“Mission at the Dining Hall: Gather 80 Weixi Mushrooms. Mission reward: Five low-grade Spirit Stones.”
Gathering missions were the most suitable tasks for low-level players besides delivering letters.
Su Tangxing had gathered many times in the game. Aside from completing missions, she had also collected Weixi Mushrooms as tuition for her game master.
Regarding this plant, the game described it in flowery terms:
【Southwest of the Fuhu Mountain Range, near the Vast Mountains. A mushroom grows in the bamboo forest, eight inches long, with a cap resembling a black chicken-head fruit.
Its stem resembles a lotus root stem, hollow inside—some say the stem is hollow and empty—with pure white skin and a slightly reddish base.
The chicken-head fruit-like part resembles bamboo joints, which can be peeled off layer by layer.
From the joints, another layer grows, like a woven net, about five to six inches in circumference, encircling the stem without touching it.
It resembles a net with many openings, delicate and lovely, and its stem can also be peeled off.】
In simpler terms, it was just a mushroom with a black top and white bottom.
The mushroom soup Su Tangxing enjoyed drinking was made from this.
Lin Xiangqing asked beside her, “Is Great-Grandmaster planning to take on this mission?”
“Yes.”
Su Tangxing said, “I want to look around the area.”
In truth, she wanted to see if completing missions would grant experience.
After achieving Qi Induction and reaching LV1, and cultivating for a few days under Fox Master, she had successfully advanced to LV2.
Without following the main storyline, leveling up in this game was extremely difficult. The second playthrough was slightly easier, but only by a tiny margin.
However, reaching level 2 in just a few days was entirely thanks to Fox Master.
The liquid he had soaked her in expanded her meridians and stabilized her Spiritual Platform, laying an absolutely solid foundation for Su Tangxing.
Thank you, Master.
Recalling the game map, Su Tangxing said, “I heard there’s a clear spring near the bamboo forest, perfect for brewing the sweetest wine.”
Lin Xiangqing nodded, “It’s among the mountain rocks, a naturally formed clear spring.”
Su Tangxing had brewed wine with the clear spring in the game, but she didn’t know what flavor Fox Master preferred.
Fermenting with yeast was also troublesome.
She only knew how to brew wine in the game; in reality, she was like a bride on her wedding sedan—doing it for the first time.
“Are you planning to brew wine?”
Su Tangxing thought she could ask the chefs at the dining hall, but then Lin Xiangqing said, “I know a little about it too. If you don’t mind, I can help.”
“You know how to do this?”
He smiled gently, “When idle, one must find ways to pass the time.”
With his Spiritual Platform damaged and unable to cultivate, his days in the mountains felt slow, especially when watching others thrive with ambition.
Once a prodigy, he had fallen from grace, and there were inevitably many whispers behind his back.
Yet, Lin Xiangqing himself showed no signs of disappointment. He appeared relaxed and composed, dignified and graceful, and never avoided mentioning it.
Su Tangxing pursed her lips and changed the subject, saying, “Then I’ll trouble you for your help.”
Lin Xiangqing shook his head with a smile, “No trouble at all. I’ll go with you.”
He truly had nothing to do. Sect Leader, fearing he might overexert himself, had long since stopped assigning him sect affairs.
Last time, seeing him get along well with Su Tangxing, Sect Leader said, “Your Great-Grandmaster is still young and restless. Our Ancestor Tianchuan, on the other hand…” He glanced outside and chose his words carefully, “is not exactly the most steady, nor has he ever taken a disciple. Xiangqing, please keep an eye on her.”
Such a promising seedling shouldn’t be led astray by the Fox Ancestor.
Speaking of their sect, it originally had a human ancestor.
It’s just that the human race’s founding ancestor died, leaving only two sworn friends. Over all these years, who doesn’t know that among the major sects, only the founding ancestor of the Leisurely Immortal Abode isn’t human.
Lin Xiangqing understood the implication and also grasped the Sect Leader’s meaning.
In the absence of obtaining Phoenix Blood, the Sect Leader wanted him to spend his remaining days lightly and joyfully.
Yet when saying this, the Sect Leader couldn’t help but hesitate, fearing that Lin Xiangqing, upon seeing Su Tangxing—who possessed greater talent and could still cultivate—might fall into self-pity and harm his health.
Lin Xiangqing, with his perceptive mind, naturally understood. He smiled at the Sect Leader and said, “The Great-Grandmaster is content and at ease. Being with her, this disciple’s state of mind broadens, and I can also remain composed.”
The Sect Leader suppressed a sigh, merely smiling as he said, “That’s good then.”
The bamboo forest was not within the sect’s boundaries.
Near the Xianju, there was another place called Vast Mountain, where many demon cultivators and spirit beasts resided. The bamboo forest was located at the border between the Xianju and Vast Mountain.
Moreover, Weixi Mushrooms needed to be picked using spiritual power to prevent decay; ordinary people couldn’t harvest them.
After blowing the whistle to summon the Heavenly Horse, halfway through the flight, raindrops began to drift from the sky.
Su Tangxing looked up, letting the rain fall on her face.
Just as Lin Xiangqing’s fingers touched his storage ring, Su Tangxing had already taken out two raincoats, handing one set to Lin Xiangqing.
“This one is larger; it should fit you.” She draped her own raincoat, tying the thin cord of the bamboo hat, truly feeling as if she were playing a real-life game.
Lin Xiangqing had originally intended to take out a magical artifact, and the disciple robes were also rainproof. But receiving that thick palm-bark raincoat, he too found it amusing.
The upper garment draped over his shoulders, while the bamboo hat was wide in shape, lightweight to carry, and smooth to the touch.
Su Tangxing said, “My mother prepared this for me. Because I grew quickly, among the clothes she packed, she included sizes that would still fit me even when I grew taller.”
The raindrops fell silently upon them. The bamboo hat blocked their view ahead and kept the raindrops at bay, though some still slanted in with the wind, landing on their faces.
She asked Lin Xiangqing, “Are you cold?”
His pale lips were like cherry blossoms in early spring, the corners of his mouth revealing a hint of a smile. Lin Xiangqing shook his head, “I’m not cold at all.”
Passing through the invisible Sect Grand Array, the bamboo forest was now close at hand—a lush expanse of emerald green.
The Heavenly Horse spread its wings, gliding and circling gently as it descended. Its hooves touched the ground, making soft, rustling sounds.
The bamboo forest kept the sound of rain outside. The air was moist, carrying the fresh scent of soil, while thrushes sang from the treetops.
Lin Xiangqing also dismounted and said to Su Tangxing, who had picked up a bamboo pole and was poking around, “Be careful of snakes.”
Su Tangxing verbally acknowledged him but, with her back turned, was doing who knows what.
Lin Xiangqing searched for traces of Weixi Mushrooms. Just as he spotted one, Su Tangxing turned around holding the bamboo pole and asked him, “Look, what’s this?”
Wrapped around the green bamboo pole was a small snake as thick as a thumb.
Its entire body was green, with vertical pupils fixed in their direction, flicking its tongue back and forth.
Lin Xiangqing: “…”
His expression changed drastically as he hurried over. “Quickly, let it go. If it’s venomous and I can’t get you back to the sect in time, it could be dangerous.”
With a stern face, he stepped forward to take the bamboo pole from Su Tangxing. The startled snake crawled upward, but he promptly placed it on the ground, and it swiftly slithered into the grass.
Seeing that although he wore a stern expression, his eyes held a smile, Su Tangxing asked, “Really?”
Lin Xiangqing couldn’t hold back and broke into a smile. “Just teasing you. It’s just that because of the Purification Art, disciples rarely refine detoxification pills anymore. Still, it’s better to be cautious.”
“The sect raises many Spirit Beasts, including snakes. Those snakes won’t bite our disciples. If you’re interested, you can look at them freely when we return.”
Su Tangxing replied, “I was teasing you too. I’ve caught that kind of snake before—they’re not venomous.”
Lin Xiangqing was momentarily stunned before suddenly breaking into laughter.
She crouched down to pick mushrooms.
The mushrooms with black caps indeed stood out here. Su Tangxing walked over, gathering Spiritual Power in her palm.
The soil was soft, and with a gentle tug, the mushroom was uprooted, its base still coated with a white, sticky substance.
Weixi Mushroom 1/80.
Counting it this way in her mind felt quite amusing.
This was different from clicking to harvest in a game and then calculating the seconds until the next yield.
Outside, the rain grew heavier, pattering through the bamboo leaves and sprinkling inside.
As she plucked the mushroom, her hands remained damp with mud.