Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: First Spirit Medicine
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Whoosh—
With the torch as our guide, Maban and I wandered through the cave.
The air inside was damp and musty, like clothes that hadn't fully dried. Still, blocked from the cold wind outside, it felt much warmer than beyond the entrance.
Every step we took sent splashing sounds echoing from the puddles on the floor.
The noise reminded me of slowly stirring a pot to adjust the water for rice.
Fortunately, the cave stretched straight ahead without branching.
Had it split into multiple paths, we might have had to call it quits and try again later.
With my low hunter rank, the guidance wasn't detailed enough for that.
Even now, the Spirit Medicine Map only showed a rough location.
A straight cave like this.
We were really lucky.
In exchange, it had a high ceiling and wide breadth.
Because of that, I had to scan every corner as we moved forward.
"How much farther is it?"
About two ke (30 minutes) in, impatience started to creep up.
The cave was just so vast.
Doubts arose that maybe we'd already passed the spirit medicine.
But backtracking to check felt inefficient.
I decided to inspect the walls piled with rocks of all sizes and the stalactite-covered ceiling even more carefully.
"Maban, come on, let's keep going."
Maban, who usually followed well, occasionally stopped. Each time, I pointed the torch the other way and urged him on.
"I said let's go."
"Meeeow—"
He could always tell the tone when I was scolding him and would obey quickly.
After half a shichen (1 hour), we reached the cave's end.
But there wasn't a trace of spirit medicine—or even similar plants—around.
I activated the Spirit Medicine Map just in case, but it still only indicated something inside the cave.
As frustration built...
"What's this stone tower?"
A pile of stones caught my eye against one wall.
Flat stones were meticulously stacked, like a wish tower.
I slowly approached the wall where the stones were piled.
Soon, I began toppling them one by one.
When the pile—up to an adult's waist height—collapsed with a crash, a crack in the wall revealed itself.
It was just wide enough for an adult's face to squeeze through.
Thick earthy scents and bitter root aromas wafted faintly from within.
"No way?"
I had a keen sense of smell.
I quickly dropped to the ground and thrust my head into the gap.
A small space about one pyeong wide came into view. It was like a secret garden hidden away.
The soil was moist, as if soaked with water, and unfamiliar plants grew quietly within.
In the center stood a single green stem stretching tall, surrounded by oval leaves with serrated, pointed tips.
At the top of the stem clustered small, dark red berries.
"This is..."
Thanks to my Medicinal Cuisine trait, I could glean a lot just from looking.
And the identity of that plant was...
"Jackpot—it's ginseng!"
It was a type of ginseng: Crimson Flame Ginseng.
Superior in efficacy to regular ginseng but rare, it was closer to a herb than a true spirit medicine.
"Just what I needed for ginseng chicken soup."
I'd been needing herbs for samgyetang, and this fit perfectly by sheer luck.
We'd almost passed it by. The effort hadn't been wasted, and my mood lifted.
"A bit overkill for soup ingredients... but that flavor's gonna be something."
To me, Crimson Flame Ginseng was both spirit medicine and foodstuff.
Overjoyed at finding a new ingredient, I grinned broadly with just my head poked in.
Honestly, I was more curious about its taste than its effects.
Hiss—
Something pure white shot out from between the green leaves.
"Wh-what?!"
Startled, I yanked my head out and scrambled backward on my butt.
Hiss hiss.
A pale creature emerged from the crevice.
It was a white snake with an elongated body covered in snow-white, chilling scales.
Its eyes glaring at me gleamed with brilliant gold like embedded amber.
"So it had an owner after all."
I jumped up to evade the mid-sized snake, about five chi (150 cm) long.
Quick-witted Maban stuck close to my side, fur bristling high.
"Hiss— hiss—"
"I was just gonna dig up the Crimson Flame Ginseng and go, but looks like plan change."
My intrusion had irked the homeowner.
An apology wouldn't cut it.
Treating me like big, fresh prey, the white snake flicked its purple tongue, savoring the moment.
"Gotta be careful."
Its triangular head marked it as a venomous viper with dragon blood poison.
A bite from such a highly toxic serpent...
Nervous system paralysis within moments, respiratory failure, death in a few shichen.
The white snake raised its head slowly, forked purple tongue exposed.
A metallic slicing sound cut the air from its tongue tips. Its pitch-black pupils, flecked with amber, narrowed to slits.
In other words, it had entered hunting mode.
Tension crushed the air, not knowing when it would strike.
"Hiss— hiss—"
The white snake issued a warning as it inched its head forward.
Facing it down, Maban and I slowly backed away.
I thought to myself.
'Snakes have no ears. They sense prey through ground vibrations instead.'
In the Central Plains, snakes were prime ingredients for food and medicine.
Nutritionally, high-protein, low-fat. In herbalism, snake liver, skin, and oil treated skin issues, arthritis, neuralgia.
Even snake venom was processed into medicine.
As a kid short on food, I'd climb mountains to catch, roast, or stew snakes.
Maban always assisted perfectly back then.
To divert the white snake's gaze, I hurled a herb spade from my medicine basket behind it.
Thud, crash!
It was to draw its attention.
"Hiss—"
The white snake snapped its head up and whipped toward the vibration.
Then it gaped its maw, revealing two massive fangs.
"Maban, now!"
I tossed the torch to the ground and grabbed a nearby branch to threaten the snake.
Torchlight would've made it easy, but I wanted to catch it intact.
Reacting to my stick, it writhed and lunged for openings.
"Hissk—"
Maban guarded my side before lightning-leaping forth.
Its raised paw flashed needle-sharp claws.
I tapped the snake's tail area with the stick.
"Maban, here. Over here."
Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack.
Maban seized the chance, slamming its paw precisely on the snake's head.
Amid Maban's butterfly-flight, bee-sting flurry, the snake shook its head dazedly.
In that instant, Maban sank its fangs unhesitatingly into the head.
The snake's life ended.
"Good job, Maban."
It had been ages since we hunted in sync, but flawless.
Others might call it reckless. But thirteen years with Maban.
I didn't just trust him on loyalty alone.
I knew his instincts, hunting prowess, and my own greed for fine ingredients better than anyone.
Riiip—
Maban tore the dead snake's nape with its fangs.
He might seem like a flesh-poking housecat usually, but beast blood of mountain predators ran in him.
"Enough, Maban."
I hurriedly pulled out a sack and stuffed the snake corpse in.
As mentioned, every part—body, skin, venom—was valuable.
"Alright, now for the ginseng."
I carefully widened the crevice entrance with the spade and squeezed inside.
"Found yooou~"
I bellowed triumphantly, like some ginseng digger.
I gazed at the spirit medicine before me, lips curling in satisfaction. I immediately began digging it up.
After an exhausting day, I just wanted to boil some ginseng chicken soup for recovery.
That's why I'd activated the Spirit Medicine Map at the perfect time.
Half hoping for a few wild ginseng roots nearby, half for fun.
Luckily, it pointed to a spot not far from home.
That spirit medicine was there.
"Bandits, disciple proposal, now spirit medicine... what a day."
After an unplanned adventure, Maban and I returned home with unexpected rewards.
Thirty roots of Crimson Flame Ginseng and one white snake.
The clear blue sky at departure had turned inky black.
"Already hai shi (9-11 PM)."
Entering home, I headed straight to the kitchen to boil ginseng chicken soup with the Crimson Flame Ginseng.
I placed four fresh chickens, cleaned thoroughly, on the cutting board.
With a sharp Chinese cleaver, I slit their bellies in one stroke and cleanly removed the innards between the ribs.
Innards were the source of off-flavors.
Into the cavities went whole garlic, glutinous rice, and one Crimson Flame Ginseng root each.
Finally, I scored diagonal slits on the thighs and crossed the legs neatly like a seated figure.
Splash—the four chickens embracing Crimson Flame Ginseng plunged into the pot.
For seasoning and depth, I added salt and Sichuan pepper powder, then more firewood to stoke the brazier.
"Now just wait."
While the soup simmered, I went to the storage shed to stash sundries.
To store the remaining Crimson Flame Ginseng and white snake.
Freshly dug ginseng is moist and spoils easily.
I wrapped the roots in yellow herbal paper and placed them in a lacquered wooden box.
The white snake I left for processing tomorrow, in a breathable jar.
"About time."
The savory aroma from the kitchen tickled my nose even in the shed.
I returned to the kitchen.
Licking my lips in anticipation, I lifted the pot lid.
A burst of steam billowed out, clouding my vision.
Ripe garlic mingled with chicken, releasing a deep, rich scent that rose with the vapor.
"Whoa, perfectly done."
In the pot, the samgyetang bubbled gracefully in its brimming broth.
Thanks to the Crimson Flame Ginseng?
The soup took on a subtle pink hue, like plum blossoms in mist.
I ladled two bowls: two chickens each. I carried them to the inner room.
Chicken-only for Maban, with broth for me.
"Maban, ginseng chicken soup time."
"Meeeow—"
I first grabbed a hefty drumstick.
"Drumsticks are best torn by hand."
Stewed tender in the hot pot, the drumstick jiggled tautly side to side.
Broth infused with ginseng scent dripped down my wrist.
I hurriedly bit into the steaming drumstick. The supple meat tore along my teeth marks.
"God, so good."
Nom nom nom.
Maban, starving too, buried his face and devoured the soup voraciously.
I focused solely on my chopsticks after that one "delicious."
With a full belly, my eyelids grew heavy.
I ended up falling asleep right there.
Maban too.
"Ugh, slept like a rock for once."
Thanks to the Crimson Flame Ginseng's effects?
I slept deeply without waking once all night.
I stretched languidly, then prepared to head out.
After washing up and changing, I went to the kitchen.
To store the two extra chickens from last night's samgyetang in a jar.
Today, I was visiting my martial arts master.
Elder Jang.
That's why I'd boiled extras on purpose.
"Maban, come on."
Maban burst from the bushes, mid-hunt at my call.
I quietly picked up the jar and set off toward my master's house.