Chapter 118: Discovering Astragalus propinquus

Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Discovering Astragalus propinquus

At first, Hua Buwan only found some wild vegetables and fruits. She was interested in them, but she just picked a small handful, enough for herself to eat.

When she brushed aside the tall grass, a plant with pinnate leaves and a yellow corolla appeared before her. "Astragalus propinquus!"

Astragalus propinquus was an excellent find. It was a classic traditional Chinese medicine used for tonifying deficiency and qi. It was also commonly used in modern life, especially for making soups in Lingnan.

It was Hua Buwan’s first time digging up medicinal herbs. She carefully brushed away the dirt above the roots with her hands. Fortunately, she had come prepared and wore gloves, so her hands wouldn’t hurt from digging.

Hearing Hua Buwan’s exclamation of surprise, Ling Qianjun and Ling Yunge both hurried over.

Seeing the root Hua Buwan had dug out, Ling Yunge immediately clapped her hands. "Sister Wan is amazing! You found Astragalus propinquus in such a short time."

Not wanting to be left behind, Ling Qianjun chimed in, "Buwan’s knowledge of herbs is definitely better than ours. You found one right away."

Hua Buwan knew that the Ling Family loved to shower people with praise, but hearing them compliment her like this still made her feel delighted. "Oh, not at all. I was just lucky," she replied happily.

"Buwan, let me help you dig," Ling Qianjun offered, noticing there were four or five Astragalus propinquus plants in the patch.

"Alright, thank you for the trouble." Hua Buwan didn’t refuse and nodded.

Seeing that Ling Qianjun was helping and she wasn’t needed here, Ling Yunge tactfully stepped away to look for herbs elsewhere. It didn’t take long for Hua Buwan and Ling Qianjun to dig up all the Astragalus propinquus in the area.

Scoring such a massive harvest right off the bat filled Hua Buwan with confidence, and she searched for more herbs with renewed vigor. Meanwhile, Ling Qianjun found quite a few healing herbs and wild fruits, which he carefully tucked into his bundle.

Hua Buwan didn’t find much after that. Aside from wild fruits and vegetables, she saw nothing else. She could only silently encourage herself, "Stay calm, stay calm. Since I found Astragalus propinquus just now, I’ll definitely find other herbs. It’s only a matter of time."

Who knew she would continue to come up empty-handed. However...

"Ah! Second Brother, is this Lingzhi? It’s so big!" Ling Yunge’s gasp echoed from behind them, and they immediately rushed over to look.

Seeing the massive Lingzhi sprouting beside the large tree, which was fully the size of two adult palms, Hua Buwan’s jaw nearly dropped in shock.

"What a huge Lingzhi! It must be over a hundred years old, right?" Hua Buwan didn’t quite know how to tell a Lingzhi’s age, but one this large certainly couldn’t be young.

Ling Yunge was crouching there, carefully brushing away the dirt with her hands, terrified of damaging even the slightest bit of the Lingzhi. Hua Buwan immediately handed her a pair of gloves, telling her to put them on before digging. She also passed a pair to Ling Qianjun, who put them on to help Ling Yunge excavate the Lingzhi.

"This Lingzhi should be over a hundred and twenty years old," Ling Qianjun noted as he worked.

"This is a massive discovery. Yunge is truly amazing." Hua Buwan glanced around the vicinity but didn’t spot any other Lingzhi.

The mountain forest they were in had no villages or towns anywhere nearby, so wild game was exceptionally abundant, and wild plants grew everywhere. However, perhaps because travelers occasionally camped here, many of the resources on the outskirts had already been picked clean. Deeper inside, though, the area remained untouched.

Most people who camped outdoors simply stayed for a night on the periphery and wouldn’t venture deeper. Thus, this was indeed a fantastic spot for gathering herbs.