Chapter 188: Fresh Wild Greens
Chirpy led the way, flying ahead while Jian Mo and Wu Jiong followed close behind.
Its movements were focused and purposeful, never once touching the ground. Clearly, Chirpy had remembered the location where houyan zhu grew.
As they moved farther into the mountains, Jian Mo’s excitement grew with every step.
Judging by Chirpy’s behavior, there had to be a whole cluster of houyan zhu ahead.
Before long, Chirpy brought them to the shaded side of a mountain, calling out twice, “Chirp, chirp!”
Jian Mo’s eyes widened. “Is the houyan zhu here?”
Chirpy chirped again, but instead of waiting, it waddled into a dense thicket, rustling through the brush until its head was covered in dried leaves. It turned back and chirped twice more, urging them to follow.
Jian Mo slid off the giant wolf’s back. “Wait, I’m coming!”
Chirpy had already cleared a path through the thicket. Jian Mo crouched low and crawled through. “Where is it?”
“Chirp!” Chirpy raised a claw, pointing ahead. It moved deeper into the brush, chirping urgently as though frustrated by the delay.
Jian Mo squinted into the shadows but still couldn’t see anything.
Chirpy grew more impatient, nearly pushing him forward. “Chirp!”
Wu Jiong shifted back to his human form and bent down to join them. “It’s over there, to the left.”
Following Wu Jiong’s direction, Jian Mo finally spotted a cluster of dry leaves in the distance. “Oh, there it is. No wonder I couldn’t see it—it blends right in!”
Chirpy let out a tired, exasperated chirp.
Jian Mo scratched his head sheepishly. “Yeah, yeah, my eyesight isn’t as sharp as yours.”
Wu Jiong warned, “Watch your step—there are thorns everywhere.”
Jian Mo looked down to see the dense underbrush bristling with sharp thorns, which would leave nasty scratches if touched. Carefully, they navigated through the tangle until they reached the patch of houyan zhu.
The plant resembled grass. By autumn, the foliage had withered, and only by peeling back the dead leaves could they reveal the small fruit tucked within.
No wonder it was called houyan zhu—it looked like an eyeball nestled deep in a throat.
Jian Mo plucked one of the ripened fruits. “One, two, three, four, five—five in total.”
Wu Jiong observed, “Not bad for the first find. Luck seems to be on our side today.”
Jian Mo turned to Chirpy. “This isn’t luck; it’s all thanks to Chirpy’s skills.”
Chirpy puffed out its chest proudly but misjudged its surroundings and bumped its head against the thicket above, letting out a soft, pained chirp.
Jian Mo rushed to pet its head. “Alright, alright, let’s get out of here. This brush is too troublesome.”
The group retreated, carefully retracing their steps to the clearing.
Once out, Jian Mo stretched with relief. “Finally! Being hunched over in that thicket was so uncomfortable.”
Wu Jiong patted his shoulder. “Let’s split up and keep searching. Chirpy, call us when you find something.”
Chirpy flapped its wings and soared into the sky with a loud chirp of agreement.
Jian Mo and Wu Jiong began combing through the surrounding area. Since houyan zhu was a plant, its seeds likely didn’t spread far, so they expected to find more nearby.
But despite their efforts, they came up empty-handed. Whether it was bad luck or insufficient skill, they couldn’t find another plant.
Meanwhile, Chirpy’s call rang out again, signaling another discovery.
They rushed to meet Chirpy, who had led them to a spot with seven more houyan zhu. Each one was large and of excellent quality.
After collecting the fruit, they split up once more. Before long, Chirpy called again, leading them to yet another patch.
By the end of the day, they had gathered half a basket of houyan zhu—fifty-three in total. All credit went to Chirpy, as the rest of the group had found nothing on their own.
As they prepared to head back, Jian Mo patted Chirpy’s wings and said with admiration, “Chirpy, you’re truly amazing.”
Chirpy proudly puffed up its chest and let out a triumphant chirp.
Behind them, Ying Ao sat silently, clearly unhappy about its own lack of success.
Jian Mo crouched beside it, gently patting its head. “Ying Ao, you did well too. The mushrooms you found will make a delicious meal.”
Ying Ao let out a small cry, a mix of defiance and resignation. For the first time, it had been outdone by Chirpy, and the loss stung.
Understanding its frustration, Jian Mo gave it another comforting pat.
When they returned to the Nong Liu Tribe, the villagers gathered to see their harvest. Everyone was astonished at the sight of the half-basket of houyan zhu.
“Jian Mo, where did you find so many?”
“I thought they were all picked already. It turns out there’s more than we thought!”
“These fruits are in excellent condition, even better than the ones we’ve gathered ourselves.”
Yi Sen, the tribe leader, asked, “Jian Mo, will you use these to make the scar-healing salve?”
Jian Mo nodded. “Some will be used for the salve, but I also promised Chirpy that I’d make it some preserved meat if we found any. A promise is a promise.”
One of the villagers chimed in, “If it’s just preserved meat, why not take some from what we’ve already made? It’s the same thing.”
Jian Mo laughed and shook his head. “No way. If I break my promise this time, Chirpy might not listen to me next time.”
Chirpy seized the opportunity to fluff its feathers and let out a triumphant chirp.
Wu Jiong patted it with a chuckle. “Looks like there’s no fooling Chirpy.”
Yi Sen watched Chirpy with envy. “Chirpy is so clever. It’s sharper than many people I know.”
Jian Mo laughed. “It’s only sharp when food is involved. In other areas, it’s pretty average.”
Yi Sen disagreed. “Maybe it’s just uninterested in other things. Its focus makes it seem average in other areas.”
Jian Mo chuckled. “If you put it that way, then Chirpy really is impressive.”
Still, he doubted Chirpy had enough cunning to pretend or deceive. It was just a naturally food-driven creature.
Having completed their mission to gather houyan zhu, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong prepared to leave.
Jian Mo said, “We’ll head back while the houyan zhu is still fresh and start processing the salve.”
Yi Sen looked reluctant. “Weren’t you planning to stay longer for more medical visits?”
Jian Mo said, “We’ll come back in a while. Besides the medical visits, we also plan to do some outreach to recruit students interested in becoming healers.”
Yi Sen immediately replied, “Outreach? You just need to mention it, and I’m sure plenty of people will sign up. We already have a lot of young people in the tribe eager to learn medicine.”
Before he finished speaking, several young people in the crowd eagerly raised their hands. “Jian Mo, we want to join!”
Jian Mo smiled. “Once I’m ready, I’ll notify everyone. When we formally start, there will be an entrance test.”
Someone asked nervously, “Will it be about reading the characters you teach? We don’t know how to read.”
Jian Mo shook his head. “No, everyone’s starting from scratch, so it won’t involve reading. The test will cover something else. I’ll announce the specifics when we officially start recruiting.”
The person frowned in concern. “Will it be very difficult?”
Jian Mo replied, “It will be somewhat challenging, but not impossible. Don’t worry—there will definitely be people who pass.”
Despite their curiosity, the tribe couldn’t pry any further details from Jian Mo. Eventually, they had to drop the subject.
The tribespeople helped prepare supplies for Jian Mo and Wu Jiong to take back, including fresh wild greens that caught Jian Mo’s eye.
“How do you still have greens like these at this time of year?” Jian Mo asked in surprise.
It was already autumn, and most vegetation had started to wither. Edible greens were scarce, and whatever remained was often tough and bitter, far from the tender, flavorful wild greens they preferred.
Yi Sen explained, “These were sent over by the Yu Qi Tribe. Since you seem to enjoy wild greens, we thought we’d include some.”
Hearing the familiar name, Jian Mo’s expression brightened with curiosity. “The Yu Qi Tribe? From Chief Qi Ming’s tribe?”
Yi Sen nodded. “That’s right. You’ve had dealings with them, haven’t you?”
Jian Mo said, “Yes, we know each other well. But their greens should’ve withered by now too. How are they still so fresh?”
Yi Sen shrugged. “We don’t know. They brought these over and suggested we try them. They said if we like them, we can trade for more in the future. It surprised us too.”
The Nong Liu Tribe and the Yu Qi Tribe were close, separated only by the narrow Snowfoot Tribe’s territory. For beastmen, it was just a few hours’ run between them.
Jian Mo examined the tender greens, his curiosity growing. “It sounds like they’ve come up with something new. We should visit tomorrow and see for ourselves.”
Yi Sen immediately offered, “We’ll send someone to go with you.”
Jian Mo pointed at Chirpy and Ying Ao with a smile, politely declining. “We’ll be flying there on the winged beasts, so we won’t take the same route.”
Yi Sen glanced enviously at the two majestic winged beasts. “If only our tribe had winged beasts too. When yours have offspring, could we trade for one?”
Jian Mo chuckled. “Unfortunately, that’s not possible. They’re both males.”
Yi Sen sighed in disappointment. “Such excellent winged beasts—it’s a pity they can’t have offspring.”
Jian Mo said, “Chirpy and Ying Ao are still young themselves.”
Privately, Jian Mo was relieved. He wasn’t ready to take on the responsibility of raising a new generation of little winged beasts, even if they were as adorable as Chirpy.
After a few more words of farewell, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong excused themselves to rest.
A day of trekking through the mountains had left them exhausted, even though most of the houyan zhu had been located by Chirpy. They needed to wash up and sleep early to prepare for tomorrow’s journey.
Before heading to wash, Wu Jiong suggested, “Ask Chirpy and Ying Ao if they want to join us for a bath.”
Jian Mo chuckled. “You’re even asking their opinion now?”
Wu Jiong replied seriously, “They’ve been crawling through brush all day. They’re covered in mud.”
Both winged beasts were capable swimmers, and Chirpy even enjoyed playing in the water. However, neither liked the act of bathing, especially being scrubbed.
If they weren’t too dirty, Jian Mo usually left them alone. But today, it seemed necessary.
Smiling, Jian Mo went to ask them.
Chirpy tilted its head, staring blankly with wide, innocent eyes, clearly not understanding.
Ying Ao, however, seemed to grasp the question. With slow, deliberate steps, it followed Jian Mo, signaling its agreement.
Seeing Ying Ao’s response, Jian Mo decided to drag Chirpy along too. After all, the little troublemaker was covered in grass seeds and dry leaves from all the thickets it had rummaged through. It needed a thorough cleaning.
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