Page 262

Jian Mo smiled and said, "You're welcome."

All of Jing Huo's fangs had been removed, so he didn't need to worry about them being embedded in his flesh when he transformed back into human form. He turned his back and transformed back into human form.

After putting on the animal skin skirt and sandals, Jing Huo asked somewhat shyly, "Doctor Jian Mo, what kind of payment do you want?"

Jian Mo thought for a moment and said, "Bring me ten pieces of hardwood."

As she spoke, Jian Mo gestured, "A piece of hardwood about this thick will do. We can carry it after the injury heals."

Jing Huo quickly bent down and broke off a blade of grass, then, following Jian Mo's gesture, broke it to the appropriate length. "I understand."

After saying their thanks, Jing Huo and his companions prepared to return to the Red Zheng Tribe before nightfall.

Watching them leave, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong walked home side by side.

Jian Mo: "I've never heard of the Eight-Mouthed Insect before. Is it a unique insect found near the Red Zheng Tribe? And what are the Silverleaf Tree and the Sweet Tree Sap?"

Wu Jiong: "These aren't insects unique to the Red Zheng Tribe area. Eight-Mouthed Insect can be found throughout this tribe's territory, but they're rarely seen. As for the Silverleaf Tree— "

"This tree gets its name from the silvery underside of its leaves. It doesn't look particularly special normally, but when bitten by Eight-Mouthed Insect, it releases a sweet sap that coats the bark; it tastes quite good."

Jian Mo's eyes lit up. "Is the sap of this tree sweet, or the juice made from boiling the Pink-Tube Flower?"

Wu Jiong: "The sap of the Silverleaf Tree is much sweeter, almost as sweet as maltose."

Jian Mo immediately said, "Isn't that just sugar syrup?"

Wu Jiong: "More or less."

Jian Mo's heart fluttered.

Getting sugar these days isn't easy.

They know where the Honey Sparrow's nest is, but they can't go and touch it every month; they'll only go once a year at most.

The juice made from boiled Pink-Tube Flower is a little sweet, but it's more like sugar water with a very low sugar yield.

Sugar made from Flour Grass may be a relatively stable source of sugar, but it consumes too much Flour Grass. It's not easy for them to go outside and cut some Flour Grass, and growing it would be even more troublesome.

Jian Mo asked, "Are there many Silverleaf Tree outside? Are there Eight-Mouthed Insect wherever there are Silverleaf Tree?"

Wu Jiong: "There are quite a few Silverleaf Tree, but they're scattered here and there, not really forming a forest. And the Eight-Mouthed Insect are even rarer. If you want to go, I'll take you to see them tomorrow."

Jian Mo nodded repeatedly. "I think it's a good idea. Tomorrow we'll wear hats and masks, and dress warmly so we don't get bitten."

Jing Huo's ear tips were swollen just now; that was terrible.

Wu Jiong: "It's not that bad. The Eight-Mouthed Insect don't fly very fast. That beastman from the Red Zheng Beast was probably stung and panicked, running into the dense forest. He couldn't escape, which is why he was stung so badly. Look at all the red, swollen welts on his body, and his claws are a bit worn down. He must have been trapped somewhere."

Jian Mo thought about it and felt it really was true, "That's a bit too tragic."

The next day, Wu Jiong, who had transformed into a giant wolf, carried Jian Mo out early in the morning and headed straight for the forest where Silverleaf Tree grew.

He was familiar with the nearby woods and quickly found the first Silverleaf Tree.

Mature Silverleaf Tree can reach a height of 34 meters, with a very straight trunk and a crown that grows high at the top of the tree, far from the ground.

Jian Mo looked up for a long time and realized she had seen this kind of tree before.

However, the Silverleaf Tree had no edible parts, grew very tall, and was extremely difficult to climb. He, who was terrible at climbing trees, had never even tried to climb it.

Jian Mo: "So this is the Silverleaf Tree."

Wu Jiong: "That's it. This Silverleaf Tree is intact; it shouldn't have been bitten by the Eight-Mouthed Insect."

Jian Mo looked up and strained to see, but her eyesight was a bit poor, and she couldn't make out anything. "Shall we go look at the next tree?"

Wu Jiong: "I'll take you there."

They were a little unlucky today; the next tree wasn't bitten by the Eight-Mouthed Insect, and neither was the one after that.

Finding specific items in the forest was too much trouble, so Jian Mo suggested that they hunt and gather first, and if they encountered Silverleaf Tree along the way, they could look for them; if not, they would just leave it at that.

They walked all day into the forest of Silverleaf Tree, but they didn't encounter Silverleaf Tree that had been bitten by Eight-Mouthed Insect. Their two baskets were full, including leaves of a type of leaf that the Pack-Pack Beast particularly loved to eat.

Jian Mo also picked up some Silverleaf Tree leaves, intending to use them as bookmarks.

The undersides of these leaves are shimmering silver, resembling works of art; they are quite beautiful.

The more Jian Mo couldn't find the Silverleaf Tree that had been bitten by the Eight-Mouthed Insect, the more curious she became, and for a moment, she even started to challenge it.

These past few days, they could have taken some time to hunt or something, Jian Mo wasn't interested in any of that; he just wanted to find the Silverleaf Tree.

After searching for several days, Jian Mo finally found the Silverleaf Tree that had been bitten by the Eight-Mouthed Insect.

The tree that had been stung was so conspicuous; there was a huge burl on the trunk, like a balloon stuffed under the bark. Even though his eyesight wasn't as sharp as the orcs' orcs, he could spot it at a glance.

Jian Mo excitedly grabbed Wu Jiong's hand and jumped a few times. "Is that bulge in the tree filled with sweet tree sap?"

Wu Jiong looked up. "Yes."

Jian Mo: "Then how do we remove it? Do we just poke the bulge and let the sap inside flow out?"

Wu Jiong: "No need, the sap inside is covered by a thin layer of bark. I'll go cut it off."

Wu Jiong spoke, he climbed up directly.

The bulge was located more than ten meters above the tree trunk. Wu Jiong quickly climbed down, pulled out a dagger from his waist, cut open the bark, and slowly removed the bulge.

The bulge that was removed looks more like a balloon; if you gently poke this layer of bark, the sweet sap inside should flow out.

Jian Mo stared at the bulge, Wu Jiong asked, "Want to taste the sap inside?"

Jian Mo was very tempted, but ultimately declined. "Forget it, we didn't bring any buckets with us. If we puncture it, all the sap inside will probably leak out, which would be such a waste."