Li Xiang now had 340 Achievement Points, so he spent 100 to redeem the "Mutant Creature Identification Function." Afterward, he had a blast using it, identifying every single cat, dog, chicken, and duck at his house.
But there was one drawback: it could only identify creatures within a ten-meter radius of him.
"Congratulations, Host. One Tier Two Sun-calling Golden Chicken discovered."
As the system prompt appeared, Li Xiang's gaze fell upon a large rooster in his yard, one with magnificent, colorful plumage.
This rooster had a red comb and iridescent feathers that shimmered like a brocade cape. Its crow every morning was the loudest and clearest, and it had a proud, majestic stride. It truly was a fine chicken!
Li Xiang had actually considered eating it last time, thinking its meat would surely be nice and chewy. Now, of course, he couldn't bear the thought.
Although this chicken was just an ordinary fowl now, if it survived until the Apocalypse, it would transform into a Chicken Demon. A Tier Two's strength would make it a core member and an elite in any faction.
After all, not everyone was qualified to step into the realm of the Extraordinary.
Becoming an Extraordinary Being, even just a Tier One, made one a valuable talent. As for a devoted Chicken Demon, which would be considered a "Household Servant," "Spirit Pet," or a tamed beast from "Beast Taming," it was even more rare.
'A chicken you've raised since it was a chick—how could it not be loyal?'
'Any that aren't loyal end up in the pot.'
To Li Xiang's regret, out of more than a dozen chickens, this was the only one with potential. The rest, including the ducks, were all Mortal Items.
'What a shame about that old hen I killed last time. If I'd kept her and bred her with this rooster, I might have been able to get a few more Extraordinary chickens.'
But what was eaten was eaten. Li Xiang didn't dwell on it. It had been so fragrant back then, he'd practically cried from the delicious aroma.
He then ran off to identify his two dogs.
The result was a huge disappointment.
Er Huang would become a Tier Four in the future, but Dahuang was a Mortal Item.
This was a blow, because he loved both Dahuang and Er Huang equally—in fact, he was even a little more partial to Dahuang. He felt that both dogs were equally smart, but in the past, Dahuang had always been the one to take the lead, acting as the big brother.
Next, he ran off to identify the mother cat and her five kittens.
This time, Li Xiang was absolutely stunned.
Because he had found three with Extraordinary potential at once.
The mother cat was a Mortal Item, but among her five little ones, the tabby and the calico both had Tier Four potential. And another one... would actually become a Tier Six Exotic Beast in the future.
'Tier Six! That's a Middle Stage Extraordinary. In my past life, I gave it my all, but due to limited opportunities, I only ever reached Tier Five.'
And this potential Tier Six Exotic Beast was none other than the adorably clumsy Xiaobai!
The most mischievous one, the tuxedo cat, was actually a Mortal Item, destined to be just an ordinary cat.
'Holy crap, Xiaobai, you're really going to defy the heavens and change your fate! I always thought you were so clumsy, getting picked on and bullied every day, but you're actually... You really can't judge a cat by its cover.'
Li Xiang decided to be a little nicer to Xiaobai from now on. Once it was a bit older, he'd eat and sleep with it, nurturing their bond from a young age.
Of course, the little tabby and Xiaosanhua were also rare potential Exotic Beasts, and Li Xiang had no intention of neglecting them.
He then took a lap around the entire village, but unfortunately, he found nothing.
'Looks like I definitely need to make another trip into the mountains.' Li Xiang was eager to gather some Tier One Exotic Grass for his grandparents, and he was also anxious to earn back the 100 Achievement Points he had just spent. So, with his High-Density Blade tucked at his waist, a shovel in hand, and a large bamboo basket on his back, he once again headed deep into the autumn mountain forest.
Autumn is the season of harvest. When Li Xiang went into the mountains, he certainly wasn't going to search exclusively for potential Exotic Beasts—that was just a matter of luck. He needed to do some real work.
He set up his phone on its stand, turned on the camera, and went into the mountains to dig for Solomon's seal.
Solomon's seal, also known as mountain ginger, tiger ginger, or Chicken Head Ginseng, is an excellent traditional Chinese medicinal herb. It replenishes qi and nourishes yin, strengthens the spleen, moistens the lungs, and benefits the kidneys. The *Baopuzi* records: "The ancients named it so because this plant receives the qi of the earth and obtains the essence of heaven and earth."
The best time to dig for Solomon's seal deep in the mountains is in the autumn, specifically from October to December. The prime time is after the first frost, as this is when the plant's nutritional value is concentrated in its roots, making it ideal for harvesting and more potent.
While gathering mushrooms before, Li Xiang had noticed a lot of wild Solomon's seal, but since the best time for harvesting hadn't arrived, he had held off.
Today happened to be the day of the first frost. The weather was clear—a good day for it.
Of course, if he came across any good mushrooms, he would definitely gather them. But he had already swept through the area several times, so there probably weren't any valuable mushrooms left for now. Even if there were, the quantity would be small. At best, he could pick some cheaper ones to eat himself.
The price for wild Solomon's seal is 30 to 70 yuan per kilogram, but if it undergoes the "nine-steams-nine-suns" process, the price can jump to five or six hundred yuan per kilogram.
Li Xiang figured that with his skill level, digging up one or two hundred kilograms of the fresh herb should be a piece of cake.
Digging for Solomon's seal is actually a skilled task, especially since many plants, like Jade Bamboo, look quite similar to it.
Some people go into the mountains to dig for Solomon's seal, spend half the day digging enthusiastically, and end up with something that isn't Solomon's seal at all. They still take it to sell, since most people can't tell the difference anyway.
So, as for those "nine-steams-nine-suns" Solomon's seal products on the market that are suspiciously cheap, it's obvious what they're really made of.
Li Xiang, of course, would never do such a thing. He recorded as he walked, finding many similar-looking plants and teaching his viewers how to distinguish between them.
Then, he came across a very small Solomon's seal plant. He bent down and pointed his phone's camera right at it.
"Everyone, look. The part of this Solomon's seal plant above the ground is only a little over ten centimeters tall. It's clearly a young sprout that hasn't been growing for long, so it's not suitable for harvesting." Li Xiang stood up, changing his tone.
"However, Solomon's seal is like bamboo—it grows in patches. Since we've found a small one, there must be a big one nearby!"
"Also, Solomon's seal loves the shade and often grows in cool, dark places, like in bamboo groves, at the base of cliffs, or on north-facing slopes. Let's go around this big stone and see. We might find a surprise."
Sure enough, after taking a few steps behind the big stone, Li Xiang saw many tall Solomon's seal plants. Some were dozens of centimeters high, while others towered over two meters.
"Let's start with this tallest one!" Li Xiang pointed, began to dig, and soon unearthed a large cluster of Solomon's seal rhizomes.
"Whoa, what a bountiful harvest," Li Xiang said, holding the Solomon's seal up to his phone for a close-up shot.
In reality, he had found this spot before while gathering mushrooms. He was just pretending to discover it for the first time for the sake of the video.
But the Solomon's seal was genuinely wild, freshly dug from the ground and still covered in soil.
Li Xiang cut off the main part, trimmed the ends, and tossed it into his basket.
He walked and filmed, and soon, his basket was full.
Before he knew it, Li Xiang had wandered into a special place. In the distance, several graves appeared.
He gazed at them from afar, his eyes turning red, and stopped recording.