Chapter Fifty-One: The Ice Spirit Fruit

Chapter 51: The Ice Spirit Fruit

In the great snow mountains, food became increasingly scarce. The rations he carried had long since been consumed, though water was never lacking—snow could always be melted and boiled for drinking. He was forced to try his hand at hunting, but in the depths of winter, especially up here in the remote northern frontier, the vast majority of animals, including blood beasts, preferred to hibernate.

If he managed to eat once every two or three days, he considered himself lucky; sometimes, it was seven or eight days between meals. Fortunately, as a psychic, his physical constitution was excellent. Had he been an ordinary man, he would likely have perished in the icy wilderness.

He began testing anything that could serve as food among the local plants and animals. Luckily, he still had detox pills, so mild toxins held little fear for him. After much trial and error, he finally found a relatively common, abundantly available, palatable, and easy-to-cook food source—snow silkworms.

Snow silkworms looked somewhat menacing, their mouths bristling with jagged fangs. They were much larger than mulberry silkworms, ranging from five to fifteen centimeters in length, and far more ferocious as well. Once decapitated, skinned, and cleaned, they could be eaten. Their bodies were rich in protein, and when roasted, they released a fragrance reminiscent of stewed chicken—who knows how many times more nutritious they were than beef.

These snow silkworms seemed native to the great snow mountains. Perhaps because of their intimidating appearance and aggression, they had never won the favor of psychics, nor had they been officially classified as food. Xia Zheng thought that someday, he might start a company specializing in breeding and processing snow silkworms.

There was also a kind of fruit buried beneath the snow, its shell extremely hard. At first, Xia Zheng mistook them for stones or lumps of ice, but after considerable effort cracking one open, he discovered they were filled with fruit flesh. Though not particularly juicy, eating ten or so could relieve thirst for a whole day—a pleasant surprise. The taste was somewhat bitter, but after the bitterness came a hint of sweetness, which proved rather addictive.

Consulting his database, Xia Zheng discovered this fruit was called the "Bitter Ice Fruit" and had been officially categorized as a medicinal herb. It was said to possess a bittersweet nature, quelling internal heat and detoxifying the body; applied externally, it was effective for healing wounds, especially those caused by fire or poison. It was highly regarded, though its bitter taste made it hard to swallow directly, so it was never considered food. In his present hardships, however, Xia Zheng found it quite suitable.

Thus, over the next few days, he collected snow silkworms and bitter ice fruits along the way, stockpiling enough for half a month before pushing further into the mountains.

Another half month passed. He had now been in the great snow mountains for about two months, and the Federation’s New Year's Festival was fast approaching. Anxiety gnawed at him—he still hoped to return home in time for the Spring Festival. Yet of the four tasks before him, aside from the completed "Slay Ten Black-Striped King Scorpions," the other three were at a standstill: there was no trace of Wadsworth, not a single one of the three required medicinal herbs had been found, and he had seen not even the shadow of a Fei Beast.

"Must I really return empty-handed?" Xia Zheng sat disconsolately on a wind-sheltered cliff, roasting snow silkworms while biting into a bitter ice fruit. His whole appearance had become rougher, with an increasingly masculine cast. Compared to six months ago, fresh out of school, he had grown considerably.

A piercing cry, like that of a hawk or falcon, sounded from above. Xia Zheng, unfazed, picked up an empty shell of a bitter ice fruit, channeled his psychic power into it, and shot it like a bullet toward the source of the sound.

A crisp crack rang out—a direct hit. The creature that had been shrieking at him fell silent, no longer daring to provoke him.

Not far off lay a large white-headed bird beast, its head drooping, looking listless. Although not a blood beast, it was formidable in its own right—Xia Zheng had seen with his own eyes this very bird beast tear open the skull of a blood demon boar, a display of savage strength.

It was only now that Xia Zheng realized the natural world still harbored many powerful creatures, such as this white-headed bird beast. Blood beasts, selectively bred by the blood clan for generations, had gained partial psychic abilities and could suppress most wild animals. Yet when faced with true predators, even blood beasts couldn’t always prevail. Every beast would meet its match.

He had encountered this white-headed bird beast two days prior while roasting snow silkworms. The alluring aroma had evidently attracted two bird beasts, which swooped down aggressively to steal his food. Xia Zheng wounded one and captured the other alive. The injured bird beast then began following him everywhere, unwilling to leave. Knowing it couldn’t defeat Xia Zheng, it dared not descend to its own doom, instead circling overhead and crying so incessantly that he found it hard to sleep. Sometimes it would feint an attack, only to pull up and soar away at the last moment, cackling in a way that seemed mocking. If not for his limited flight altitude, Xia Zheng would have roasted it for dinner already.

The bird’s cry came again, more irritating than ever.

“It’s said that white-headed bird beasts mate for life—if one dies, the other will never live on alone. True devotion. Now, with your mate in my hands, do you still dare flaunt yourself above me? Let’s see how you like this.” With a thought, Xia Zheng unleashed a psychic band that wrapped around the captive bird beast’s head, making it cry out in pain.

Overhead, the free bird beast instantly let out a frantic, terrified screech—no longer arrogant, its voice now full of fury and desperate pleading, as if begging Xia Zheng to spare its beloved.

Once more, Xia Zheng launched a fruit shell at it. This time, the bird dodged, losing only a few feathers. Enraged, it spat an unknown fruit from its beak, shooting it at Xia Zheng like a bullet.

“Hmph, pathetic trick!” Xia Zheng scoffed, weaving a psychic net to intercept the projectile, intending to fling it back—only to stop, surprised.

The net dropped the strange fruit into his hand. He released his grip on the captive beast, and the bird overhead, sensing the reprieve, ceased its harassment for the moment, calling softly now and then, as if to comfort its mate: don’t be afraid, I will save you.

Xia Zheng opened his palm and examined the fruit. At first glance it seemed black, but after wiping it with snow, it became clear and crystalline, remarkably beautiful. It resembled a longan, but the flesh was translucent, with a core that faintly glimmered at its heart.

“Ice Spirit Fruit?” Xia Zheng exclaimed, leaping to his feet. The captive bird beast glared at him, as if reproaching him for the fright.

He hurriedly opened his phone, accessed his downloaded data, and compared the entry for the Ice Spirit Fruit. There was no mistake—the fruit spat at him by the bird above was indeed an Ice Spirit Fruit.

“Just when I was about to give up, fortune smiles on me with an Ice Spirit Fruit.” Xia Zheng quickly stowed the precious fruit in a special box. Emerging from his hideout, he looked up—the white-headed bird beast was still circling overhead, crying out once every ten minutes, unwilling to leave its mate. Such loyalty, he thought, put many humans to shame.

A plan came to him. Using his psychic power, he fashioned a simple cage on the ground to confine the weakened bird beast, then constructed two walls to create a crude shelter.

He then stepped outside, scooped up handfuls of snow, and shaped them into balls the size of Ice Spirit Fruits. He flung them up at the hovering bird beast, but this time, he had no luck—the fruit it spat down was nothing but ordinary wild fruit. It seemed that the Ice Spirit Fruit had been a chance find.

Having emptied its supply of projectiles, the bird beast issued a threatening cry, as if to say, “Just you wait—I’ll be back.” With a beat of its wings, it flew off.

Xia Zheng immediately unfurled his psychic wings and pursued at low altitude, trailing the bird for ten or so miles. The bird veered sideways into a narrow crevice between snow-laden peaks, and Xia Zheng followed.

The crevice was indeed tight, but fortunately, Xia Zheng was much smaller than the bird beast and had no trouble navigating it. The passage twisted and turned, growing warmer and more humid the deeper he went.

At the end of the crevice, a shaft of light forced him to shield his eyes. When they finally adjusted, he emerged into a hidden paradise.

A waterfall cascaded down the far side of the ravine, glittering like a silver river. Verdant foliage filled his vision, with fruits and flowers of every hue in abundance.

Birds and beasts flitted everywhere—the white-headed bird beast was merely one among them. It flew straight to a patch of flowers by the waterfall, settled there, and began to gather fruit—not so much picking as biting them off and storing them in its beak, rather than swallowing.

Xia Zheng scanned the area and quickly spotted traces of Ice Spirit Fruit among the flowers. He rushed over and unleashed his psychic power, shaping it into a giant hammer that struck the ground beside the bird, startling it into the air. With a beat of its wings, it charged at him.

Enemies meeting face-to-face, both were eager for battle. The bird beast let out a long, majestic cry, alerting the others. Soon, birds and beasts of all kinds gathered to watch the duel. In their eyes, Xia Zheng, who could fly, was just another bird beast.

With a whoosh, two massive talons slashed down from above, so fast that the air shrieked. A direct hit would have left Xia Zheng dead or gravely wounded.

But he had no intention of killing the bird beast—he only wanted to drive it away. His psychic power took the shape of a giant fist, which he hurled at the creature.

In a powerful clash, the injured bird beast was outmatched and driven back. Xia Zheng forced it toward the crevice, finally compelling it to flee.

He guessed it wouldn’t return, likely hurrying back to rescue its mate while he was occupied here.

Alighting among the wild fruit, Xia Zheng searched for Ice Spirit Fruit. Sure enough, he found traces on several ice-blue dwarf trees. Each tree bore only a single fruit—five in total. He picked them all and stored them in his box; his task to collect Ice Spirit Fruit was now complete.

“What kind of place is this, to hide such a wondrous, secret valley?” Xia Zheng resolved to explore it thoroughly.