Stoneborn was thinking about the trouble he had just caused, while the old man's words made Hui Mian think of the snake from earlier.
"Did it belong to that snake just now? Don't worry, then. It willingly gave it to us!"
As if it had done so willingly!
The old man smiled without exposing the truth, merely shaking his head.
"No, no. That snake was only guarding this place to keep birds and beasts from eating the spiritual herb by mistake. Come, come! If you're hungry, I'll treat you!"
As he spoke, the old man crooked a finger toward the ground beside him. Before long, a small mound rose from the soil. As crumbs of earth and little stones fell away, something pushed up from below.
Stoneborn and Hui Mian watched curiously. A few breaths later, a root actually emerged from underground, with several things resembling oversized potatoes hanging from it, each as big as the mouth of a bowl.
The old man tapped the root with his vine staff. All eight "potatoes" dropped to the ground, and the root burrowed back underground.
"These are called earth-spirit ginger, also known as underground fruit. You won't find them anywhere else. They'll certainly fill your stomach. Just pat the dirt off, and you can eat them raw."
As he spoke, the old man handed an earth-spirit ginger to Stoneborn. Stoneborn took it and weighed it in his hand. It felt heavy, and he could sense the spiritual energy within sloshing like water.
Then Stoneborn patted off the dirt. A film of water appeared over his palm, and with a gentle sweep, he cleared away every last speck of dust from the earth-spirit ginger.
The old man nodded slightly at the sight. The little child's technique revealed neither mountain nor water, leaving not