60: Chapter 60 Rotten Wood Spirit Fruit

Qin Ding and the Sha Jin Wolf stepped forward, walking over to the spot where the middle-aged man had just been sitting to take a look.

Nothing was left behind; everything that had just occurred seemed as if it never existed, just like Qin Ding had said—a mere interlude.

Qin Ding exhaled, surveying the river before them. "The water here is much cleaner than the downstream area where the Blood Pig was. Let's wash here. There's no need to dwell on what just happened."

The Sha Jin Wolf blinked its lupine eyes; under human influence, its mood shifted quite rapidly.

"Awoo."

[Boss, do you think the fish in this river are big? How about I go down and check?]

Hearing this, Qin Ding gave the Sha Jin Wolf, which was still covered in blood and stench, a speechless glance. "What do you mean 'check'? You were going to go down and wash anyway."

"Pouncing on that dead pig, you're so smelly and dirty…"

After saying this, Qin Ding ignored the Sha Jin Wolf and walked to the riverbank. He dipped the spearhead into the water, swishing it around to wash the blood off the shaft using the flowing current.

"Woo."

[No, I have to see if there are any fish at the bottom of the river.]

The Sha Jin Wolf slid into the river from the bank in a flash—slid, not jumped.

Qin Ding, having washed the blood off the spear shaft, casually put the long spear into his Storage Ring and watched the water surface quietly. About a few minutes later.

The Sha Jin Wolf surfaced with a large fish over a meter long in its jaws.

[Spirit Beast: Robust River Fish]

[Aptitude: Inferior]

[Element: None]

[Level: 3 (Low Tier)]

[Ability: Gluttony]

[Bloodline: Fish (100%)]

[Evolution Path (Fish): Requires reaching level 11]

[Aptitude Enhancement: …]

[Description: The most common type of fish in rivers. Because they can grow very large, they are excellent meat fish. A very small number of special individuals can be cultivated.]

Looking at the Life Records of this fish, Qin Ding's eye twitched.

The Life Records of this fish gave him a very familiar sense of déjà vu…

"Woo…"

[Boss, Boss, this fish is great, it's huge! We have food to eat now…]

Qin Ding didn't waste any words; he took out a lighter, a kitchen knife, and a cutting board from his Storage Ring.

"Fine, go over there and fetch some branches."

Before long, Qin Ding had started a fire. He used branches to skewer a few fist-sized pieces of fish belly and began roasting them, with salt and soy sauce placed beside him, which he sprinkled on from time to time.

As for the rest of the fish meat, it was all snatched up and eaten by the Sha Jin Wolf nearby, making crunching sounds.

"Woo…"

[Boss, what are we going to do after we finish eating…]

Qin Ding's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this.

Aunt Zhao's gift was ready, but he should probably prepare one for Mu Xue too, right?

This Blood Pig inner core was suitable for someone of Aunt Zhao's age, but for someone like Mu Xue… would a Wood element inner core be better, or a Water element one?

"Let's keep looking and see if we can find a high-tier Water or Wood element Spirit Beast…"

Looking for a Spirit Beast?

The Sha Jin Wolf, currently eating the fish, instantly perked up. Searching for Spirit Beasts was its specialty.

After the meal, just as Qin Ding extinguished the fire, he heard the Sha Jin Wolf's voice, sounding somewhat urgent.

"Awoo."

[Boss, over there, a fragrance suddenly wafted over from over there. The scent is a bit faint, like something is about to ripen.]

Qin Ding's expression paused. He had heard of this description from the Sha Jin Wolf before, during Wang Chunfa's lecture.

When spirit items ripen, they emit a unique, faint fragrance. Although the scent smells faint, it travels far, and Spirit Beasts are very sensitive and accurate in detecting this kind of fragrance.

"A spirit item ripening… Sha Jin Wolf, do you feel hungry or have the urge to eat it?"

Seeming to remember something, Qin Ding hurriedly asked, but the feedback he received was the Sha Jin Wolf shaking its head in confusion and questioning.

"Woo?"

[I just smelled a fragrance, and I'm not hungry, Boss. Didn't we just eat?]

Qin Ding: …

"It looks like it's not a Metal element spirit item, but one of another element. If wild Spirit Beasts aren't of the corresponding element, they shouldn't go to fight for it, but if it's Beast Tamers, that's hard to say…"

The Sha Jin Wolf understood what Qin Ding said. Since it smelled the scent but wasn't hungry, it meant the ripening spirit item was not a Metal element one.

It also understood that only Spirit Beasts of that element would go to fight for such a spirit item, but Beast Tamers with their beasts would likely join in the scramble.

This also made the Sha Jin Wolf think of something. Its wolf face instantly lost its playful expression, and its throat rolled as it let out a low whimper.

"Woo?"

[Boss, that person from before, they wanted to steal our stuff, right? Will they go?]

Qin Ding, who had been contemplating whether to go, was instantly brought to a halt by the Sha Jin Wolf's reminder. He turned to look at the Sha Jin Wolf, and the man and the wolf stared at each other for a few seconds.

A moment later, Qin Ding decisively made up his mind and nodded.

"Let's go. We'll sneak over."

"Didn't they have their eyes on my Storage Ring? If there's a chance, let's fan the flames of this scramble completely."

…

"There seem to be quite a lot of people around, and the number of Spirit Beasts has increased too. Big Brother, do you think that Two-Horned Deer can protect this thing?"

The Thin Tall Man speaking had slightly red-rimmed eyes, staring fixedly at a spot over a hundred meters ahead—a small tree that was over half a meter tall, gray and withered in appearance, looking completely like a piece of dead wood.

However, this small tree, which looked like it had long since died and decayed, had borne a fruit the size of an adult's fist, completely emerald green and round, brimming with the vitality of the Wood element.

The fruit emitted a faint, fresh fragrance. Even from over a hundred meters away, the Thin Tall Man could smell it clearly, his face full of intoxication and greed.

"rotten wood spirit fruit, what a treasure, a treasure that is priceless and only heard of in rumors! Even the lowest-grade rotten wood spirit fruit is enough to raise the aptitude of a Good-grade Beast by one level. If the beast's level is also low, it can even raise its level."

"And it has no usage restrictions or any side effects. It's a truly top-tier spirit item! I didn't expect us to have such luck…"

The burly man's eyes were blood-red, filled with bloodshot veins, and his hands were trembling as he clenched them in excitement. "We must snatch this thing, we must! Those merchants have money to burn; for the sake of their children at home, what money wouldn't they be willing to spend?"

"If we manage to snatch this, that's a million to start with…"

The burly man and the Thin Tall Man were both looking excited and greedy. Only the Red Snake revealed a small sliver of clarity amidst her greed. She didn't speak, but her slightly red eyes and gradually heavier breathing…

…already proved that she too had become greedy, just a different kind of greed.

"Hmm? A Spirit Beast has rushed over, and it seems like others have arrived too, over there."

The Red Snake, who hadn't spoken just now, suddenly whispered and carefully pointed in a direction.

After a pause, the Red Snake's expression shifted slightly.

"My Beast tells me there are two people and two beasts."

Instantly, the burly man and the Thin Tall Man looked over immediately. Their blood-red eyes looked exactly like they had discovered the enemy who had wiped out their family.