Chapter 58: Tender Leaf Grass

( ) Chapter 69 Tender Leaf Grass

Town Ji didn't leave here until a little after three in the afternoon; in the meantime, Li Bucai took her touring Dragon Fin Cliff and other places, returning along the ridge of Crouching Dragon Ridge, with the scenery on both sides of the mountain fully in view.

Li Bucai originally intended to become more familiar with her, so that when the end of the month arrived he could help escort a few people back, otherwise it would be hard to meet the population standard of a Level‑One village.

Whenever he tried to deepen the conversation, Town Ji always steered it back to idle chatter, giving the impression of keeping him at a thousand‑mile distance. Until just before departure, Li Bucai forced himself to bring up the matter of population; Town Ji merely gave a faint smile, said only "Thank you for the generous hospitality today," said nothing more, and then left riding the Transport Cloud.

On that day, Yan Qiu and the others had already completed the well, but the water was still turbid; after two days of settling it could be safely drunk.

That night, Li Bucai gathered everyone again to discuss matters concerning the collection of special materials for three types of buildings. Even if the population fell short of the requirement, the granary and other structures still had to be built, and while gathering materials they could also hunt some prey on the way back.

Li Bucai explained to everyone the topics Town Ji had conveyed, and finally asked the group about the origins and physical characteristics of the two woods called "Evil Dragon Dao Wood" and "Devouring Starry Sky."

Yan Qiu said, "These two kinds of trees have never been seen in Sky City. It is said that the opening lord of Sky City brought such timber from this continent to Sky City. Historical records only mention them in passing. As for their appearance, the Evil Dragon Dao Wood, though called a tree, is like a phantom—its form and trace are ever‑shifting, and ancient books have no record of its shape; the Devouring Starry Sky exists only as a hand‑drawn sketch, shaped like an umbrella. Its height and where it grows are not mentioned at all."

The Evil Dragon Dao Wood can be used to make moving wooden stakes, and the Devouring Starry Sky is even more peculiar. Legend has it that in ancient times, when the people of Sky City still lived on the continent, a tribe went out hunting and was ambushed by an alien tribe; a hundred‑plus people could not resist and fled into a canyon, only to find the cliff wall blocking their path. Trapped, one of them accidentally stumbled on a tree root and fell toward the trunk of an old tree, expecting to smash his head against it and bleed profusely. Yet after he fell, he vanished without a trace; all that was seen was a hollow in the trunk. The others thought the old tree had devoured him, drew swords to cut it down, but then saw a tiny figure, ant‑sized, waving from the tree‑hole opening. Upon closer look, it was the missing man. The whole group entered the tree hollow and successfully avoided the alien attack.

That tree hollow was not large, yet it could hold a hundred‑plus people, still leaving room for the leader. They imagined that if they could pluck all the stars from the sky, they could fill it completely, so they named it "Devouring Starry Sky." Later they discovered a way to fell the tree, cut the wood into planks, and fashion it into boxes and cabinets for storage.

After hearing Yan Qiu's description, Li Bucai said, "With these characteristics, these trees grow on this continent; I believe no matter how hard to find, they can be located. However, these trees are unusual—once found, can a regular logging axe fell them?"

Yan Qiu shook his head, also not knowing.

At that moment, logger Mu Mei said, "My father once mentioned stories about such strange trees. Fortunately it's only these two types. According to him, for these two woods a regular axe can fell them, but the method is quite different. As for how to fell them, hmm… it's somewhat complicated; Mei Er is tongue‑tied, and can't explain it clearly right now. It would be nice if we could encounter them."

These common folk's labor differs from the aristocratic academy's teachings; the skills are passed down through families generation after generation.

Li Bucai said cheerfully, "Oh? You know the logging method, that's great. How many people are needed to cut this kind of tree?"

"Hmm…" Mu Mei pondered, "If Jie Er and I wield the axe together, the rest… probably another four or five people would suffice." Jie Er is also a logger of comparable rank to her.

It just so happens that the camp currently has no other buildings that must be constructed, and the others have been idle these few days. Li Bucai said, "Then may I trouble the two of you to join us early tomorrow for a trip?"

The two accepted the order.

On this expedition, besides the two loggers, Li Bucai also took Wan'er, Xianghong, and Rui Tong, and also brought the personal maid Xiaoxiao and the gatherer Luo Ye.

Long journeys inevitably cause fatigue; Xiaoxiao's cooking is unrivaled— even with only a few simple ingredients, she can turn each into a dish of a different flavor, effectively replenishing everyone's stamina. Bringing Luo Ye along was intended to collect some wild vegetables along the way; after all, a campaign is hard‑won, so they aim to maximize efficiency.

With the plan settled, the expedition members lifted all their personal packs into the air, and after packing, they rested early.

The next morning, Li Bucai and his party of seven left the settlement gate and rushed toward the pass of Crouching Dragon Ridge.

The Crouching Dragon Ridge stretches for hundreds of miles; eight li northwest of White Horse Crossing lies a low valley. After crossing the ridge there, a narrow, elongated valley opens, its sides lush with vegetation. A stream about a zhang wide originates from the western foot of Crouching Dragon Ridge, babbles through the secluded valley, flows westward for a hundred li before joining Shalanjiang. Both banks of the creek are flat grasslands, resembling a road carpeted with a green rug.

The seven walked on the grass, heading west, occasionally watching the various trees on both sides of the valley; here most were oaks with a few larch, and no other species.

At noon, the group stopped by the creek, brewed fragrant tea with the water, ate some roasted meat, and then continued onward. As the sun approached the western mountains, the flat ground in the valley ahead widened a bit, and a side valley opened to the south. Because the terrain in the valley is steep, the mouth of the side valley faces north, receiving sunlight only around noon, making it a shaded valley. Looking from the mouth, the interior is dim, a deep gorge, and the colors of the trees in the gorge shift slightly.

It was getting late, so Li Bucai ordered everyone to take out their tents and set up camp by the creek, resting for the night in the Three‑Fork Valley, planning to head into the southern shaded valley at dawn tomorrow.

Xiaoxiao fetched the food, piled stones into a circle on the open ground, lit a campfire, and prepared dinner for everyone. Li Bucai and the others were busy setting up the tents.

While everyone was occupied and there was still some time before nightfall, Luo Ye asked Li Bucai for permission to go into the woods to see if any wild vegetables could be gathered.

Li Bucai agreed, instructed her not to go far, and sent Rui Tong with her.

The two climbed onto the southern hill, pushed through the underbrush, trudging laboriously. After a short walk, the area ahead suddenly opened up; emerging from the thicket, a swath of verdant green came into view—a vast expanse of tender grass.

"Wow—what a huge patch of tender leaf grass," Luo Ye couldn't help praising. That tender leaf grass is a fourth‑grade food within the first tier of wild vegetables.

The foods here are divided into six major categories: fish, beasts, birds, wild vegetables, crops, and honey fruits. Each category has twelve grades, each grade split into five levels. As a gatherer, every two‑level skill increase allows identification of one additional type of wild vegetable.

Luo Ye, excited, said to Rui Tong, "This tender leaf grass can be eaten raw or cooked; raw it's sweet and crisp, cooked it's fragrant and rich—delicious. I never expected there to be so much here; this time we really didn't come in vain."

She casually picked two stalks, handed one to her; Rui Tong took it, placed it in her mouth and savored it; indeed it was sweet‑sour and tasty, with a fruit‑like flavor.

The tender leaf grass stalks are twenty centimeters tall, about the thickness of an index finger, a plant whose roots are interlinked; finding one means a whole patch, with almost no other weeds in between, making collection very easy. Under this canopy alone there are dozens of units; the two worked together, and in the blink of an eye filled most of Luo Ye's pack.

The two circled under the same tree, bending to pick; when that tree's grass was exhausted, they each moved to the neighboring trees. When Rui Tong arrived under her tree, she noticed that the vast tender leaf grass here had its stems above the roots neatly cut, as if harvested, and asked oddly, "Luo Ye, did you just pick here?"

"No, I only gathered under that tree just now," Luo Ye said, pointing to the tree under which they had just been.

"That's strange; I was just under that tree too. Could someone else have been here?"

Tracing the cut grass roots, they wound around two large trees, finding the same ahead, until the edge of the front underbrush; the tender leaf grass only grew up to this point, leaving merely some roots.

Just as the two were feeling puzzled, a faint rustling sound came from the underbrush ahead.