Farming Games are All About Grinding

After leaving the courtyard, Han Qiwu pointed in a direction and swung the reins.

The little horse dashed off, its steps light and its mood excited.

"Da-da-da-da."

The sound of horse hooves echoed on the cobblestone streets at the edge of the town.

An hour later, Han Qiwu glanced at the map and pulled the reins to stop the little horse.

"Let's take a break."

The little horse shook its head, signaling that it wasn't tired and could keep running.

"I meant *I* need a break."

Only then did the little horse reluctantly stop.

Han Qiwu quickly jumped down and began rotating his hips to loosen up.

Riding for a while really puts a strain on your waist. The constant bumping—his backside was already numb.

Those cavalrymen in ancient times sure had it tough.

After resting for a while, he fed the little horse some forage and water.

Based on the map, Wild Monkey Mountain was that tall peak in the distance. Calculating the distance, another hour of riding should get them there.

The dirt road in this area was sparsely populated, with few wagon trails visible.

A desolate place.

"Let's get moving." Han Qiwu jumped back onto the horse and shook the reins.

Forty minutes later.

Han Qiwu and the little horse arrived at the foot of Wild Monkey Mountain.

Even though it was just the base, the air was already damp, as if the rain from a few days ago had been trapped here, making the path somewhat slippery.

Looking up at Wild Monkey Mountain, Han Qiwu estimated its elevation to be 1,700 to 1,800 meters. The summit was hidden in thick clouds, impossible to see clearly.

"We're here. The trails ahead are all mountain paths. I'll stow you away for now and summon you again when we head back," Han Qiwu said, turning to the little horse.

As he turned, he realized the horse had wandered a hundred meters away to a flat area.

Following its gaze, Han Qiwu noticed some glowing points of light from the system scattered there.

What did the little horse find?

Han Qiwu quickly ran over.

Well, the horse didn't waste any time and was already munching away.

Getting closer, Han Qiwu took a look and discovered it was wild oats.

Wild oats are often considered weeds, typically growing among wheat fields. However, they consume twice as much water as wheat, and during harvest, their seeds mix in with wheat grains, reducing quality.

But in this case, wild oats growing at the foot of the mountain weren't weeds. Their roots, stems, and leaves were rich in protein, making them ideal forage for horses.

[Wild Oats]

[Usage: Feed]

[Special Effect - Protein: Consuming it can accelerate livestock muscle growth.]

[Note: Wild oats are rare and can only be found by chance.]

"That's a strong effect," Han Qiwu nodded approvingly and drew out a sickle to start harvesting.

This flat area had an abundance of wild oats. Considering the little horse's appetite, he decided to spend half an hour harvesting all the wild oats in sight.

The total harvest amounted to [Wild Oats]×175 stalks.

Though the quantity seemed sufficient, the little horse could wolf down four or five stalks in one bite. These wild oats could only serve as supplemental feed.

After feeding the little horse till it was full, Han Qiwu raised his hand and stored it into his mount wristband.

Time to climb the mountain.

Before heading up, he took out some mugwort cakes he had prepared earlier.

To stave off mosquitoes and bugs.

Since there wasn't a proper trail at his current location, he had no choice but to carve out a path himself.

Gripping the sickle tightly, Han Qiwu hacked his way through in the direction of the tea leaves' marked location.

On the way, he occasionally heard odd squeaking sounds, followed by the noise of branches being struck.

Thinking about the mountain's name, Han Qiwu furrowed his brow. Could it really be wild monkeys? What kind of lousy luck is this?

This wasn't a secret realm; he didn't want to fight.

Forget it, better to assess the situation first.

With his greatly enhanced physical condition, climbing the mountain wasn't particularly challenging for Han Qiwu. When he encountered tough spots to hack through, he simply grabbed onto branches and swung past.

Soon, he reached an elevation of around 700 to 800 meters. The surrounding air became increasingly humid, making it harder to breathe, and visibility had noticeably decreased.

"Good thing I waited for two sunny days before coming. If I had come on the rainy day, I wouldn't be able to see the path," Han Qiwu shook his head.

He kept an eye on his surroundings along this stretch but didn't come across any system glow points.

Were it not for the harsh environment, he might have considered releasing the little horse to search for food.

The little horse excelled at finding food, inheriting its siblings' fine tradition.

Another ten minutes later, Han Qiwu leapt over a massive greenstone and stood upright to take a look. Off in the distance, on a sunlit slope, he spotted a cluster of system glow points—quite a few, too.

Feeling reinvigorated, Han Qiwu glanced at the map. He hadn't yet reached the tea leaves' location; this was an unexpected bonus.

Charge ahead!

Upon reaching the sunlit slope, Han Qiwu found the glow points concentrated around pine trees in a small woodland.

Due to its southern exposure, the ground here was relatively dry. As he approached the glow point locations, Han Qiwu spotted three long mushrooms growing straight out of scattered pine needle piles.

These mushrooms had slightly closed caps, a dark yellow hue overall, and were quite large.

[Matsutake]

[Stamina +50]

[HP +50]

[Note: Fresh matsutake are exquisitely delicious!]

"Matsutake mushrooms?" Han Qiwu carefully picked them up. He had only eaten them once before at a restaurant with his dad, and the flavor was exceptionally good.

Matsutake is best enjoyed fresh. Once picked, its freshness and taste rapidly decline within a day; the texture and flavor become drastically inferior.

After collecting the three mushrooms, Han Qiwu decided to use a small knife to clean off their outer skin. He popped one straight into his mouth to savor.

This eating method is known as matsutake sashimi, which can be paired with soy sauce and wasabi or eaten plain.

In his mouth, the matsutake had a chewy texture, a slight sweetness, a rich taste, and an alluring umami flavor.

"This is insanely good." Han Qiwu couldn't help himself and devoured the other two as well.

Seeing more glow points ahead, he started getting excited.

If he harvested all of them, think how amazing they'd taste.

Charge ahead and pick them all!

Twenty minutes later, Han Qiwu's inventory contained eleven matsutake mushrooms, including two of Silver Star quality—exceptionally large specimens.

These were bound to be incredibly flavorful.

He planned to pan-fry the remaining matsutake with butter back home—a delicacy guaranteed to taste even better.

Just as he was preparing to collect the next glowing matsutake, several whizzing sounds pierced the air near his ear.

"Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh."

Han Qiwu instinctively dodged with a backbend followed by a nimble flip.

On closer inspection, seven or eight wild gray monkeys were racing toward him along the tree branches. While running, they hurled wild fruits in his direction.

They were incredibly fast.

Han Qiwu reflexively considered summoning his ice wand but suddenly remembered the calendar notation.

Avoid combat.

Ah, that's right—no fighting.

Whether he won or lost, it would ultimately count as a personal loss.

Still, he couldn't bear to abandon this matsutake patch; there had to be at least twenty more glow points remaining.

What to do?

Maybe… try communicating? Reason with them?