Bai Jing stumbled upon a patch of edible vegetables. His eyes widened in astonishment at the sight of these unexpected treasures. "Look, Scruffy! These are called Dragon's Breath Leaves," he exclaimed, his voice filled with awe. "Legend has it that consuming them bestows strength and vitality upon those who dare to partake."
The name of this leaf suddenly appeared in his head. After saying that, Bai Jing suddenly came to his senses. What the heck is the nonsense he just said? Now that he took a closer look at the leaf, it looks more like lettuce.
Bai Jing felt a rush of energy as his fingertips brushed against the velvety leaves. He imagined all the dishes that can be made with this lettuce. He eagerly plucked a handful of the leaves, carefully placing them in his basket. With each new discovery, he shared the knowledge with Scruffy, his words infused with a childlike wonder that mirrored the beauty of the forest around them.
At the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of a wild leaf green herb lying near a large tree trunk. Bai Jing guessed that the herbs must have come from that place and have strange sources, otherwise those mushrooms wouldn't be this good. He had a feeling that this plant is the main source of why the mushrooms in this area were so fresh.
How strange?
"I feel like this plant is a treasure, but I can't think about any use of it." Bai Jing said in frustration. Previously this morning, the ones he took home, were put in the fire as a litter to burn under the fish. Somehow he felt like its only purpose was to use it as a litter. But this cannot explain the mysterious feeling he has when he touches the herb.
"If only I know what it's used for..." He sighs regretfully.
A sudden light flash before his eyes and a blue panel appeared in front of him with words written on it. {Congratulations, the requirement has been met and level one of the system store is open.}
"System store?" Bai Jing happily clicked on the shop icon and opened the shop. Don't ask why he's not surprised, after all, he was brought to this world by a system. The shop should be another golden figure that the system has given him. Given how he has been wrong a lot, Bai Jing felt he deserved these compensations.
When the system shop opened, most of the things on the shelf were books and equipment. He scrolled through them and found an interesting book and clicked on it. [Plants Identifier. Identify all types of plants including herbs, vegetables and state their function. Use: Automatically function, when the user touches a herb, plant, or veggie, its name and function will appear in the book. Price: One silver coin, additional fifty copper coins is required to open the first level.] Bai Jing was fascinated by the book but unfortunately he didn't have money. He closed the icon and decided to scroll through it again later.
"Scruffy, let's go catch some fish from the river. We'll have it for dinner." Bai Jing was in a good mood and pulled the little beast along to the river.
The river crystal-clear waters glistening under the midday sun. Bai Jing's eyes sparkled with determination as he rolled up his sleeves, ready to embrace the challenge of catching fish, after all, there's a good chance that he might not catch any. He plunged his hands into the cool water, if this didn't work, then he would use his robe.
Minutes turned into an eternity as Bai Jing's patience and dexterity were put to the test. Scruffy, laying on a nearby rock, observed with a mixture of amusement and fondness as Bai Jing struggled to catch fish. The laughter that escaped its feline lips echoed through the tranquil forest. A mighty beast like itself can't decrease to the level of catching fish to eat. What it should be catching is those arrogant 5th level beasts, not ordinary fish.
After struggling for ten whole minutes, Bai Jing was finally able to catch two fishes. With a satisfied smile, he showed his catch to Scruffy, who seemed unimpressed. Thinking back to this morning, it seems like he took advantage of Lan Zhu.
🪷🪷🪷
After working on the farm, Lan Zhu took a quick bath. His footsteps echoed through the quiet road as he made his way back to Bai Jing's house. The sun had begun its descent, casting long shadows upon the vibrant foliage that surrounded him. The air carried a cool breeze, rustling the leaves and hinting at the approaching evening.
As he reached the wooden door of the small abode, Lan Zhu realized that Bai Jing was not there. He stood for a moment, contemplating his next move, his eyes scanning the surroundings in search of any sign of the person. A thought came to mind when he remembered that Bai Jing may be picking mushrooms by the nearby river.
Lan Zhu made his way towards the river, his steps quickening with each passing moment. The sound of rushing water grew louder, as he got closer. And there, amidst rushing water stood Bai Jing with the edge of robe in his hands as he fought to catch the fish that were teasing him.
At the bank of the river lay the little beast that he saw this morning and next to the little beast a basket filled with mushrooms. Lan Zhu's eyes widened in amazement at the sight. The basket was filled with mushrooms of various shapes and sizes.
"Bai Jing, here you are. I went to your house and didn't find you." Lan Zhu said as he walked towards Bai Jing.
"Oh, are you done with your work?" Bai Jing stood up and walk out of the water
"Yes, a while ago." He looked at the basket and asked, his eyes flickering with curiosity.; "Wow, are those all edible mushrooms?"
"Yea, I'll leave it to you."
"How should I sell them?" Lan Zhu asked, his voice filled with anticipation.
"You should sell all the mushrooms to a single restaurant in town." Bai Jing advised with gentle warmth: "I'm not familiar with the market price, so you should inquire and sell them at a standard rate."
Bai Jing figured out this should be the best solution. He didn't want to set the price too high or too low and he also didn't want to put pressure on Lan Zhu who's going to be selling it.
"That's a good idea. Since mushrooms are rare and expensive, we don't buy them so I'm not familiar with the price either." The later sentence was said in embarrassment.
"If someone asks you how you got so many mushrooms, tell them it was picked by a herbal master. That way they'll give you a good price." Bai Jing paused and looked at the setting sun, "It's getting late, if you have money on you, you should use it for transportation to reach the town before nightfall. You can replace the money, once you've sold the mushrooms."
Lan Zhu shook his head: "There's no need, my grandfather is the ox cart driver in the village. I'll be going now, see you later or tomorrow." He picks up the basket and covers it with wide leaves before carrying it.
Bai Jing watches Lan Zhu as his figure disappears behind the trees. He picks up five fish, and ties them together with a rope: "Come on Scruffy, let's go prepare dinner."
Bai Jing talked a lot on the way back, full of excitement. Scruffy, the little beast, walked next to him, sometimes stopping to check out a rustling bush or to pounce on a wayward insect. Even though it didn't want to be a pet, it seemed to like Bai Jing.