Chapter 16: 16. Chapter 16: Meeting Again

Chapter 16: Reencounter

This is...

Ginseng!

And it is ginseng in bloom.

Warmth couldn't help but show her surprise. She vigorously stroked the Big Gray Wolf's head. "Good heavens, how did you know this was ginseng?"

The Big Gray Wolf raised its head arrogantly: *Of course. That kid surnamed Feng comes to take a look every single day, just waiting for it to bear fruit. How could I not know?*

Warmth quickly set down her basket and crouched down, placing her right hand on the ginseng.

Purple Qi slowly poured out. This time, the purple mist lingered for a while, only gradually thinning out before vanishing.

Warmth watched as the ginseng bloomed and bore fruit. The ginseng seeds turned from green to red, and she couldn't tell if the ginseng itself had grown a size larger.

Warmth picked a small, ripe ginseng seed and popped it into her mouth to taste. It was sweet with a very rich ginseng flavor, incomparable to the commercially grown ginseng of her previous life.

Warmth picked another seed to feed to the Big Gray Wolf, but the wolf turned its head away in disdain.

She smiled, then spat out two semi-circular seeds to save them, intending to take them home to plant.

Warmth picked up her sickle and carefully dug out the ginseng.

She didn't break a single root hair.

Although the ginseng was only as thick as her thumb—appearing to be a wild mountain ginseng of about fifty years—Warmth was very satisfied.

She could take it back and nourish it with Purple Qi for a while longer, waiting until it became a century-old ginseng before selling it.

At this moment, the Big Gray Wolf tugged at Warmth's clothes again, signaling for her to follow it.

There's more?!

She wondered if the wolf was for sale; maybe she should buy it!

She had originally only thought that the Big Gray Wolf's speed would save her time in getting up the mountain, but she hadn't expected this spirit-possessed wolf to even recognize precious medicinal herbs.

Warmth felt like she had struck gold!

Following the Big Gray Wolf, Warmth continued forward. Seeing various spices and common medicinal herbs like cinnamon, fennel, black cardamom, nutmeg, and amomum, she picked some along the way. She even dug up some extremely old He Shou Wu.

Every time she dug up herbs, the Big Gray Wolf would sit by her side and wait patiently.

Once she finished her work, it would lead her further ahead, only stopping when they reached a place where several clusters of Lingzhi mushrooms were growing.

Warmth looked at the Lingzhi mushrooms of varying sizes. She didn't know what to say; her luck was simply too good. She had saved an eagle, yet received such a massive reward from two little creatures.

If animals were like this, how much more so would humans be?

She decided that no matter what, she had to heal their master's hand. She would make something delicious for them later.

Warmth dug up all the Lingzhi mushrooms.

Seeing that it wasn't getting late, she worried that her family might go home after finishing with the snails without seeing her.

"Big Gray, is there a water source nearby? I'll wash my hands, and then we'll go home. I'll make you something delicious."

The Big Gray Wolf immediately signaled for Warmth to climb onto its back and led her to a small stream.

Warmth washed her hands clean. After working for so long, she was thirsty. She cupped the clear water in her hands and took a sip. It was slightly sweet. She couldn't help but take another sip, though she didn't dare drink too much for fear of parasites; as long as her throat felt less uncomfortable, it was enough.

As she stood up to head back, she noticed a stone by the stream refracting a green light in the sunlight, looking like a jadeite raw stone.

Warmth walked over and studied it closely, her heart racing with excitement!

She was certain—it was indeed a jadeite raw stone!

Warmth tried to move it and realized that with her current frail body, it would be difficult to carry this raw stone home.

Warmth looked at the Big Gray Wolf: "Big Gray, can you carry this stone?"

The Big Gray Wolf gave Warmth a roll of its eyes. It could carry its master, who weighed over a hundred pounds; what was this tiny stone to it!

Warmth was amused by its arrogant expression. "In that case, I shall trouble you, Brother Wolf!"

She unceremoniously placed her basket on the ground, emptied the herbs inside, then tipped the basket over, rolled the stone into it, and set the basket upright again.

"I'll go find some vines to tie the basket to your back."

Warmth looked around and saw some vines on the rock wall nearby, so she walked over, intending to pull a few strands to use as rope.

At that moment, a silver-gray figure landed lightly by the stream. The figure glanced at the jadeite raw stone in the basket, then looked in the direction she had gone, appearing lost in thought.

Only when the Big Gray Wolf saw its master arrive did it remember its instructions, wagging its tail flirtatiously like a dog in a wolf's guise.

Nalan Jinnian gave the unreliable wolf a flat look before his gaze fell upon the girl in the distance.

The girl in coarse linen clothes was currently leaning over a rock pulling at vines. Because her clothes and trousers were short, her movements revealed hands and feet as thin as bamboo sticks.

Warmth pulled a few vines and turned to go back, only to freeze when she saw the tall, elegant, and handsome figure standing by the stream.

Her body stiffened. *Why is he here?*

"Miss Wen." The man's voice was low and cool, much like the spring water she had just drunk, refreshing to the soul.

Warmth walked over. "Why have you come, Young Master?"

"The golden needles are ready. I sent Big Gray to find you, but he didn't return for half a day. Xiao Hei said you were here, so I came."

So fast? It shouldn't have been easy to forge a set of golden needles according to her specifications, right? She thought it would take at least a few days.

"I didn't know they would be finished so quickly, so I let Big Gray take me up the mountain to find some things. It's almost noon, so I must go home to cook. I'll come to help treat your hand this afternoon!"

Warmth looked at the basket on the ground with some hesitation. She wondered if she should still let the Big Gray Wolf carry it back for her; she felt a bit embarrassed about enslaving someone else's pet in front of their master.

Nalan Jinnian seemed to read her thoughts. He crouched down and used one hand to pick up the medicinal herbs from the ground and put them into the basket. When he saw the ginseng and the Lingzhi mushrooms, his eyes flickered, but he nonchalantly placed them in the basket and lifted it with one hand, placing it on the wolf's back. "This stone is a bit heavy. Let Big Gray escort you down the mountain!"

He held the basket with one hand, gesturing for Warmth to secure it with the vines.

Warmth's face flushed slightly, and she couldn't find the words to refuse. Although her body had improved significantly, she wasn't strong enough to carry nearly a hundred pounds down the mountain.

"Thank you, Young Master. Thank you, Big Gray." She quickly took the vines and secured the basket to the wolf's back.

"There is no need for such politeness, Miss. It is only right."

Just as Warmth finished tying the basket...

A roar erupted from deep within the mountains: "That bastard dug up my ginseng!!!"

Warmth: "..."

She looked at Big Gray, who looked back at her innocently.

Soon, another roar echoed: "That damn person dug up my Lingzhi too!!!!"

The voice was earth-shattering, scaring the birds in the forest into flight.

Warmth's temple twitched!

*Were those ginseng and Lingzhi already claimed?*

*Forget it, who cares! Everything on the mountain is unclaimed; whoever picks it, owns it!*

However, Warmth was still worried about being discovered. She grabbed Nalan Jinnian's hand and ran. "Run, quick!"

The Big Gray Wolf was even faster, vanishing in a flash.