Chapter 15: Mountain Wild Heart Shows Its Might, Treasure Hidden Beneath Old Oak!

The cold wind blew all night, and when the sky turned a fish‑belly white, it finally calmed.

Inside, the kang was scorching hot, warming people's backs.

Lu Qingshan opened his eyes, reached out to feel the quilt, smiled awake, and the air made his nose tip icy cold.

At his side were the steady, lingering breaths of his wife and daughter.

Lin Yue'e lay on her side, long lashes quietly hanging, her sleeping face tranquil and steady.

Xiao Xue curled in her mother's arms like a little kitten, sleeping sweetly, her little face flushed.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, though he didn't know what tasty thing he had dreamed of.

Lu Qingshan's heart was suddenly filled to the brim, both soft and warm.

Such peace and warmth were a luxury he had sought but not attained in his previous life.

Looking at the two women, he silently clenched his fist.

Yesterday his father‑in‑law's words, "Become a proper man so that Yue E and Xiao Xue can have a stable life," were stamped on his heart like a hot iron.

Relying only on catching a few rabbits and pheasants for meat barely sustains a living, still ten‑thousand‑plus miles away from being a "proper man"!

Let alone giving the two women a truly happy life!

He must get money!

Obtain real hard currency!

Hard currency that can be exchanged for bright white rice, sturdy cotton cloth, life‑saving medicinal herbs!

He gently tugged the quilt for them, turned and stepped down from the kang, moving as lightly as a cat, fearing any sound would disturb this hard‑won tranquility.

He slipped on the old cotton coat patched upon patched, scented faintly with soap‑nut, and silently stepped outside.

Dawn was just breaking, the morning air cold as a knife stabbing the lungs, making him shiver, his mind instantly crystal clear.

The crisp, pure breath unique to ice and snow made him shiver, his mind instantly razor‑sharp.

The snow piled thick in the yard glimmered with a cool light in the morning glow.

Mountain Wild Heart!

His mind stirred.

This thing not only senses living beings, but seems to sense the mountain's plants as well.

This boundless Guandong Mountain is a massive treasure vault!

Beyond wild livestock, the medicinal herbs and mountain goods hidden in deep old forests are the truly valuable items!

Some aged Old Mountain Ginseng, lingzhi, rare herbs—finding a single specimen can turn an entire family's fortunes around!

With his mind made up, Lu Qingshan no longer hesitated.

He quickly ladled a few spoonfuls of the simmering roe‑deer broth, then carefully minced enough meat for his wife and daughter for a day, stewing it in the sole cracked tile pot in the stove's hot ash.

The remaining roe‑deer meat couldn't be traded for anything decent, so he kept it at home as emergency rations.

Then he swung his axe, splitting the leftover wood in the yard into neat bundles of firewood, placing three small bundles by the stove and stuffing the rest tightly into the shed.

After finishing, he tucked the gleaming fire‑axe, secured the axe and the hemp rope he'd traded from Li Laonian, and left the village again.

Like a lone wolf's shadow, he plunged into the endless, white‑blanketed Guandong Mountain pine forest.

This time he avoided the well‑trodden, relatively safe paths worn smooth by hunters.

He relied entirely on the mysterious guidance of Mountain Wild Heart, deliberately venturing into untouched, complex old forests where no one went.

Especially at the junctions of sunny slopes and shady slopes, where treasures are most likely hidden.

Mountain Wild Heart sprang into full operation.

The surrounding world, within his perception, instantly became vivid and three‑dimensional.

The wind's whine as it passed the bare treetops.

The raptor's tearing wind as it circled the mountain summit.

Beneath the thick snow, the almost inaudible hibernating insects' dormant rustle.

In the distance, wild rabbits rustling as they forage under dead grass roots.

Farther away, faint, lingering wolf howls drifted.

All this played in his mind like a film, crystal clear.

More wondrous, he seemed able to "smell" the extremely faint yet distinct "life essences" emitted by different plants.

Some were vibrant, brimming with power.

Some auras were waning, as if about to wither.

Some were frozen in the soil, awaiting a breakthrough.

And others… carried an indescribable, ancient, mellow, unique charm.

That charm seemed to have settled the essence of ages, like a golden candle flickering in darkness!

That's it!

He was like the most seasoned hunting hound, yet also like a lone wolf that knew its territory inside out.

Following that golden aura, he trudged through deep snow that didn't reach his knees.

The packed snow was as soft as a fresh quilt; his feet, not past the knees, stepped on the snow, the softness giving no resistance, each step exhausting.

The biting wind easily pierced his thin cotton coat, chilling his teeth to tremble.

But he cared not.

Only a fiery belief burned fiercely in his heart, driving away the severe cold.

He crossed a steep ridge, then skirted a birch forest whose branches shivered in the cold wind.

Finally, at the foot of a sun‑facing slope, he halted.

The slope was covered with old oak trees so massive two people had to embrace them, clearly aged.

He kept wandering back and forth here.

The sense of Mountain Wild Heart detected here an extremely special yet somewhat elusive 'breath'.

It wasn't showy like ordinary plants; instead, it had an introverted, tranquil sense of power.

Faint and fleeting, it was extremely hard to catch.

He focused carefully, distinguishing it like peeling a cocoon to draw out silk, following the faint source step by step.

Suddenly, he felt something trip his foot, almost making him fall!

Looking down, he saw a section of dead tree root covered in snow.

"Not right!"

Lu Qingshan's heart jolted. The direction of this dead root didn't match the surrounding terrain at all, as if someone had deliberately placed it here!

Could it be… someone is nearby?!

He immediately became alert, gripping his firewood knife tightly, and Mountain Wild Heart operated to the utmost, carefully sensing the surroundings.

After confirming there were no other creatures' breaths around, he only then slightly relaxed his vigilance and turned his attention back to that golden aura.

The source of that aura is right nearby!

Finally, he stopped beside the nearby old Chinese oak whose bark was split thick as dragon scales, the thickest tree around.

The aura here is the strongest!

This is the place!

"Club… club… help… help…"

Just then, a few sharp, urgent bird cries with a special tone rang out suddenly from above.

Lu Qingshan's whole body shuddered violently!

He suddenly looked up!

He saw several small birds with fluffy gray feathers and peculiar calls perched on the bare branches of the old Chinese oak, tilting their fluffy little heads, looking at him curiously.

Club-headed Bird!

It's a Club-headed Bird!

In the legends of the mountain folk, this bird naturally likes to follow ginseng; it is a messenger sent by the Mountain God to show the way!

Finding the Club-headed Bird means the mountain's supreme treasure is not far away!

His heartbeat pounded like a drum, 'thump-thump-thump' striking his chest, as if all his blood were about to ignite!

He forcibly suppressed the joy nearly bursting from his throat and crouched down sharply.

His eyes sharp as a hawk's, he carefully scanned the ground near the old Chinese oak's roots.

He brushed away the thick snow, and indeed the frozen leaf layer beneath showed several slight, unnatural bulges!

They were completely different from the flat, uniform leaf layer around!

This is it!

No mistake!

He drew the firewood knife from his waist, took a deep breath, and held it.

His movements were gentle as if caressing his lover, carefully brushing away the thick snow.

Under the snow lay blackened frozen soil mixed with rotten branches and leaves, and a thick layer of humus.

He dared not use the firewood knife to dig directly, fearing he might damage the treasure below even slightly.

He remembered the old boss saying that when digging ginseng, the biggest taboo is using metal tools, which easily harm the ginseng's spirit; it's best to use a bone or wood shovel.

Unfortunately, he had nothing at hand, so he could only use his hands.

Like treating a rare treasure, he dug little by little downward.

The soil was frozen as hard as iron lumps. His fingers quickly became stiff and numb, turning red and losing feeling.

But he didn't mind; his heart was only burning hot.

When he lifted the entire frozen humus layer to reveal the unfrozen rotten leaves, Lu Qingshan was astonished to see that among the withered yellow, a few leaves still bore a hint of green, shaped like palms, compound leaves, emerging!

The leaf stalks were slender, their form quite distinctive!

His heart pounded wildly, his breath growing heavy.

Holding his breath and focusing, he dug even more carefully downward.

At last! A section of pale yellow root, as thick as a baby's arm, was revealed!

Not just one! Several thick roots were tangled together, forming a lush, plump shape!

The surface of the root bore fine, clear rings like annual rings—those are the reed bowls!

On the strong, spreading rootlets were dotted with pearl-like crystal granules—those are the pearl spots!

It looked exactly like a sleeping, plump little ginseng doll!

A scent mixed with earthy freshness and an indescribable medicinal aroma, so rich it seemed almost impossible to disperse!

That fragrance, so rich, lifted his spirits and swept away his fatigue.

"Good fellow! This must be an old, aged ginseng!"

Lu Qingshan's eyes lit up, excited enough to make his whole body tremble slightly. Although he still only half-understood the specific grades and ages of ginseng...

But just looking at its plump appearance!

This root as thick as a baby's arm!

These strong, spreading rootlets!

And this intoxicatingly rich aroma!

Plus the legendary Club-headed Bird's call as confirmation!

He could tell with his toes that this was absolutely a rare treasure!

It is genuine Old Mountain Ginseng!

If this thing is taken to town and put into the hands of someone knowledgeable at a medicine shop or the Supply and Marketing Cooperative who knows the goods, it can definitely be exchanged for a large sum of money!

A sum that could completely turn his family's fortunes around!

Enough for him to tear down his family's four‑sided leaky earthen house and rebuild it into a bright, sturdy brick‑tile house!

Enough to buy Yue E and Xiao Xue several brand‑new, thick cotton jackets and pants, plus good cotton shoes, so they can spend the winter looking pretty and staying warm!

Enough for the two of them to have white‑flour steamed buns every meal, and every few days they can even see some meat and fish!

He became even more careful.

He used only his fingers and a temporarily sharpened wooden stick, following the direction of the ginseng rootlets, to clear the frozen‑hard soil around them bit by bit.

He feared breaking even the tiniest rootlet.

That would affect its appearance and value.

This process was extremely draining on his mind and strength.

Fortunately, a thick layer of snow and leaf mold wrapped the soil; otherwise, in this freezing winter month, no one could dig up this old ginseng patch.

The cold wind was biting, yet he was fully focused, and even fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.

After spending a full hour, he finally managed to extract this perfectly shaped specimen, at least as long as his arm, this "big fellow," together with all its dense rootlets, intact and complete.

Holding this heavy, jade‑like warm "gift from the Mountain God," he was so excited his hands trembled.

He then carefully searched the surrounding area again.

Thanks to the incredibly keen perception of the Mountain Wild Heart, indeed, under two more concealed stone cracks and beside a rotten tree hollow, he dug up another dozen or so medicinal herbs of various sizes.

Although their size, appearance, and value were far less astonishing than the first plant, they were still quite good and could fetch a decent price outside.

He wrapped all the harvest carefully in layers using the clean cloth he brought and the soft moss he found from the shady side.

Then he carefully carried the bundle on his front.

Feeling its heavy weight, almost enough to make his waist sore.

Lu Qingshan's heart also burned hot and fervent.

With these treasures, this winter, this family, now has hope!