LGSLAW : Chapter 10 – Attack 

Yang Dalang immediately looked in the direction Miao He pointed. He saw a cluster of bushes with small red berries. Walking closer, he shook his head, “These are snakeberries. You shouldn’t eat them; they’re medicinal.”

 

“Medicinal?” Miao He started to dig them up, “Are they worth anything?”

 

“There are plenty in the mountains. Not worth much.”

 

“That’s okay. I’ll just gather a few.”

 

Miao He carefully uprooted some with their roots intact, planning to plant them with the magic soil later.

 

Yang Dalang didn’t stop him, just kept watch around them and then pointed, “Those berries can be eaten. They’re sweet.”

 

Raspberries? I’ll get those next!

 

“They’re called raspberries. Edible and the apothecary buys them too.” This time, Yang Dalang walked over and uprooted some like Miao He did, understanding that Miao He wanted to bring them back for planting.

 

Miao He smiled, “I know. They’re supposed to be ‘beneficial’.”(in that way yk lol)

 

There are many online rumors about the potency of raspberry juice, though who knows how true they are.

 

Yang Dalang paused, not responding.

 

“When we plant them in the yard, we’ll have plenty to eat.” Miao He chuckled.

 

When Miao He said this, he was making a light-hearted joke. Between men, such comments were common. However, Miao He forgot that he was now in the body of a “ger” and sometimes slipped out of character, reverting to his former self’s habits.

 

Yang Dalang’s face tightened at the comment.

 

Miao He didn’t notice the change in Yang Dalang’s expression and was content to continue gathering snakeberries and raspberries, urging Yang Dalang to keep searching for treasures.

 

They were in a mountain with a high elevation, making it cooler and more humid than the lowlands, and the forest was filled with the fresh scent of earth. Sunlight filtered through the trees in golden beams, making the leaves overhead glow a bright green like translucent jade. Even though Miao He was exhausted and breathless from the climb, the surprises they found along the way kept him energized.

 

At noon, Miao He took out the pancakes he had prepared before leaving, sharing them with Yang Dalang and drinking cool water from a mountain spring that Yang Dalang had led him to. No matter what else, this world surpassed the modern one in its natural, unpolluted environment. Even the air was better here.

 

During their rest, Miao He took the opportunity to inventory their haul. They had gathered snakeberries, raspberries, and later found mulberries, totaling over a dozen plants. There was also a vine with unripe wild grapes and a few wild pomegranate bushes. They found plum, persimmon, hawthorn, pear, and peach trees, as well as some chestnut trees, though it was still spring and none were bearing fruit. Miao He could only look longingly at them.

 

As for medicinal herbs, Miao He was surprised. Most of what Yang Dalang found were flowering plants, including bellflower, iris, and yellow gentian. Aside from the orange five-petaled iris, the other two were beautiful purple flowers, perfect for the yard. These plants were both ornamental and medicinal. For medicine, they needed to be dried and ground into powder. Bellflower leaves could even be eaten as vegetables. Yellow gentian was the most valuable, Yang Dalang said, because it was rare and slow-growing, so they dug up all the ones they found.

 

The only herb that looked like what Miao He expected was codonopsis. Codonopsis thrived in shady areas of the forest and was quite abundant. Though it wasn’t as potent as ginseng, it was effective for nourishing energy and fluids and was a good substitute for ginseng, fetching a decent price. Yang Dalang often searched for it when he went into the mountains.

 

Calculating the amount of codonopsis they had gathered, excluding the few plants they needed to leave behind, they could get four or five mace of silver. Hearing this, Miao He’s leg fatigue seemed insignificant. He was about to praise Yang Dalang when he noticed his stern expression and saw him quickly put a finger to his lips.

 

Silence. Something was wrong.

 

Miao He froze, even his breathing became shallow.

 

Yang Dalang silently stood up and, without a word, lifted Miao He, who almost cried out but managed to hold back. Yang Dalang placed him on a sturdy branch halfway up a large tree they had chosen for their break, its thick trunk wide enough to stand on.

 

Yang Dalang gestured for Miao He to climb higher. Miao He didn’t hesitate, even though his legs were shaking. Yang Dalang then took out a long, sharp hunting knife from his basket. Though hunting wasn’t on their agenda today, he always carried protective tools.

 

The hunting knife had a long blade, enough to intimidate and fend off wild animals. Yang Dalang expertly twirled the knife in his hand, reassuring Miao He with a calm gesture that everything was fine.

 

Miao He, a complete novice in such situations, felt slightly reassured by Yang Dalang’s confidence. No matter how worried he was, all he could do now was stay silent and keep still.

 

Yang Dalang then listened carefully.

 

The forest was filled with the sound of rustling leaves, faint bird calls, and insect chirps.

 

But Yang Dalang wasn’t in a hurry. He stood at the base of the tree, knife in hand, listening intently.

 

Patience, courage, and attentiveness were essential traits for a hunter.

 

A slight noise came from the left!

 

Miao He noticed it too, but Yang Dalang had already locked his gaze on the source.

 

Moments later, a black snout appeared!

 

Then came its fierce little eyes and coarse bristles as an adult wild boar emerged!

 

Miao He’s heart pounded faster, but Yang Dalang didn’t move. His eyes fixed on the boar, right hand gripping the long knife, while his left hand slowly reached into a side pouch and pulled out a small bamboo tube about the thickness of a finger.

 

The boar noticed Yang Dalang. It stomped restlessly, undecided whether to charge.

 

Since the boar had intruded on their area, if Yang Dalang remained still, the boar would assess whether the human posed a threat. If not, the boar wouldn’t waste its energy attacking; humans weren’t usually on its menu, especially in spring when food was plentiful.

 

So, the two sides stood in a standoff for quite a while.

 

Suddenly, there was a “plop” from the woods to Yang Dalang’s right!

 

It sounded like something had fallen!

 

As the bamboo tube hit the ground, a cloud of smoke began to rise, engulfing the boar’s head!

 

The boar let out a terrifying squeal, shook its head violently, and bolted away!

 

The whole event unfolded in seconds, leaving Miao He’s cry of “Danger!” stuck in his throat, making him feel a bit choked.

 

After the boar fled, Yang Dalang waited another quarter of an hour before letting Miao He come down from the tree.

 

Even though the danger had passed, Miao He was still shaken, his face paler than usual. He had read news stories of wild boars injuring and even killing people.

 

Once his heart calmed down, Miao He couldn’t help but ask, “What was in that bamboo tube?”

 

“A stimulant powder, mixed by the apothecary.”

 

“Do you have other tools for hunting?”

 

Yang Dalang indeed had a variety of tools. Besides powder, he had fire starters, a type of bamboo tube that would emit a bright light when bitten open, snares, tranquilizers, blow darts, and even ground spikes.

 

So it’s not just about fighting with knives. Miao He felt somewhat relieved. “If you were alone, could you hunt a boar?”

 

“Yes. The one we saw wasn’t very big.”

 

“Then why not hunt it today?”

 

“I need to get you home.”

 

As they spoke, Yang Dalang packed their baskets and extended a hand to Miao He, “Let’s go back.”

 

Miao He pressed his lips together and complied.

 

But his heart felt warm and heavy.

 

***

 

Back home, while Yang Dalang went to trade for food with Aunt Yang, Miao He carefully planted all the wild berries and medicinal flowers they had gathered, using the magic soil.

 

All the plants were already grown, so there was no need to wait for them to sprout. Miao He just wanted to use the magic soil’s power to revitalize the plants, ensuring they wouldn’t wither in a few days. Watching the plants thrive instantly in the magic soil, Miao He felt his approach was working.

 

But looking at the magic soil, Miao He felt conflicted.

 

He had been protected again today. The image of Yang Dalang standing in front of the tree, steadfast and immovable, contrasted sharply with his own secretive behavior. He kept his secret from Yang Dalang, fearing harm or betrayal. In the end, he was just being selfish.

 

The garden was now a mix of vegetables and wildflowers, deliberately scattered. This way, when he used the magic soil to grow something, it wouldn’t stand out too much. Like the codonopsis he had dug up, if he harvested the seeds and planted new ones, even if they sprouted quickly, no one would notice unless they looked closely. All his actions were aimed at protecting the magic soil.

 

But while he plotted and schemed, he accepted Yang Dalang’s protection without hesitation, guilt gnawing at his conscience.

 

Maybe he should–

 

The sound of the door latch interrupted his thoughts. Miao He brushed off the dirt on his hands and petted the rolling Dabai beside the magic soil before standing up to greet Yang Dalang. However, Yang Dalang wasn’t alone. He was accompanied by another man, shorter but with thick eyebrows and large eyes, with decent features but tanned skin.

 

The man had one arm casually draped over Yang Dalang’s shoulder, chatting comfortably, unaffected by Yang Dalang’s calm and cold demeanor. Their relationship seemed very close.

 

Seeing this, Miao He suddenly remembered his earlier suspicions.