Chapter 73: A Century-Old Ginseng and Tangyuan’s Strange Behavior

Deep in the dense forest…

Seeing that familiar flash of white racing toward him, Lin Ye couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. He'd been ready to leave, assuming Tangyuan was long gone. But against all odds, Tangyuan… had come back!

"Squeak, squeak!"

With a delighted squeak, the snow-white creature dashed at high speed, stopping right at Lin Ye's feet.

"Tangyuan, what's that in your mouth?"

As Tangyuan approached, Lin Ye noticed the little white puffball was carrying something between its teeth—a plant, freshly pulled from the ground. But with Tangyuan holding it, Lin Ye couldn't make out what type of plant it was.

"Squeak!"

Hearing Lin Ye's question, the little Gold-Eating Rat stood up on its hind legs, carefully placing the plant on the ground. It then waved its tiny paws, pointing first at Lin Ye, then at the plant.

"You're saying… this is a gift for me?"

Interpreting Tangyuan's actions, Lin Ye asked in mild surprise, bending down to pick up the plant. But as soon as he held it, Lin Ye realized what it was—a ginseng root!

However, the ginseng looked a bit rough around the edges, covered in clumps of dirt and still bearing its leaves and stem. No wonder Lin Ye hadn't recognized it at first.

"This looks like… a hundred-year-old ginseng!"

Observing the root more closely, Lin Ye noticed that it was nearly as thick as a banana, and its leaves had an aged look to them. Based on these signs, he could tell it was at least a century old.

"Little guy, I didn't expect you to find such a treasure. Could you show me where you found this ginseng?"

Lin Ye crouched down with a gentle smile, speaking to Tangyuan.

For the past seven days, he'd been battling powerful soul beasts like the Thunder Demon Bear, Swift Gale Wolf, and Scarlet Fire Tiger in the Endless Night Forest. These fights had pushed Lin Ye's Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique to progress even faster. He was already at 60% of the first level, and if he kept at it, he'd break through within half a year.

But once he reached that milestone, ordinary food wouldn't be enough to sustain his cultivation speed. He'd need soul beast meat and medicinal herbs to aid his training. This century-old ginseng would be perfect for that.

What puzzled Lin Ye, though, was how Tangyuan managed to find such a rare herb. Usually, valuable plants like this were guarded by strong soul beasts. Given Tangyuan's tiny frame, it would've been nearly impossible to snatch this ginseng from another beast.

"Did you pick this up from somewhere?"

"Squeak, squeak!"

Tangyuan tilted its head in confusion, spinning around as though trying to decipher Lin Ye's words.

"I'm asking where you found this ginseng." Lin Ye couldn't help but chuckle. He pointed to the ginseng in his hand, then at Tangyuan, and finally gestured toward the distant forest.

Understanding Lin Ye at last, Tangyuan squeaked excitedly and tugged on Lin Ye's pants leg before darting off toward the trees.

"You want me to follow you?"

Smiling, Lin Ye activated his Phoenix Dance Six Illusions technique and kept pace with Tangyuan.

After following the little creature for several kilometers, Lin Ye reached a clearing, centered around a large boulder surrounded by flowers and grass. Here, Tangyuan finally stopped.

Standing at the edge of the clearing, Lin Ye noticed a series of twisted trails in the grass leading straight to the boulder. At the end of these trails, near the rock, were several dry, shed snakeskins and scattered snake scales. Nearby, he spotted a freshly dug hole in the soil.

"Did you dig up the ginseng here?"

Kneeling by the small hole, Lin Ye touched the surrounding earth—it was still moist.

"Squeak!" Tangyuan nodded enthusiastically.

Lin Ye took another look around, moving closer to the large boulder. The stone stood over five meters tall, its surface rough and weathered with countless scratch marks. Below the marks, he found more dry, dark-green scales.

It became clear that the snake which lived here must have regularly rubbed against the stone during shedding, leaving scales behind.

"Dark-green scales…"

Picking up a scale the size of his palm, Lin Ye examined it closely. A thought occurred to him.

"Could this belong to the Mandala Snake I encountered yesterday?"

Turning his gaze to Tangyuan, he couldn't help but ask, "Tangyuan, did you try to steal this ginseng yesterday, only to get chased by that Mandala Snake? And when I killed it, you seized the chance to bring the ginseng back?"

Not that he expected Tangyuan to understand, but Lin Ye couldn't help chuckling at the absurdity. He glanced over at the little white mouse lying on the ground, looking as if it hadn't fully grasped his words.

"Squeak?" Tangyuan tilted its head, clearly puzzled.

"Figures. With that little body of yours, it'd be hard to swipe a treasure like this from any other soul beast. Looks like you got lucky."

Lin Ye chuckled, amused by his adorable companion, and gently petted Tangyuan's soft, snow-white fur before lifting it onto his shoulder.

"Well, that clears up my curiosity. Let's go. Hold on tight!"

Stowing the century-old ginseng into his jade pendant, Lin Ye activated his Phoenix Dance Six Illusions, leaping up onto a tall tree branch before dashing forward.

"Squeak, squeak…"

Tangyuan clung to Lin Ye's shoulder as they sped through the forest, its sharp claws gripping his clothes tightly as the world blurred by.

Even Lin Ye could feel its little claws digging in.

"Don't worry. I've got a steady hand," he reassured the trembling creature as he continued to move.

But after traveling a few more kilometers with the Phoenix Dance Six Illusions, Tangyuan suddenly began squeaking urgently. It grabbed Lin Ye's clothes with one paw and pointed in another direction with the other.

"What's wrong?" Lin Ye asked, puzzled.

"Squeak, squeak!"

Tangyuan kept squeaking, its small paw frantically pointing toward a specific direction, as if trying to lead him somewhere.

"Is there something over there?"

Although Lin Ye was confused by Tangyuan's reaction, he decided it was worth checking out. With his speed, he could reach Evernight City in under half a day, so there was no rush.

Without further hesitation, Lin Ye changed direction mid-leap, heading toward the spot Tangyuan had indicated.

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