Chapter 130: The Female Thief's Choice

"Such a woman, unyielding even in the face of death. Then, go ahead and die."

Ye Da chuckled at her words. He said nothing more, instead walking to the side to retrieve his own bronze treasure chest. It had clearly already been opened; the contents were gone, leaving only an empty box in the corner, evidently being used for storage.

The woman’s wooden cabin was tidy, furnished with several homemade shelves. Each shelf held food and various materials—bundles of timber, assorted ores, and even bamboo tubes.

These bamboo tubes looked strangely familiar. Ye Da realized they were likely the bamboo joints he had prepared himself, as they each had a small hole at the top sealed with clay, just like the ones he used to cook bamboo-tube rice. He stepped forward and kicked one of the joints; it split in two, and sure enough, traces of dried sauce remained inside.

This woman had traded with him!

"What is your name?" Ye Da asked.

"Hmph!"

The woman’s temper was even more stubborn than her gaze. She would rather die than compromise with Ye Da. From the moment she had made her choice, she had no intention of answering him.

"The Lord is asking you a question."

Chu Ping watched as the black veins on the woman’s face spread, with blood beginning to seep from her mouth and nose. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably, yet she bit her lip, refusing to utter a sound. Even so, it was obvious to anyone that she was deeply poisoned and on the verge of death.

Seeing her state, Chu Ping couldn't help but advise her: "Actually, the Lord is a good person; you’ve misunderstood him. When he asks you to submit, he means to become one of his subjects, not to do anything untoward to you."

"I can guarantee that. Subjects retain their autonomy; if you feel the Lord is mistreating you, you can resist or even defect from his territory. I was saved by the Lord and became his subject. He didn't just treat my illness; he found the antidote for my poison and even gave me bamboo-tube rice. If not for the Lord, my body would be cold by now!"

However, after listening to Chu Ping’s long speech, the woman only caught a few keywords: "Bamboo-tube rice?"

"Yes, bamboo-tube rice. What about it?" Chu Ping was baffled, unable to understand why, after all that, her focus remained on the rice.

"Are you the 'Bear-Slaying Master'?"

The woman turned suddenly, her eyes filled with disbelief and an indescribable emotion—a mix of anticipation, admiration, disappointment, and pain. It was the look of someone meeting their idol for the first time, only to catch them in the middle of a wicked deed.

"So, you did trade with me," Ye Da sighed. "What is your name?"

"Zhang Ya."

The woman spat out the two words. Ye Da paused, surprised. He remembered her. "You’re the woman who traded me flax and low-quality stone?" The upgrades to his treehouse would have been impossible without her help. He had never expected to meet under such circumstances.

"It’s me." Zhang Ya nodded, then struggled to sit up, perhaps finding it undignified to face her idol in such a state. "I’ve imagined meeting you, but I never thought it would be like this."

"I feel the same," Ye Da said, tossing her a tube of antidote. "You helped me before. Return the bronze chest, and we’ll call it even."

"That’s it?" Zhang Ya caught the antidote, startled. "You’re not going to kill me?"

"I’m not a serial killer," Ye Da shrugged. "I only wanted to kill you because you tried to kill me. But now that everything is out in the open, and considering our history, maybe this is fate. Consider yourself lucky this time, but don't target me again, or I won't be so merciful."

"Alright." Zhang Ya tried to twist the cap off, but she realized she lacked the strength.

Ye Da stepped forward and reached out. "Let me help."

"Thank you." Zhang Ya was stunned. She had been certain she would die, yet thanks to this strange twist of fate, her life had been spared. Moreover, this man was the legendary Bear-Slaying Master she had admired for so long. She had imagined him as a hulking, immensely strong brute, but in reality, he was leaner, more slender, and even a bit handsome—nothing like the coarse warrior she had envisioned.

*Gulp, gulp, gulp.*

With the antidote down, Zhang Ya began to feel better. Seeing her complexion return to normal, Ye Da said, "Since you’re fine now, give back what belongs to me."

"What belongs to you?" Zhang Ya’s expression turned cold. "I have nothing of yours here."

"What are you playing at?" Ye Da’s face turned icy. He hadn't expected her to play the "farmer and the snake" after he had spared her. Did she really think that because he hadn't ambushed her, he couldn't defeat her? *Heh!* He was capable of more than just ambushes.

"Zhang Ya, the Lord just saved your life! How can you be like this?" Chu Ping protested on Ye Da’s behalf.

*Woof! Woof!*

The two wolf pups sensed the rising tension and began to growl.

"Saved me?" Zhang Ya laughed, a sharp sound. "Wasn't it you who poisoned me in the first place?"

"Fine!" Ye Da saw no point in further discussion. He condensed his stone skin and drew his stone axe from his waist. "If you want to fight, then let’s fight!"

But seeing this, Zhang Ya covered her mouth and chuckled. "Lord, I was only joking. Don't be so tense."

"I am not an ungrateful person. Since you saved me, I belong to you now. Don't get the wrong idea—not as your woman, but as your follower. Just like him, I will become your subject. That’s why I said I have nothing of yours here—because everything here already belongs to you."