Chapter 359 (1/2)

Testing It Out

One wild mouse was enough to excite the old man. Perhaps it was related to the ‘Thousand Grain Gold’ he talked about?

Shao Xuan did not wait, hurrying to catch up with the mouse.

The mouse was quick, but it stopped often between sprints. When it did, it would look around cautiously and if it did not see any threats, it continued running.

Shao Xuan could only borrow a few shrubs or taller grass as hiding spots. The plants here did not grow tall, it was difficult to find things to cover himself. Following the mouse quietly was even more difficult.

He could still overcome the various challenges to successfully catch up with the mouse. The old man was different, he wasn’t as good at hiding so all he could do was fall back further. At least he didn’t have to keep his eyes on the mouse because Shao Xuan was there.

After about twenty minutes, the mouse finally stopped. Shao Xuan saw the mouse nibbling on food not far away from himself, then waved for the old man to come over.

Although he did not recognise the plant, he was sure it wasn’t the ‘Thousand Grain Gold’ that the old man mentioned. This was a woody plant about a metre tall, bearing red fruit only as big as the nail of his last finger. The mouse was looking for this fruit.

As he watched the mouse savouring the fruit with its eyes squinted, the old man sighed, “It’s a pity.”

However, the old man hadn’t had much hope either. He knew ‘Thousand Grain Gold’ was a rare plant, he’d already had the mental preparation for this.

After it enjoyed its food, the mouse finally ran off in another direction. It stopped and ran in intervals once again, not as quick as before.

Birds smaller than common sparrows flew down from the skies to peck on the fruits.

Before the birds could finish all the fruits, the old man quickly ran forward to snatch a bunch for himself, then tossed them one by one into his mouth.

There was a protruding rock on the ground nearby. The old man sat on it, eating his berries while looking around him.

“You recognise this tree?” asked Shao Xuan.

“Nope, this is my first time,” said the old man.

Shao Xuan pursed his lips, then reached out to pluck a few berries from the short tree and tossed into his mouth. A little sweet, it tasted alright. No wonder that mouse was in a hurry.

When they hunted in the forest, if they came across strange plants, no matter how enticing the fruits looked, the tribal warriors would not touch them. Unless they saw other animals eating it, then they would taste a little and finally confirm if it could be added to their food list. However, this old man was obviously reckless because of his poison-neutralising abilities. Shao Xuan was sure that even if they did not see the mouse and birds, the old man would still have eaten the fruit.

“Yeah, not just poison, very beneficial medicinal herbs too. I have to taste them to know, there are so many plants waiting to be discovered. We’re the… Yi Race. Our ancestors have already tasted countless plants and inventions, everything we eat and use now stems from them testing it first. Knives, traps, beds, weaves, pillows, tea, wine, vinegar, sugar, oil… they were all tried and tested by our ancestors first!” his eyes shone with reverence and respect, he even stopped eating the fruit. Filled with emotion, he signed, “I’m the descendant of these people, I have made it my mission to continue their work, so their knowledge will live forever! Their work will be known for centuries!”

Even Shao Xuan felt proud as he listened to the old man talk so passionately, he was splattering spit. This man was serious about passing on the spirit of innovation, pioneering and self-sacrifice of his ancestors, and currently, his biggest goal was to find the ‘Thousand Grain Gold’ mentioned once in his ancestor’s records before he died.

“I don’t care if I see it just one time, I’ll be satisfied,” said the old man.

Ever since he saw ‘Thousand Grain Gold’ mentioned in his ancestor’s handwritten records, he hadn’t been sleeping or living in peace. Especially right now, droughts were prevalent and grain harvests were worsening. Not everyone was willing to hunt, there were many who were weak or worshipped peace- these people were used to foraging for food on land. Not many people were willing to enter the forest in the mountains to fight with the fearsome beasts. Plus, in these areas with high population density, there were already few beasts left to hunt. If you wanted to, you’d have to trek deeper.

The areas where the trees were denser were colonised by aggressive tribes. These people were not open to negotiations, any slight trigger would lead to violent fights- especially those people with horns. If he could find some plants that could be drought-resistant food, perhaps he could neutralise the current situation. Shao Xuan had mentioned praying for rain- there were people praying every year but nothing happened. As he thought about this, the old man grew angrier. He couldn’t believe these people called themselves the descendants of Yi Race shamans. They were so quick to accept offerings and gifts and yet had so many excuses when it came to praying for actual rain. A bunch of useless idiots!

After some rest, the two trekked ahead along the path, occasionally deviating into the forest.