Chapter 10: The Escaping Ginseng and the Broken Buttons

Lin Mo and her companions walked for a while before arriving at the cave where the Lynx Chief resided.

The setting sun hung on the treetops, casting long, stretched shadows of the group. The daylight was thin. An elderly, brownish-black lynx lay curled up on an old animal skin at the cave entrance. Its fur was matted with green herbal liquid, giving its head a slightly emerald tint. Despite the sweltering summer heat, its body was shivering uncontrollably.

The old lynx’s breathing was faint. Beside the entrance sat a stone pot, and an elderly woman in a beast-skin skirt knelt by it. Her eyes were red and her amber gaze was clouded; her vision was clearly failing. She tried to add wood to the fire, but several branches landed outside the pit. The concoction in the pot emitted a thick, scorched, bitter smell.

—The medicine had clearly burned.

The pungent odor choked Lin Mo. Her throat itched, and she couldn’t stop herself from coughing violently. She lowered her head and covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling. Suddenly, a warm sensation spread across her back.

Lin Mo felt her body instantly become much more comfortable. She turned and saw that Mo Jin’s eyes, usually as indifferent as still water, held a flicker of worry.

Lin Mo’s heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she suddenly remembered the morning when she had accidentally “stolen” a kiss from Mo Jin’s cheek.

‘Why would Mo Jin suddenly care about her health?’

It didn’t fit the “Iceberg” persona at all. Could it be that Mo Jin wanted her to lower her guard so she could sneak a bite of the bamboo on her head while she slept tonight?

The realization hit Lin Mo instantly, and the bamboo shoot on her head responded by growing another inch. She quickly stepped back, her face flushed and her eyes misty from the coughing fit. “Thank you.”

Mo Jin’s hand remained suspended in mid-air for a second. Her expression didn’t change, but she glanced at Lin Mo before slowly withdrawing her hand and tucking it behind her back. She had a feeling this little bamboo was imagining something very strange again.

Little She Qiu’s cry interrupted Lin Mo’s wandering thoughts. It ran to the cave entrance and huddled by the old lynx with teary eyes. –Grandfather Chief, I’m back.–

She Qiu waited, but the Chief didn’t reach out to pat its head or call its name with his usual kindness. Tears fell like broken strings of pearls. It hugged the Chief’s arm, rubbing its face against the fur. –Grandfather Chief, I brought very powerful friends. You’ll get better soon.–

The old woman walked over, patted She Qiu’s head, and pulled the crying lynx into a tight embrace. She used her rough fingers to gently wipe the tears from its eyes. “Little She Qiu, your Grandfather Chief will be fine.”

–Grandma.– She Qiu gripped her hand, voice sobbing. It pointed at Lin Mo and Mo Jin. –They are very powerful! They’ll save Grandfather Chief. They healed my brother’s leg!–

“Silly child, the High Priest said it can’t be cured. Your Grandfather was poisoned by the Lion tribe. There is no antidote.” The old woman shook her head and sighed. Her clouded eyes turned to Lin Mo, and she said kindly, “Thank you anyway.”

Lin Mo scratched her head, feeling a bit awkward. “You’re welcome.”

Mo Jin took a step forward, her eyes scanning the old lynx. “It can be saved,” she said flatly.

A spark of hope reignited in the old woman’s eyes.

“I can force the toxins out, but its body is very weak,” Mo Jin explained. “After the poison is gone, it will need supplements like ginseng to recover slowly.”

Mo Jin raised her hand, moving it slowly over the old lynx. A faint purple light condensed around the creature. Mo Jin’s finger stopped directly above the lynx’s throat and tapped lightly.

The old lynx coughed up a large amount of dark, blackened blood. Its paws twitched, and it slowly opened its eyes.

–Grandfather Chief!– She Qiu cheered.

The Chief’s paw rested gently on the little lynx’s head for a moment, but because he was so weak, he soon closed his eyes again.

The old woman wiped her tears, murmuring, “As long as he’s awake… that’s enough.” She looked at them with excitement. “But… what is ‘ginseng’? Where can we find it?”

Living on this island all her life, she had never heard of such a thing.

Lin Mo recalled the shape of ginseng and gestured with her fingers. “Ginseng is a supplement. It grows underground as a fleshy root. It looks a bit like a radish, but with arms and legs.”

The old woman shook her head; she had never seen it. She Qiu didn’t quite understand either, but it knew the High Priest was wise.

–I’ll go ask the High Priest if she knows about ginseng!–

With that, the little lynx transformed and bolted out of the cave like a mini whirlwind—crashing right into She Yue, who had only just managed to hop her way there. She Yue felt a gust of wind, spun around until she was dizzy, and flopped onto the ground.

The old woman helped her up. She Yue opened her eyes and saw Lin Mo and Mo Jin by her father. Anxious, she let out a series of “Mmph-mmph!” sounds.

Thinking she was worried about her father, the old woman patted her head. “Your father is fine now. The poison is out. Come and thank them.”

She Yue’s eyes widened in disbelief. ‘Weren’t these two frauds?’ Seeing her stunned, the old woman pushed her toward Lin Mo.

She Yue lowered her head, her face turning crimson from her ears down to her neck. “I… I’m… so… sorry…” The words were squeezed out of her throat, lacking all the arrogance she had earlier.

‘Tsk, what a stubborn girl,’ Lin Mo thought, not wanting to hold a grudge. She waved her hand. “We were just fulfilling She Qiu’s request.”

She Yue stood there for a moment, her face burning red, before hanging her head and scurrying away in shame.

Soon, She Qiu rushed back, sweat pouring down its forehead. –The High Priest says she doesn’t have any ginseng.–

Lin Mo: “Did she say where she’s seen it?”

She Qiu scratched its head. –She said she saw it once on the mountaintop. she tried to pick it, but the ginseng ran very fast and she couldn’t catch it.–

‘Ginseng that runs?’ Lin Mo marveled. ‘In the world of spirits, even ginseng ignores the laws of science.’

“Let’s go look for it,” Lin Mo suggested. “Maybe we’ll get lucky. What do you think, Mo Jin?”

Mo Jin nodded. “If you are there, it will be found.”

Lin Mo felt Mo Jin’s trust was a bit too high; she wasn’t even that confident in herself.

The group left the Chief’s cave and headed for the summit. As night fell, dew descended, making the mossy rocks damp and slippery. The path was treacherous. Lin Mo held a thick wooden stick in one hand and a burning torch in the other, moving with extreme caution.

She watched the nimble She Qiu with envy. Animals really had it good—they didn’t fear mountain paths at all.

However, ever since she used her spirit perception to heal She Qiu’s brother, she had awakened a strange skill: she was more sensitive to plants and the flow of spiritual energy. In this forest, she felt as if she could merge with the flora. She could accurately sense where the spiritual energy (qi) was most abundant.

Right now, not far from her, a plant was opening and closing its leaves, “sucking” the surrounding qi like a nursing infant. It seemed to sense where the energy was strongest and was creeping toward Lin Mo.

Lin Mo stopped and lowered her torch. The plant, busy feasting on energy, didn’t notice the anomaly and continued to quiver happily.

‘How cute! Even if this isn’t ginseng, it must be some rare treasure.’

Excitedly, Lin Mo reached for it, but she didn’t notice the slippery moss under her feet. She lost her balance instantly. Her hands flailed, trying to grab a branch for support, but instead, she grabbed onto a soft arm.

With a hard tug, Lin Mo was pulled into a warm embrace.

Lin Mo looked up. Mo Jin’s pursed red lips were inches away. Mo Jin’s face was icy, and the look in her eyes was… not friendly.

Lin Mo stiffened. She looked down to see her hand clutching Mo Jin’s collar, while her other hand was wrapped around Mo Jin’s waist. Lin Mo gave a sheepish laugh and slowly let go.

“Sorry…”

As the word left her lips, two buttons on Mo Jin’s collar snapped off. The white shirt fell open, revealing her elegant, exquisite collarbones. The loose collar added a touch of laziness to her look, shattering the “Iceberg” facade and replacing it with a tempting allure.

If she ignored Mo Jin’s murderous gaze, Lin Mo felt her heart was about to be captured. But right now, the situation was a little dangerous…

Lin Mo gulped, picked up the buttons, hid her hands behind her back, and took a slow step away.

Mo Jin’s eyes turned cold, and she took a step closer. Lin Mo backed up until her heel hit a tree. There was nowhere to run.

Mo Jin stepped closer still, crossing her arms and looming over her.

Lin Mo felt like she was definitely doomed this time!1