Continuing my exploration upstream along the riverbank, the ground gradually rose, and the forest became more lush.
Just when I thought I was nearing the end of the valley or at least about to be blocked by a mountain wall, the view suddenly opened up—or more accurately, a distinctly different “grove” appeared.
It was a community of plants growing on the edge of the valley floor, nestled against the sloping mountain foothills.
The stalks were tall, straight, and slender, with clearly defined segments.
Their long, narrow leaves rustled pleasantly in the gentle breeze.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the foliage, casting dappled shadows across the ground.
“Eh?
So this was…
a bamboo grove all along?” I stopped in my tracks, a flash of surprise crossing my ice-blue eyes.
Yesterday, when I had looked down upon the entire valley from the cave’s high ground, I had indeed noticed a patch of forest here with a darker hue and a different texture.
But because of the distance, and with the sparse trees in between, I had assumed it was just a regular broad-leaved forest or some kind of coniferous forest.
I never expected it to actually be bamboo when I got closer!
“I thought it was just an ordinary grove,” I muttered to myself, a wave of joy washing over me.
Bamboo is a treasure!
It has so many uses in farming and daily life!
I walked quickly to the edge of the bamboo grove.
The variety of bamboo here seemed slightly different from what I remembered from Earth.
The stalks were not completely emerald green or goose yellow, but rather a pale sapphire jade color.
The segments were distinct, the surface smooth, and it looked very tough.
The leaves were long and slender like willow, with extremely fine silver veins along the edges that shimmered in the sunlight.
The entire grove exuded a crisp, clean aura.
“System, scan this bamboo grove and analyze the species and characteristics of the bamboo,” I immediately commanded in my mind.
[ Ding~ Scan complete.
]
[ Target: Sapphire Tough Bamboo (Common Spiritual Plant variant, leaning towards Wood and Earth attributes) ]
It grows rapidly, with a maturation period of approximately 3-5 years.
The stalks have high strength, excellent toughness, and strong corrosion resistance.
The bamboo material contains faint Wood and Earth spiritual energy.
After simple processing (such as roasting or soaking in water), its physical properties and energy conductivity can be further enhanced.
The leaves can be used to make tea (clears heat and removes fire, slightly replenishes Wood spiritual energy), the shoots are edible (sprouting in late spring and early summer, delicious in taste, rich in fiber and Earth spiritual energy), and the roots can be used in medicine (to regulate the spleen and stomach).
]
[ Special Tip: This bamboo material is excellent for making tool handles, simple furniture, construction supports, water-channeling bamboo pipes, and woven items.
The Host can use the “Mountain-Cleaving Yue” (whose guiding characteristics provide a bonus to cutting plant fibers) for harvesting.
Please select plants of an appropriate age (three years or older) to ensure material quality.
]
The System’s analysis was both detailed and practical.
This truly was bamboo with Spiritual Plant attributes!
Not only was the material excellent, but even the leaves, shoots, and roots were useful!
This was practically like finding a treasure trove!
“Excellent!” I couldn’t help but cry out happily, my ice-blue eyes sparkling.
With this bamboo, many of my plans could be moved forward!
I could make a more comfortable bed (using bamboo poles for the frame, covered with hay and the grass mat from the System reward), weave sturdier fish traps or baskets, build a drying rack, or even try making a bamboo chair and table…
Countless ideas to improve my quality of life instantly flooded my mind.
“I’ll start with the easy ones first!” I took the Mountain-Cleaving Yue from my waist, brimming with excitement.
A bonus to cutting plant fibers?
This was the perfect chance to try it out.
I walked into the bamboo grove, observing carefully to find a suitable target.
The System had advised choosing mature bamboo over three years old.
I judged based on the color of the stalks (a purer, faintly lustrous sapphire jade), their thickness (not too thick; for my first attempt, I’d choose medium-to-thin ones), and the amount of “white frost” on the surface (it was said that the white waxy layer on older bamboo was more pronounced).
Soon, I locked onto a Sapphire Tough Bamboo stalk about the thickness of a wrist and of moderate height. Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
It grew at the edge of the grove, where the surrounding space was relatively open, making it easy to work with.
Gripping the short handle of the Mountain-Cleaving Yue, I recalled the “guiding” sensation I’d felt while clearing weeds earlier.
This time, I focused my mind more intensely on the bamboo stalk before me, sensing the direction of its fibers and the structure of its nodes.
Then, I aimed about a hand’s width above the base of the stalk, sank my hips to generate power, swung the Mountain-Cleaving Yue, and struck diagonally downward!
Whoosh!
The Yue Blade swept through the air with a strange rhythm, as if it could cut into the very “breath” of the plant.
The moment it contacted the bamboo stalk, it wasn’t a hard-on-hard chop, but rather a seamless “peeling” and “severing.” A crisp crack echoed, and the bamboo stalk snapped, leaving a cut that was smooth and level, with almost no splinters!
As the severed bamboo stalk began to tilt slowly to one side, I quickly reached out to steady it, preventing it from knocking into the nearby bamboo.
So heavy!
It was a bit heavier than it looked, but still within my strength’s capacity.
“I did it!
And the cut is so clean!” I examined the bamboo’s cross-section closely; the growth rings were clear and the fibers dense.
It was indeed top-quality material.
With the Mountain-Cleaving Yue and my ability, felling bamboo was simply half the effort for twice the result.
I dragged the felled bamboo to the clearing at the edge of the grove.
Looking at this long, straight, sapphire jade-colored stalk, then glancing at the lush bamboo forest before me, a steady sense of “resources in hand, construction is no worry” naturally arose.
“I’ll carry one back first and see what I can do with it.” I weighed the bamboo stalk, deciding to move it back near the Cave.
My tasks for the afternoon, besides continuing to record ecological data (the newly discovered bamboo grove and Sapphire Tough Bamboo must be documented in detail!), perhaps I could start trying to make something simple and practical with this bamboo.
For example…
a bamboo-handled hoe that’s more comfortable to use?
Or a multi-layered bamboo shelf for storing items?
With a bright vision of the future and the heavy “building material” in my hands, I set off on the return journey.
The harvest from this exploration was far richer than I had anticipated.
This valley was truly full of surprises at every turn.