Deep in the forest, a man and a snake moved forward.
Because few people ever entered this mountain, the ground was covered with quite a few dry fallen leaves.
With every step, the branches and twigs beneath their feet gave off crisp cracking sounds.
In this forest, Lin Xuan was like a passerby, casually taking in the sights as he walked.
After walking for half a day, he suddenly stopped.
Xiao Qing, who had been slithering beside him, was slightly stunned when it saw Lin Xuan abruptly stop. It quickly halted as well.
Not far ahead of Lin Xuan stood a massive tree, so thick that it would take two adults linking arms to encircle it.
Growing on its trunk were nearly dark brown-black fungi with umbilicate caps.
If Lin Xuan was not mistaken, these should be lingzhi.
"Xiao Qing, come over and take a look with me."
After saying that, Lin Xuan walked toward the tree.
When he reached the tree and examined it carefully, his face lit up with joy. He had not been mistaken—these really were lingzhi!
(What did the streamer find? Is he interested in that tree?)
(But I have to say, this tree is really huge!)
(Indeed. Judging by how thick it is, it would probably take two adults to wrap their arms around it.)
(It is pretty amazing to see such a huge tree deep in this forest.)
"Everyone, I'm not looking at the tree. I'm looking at the fungi growing on it. If I'm not mistaken, these are lingzhi."
(Lingzhi?)
(So this thing is lingzhi.)
(Streamer, how old are these lingzhi? Could they be Thousand-year Lingzhi?)
(Heh, you must be way too absorbed in fantasy novels. Thousand-year Lingzhi, my ass.)
(How could lingzhi possibly live for a thousand years?)
(Thousand-year Lingzhi often appears in TV dramas and novels, but that is nonsense. Most lingzhi are annual plants. So-called Thousand-year Lingzhi refers to lingzhi growing on thousand-year-old trees; lingzhi themselves do not have such long growth cycles.)
(Besides, even if Thousand-year Lingzhi really existed, as long as there was a lead, plenty of merchants would probably rush to buy it.)
(Lingzhi is praised as the King of All Herbs and the Immortal Herb, also known as the Spirit of the Forest. For thousands of years, physicians throughout the ages have regarded it as a miraculous tonic treasure.)
(The Compendium of Materia Medica, Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, and other works all list lingzhi as a top-grade medicine.)
"That viewer was right. It would be wonderful if these really were Thousand-year Lingzhi, but unfortunately, they are not."
"Still, finding lingzhi out here in the wild proves that my luck as a streamer is truly good."
"After all, I believe everyone knows fairly well what lingzhi can do."
(Streamer, are you planning to pick those lingzhi?)
(If the streamer picks them, can I buy some?)
(Haha, how old are you, man? Are you already at the age where you need supplements?)
(Haha, you should exercise more restraint. It would not be good to start taking supplements at such a young age.)
"There are not many of them. If I pick them, I plan to keep them for myself. If I find more in the future, I'll select a few viewers and give some away."
There were only three large lingzhi on this side of the tree, so Lin Xuan did not plan to sell them.
(If the streamer finds more lingzhi in the future, he'll just give them away? That's awesome!)
(Yeah, then we won't have to spend money buying them. I love getting stuff for free.)
(The moment you opened your mouth, everyone could tell you were a shameless freeloader.)
"These lingzhi appear to have been growing for nearly two years. Even if I leave them alone, they will not be long from decaying."
"Wild lingzhi are exposed to sun and rain, so their color naturally bears mottled traces of time. Since they grow in a natural environment, they can be damaged by wild insects, which is why irregular insect holes can sometimes be found beneath their fruiting bodies."
"To determine the age of wild lingzhi, we need to look at the weight of an individual piece. If one weighs around two or three taels, it is usually about two or three years old."
"If a single lingzhi weighs around half a jin, it has grown for at least five years. Lingzhi weighing seven taels to one jin have generally grown for at least seven or eight years."
"But ordinary wild lingzhi simply cannot grow for seven or eight years."
(So that's how it is. Thanks for the explanation, Streamer.)
(Then how long can picked lingzhi be stored?)
(Yeah, if they cannot be stored for long after being picked, the streamer needs to be careful.)
"After wild lingzhi are picked, their shelf life is generally around two years. If stored properly and kept at a suitable temperature, they can last up to five years."
"But even then, because lingzhi become heavily woody, they no longer have much nutritional value."
"So after picking lingzhi, it is best to consume them as soon as possible."
(Oh, I learned something new, even though I can't afford it.)
(Haha, same here.)
(Rather than saying I can't afford it, I simply don't need supplements.)
(Haha, is the person above hinting at that guy from earlier? How amusing.)
(I remember that when I was little, I often got sick. Back then, my parents bought me lots of supplements to build up my body, and I ended up being over-supplemented.)
(Now whenever I take supplements, I easily get nosebleeds. When I went to the hospital, the doctor said I did not need supplements at all and told me to eat as little of them as possible.)
(Wow, that's some serious humblebragging. The moment you opened your mouth, everyone could tell your family was rich.)
Lin Xuan took out his tools and skillfully picked the three lingzhi growing on the trunk. Then he wrapped them in plastic wrap and placed them in his backpack.
He was delighted as well. He had only just entered the mountains and had already found precious lingzhi.
If he continued deeper into the mountains, who knew what else he might discover?
After putting away his tools, Lin Xuan continued onward with Xiao Qing.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly heard a small bird calling nearby.
"Gehe, gehe, gehe."
Hearing the birdcall, Xiao Qing raised its head and slithered directly toward the sound.
Bird calls meant food.
Seeing Xiao Qing slither into the nearby brush, Lin Xuan hurried after it.
After pushing aside the grass, Lin Xuan saw a bird in the distance calling out. Its upper body was dark brown, its underparts white with thick brown vertical streaks; its underwing coverts were brown with round white spots, and its tail was dark brown, with broken yellowish-brown patches on the outer tail feathers except for the central pair.
"Could this be a Saker Falcon?"
When Lin Xuan saw the bird's distinctive appearance, he was visibly stunned.
(What kind of bird is that? It looks pretty imposing.)
(Indeed. Could it be a falcon?)
(Xiao Qing, what is Xiao Qing doing? Is it going to hunt that bird?)
Before you continue