Chapter 191: A Change in Address
After chatting for a while at Qi Ming’s house, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong decided to visit the vegetable fields of the Yu Qi Tribe.
The off-season vegetables required high temperatures to grow, so the fields weren’t near the tribe. They were located in the mountains, and even beastmen in their beast forms had to run for a while to reach them.
Qi Ming, now in his Pallas Cat beast form, explained to Jian Mo as they ran, “There are hot springs in the mountains, and that valley is especially warm, which makes it suitable for growing vegetables. If it weren’t in the mountains, we wouldn’t be able to grow them at all.”
Jian Mo nodded. “Is the soil warm too?”
“Not really,” Qi Ming replied. “We don’t dare plant vegetables in soil that feels obviously warm. Plants can’t survive there. The best spots are farther from the hot springs, where the soil is cooler but still warm enough to help the vegetables thrive.”
Jian Mo understood and didn’t ask further.
The Pallas Cats led the way, darting nimbly through the mountain paths, while the giant wolf followed closely behind. After crossing two mountain ridges, they finally arrived at the valley.
This wasn’t a traditional valley at the base of a mountain but rather a bowl-shaped depression halfway up, nestled among surrounding peaks. Without local guides, Jian Mo doubted they’d have ever found the place.
The valley wasn’t very large. One side was dominated by a waterfall, and within the valley lay several pools—some fed by hot springs, others by cold springs.
The air inside the valley was noticeably warmer than outside, creating a cozy, pleasant environment.
Breathing in the humid air, Jian Mo felt an immediate sense of comfort.
The Pallas Cats shifted back to their human forms and gestured around the valley. “This is where we grow our vegetables—all in this area.”
Jian Mo slid down from the giant wolf’s back and craned his neck to look around. “There’s quite a variety.”
Wu Jiong, also back in human form, added, “Many of these vegetables are new to us.”
Qi Ming explained, “These are varieties we collected from nearby tribes. Zhou Zhi doesn’t like eating the same vegetable too often, so I planted a mix.”
Jian Mo couldn’t help but comment, “You’re really considerate.”
Qi Ming shook his head modestly. “It’s nothing. Over there, we grow vegetables primarily for their leaves. The ones in that section are for their swollen stems, and near the water pools, the focus is on the roots.”
He continued introducing the different types of vegetables and then pointed toward some neatly planted large-leaf garlic, ginger, and scallions. “These are seasoning plants. They don’t need to be planted in large quantities since we don’t use much of them. That milder large-leaf garlic I mentioned earlier is here too. You can try it; it’s not bitter even when eaten raw.”
Since the opportunity presented itself, Jian Mo wasn’t going to pass it up. He plucked a leaf from the large-leaf garlic, wiped it clean with his hand, and took a bite.
The characteristic sharpness of garlic instantly filled his mouth, so potent that he couldn’t help but spit it out repeatedly. “Ugh! So spicy!”
Qi Ming smiled. “But not bitter, right?”
Taking the water container Wu Jiong handed him, Jian Mo rinsed his mouth and then admitted, “You’re right. It’s not bitter, just a little bit. How did you manage to grow such mild garlic so quickly?”
Qi Ming shrugged. “Maybe we were lucky? We’ve only grown two rounds of this garlic. This is the second batch, and it’s already much less bitter.”
Jian Mo speculated, “It’s possible that during cultivation, the plants didn’t absorb the nutrients needed to produce the bitter compounds, so the bitterness disappeared.”
Qi Ming nodded thoughtfully. “That could be it. Feel free to pick any vegetables you like. Take some back with you to try.”
Jian Mo didn’t hesitate and harvested a little of everything, loading them into his basket with plans to cook a vegetable feast later.
“How long does it take for these vegetables to grow?” Jian Mo asked.
“Not long,” Qi Ming replied. “This batch was planted just over ten days ago. They grow really fast. At first, they grew even faster—just three to five days to sprout noticeably. But after a while, they slowed down for some reason.”
Jian Mo considered it. “Probably a lack of nutrients in the soil.”
Qi Ming’s eyes lit up. “You mean like the manure fertilizer your tribe uses?”
Jian Mo nodded. “This valley’s soil was probably rich with decomposed leaves and grass at first, making it fertile. Once you started planting vegetables, the nutrients were absorbed, and the soil became less fertile. If you don’t replenish the nutrients, the vegetables will grow smaller and weaker.”
Qi Ming sighed. “That makes sense. Besides growing slower, the vegetables are also attracting more pests. Many of our crops have been eaten by bugs.”
Jian Mo empathized. “That’s unavoidable. We face the same issue. Our solution is to make pesticides using toxic plants and spray them on the leaves to kill the bugs.”
Qi Ming hesitated. “Wouldn’t that poison the people who eat the vegetables?”
Jian Mo explained, “It would if you ate them right after spraying. But if you wait a while before harvesting, it’s safe.”
He described how the He’an Tribe used a plant called Spring Thunder Egg to make pesticides. Though it wasn’t particularly potent, it was effective enough to repel most pests.
However, Jian Mo admitted he wasn’t entirely sure how effective it had been, as the tribe’s children often helped manually pick off insects. Plus, they primarily cultivated grains, tubers, and other hardy crops that didn’t attract as many pests as leafy greens.
Jian Mo concluded, “Our situations are different, so our methods might not fully apply to your tribe.”
Qi Ming nodded. “True. It’s manageable if we only plant a small area, but if we expand, there’s no way we can keep up with manual pest control.”
Jian Mo agreed. “In that case, I’d suggest looking into pesticides.”
Qi Ming immediately requested, “Could you help us with that? We don’t know how to make them ourselves.”
Jian Mo promised to think about it.
After touring the valley, Qi Ming led them back to the tribe.
The Yu Qi Tribe was one of the most advanced in the area, with many households using metal cookware. Borrowing a pot from Qi Ming, Jian Mo stir-fried several dishes using the freshly harvested vegetables.
The cultivated vegetables were exceptionally tender and sweet. Even though they were newly domesticated and retained a slight bitterness, they were crisp, refreshing, and delicious.
“These taste way better than wild vegetables,” Jian Mo remarked with admiration.
Qi Ming smiled. “They’re much milder too. We’re not entirely sure why.”
Jian Mo suggested, “Perhaps because the growth period is so short, the bitterness hasn’t had time to accumulate in the vegetables, which makes them taste fresher and sweeter. If you keep cultivating these, I’m sure they’ll become very popular.”
Qi Ming chuckled. “Maybe so, but we didn’t start growing these vegetables just to trade.”
“I know.” Jian Mo teased, “You’re doing this to get Chief Zhou Zhi to eat more, right?”
Qi Ming nodded without hesitation. “Exactly.”
Jian Mo smiled. “In any case, having fresh vegetables like this during autumn and winter is a real blessing.”
Vegetables were essential for winter. Without enough vitamins, people could easily fall ill, and without fiber, constipation was a common problem.
Jian Mo had once seen sub-beast cubs in their animal forms gnawing on wooden sticks, unable to relieve themselves. The sight had left quite an impression on him.
Winters here were long and harsh, with most of the available food being stored tubers. However, tubers weren’t ideal for long-term storage. Over time, they would shrivel, sprout, and lose both flavor and texture.
If the Yu Qi Tribe could cultivate vegetables through the winter, they would undoubtedly be highly sought after.
It seemed the Yu Qi Tribe was indeed planning to expand their vegetable farming.
Qi Ming asked, “Jian Mo, have you decided? Can you stay for a couple of days to help us identify the medicinal plants you mentioned?”
Jian Mo had already thought it through. “Two days is fine, but any longer won’t work. We’ve gathered some throat-eye berries and need to head back soon to prepare the ointment.”
Qi Ming quickly replied, “Two days is enough. We mainly need guidance on recognizing the plants. Once we have the recipes, we can handle the rest ourselves.”
Jian Mo nodded. “Alright, then we’ll need to discuss payment.”
“What do you want as payment?” Qi Ming asked.
Jian Mo laid out his terms. “A share of your vegetables, including seeds for planting. For this autumn and winter’s harvest, I’d like one-tenth of the yield.”
“One-tenth?” Qi Ming clarified.
Jian Mo explained, “I’ll prepare the pesticide recipes for you, and you’ll be able to use them continuously. I’m only charging a one-time fee.”
The terms seemed fair enough, and Qi Ming agreed. “If the pesticides work well, we have no objections.”
The unspoken implication was that poor results would lead to renegotiation.
Jian Mo grinned. “That’s fair. Let me think about the best recipes for your crops. Tomorrow, we’ll collect the ingredients and test them out.”
“Understood,” Qi Ming said. “I’ll arrange for a place for you to rest in the meantime.”
“Great. You should also prepare for tomorrow so we can get an early start,” Jian Mo replied.
Jian Mo and Wu Jiong returned to their temporary residence, where Jian Mo began drafting pesticide recipes.
The nearby mountains were home to many toxic plants, but not all were suitable for use on vegetables. Jian Mo needed to carefully consider which ones were safe and effective.
While deep in thought, Jian Mo heard a flurry of lively chirps outside.
He walked to the window and looked out to see a group of bird beastmen playing with Chirpy and Ying Ao.
Noticing the open window, the bird beastmen waved enthusiastically at Jian Mo and Wu Jiong. “Brother Jian Mo! Chief Wu Jiong!”
“What brings you all here?” Jian Mo asked.
“We heard you arrived, so we flew over,” they chirped. “Brother Jian Mo, you’re going up the mountain to gather medicinal plants tomorrow, right? Can we come along?”
Jian Mo chuckled. “You’ll need to ask Chief Qi Ming about that.”
“We already did,” one of the bird beastmen replied cheerfully. “He said we could join if we wanted to.”
Jian Mo raised a brow in surprise. “Even your way of addressing him has changed. It seems your tribes have grown quite close.”
The bird beastmen nodded. “Of course! Can we come along, then?”
“Sure, we don’t mind,” Jian Mo said with a shrug.
“Great! What are you doing now? Come down and join us!”
“I’m working on pesticide recipes,” Jian Mo explained. “You all play without me for now.”
The bird beastmen pouted but quickly turned their attention to Wu Jiong. “Chief Wu Jiong, do you have time? Come down and play!”
Wu Jiong hadn’t expected the invitation. “Alright, I’ll come.”
The bird beastmen cheered, “Hurry!”
Wu Jiong turned to Jian Mo. “From what Qi Ming mentioned, it sounds like the Bai Zhi Tribe handles most of the vegetable deliveries for them. I’ll go ask for more details.”
Jian Mo, absorbed in his writing, waved him off. “Go ahead. Just remember to feed Chirpy and Ying Ao later.”
Wu Jiong cupped Jian Mo’s chin and kissed his forehead lightly. “Got it. I’ll bring you some snacks when I get back.”
Jian Mo returned the kiss and waved him away with a smile.
Thanks to his time at the Chuxing Tribe, Jian Mo had learned about various toxic plants and their uses. Depending on how they were combined, these plants could either neutralize or amplify each other’s toxicity.
While most shamans used these mixtures to treat parasites and infections, Jian Mo saw potential for their application as pesticides.
He spent the afternoon drafting recipes, tailoring them to local resources. Some recipes were ideal but required plants unavailable in the area, making them impractical.
By the time he finished, he had written out over a dozen recipes across multiple sheets of paper. Several recipes used plants he was sure grew nearby, having seen them during his visits to the Bai Zhi and Yu Qi Tribes.
Satisfied with his progress, Jian Mo felt confident that he could earn the promised vegetables.
With seeds and vegetables from the Yu Qi Tribe, the He’an Tribe could start their own planting projects. If the weather turned too cold this fall and winter, they could always wait until spring to begin planting.
In either case, the recipes Jian Mo had developed would prove invaluable.
Thank you for the chapter!