Chapter 18: Picking Lingzhi in the Mountains

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Ning Fei first fed Little Falcon before he took out a can of dog food to feed Sunny.

He woke up even earlier today to tend to his vegetable garden.

After completing his chores, he locked the door and strode on the road towards the mountain.

On his way, he had to pass by Taishan village, where he met Uncle Wang’s and Uncle Li’s ducks. This time, it was Uncle Li’s ducks who waited.

‘Haha. These little ducks are waiting for their friends again.’

‘I’m new here. May I know what’s up with these ducks?’

‘A flock of ducks waiting for another flock of ducks to have fun.’

‘Hmmm…? This sounds weird… Two flocks of ducks… playing?’

‘Stabbing with swords in flocks?’

‘Stop that! I don’t want to visualize it!’

‘Let me off! This bus isn’t going to the kindergarten!’

All sorts of random comments appeared.

Ning Fei walked past the village and continued his way deep into a jungle.

The drone flew closely overhead.

“Dear viewers, I’m at the edge of the Taishan village. If I continue to walk in, we won’t be seeing people anymore.”

Ning Fei stopped by the road and announced casually to the screen, “The jungle is more dangerous, but I have lived here all my life, so there shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, we will be heading to the edge of the jungle today. The real danger lies in the depths of the jungle, where the wild beasts roam.”

“Today, my mission is to pick wild lingzhi¹, bamboo shoot, and other plants to earn some money,” Ning Fei spoke to his viewers.

As the saying went, the mountain dweller lived off the mountain. People who lived near a mountain would find some stuff to sell. And if lady luck was on their side, they could sometimes earn up to several thousand.

‘Host, are you going to search for ginseng?’ many asked.

‘Yeah. What type of plant is profitable?’

‘Are there a lot of ginseng? I also want to go.’

Ning Fei grinned as he explained, ‘I’m not looking for ginseng. This mountain is near the rivers. Ginseng is commonly found in the Northeast mountains. Over there, those who collect ginseng are named ‘Mountain Collectors’. Everyone, don’t belittle this. Before they do anything, they have to do some rituals to pay respects to the mountains. It would take a minimum of a dozen days to months for this process. These collectors would have to gather a great amount of necessities and prepare their equipment. The collectors will travel in a row and would be three meters apart from each other. They would then look out for ginseng in that manner. The first person to discover ginseng is named, ‘Eyeopener’. And if they do so, they have to yell something specific.”

As Ning Fei explained, his viewers unconsciously fell into a trance.

They realized that Ning Fei was very knowledgeable and could narrate clearly.

‘Host, you’re knowledgeable and very detailed,’ someone with a shiny golden VIP account commented.

For Battling Birds Webcast Platform, those who were waiting to fork out sums of money would be given exclusive treatment.

This person’s name was “Master Jiang”. His appearance caused a commotion.

‘Oh my gosh. It’s Master Jiang! He’s here!’

‘Master Jiang? Who is he?’

‘You don’t know him? He is the young master of Vessel Medicine Pharmacy. He is Jiang Feng, Jiang Cheng’s son!’

‘Vessel Medicine Pharmacy? The biggest traditional medicine chain in China?’ 

‘Yes, it’s him! It’s rumored they are worth dozens of billions. He is a true big shot! 

‘Wow, so impressive!’

All the supporters had a heated discussion.

Ning Fei hadn’t noticed anything as he was focused on the mountain.

The biggest difference between Ning Fei’s webcast and the others was that the drone could give the audience a third party’s viewpoint. It allowed them to have a real-time and full view of Ning Fei’s current situation.

This brand new way of livestreaming was indeed favorable.

“Today, I am collecting lingzhi. This will depend on my luck as it’s not easy to find,” Ning Fei added.

“Lingzhi is also named the ‘divine medicinal herb’ or even ‘magical grass’. It has a good deal of medicinal properties. It mainly lives near the roots of decaying trees, so if you want to collect lingzhi, you have to find a spot where a lot of trees are gathered near each other.”

Ning Fei strode ahead as he talked.

The drone was a compact one and could even detect a person, so it was able to keep close to Ning Fei.

At this time, Jiang Feng was sitting in a vintage-looking study as he watched Ning Fei’s webcast with interest.

He was the young master of Vessel Medicine Pharmacy and a prime example of an extremely wealthy second generation. He was also a learned man, especially in the areas of traditional medicine.

He enjoyed watching webcasts, mainly outdoor and gaming ones.

Today, he had discovered and unearthed a talented webcaster.

It was naturally Ning Fei.

His room was named “Light Breeze Temple Webcast Room”. The name itself had expressed an indescribable feeling and intrigued Jiang Feng.

He came from a traditional and conventional family. Vessel Medicine Pharmacy had opened its doors during the final years of the Qing dynasty. Generation after generation, the legacy had been passed down, and the business had expanded. Nevertheless, it had preserved its original traditions and style.

He was very sensitive about things regarding Chinese culture and traditions.

And he had found both qualities in Ning Fei.

As Ning Fei’s eyes wandered everywhere, he began to talk, “Let me fill you in on the difference between a wild lingzhi and an artificial lingzhi.

“Wild lingzhi grows on rotten, decaying trees in the depths of the forests and jungles. Surrounding it would be weeds and rocks. Lingzhi comes in many types, colors, and shapes. Artificial lingzhi tends to imitate the real thing intentionally, but it would appear uniform in terms of color and shape.

Lingzhi also comes in various sizes, and every lingzhi plant has a unique characteristic. An artificial lingzhi is manufactured identically in terms of color and shape.”

“Next, let’s talk about the wild lingzhi. This lingzhi would definitely be attacked by insects, so the bottom part of the plant would have holes. For artificial lingzhi that is planted by people, there would be pesticides sprayed to eliminate the pests.

“Besides, the taste of a wild lingzhi is bitter. The more bitter it is, the more effective it is. As the saying goes, good medicine tastes bitter, and some have claimed that the saying is derived from the lingzhi.”

“Lastly, you have to look at the stem of the lingzhi. Wild lingzhi grows in the wild, and there would be weeds in its environment. Inevitably, you would find weeds tangled up with the lingzhi plant.”

Ning Fei spoke professionally, and the viewers got drunk on his voice.

‘Who can tell me more about what the host is rambling about?’

‘It’s weird, but I’ve increased my knowledge.’

‘Host, we can’t afford to buy lingzhi, no matter how much you promote it!’

‘Host, is everything you said true?’

Zoom!

Suddenly, the resounding sound of a rocket was heard as it appeared and shot upwards from the bottom of the screen.

A super rocket!

Someone had rewarded Ning Fei with a super rocket!

And the person was none other than Master Jiang!

‘Boss is indeed generous!’

‘Haha! Boss is mighty!’

‘Young Master Jiang is the best!’

The comments came in furiously.

Jiang Feng sat in front of his laptop as he nodded his head. Ning Fei was indeed a webcaster with real knowledge in his head. He had watched many livestreams, and at a glance, he would be able to tell whether they were merely trying to please the viewers.

After a short while, Jiang Feng had discovered that Ning Fei was the real deal.

He reminisced about how he had accompanied his family to pick herbs. He also recalled how he had learned about plants and medicine, and he suddenly turned melancholic. Thus, he had sent a super rocket.

At this time, Ning Fei had noticed the huge reward.

He took a look at the name and grinned happily. “Thank you, Master Jiang, for the super rocket. Thank you!”

Ning Fei was overjoyed.

A super rocket was worth 2,000 yuan¹. He would receive 800 yuan out of that.

It was indeed an easy way to earn money.

But he also understood that it was time he decided on a contract with a platform. After all, he would get better benefits with a contract.

At this time, Ning Fei seemed to have caught sight of something. He exclaimed aloud, “There it is!”

At Ning Fei’s expression, the viewers were all lured to the sight.

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