"Let's eat something before we go. It's already afternoon." Qi Xuefei looked at the time. "We haven't had lunch yet. How can we go exploring if we can't fill our stomachs?"
"Hmm?" Upon hearing the news of dinner, Coco, who was still sleeping in Li Wenxi's arms, suddenly opened her eyes.
“Haha, the little guy is hungry too!” Li Wenxi rubbed Coco’s little belly.
"Oh!" Coco nodded her head vigorously.
"Then you guys sit down, I'll go cook." Qi Xuefei stood up and walked towards the kitchen.
"I'll help!" Li Wenxi also ran to the kitchen.
"Just go and sit down. It doesn't make sense to ask guests for help." Qi Xuefei's voice came from the kitchen.
"Oh, it's okay. Besides, I'm a pretty good cook! Wow, Sister Xuefei, you have all the kitchen utensils. I can make all of this!"
Xu Xin and Ji Chaoyang did not stand up to help, but they both raised their watches at the same time.
There has been no movement among the explorers for a long time.
Brother Qin Yunlong and Wen Guixin should have met by now, so naturally they won’t communicate in the group.
Xu Xin spoke in the Explorer: "The four of us have already met each other. How are you doing?"
Wang Lei: "Haha, I have convinced the brother next door, and now I am walking back with the tree house seeds and people!"
Zhao Xiaochuan: "Persuade? How do you say that? Teach me. I'm going to be there soon."
Wang Lei: "That's right, just persuade him physically. Ask him if he wants to come. If he doesn't come, beat him. What's there to teach?"
Zhao Xiaochuan: "... I'm so mad!"
Wen Guixin: "What Wang Lei said is right. If you don't come, I'll fight you. What's the problem? I've already met Qin Yunlong and Qin Yunhu. These two brothers have really good bodies, hehe..."
Qin Yunhu: “…”
Qin Yunlong: "We are now working together to deal with the people in the surrounding area. We have already dealt with two tree houses. One who refused to listen was kicked to death by Wen Guixin, and another one was brought back."
Wang Lei: "Kicked her to death... She's really a female Tyrannosaurus!"
Wen Guixin: "? What? Do you want to challenge me, the strongest fighter in this group?"
Wang Lei: "No, may the Buddha bring good luck..."
Wen Guixin: "I am in a good mood now, so I won't argue with you."
Zhao Xiaochuan: "By the way, I've tried what you said before about the vines becoming thicker and stronger, but I don't have any of them here? It's still that kind of vine."
Wen Guixin: "It's the same here. They are all ordinary mutant vines. I didn't notice that they got thicker."
What these two people said made Xu Xin and Ji Chaoyang look at each other.
"Are we the only one that is special?" Ji Chaoyang stroked his chin and thought.
"Perhaps, only that location is special." Xu Xin pointed in the direction of Li Wenxi's tree house. It was to the north of Li Wenxi's tree house that they encountered a group of monsters.
"Yes, it's possible." Ji Chaoyang nodded, "Is it because there is something nearby that the vines have become stronger?"
Xu Xin suddenly thought of the abnormality of the Silver King.
He turned his head to look at the Silver King lying on the ground.
Since leaving Li Yajun's area, Silver King has not had any blood veins light up again. And Li Yajun's tree house is very close to where they tested the vines before.
Is there any connection between the two
Is there really something wrong with that area
Xu Xin told Ji Chaoyang about the abnormality of the Silver King.
"The Silver King has also become stronger... Then let's focus on exploring that area today." Ji Chaoyang pondered.
"There is also a special place near my tree house," Xu Xin was referring to the hilly resource area and the salt mine cave. "I haven't been there since the defense battle."
"I also have a very special place over there. Our two tree houses are not far from each other. Let's go there together." Ji Chaoyang nodded.
"Okay, it's on our way. Let's go to Li Yajun's tree house first, then to my place, and finally to your place." The two finalized the itinerary.
At this time, Li Wenxi and Qi Xuefei had already come out with four plates of food.
"Dang, three dishes and a soup. How about that? Not bad, right?" Li Wenxi brought the dishes to the coffee table. "I cooked these two dishes! However, there aren't many seasonings, so I just stir-fried them simply."
“… Is it so sumptuous? There are quite a lot of ingredients.” Xu Xin looked at the four dishes on the table, a little surprised.
Qi Xuefei's tree house does not have a planting house. Moreover, he didn't recognize any of these four dishes. Could they be medicinal herbs
As expected, Qi Xuefei put the dishes on the table and said, "These are fried with the medicinal herbs I cultivated in the cultivation room. They are very precious. Remember to eat them all."
Is it really a medicinal herb
“Hmm…” Coco shrank into Xu Xin’s arms. This little foodie backed off when he heard about medicinal herbs.
The corner of Xu Xin's eye twitched: "Do you usually take medicinal herbs?"
"For me, medicinal herbs are easier to get than vegetables." Qi Xuefei gave everyone a pair of clasps and sat down. "Besides, if you mix them properly, they are good for your health. These things are very expensive on Earth. Besides, the jungle is barren now, and there are no ordinary fruits and vegetables for sale on the trading platform. It's good to have these."
"Are the medicinal herbs delicious?" Ji Chaoyang was quite interested. He took a bite and put it in his mouth.
"Hmm... not very tasty, usually a little bitter, but edible."
"Hmm... It's bitter, but it's also very fragrant. This is my first time eating stir-fried herbs." Li Wenxi was already eager to try, "Try this stir-fried meat. It tastes really good, with a bit of bitterness and fragrance!"
After taking a few bites, the corners of Xu Xin's mouth twitched a few times.
He felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
At present, they don't have seasonings like soy sauce and chili to cover up the taste. They only have salt, but salt can enhance the flavor and even bring out the bitterness of the herbs. These dishes are simply bitter.
“Hmm…” Coco took only one bite and stopped eating. It pushed Xu Xin with its little paw. Xu Xin understood what it meant and handed it an apple. It crawled to the side with the apple in its mouth and started to eat it.
In this way, several people finished the meal of fried herbs.
"Wow, this meal... is so special." Li Wenxi stuck out his tongue, "So bitter!"
"... Sister Xuefei, if you need vegetables in the future, you can ask us for them..." Xu Xin's mouth was full of bitterness. He felt that this taste would probably stay in his mouth for a long time.
We must believe in the wisdom of our ancestors. Although there is nothing that cannot be eaten, things that taste good are made into food, and things that taste bad are made into medicinal materials.
Although this is a joke, this stir-fried pork with medicinal herbs... is really unpalatable.
"I don't care." Qi Xuefei didn't know if she was insensitive to bitterness or she was used to it. She finished the meal with a normal expression on her face.
"I think it's OK." Ji Chaoyang put down the quick piece and said with a smile, "Actually, it's not as good as bitter melon. I really like bitter melon in cold salad."
Xu Xin's mouth twitched.
Cold bitter melon... Is that really something that people can eat...
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Everyone has eaten and drunk enough. Time is precious, so it's time for us to set off." He immediately ended the topic and stood up.
"嘤!" Coco climbed onto his shoulders in two moves.
The Silver King and the White Horse also stood up.
"Well... how should we go? I don't want to ride a wolf again..." Qi Xuefei looked at the Silver King.
Her face, which hadn't changed at all after eating such a bitter dish, turned pale in an instant. She was going to have a psychological trauma.
"There is a white horse here. Let Ji Chaoyang take you!" Li Wenxi pointed at the white horse which was a circle bigger than the Silver King.
"I can take you with me," Ji Chaoyang nodded. "Don't worry, a horse is much more stable to ride than a wolf."
"Well... okay then." Qi Xuefei glanced at Ji Chaoyang and agreed.
The four of them came to the tree house. Xu Xin pushed Li Wenxi onto the wolf's back and climbed onto the wolf himself.
On the other side, Ji Chaoyang also rode on a white horse, and Qi Xuefei was behind him, holding his waist.
"Wow, you two look like a perfect match, like Prince Charming and Snow White!" Li Wenxi leaned in Xu Xin's arms and teased while hugging Coco.
"Don't talk nonsense, little girl!" Qi Xuefei glared at Li Wenxi, and Li Wenxi chuckled.
"Xu Xin, you lead the way. Let's go to Li Yajun's area first." Ji Chaoyang said to Xu Xin, as if he didn't hear their conversation.
"Okay." Xu Xin nodded, and then said to Silver King, "Silver King, let's go to the destroyed tree house first!"
"Awooo—" The Silver King howled like a wolf and suddenly rushed out.
Ji Chaoyang and Qi Xuefei followed closely behind.
"Hey Xu Xin, do you think Ji Chaoyang and Sister Xuefei are a good match?" Li Wenxi poked back with his elbow and whispered, "They are a good match in terms of both appearance and age!"
"You..." Xu Xin looked at her helplessly, "They just met today, and you want to bring them together?"
“Hehe, don’t they look like a perfect match? Think about it, Ji Chaoyang is obviously one year older than Sister Xuefei, but when they stand together, it looks like a sister-brother relationship. It’s quite exciting!” The more Li Wenxi thought about it, the more it made sense.
"You're a love-brained person!" Xu Xin patted her head gently. "There will be a new crisis soon. It will be very cold and difficult to get through. You better wake up!"
"Hehe, isn't it that I feel safe the moment I meet you all?" Li Wenxi said as he crossed his legs, sat sideways on the wolf's back, hugged Xu Xin with both hands, put his face in his arms, and whispered, "If we all work together, we will definitely be able to get through this difficult time."
"Slow down, the Silver King is moving too fast in the jungle and we can't keep up!" Ji Chaoyang's voice came from behind.
"Oh, okay!" Xu Xin responded, asking Silver King to slow down a little.
Soon, the four saw the ruins of Ma Hongyu’s collapsed tree house.
Qi Xuefei loosened her hands around Ji Chaoyang's waist, her face turning pale. It seemed that riding a wolf was not only uncomfortable, but also a horse was a little uncomfortable for her, but it seemed much better than when she rode the Silver King.
"This is Ma Hongyu's tree house. We buried him nearby."
"I don't want to know where you buried the person." Ji Chaoyang shook his head. "Let's keep going. The tree house in the south is Li Yajun's, right?"
"That's right, it's..." Xu Xin stopped talking abruptly.
"What's wrong?" Several people looked at Xu Xin.
Xu Xin's eyes were fixed on the back of the ruins.
Following his eyes, the eyes of several people shrank.
I saw a touch of red swaying in the wind in the wilderness.
It was a half-meter-high flower with a yellow core and bright red petals, and it looked eerily beautiful.
"…Akagiri Flower?"