Chapter 39 The Joy of Harvest

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Fuzhu—a creature resembling a white deer, but with four antlers.
It was also the “beautiful deer” Yun Duo’er had exclaimed over.
The Rock Forest of Fuzhu, this instance, held not a single drop of water; the entire stony woodland was parched. The Howling Boar herd possessed fire attributes, and as with most living beings, survival without water was impossible. Thus, Fuzhu, whose body brimmed with water energy and who spread veils of mist each day, became the sacred deer of the Howling Boars!
Wherever the sacred deer dwelled, countless plants relied on its water essence to root, sprout, and thrive.
Thus, the Howling Boars were provided with food to eat.
Deep within their collective consciousness, the Howling Boars believed that as long as the sacred deer remained, their herd would endure and flourish for centuries. But if ever the herd was abandoned by the sacred deer, or if the sacred deer was slain by outsiders, extinction loomed near.
Yu Yan knew this as well and paid no heed to the boar herd trailing behind her.
“Oh, it’s running away!”
Yun Duo’er pointed regretfully in the direction Fuzhu had disappeared.
“Do you like it?”
Yu Yan hadn’t intended to provoke Fuzhu. Although she hadn’t visited the “Fuzhu Rock Forest” in her previous life, nor seen a whole Howling Boar, the famed instance was mentioned often enough.
First, there was the renowned delicacy of Howling Boar meat.
As one of the four supreme delicacies in the instance world, Howling Boar meat was legendary among adventurers. Unlike the other three prized dishes, which came from perilous lands or rare high-level spirit beasts, Howling Boar meat—graded from level one to three—was easily obtained.
Any moderately skilled ability user could gather a few companions and effortlessly enjoy a feast.
By the later phases of the instance world, after “Fuzhu Rock Forest” merged with nine adjacent instances and lost its refresh ability, the Howling Boar tribe was hunted to the brink of extinction by the flood of strengthened adventurers drawn by its fame!
This explained why Yu Yan had only ever heard of Howling Boars, but never seen one.
The second reason was the existence of the unique creature, Fuzhu.
If the instance world had a concept of fate, Fuzhu would be its darling. Graceful and beautiful, its snowy body shimmered with golden flecks, its crystal antlers gleaming with iridescent hues beneath the sun—dazzling and enchanting.
Though merely a fourth-rank creature, it could evade a full-force strike from a sixth-rank strengthened fighter!
Even a seventh-rank’s normal attack would be futile against Fuzhu.

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These were peaceful beings, seldom seen in the instance world—rarely would they initiate aggression against any animal, human or otherwise. Even in the face of malice, they typically chose to withdraw far away.
After the Howling Boar herd was wiped out in the previous timeline, Fuzhu vanished without a trace.
Rumor grew among humans that Fuzhu was an embodiment of luck; anyone fortunate enough to glimpse one would enjoy good fortune for days, even months thereafter.
Yu Yan scoffed at such tales.
Yet who could resist a creature so beautiful and gentle?
Especially in the brutal instance world, Fuzhu’s presence felt all the more precious.
So Yu Yan had no intention of harming Fuzhu. But if her daughter wished for it, as a mother, she would not hesitate. With her Plant Spirit World, raising one or two Fuzhu would not be difficult at all.
“I do like it...”
A trace of struggle flickered in Yun Duo’er’s eyes before she sighed, “But let’s not. If we capture it, it will surely be unhappy.”
Yu Yan stroked her daughter’s hair. “Alright, we’ll do as you wish.”
“If you say we won’t catch it, then we won’t.”
Yu Yan’s main purpose in coming to the Fuzhu Rock Forest was threefold. First, to enjoy a meal of Howling Boar, which was accomplished. Second, to let Yun Duo’er—who had followed her into high-level instances since the world’s collapse—experience the atmosphere of a lower-level instance.
She didn’t want her daughter to believe the instance world was only made of high-level challenges; such a notion would do Yun Duo’er’s growth no good.
As for the third, the moment she saw Fuzhu, Yu Yan knew her trip would not be in vain.
Wenstem Fruit—a spirit fruit often found where Fuzhu resided.
Resembling a date, it enhanced hearing upon consumption! Its function was singular, with no other benefit after absorption and refinement. Yet, precisely for this reason, whether ordinary person, strengthened one, or spirit vein user—
All would gain the same enhancement to their hearing!
This too was a spirit fruit Yu Yan had only heard of, never seen.
After sharing what she knew about the fruit with Yun Duo’er, the two spent more than two hours searching the thicket, finally discovering a peculiar tree with whorled round leaves, about two stories tall. The tree had a single thick trunk, stretching straight toward the sky.
Clusters of large round leaves spread outward from the crown.
The leaf stems were sturdy, edged with small serrations, and at the base, sheathed in fibrous reddish-brown bracts.

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It was the season for Wenstem Fruit to ripen; clusters of date-shaped fruits hung densely, their pale green skin tinged with a faint blue glow. Yu Yan’s eyes brightened with delight—she hadn’t expected this particular tree to be of such a high grade; it was already a fourth-rank spirit tree!
Only Wenstem Fruit of fourth rank or higher emitted that ethereal blue radiance.
“Wind Stride.”
With a silent invocation, wind energy enfolded Yu Yan, lifting her gently into the air—one of the wind abilities she’d gained by refining ninth-rank Quru meat.
Effortlessly floating up to the laden branches, Yu Yan plucked a fruit and popped it into her mouth.
A sweet and sour taste instantly captivated her palate.
Yu Yan squinted in satisfaction. Though her storage space held plenty of fruit from home—commonplace oranges, apples, bananas, cherries—none could rival the flavor of spirit fruit.
A sharp, joyful cry sounded as Little Qing, perched on her shoulder, circled the Wenstem tree, quickly selecting the most radiant blue fruit and swallowing it whole.
“Mama!”
Yun Duo’er called anxiously from below. “I want to pick fruit too!”
Few could resist the joy of harvest.
Before the instance world descended, people’s favorite pastime in fruit or vegetable season was to visit orchards and pick fruit, relishing the pleasure of reaping nature’s bounty. Yu Yan beamed and shook down several of the finest Wenstem clusters.
“Wow!”
Yun Duo’er cheered, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
She first gathered the hanging clusters, then hopped about collecting the scattered fruit. Since the world’s collapse, it was the first time Yu Yan had seen her daughter so happy!
She slowed her own gathering, savoring this rare moment of peace.
Whenever Yun Duo’er had nearly finished collecting, Yu Yan would shake down a few more clusters. Having refined several pieces of ninth-rank Quru meat, she, as a spirit vein user, had raised her wind ability to the peak of third rank.
She could now perform more than thirty “Wind Stride” maneuvers.
Each time, if not used at full power but merely to float, the ability could last a full three minutes...