gather this herb."

Bai Xiaoyu took out the tools, and Yu Xi took them over. "Teacher Bai, let me do this."

He didn't dare say that Bai Xiaoyu needed to conserve his strength due to his weak constitution, or else he'd be panting after walking a short while.

After saying this, as if afraid someone would snatch it away, he swiftly dug up the Marrow Cleansing Herb.

Seeing how skilled Xiao Zhu was at gathering herbs, Bai Xiaoyu realized he must often go herb-gathering.

Yu Xi presented the gathered herb with both hands to Bai Xiaoyu, "Teacher Bai, is this okay?"

Bai Xiaoyu nodded, "Yes."

Seeing him always so respectful, he added, "Xiao Xi, we'll be spending a lot of time together, so you don't need to be so formal. You can call me Brother Bai, Brother Xiaoyu, or Brother Yu."

In the apocalypse, many young people like Yu Xi called him that in the teams he joined. Sadly, the apocalypse was cruel and claimed many young lives.

Yu Xi was delighted, "Then I'll call you Brother Bai. Brother Bai, where should we go next?"

Bai Xiaoyu patted his head, smiling, "Where do you usually go? Why not show me?"

"Sure, but the places I go usually don't have many herbs left; they've all been gathered. Besides me, other residents here often enter the forest to gather herbs."

It turned out that after the war, this forest, which had remained untouched, became a good place for nearby residents to gather herbs to improve their lives.

Yu Xi sent Bai Xiaoyu an official list of herbs, which he quickly browsed through, finding many familiar herbs, though their names were different from before. The list included prices, collection requirements, and storage methods.

Residents could mail or directly exchange their gathered herbs at various distribution points for credit points.

Yu Xi enthusiastically mentioned that before becoming Bai Xiaoyu's assistant, he gathered herbs every day and earned quite a bit.

As they walked and stopped, Bai Xiaoyu found many familiar herbs from the past. These herbs either didn't meet the collection standards or weren't listed in the official records, thus remaining preserved.

By the time Bai Xiaoyu's strength waned, their harvest was quite good.

They gathered dozens of herbs, including three rare ones from before the apocalypse, including the Marrow Cleansing Herb.

Although there was only one of each, it was much better than before the apocalypse.

Looking at the official list of herbs, many rare ones were priced low, suggesting that this world had a diverse variety of herbs, and the environment seemed better than during the post-apocalypse era of spiritual energy resurgence.

Now, they just needed to test the efficacy of these herbs. If their effects matched those from the previous world, this place would be a paradise for him as a Pill Incubator. There might not be pills here, but there were eggs. After all, a Pill Incubator's predecessor was a Pill Refiner.

Due to the extinction of herbs and issues with their properties, he had never practiced pill refinement. Here, he might be able to revive the dream of his ancestors in the Bai family.

Just as they were about to head back, Yu Xi suddenly perked up his ears, becoming alert and stepping in front of Bai Xiaoyu.

Bai Xiaoyu frowned, his crisis sense from the apocalypse making him ready for battle. He took the energy gun from Yu Xi and tried to pull Xiao Zhu back behind him.

But he couldn't move him.

Yu Xi didn't turn around, speaking softly, "Brother Bai, stay back. It's coming!"

Bai Xiaoyu saw a man-sized hyena charging towards them with murderous intent. He raised the energy gun and fired at the hyena.

Several shots missed.

Such speed!

This was even more formidable than high-level mutated beasts in the late stages of the apocalypse.

If it were his original body, he wouldn't be afraid. But with this weak physique, he couldn't even run away. And he had Yu Xi with him.

Bai Xiaoyu took a deep breath and calmly said to Xiao Zhu, "Xiao Xi, go back and get help. I'll cover you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Yu Xi suddenly roar and charge forward.

Bai Xiaoyu: "Xiao Xi!"

In the next second, Bai Xiaoyu lost his composure.

Yu Xi rushed halfway when Bai Xiaoyu heard the sound of bones stretching. Then he saw his little assistant suddenly transform into a large white wolf and lunge at the hyena's neck.

The White Wolf only reached about chest-high to him, making it significantly smaller than the adult-sized hyena.

The two beasts instantly engaged in a fierce battle. Due to the size difference, it looked like a teenager fighting an adult.

Bai Xiaoyu watched anxiously, holding the energy gun and focusing intently on the fight.

Soon, he noticed that although Yu Xi was small, he was incredibly agile. Moreover, he had a ferocity completely different from his usually shy demeanor, which made the larger hyena suffer.

This was the first time he witnessed a battle between the world's beastmen.

Indeed, the hyena on the other side was also a beastman.

This was a primitive animal fight, giving him his first assessment of the strength of this world's beastmen.

The speed and power were even stronger than those of high-level speed and strength abilities in the post-apocalyptic era. Typically, in the post-apocalyptic era, one could only awaken one of these abilities, but both beastmen before him possessed both.

Yu Xi was an A-class beastman, and his current strength seemed much higher than that of a high-level ability user in the post-apocalyptic era.

What about beastmen even more advanced than Yu Xi?

Bai Xiaoyu felt he needed to seriously understand the combat system of the interstellar world, including beastmen, half-beastmen, and pure humans.

He also needed to improve his own strength quickly; he couldn't rely on Xiao Xi, his little assistant, to protect him every time.

Bai Xiaoyu had a hunch that the hyena was targeting him.

After all, the original host didn't survive being pursued. He took over mid-way, but when he did, apart from the lingering pain in his chest, there were no other fatal injuries.

However, in the original host's residual memories, the shot indeed hit his heart. This might have something to do with the system.

Bai Xiaoyu had many thoughts swirling in his mind, but his gaze remained locked on the battling beastmen. He was looking for an opportunity to attack the hyena without harming the White Wolf.

Just as the hyena was bitten by the White Wolf and dodged, this was the moment!

He fired again.

The hyena reacted quickly, dodging the fatal shot to its forehead, but the second shot hit its belly.

Injured, the hyena gave Bai Xiaoyu a fierce look and began to retreat.

Bai Xiaoyu and the White Wolf couldn't stop it, allowing it to escape successfully.

The White Wolf wanted to chase but Bai Xiaoyu called out, "Xiao Xi, don't pursue a fleeing enemy. Let me check your wounds first."

The White Wolf stopped but continued to snarl and howl in the direction the hyena fled.

Bai Xiaoyu found this amusing and patted the fluffy wolf head, "So Xiao Xi is actually so fierce?"

Upon hearing this, the White Wolf's raised tail froze and then gently wagged. It sniffed around Bai Xiaoyu and rubbed against him.

Bai Xiaoyu stumbled slightly under the nudge, once again marveling at the body's constitution. The White Wolf seemed to remember something and stopped rubbing.

Bai Xiaoyu patted the White Wolf's head, "Where are you hurt?"

The White Wolf obediently extended its paw, revealing a torn wound about three fingers wide.

After checking, Bai Xiaoyu took out a herb, one of the three rare herbs. This herb was the main ingredient in the Small Healing Pill and had powerful restorative properties.

To test its efficacy, he pricked his finger with a thorn from a nearby plant and applied the herb. The wound almost immediately stopped bleeding. As for the tear, it would likely heal by tomorrow.

Confirming it worked, he crushed the herb and applied it to the White Wolf's wound. After checking the White Wolf thoroughly and finding no other injuries, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The White Wolf transformed back into human form, looking at Bai Xiaoyu with bright eyes, "Brother Bai is amazing, stopping the bleeding so quickly. This is almost as good as a high-level healing agent..."

Bai Xiaoyu chuckled, "How do you know? Have you tried a high-level healing agent before?"

In the original host's memory, high-level healing agents were expensive and mostly sent to battlefields.

Yu Xi was taken aback, "I... I don't know why I know this, but it feels true."

Seeing his assistant getting flustered, Bai Xiaoyu reassured him gently, "I don't doubt you. Be careful with your wounds." Then he changed the subject, "Xiao Xi's beast form is really cool. You chased away that hyena, impressive."

Yu Xi was distracted and responded shyly, "It wasn't that impressive."

But soon, he looked dejected, a hint of frustration and shame on his face, "Unfortunately, I couldn't catch him. With my previous strength, I could have bitten through ten such beastmen."

Bai Xiaoyu was surprised, "Xiao Xi used to be that strong?"

That hyena was an S-class beastman?

Yu Xi suddenly realized what he said and blushed, covering his face with his hands, "No, I don't know why I boasted like that. Brother Bai, please don't laugh at me."

Bai Xiaoyu was amused by Yu Xi's reaction, "Xiao Xi can drive away an S-class beastman, why would I laugh at you?"

Seeing Bai Xiaoyu wasn't mocking him, Yu Xi bounced ahead, walking in front of Bai Xiaoyu.

Watching Yu Xi, who seemed completely fine, Bai Xiaoyu marveled at the recovery abilities of beastmen.

But he quietly noted Yu Xi's sudden change in demeanor.

They returned to the breeding facility, and Yu Xi went to report the incident.

Bai Xiaoyu organized all the herbs and placed them aside. Two packages arrived via robot delivery.

Opening one package, he found a palm-sized energy box, exactly what the breeding facility's incubator needed.

Opening the other package, he saw two transparent green vials.

Here arrives the restorative for Eggshell.