"Squeak!"

A slight sound reached Jiang An's ears, and her ears twitched slightly as she quickly pinpointed the source of the sound.

She used her Cloud Steps skill to lightly walk towards the direction from which the sound came.

However, she did not rush forward. Instead, she stopped not far from the source of the sound and carefully observed the situation ahead.

As far as the eye could see, a small, earthy-yellow squirrel was crunching away at a fruit it had picked from somewhere.

The little squirrel stood out conspicuously amidst the lush green grass.

Suddenly, with a "crack," a tiny, almost imperceptible insect fell from the tree above. Jiang An reacted quickly and slapped it to the ground.

Just then, the little squirrel, who was enjoying its meal, keenly sensed something amiss and immediately raised its head alertly, looking in the direction where Jiang An was.

When it noticed an unidentified creature staring at it, it immediately revealed a fierce expression, still tightly gripping the fruit in its mouth.

Jiang An, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but burst out laughing when he saw this.

Just then, Jiang An's expression suddenly changed.

She saw behind the cute little squirrel that a cactus was growing rapidly at an astonishing rate.

The countless sharp thorns on its body grew larger. These thorns, like sharp daggers, carried the threat of death and attacked the little squirrel head-on.

Before Jiang An could think further, she swiftly waved her hand, and a majestic bow and arrow appeared in her grasp.

The little squirrel next to him was startled by Jiang An's actions and quickly hid.

Jiang An's eyes were sharp. He shot an arrow, which struck the base of the cactus with lightning accuracy.

At the same time, Jiang An flashed and appeared next to the cactus like a ghost.

Holding a long knife, she swiftly cleaved the cactus in two with a crisp snapping sound. Only emerald green sap flowed from the cut, emitting a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Upon seeing this, Jiang An immediately took out a clean wooden basin from his storage ring and caught the spilled liquid.

"Squeak!" The little squirrel, which had been hiding somewhere, came running over again, jumping and hopping excitedly, circling around Jiang An, seemingly very curious about everything in front of it.

Time passed slowly, and finally all the sap from the cactus flowed out, falling into the wooden basin in her hands. Looking at the basin full of emerald green sap, Jiang An smiled with satisfaction.

[Jade Hibiscus: Living in hot, arid desert regions, it possesses strong vitality, but also formidable aggression. It frequently camouflages itself, and upon encountering prey, it rapidly enlarges, its thorns growing larger and longer, piercing its prey in an instant.]

The name "Jade Hibiscus" is full of poetry and beauty, but who would have thought that it is a fierce plant that grows in extreme environments?

Jiang An looked at the wooden basin in his hand.

[Green leaf juice: Effectively relieves thirst and restores energy!]

In this vast desert, cacti attract attention with their unique shapes and tenacious vitality.

Their stems are rich in water, like a mysterious treasure trove specially created for them by nature.

These precious waters not only quench thirst, but also help people and animals regain their lost strength.

Encountering a cactus in the desert would be like a timely rain to quench thirst.

However, these cacti are not passive victims without any power to resist.

Over time, they gradually evolved powerful aggression, using sharp thorns to protect themselves from harm.

When threatened, they rapidly increase in size, and their spikes lengthen accordingly, instantly piercing their prey and draining its blood, using the predator as nourishment for their own growth.

This self-defense mechanism allows them to survive in the harsh desert environment. This struggle for water is both a life-or-death battle and an inevitable result of natural selection.

In this challenging and competitive world, every living thing must constantly evolve, adapt, and protect itself.

On her way to the oasis, Jiang An encountered many cacti with a lot of water in their bodies, but she hadn't paid any attention to them before.

On the one hand, she did not lack water resources; on the other hand, knowing the location of the oasis, she felt it was not worth wasting time collecting the negligible amount of water from the cactus.

When Jiang An saw that the green leaf juice not only quenched thirst but also restored physical strength, he couldn't help but regret missing out on such a good thing. However, it wasn't too late, since it was only the second day.

She had plenty of time to collect cactus sap, but she couldn't use such a crude method next time; instead, she would recycle it.

After all, the number of cacti in the desert is limited.

The wooden basin filled with green leaf juice was put directly into the storage ring.

Looking at the jade hibiscus that she had cut in half, Jiang An couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt.

Why would a plant that should grow in the desert appear in this oasis?

However, the thought only flashed through her mind and did not cause her to dwell on it too much.

After all, there are too many unknown things in this mysterious place, and if we were to explore every single one of them in depth, it would be an endless task.

Just then, the tan squirrel that had been hovering around her squeaked, as if trying to warn her of something.

Seeing that Jiang An ignored it, the little squirrel seemed a little anxious and kept jumping around.

Jiang An couldn't help but laugh at its adorable appearance. She took an apple from her storage ring and handed it to it: "Eat up!"

However, the little squirrel did not take the apple. Instead, it pointed with its little paws at a clump of grass in front of it with a very expressive look.

"What's wrong?" Jiang An asked softly.