C10 The Core Area

The woman eyed him with suspicion, her grip on the herb involuntarily tightening.

Ye Feng let out a resigned sigh. The thought of snatching the herb from someone else was beyond him.

"I'll be honest with you," he said. "One of my reasons for coming to the mountains is to find Immortal Spirit Grass. But I have no idea what it looks like. Could you show me?"

She scrutinized him intently, and after a lengthy pause, seemed to decide he meant no harm and let her guard down.

"This is Immortal Spirit Grass." She opened her hand to reveal the herb she held.

The plant was a deep jade color, crowned with a single azure bead that shimmered with Spiritual Energy, resembling a fine piece of art.

She watched him warily, fearful he might make a move to harm her.

Ye Feng averted his eyes. "Where did you find this herb?"

The woman gave him a surprised glance, evidently shocked he hadn't attempted to take it.

"Even if I told you where it came from, you wouldn't be able to find the same herb."

"Why is that?" Ye Fann inquired, puzzled.

"Immortal Spirit Grass is a fifth-grade herb; it requires an abundance of Spiritual Energy to thrive. You won't find any other spiritual herbs within a five-kilometer radius of it."

"I see," Ye Feng said, the pieces falling into place. He had intended to venture further, but noticing the woman's difficulty even standing, he asked instinctively, "Can you make it back on your own? Do you need help getting there?"

"No, thank you. I can manage by myself." She slowly got to her feet and began to hobble toward the exit.

But she hadn't made it more than a couple of steps before she collapsed uncontrollably to the ground.

With a sense of inevitability, Ye Feng picked up the woman and sought refuge in a nearby cave.

She had arrived in the evening, and while she slept, Ye Feng explored the area. To his delight, even in this strange world, he recognized some of the medicinal plants and wild vegetables from his past life.

Seizing the opportunity while the woman was still unconscious, he prepared a nourishing ginseng chicken soup for her to consume upon waking.

The scent of food roused the woman from her slumber, pulling her out of unconsciousness.

"Hmm!"

"Awake? Have some chicken soup." Ye Feng offered her a bowl of chicken soup he had poured into a bamboo tube.

The woman paused, a look of apology crossing her face. "Thank you."

"No need for thanks. Eat something first. Once you've regained your strength, you can leave this place."

She drank the chicken soup in silence. When the bowl was empty, she finally spoke.

"Could you tell me your name, Senior Brother?"

"Ah, Ye Feng. And yours?" Ye Feng was puzzled by her sudden interest in his name.

"Bai Yunxue." She looked up at Ye Feng with a broad smile. "Senior Brother, I hope we'll meet again someday."

With that, she pulled a white jade whistle from her sleeve and stepped outside the cave, blowing it towards the sky.

The piercing sound of the whistle was like the call of a phoenix.

A gust of wind arose outside the cave, and with the sound of wings beating, Ye Feng watched a blue and white figure descend gracefully in front of the cave.

The phoenix's cry echoed as Bai Yunxue mounted the blue and white phoenix's back.

"Also, Senior Brother, if you're truly in search of Immortal Spirit Grass, head north. You might find it in a place brimming with Spiritual Energy, like the core area," Bai Yunxue called out, waving to him before she and the phoenix took to the skies.

The core area...

Ye Feng recalled that it was off-limits to humans.

Should he venture there?

He was torn.

Never mind, he'd look elsewhere first.

The elder hadn't specified a return date, so familiarizing himself with the area for a few days couldn't hurt.

With that thought, Ye Feng gathered his belongings and set off northward, unaware that shortly after his departure, a figure cloaked in black had slipped into the cave.

The figure inhaled deeply, a hint of regret in his voice. "That girl got lucky. I wonder what that lad needs Immortal Spirit Grass for. He'd better not head to the core area and risk his neck."

Ye Feng had been keeping an eye on the roadside grasses throughout his journey. He managed to gather a fair amount of ordinary medicinal herbs and wild vegetables, yet the elusive Immortal Spirit Grass remained out of sight. Gazing at the forest ahead, starkly divided into two distinct regions by the pristine snow, Ye Feng didn't need to guess to know he was on the verge of entering the core area. The snow-white demarcation line was a clear warning to any outsider that beyond this point, one's fate was in their own hands.

After taking a deep breath, Ye Feng took out his Chef God Celestial Meteorite Pot and little golden shovel. Time passed, and eventually, the rich aroma of food began to drift across the clear snow boundary, tantalizing the senses. Hunger is a compelling master, and without sustenance, one's strength quickly wanes. Besides, given the location's proximity to a cliff, he wasn't overly concerned about the risk of encountering any venomous snakes or ferocious beasts.

As he was about to serve the food, a rustling noise from the nearby grasses caught his attention. Turning around with caution, Ye Feng was surprised to see a three or four-year-old child with a flame pattern on his forehead. How could such a young child be out here alone? Before Ye Feng could utter a word, the child beat him to it, "Big brother, what are you making? It smells amazing."

Ye Feng glanced at the Chef God Celestial Meteorite Pot in his hand and replied, "Wild mushroom soup."

"What's wild mushroom soup?" the child asked, tilting his head in a cute, puzzled manner that was quite endearing.

"It's a soup made from various wild edible mushrooms," Ye Feng explained.

"May I try some?" the child asked, his gaze never straying from the Chef God Celestial Meteorite Pot since his arrival.

Ye Feng hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded. Although he had only prepared enough for one, he figured he could share a little. However, he had greatly underestimated the child's appetite. No sooner had he set aside a bowl of wild mushroom soup for himself than the child had finished his portion. Now, the little one was holding the bamboo bowl and looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"Brother, I'm still a bit hungry."

Ye Feng fell silent for a moment before suggesting, "How about you have some dry rations?"

He then pulled out the rations he had brought with him.

The little kid eyed the round biscuit in Ye Feng's hand, stepped forward, and gave it a tentative sniff.

"Yuck, yuck, yuck, this tastes awful."

After spitting out the taste, the little kid looked up at him with a face full of grievance. "Brother, just let me have one sip, please, just one."

Ye Feng, unable to resist the pitiful look, reluctantly handed the bowl back to the child.

As soon as the bowl was in his hands, the kid didn't hold back. He tilted his head back and guzzled down the last of the wild mushroom soup from the bamboo bowl.