'There shouldn't be any other mountain-men here. This is a good place to train the Dark Water Centipede.'
The surroundings were dominated by tall trees and dense undergrowth. Broad leaves still held the dispelled dew, making everything wet.
Mountain-men typically have established routes and relatively fixed "nests"—specific areas where certain fungi, herbs, or other goods are usually found—to guarantee a harvest. Unsearched areas naturally had richer mountain goods but also more poisonous bugs, wild beasts, and other risks.
"Shasha"
No sooner had the Dark Water Centipede emerged than the broad leaves of the ferns suddenly shook and rustled. Something flashed through the growth quickly.
The Dark Water Centipede's counter-attack was swift. Its thousand legs moved in unison, and it pounced into the grass like a purple shadow.
Su Yan, holding a long stick in one hand and his machete in the other, rushed forward in two or three steps.
A jet-black, shiny viper was coiled up, its upper body raised, its neck flared out like a palm, and its forked tongue hissing.
'What a huge viper.'
The viper in front of him was over a meter long and as thick as a wrist. Mountain-men rarely provoked these, fearing a dangerous bite that wasn't worth the risk. He was surprised to see the poisonous snake react so aggressively to the Dark Water Centipede.
As the Dark Water Centipede approached, the viper darted its head forward, exposed its fangs, and shot out two streams of translucent venom.
The Dark Water Centipede twisted its body and met the attack like an arrow, not bothering to dodge. The venom landed on its body with no effect whatsoever.
The viper lunged to bite, but the Dark Water Centipede bit its neck first. The two instantly coiled into a ball, struggling fiercely.
Su Yan didn't intervene. After just a few breaths, the snake's body lost its strength and went limp.
'Exotic Bugs, even those unranked, are far stronger than ordinary venomous creatures once they gain some spiritual power.'
'It's a pity about this viper. If it were alive, it might fetch two or three hundred copper coins if sold to the Hundred Herb Hall.'
The Dark Water Centipede rose from the body of the poisoned viper and began to tear and bite savagely, thoroughly chewing up the viper's head.
The centipede's progress bar suddenly changed. Su Yan's eyes lit up with joy.
'Could it be that consuming venomous creatures or heavenly materials and earthly treasures can increase its growth value?'
He immediately instructed the Dark Water Centipede to eat the entire viper.
In just seven or eight minutes, the Dark Water Centipede finished feeding, having eaten the viper completely. It was astonishing how it could digest so quickly given the size difference.
'The growth progress increased by another 8 points. That means a large viper gave 10 points of growth.'
Su Yan was ecstatic. If consuming venomous creatures could continuously increase the centipede's growth, it would be the perfect way to level up the Dark Water Centipede. There was no shortage of poisonous bugs and wild beasts in Cloud Ridge Mountain.
However, he quickly calmed down.
'Even if it provides a lot of growth value, it can't eat constantly. Complete transformation requires time.'
The Dark Water Centipede wasn't an endless eating machine. After this meal, it would take several hours before it could feed again.
Su Yan had the Dark Water Centipede guard him while he searched the area. Before long, he found three stalks of Snake Extension Grass beneath a type of water fern.
'The Snake Extension Grass is in good condition. It should be worth about thirty copper coins.'
He put the grass into his basket and continued forward with the Dark Water Centipede.
The winding mountain path of one or two li had already dampened his clothes with rainwater from the leaves of the plants.
But Su Yan had no time to worry about this. Along the way, he found quite a few mountain goods like White Liver Fungus , Fern Leaf Tea , and Shaggy-Mane Mushrooms.
Although they were not as valuable as aged medicinal herbs, they were worth a fair amount of money, roughly two to three hundred copper coins.
He reached a pool the size of a water jar around noon. The sun was fully up, and the dew on the bushes and weeds was beginning to evaporate.
Su Yan sat down by the pool and took out a dry wheat cake, eating it with water.
At this moment, the Dark Water Centipede reacted, rustling as it quickly approached a large-leafed wild taro plant by the pool.
Su Yan watched in surprise, suddenly sensing something was wrong, and hurried over.
'It's Dark Scarlet Root!'
A coiled, thin-leafed dark red plant was hidden beneath the fat leaves.
Dark Scarlet Root is poisonous throughout the plant, but its purchase price at the Hundred Herb Hall is as high as ten taels per jin. It is said to be a Treasure Plant that can be refined for martial arts practice.
Su Yan was overjoyed. Even if this single stalk of Dark Scarlet Root didn't weigh a jin, if its quality was good, it could be worth several taels of silver.
He bent down, about to reach for it, when two black scorpions the size of a palm dropped from beneath the taro leaves.
He was startled. The Dark Water Centipede rushed forward, bumping and flipping the two scorpions over. The centipede was much stronger; it quickly bit and killed them, resolving the danger.
Su Yan was relieved: 'I nearly forgot. The more precious the medicinal herb, the more likely something is guarding it. This is especially true for poisonous and exotic herbs. According to Uncle Xie and the others, this Dark Scarlet Root is nearly a Treasure Plant, so it's normal for venomous creatures to be guarding it.'
He collected the two large scorpions and put them into the Bug Realm as food for the Dark Water Centipede.
Then, he cautiously began to use a small wooden shovel to dig down slowly along the stem of the Dark Scarlet Root .
The entire Dark Scarlet Root plant is poisonous, but the only useful part is the root, so it must be dug out slowly. While digging, it's crucial not to break the skin or flesh, or the medicinal effect will be lost, significantly reducing the purchase price. Furthermore, a single mistake, a splash of the juice touching the skin, could be deadly due to its toxicity.
'Why don't I let the Dark Water Centipede help?'
He had been carefully kneeling and digging for less than a third of the depth when he finally caught a glimpse of the deep red root. The Dark Water Centipede could be controlled as easily as an arm, and unlike him, it didn't need to worry about the poison. Its body was flexible, so digging should be easier.
He immediately had the Dark Water Centipede start working. Sure enough, the centipede used its thousand legs as one, seeming to wrap around the Dark Scarlet Root. In a flash, the mud clinging to the root was pushed aside by the centipede into small piles, completely exposing the Dark Scarlet Root.
Su Yan tore off a fern leaf for padding and picked up the Dark Scarlet Root. It was about the size of his palm, estimated to weigh half a jin (half a pound).
'Five taels of silver secured.'
A look of joy flashed in his eyes, but a thought suddenly occurred to him: 'Did the Dark Water Centipede discover the scorpions, or the Dark Scarlet Root?'
He suddenly realized a key point: no matter how skilled a mountain-man was, they likely couldn't compare to the exotic bugs and beasts of the mountains.
Legend has it that some powerful mountain-men, skilled in trekking, kept animal companions like Treasure-Seeking Mice or Treasure-Seeking Dogs to help them. Perhaps the Dark Water Centipede possessed a similar ability.
Looking at the soil-covered centipede, he muttered to himself, "Let me see what you can do."
He stopped actively controlling their route and let the Dark Water Centipede lead the way.
Upon receiving the command, the Dark Water Centipede immediately drilled into the dense bushes and weeds in another direction. Su Yan placed the Dark Scarlet Root into the Bug Realm space and quickly followed.
This test filled Su Yan with excitement.
Over the next three or four hours, although the Dark Water Centipede led him through rough, overgrown paths, it continually led him to medicinal herbs like Wild Astragalus and Tienchi Ginseng . He also found a Ten-Year-Old Wild Ginseng and a stalk of Bamboo Jade Tooth.
The Wild Ginseng wasn't as close to being a Treasure Plant as the Dark Scarlet Root, but it was still a high-quality mountain product, worth about four or five taels of silver. The Bamboo Jade Tooth, on the other hand, was a genuine Treasure Plant. Consuming it could warm the blood and replenish the body, making it even more precious than the Dark Scarlet Root.
During this time, they encountered poisonous bugs and wild beasts, but the Dark Water Centipede was clearly powerful. It defeated a black toad the size of a head and lethally poisoned a half-grown wild boar. Additionally, Su Yan managed to hunt a gray rabbit and a bamboo rat with his bamboo bow.
His basket was completely full of mountain goods. The most precious items, the Bamboo Jade Tooth and the Ten-Year-Old Wild Ginseng, were stored in the Bug Realm space.
Seeing the sky gradually darkening and fearing he wouldn't be able to descend the mountain if he stayed longer, Su Yan finally gave up and took the Dark Water Centipede down the mountain.
He hurried all the way, only recalling the Dark Water Centipede to the Bug Realm when he reached the foot of the mountain.
By the time he rushed home, the moon, like a jade plate, was already above the treetops.
He pushed open the fence gate of his mud-walled yard and entered his room. He lit the lamp, unloaded his basket, and carefully inspected the day's harvest.
'About ten jin of White Liver Fungus and Shaggy-Mane Mushrooms, one jin of Fern Leaf Tea, plus the Tienchi Ginseng, Astragalus, Gastrodia... about ten jin total. That should be worth one or two taels of silver.'
'The most valuable are the Wild Ginseng, the Bamboo Jade Tooth, and the Dark Scarlet Root. If I sell them all, it might be worth twenty taels of silver.'
Mountain-trekking depends on the season. A lucky trip can bring in a large profit, but out of season, one is reduced to picking up scraps, barely earning a hundred copper coins a day to live on. With the help of the Dark Water Centipede and his improved physical condition, Su Yan had harvested richly.
'It's a shame that the wild beasts and poisonous bugs killed by the Dark Water Centipede have poison in their system and can't be eaten by me. They can only serve as its food. If I want to eat meat regularly, I need to practice my archery.'
He tidied up the mountain goods from his basket and laid them out in front of him. After a moment's thought, Su Yan separated the Wild Ginseng and the Bamboo Jade Tooth.
'I can't sell everything at once; it's too conspicuous. Slow and steady wins the race. I need to stretch this out as long as possible, or I'll attract unwanted attention.'
He put the Wild Ginseng back into the Bug Realm space and then concentrated on checking his panel:
[First-Order Bug Master: 2/100][Bug Realm: 1 cubic meter][Mountain-Trekking: 3/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Dark Water Centipede: 13/100 (Nascent Stage)]
Apart from the abundant mountain goods, the growth in his abilities was Su Yan's greatest gain from this trip.
'The contracted bug's growth value can be increased not only by devouring poisonous substances and compatible heavenly treasures but also by commanding it and engaging in combat, though at a relatively slower rate.'
'The bug's improvement also increases the Bug Master's experience, which forms a closed loop. My thinking is correct; I must continuously increase the power of my contracted bug.'
'As for the Mountain-Trekking skill, its improvement is reflected here, and the mutual confirmation does show an increase in my ability.'
Su Yan reviewed his changes. While the increase in his Mountain-Trekking skill wasn't as dramatic as the Dark Water Centipede's growth from consuming venom, since breaking through to Minor Accomplishment, he had indeed become more proficient in identifying, harvesting, and navigating the mountain goods.
'I must rely on my own efforts. If I master archery to a certain extent, maybe that can also form a skill.'
Su Yan's eyes gleamed with an idea. Using bugs to find goods and his archery skills for hunting—if successful, his strength in the mountains would significantly increase.
'Tomorrow, I'll go to the Mountain Market to exchange for silver, then replace my machete and bamboo bow. I'll also visit the Hundred Herb Hall to look for some herb books. I can't afford to be ignorant and miss out on precious herbs or fail to retrieve a Treasure Plant I find.'