Spear in hand, he walked slowly toward the inner swamp for nearly seven minutes. The mud beneath his feet grew softer and stickier, gnats buzzed incessantly around him, and a few leeches wriggled on the grass blades clinging to his trouser legs, waiting for a chance. He kept swatting as he walked but could never get completely clear of them.
Remembering the Swamp Mosquito-Repelling Grass he had just gathered, Lu Heng found two flat stones, tore off several plants, and ground them repeatedly. Thick green juice trickled through the cracks between the stones, and a distinctive, faintly pungent scent immediately spread. He stopped scouting, bent down, and carefully smeared the juice over all the exposed skin on his neck, the backs of his hands, and his ankles. He also rubbed a thick layer along his cuffs, trouser hems, and the gaps around his collar.
The herbal juice felt slightly cool against his skin. Within moments, most of the gnats circling and crowding around him scattered hastily, and every leech lurking on the grass blades retreated deep into the mud, no longer approaching him. But the swamp's insect population was simply too vast. A few more resistant flying insects still blundered aimlessly toward him, occasionally striking his cheeks and arms. Lu Heng casually raised a hand and crushed them, no longer letting the pests distract him.
He focused on searching slopes with little standing water and exposed rocks. Before long, several Black Iron Muscle-Bone Grass plants with sturdy roots and deep green leaves appeared between the stones. Moving gently, he dug along the soil to extract their roots intact, then put them away in his inventory one by one. Continuing to search the surrounding low grass, he found several more patches of Muscle-Bone Grass in succession, gradually building up a sufficient stock.
Moving into a damp, shaded area nearby, he found several unfamiliar weeds with slender stems and dark leaves mixed among the medicinal herbs. They looked entirely different from Muscle-Bone Grass and Swamp Mosquito-Repelling Grass. Lu Heng raised his wrist and activated his bracelet's appraisal function, bringing up neatly arranged entries.
[Poisonleaf Grass] Properties: The stems and leaves contain trace amounts of plant toxins. Direct skin contact causes localized itching, numbness, redness, swelling, and stinging pain.
Though it was a common resource, this sort of supplementary material was essential for making traps, so Lu Heng gathered and stored all of it as well.
He had intended to keep searching the grassy flats farther in, but a heavy, muffled churning of mud and water suddenly came from the heart of the swamp, mixed with the sounds of a beast struggling and kicking through the mire. The noises were far too heavy for any small reptile to have made.
Lu Heng immediately crouched close against the enormous rock beside him and held his breath, peeking out with only half an eye to look toward the distant source of the sounds.
At the far end of his view, in an area of rotting grass and muddy water, an enormous Swamp Python covered in dark markings stretched its thick body, its coils tightly binding an adult Swamp Poison Lizard. The python kept constricting. The lizard frantically kicked at the mud and lashed its tail, but could not break free at all. Even from a distance, he could faintly hear the dull sounds of its bones and joints being crushed.
At the sight of that intensely oppressive scene, Lu Heng's fingertips instinctively reached toward the lightweight hand crossbow he had just acquired, slung on his back, but he quickly regained his composure. Snakes had exceptionally keen senses of smell. The swamp's mud was wet and soft, and tangled weeds obstructed the area, leaving no open space to maneuver. If he failed to kill the giant python outright with one shot and let it escape wounded, it could trace his scent back. Both this herb-gathering slope and even the stone-built Shelter in the distance would become its targets. The risk was entirely unacceptable.
After weighing the pros and cons, Lu Heng decided to retreat. He had already collected all the different herbs he needed-Muscle-Bone Grass, Swamp Mosquito-Repelling Grass, Hemostatic Grass, and Poisonleaf Grass. There was no need to gamble his life on unknown rewards. Keeping his footsteps exceedingly light and making no sound at all, he slowly backed away, leaving the entire central wetland area one step at a time.
Only after he stepped fully onto dry forest ground did his taut nerves ease a little. On the way back, the berry bushes he had marked yesterday stood beside the path, their branches laden with red and blue berries coated in a thin film of moisture. Lu Heng raised his hand and activated his bracelet's appraisal function.
[Wild Sweet Berries] Properties: The flesh is sweet and juicy, quickly replenishing water and sugar. Nontoxic and safe to eat raw.
Once he confirmed they were safe to eat, he picked them by the handful, filling the empty slots in his inventory and stocking up on extras for later use. As he parted the dense foliage to pick berries deeper inside, a dark wooden corner appeared among the dead leaves piled around the roots. It was a wooden wilderness treasure chest.
Lu Heng cleared away the weeds and dead leaves, gripped the edge of the chest, and gently lifted the clasp. The contents were neatly arranged: a sealed Portable Water Bottle, a yellowed recipe for a simple fresh fruit drink, two portions of jam bread, and two large bottles of high-capacity fresh fruit juice. His bracelet updated the item descriptions at the same time.
[Portable Water Bottle] Grade: Common Properties: Sealed and leakproof, moisture-resistant and drop-resistant. Can be carried to store fresh water, protecting it from contamination by mud and insects. [Fresh Fruit Vitality Drink Recipe] Properties: Teaches a simple berry-processing method, boiling down fresh fruit into concentrated juice. Drinking it quickly relieves weakness and fatigue in the limbs, restores stamina within a short time, and replenishes electrolytes lost from the body. [Jam Bread ×2] Highly filling and rich in sugar and carbohydrates. [High-Capacity Fresh Fruit Vitality Juice ×2] Properties: Ready-to-drink replenishment juice. Quickly hydrates and relieves fatigue, slightly boosts endurance for a short time, and eases aching and swelling in the limbs caused by prolonged travel.
Staring at this rare recipe that could turn wild fruit found everywhere into a replenishing drink, Lu Heng froze in place, filled with surprise and disbelief. He had set out only to stock up on Muscle-Bone Grass for treating injuries. He had never expected to find insect-repelling herbs and a ranged crossbow along the way, then stumble upon a treasure chest containing a replenishment recipe at the end. The rewards far exceeded his expectations.
After checking all his supplies one by one, the light on the horizon gradually dimmed, and the cold wind in the woods turned biting once more. Lu Heng tightened his grip on his wooden spear and, with the iron axe on his back, headed steadily toward the stone-built Shelter. He planned to sort through everything he had gained that day during the night and make advance plans for the supplies he would need to weather the cold wave.
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