Jiang Ping was incredibly excited. After eating this Ginseng Fruit, he might undergo a complete transformation on the spot and reach the Heavenly Immortal realm—or even the Golden Immortal realm.
As expected, opportunities were everywhere in the Primordial World.
But Jiang Ping felt a little embarrassed, so he handed the Ginseng Fruit back to Zhen Yuanzi.
"Mister Da Yuan, this Ginseng Fruit is far too precious. I absolutely can't accept it. As the saying goes, one shouldn't accept rewards without earning them. Besides, Mister Xiao Hong looks quite ill. Why don't you give it to him? It might have an amazing effect."
Zhen Yuanzi froze. "Ginseng Fruit?"
Jiang Ping smiled and explained, "It's just another name for it. Please, put it away."
Zhen Yuanzi immediately regarded him with deep respect. A true expert was indeed a true expert. He had passed along such a precious Innate Spiritual Root without batting an eye. It seemed he had reached a state of mind free from worldly distractions.
Still, I hadn't even known that the Grass Returning Pill was also called Ginseng Fruit. The expert's knowledge and insight really are extraordinary.
Though the expert had returned it to me, perhaps this was some kind of test, to see if I was truly willing to give it up.
The Ginseng Fruit was precious, but if it could win even a little of the expert's favor, it would all be worth it.
"Sir, please don't be polite. Go ahead and accept it. To tell you the truth, this Spirit Fruit is valuable, but I have a chance to get a little more."
Jiang Ping shook his head. "Do you think you're Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi? As far as I know, only Zhen Yuanzi has Ginseng Fruit in the Primordial World. If you give me this one, getting another will be incredibly difficult. After all, that Ginseng Fruit tree only bears a few fruits every several tens of thousands of years."
Zhen Yuanzi was instantly overjoyed.
The expert actually knew my name! That's so exciting!
He hurriedly cupped his hands. "I didn't mean to hide it from you. Actually, I am..."
Before he could finish, Zhen Yuanzi suddenly jolted, his heart seized with terror.
He had nearly given himself away. He had nearly plunged into a fate of eternal damnation!
The expert knew my name, yet he hadn't said it outright. There must be a deeper meaning behind that, and I still haven't figured it out!
And I was so bold as to think about exposing myself right to his face. If I said my name, the very moment the words left my mouth would be the moment I died!
Zhen Yuanzi looked at Jiang Ping, who was smiling warmly, and grew even more apprehensive.
Beneath that sincere smile of the expert's, perhaps boundless murderous intent was concealed!
Jiang Ping blinked. "Hmm? Da Yuan, what were you going to say?"
Zhen Yuanzi quickly changed his answer. "I meant to say, I actually have another Ginseng Fruit at home that I didn't bring with me."
Jiang Ping chuckled. "Not bad, Da Yuan. I wouldn't have guessed your family was so wealthy. You actually have two of these precious Ginseng Fruits."
Zhen Yuanzi gave an awkward smile. Two? I have an entire tree!
Of course, he didn't dare say that out loud now.
Jiang Ping thought, Since Da Yuan has another one, I won't stand on ceremony. He took the Ginseng Fruit Zhen Yuanzi offered him again and eagerly tried a bite.
Hiss!
Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!
Jiang Ping took one bite and spat it right out.
What was that taste?
Sweet, but also astringent. Astringent, but also sour. And underneath it all, there was a hint of milky fragrance.
Greasy!
Disgusting!
It wasn't even as good as the cucumbers and tomatoes in the backyard!
It couldn't compare with the fruit trees he had personally planted and grafted, either!
Hong Yun's heart ached as he watched Jiang Ping spit out the Ginseng Fruit after one bite.
The Grass Returning Pill was a wonderful thing. Hadn't he traveled with that despicable Zhen Yuanzi all this way just for the chance to get one?
He hadn't even tasted it yet, and the expert was already wasting it so carelessly.
What a pity. Such a pity!
But Hong Yun also felt a little gleeful. That served Zhen Yuanzi right for showing off.
He'd tried to win the expert over with a Ginseng Fruit. Who could have guessed the expert wouldn't think much of it?
Heh, that was karma for you.
Zhen Yuanzi felt terribly distressed when he saw Jiang Ping spit it out.
This was one of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots!
Even he usually couldn't bear to eat one.
An ordinary living being could prolong their life and ascend to immortality by eating one.
A Taiyi or Great Luo could increase their cultivation and Magic Power.
That one bite was worth a full five hundred years of cultivation!
And the expert had just wasted it like that.
It was truly upsetting.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I really can't stand the taste of this Ginseng Fruit."
"Alas, what should I do? I've already taken a bite. It'd be a waste to throw it away, but it doesn't seem right to give it back to you, either. What do you think, Mister Da Yuan?"
Jiang Ping noticed how strangely the two of them were acting and felt terribly guilty.
Da Yuan had given him such a precious Spirit Fruit, but the taste was simply too hard to stomach. Alas, he couldn't appreciate it.
Besides, he hadn't felt anything magical after taking a bite.
Could this Da Yuan have tricked him? Maybe it wasn't a Ginseng Fruit at all.
He remembered Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie enjoying them in Journey to the West. Were immortals really into such acquired tastes?
Zhen Yuanzi's feelings were all over the place, and his face twitched.
He could only force a laugh. "Please do as you like, sir. If it tastes bad, just throw it away."
Hong Yun's heart bled. He wanted to shout, "Give it to me! I want it!"
He didn't mind the expert's saliva!
Jiang Ping felt awkward. Then he had an idea: perhaps Da Huang and the others would like the Ginseng Fruit.
He immediately said, "Da Yuan, why don't I give it to Da Huang and the others? I've depended on them for years. We've always shared everything we eat and drink, so they're practically family. I'm not trying to insult you."
Zhen Yuanzi asked in confusion, "Da Huang?"
Jiang Ping smiled faintly and whistled. Da Huang, Xiao Bai, and the Heng Ha Generals all jumped out at once.
As several animals sprang out of nowhere, Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun narrowed their eyes.
These few seemed a little unusual, especially that silly dog and the little kitten.
They seemed to have sensed their auras somewhere before.
"Come along, little ones. This Ginseng Fruit is a wonderful thing. You can have it today."
After saying this, Jiang Ping snapped it apart with a few sharp twists and tossed out several pieces.
Zhen Yuanzi's eyelid twitched at the sight.
The expert's strength truly was unfathomable!
This Ginseng Fruit was one of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots, and its flesh was comparable to a spiritual treasure.
Only when it touched someone's mouth would it transform into something easy to eat and swallow.
Left out in the open, it was impervious to blades, spears, water, and fire, and wouldn't spoil for thousands of years.
Yet the expert had broken it apart with his bare hands. That was no easy feat.
After all, the expert hadn't used even the slightest bit of Magic Power in the slightest movement. Zhen Yuanzi couldn't sense even a trace of spiritual energy.
Such a method was truly inconceivable.
Alas, even if he hadn't won the expert's favor, these ordinary animals seemed to mean a great deal to him. If they ate the fruit, that would be like winning the expert over by proxy. Then offering the Ginseng Fruit wouldn't have been a loss.
But when he saw what happened next, he began shaking his head and sighing nonstop.
The Heng Ha Generals hopped over and pecked at it twice with their little beaks, then abruptly shook their heads.
The two tufts of hair on their heads whipped around wildly. Judging by the look of them, they clearly weren't satisfied.
Jiang Ping felt awkward and kicked the Heng Ha Generals away.
He scolded them with a laugh, "Get lost! You're so picky about something this tasty. Looking at you, anyone would think you had chicken fever!"
"Da Huang, Xiao Bai, you eat the rest!"
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