Tea tree
After storing the last piece of Rock Scallion in his Storage Space, Lu Heng raised his hand and lightly swept away the small pieces of stone fragments in his palm.
All the available spice plants at the bottom of the cliff had been picked, and the scattered salt crystals in the rock crevices had been chiseled out and stored properly. The surrounding rock walls were quiet and still, without the roar of beasts, the sound of wind, or any new animal footprints on the ground. The entire rock slope was temporarily in a state of absolute safety.
They could have returned directly to the Shelter.
He looked up at the endless, massive rock face before him, his gaze lingering on the uneven surface for a moment before he stopped in his tracks.
This rocky area is a salt-gathering spot exclusively for the Horned Sheep, an unfamiliar territory I've never explored before. Now that I've arrived, it would be a shame to leave so hastily. I'll walk around the rock face laterally, firstly to try my luck and search for any hidden supply points, and secondly to use the high ground as a vantage point to thoroughly understand the layout of this unfamiliar terrain and preemptively identify potential hazards on my future hunting route.
Having made up his mind, Lu Heng took a step forward and steadily moved forward along the contours of the rock face.
The mountain wind blew horizontally along the cliff face, the dry air brushing against my cheeks, carrying the scorching heat of the rocks after they had been baked in the sun.
The further you go, the more open and expansive the mountain landscape becomes.
The fine cracks in the rock that had previously oozed salt crystals have completely disappeared. The entire rock wall has become clean, flat, and bare. The rock is hard and dense, and its surface has been polished smooth and delicate by the mountain winds over the years. Not a trace of frost-white salt crystals can be seen anymore.
The rock face is long and barren, stretching as far as the eye can see.
The scenery along the way was monotonous: layers of gray-white rocks piled up, the ground covered with small pebbles and dry, hardened soil. There was no novel vegetation, no unusual sounds, and not even a trace of birds or animals. The afternoon sun hung obliquely in the sky, its rays warming the back of my neck, a faint warmth slowly seeping into my skin.
There was no tension of battle, no excitement of treasure hunting; all that remained was mechanical forward movement.
This didn't feel like wilderness survival exploration at all; it felt more like a tedious and monotonous mountain climb.
Lu Heng remained silent throughout, walking alone on the empty rocky slope, not uttering a single word. The only sound was the soft, repetitive rustling of his shoes over the gravel, a monotonous sound that gradually wore down his patience.
The tedious journey lasted for nearly half an hour.
Just as the feeling of boredom was growing stronger, the endless rock wall in front of me finally came to an end.
A raised rock platform cuts off the horizontal stone wall, and the terrain rises accordingly, forming a flat-topped cliff platform that is several meters higher than the surrounding area.
Lu Heng paused slightly, raised his hand to hold onto the protruding rock edge, his fingertips touching the sun-baked rock. He then used his hands and feet alternately, stepping on the stable rock footholds, and steadily climbed up.
The moment you reach the summit, your view opens up instantly.
The layered terrain of the entire mountain forest unfolds before your eyes, with dense forests stretching endlessly in the distance and rocky slopes interspersed nearby. The slanting light and shadows make the outline of the mountains and fields exceptionally clear.
He casually glanced around the rock platform, but his steps abruptly stopped when his gaze swept over a corner.
A tea tree grows quietly in a crevice in the sheltered rock of the cliff.
The tree is not tall, barely reaching the knees, with vigorous branches and rough bark, making it an easily recognizable tea tree. The dark green leaves are layered, thick and glossy, standing out conspicuously and abruptly among the gray and barren bare rocks.
On a barren mountain with rocky cliffs and scarce soil, a complete tea tree can grow.
Lu Heng lowered his body slightly, took two small steps forward, raised his hand to Wristband, and pointed it at the plant.
The entry slowly popped up, without any unnecessary fancy embellishments, only the true attributes of the wilderness.
[Cliffside Tea Tree]
Brief introduction: It grows alone in the crevices of cliffs and rocks in dry, sheltered places. It is tolerant of poor soil and wind-dried conditions. The leaves can be dried and made into tea. When brewed, it can dispel physical fatigue, clear the mind, and relieve mental drowsiness accumulated after long journeys, night watch, or battles.
His fingertips unconsciously traced the hilt of the Hunting Blade, his gaze fixed on the tea tree growing in the crevice of the rock.
Surviving in the wilderness, with its reversed day and night, the sleepless nights spent guarding Shelter, the long journeys, and the intense battles, will inevitably leave you feeling exhausted and mentally sluggish. Once your spirits are relaxed, it will be a fatal weakness in the treacherous mountains and forests.
In the past, he could only grit his teeth and endure the waves of drowsiness.
He leaned closer, his gaze following the branches downwards, carefully observing the location where the plant's roots were planted.
The soil layer in the cracks of the rocks is shallow and nutrient-poor. The wind is strong and the environment is dry, making the living environment extremely harsh. The entire tea tree survives by taking root in the thin layer of soil in the cracks of the rocks. The surrounding area is bare, with no seedlings in sight. It is the only one of its kind.
My gaze swept back and forth across the depths of the cracks in the rocks, and an idea slowly took shape in my mind.
It's such a waste to have it growing on this desolate cliff top.
The surrounding soil of the Shelter is stable, sheltered from the wind, warm, and has a small stream that draws water, making it far more suitable for its growth than this barren cliff. If it can be dug up and transplanted back intact, tea can be harvested for a long time, adding a long-term and stable resource to the cave dwelling.
Once he made up his mind, Lu Heng no longer hesitated. He squatted down to the side and peered into the crack in the rock to examine the root system.
The tea trees take root in the crevices of the rocks, with their roots spreading along the cracks. Due to the constraints of the terrain, their roots are not deep and do not have a large taproot that extends in all directions. The overall root system is relatively concentrated, making them fully capable of being transplanted.
Lu Heng drew the Bronze Hunting Blade from his waist, blade facing outwards, and with extremely light movements, carefully dug along the edge of the crevice.
He dared not use too much force, fearing that the blade hitting the rock would cause vibrations and break the delicate roots. He carefully pried open the dry gravel, peeled away the thin layer of soil, and patiently cleaned away the rock and soil covering the roots.
The soil on the cliff is dry and hard, mixed with sharp-edged gravel, making it extremely difficult to dig, as you have to find the right angle every time you cut the blade.
With patience and careful peeling, the gravel and soil gradually dispersed, revealing fine white roots that were intact and coiled in the shallow crevices of the rocks, without any damage or breakage.
After confirming that the root system was intact, Lu Heng opened his palm and gently supported the soil clump attached to the tea tree roots with his fingertips, steadily lifting the entire plant out of the crack in the rock.
The plant is intact, the leaves are firm, and the roots are wrapped in a clump of soil without any damage.
He gently gathered the soil around the base of the tea tree with his fingertips to prevent it from crumbling, and carefully placed the entire tea tree separately into the Storage Space to avoid it being crushed or damaged by other materials.
Fortunately, this tea tree is small in size, with not very thick branches and a narrow root system. If it had grown into an old tree, its roots would have penetrated deep into the cracks in the rock, and digging it out with just a Hunting Blade would have taken up most of my strength, and I would have easily become exhausted.
Even though it was just transplanting a small tree, clearing away the pebbles and protecting the delicate roots, it still took almost half an hour.
He quickly assessed the gains and losses of the day in his mind.
Originally, the plan for this trip was to collect building materials such as stone and vines for reinforcing the Shelter. After searching for half a day, not a single suitable building material could be found.
But he unexpectedly gained Rock Fennel, Salt Onion, and this Cliffside Tea Tree that could be harvested for fresh leaves for a long time. From now on, cooking will no longer be limited to just Coarse Salt for seasoning. This alone is enough to make him feel that the trip was worthwhile.
I looked up and gazed at the gentle slope higher up on the cliff.
He was currently standing on the edge of the cliff, not actually at the top. He had originally planned to head straight down the mountain, but after taking a half-step back, he suddenly stopped.
Now that we've climbed to the top of the cliff, there's only one last little bit of the journey left.
Let's just explore the area further up. Even if we don't find any other supplies, a thorough search of the entire platform will put our minds at ease, and we won't have to worry about this area later.