Chapter 631: Returning Fully Loaded

With Qi Jian, a seasoned outdoorsman, and Carmen, a master guide, Shen Yibin and the others quickly found a good spot to camp, set up their tents, and prepared to eat and rest.

“Bin, these Yellow Essence Sprouts are a delicacy of this world. Let’s try them while they’re fresh!” As soon as the tents were up, Qi Jian couldn’t help but hurry over and urge him. It was clear he’d been coveting these Yellow Essence Sprouts for quite some time.

“Eating them is no problem, but I have no idea how to cook them.” Shen Yibin turned his gaze to Hah’Er, wondering if the big glutton had ever eaten them before and knew how they should be prepared.

“Hmph~” Hah’Er just shook its head. It had never seen Yellow Ginseng where it used to live. It leaned in for a sniff but couldn’t figure out how to cook it either.

“Should I look it up online?” Shen Yibin had no choice but to pull out his phone. ‘I hope the signal here is good enough to get online.’ But before he could even load a webpage, he saw Turtle Immortal pick up a Yellow Essence Sprout in its mouth, slowly crawl over to the stove Shen Yibin had lit, use a few pieces of firewood as a makeshift step, and drop the sprout into the boiling water.

‘Just boil it like that?’ Shen Yibin quickly put his phone down. Since Turtle Immortal was willing to give instructions, things would be much easier. Shen Yibin immediately got busy. Whenever he saw Turtle Immortal crawl toward something, he would quickly toss what it indicated into the pot. Finally, he added a few seasonings, and just like that, a pot of delicious soup was ready.

“Dinner’s ready… uh, line up, and I’ll serve you.” After the soup was done, Shen Yibin had just cleared his throat to shout for Xiaoliu, Hah’Er, and Carmen to come back and eat, only to find that the aroma had already lured them over. They were all standing there, drooling, waiting to dig in.

‘So the ingredients really are the most crucial part.’ He took a bite of the delicious Yellow Essence Sprouts and a sip of the incredibly savory soup. It was a simple boil with very few seasonings, yet it had produced the most delicious food Shen Yibin had ever tasted. He couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. The most rustic cooking method had created a delicacy that even a Michelin-starred chef couldn’t replicate. The wonders of nature were truly magical.

“Sigh, it’s a shame there wasn’t more!” He felt like he hadn’t even had his fill before the large pot was empty.

“You should be content. I bet not many people in all of Yunzhong City have ever eaten this stuff. We should be satisfied just getting a taste. You don’t expect to eat this every day, do you?” Qi Jian consoled him.

‘That’s true. No one can just snack on ginseng like it’s dried rations, right? Even if Turtle Immortal could find more Yellow Essence Sprouts, we probably couldn’t eat them every day. It’s a tonic, after all, and with tonics, more isn’t always better.’

After eating and cleaning up, Qi Jian ducked into his tent to rest. Shen Yibin, however, felt a warm current slowly spreading from his core, diffusing through his torso and limbs. A pleasant, indescribable warmth filled his entire body. It seemed the medicinal effects were kicking in.

Just then, the moon climbed into the sky. It happened to be the fifteenth of the lunar month, so the moon was perfectly full. Turtle Immortal found a flat spot, lay down, and once again assumed that particular posture, beginning to breathe in and out facing the moon. Seeing this, Shen Yibin quickly lay down beside it and started to imitate it. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the medicinal meal or because the air in the mountain forest was fresher, but Shen Yibin felt that tonight’s practice was much smoother, and the effects were much better.

When the practice session ended, Shen Yibin felt his lungs were clearer and his breathing was much smoother. It even seemed like his lung capacity had increased significantly. He took out his phone, opened the stopwatch, and tested how long he could hold his breath. He took a deep breath and held it for over three minutes without feeling dizzy or lightheaded.

“CHIRP! CHIRP!” Sitting cross-legged at the entrance of his tent and gazing at the moon over the opposite peak, Shen Yibin smiled. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Xiaoliu squatting in front of Turtle Immortal with a fawning look on its face, holding up the wine jug with both paws as if offering it to Turtle Immortal to enjoy. The scene piqued Shen Yibin’s curiosity.

‘This little guy is usually so protective of its Monkey Wine. Even I have to sweet-talk it if I want a drink. I’ve never seen it offer its wine to anyone willingly. Why is it sucking up to Turtle Immortal now?’ An image of Xiaoliu dominating everyone on Hou Mountain flashed through Shen Yibin’s mind. ‘It looks like after experiencing the strange changes from Turtle Immortal’s medicinal meal and the miraculous effects of the medicated wine, it’s completely in awe of Turtle Immortal. That must be why it’s acting this way.’

‘Heh, you’re probably just afraid Turtle Immortal will cut off your supply of herbs, stopping you from showing off your prowess on Hou Mountain. That’s why you’re being so sycophantic. Oh, right, and what Qi Jian said today after seeing the Maca probably had an effect too.’

While he was pondering this, he saw Xiaoliu pull a black Maca root out of his backpack. It pointed at the wine jug, seemingly asking Turtle Immortal if it could use this to infuse the wine.

‘Damn, I knew it,’ Shen Yibin facepalmed. ‘No wonder you were being so attentive. This is what you wanted to ask!’

Turtle Immortal was quite good-tempered, and it also seemed to enjoy the Monkey Wine. After stretching its neck out and taking a couple of sips, it nodded at Xiaoliu, seemingly approving of its idea. Xiaoliu was instantly overjoyed. It quickly broke the Maca root into pieces and dropped them into the wine jug. Now Shen Yibin was conflicted. ‘In the future, should I drink Xiaoliu’s Monkey Wine or not?’

‘Forget it, I’m not planning on drinking this Maca-infused Monkey Wine. But from the looks of it, Turtle Immortal must know other recipes for medicinal wine. I’ll just drink something else in the future.’

The next morning, Shen Yibin woke up and did another training session with Turtle Immortal. Then he woke Qi Jian up. After a simple meal, they packed up the tents, grabbed their luggage, and continued deeper into the mountain forest.

“This is Polygonum multiflorum. It replenishes vital essence and blood, darkens hair, strengthens muscles and bones, and nourishes the liver and kidneys. I’ve never seen a Polygonum multiflorum this big.”

“Cordyceps. It can regulate the immune system, has anti-tumor and anti-fatigue properties, nourishes the lungs and kidneys, stops bleeding, resolves phlegm, and preserves vital essence. The price for this stuff is already sky-high. This little bit is probably worth enough to buy Carmen.”

“Seven-leafed One-flowered Plant, also known as Arisaema, scientific name Chonglou. It clears heat and detoxifies, reduces swelling and relieves pain, and cools the liver to calm convulsions. It’s pretty tasty stewed with pork ribs.”

“Spatholobus suberectus. It invigorates blood circulation, relaxes the muscles and tendons, nourishes the blood, and regulates menstruation. You can use it to make medicinal wine; drinking it is good for your muscles and bones.”

Along the way, Turtle Immortal kept crawling down from Shen Yibin’s back to find all sorts of magical medicinal herbs on either side of the path. Qi Jian constantly introduced them to Shen Yibin. He could recognize most of them, but there was a small portion that even he didn’t know the name or effects of.

“Alright, let’s stop here for now.” It wasn’t that Shen Yibin didn’t want to go on; it was that his backpack was completely full.