Chapter 62 Mushroom Poisoning Showcases Treasures from Peninsula Tribes...

Yu Yan continued teaching her apprentices how to clean ears until evening.

They first paired up and practiced on each other.

At first, they were clumsy and didn't pick the ingredients properly, but with Yu Yan's patient guidance, they got better and better, and Yu Yan announced that they had graduated.

With these people joining, the ear-cleaning process immediately sped up.

By the time the light dimmed and it became unsuitable to continue, half of the people in the Caiyun tribe had finished cleaning their ears.

Yu Yan stood outside the thatched hut, watching the vast sky dyed orange by the sunset, raised her arms and stretched out a long yawn.

He said to Zhu Yu and the others, "Let's stop here for today, we'll collect the rest tomorrow."

Zhu Yu nodded repeatedly: "Okay, you've had a hard afternoon. Are you hungry? I've asked the tribe's sub-orcs to prepare some food, so we can eat anytime."

Yu Yan agreed: "Then let's talk as we walk."

Zhu Yu: "Let's go."

He transformed into his beast form first, flying ahead to lead the way for Yu Yan. He was a peacock, entirely black, with the eye spots on his tail feathers shimmering with iridescent colors in the sunlight.

Yu Yan was too lazy to fly, so after Lan Xiu transformed into his beast form, she nimbly jumped onto the tiger's back.

"Chief Zhu Yu, have your people found sorghum and saxifrage?"

"The sorghum has been harvested! I'll bring it to you right away. The people who went to find saxifrage haven't returned yet, but they should be back soon."

"Um."

The group soon arrived at an open space by the river.

When Yu Yan arrived in the morning, she noticed signs of activity here; it turned out to be their tribe's gathering place.

After landing, Liu Xiang led several handsome sub-beastmen forward and said enthusiastically, "Yu Yan, Lan Xiu, we stir-fried mushrooms and sliced ​​meat, made mushroom soup, and grilled meat. Come and have a taste."

Yu Yan smiled and thanked her, "Okay, thank you. I've heard that the mushrooms here are especially delicious, and we're really looking forward to it."

Liu Xiang and the others revealed proud expressions: "Our mushrooms are indeed the best-tasting among the nearby tribes! You'll know once you try them."

On the other side, Zhu Yu brought over two bundles of red sorghum.

Yu Yan held the ripe, heavy sorghum stalks in her hands, her eyes burning with desire.

With sorghum, we can cook sorghum rice and brew sorghum liquor!

"Chief Zhu Yu, this is the sorghum we wanted." Yu Yan looked up and asked, "Do you have a lot here?"

Zhu Yu nodded: "There are quite a lot. We find it troublesome and don't like eating sorghum seeds, so we haven't paid attention to how they grow. But there aren't many ripe ones in the wild right now. In another ten days or so?"

He looked around at the sub-beastmen who were better at gathering, and they gave him approving looks.

"...At the latest, the sorghum will be ripe on a large scale in about twenty days. I discussed it with the people in the tribe, and you can cut down a batch of early-ripening sorghum this time, and then we will send you another batch later."

Yu Yan asked in surprise, "Is it being sent to our peninsula tribe?"

"right."

"Thank you so much! Our peninsula tribe has a sea. Have you ever seen the sea? I'll take you to go beachcombing sometime!"

A gleam also appeared in the eyes of Zhu Yu and the others.

“I’ve never seen it. We all long for the sea. I have a friend I grew up with whose name is Bai Lang, which means waves. He would be very happy if he could go to the beach.”

Yu Yan: "Okay, then we can come together!"

Zhu Yu seemed to be thinking of something, and a hint of unease flashed across her face. She did not continue the topic.

The sorghum that had just been cut was still a bit damp, so Yu Yan asked someone to spread it out on a well-ventilated open ground before taking Lan Xiu to eat.

When they took out their own pottery bowls, the people of the Caiyun tribe exclaimed in amazement: "We were thinking this afternoon, your pottery is so beautiful! Look at the colors, the patterns, it's so pretty."

"Did you bring any other pottery? Could you show it to us?"

Yu Yan readily replied, "Yes, I brought it. Please wait a moment."

He found a set of pottery, including a pot, a cauldron, a kettle, a basin, and bowls, and placed them on the stone platform beside him.

Liu Xiang took over their jobs.

Liu Xiang put mushroom and meat slices, roasted animal meat, and a whole pot of mushroom soup into their bowls.

Yu Yan didn't recognize the mushrooms in the stir-fried meat, but he smelled another familiar aroma, like pepper!

He hurriedly asked, "Liu Xiang, did you put any seasoning in this?"

"You smelled it? That's right, we added chili seeds! Chili seeds have a crunchy and numbing taste, which is great for removing fishy smells and enhancing the flavor of food. Because their flavor is quite strong, I only added a little bit when I stir-fried the mushrooms. I didn't add any to the mushroom soup."

Yu Yan held her chopsticks and took a bite of the stir-fried mushrooms with pork.

Mmm, it really tastes like pepper! The flavor is so strong!

Amidst everyone's expectant gazes, he happily exclaimed, "I really love this flavor! Could you get us some more to take with us?"

"Of course!" To them, Yu Yan was a great benefactor. "Just tell us what you want to take with you!"

Zhu Yu added with a smile, "Anyway, you're a bird-type sub-beastman. If you want to stay and live in our tribe, we'd be very, very happy to welcome you."

Lan Xiu gave him a wary look.

Actually, when Cangfeng left the peninsula tribe, he spoke to Lanxiu alone.

Besides instructing him to protect Yu Yan, he was also told to be wary of people from other tribes.

Zhu Yu pretended not to feel the oppressive force in Lan Xiu's eyes, and only looked at Yu Yan with gentle grace.

Yu Yan smiled and shook her head: "Our peninsula tribe is very good, and I have no intention of leaving."

Zhu Yu sighed regretfully, "Alright, you guys take your time eating. There's more if you're still hungry. I won't bother you anymore."

He turned around, appearing nonchalant, but actually used both hands to squeeze into the crowd to examine the pottery that Yu Yan and the others had brought.

Yu Yan turned to Lan Xiu and blinked reassuringly.

"Let's eat our own food."

"good."

After finishing what was in her bowl, Yu Yan bent down to ladle out some soup.

Tao stirred the pot with a clay spoon and exclaimed, "Huh?"

Lan Xiu asked, "What's wrong?"

Yu Yan scooped up some mushrooms from the pot. "These are matsutake mushrooms! My god, they're so big, as long as my hand! How big must these mushrooms have grown?"

He ate matsutake mushrooms in modern times, and found them not only delicious but also with a particularly good texture.

However, he only bought smaller matsutake mushrooms, which were relatively cheaper.

These matsutake mushrooms in the pot are so big, they must cost over a thousand yuan per kilogram, he simply can't afford them!

The people of Caiyun Tribe are so generous, giving them such good matsutake mushrooms to make soup.

Yu Yan excitedly filled a large bowl for herself and Lan Xiu, blew on it, and slurped it down.

"Mmm~ So delicious! The mushrooms smell so good!" Yu Yan exclaimed.

It's right not to add pepper to such delicious matsutake mushrooms, so as not to mask their original flavor.

Yu Yan ate soup and mushrooms in one sip, unable to stop.

Lanxiu also liked the soup very much. The two of them each took half a pot and shared it all, feeling warm and cozy after eating.

The altitude here is relatively high, and after sunset, when the mountain wind picks up, it feels a bit chilly.

Yu Yan noticed that some people had put on animal skin vests.

Lan Xiu took out two coats and handed one to him: "Put this on, don't catch a cold."

"Mm." Yu Yan smiled at him.

The evening breeze was cool, and after the others in the tribe had finished looking at the pottery and eating, they gathered around them again.

"How about the pottery from our tribe?" Yu Yan asked with a smile.

Everyone exclaimed enthusiastically, "It's really great! Not only is it beautiful, but it also feels very smooth to the touch. It's much heavier than the pottery our tribe makes, so it should be very useful, right?"

Yu Yan: "Yes, it won't explode even if you boil water all afternoon."

They gasped in astonishment: "That's incredibly sturdy!"

Zhu Yu said urgently, "Yu Yan, how did you exchange the pottery? Please give us a new batch."

Yu Yan smiled proudly: "No rush, let me show you the other things we brought."

Everyone: "Great! Great!"

To get a better view, they lit torches.

Yu Yan took out fabric, ironware, aluminumware, glass, paper, etc., and each item caused a stir.

The people of Caiyun Tribe had never seen so many wonderful things before; they couldn't take it all in!

"So what you're wearing is called clothes... This is the fabric used to make clothes, and it feels even softer and smoother than I imagined."

"I still think the color is a bit dark. Do you have a brighter one?"

Yu Yan said, "We dyed the fabric ourselves. If you trade with us more often, we can teach you how to dye it."

"! It can even be dyed!!! Beast God, I want to change it!"

"I want to change mine too! I want to dye it the same color as my feathers!"

Yu Yan thought to herself: Such a multicolored black probably can't be dyed...

They were full of praise for the metal tools and glassware, and liked them very much.

They were well aware of the benefits that metal tools could bring to a tribe, so Yu Yan didn't need to explain.

The peacock-type orcs and sub-orcs are practically unable to resist the sight of glass.

Their eyes were filled with fervor as they exclaimed, "It's so beautiful... How wonderful it would be to fill my bird's nest with glass beads! I'd wake up laughing every night!"

Yu Yan and Lan Xiu saw the same thought in each other's eyes: they might not wake up laughing, they might wake up feeling uncomfortable.

They looked away and both smiled silently.

"I want to grind glass into jewelry and give it to my partner! He loves sparkly things!"

“I want to get an aluminum basin for my baby. Aluminum basins are much lighter than ceramic basins, and they make a nice sound when you tap them. When I tap the basin, he’ll know to come home for dinner.”

"I want this iron knife the most; it's really sharp for chopping bones and meat."

"This is called... a chisel? What is it used for?"

Lanxiu replied, "We can quarry the stone."

"Wow, with this, we can finally carve out a stone pot! I definitely need to get this!"

After Zhu Yu asked about the supplies needed to exchange each item, many people quietly put down what they were holding.

The quantity Yu Yan provided was actually not much; at least they wouldn't have to empty the entire tribe just to exchange it for a small knife.

But they just can't resist the sheer number of things they want!

They changed this and that, and the total amount they paid was astonishing.

Some of the sub-orcs were at a loss, sighing repeatedly: "What should we do? The only supplies I can offer are enough to exchange for a few pottery pieces or a piece of glass. I also want a knife and some cloth."

"Should I take this aluminum basin or this ceramic basin?"

"Are you all changing your things, and I'm the only one who wants to change my food? The dried seafood smells so fresh."

"I want paper."

"Ugh, which one should I choose?!"

Yu Yan said, "Actually, even if you have enough supplies, I don't have enough. This is all we brought out in total."

Everyone immediately became even more anxious: "What?! What if we change it too late, then it'll be gone?"

"Yu Yan, I'm going back to get you supplies right now! Please leave me a piece of glass!"

"I'll go back and get it too, please leave me a piece of cloth!!"

"Ahhh, wait for me!"

Yu Yan waved her hands repeatedly, saying with a wry smile, "Aren't you going to deliver sorghum to our tribe? We can exchange it then!"

Everyone unanimously replied, "No, we want it now, we can't wait even a day longer!"

When Bai Lang returned with his men, the riverbank was bustling with activity.

He and his companions were stunned: "Did they start arguing?"

"Quickly, go down and take a look."

The good news is, they're not arguing.

Bad news, a fight is about to break out.

Yu Yan, Lan Xiu, Zhu Yu, and the others were all trying to break up the fight, shouting, "Don't rush!! One at a time!"

"No one is allowed to lay a hand on me!"

Someone on Bai Lang's side asked, "What's going on?"

In the chaos, someone explained something to them—

There weren't enough things for Yu Yan to go around, so everyone wanted to fight over them.

Seeing that she couldn't separate them, Zhu Yu became furious: "Stop it, all of you!"

He unleashed tremendous strength, instantly flipping the two men over.

Seeing this, Lan Xiu also grabbed a hand that had reached out in the chaos and slammed the person to the ground.

Bai Lang shouted, "What are you standing there for? Help the clan leader!"

With everyone working together, we finally managed to stabilize the situation.

Yu Yan let out a breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“Chief Zhu Yu, your tribe is too crazy…” he said.

Zhu Yu looked extremely embarrassed. "I'm sorry, you all had to see this."

Bai Lang observed the particularly excited group and said, "Something's not right. Could they be suffering from mushroom poisoning?"

Yu Yan: "Hmm?"

Upon closer inspection, the expressions of the group were dazed, and their speech was incoherent.

There was a little panda-like beastman who kept chuckling, "I'm flying! I'm flying!"

Yu Yan: "..." She's definitely poisoned.

Seeing that everyone around him seemed used to it, he asked, "Do people here always get mushroom poisoning?"

Zhu Yu touched the tip of her nose: "More or less."

Liu Xiang chuckled: "There are so many wild mushrooms this season, and inexperienced people are more likely to pick poisonous ones."

“Some people are very curious and will collect them regardless of whether they are poisonous or not, thinking that they will be harmless if they are cooked.”

"Oh, but don't worry, the mushrooms I give you are definitely not poisonous."

Yu Yan smiled and said, "Thank you. Should we help them induce vomiting?"

Zhu Yu was silent for a moment, then said, "It's fine if we don't rush you. You should be able to get back to normal after a while."

Yu Yan: "...Let's induce vomiting."

Mushroom poisoning can range from mild to severe, and prolonged exposure could cause various health problems.

Everyone said they would listen to Yu Yan.

Yu Yan covered her clothes with a straw curtain, put her mask back on, and deftly induced vomiting in the poisoned people.

After vomiting, they sat down and rested for a while, gradually returning to normal.

Upon learning that Yu Yan had helped them again, they thanked her repeatedly.

Yu Yan earnestly instructed, "Be careful when you eat mushrooms again, and ask the experienced sub-orcs in the tribe to identify them."

"Okay, we've got it."

He then told Zhu Yu, "You must carefully inspect the mushrooms you exchange with us; there absolutely cannot be any poisonous mushrooms."

Zhu Yu solemnly stated, "Don't worry, I will personally lead a team to inspect it, and there will definitely be no poison."

Yu Yan: "Oh right, do you have a lot of those mushrooms here that you used to make soup for us tonight?"

Zhu Yu shook her head: "That's quite a lot. Do you think it's delicious?"

"It's especially delicious."

Zhu Yu smiled and said, "Then I'll have everyone bring out their inventory for you."

"How could I possibly accept this?"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You've helped our entire village! If we want to eat more, we can just go pick some more."

"Okay, then I won't stand on ceremony with you, thank you."

Zhu Yu looked at Bai Lang: "Have you found the saxifrage?"

Bai Lang took off the basket from his back and put it on the ground: "Found it, it's here."

He had been facing Yu Yan with his right cheek, but now that he looked down, Yu Yan noticed that there was a rather large black thing on his left cheek.

Yu Yan wanted to take another look, but Bai Lang had already raised his head.

"Yu Yan, take a look and see if it's right."

Yu Yan lifted the lid of the straw basket and inspected it by the light of the torch.

"right."

Bai Lang breathed a sigh of relief: "We searched for a long time on the mountain but couldn't find it. Later, on a whim, we asked Xue Gui for help. After listening to our story, he took us to dig up some saxifrage."

His companion chimed in, "We asked him if he had the same problem with his ears, and he said no. We also asked him what supplies he needed, and when we brought them to him, he said he didn't need them and just chased us away."

Zhu Yu sighed softly, "They're still so difficult to deal with..."

Bai Lang: "Yes, he may be cold-hearted, but he is very kind. We are very grateful for his help this time."

Zhu Yu: "Let's visit him more often later."

He asked Yu Yan, "Now that we've found the saxifrage, how do we use it?"

Yu Yan: "Crush it to extract the juice and apply it to the inside of the ear. I'll handle it, Lan Xiu, you can help me."

Lan Xiu: "Okay."

After Yu Yan prepared the medicine, she had the people who had their ears cleaned during the day line up. Lan Xiu stood by with a torch and applied the medicine to everyone.

"Don't get your ears wet for the next couple of days. Observe whether your condition improves. If anything happens, come find me immediately," he instructed.

People said gratefully, "Yes, we've got it. Thank you so much, Yu Yan."

After a long day of work, Yu Yan was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open after applying the medicine.

Zhu Yu hurriedly led them to their prepared lodgings, saying before leaving, "You should rest well first. We will prepare food and bring it to you tomorrow morning. We can talk about other things tomorrow."

Yu Yan: "Okay. Could you please take the sorghum we're drying down? We can continue drying it tomorrow."

Zhu Yu: "Okay, I've got it."

After a quick wash, he and Lanxiu climbed into their respective bird nests and went to sleep.

The next morning, not long after Yu Yan woke up, many people came to look for him.

"Yu Yan, these are steamed stems and fried bird eggs for you!"

"I brought some grilled meat and grilled mushrooms, you can try them."

Yu Yan smiled and said, "This is such a feast! It smells so good. Thank you everyone. How are your ears?"

Everyone gets really excited when this is mentioned.