Chapter 248: A Long And Challenging Journey

Luo Qiao sat in meditation for over two hours, absorbing the essence of the surrounding plants to enhance her abilities. When she opened her eyes, the herbs around her, now infused with her energy, were more vibrant and lush than before.

She assessed her internal energy—there had been an improvement, but it was still far from reaching the next level. It seemed she would need to venture into the deep mountains more frequently, otherwise, she wouldn’t know when she might level up.

It was clear that upgrading her abilities would be a long and challenging journey!

Noticing the time, which was already past three o’clock, she realized she could no longer venture further in. She chose another path to head back, collecting high-year or scarce herbs along the way to store in her space, intending to plant them in the medicinal herb field later.

She also gathered a variety of mushroom mycelia. The ones she collected last time had developed into a patch, and with the support of the nearby stream, she had harvested a lot to store in her space.

She planned to make some extra money in winter, even small gains are worthwhile, after all. She also collected a considerable amount of hard-to-find wild vegetables from the mountains, intending to plant them so she could eat them anytime. Living in the city would make wild vegetables less accessible.

Unexpectedly, she came across a small valley along this path, resembling a meadow, with a stream flowing through it. Although the area wasn’t very large, it was remarkable—there were quite a few small animals inside.

Seeing that there was still time, Luo Qiao decided to proceed cautiously. She stored her basket in her space, took out a dagger, and carefully moved forward. Since this place was rarely visited, the small animals were less alert than those in the forest.

Using her space to hide, Luo Qiao spent over an hour collecting rabbits, wild chickens, wild ducks, wild goats, roe deer, and ^[1]Muntjacs, also known as the barking deer or rib-faced deer, are small deer of the genus Muntiacus native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. T/N: Putting a note as I don’t know this…muntjacs. She also captured several deer, including some sika deer and a few red deer.

While walking along the water’s edge, she occasionally spotted nests of wild chicken and duck eggs in the grass. After pondering for a while, she scratched her head—she couldn’t tell if the eggs had already been incubated.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard a commotion. Following the sound, she saw a group of wild boars entering the valley. Their noise startled the small animals, causing them to scatter in all directions.

Luo Qiao quickly moved to hide along their likely path. Since the last batch of wild boars she collected were small, she couldn’t miss this opportunity to gather more, as they would be her source of meat in the future.

At a distance of about two meters, Luo Qiao managed to collect a dozen wild boars and store them in her space, all dumped on the mountain inside the space. Feeling satisfied, she took the opportunity while the boars were drinking water to quickly leave.

Although she had her space and strength, she didn’t underestimate the wild boars. If they were to confront her directly, she feared she might get stuck on the mountain for a while. The sun was already setting.

On the way back from the valley, she came across persimmon trees, chestnut trees, and walnut trees. She collected a few of each to store in her space for future convenience.

She also found wild grapes near the base of the mountain, tasted one that was sweet and tangy, and decided to gather two small vines to store in her space. Since this was already on the outskirts, she thought villagers who frequently entered the mountains would know about this place, so she left it for them.

By the time it was getting dark, Luo Qiao came down the mountain with a wild rabbit and a wild chicken in hand.

To her surprise, she saw Lu Yichen waiting on the path back to the village.

Luo Qiao was momentarily stunned. “Brother Lu, what are you doing here?”

Lu Yichen took Luo Qiao’s basket and said, “Try to go up the mountain in the morning from now on. There’s more daylight, and the forest gets dark early in the afternoon, which is unsafe.”

Luo Qiao knew he was concerned about her and didn’t argue. She felt a warm sense of appreciation and said a little shy, “Got it.”

After returning home, Luo Qiao took out some of the mushrooms from her basket, cleaned them, and planned to cook a mushroom meat sauce for dinner, to make it easier for Lu Yichen and Shitou to eat.

Suddenly, Luo Qiao thought she might be getting too used to these routines and worrying too much. However, considering Shitou’s presence, she decided she still needed to make the sauce.