Chapter 363: Chapter 363: Sharing the Spirit Fruit
This mountain cave is ten zhang high and over a hundred zhang wide, extremely spacious.
At a spot deep within the cave, an underground river flows through, and in the middle of the river, there is a small riverbank merely one zhang wide, where a lone eerie tree grows.
The whole tree is pitch black, about three to four inches thick and only four to five feet tall, with smooth branches that gleam with a luster within the darkness.
On the branch tips hang crimson leaves, long and narrow, each shaped like an art piece made of jade, emitting red light from inside out, subtly illuminating the cave space.
In addition...
Eight fruit, the size of a fist, hang from the tree branches, their surface also crimson, occasionally glimmering.
On one of the branches, a section remains where a fruit seems to have been plucked.
"So that’s how it is..."
Turns out the Mountain Demon’s fortune lies here.
These fruits seem far superior to Biluo Fruit. If that Mountain Demon were to hog them all, surely it could turn into a formidable demon, far more powerful than it is now.
But for now, they all fall into Lu Zheng’s hands.
Lu Zheng reached to pluck them but suddenly paused.
"Wait, is there any lore about this thing," Lu Zheng blinked, "Is there some sort of restriction where it has to be eaten immediately after picking?"
Lu Zheng recalled various tropes from contemporary web novels, none of which allow the protagonist to simply claim the good stuff easily.
"And what about the guardian spirit beast?"
"Oh, right, that Mountain Demon must have been the guardian spirit beast, only to betray its duty and be taken out by me."
Lu Zheng backed away two steps, then circled the eerie tree to survey, probing the tree and fruit with True Qi.
Cautious and vigilant, readying to teleport at any sudden attack from this tree.
Well...
Lu Zheng touched the eerie tree, but it showed no retaliation.
During probing...
Of the eight fruits, five no longer absorb Spiritual Qi from the tree, instead locking all the Qi within their flesh, each morsel imbued with immense Spiritual Qi.
The other three fruits are slightly smaller, seemingly unripe, with streams of Spiritual Qi running inside, forming a circulatory system with the tree.
Though detached from the outer circulation, the Qi within the flesh won’t dissipate, though the effect will certainly be diminished.
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered, and without hesitation, he picked the five ripe fruits.
As for the remaining three...
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered, deliberated a while, and ultimately decided not to pick them.
"Enough is enough, greed cannot be your guide, leave these to fate."
Suppressing greed within, Lu Zheng felt a momentary illusion as though a veil had been lifted from his eyes.
But it was fleeting; upon closer contemplation, he felt no difference within himself.
Shaking his head, Lu Zheng stored the fruits into a gourd, then headed for the cave exit to once again traverse out.
...
Just before, Lu Zheng had pursued the Mountain Demon deep into the forest. Liu Qingyan and the girls from Five Beauties Manor hadn’t followed him.
Partly because Du Yueyao and others needed care, but also out of confidence in Lu Zheng.
Having vanquished many formidable foes, dealing with a mere Mountain Demon, relying solely on physical prowess to bully humans, was no challenge at all.
Moreover, it was the Mountain Demon that was chased away by Lu Zheng.
Out of the valley, Lu Zheng retraced his steps back, soon reaching the village, seeing the group filling a large grave with earth.
"Did you kill that Mountain Demon?" Liu Qingyan approached to ask.
"Yes," Lu Zheng nodded, "I pursued it all the way back to its lair before finishing it off."
Liu Qingyan led Lu Zheng to another pit nearby, where Lu Zheng saw over twenty Mountain Demon corpses inside.
Lu Zheng tapped his gourd, and the defeated Mountain Demon’s corpse was thrown into the pit.
Then came the burial, consigning the group of Mountain Demons to rest here.
As dusk approached, Liu Qingyan said, "Let’s stay here for the night, then move to another village tomorrow."
The group agreed, and Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow with a laugh, "Tonight we’ll have barbecue, and then I’ll treat you all to a goodie to cleanse the palate."
"What kind of goodie?" Yu Mingxin couldn’t resist her curiosity and asked.
Indeed befitting the role of comedic foil.
Lu Zheng laughed heartily, swiped across the mouth of the gourd, flipped his palm, revealing a glowing red fruit.
"Spirit Fruit!"
Although no Spiritual Qi escaped, its shimmering surface clearly confirmed it was indeed Spirit Fruit.
Lu Zheng explained, "I probed with True Qi and found the Qi within this fruit is a hundred times stronger than Biluo Fruit, so one fruit is enough for all of us to share."
"Hiss—" The girls couldn’t help but gasp.
A Spirit Fruit a hundred times more potent than Biluo must take hundreds of years to mature! It might even be older than them!
"Wonderful!" Liu Qingyan nodded repeatedly.
Looking towards Du Yueyao and others, Lu Zheng also smiled, "You can eat too, but only a tiny bit, lest you overindulge."
Spirit Fruit is edible for mortals, but excessive consumption leads to imbalances, a condition not unlike an illness.
Du Yueyao smiled holding back, while Yu Lan’s joy was evident on her face.
"Let’s chop some wood!"
Given that the Spirit Fruit could be consumed by mortals, even if it doesn’t lead to Qi Refining and Longevity, good health is still assured. Du Yueyao’s two guards showed great enthusiasm, chopping enough wood for everyone to make porridge continuously for ten days.
...
At night, the bonfire crackled.
The group brought forth grains, jerky, fruit, and more, while the two guards volunteered to help with the barbecue.
Lu Zheng took out modern condiments and joined everyone in a feast.
They ate until mid-7 PM, nearly finished, before Lu Zheng took out the fruit, supported with Cloud Qi, and sliced portions according to each one’s constitution.
Once the peel was cut, juice trickled out, releasing a faint Qi immediately.
"Gulp..." One guard couldn’t help but swallow.
"Quick, eat while the Qi is still present!"
"Thank you, Young Master Lu!"
"Thank you, Brother Lu!"
"Thanks for the treat, Young Master Lu!"
Lu Zheng, Liu Qingyan, and the Five Beauties Manor girls got larger fruit chunks, while Du Yueyao and her companions received only a thimble-sized portion.
One bite sent them into bliss.
The Spirit Qi entered their bodies, quickly spreading through their stomachs and then integrating into limbs and bones, enhancing True Qi and strengthening their constitution.
Liu Qingyan flushed, her eyes misty, as if tasting fine wine.
The Five Beauties Manor girls were all the same; even Du Yueyao’s group felt ethereal, just a bite and they were intoxicated.
Fortunately, the Spirit Fruit’s effects were mild, and none had consumed excessively, so they recovered shortly after.
"Wow! This fruit is quite potent!" Lu Zheng whispered to himself.
Having shared the Spirit Fruit, it was late; everyone thanked Lu Zheng once more before retiring for the night.