When he arrived at the place, Ye Chen found that there were five ordinary clansmen gathered, one of whom was the blacksmith Uncle Moyuan.
Seeing Ye Chen, the clansmen split into two sides respectfully.
“Chief.”
“Chief.”
“What’s going on?” Ye Chen asked curiously. What did they discover to make them pleasantly surprised?
“Chief, we found these in the forest. There are six!” Ye Moyuan said delightedly and pointed at a section of rotten trees where a few Lingzhi mushrooms were growing. They were ordinary White-Fungi1. They were considered good physic and an old White-Fungus was generally extremely precious. A ten-year-old White-Fungus could be exchanged for a hundred or two Chi-amassing Pills. However, this White-Fungus was considered young. It had grown for a few months at most.
Ye Chen could not help but laugh. These ordinary White-Fungi were worth so much?
“Chief, don’t underestimate these White-Fungi. These are extremely good medicine. One stalk can be exchanged for one Chi-amassing Pill!” Ye Moyuan chuckled. “It’s a pity they’ve only grown for a few months. They would be much more valuable if they were older.”
One stalk of White-Fungus for one Chi-amassing Pill. To an ordinary clansman, that was naturally a discovery that would make them extremely excited. However, for Ye Chen, who was used to seeing hundreds or thousands of even tens of thousands of Chi-amassing Pills, these White-Fungi were negligible to him.
Ye Chen chuckled. Seeing Uncle Moyuan and the others so happy, the depressed mood from the past few days had also cleared up. He turned around to leave.
The few clansmen remained around the White-Fungus and discussed excitedly.
“It’s a shame that it’s only a White-Fungus. If it were the better Blood-Fungus, it would be worth a hundred Chi-amassing Pills even if it had only grown for a few months!”
“You greedy little brat. How would it be that easy to find a Blood-Fungus? How many Blood-Fungi do you think our Ye Clan found after living in the Lianyun Mountains for so long?” Ye Moyuan scolded while laughing. “These precious treasures don’t have spores and only grow by collecting World Celestial Chi. Did you think they’re like the grass where you can find all over the ground?”
“Hehe.” A tall young man with dark skin rubbed his head awkwardly and giggled.
“Let’s look for more here. If you find any more, mark the place. We’ll wait a few more years and collect it when it’s needed by the clan,” Ye Moyuan instructed the clansmen. “This valley is rich in Celestial Chi. There may be even more in the forest.”
“Yes.” Everyone excitedly went around looking for more Lingzhi.
Although they found the precious Lingzhi, they had never even thought of taking it for themselves. Instead, they carefully protected and was prepared to hand it over to the clan.
The thought of these honest and selfless clansmen made Ye Chen feel that anything he did for his clan was worth it.
Ye Chen was in a light mood and was about to go forward when he suddenly thought of something. His eyes brightened. The people of this world thought that Lingzhi was a precious treasure that grew by gathering World Celestial Chi. Furthermore, it was in great demand and could be used in alchemy, healing, and so on. That was why even the most ordinary Lingzhi that had only grown a few months could fetch such a high price and the rare Blood-Fungus that was grown for a few months could sell for hundreds of Chi-amassing Pills. However, Ye Chen knew that Lingzhi did not grow solely by relying on World Celestial Chi! World Celestial Chi would only promote the Lingzhi’s growth. The Lingzhi naturally had its way of reproduction!
Looking around the valley, there were towering cliffs but every noon, the sun could still shine in. The valley was rich in Celestial Chi and was pervaded with fog all year-long, so the sunlight was not too strong. In addition to grasslands and lakes, there was a forest that was dozens of acres wide. The air in the forest was humid and suitable for the growth of Lingzhi.
A bold idea came to his mind. Ye Chen immediately asked Uncle Moyuan to call around fifty to sixty strong and young clansmen.
Soon, fifty to sixty young men had gathered at the edge of the forest. They were wondering why Ye Chen had called them together but as long as it was Ye Chen’s command, they would even be willing to die. After all, they owed their lives to the Chief.
“I gathered you here today for a very important reason. It’s related to the revitalization of the clan. Do you have the confidence to do a good job?” Ye Chen looked at the crowd and asked in a clear voice.
Hearing the words about the revitalization of the clan, the clansmen’s eyes lit up.
“Chief, just order us and we’ll do it. Even if you tell us to climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of flames, we’ll do it!”
“That’s right, we’ll do anything!” The clansmen looked excited.
Ye Chen laughed and said, “I don’t need you to climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of flame. The reason I gathered you today is to let you manage this forest well.”
“Manage this forest?” The group of young men exchanged glances. Were there any treasures in this forest that required them to look after it?
“Uncle Moyuan, I’ll leave them under your care. You must watch this forest well. Besides me, don’t let anyone into the forest. In addition, there are still some tasks for you to do today.” Ye Chen smiled mysteriously.
They were confused. What was Ye Chen planning by being so secretive? However, since the Chief had given the order, they did not hesitate to carry it out.
Ye Chen looked at the place where the White-Fungus grew. It was on a rotten piece of wood called Red-jacket Elephant Tree.
“Uncle Moyuan, you used to collect Lingzhi in the forest. What kind of wood do the Lingzhi usually grow on?” Ye Chen looked at Ye Moyuan and asked.
“They grow on all sorts of trees, but the ones I’ve seen the most are called Spirit Moon Trees. Almost every kind of Lingzhi can grow on Spirit Moon Trees.”
“Spirit Moon Trees. Is that kind of tree very rare?”
“They’re not rare. They can be found everywhere. However, it’s much less common to encounter one growing Lingzhi.” Ye Moyuan chuckled.
“In that case, please accompany me in finding some Spirit Moon Trees, Uncle Moyuan.”
“Of course.”
Ye Chen brought Ye Moyuan and the Zephyr White Ape and exited the valley. After about half an hour, he found a forest of Spirit Moon Trees.
“Are you looking for Lingzhi?” Ye Moyuan asked curiously. Was Lingzhi something that could be found that easily?
“No.” Ye Chen smiled. “You’ll know when the time comes!”
The Zephyr White Ape behind Ye Chen walked a few steps forward and roared angrily. It uprooted an extremely thick Spirit Moon Tree and carried it on its shoulder before walking back. Then, it repeated the process with another Spirit Moon Tree. After uprooting six of them, the Zephyr White Ape carried them and ran back toward the valley.
Ye Moyuan watched until his beard went crooked and his hands trembled. That Zephyr White Ape was simply too strong! However, there was no fear in his eyes but excitement instead. The Zephyr White Ape was now a guardian of the clan!