Page 22

Yan Kexing continued reading his documents amid that atmosphere.

Shi Wen secretly watched him. As the car traveled through the wilderness, he seemed to glow amid the shifting light and shadows.

The car sped down the highway.

Shi Wen did not know when he fell asleep. By the time he woke again, the car had already stopped in a grove of Euphrates Poplars.

It was spring, and the Euphrates Poplars had sprouted pale green leaves.

They stood by the roadside and looked out. Fresh green stretched before them, while a faint milky-white mist wound through the woods. The air was moist and fresh, and Shi Wen felt thoroughly nourished.

The five of them each took a small basket from the trunk, packed a small dagger inside, then split into two groups and entered the woods.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing formed one group.

None of the three, Gong Jiang included, had the courage to be grouped with their advisor, so Shi Wen took the initiative to suggest going with Yan Kexing.

They entered the woods from the roadside.

The forest floor was covered in dead branches and fallen leaves from previous years, along with all sorts of weeds that had grown this year. It was a patchwork mess, making things difficult to find.

Shi Wen trudged through the woods, his steps uneven, but after searching for more than twenty minutes, he had not found a single Bachu Mushroom.

Yan Kexing was dozens of meters away from him, searching in the same direction.

Shi Wen called to Yan Kexing nearby. "Yan Kexing, have you found any?"

Yan Kexing said, "A few."

"Really?"

Shi Wen hurried over to Yan Kexing and saw that a thin layer of Bachu Mushrooms really did line the bottom of his basket.

He had actually found some!

Bachu Mushrooms were very easy to recognize. Their white stems were topped with caps resembling wood ear mushrooms, so it was basically impossible to confuse them with anything else.

Shi Wen looked up at Yan Kexing in disbelief. "How did you find so many?"

Yan Kexing said, "Maybe luck?"

"Our luck is way too different, isn't it?" Shi Wen looked at his empty basket and decisively said, "I'm walking with you!"

Yan Kexing glanced at him. "We'll go this way."

Yan Kexing changed direction, and Shi Wen quickly followed.

The two walked side by side through the woods. Before long, Yan Kexing said, "There's one up ahead."

"Where?" Shi Wen widened his eyes and scanned the ground full of dead branches and leaves. After a while, he spotted a black object diagonally ahead to the left and pointed. "Is it over there?"

Yan Kexing nodded.

Shi Wen strode over and squatted down. Sure enough, there was a tiny Bachu Mushroom.

Excitement flashed in his eyes. He quickly took the dagger from his basket, cut the Bachu Mushroom off close to the ground, then swept the fallen leaves back over the cut to conceal it.

He pinched the Bachu Mushroom and examined it before his eyes.

The Bachu Mushroom was only as long as his finger, with a white stem and a black cap. It was plump and carried a rich mushroom fragrance.

He sniffed it, then put it into his small basket. "This would definitely make amazing soup."

Yan Kexing said, "If we gather enough, I'll take you to an old restaurant that specializes in Bachu Mushrooms later."

"There's an old restaurant like that?" Shi Wen was immediately interested. "Then let's keep looking. We should be able to gather enough for a meal."

Shi Wen gradually realized that Yan Kexing was very familiar with the forest and had excellent eyesight. He could always spot clues to Bachu Mushrooms before Shi Wen even noticed them.

Meanwhile, Shi Wen searched everywhere without finding any Bachu Mushrooms, but he did discover something unusual.

When he saw a branch lying on the ground, Shi Wen pointed at it and turned to Yan Kexing. "Don't you think this branch is positioned rather cleverly? It looks like someone deliberately placed it there."

Yan Kexing examined it carefully, but before he could answer—

Ge Yue's clear voice came from behind them. "Professor, you made it here too? What are you looking at?"

Shi Wen watched them emerge from the woods, then noticed the solitary Bachu Mushrooms in their baskets. Answering her latter question, he said, "I think this branch looks like a marker."

At his words, Ge Yue and the other two leaned over to look.

Gong Jiang said, "There are branches everywhere in the woods. It doesn't seem any different. Which branch are you talking about?"

Shi Wen squatted down, casually picked up a branch, and pointed at the one he thought was a marker. "This one—I saw several similar branches along the way. Their length, color, and the direction they were placed in are all slightly different from the other branches."

Ge Yue and the other two stared hard, but still could not see any difference.

Ge Yue said, "It probably isn't a marker, right? If someone wanted to leave a marker, they wouldn't make it on the ground."

Lin Chengqian said, "Could it be that local mushroom gatherers are afraid they won't find their way back without markers, but are also afraid others will notice them, so they make them especially inconspicuous?"

Shi Wen shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

Yan Kexing said, "If there really are markers, we'll know by following them."

None of the others could spot the markers. Only Shi Wen could see them.

So he ended up leading the way, following the markers onward.

After walking for less than five minutes, Shi Wen saw that the markers pointed toward a peach tree.

It was already early summer. Most of the peach blossoms had fallen, leaving behind small, unripe fruits.

Pink petals carpeted the ground beneath the tree.

Judging by how intact the petals were, no one should have come here.

Shi Wen looked at the peach tree in confusion, then turned to look at the branches that had led them here. "The branches point to this peach tree, but I don't know what is special about it."

Gong Jiang walked around it once. "There aren't any Bachu Mushrooms nearby. It probably isn't a clue left for finding Bachu Mushrooms."

Shi Wen shook his head. "I don't know, but the branches really do point here."

Yan Kexing looked thoughtful. "It might be Small Forest Mice."

Gong Jiang said, "No way? Small Forest Mice really have a navigation system?!"

Shi Wen, Ge Yue, and Lin Chengqian were all completely baffled.

Yan Kexing turned to glance at them and explained, "Studies have shown that Small Forest Mice have the habit of arranging landmarks for navigation, mainly to lead them to where food is located."