Chapter 347- Fierce and Ominous Top VS Pretend Weak but Actually a Big Boss (13)
It seems the heroine lacks the dedication of a Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs1 and relies solely on her knowledge of plants from her original world. Moreover, her academic background wasn’t in pharmacology. In the original storyline, the heroine’s expertise lay in agriculture and animal husbandry, areas that had little to do with medicinal plants.
What Mu Jin didn’t know was that the reason the female lead was so energized today was because of the few casual words he had said earlier.
Mu Jin wandered aimlessly through the forest with the foraging team, feeling bored. Yesterday, he had already explored most of this part of the woods.
The locals didn’t yet know how to weave baskets, but they used large animal hides and vines to carry their findings. Small fruits were piled onto the hides, while larger plants were tied with vines and slung across their backs—an inconvenient method, to say the least.
Since he still had plenty of wild fruits and vegetables left from yesterday’s collection, Mu Jin didn’t bother hauling large loads like the others. With so many people around, it wasn’t convenient for him to use his ability to accelerate plant growth. Instead, he carefully picked only a few wild vegetables with good flavor.
While others had already gathered large bundles of plants, Mu Jin carried just a small handful.
Seeing his leisurely demeanor, many people couldn’t help but show disapproval on their faces. Although they acknowledged his good looks, they thought he was far too lazy.
Still, no one said anything aloud, knowing that Mu Jin’s share of food contributions had already been covered by Wu Po. Some even felt a twinge of envy—finding a capable partner who could support you in this era was no easy feat.
As the foraging team’s work wrapped up for the day and the sky grew darker, Wu Po led everyone back home.
Most people here ate only once a day, or twice if they were lucky. It was rare to find someone like Mu Jin, who consistently enjoyed three meals a day. However, since he was with the foraging team, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He simply ate a few fruits that Wu Po had slipped him before they set out.
Wu Po didn’t bring the half a bamboo rat that Mu Jin had initially wanted to take with him. Instead, he outright said that carrying roasted meat, with its fragrant aroma, could potentially attract carnivores in the forest and pose a certain level of danger.
Hearing Mu Jin’s reasoning, Wu Po felt it made sense. So, he coaxed Mu Jin into eating a hearty breakfast and packed him a good amount of sweet little fruits before allowing him to join the foraging team.
When everyone returned to the Pingshan Tribe, the foraging team collectively pooled all the food they had gathered. Of course, if someone particularly liked a certain item and it was in small quantities, they were allowed to keep it for themselves.
As for the small handful of vegetables in Mu Jin’s hands, he didn’t even put them out. The others didn’t demand anything from him either, since the amount was so pitifully small that handing it over wouldn’t make much of a difference.
The foraging team members were all in high spirits today because their harvest was significantly larger than usual. For some reason, the wild fruits and vegetables they encountered along the way were exceptionally abundant, allowing them to return fully loaded.
Among them, Mu Xuan was the most pleased. She had discovered a variety of medicinal herbs. Although her main area of study wasn’t medicine, she was still knowledgeable about general wild plants.
Holding the herbs, Mu Xuan excitedly ran up to Wu Peng and deliberately said loudly, “Wu Peng, I found so many medicinal herbs! These are great for treating wounds, and these…”
As she spoke, she handed another handful of herbs to Wu Peng, adding, “These don’t need to be carried around with you. After you return, boil them into a broth and drink it. It will help your wounds heal faster.”
Wu Peng felt deeply moved by Mu Xuan’s words but was even more shocked. He hadn’t expected that Mu Xuan would know so much about medicinal plants. After all, in this era, all pharmacological knowledge was exclusively held by the priests.
When Mu Xuan displayed her familiarity with medicinal herbs, the way the others looked at her changed instantly, making her feel quite proud of herself.
At that moment, the hunting team returned. Seeing the lively scene with the foraging team and hearing that Mu Xuan had discovered numerous herbs for treating wounds, they also thought highly of her.
Several people who were on good terms with Wu Peng began praising him, as many of them already considered it a foregone conclusion that Mu Xuan would be his future partner.
Wu Peng felt a bit happy about this but merely waved his hand casually at their compliments. Only he knew that his relationship with Mu Xuan wasn’t as close as others imagined.
Mu Xuan hadn’t been in the Pingshan Tribe for very long, but Wu Peng had already expressed his affection for her. However, Mu Xuan’s responses were minimal.
Wu Peng couldn’t tell if Mu Xuan had accepted his feelings. If she didn’t like him, their relationship seemed unusually close and ambiguous. But if she did like him, she still refused to give him a clear answer.
In this era, when two people were interested in each other, things were often settled quickly—sometimes even to the point of moving in together immediately.
Yet, despite Wu Peng repeatedly making his feelings clear, Mu Xuan neither gave him a definitive response nor rejected the gifts of prey he brought her. She was also willing to spend time with him often, leaving Wu Peng confused about her true feelings. To complicate matters, he noticed that Mu Xuan also accepted favors from others.
Mu Xuan knew that her display of skill today would undoubtedly raise her status in the eyes of the tribe members.
Moreover, Wu Peng believed that the medicinal herbs Mu Xuan had gathered were specifically for him, and he gratefully thanked her for them.
Just as Wu Peng was about to put the herbs away, Mu Jin suddenly leaned over, staring intently at the medicinal plants in Wu Peng’s hands, and asked, “Can I take a look at those herbs you’re holding?”
Mu Jin was referring to the medicinal herbs Mu Xuan had specifically set aside for Wu Peng to take home and boil as a remedy for healing wounds.
Wu Peng was momentarily stunned but handed the herbs over, thinking Mu Jin was just curious.
Unexpectedly, Mu Jin picked out a plant resembling thistle from the bundle, furrowed his brow slightly, and said to Wu Peng, “This isn’t a medicinal herb for healing wounds. Eating it will cause diarrhea, potentially severe if consumed by someone in poor health.”
Wu Peng’s expression immediately darkened upon hearing this. What Mu Jin had pointed out was no trivial matter—he had been planning to share the herbs with a gravely ill friend.
If his friend consumed this herb and not only failed to recover but was indirectly harmed or even killed, Wu Peng would bear the guilt of that tragedy. The thought made him instinctively look up at Mu Xuan, hoping she could provide an explanation.
However, before Mu Xuan could respond, a voice came from the hunting team. Someone scoffed at Mu Jin, saying, “Who are you to decide there’s something wrong with these herbs? Why should we believe you?”
Recently, Mu Xuan had been casting a wide net in her interactions with people, not limiting her attentions to Wu Peng. Although she hadn’t explicitly accepted the advances of others, she kept them as potential backups. As a result, quite a few capable individuals in the tribe had become her admirers and supporters.
The person who rebutted Mu Jin was someone who had always had a deep admiration for Mu Xuan. Although he knew the chances of being with her were slim, he continued to pursue her wholeheartedly.
In his eyes, no matter how good-looking Mu Jin might be, he was still a man and couldn’t compare to a woman. He thought Mu Jin was degrading himself by voluntarily sticking close to Wupo, which made him look down on Mu Jin even more.
What use was a good-looking face? With no real skills to speak of and only capable of relying on an “unlucky” person, Mu Jin was beneath contempt. And to top it off, he was in the prime of his life but was only part of the foraging team. To him, that was the ultimate disgrace for a man.
When Mu Jin heard the rebuttal, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he gave Mu Xuan an apologetic glance before turning to Wu Po and calmly explaining, “Back in my original tribe, I learned medicine by studying under the priests, so I know a bit about pharmacology.”
“I didn’t notice anything earlier when Mu Xuan was gathering these herbs. It wasn’t until she handed them to you that I realized one of them resembled a plant I remember as causing diarrhea. That’s why I asked to take a closer look—medicines can’t be taken lightly.”
Hearing this, Wu He, who had been silently worrying about Mu Jin, quickly chimed in loudly to support him, “That’s right, I know this too! Mu Jin used to study medicine under the priests of his former tribe.”
“Before, he gave me dried and powdered snake gall to give to my grandmother, along with another herb that looked like a tree root. After taking them, her health has significantly improved.”
Wu He’s grandmother had been frail since her youth and had been battling chronic ailments for years with little improvement. Yet recently, her condition had visibly improved—a fact well known among the tribe members.
Initially, when they heard Mu Jin claim he had studied under a priest, many were skeptical. But after hearing Wu He’s testimony, they believed him completely.
Someone in the crowd murmured quietly, “You know, I’ve actually seen that herb before. I once confused it with a similar-looking edible wild vegetable and brought it back to eat. I ended up with terrible diarrhea for two or three days. It was unbearable.”
“Looking back now, it’s a good thing I’m strong. If my elderly father had eaten it instead, it might have killed him.”
After hearing this tribe member’s comment, everyone was convinced that Mu Jin was telling the truth. Even the man who had spoken up for Mu Xuan earlier fell silent. Mu Xuan, on the other hand, began to panic.
She carefully recalled the plants she had found near the tribe. Although they looked like the ones she was familiar with, upon closer inspection, there were subtle differences. Could it be that these plants merely resembled the ones she thought she knew, but their medicinal properties were completely different?
That d*mned Mu Jin! Why didn’t he warn me earlier? Why did he wait until there were so many people around to speak up? He clearly did this on purpose to humiliate me in front of everyone!
Note :
- “Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs” refers to an ancient Chinese legend about Shennong (神农), a mythical figure considered one of the founding fathers of Chinese medicine and agriculture.
The phrase is often used metaphorically to describe someone who is dedicated to experimenting or exploring unknown substances, especially in the pursuit of knowledge or progress, even at personal risk. Shennong’s efforts are said to have laid the foundation for traditional Chinese medicine and herbal remedies. ↩︎