172: Chapter 171 Ginseng

Finally, a day passed, and the furnace fire inside the brick kiln gradually died out; the firing process was complete.

However, the bricks were not ready for use yet. Lu Fan blocked the entrance of the kiln with stones, allowing the kiln and the bricks to cool naturally.

"This process takes about one to two days. If we take them out now, they'll crack easily, and then the losses would outweigh the gains."

Lu Fan explained patiently and meticulously to the curious An Lan while moving the stones.

The next day, sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, tracing golden patches of light on the ground.

As usual, Lu Fan led Da Hei into that mysterious wilderness forest.

Da Hei frolicked about, excitedly running ahead one moment and circling back the next, his nose constantly sniffing, full of curiosity about everything around him.

Breathing in the air scented with the fragrance of vegetation, Lu Fan felt exceptionally refreshed, fully enjoying the peace and freedom brought by the wilderness.

As they walked, Da Hei suddenly came to a halt in front of a patch of grass, his front paws incessantly digging at the ground while letting out urgent barks.

"Da Hei, what's wrong?"

Curious, Lu Fan stepped forward quickly to investigate.

When he heard the heavenly dao prompt sound [Discovered 30-year-old wild ginseng], his eyes widened instantly, and he nearly jumped with excitement.

A faint hint of an unusual red was visible in the grass. He carefully parted the greenery, and a ginseng plant, appearing like a solitary forest spirit, came into view.

The stem of this ginseng was slender yet resilient, only about the thickness of a chopstick, yet it firmly supported the entire plant.

It was roughly 40 centimeters tall, pale green all over with a warm luster, looking like a masterpiece meticulously carved by nature.

At the top of the plant, five palmate compound leaves grew in a whorl, each composed of 3 to 5 leaflets with clear veins, swaying gently in the breeze.

The cluster of bright, eye-catching red berries at the top looked even more enticing against the backdrop of the emerald leaves.

"Holy crap, Da Hei, you really are a silly dog with silly luck!"

Lu Fan squatted down excitedly, his hands trembling slightly as he began to dig carefully.

He knew very well that digging up ginseng was delicate work that required extreme care; even a slight mishap that damaged the root hairs would be a great pity.

He first used his hands to gently brush away the surrounding soil, every movement as soft as if he were handling a rare treasure.

Then, he pulled out his dagger and slowly pried the soil apart, patiently unearthing the entire root system of the ginseng.

After some effort, the entire ginseng plant was finally presented perfectly before him.

The long root hairs shimmered with a warm glow under the sunlight, measuring nearly 20 centimeters in length.

Lu Fan was so excited he could hardly contain himself. He scooped up the ginseng and sprinted back toward the Shelter, with Da Hei happily following behind, seemingly sensing his master's joy.

[Wilderness Survival Announcement]

[Huaguo Player Lu Fan has triggered ten thousand times rebate]

[30-year-old wild ginseng * 10,000]

This news instantly caused a massive stir in the livestream room.

"Is that actual wild ginseng? Am I seeing this right? This luck is absolutely insane!"

"Just like the old saying goes, luck never deserts those who smile."

"Exactly. Those with bad luck probably stopped smiling a long time ago."

"He won't give this away in a lucky draw, will he?"

"What are you thinking? Didn't you notice that there were basically no bear paws in the bear meat last time? Think about where the bear paws went."

Lu Fan happily patted Da Hei's head. "No wonder they say animals are spiritual. It's true! You actually found such a well-hidden spot!"

At this moment, he felt this exploration was already a massive success. Everything else seemed insignificant compared to this precious ginseng.

And so, he and Da Hei set off on the path back to the Shelter.

As soon as he returned to the Shelter, Lu Fan couldn't wait to show his 'trophy' to An Lan.

The moment An Lan saw the ginseng, she was both surprised and delighted. "Such a large ginseng! This is truly rare!"

At dinner, Lu Fan excitedly sliced off a large piece of ginseng and tossed it into the soup, thinking to give them both a good health boost.

He blissfully fantasized that after drinking this bowl of soup, his body would surely be brimming with endless energy.

But he never expected that shortly after finishing the soup, he would feel a surge of heat in his nose.

He instinctively wiped it, and his hand was actually covered in nosebleed.

"Oh my god, what's happening?" He tilted his head back in a panic.

An Lan was stunned for a moment when she saw this, then she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"You overdid the tonic! Ginseng is a powerful supplement. You put in way too much at once; how could your body possibly handle it?"

Lu Fan scrambled to find something to stop the bleeding while giving a bitter smile.

"I was just thinking of a good health boost, and now look—I've boosted myself right into a nosebleed. If I'd known, I would've put in less. This ginseng is way too potent!"

An Lan finally managed to stop laughing and hurried over to help him deal with the nosebleed, muttering, "It looks like the rest of this ginseng needs to be stored properly. You can't be this reckless again."

The viewers in the livestream room weren't idle either.

"Great God Lu Fan clearly lacks life experience. Taking such a heavy tonic in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to expend the energy—of course he's suffering."

"But he has Goddess An Lan there. You pack of single dogs should stop worrying."

"Even without Goddess An Lan, doesn't he still have his own two hands?"

"666, the person above clearly has a lot of life experience."

Looking at the pile of remaining ginseng, Lu Fan felt a lingering fear and didn't dare think about eating it again.

"So how do we handle the rest of this ginseng?" he asked An Lan expectantly.

An Lan glanced at him and smiled. "It's fine. I'll dry them out, and we can use them whenever we need them later."

As she spoke, she began preparing to slice the ginseng for drying, intending to make these precious treasures 'long-term residents' of their wilderness Shelter.

An Lan found a flat stone, took out her dagger, and began meticulously slicing the ginseng.

Her technique was skillful; every slice was of uniform thickness, as if she weren't just cutting ginseng but carving a fine piece of art.

Lu Fan watched from the side, bored. His eyes darted around before he leaned in toward An Lan and said, "An Lan, do you think when we get out of here, if we sell all this ginseng, we could buy a big house in that small town of your dreams? Then you can open a Chinese Medicine Clinic, and I'll be the hands-off boss, basking in the sun and drinking tea every day. How pleasant would that be?"

An Lan was doubled over with laughter by his unambitious idea. "You wish! This ginseng is precious; it might have great uses later on. We can't just sell it off like that."