20demayo Chapter 31 Blessed Ginseng
Chapter 31 Blessed Ginseng
The process of Xi'er killing the Long-Toothed Ferocious Boar King looked dangerous, but it actually only took two or three breaths.
But the battle is far from over.
Upon seeing their leader killed, the tusked boars behind them went berserk. Their eyes bloodshot, they roared violently and charged towards Xi'er without regard for their own safety.
Its fangs were like a forest, and its hooves thundered like lightning.
One, two, three... five... ten... the dark, surging herd of beasts was like a tidal wave, the earth trembled violently under their iron hooves, and dust flew everywhere.
Instead of retreating, Xi'er advanced.
Like a young tiger roaring in the mountains, her small figure charged against the tide of beasts, plunging into the herd of tusked boars, using both fists and feet to fight with unbridled ferocity. She punched one of the boars in the head; the boar, as if struck by a hammer, groaned and its massive body crashed to the ground, never to rise again. She then kicked another boar in the chin, sending it flying through the air, tumbling several times before crashing heavily into several more boars behind it.
Several ferocious pigs rolled around in a heap, the sounds of trampling, cracking bones, and screams filling the air.
A huge, tusked boar charged out from the side, its head lowered, its two bloodthirsty tusks thrusting straight at Xi'er's waist and ribs.
Xi'er didn't even look, and threw a punch with her backhand.
"Click!"
With a sharp crack, the tusks, harder than steel, snapped in two! White bone fragments were exposed to the air at the break, and blood gushed out. The tusked boar howled in agony and turned to run, but Xi'er grabbed its short tail and kicked it in two enormous balls.
The ferocious boar immediately stopped squealing, its eyes bulged out, and it collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth, its fate unknown.
Another tusked boar lunged at them, its head bowed and tusks bared, the sharp fangs gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Xi'er used both hands to grab the two curved tusks, and with a sudden burst of strength, she swung the huge, long-tusked boar up as if it were a giant meteor hammer, smashing it down into the densest part of the beast herd.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of muffled thuds followed as three or four tusked boars were smashed to pieces, the sounds of bones breaking mingling together. Some had their backs broken and lay on the ground howling in agony; some were hit in the head and died instantly; others were overturned by the enormous impact, their limbs in the air, unable to get up no matter how much they struggled.
Cai Xuan stood behind, gripping his spear, staring in disbelief at the scene before him.
He had originally planned to step forward and help, but now he realized that he couldn't get involved at all.
No, he couldn't even get close, let alone intervene.
Xi'er charged wildly through the herd of ferocious boars with long tusks, her tender fists swinging frequently, each strike carrying overwhelming power.
Her clothes were stained with splattered mud and blood, her hair was disheveled, and her face was covered in mud, but her eyes remained bright, carrying a chilling and menacing light.
One after another, tusked boars fell before her, their corpses piling up into a small mountain.
The blood flowed into a stream, slowly trickling down the slope into the depression at the bottom of the valley, turning that small puddle a shocking dark red.
The remaining tusked boars were finally terrified. They glanced at Xi'er with red eyes, then at the pile of their companions' corpses on the ground, and let out a terrified howl before turning and running away. Their hooves flew as they raced into the forest, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
The valley finally quieted down.
The sounds of wind, rustling leaves, and distant birdsong returned to this world. A heavy stench of blood filled the air, and the corpses of more than a dozen tusked boars lay scattered on the ground, their blood still flowing.
"Brother, aren't I amazing?"
Xi'er turned around to take credit, her little face still covered with a few drops of liquid that she couldn't tell if it was sweat or blood, but her smile was as bright as a beautiful little flower in full bloom.
"...Impressive." Cai Xuan opened his mouth, his voice a little dry.
Seeing the blood on her face, Cai Xuan took out a kettle, squatted down, and washed her hands and face. He would deal with the rest when they got back.
The carcasses of the tusked boars on the ground shouldn't be wasted either, as they were all meat. After washing the dirt off Xi'er's face and hands, Cai Xuan went to chop firewood, built a simple wooden frame, and then skinned and butchered the tusked boars one by one, cutting them into large chunks and roasting them over the fire.
While they were grilling, he and Xi'er weren't idle either.
Having traveled such a long distance and endured such a fierce battle, their stomachs were growling with hunger. So the two of them grilled and ate at the same time. The freshly grilled meat was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sizzling with oil and exuding a wonderful aroma with every bite.
Xi'er just exerted herself and now has a great appetite.
In the blink of an eye, she had devoured over ten kilograms of roasted meat, and still wasn't full, continuing to eat voraciously. Back home, Cai Xuan had thought she had a big appetite, but now it seemed he had underestimated her.
After eating the meat of two ferocious boars with long tusks, Xi'er finally stopped, patting her bulging little belly with satisfaction.
Cai Xuan had already finished eating and had been watching from the sidelines.
Seeing her stop, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief; otherwise, he was really afraid that the little one's belly would burst open.
After eating her fill, Xi'er couldn't stay still. She wandered around the neighborhood, chasing bees and butterflies, picking up stones and cutting grass, full of energy. Cai Xuan saw this and told her to cut some vines to weave baskets, otherwise there would be nowhere to put all the smoked pork belly.
Even though the meat shrank somewhat after smoking, the amount of jerky produced from smoking more than a dozen long-tusked ferocious pigs was still astonishing.
It was unrealistic for the two of them to carry it back alone, so Cai Xuan came up with a solution: he wove a vine into a wheeled cart, placed the vine basket containing the dried meat on it, and had Xi'er pull it.
Since she's strong, when else would we use her strength?
After finishing with the tusked, ferocious pig meat, Cai Xuan headed towards the mound in the center of the valley—to dig up what Xi'er had mentioned as "the things the sisters need."
The mound wasn't large, about ten feet in diameter, resembling a giant tortoise lying prone on the ground, perched alone in the center of the valley. Its surface was covered with a layer of glossy, dark brown soil, soft and springy to the touch, like stepping on thick leather.
Cai Xuan squatted down, about to use his knife to remove the surface soil, when his gaze was suddenly drawn to a plant in the center of the mound.
The plant was small, only about two palm-sized, but it stood out conspicuously in the barren mud.
Its leaves are covered with a pale golden hue, with slightly reddish edges and clearly defined veins. Each leaf is like a meticulously crafted piece of jade, gleaming with a warm luster in the sunlight. At the top of the plant grows a fruit the size of a longan. The fruit is an extremely pale, translucent amber color, with tiny specks of light slowly flowing within, like a small, sealed piece of starry sky, dazzling and mysterious.
"This...this is..." Cai Xuan held his breath.
The record in "The Record of Medicinal Herbs of the Great Wilderness" came to mind: Fu Shen, a treasure of heaven and earth, increases fortune and changes destiny.
The book provides detailed descriptions of most other medicinal herbs, including their shape, origin, properties, meridian tropism, and indications. However, it only mentions Fucan (a type of ginseng) in a few words. He had found it strange when he first turned to this page, but now that he has seen the plant with his own eyes, he understands why.
This supreme treasure of heaven and earth is so wondrous that it cannot be described in words.
No wonder the tusked boars gathered in this valley; it turns out they were all after this ginseng.
Cai Xuan carefully reached out to dig.
The roots of the ginseng were much deeper than he had imagined. He carefully parted the soil, being careful not to damage the tiny roots. Finally, the entire ginseng was dug out intact. Upon closer inspection, its robust roots resembled those of a ginseng, and its fine, hair-like roots were covered with a pale golden granule the size of a grain of rice, emitting a refreshing and unique fragrance.
The fragrance is elegant and lingering; just one whiff of it makes one feel refreshed and invigorated, as if enlightened, even making the mind clearer.
Cai Xuan wrapped the ginseng in soft leaves, carefully placed it under a basket lined with soft moss, and then covered it with another layer of moss to prevent damage.
After placing the ginseng in the soil, he began to use a knife to remove the top layer of soil from the mound.