Chapter 250 - 241: More Than Enough Red Dates
Ye Junhan had been standing three steps behind Gu Xi. The moment Liu Hao jumped down from the tree, he took a large stride forward.
"What happened?" At the side, Qian Shan looked up at the tree trunk and asked Liu Hao with a grin, "Liu Hao, what’s wrong? Did you run into a wildcat in the forest and get the crap scared out of you?"
"Get lost." Liu Hao glared at him, then turned and presented a huge mushroom he was holding to Gu Xi with an eager smile. "Miss Gu, take a look at this..."
Liu Hao scratched his chin. "...Doesn’t this look like the legendary Immortal Purple Ganoderma?" He had just seen this thing, and he got so excited he couldn’t help himself...
Liu Hao cautiously glanced at Gu Xi’s expression. ’I didn’t scare Miss Gu just now, did I?’
He wasn’t usually such an impulsive person.
Gu Xi took it and was examining it when Qi Xiang came over to take a look. "This really does look like a Lingzhi..."
But this Lingzhi was a bit strange. Qi Xiang took out the portable Abnormality Detector she carried with her.
Sure enough, the thing looked like it had a high mutation level, but the test result showed a mutation coefficient of 0.
Qi Xiang subconsciously looked up at Gu Xi. ’You Purified it?’
Gu Xi slowly shook her head. It wasn’t her. When Liu Hao gave it to her, the X Energy inside the Lingzhi had already been devoured.
Liu Hao was also very surprised to see the test results. He scratched his head and asked, "So, can we eat this thing?"
Ye Junhan’s gaze also fell on the Lingzhi in her hand.
Gu Xi noticed his gaze and explained, "This Lingzhi was probably parasitized. As for now... it’s edible, but it probably doesn’t taste very good."
Unlike the red mushrooms from before, this Lingzhi was quite old. Its internal structure had long been tainted and transformed by X Energy, and it had also been parasitized. Its essence was stolen by the parasite long ago, leaving it an empty shell.
As for the taste... she estimated it would be similar to dry tree bark.
When Gu Xi told him the truth, Liu Hao’s face instantly fell.
She returned the washbasin-sized Lingzhi to Liu Hao. After a moment of thought, she comforted him, "But you could ask Wei Heng to stew it in a pot just for you to try. His cooking is pretty good."
Liu Hao thought about it, but in the end, he couldn’t bear to throw it away. He hoisted it onto his shoulder. At least it could be used as an umbrella, even if it was a bit heavy.
After Ye Junhan personally went to check the tree where the Lingzhi was found, the group continued searching for mushrooms nearby.
A few minutes later, a tiny, trembling green sprout silently poked out of the spot where the purple Lingzhi had grown.
The growth rate of mutant plants was already terrifyingly fast, and similar scenes unfolded in the forest every minute of every day. This accelerated cycle of life and death had become so commonplace that no one noticed the tiny, trembling green sprout.
Ye Junhan, however, did cast another glance in that direction. Just as he was about to step forward, Gu Xi suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.
Ye Junhan lowered his eyes, looking at the slender hand gripping his wrist, and impassively averted his gaze.
...
After the rain, nature’s bounty was abundant.
Qi Xiang glanced at their haul from the trip, waved her hand, and shouted with great authority, "Let’s head back."
Sure enough, just as the group returned to their camp, a downpour began outside.
"You’re amazing, Qi Xiang." Liu Hao, still carrying his giant Lingzhi, gave Qi Xiang a thumbs-up.
Qi Xiang replied with modest restraint, "It was nothing, it was nothing."
Wei Heng placed all the mushrooms in front of Gu Xi. Only after she had inspected (Purified) them did he call over a few Water Ability users to sort and wash them.
Not all mushrooms were suitable for soup. Just as Wei Heng was pondering how to best use them to give everyone a nourishing meal, he saw Gu Xi pull a gigantic wild chicken out of thin air, one that he estimated weighed over a hundred pounds.
In terms of size, it was even bigger than Da Hong back home.
But ever since becoming Gu Xi’s chicken, Da Hong had been raised by Wei Heng to be glossy and sleek. This one, however...
"Miss Gu, this chicken..." Liu Hao and a few others gathered around, their faces full of wonder.
Gu Xi said casually, "...I found it on a previous mission."
Found it?
’Can we ask where one might "find" a mutant wild chicken like this—one that contains no X Energy, looks so plump and hearty, and seems like it would be both delicious and filling?’
’We want to go "find" one too.’
Liu Hao and the others were extremely envious, but no one asked any more questions. They just chuckled and dispersed, with some starting to make pots and others starting fires...
Soon, everyone had divided up the tasks and boiled a large pot of hot water.
Shen Yue rolled up his sleeves and volunteered for the task of scalding and plucking the chicken. His movements were swift and clean, the mark of a seasoned hand.
"How could he not be skilled?" Qi Xiang pursed her lips from the side. "This guy pretty much did in the entire first batch of chicks hatched by Da Hong."
Shen Yue: ’As if you didn’t eat any.’
Qi Xiang shot back a glare, full of righteous indignation: ’I ate some, but didn’t most of it end up in your stomach?’
Thinking of his own appetite and his frequently, mysteriously disappearing abs, Shen Yue fell silent. But his chicken-plucking movements sped up a little more.
Wei Heng held two gleaming cleavers. After dressing the whole chicken, he specially sliced some meat from the breast into thin strips, planning to make a nourishing chicken congee for Gu Xi.
Gu Xi hadn’t been herself lately and had lost some weight. The healthy, rosy complexion he had painstakingly nurtured for a year was now visibly pale again.
Wei Heng began to silently take stock of the supplies he had on hand...
Meanwhile, the newly made clay pots had been washed several times by the Water Ability users. Once the water inside boiled, the crowd first tossed in the blanched chicken pieces, then turned in unison to look at Wei Heng.
—’What’s next?’
Wei Heng: "..." He suddenly felt the pressure mounting.
Ouyang was rummaging through the supply truck and finally found a small handful of red dates. After some thought, she walked over to Wei Heng and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Wei, how about we start a small pot?"
She showed the few large red dates to Wei Heng.
This stuff was very precious. There weren’t enough to go around, just these few... Then she noticed Wei Heng looking at her with an expression that said he wanted to say something but was holding back.
Ouyang: "...?"
Just then, Qi Xiang suddenly walked over, generously shoved a large bag of red dates into her hands, and said nonchalantly, "We grow tons of this stuff in our orchards in South City. We’re kind of sick of eating it now. If you like it, just take it and eat it as a snack... there’s more than enough!"
Ouyang: "!!!"
’No wonder everyone wants to cling to a powerful patron and live off them... Damn it. I knew Miss Gu had farms and orchards in South City and was a famous rich woman in our circles, but I never imagined she was *this* generous!’
As Ouyang snapped out of her shock, her mind started turning. ’Miss Gu is beautiful and has a good personality, her planting talent is unmatched, and she even has good relations with the military...’
’She has food, money, and connections. The key is, she’s also incredibly generous and magnanimous!’
’Who wouldn’t love a girl like that?’
After listing all of Gu Xi’s merits, Ouyang was thoroughly smitten.
’If Miss Gu wasn’t too hung up on gender... she wouldn’t be against it, either.’
And so, Ye Junhan soon discovered that one of his own logistics members was looking at him in a very strange way.
Her look was one of exasperation at his inaction, mixed with a hint of appraisal, and... criticism?
Ye Junhan: "..."