The night air is good.
The ancient mountain path is overgrown with lush vegetation, making it almost untraceable.
Old Ancestor Yeman walked hurriedly along the ancient path, estimating she had left the boundaries of Longshan Township.
Madam Mao would not be able to find this place for a while, and even if she did, what the Old Ancestor would do on the mountain was hard to say.
After all, wild beasts in the mountains, like the Wild Boar, are certainly fiercer than domestic pigs.
There are many modern Wild Boars, but they cannot be killed casually; in ancient times, there were no such restrictions, and the Old Ancestor wanted Braised Pork Knuckle!
Yeman first found a place to rest; traveling was too tiring.
She had felt something was wrong earlier, and now, leaning against an Old Tree, she understood.
Spiritual Energy!
There is actually Spiritual Energy!
Although the Spiritual Energy on the mountain is extremely scarce, only an Old Tree that has lived for decades can sense it, but it is Spiritual Energy nonetheless!
The Old Ancestor did not weep with joy; she calmed herself.
She was as steady as an old dog and first found a place to sit down properly.
Sitting on a stone at night made one shiver from the cold, but she was already warmed by the Spiritual Energy.
The Spiritual Energy hadn't even been absorbed yet, and just feeling warm inside wasn't enough; Yeman pulled up some grass, and that helped a lot.
Her hands were small, covered in calluses and scars, and her left middle finger was slightly hooked, indicating a minor disability. This was not urgent.
Away from the tree, she could barely feel it.
Yeman placed her hands on the tree roots and felt the Spiritual Energy was decent, quite lively.
She cultivated a top-tier Cultivation Method, which was a bit of overkill, but it was there, so she might as well use it.
The top-tier Cultivation Method yielded excellent results, and she quickly felt the Spiritual Energy entering her body.
This was Guiding Qi into the Body.
It was like a gust of wind blowing past.
It was somewhat like an illusion, or perhaps like wind bringing hope to a drought-stricken land.
Yeman remained as steady as an old dog, not knowing how long she sat, until her hands froze stiff, and the other fingers curled just like her middle finger.
Her body finally felt something, like dry, cracked lips finally feeling moisture, or seeing water in a basin—though less than the morning dew.
She didn't know when she would manage to drench her entire body, open her Meridians, and enter the Qi Refining realm.
But this was at least a good start; there was real hope.
The Spiritual Energy from one tree wasn't much, and absorbing it didn't have a major impact.
Yeman mobilized the Spiritual Energy within her body, first nourishing her Five Zang and Six Fu Organs.
Although the Spiritual Energy was scarce, its effect was significant, especially the psychological effect.
Yeman felt that after cultivating for half the night, her condition was acceptable.
She stood up, quickly ate an Egg, and immediately felt a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy.
The wild beasts in the mountains were all stirred.
Old Ancestor Yeman, wilder than the beasts, snapped off a branch and charged toward the disturbance.
Her movement technique was familiar, allowing her to move as if on flat ground in the mountains, and she quickly reached a bamboo grove.
Inside the bamboo grove, it wasn't as dark as under large trees or in thickets; her eyes had adapted somewhat.
Seeing various wild beasts approaching, not truly knowing what they were, was purely instinctual.
Regardless of whether they knew or not, Yeman used the branch as a sword; though she couldn't manifest Sword Qi yet, her sword intent enveloped the bamboo grove!
Instantly, the wild beasts scattered like startled birds.
This top-tier swordsmanship was like using a forty-foot Great Saber to scare them—using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
It wasn't just a scare; if Yeman truly made a move, killing a Wild Boar would allow her to prepare Braised Pork.
Even the Venomous Snakes were scared away.
Yeman arrived and found a springhead by the edge of the bamboo grove, where a stalk of Bamboo Joint Ginseng was growing.
This Bamboo Joint Ginseng must be three to five hundred years old, currently inhaling and exhaling Spiritual Energy, looking as if it were about to become sentient—or perhaps, about to bloom.
Yeman was extremely pleased to encounter such a fine Bamboo Joint Ginseng in this bamboo grove.
She sat down first to absorb the Spiritual Energy.
It seemed that not only long-lived trees, but perhaps other things that aged long enough could also gather Spiritual Energy; this gave her even more hope.
Yeman guided the Qi into her body, and after a while, she obtained not dew drops, but a drop of Spiritual Energy the size of a dew drop.
Guiding it to her heart brought a truly refreshing sensation.
The refreshing sensation was too cold; the night wind blowing through the bamboo grove could cause illness quickly.
Yeman's body was not in good shape; if she hadn't been holding on by a thread and absorbing this Spiritual Energy.
She still needed to be careful; she dug up the Bamboo Joint Ginseng, stored it in her Spatial Dimension, and left.
Birds and beasts called out in the mountains.
Yeman thought that there were indeed good things in the mountains; she wouldn't linger, but would return if she saw them again.
After Guiding Qi into the Body, her condition improved noticeably, and her steps felt lighter.
She traversed the ancient path, continuing to eat Eggs; they were still warm when she took them out.
Yeman saw a large tree by the roadside, climbed up, and found several bird eggs; regardless of whether they were more nutritious, they were only worth a penny or two each.
She traveled non-stop all night, and just before dawn, she was about to leave the mountains.
There was an Aralia tree by the roadside.
This is a medicinal herb; its sprouts in spring are called Aralia buds, hailed as the number one Mountain Delicacy in The World.
It was autumn now, so Yeman didn't gather herbs; she was focused on the Spiritual Energy in the tree.
This tree wasn't large, but it held considerable Spiritual Energy.
The tree had many thorns, but Yeman avoided them and simply absorbed the Spiritual Energy, which was more delightful than Delicacies of the Mountains and Seas.
As the first light of dawn shone upon her.
The hair on her head resembled a clump of dry grass soaked by dew; her face was so thin that her eyes appeared larger.
Yeman mobilized a bit of Spiritual Energy into her eyes; the eyes were very important.
The morning breeze blew, making her shiver from the cold, and she strode down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain was a small mountain village, picturesque in the morning light.
The Mountain Villagers didn't need much adornment; nature dressed them.
Various fruit trees, wild mountain fruits, and crops in the fields awaited the autumn harvest.
The sky was exceptionally clean; the morning glow was the best decoration, one that even painters could hardly capture entirely.
The sound of chickens crowing and dogs barking—even with only about ten households, it was still a scene of prosperity.
The Mountain Villagers lived a life like poetry; weren't you envious?
Smoke rose from every household as they prepared breakfast. Regardless of what she ate in the morning, Yeman was very hungry.
She first found some bushes to squat down in.
After nourishing her Five Zang and Six Fu Organs with Spiritual Energy, some impurities needed to be expelled.
After squatting, she remembered something—she had no paper.
She regretted not keeping some of Rong Bai's books or paper; it was a miscalculation.
The ancients spoke of respecting paper with writing on it, stipulating that "no paper with writing may be used," which implies that some people certainly did use it.
In reality, using Rice Straw or leaves wasn't a big deal. Many people used coarse paper, which was just slightly processed Rice Straw.
After finishing, Yeman found spring water to wash her hands, though it was cold.
She took out her basket again; she didn't need to take out the teapot, but she took out the bowl.
She snapped off another branch; she looked quite like a beggar, and strode down the mountain to beg for some food.
"Grandmother!"
A sharp cry startled Old Ancestor Yeman; had she been exposed?
"Grandmother, what's wrong with you?"
The Young Man's questions were always a bit foolish, Yeman thought; sometimes the phrase "Are you okay?" was utterly meaningless.
"Mother! Grandmother fainted!"
Oh, this statement was quite clear. Yeman didn't get breakfast but immediately rushed toward their house.
These Mountain Villagers, despite their poetic life, had Three Main Rooms, but the Thatched Hut rooms weren't large either.
A Woman was moving from the simple yet romantic Kitchen toward the inner room.
Yeman ran faster than her, like a whirlwind, setting her basket aside.
Entering the inner room, a little girl shouted at her: "Mother!"
Yeman could be her ancestor's ancestor and didn't care at all; she looked at the Old Madam she was supporting, and the situation was not optimistic.
Yeman stepped forward and pressed her index finger on both sides of the Old Madam's throat, failing to feel a pulse.
The Woman followed in and asked, "Who are you?"