Chapter 20: A Spicy Flavor

Tu Mingyuan’s spirit beast is known as the "Hou," a large, formidable creature with long, pointed ears, razor-sharp claws, and snowy white fur. During battles against the Zerg, the Hou typically coordinates with Lu Qingyan’s spirit beast to strike the Zerg vanguard head-on. Without the aid of any other weaponry, these two spirit beasts are capable of tearing apart Zerg warships single-handedly.

Shu Yiheng’s spirit beast is a walking tree known as the "Ruomu." Appearing perfectly ordinary—no different from any other tree in the forest—it can silently extend its roots into the soil to form an underground "encirclement." Within mere seconds, the surface temperature within this perimeter rises to a level unbearable for biological life, capable of instantly vaporizing Zerg who are not wearing specialized armor.

Both officers were loyal subordinates who had faced life and death alongside Lu Qingyan, and like him, they were severely wounded in the battle three years ago. A year ago, sensing their spirit beasts were on the verge of complete loss of control, they followed their training instincts and manually locked their own "spirit valves." This valve severed the connection between the spirit beast and the host, cutting off the beast’s energy source and fundamentally suppressing its berserk state. For high-level espers, this act is akin to self-mutilation. The moment the spirit beasts ceased their activity, both young officers fell into a comatose state of consciousness.

Today, that once earth-shattering Hou lies listlessly beside Tu Mingyuan, its fur dull and its life force fading. The lush Ruomu has withered into a state resembling deadwood, standing like a dry log beside Shu Yiheng’s bed. A full year has passed without the slightest improvement. The physicians are well aware that without a cure, death is the only fate awaiting Tu Mingyuan and Shu Yiheng. And as for Marshal Lu’s spirit beast… one day, it, too, will succumb to the same uncontrollable rage.

Unexpectedly, in the past two weeks, the situation has taken a sudden turn for the better!

"Sir, following the stabilizing fluctuations in Colonel Tu’s mental energy curve, Major Shu’s curve is showing the same pattern!"

"These are changes that only occur during a period of recovery—in other words, their mental energy is slowly healing!" Dr. Sun reported excitedly.

"Excellent." A rare look of relief crossed Lu Qingyan’s brow. He did not interfere with the physicians’ treatment plan, but made one request: have the mental energy charts of both subordinates sent to him—the most detailed monitoring charts, recorded minute by minute.

*

Deep within the Forgotten Forest, at the Shelter Lake.

Chu Jiu crawled out of his warm sleeping bag and stretched. Phew… this yurt is truly wonderful! It blocks the wind and retains heat, yet doesn't feel stifling. It’s far more comfortable than sleeping in a hammock.

Little Can, who had been sleeping by his pillow, and Gulu, rooted in the soil, woke up one after another. "Gulu" was, naturally, the new name for the little sapling. Because it made a "gulu-gulu" sound whenever it "spoke," Chu Jiu, who was hopeless at naming things, simply adopted the name. The sapling seemed to like it, letting out several "gulu" sounds in succession.

After finishing breakfast, Chu Jiu packed the dismantled "yurt construction materials" into his backpack and headed toward the [Bamboo Collection Site] indicated on the map. The map of the Forgotten Forest was now 67% explored; he estimated that after finding the bamboo, it would reach 80%. Once this map was fully explored, he would be able to enter a new area, right? The map adjacent to the Forgotten Forest should be the "Sunny Plateau."

As he wondered what materials might be found on the Sunny Plateau, Little Can perked up its head and let out a soft "Meow":

"Something’s wrong up ahead."

"The nearby birds are all avoiding that tree directly in front."

Chu Jiu took a look: it was true. The birds that had been chirping and hunting for fruit and caterpillars in the branches were all steering clear of that specific tree. Gulu, tucked into the side pocket of his backpack, called out, "It’s a dangerous tree!"

"This tree is covered in bumps on its trunk, has thorns on its branches, and even the undersides of its leaves have thorns! It’s so dangerous that even the birds won’t go near it. Let’s stay away from it!"

Hearing this, Chu Jiu smiled instead. "I see."

Far from taking a detour, he walked straight toward the tree, causing Gulu’s leaves to tremble in fear and Little Can to tense its body.

Stopping a few meters away, Chu Jiu stared at the tree, and the corresponding entry appeared in his mind:

[Zanthoxylum ailanthoides: A plant that provides a spicy flavor! Because the trunk is covered in thorns, birds cannot land on it, hence it is also known as "Bird-Won't-Land." Both the fruit and leaves can be used to extract spicy substances and can serve as a substitute for chili peppers—though, of course, the taste is slightly different. Collection site: Deep in the Forgotten Forest.]

Chu Jiu had read about this plant. Before chili peppers were introduced to China, people in the southwestern regions used the fruit of the *Zanthoxylum ailanthoides* as a seasoning to remove the gaminess from beef and mutton and to create the earliest form of "chili oil." At that time, this plant, along with Sichuan peppercorns and ginger, were known as the "Three Spices," serving as the most important sources of spicy flavor.

Chu Jiu vaguely remembered that there were no "chili peppers" in this map scenario. This meant that until he unlocked the next map, this plant would be the most important substitute for heat.

He collected 99 [Zanthoxylum Fruits] and 99 [Zanthoxylum Leaves] without hesitation. After packing them away, he asked the two little ones with a grin, "Can you handle spicy food?"

Little Can: ?
Gulu: What is "spicy"?

Chu Jiu laughed, "When we get back, I’ll make a small hot pot. When the weather is cold, it’s so comfortable to sit around and eat hot pot together."

Little Can, who didn't know what a hot pot was: ...
Gulu, who didn't know what a hot pot was: That, that sounds great!

*

After another day of traveling, they finally reached the bamboo forest area, and the exploration progress of the entire Forgotten Forest reached 82%, with the regional development level hitting 1.2%. Unlike other areas of the forest, this bamboo grove was filled with a refreshing breeze and a faint, pleasant fragrance. The sunlight, filtering through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, was bright and gentle, without a hint of gloom or terror.

Chu Jiu stood in the dense forest of swaying green bamboo, tilted his head to feel the sunlight dancing on his cheeks, and took a deep breath. A moment later, he busied himself again.

Bamboo stalks, bamboo leaves, bamboo shoots… he needed them all. Oh, and the "Bamboo Flower Chickens" running around, and the "Bamboo Flower Pigs" that loved to gnaw on bamboo shoots.

The Bamboo Flower Chickens were about the same size as Blue Star's barred rock chickens; they loved pecking for bugs in the bamboo grove, and it was said their meat was delicious—perfect for braising. The Bamboo Flower Pigs looked a bit like bamboo rats, plump and tender, with large, flapping ears, and they only knew how to grunt when caught.

Chu Jiu exclaimed, "How adorable!" while mercilessly turning the Bamboo Flower Pig into [Succulent Pork x10]. Little Can, long accustomed to such scenes, remained calm, while the newly joined Gulu was filled with terror, its tiny leaves trembling uncontrollably.

To appease the frightened Gulu, Chu Jiu coughed lightly and gave a lofty excuse: "This little pig was sick, so it had to be eaten quickly."

Little Can: ...?
Gulu: ...Oh, I see.

*

In addition to quickly gathering bamboo stalks and leaves, Chu Jiu also wanted to dig up some bamboo to bring back and plant. After all, there were so many uses for bamboo that even 99 units might not be enough. It would be best to grow his own bamboo grove.

Chu Jiu had heard before that you couldn't grow bamboo just by planting the bamboo shoots—if you dug up a shoot and stuck it back in the dirt, you'd only end up with a tough, fibrous piece of old bamboo. To transplant bamboo, you had to dig up the underground stems, or "rhizomes."

Chu Jiu wasn't exactly sure what a rhizome looked like, so he relied on his intuition. After carefully digging through the soil for half a day, he unearthed a section of stem about the thickness of his forearm, complete with nodes.

Was this it?

As Chu Jiu tucked the mud-caked bamboo into his backpack, the system provided a prompt:

[Special Item: Bamboo with Rhizome. Special Attribute: Can be handed to a spirit beast with planting skills for artificial cultivation.]

[Host has met the hidden condition: "Discover Tree Seedlings"!]
[Obtained "Forest Land" Recipe x1]

[Forest Land: Can be used to cultivate trees on the land. Special Note: Limited to materials categorized as "seeds," "saplings," or those with the "can be artificially planted" attribute.]
[Recipe Attribute: Facility]
[Recipe Requirements: Exploration Points x800, Spirit Beast x1]

That’s great! When I get back, I can have Ho-Ho Rabbit plant the trees!