The Whitewater Village was surrounded by mountains and rivers. The mountain was a small lonely mountain, but it was not lonely. From afar, it looked like a continuous stretch of dense forest. The Whitewater River meandered. During this season, the water surface was very wide, and the fish in the water were abundant.
Bai Caoshi carried a small basket on her back and carried an axe, shovel, and hemp rope up the mountain.
As the saying went, one living on the mountain live off the mountain. After all, there was still an old lady and a sick person waiting at home.
The main purpose of this trip was: first, to find the rare herbs mentioned by the system; second, to find edible mushrooms. As for prey, it was not within her consideration. After all, she was now a village widow with zero martial strength.
During her internship in her previous life, she had once gone to the wild forest with her mentor to pick herbs and identify some herbs. Most of the time Bai Caoshi went to the school's herb garden and the Chinese herb trading center. Her understanding of most herbs was still superficial. Now, it was time to combine theory and practice.
As soon as she left the village entrance, she saw a plant with spindle-shaped fruits and long thorns.
Her luck was really good.
"Cute Che Qianzi, how many points is this worth?" Bai Caoshi took out a shovel and prepared to dig.
The system's voice sounded in her sea of consciousness, "Cocklebur fruit, warm in nature and taste pungent and bitter. It is slightly poisonous. It can expel wind to relieve superficies. It mainly treats colds and headaches. It's recorded into the system and is worth three points."
Bai Caoshi did not know how much the points are worth, but the value alone sounds very worthless. "Only three points? It's not even enough for my handicraft fees?" She stopped what she was doing.
What a joke. She wouldn't do a loss-making transaction like this.
Unexpectedly, Che Qianzi was a little anxious. "Dear Host, cocklebur fruit can be seen everywhere in the real world. It's not rare at all, but it's worth so much. But it's still some points, many a little makes a mickle."
Alright, as a matter of convenience, Bai Caoshi dug out the cocklebur fruit, recorded them, and moved on.
At the foot of the mountain, a bamboo forest appeared in front of them. The bamboo tube was as thick as a fist, and the bamboo leaves rustled. Bai Caoshi's eyes lit up.
Without asking, she swung the axe at the thickest bamboo.
This body was too thin and weak. After slashing for a while, her forehead was covered in sweat, and her hands were hurting.
An hour later, Bai Caoshi chopped the bamboo into pieces according to the joints and put them into the basket on her back. However, she held the bamboo leaves in her hand. There were bloodstains and blisters on her hand.
"Cute Che Qianzi, I want to record the bamboo leaves."
The system's voice sounded again. "Bitter bamboo leaf, cold in nature and tastes sweet and light. It promotes diuresis. It is worth five points. "
Bai Caoshi placed her hands on her hips and said indignantly, "Cute Che Qianzi, I suspect that you're a black-hearted middleman. Why are the plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo that symbolize the four gentlemen of the flowers worth so little?"
The middleman was also very aggrieved. "Dear host, bamboo is not considered a rare herb, but the bamboo tube you put in is expensive. It can be exchanged for 20 points."
Bai Caoshi rolled her eyes and refused. "As the saying goes, honeysuckle dew in spring and fresh bamboo in summer are the most delicious. I still have to keep this bamboo tube to make bamboo juice. I'm not recording it."
Che Qianzi wasn't afraid of the host's tricks, but he was most afraid of the host being cultured. He had a plan. "Why don't you cut another bamboo and record it? You can earn points."
Bai Caoshi wanted to do it too, but with her strength, she wouldn't have to go up the mountain after cutting it down. She would just pull Bai Xiaoshu over to cut it down next time.
At the foot of the mountain, there were small trails made by the villagers. Occasionally, people could be seen fetching firewood. Halfway up the mountain, the path gradually became untraceable, and there were more tall grasses and shrubs. Bai Caoshi became even more careful, paying attention to snakes, insects, rats, and ants. She found another herb called the Pulsatilla. It was currently in its fruiting season, and its medicinal value was higher. She earned another fifteen points.
The higher she went, the more mushrooms she picked. She would occasionally find wild rabbits. She rubbed her palms together, broke a branch, and chased after them.
The rabbit ran further and further away. Unknowingly, the temperature on the mountain had dropped, and the light was getting dimmer. The howls of wild beasts could be heard in the distance.
She had miscalculated.
This was not the modern era where all kinds of wild animals were on the verge of extinction. It was the ancient era when there were wild animals everywhere.
She decisively gave up on the wild rabbit and quickly ran down the mountain.
However, the voice beside her ears became clearer, and her nerves suddenly tensed up.
Pushing aside the bushes, she saw a puppy with its legs clamped by the beast trap. It was blinking its big eyes and looking at it pitifully.
Clapping her hands, Bai Caoshi muttered to herself, "Poor little fellow. It's lucky that you met me and managed to survive today."
She squatted down and was about to pry open the beast trap, but when she met the protruding nose and pointed upright ears, Bai Caoshi was so frightened that she fell to the ground.
How was this a dog? Why would a dog appear in a mountain forest? It was clearly a wolf!
Forget it, forget it. It was better to leave.
Just as Bai Caoshi was about to leave, the wolf cub let out a howl and extended its front claws, as if it wanted to grab onto Bai Caoshi as its last hope.
The wolf cub cried out when Bai Caoshi took a step forward. It was as if it was possessed by a playful spirit. Its voice was sorrowful, and it was especially helpless and pitiful.
Unable to stand it any longer, Bai Caoshi circled back and crouched down. "I saved you. You won't hurt me, will you?"
As if it were able to understand, the wolf cub's head struggled to come… to rub against her? Its tongue darted toward her face.
There was a sense of coquettishness and flattery?
Bai Caoshi raised her hand. She didn't want a wolf in her face. "You cannot hurt me even if you want to. I have an axe!" She made a fierce face and clipped the beast trap with the axe. She gritted her teeth and finally opened the trap. With a snap, the wolf cub was freed from his misery.
The wolf cub raised its two front paws as if it was thanking her. It looked extremely adorable. It limped and fell after taking a step. Its hind legs were dripping with blood.
Her heart softened. "Find a place to hide. I'll find you some treasure."
Bai Caoshi looked around and found something good in the moist area.
"Ding… congratulations, dear host, on obtaining a small forsythia. The taste is flat and bitter. It has wonderful effects of stopping bleeding, reducing swelling, and treating injuries. Enter it into the system and you can obtain 20 points."
The cunning system had already learned to answer first.
Bai Caoshi looked at the pitiful little forsythias, weighed the pros and cons, and temporarily gave up on the idea of entering them into the system.
"Well, I'm sorry cute Che Qianzi. It's more important to lives. Anyway, since I know the place, I'll record it next time."
"Host, you're too kind." The system's tone was filled with a fit of strong jealousy.
Bai Caoshi ignored him. She crushed forsythia and returned to her original spot. In a bush, she saw the trembling wolf cub and applied it to the wolf cub's claws. She even tore off a piece of cloth from her body and bandaged the wolf cub.
The wolf rubbed its head over again to please its benefactor.
What could be done had been done. The rest was up to the wolf cub itself. "Well, goodbye."
However, the wolf cub bit the bottom of her pants, scaring her. She didn't expect the wolf cub to bite the hand that feeds.
However, In the next second, the wolf cub howled in another direction.
Bai Caoshi was bewildered. In the end, she carried the little wolf and followed its directions to a cave covered by vines.
After putting down the wolf cub, the little fellow nudged the vines blocking the outside and revealed the interior. There was a dead chicken and a wild rabbit underground.