The Return Journey

"No..."

Su Ziyang looked at the righteous and eloquent Mr. Mengfei and Qi Chu...

After a three-second pause, Su Ziyang looked at Fairy Li beside him.

Fairy Li looked at Su Ziyang, nodded very solemnly, and then raised the baton in her hand. "Go for it! I'll protect you from behind!"

"Yes! We'll protect you from behind."

Qi Chu also pointed to the crossbow bolt in his hand.

"This is outrageous! You guys are such a rip-off!!!"

Su Ziyang muttered a helpless complaint.

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up. The bear will wake up soon!"

Mr. Mengfei urged Su Ziyang on.

Su Ziyang hesitated for a moment, put down his backpack, opened his Swiss Army knife, and tucked it into his lower back.

Are you chickening out?

Mr. Mengfei didn't forget to provoke Su Ziyang.

"You should take a rest!"

Su Ziyang waved to Mr. Mengfei, walked out from behind the woods, and crouched down as he headed towards the bear den.

Because this bear frequently catches and eats animals, many scattered Bones and various animal teeth can be seen at the entrance of its den.

"Wolf fangs? Good stuff."

Su Ziyang bent down and picked up the two wolf teeth.

"Mengfei, your apprentice is something else! He's got a knack for getting things from you, and I bet he's not afraid at all, he might even get you a bear gallbladder instead."

Qi Chu said helplessly to Mr. Mengfei.

Mr. Mengfei was speechless as he watched Su Ziyang actually bend down to pick up his teeth.

He never expected that Su Ziyang would do something like picking up teeth at the entrance of a bear den.

Sending Su Ziyang might seem like a trap, but it's true that Su Ziyang is young and quick-witted.

As Su Ziyang walked towards the bear cave, Mr. Mengfei's heart was in his throat. This was his apprentice, Mr. Mengfei treated like a son.

When Mr. Mengfei saw Su Ziyang bend down to pick up the wolf teeth, he just wanted to rush over and kick Su Ziyang twice.

Su Ziyang circled around to the side and then looked inside the bear cave from the entrance.

Su Ziyang marveled at the wonders of nature as he looked at the trees; the space they created provided shelter from the wind and rain.

The black bear had covered the ground inside with a thick layer of various materials, making it look extremely comfortable.

Seeing that the black bear was facing away from him and motionless, Su Ziyang knew that the bear must be asleep. So he sneaked into the bear's den.

The moment Su Ziyang entered the cave, Qi Chu drew the bowstring and released the trigger safety.

Mr. Mengfei also gripped the vajra tightly in his hand, while Fairy Li's hand, which was holding the baton, had turned somewhat white from the force.

The Bones lowered their bodies, ready to set off at any moment.

The three people and the dog stared intently at the entrance to the bear den.

After Su Ziyang went inside, he found that the space was quite large, Su Ziyang could almost stand up straight.

Where is it?

Su Ziyang searched for a long time but couldn't find the tattered clothes that the black bear had been carrying. Just as he was wondering about it, Su Ziyang suddenly noticed that the bear had actually tucked the item under its paws.

People know this thing is good, so they cherish it.

Animals are the same. Although they do not have human intelligence, animals, being born and raised in nature, are more sensitive to natural treasures.

The fact that the black bear used this thing to heal itself just now shows that the black bear knows it's a good thing.

The black bear's large paws were pressing down on the clothes, and the item was inside the clothes. Su Ziyang was now in a dilemma.

If you take something, you'll inevitably wake it up.

If you're not going to take it, what are you doing here?

Su Ziyang tiptoed to the black bear's front paw, wanting to study it closely and figure out how to get it out of the bear's possession without disturbing it.

Since he had just seen the bear's rear end, Su Ziyang had essentially turned to the side of the bear's head.

This turn was significant; the hairs on Su Ziyang's entire body stood on end.

That black bear wasn't asleep at all...

The black bear blinked its small, dark eyes, curiously watching Su Ziyang, this uninvited guest.

One person, one bear.

Staring at each other...

Time seemed to stand still.

A minute later, the three men who were still on guard outside the bear den heard a huge roar.

Then all three of them stood up straight and ran towards the bear den.

The group had only taken a couple of steps when they saw a dark figure carrying something darting out of the bear den.

"Holy crap!!! Master, run! This thing isn't asleep at all!"

Seeing the three of them standing there in a daze, Su Ziyang quickly called out.

No sooner had Su Ziyang finished speaking than a huge figure emerged from behind, chasing after him...

"Holy crap, Mengfei, little girl, get out of here! Get out of here!"

Qi Chu tugged at Mr. Mengfei, and the group turned and ran.

I should also mention something here. I remember there was a lesson in a textbook that said you should play dead if you encounter a bear.

This is actually not acceptable, and it is incorrect.

Bears are omnivorous and also have a certain degree of scavenging.

In other words, bears do eat carcasses.

Since they eat corpses, it means that people who pretend to be dead will definitely be eaten.

If you encounter a bear in the forest, it's best to stay away.

If you can't dodge in time, then you have to run; if you can't run, then it's up to fate.

And most importantly, bears can climb trees.

Even if you climb a tree, it's unlikely you'll be able to escape the bear. And even if you do climb a tree, you might not be able to outrun the bear.

And if you're likely to encounter a bear, then you should run for your life.

The sooner the better.

The four people and one dog ran like a whirlwind, basically without stopping.

Behind them came the crackling sound of branches snapping, the sound of a black bear charging forward recklessly.

"Ziyang, Ziyang. Did you take the things out?"

Qi Chu called out from behind.

Su Ziyang didn't have time to speak, and simply held up the package in his hand.

Qi Chu was overjoyed upon seeing this and shouted, "Thank goodness I got the item!!!"

Just now, when Su Ziyang walked around to the side of the package, he and the black bear stared at each other.

The black bear was also bewildered; how did a two-legged monster get into its own home?

Before the black bear could react, Su Ziyang snatched the tattered, clothing-shaped bundle from under its paws.

Just as the black bear was about to get up and deal with Su Ziyang, Su Ziyang kicked the bear's paw.

This explains why the black bear was roaring inside the cave.

As soon as Su Ziyang saw that he had the item, he turned around and rushed out.

"Good thing I got it! Watch me!"

Qi Chu was running when he suddenly stopped, turned around, and fired an arrow at the black bear.

"Qi Chu, are you crazy? We stole their things and then shot arrows at them?"

In his excitement, Mr. Mengfei cursed at Qi Chu.

"Are you crazy? We can't escape at all. You don't want to engage in close combat with this thing, do you? Don't worry, we'll be fine!"

Qi Chu also shouted, then quickly drew back an arrow and shot it out with a whoosh.

That arrow just now successfully slowed the black bear's charge.

After the second arrow hit its mark, the black bear's gait visibly weakened.

Qi Chu's hand speed was extremely fast, and he quickly drew the bowstring for the third arrow.

After three arrows were fired, the black bear was already staggering as it walked.

Su Ziyang, who had been sprinting ahead, gradually stopped.

"Shot dead???"

Su Ziyang exclaimed in surprise.

"Anesthetic needle!"

Seeing the hostile looks from Su Ziyang and the other two, Qi Chu quickly raised the arrow in his hand.

"What kind of person do you think I am! Honestly!"

The black bear ran up to the group and tried to wave its paws before collapsing to the ground.

"Phew~ That scared me."

Fairy Li patted her chest and let out a long breath.

"This thing is really powerful! It takes three barrels to take him down."

Qi Chu nudged the black bear and found that it was indeed unconscious. Only then did he put away the crossbow bolts.

Qi Chu nudged the black bear and then turned it over.

Then he discovered that Mr. Mengfei, Su Ziyang, and Fairy Li were watching him from the side.

What are you looking at! Help me out!

Qi Chu shouted something, sounding a bit annoyed.

"What can I help you with?"

Mr. Mengfei put away the vajra in his hand.

"Carry him back and check his wounds. Do you want him to die in the wilderness? He's unconscious; someone else's animal will eat him! Hurry up!"

Qi Chu examined the black bear's belly. The wound on the bear's belly had just begun to heal, but due to the intense running, the healed wound had reopened.

Because bear skin is thick and peritoneum is tough, the intestines didn't protrude much; instead, a round, bulging mass appeared, and through the somewhat transparent intestinal membrane, you could see the dark green stuff inside.

Logically speaking, a black bear that weighs 300 pounds should be considered an adult.

I don't know if it's because this bear found some rare and precious treasure, but it weighs more than 100 kilograms more than a normal adult black bear.

Qi Chu made a simple hoisting rope for carrying things; Su Ziyang carried one end, and Qi Chu and Mr. Mengfei carried the other end.

Fortunately, Su Ziyang hadn't forgotten to toughen up his body beforehand, and he took on half the responsibility himself.

It took a lot of effort for several people to carry the black bear back to its den.

"Sigh, it seems I'll have to show some mercy."

Qi Chu sighed and rummaged through his backpack.

Then, surprisingly, they produced suture needles and surgical stitches.

"Brother Chu, do you always carry this thing with you when you go out?"

Su Ziyang glanced at Mr. Mengfei, Mr. Mengfei waved his hand, indicating that he was unaware that Qi Chu's equipment was so comprehensive.

"It's always best to stay home, but traveling is always difficult. Better safe than sorry."

Qi Chu chuckled and began stitching up the wound on the black bear's belly.

Fortunately, it was just a superficial injury; there were no problems with the internal organs.

Qi Chu has one inner layer and one outer layer.

They stitched up the black bear's wound and applied some wound medicine.

Although the black bear used asafoetida to heal its wounds with remarkable effect, it was indeed not as effective as the wound medicine brought by Qi Chu.

To give a simple and less precise example.

It's like eating cabbage. You can get full just by eating raw cabbage, but you can stir-fry it with meat, which makes it much tastier, right?

A single medicine may be very effective when used alone, and can be used as the main ingredient in a prescription.

However, if other medications are used as supplementary treatments, the effect will definitely be better.

A fence needs three posts, and a hero needs three helpers. That's the principle.

"Sigh, you said you took my things, so I don't care where you threw this thing from, it's yours now. Here's the thing: you can keep it, but it's not as useful as I am, so I'll trade you something else. This one is more effective and practical for you!"

Qi Chu didn't care whether the unconscious black bear could understand or hear him; he just grabbed the bear's ears and started nagging at it.

After saying that, Qi Chu took out the fist-sized piece of golden retriever spine from his backpack, and then took the tattered clothes package from Su Ziyang's hand.

They took out the asafoetida from inside, then wrapped the golden retriever's spine inside, put it in a rag, and stuffed it under the black bear's paw.

"Withdraw!"

Qi Chu packed his things, slung his small bag over his shoulder, and walked out.

"Not bad, at least they have some conscience."

Mr. Mengfei murmured something behind Qi Chu.

"Nonsense, when have we ever been heartless? Let's hurry up and leave. Who knows what good food this black bear has eaten? Maybe it'll wake up and we'll start fighting it again. If it gets hit, its head will be smashed."

As soon as Qi Chu finished speaking, the group heard rustling sounds coming from the bear den.

The four people and the dog turned around at the same time, and then spontaneously started running.

The group had incredible stamina; after running for about twenty minutes, they finally stopped and caught their breath.

"That was so exciting!"

Su Ziyang patted his chest and took a breath.

"Brother Chu, could this be what we're looking for?"

"That's both right and wrong! Since the mountain god has given it to us, let's go and know when to stop."

Qi Chu chuckled and led the way.

Now that Qi Chu has acquired a rare and precious treasure, he can finally explain it to Su Ziyang and satisfy Su Ziyang's curiosity.

The thing Qi Chu brought him in to find this time is called "Flesh Lingzhi Flesh Lingzhi," also known as Taisui.

In recent years, there has been a lot of hype surrounding "Flesh Lingzhi" online.

Taking something can be considered taking something, but it can also not be.

It is also a type of Flesh Lingzhi.

But it wasn't the kind of person Qi Chu was looking for.

Qi Chu talked as he walked, leaving Su Ziyang completely bewildered.

Qi Chu said that the Flesh Lingzhi he was looking for was a genuine Taisui.

This thing is called "Flesh Lingzhi Sedan Carrying".

In the deep mountains and forests, if you take the right approach to enter the mountains...

In modern terms, if you open it correctly, then you might be able to see this thing.

In the forest, you will see groups of little people.

They were very small, about the size of a finger, and they carried them in a sedan chair, just like high-ranking officials in ancient times.

An adult was sitting in the sedan chair.

This is their head.

This is the real Flesh Lingzhi, and eating it can prolong life; it truly means prolonging life.

These few words completely baffled Su Ziyang.

Little man... Flesh Lingzhi... Longevity... Immortality...

You don't believe me?

Qi Chu looked at Su Ziyang and remained silent.

It's not that I don't believe it, it's that I'm a little hesitant to believe it.

Su Ziyang chuckled and glanced at Fairy Li beside him.

Fairy Li nodded. "I've heard of this before. My master said that one year he met an old Daoist priest in the deep mountains. The old Daoist priest said that he had lived for about three hundred years and that he had eaten a kind of Flesh Lingzhi, which is similar to what you described."