Chapter 5

The Shennongjia Nature Reserve is located on the western border of Beihu Province. According to legend, the ancient Shennong built a scaffold to climb the mountain and gather medicinal herbs, hence the name. The Shennongjia Nature Reserve has preserved the landscape of the prehistoric era, and it is most famous for the discovery of the "wild man."

Qin Yi's destination was the Shennongjia Nature Reserve!

After transferring from the high-speed train to a bus, he finally arrived after several hours of travel.

On the way, Qin Yi did a lot of preparation. Before going to the station, he went to a convenience store to buy a small iron shovel to create a fake fruit tree site; he needed a tool to dig holes. After some thought, Qin Yi also bought some beef jerky and water, just in case he got hungry in the remote mountains.

The Shennongjia Nature Reserve covers a total area of 70,467 hectares. The reserve is characterized by undulating mountains, high terrain, and crisscrossing rivers and streams. Due to its complex topography and abundant rainfall, it has a distinct microclimate, with significant differences in elevation, creating many beautiful and unique natural landscapes.

Qin Yi thought this place was perfect. He just needed to find a secluded spot with a good environment, set up a scene, and it would be enough to explain the origin of the spirit fruit. The rest could be left to experts and scholars to research.

Although this wouldn't completely clear him, it would ensure his safety.

After getting off the bus, Qin Yi didn't look for accommodation or join a tour group. He bought a ticket and walked alone. He pretended to wander casually until he reached a secluded area, and then followed a remote path deeper into the wilderness.

The path was very difficult to navigate, almost non-existent, with thick shrubs and grass everywhere. However, Qin Yi wasn't afraid. With the Blood Spirit Fruit to heal his injuries and restore his strength, and insect repellent on him, he should be fine as long as he didn't encounter tigers, wolves, pythons, or snakes.

Qin Yi used a stick to push aside the shrubs and grass, gradually moving deeper.

After half an hour, Qin Yi arrived at a small open area surrounded by shrubs and trees, well-hidden and secluded. "This place will do. Just a semblance will be enough. As long as there's a real tree here, it can explain everything."

Qin Yi thought to himself, entered the space, and took out the small iron shovel to start digging. Fortunately, his strength had increased significantly, and the soil was relatively soft; otherwise, digging a hole after walking so far in the forest would have been exhausting.

In less than two minutes, Qin Yi dug a hole about half a meter in diameter and 20 centimeters deep. The fruit wasn't large, and a one-meter-tall fruit tree wouldn't have deep roots. After digging the hole, Qin Yi went back to the space to dig up the fruit tree, which took more effort than digging the hole; he didn't want to damage the roots.

After planting the fruit tree, he poured half a bottle of spring water to help it survive for a few years, though the fruit it bore would likely be less effective. "Whatever, as long as it has some effect. The rest can be left for others to figure out!"

Qin Yi tidied up the surrounding soil and cleared away some of the weeds to prevent them from competing for the tree's water. After finishing, he entered the space and took out a dozen Blood Spirit Fruits, put them in his backpack, and headed back. With the fake fruit tree site complete, Qin Yi felt much more relaxed and enjoyed the journey back.

An hour later, he returned to the tourist route and began to truly enjoy the mountains and water.

While Qin Yi was enjoying the scenery, Ye Fang, who had received three fruits, hurried home. His grandfather was old and in poor health, and Ye Fang hoped the fruits would help. Since childhood, his grandfather had been the kindest to him; otherwise, he might have had to follow the family's arrangements and wouldn't have the freedom he now enjoyed!

"Grandpa, I've brought you something good, ha ha!" Ye Fang shouted as soon as he entered the courtyard.

At that moment, Ye Lao was arranging some ordinary-looking potted plants in the courtyard. They looked like the kind you could buy for a few dozen yuan at a flower market, but Ye Lao tended to them with great care. Perhaps he was tending to his mood rather than the plants!

Hearing Ye Fang's shout, Ye Lao smiled and shook his head. If it were anyone else, they would be criticized for being impulsive, but for his grandson, he decided to let it go. If he didn't want to enter politics, fine; he could be sent into business, giving the family more options.

As soon as Ye Fang's words fell, Ye Lao turned to look at him, a hint of surprise in his eyes. But with his experience, he didn't show his emotions. "It seems you really have something good. You recovered so quickly from the car accident!"

The car accident hadn't been mentioned to his grandfather, but he probably already knew about it.

Ye Fang chuckled and picked up a Blood Spirit Fruit. "It's this Blood Spirit Fruit. Eating one can improve physical fitness and heal injuries. I broke a few bones in the car accident, but after eating one fruit, I was almost fully recovered by the afternoon. It's really a great thing!"

Hearing this, Ye Lao became interested and took the fruit to examine it closely. However, no matter how many times he turned it over, he couldn't find anything special, just a particularly inviting fragrance.

"Grandpa, you should eat this. Your health hasn't been good lately, and it should help. I have two more, which I plan to save for my parents."

Ye Lao smiled. "Where did you get it?"

"It's from my college roommate. He happened to be there when I had the accident and gave me a few. He's a good friend; otherwise, who would give such a good thing away!" Ye Fang said proudly.

Ye Lao nodded slightly. If the effect was as good as described, it was indeed a good friend. Such a valuable item could save a life in a critical moment, and few people would be willing to give it away. After some thought, Ye Lao decided to try it and see if it really had miraculous effects.

"Hmm?" Just as Ye Lao was about to take a bite, he paused and examined the fruit closely again.

"What's wrong?" Ye Fang looked puzzled.

"Nothing." As Ye Lao was about to put the fruit in his mouth, he seemed to see a faint red glow on the surface of the fruit, but when he looked again, there was nothing.

It must have been an illusion, Ye Lao thought, and took a bite. His eyes lit up as he praised, "It tastes good."

Seeing his grandfather enjoy the fruit, Ye Fang felt a bit envious. He had only eaten the fruit as a pulp and hadn't had the chance to savor it. He thought, maybe when Xiao Yi comes back from Shennongjia, he could ask for a couple more to taste properly.

After eating the fruit, he soon felt a warm sensation throughout his body, and the fatigue disappeared. "It seems to be a good thing; it's already effective so quickly."

Ye Lao thought to himself, his gaze deep and inscrutable.

Seeing his grandfather finish the fruit and become like this, Ye Fang guessed what he was thinking. "Grandpa, Qin Yi is my brother; he can't be in trouble." Ye Fang's expression was serious.

Ye Lao saw his grandson's serious expression and smiled. "He won't be in trouble! Go back and rest now."

Hearing his grandfather's words, Ye Fang became cheerful again and returned to his room, leaving Ye Lao with a thoughtful gaze.

Meanwhile, Qin Yi, still in Shennongjia, was enjoying the scenery without a care in the world.

Qin Yi believed that the smokescreen had been set. Even if someone paid attention, they would only focus on the tree. As long as the tree really existed, it wouldn't pose any threat to him. Understanding this, Qin Yi felt at ease and continued to enjoy his trip without much worry.

Over the next two days, while exploring the wilderness, Qin Yi caught a yellow wild rabbit, fed it a bit of snow ginseng root, and tied it with a vine. He led the rabbit around, observing its reactions, which attracted the curiosity of many tourists.

Probably because they had never seen someone touring with a rabbit.

After a few hours, the rabbit showed no reaction, so Qin Yi untied the vine and let it go. Before leaving, he took a Blood Spirit Fruit from his backpack and fed it to the rabbit as a "salary" for being used.

Qin Yi walked for a while and noticed that tourists were still occasionally looking at him, which was strange since he no longer had the rabbit. When he turned around, he saw the rabbit, with a fruit core in its mouth, happily hopping behind him.

Qin Yi was speechless. It had been terrified when caught, but now that it had tasted something good, it wouldn't leave!

Qin Yi ignored it, bent down to pick up the fruit core, and continued walking. He thought that if the rabbit kept following him, he could take it home as a pet. After eating the fruit and snow ginseng root, it would likely become a "rabbit king." Fine, he would take it home as a pet!

Qin Yi continued to enjoy the scenery, lost in thought.

In the evening, when he returned to the hotel, the rabbit king naturally followed. Qin Yi thought for a moment, found a cup, and diluted a drop of spring water for the rabbit king to drink. Indeed, the rabbit king was very excited by the scent of the spring water and drank the cup of water eagerly.

After the rabbit drank the diluted spring water, Qin Yi observed it for a while and was surprised to find that its originally yellowish-brown eyes had turned black, bright and lively, showing a smart and agile look.

Qin Yi was shocked. "Could the spring water not only have a miraculous effect on plants but also make animals smarter?"

With this idea, Qin Yi quickly taught the rabbit king a few simple tricks. Indeed, after a few repetitions, the rabbit king could shake hands, bow, clap, and cover its eyes, performing them quite well.

Qin Yi was delighted. "I didn't expect the spring water to be so amazing!"

Qin Yi played with the rabbit for a while. "A smart rabbit king without a name would be a shame. I'll give you a name."

However, after thinking for a long time, Qin Yi couldn't come up with a good name. Finally, he slapped his thigh. "Forget it, I'll just call you Lazy."

Qin Yi called the rabbit king "Lazy" a few times, and it chirped in response, seemingly recognizing its name. Whether the chirping meant agreement or disagreement, Qin Yi didn't care. He took Lazy to take a bath, washed it until it was clean, dried it, and then let it play freely.

Over the next few days, Qin Yi took Lazy everywhere. In secluded areas, he found small fruit tree saplings, dug them up with the small iron shovel, and planted them in the space. Qin Yi specifically reserved two acres of the corner of the spirit field for fruit trees, planting one of each type. In the future, he could plant vegetables under the trees for his family to eat.

As for the spirit herbs and fruits, he could plant enough in the space for his relatives and friends. If he needed more in the future, he could plant them outside, where the effects would be slightly weaker, avoiding unnecessary trouble!

Over the days, Qin Yi collected quite a few saplings: plums, peaches, apples, pears, persimmons, and jujubes. The diverse microclimates of the nature reserve allowed him to find so many different types of fruit trees. After planting a few saplings, they grew significantly in just two days. In about ten to fifteen days, he would likely be able to enjoy the fruits, and the fruits from the space would surely be of the highest quality.

After completing these tasks, Qin Yi felt he had had enough fun and decided to return to the capital in the afternoon, taking Lazy with him.

After considering for a few days, Qin Yi decided to make the illusion even more realistic.

On the train, Qin Yi touched the three snow ginseng plants in his backpack and called Ye Fang, saying he would arrive in the morning and had something good to give to Ye Lao.