Chapter 38: The Purple Bamboo Grove

The following morning, after they finished breakfast, Feng Yu first took her to harvest some sturdy grass. Only when she said it was enough did he carry her and their son on his back, flying toward the purple bamboo forest.

The forest was vast, with bamboo stalks thicker and taller than anything she had seen in the modern world. The thickest ones she could see were a meter in diameter and stood about fifty or sixty meters tall. The colors were more vibrant than modern bamboo, exceptionally beautiful, and under the sunlight, they seemed to be enveloped in a faint purple glow.

"Feng Yu, please help me cut down the thickest ones; I need about ten or so," Qi Yue said, then gestured with her hands to indicate a width of about half a meter. "And I need thirty or forty of these."

As Feng Yu felled the first stalk, a large amount of pale green liquid burst from the bamboo, releasing an even richer, more intoxicating bamboo fragrance.

What was this? Qi Yue stepped forward and placed her finger into the bamboo segment that remained standing after the cut. *Non-toxic, drinkable.*

Qi Yue cupped her hands to catch some, leaned down, and took a sip. It was slightly sweet, with a fresh, bamboo-like aroma, and it was incredibly thirst-quenching. "Feng Yu, you should try some too; it’s delicious."

In truth, Feng Yu had wanted to stop her the moment she moved to drink, but he hadn't been fast enough. Seeing that she was fine, he relaxed and stepped forward to take a sip himself. It was indeed excellent, possessing a fresh fragrance he couldn't quite describe.

[Mother, Chi'er wants to drink some too.] Feng Chi flew down and landed on Qi Yue's hand.

Qi Yue moved her hand closer to the liquid in the bamboo segment so he could peck at it. [Mother, it’s delicious! Chi'er likes it.]

"Good, if Chi'er likes it, I'll have your father cut more for you," Qi Yue laughed.

"Qi Yue, cutting more is no problem, but could you let me try new things first next time? What if there had been a problem?" Feng Yu said, clearly uneasy.

"Uh, Feng Yu, what exactly does the life-sharing in your vow mean when we bonded? If you were to get hurt or die, what would happen to me?" Qi Yue asked, looking him in the eyes.

"It means our lives are linked; we live and die together, and your lifespan will also be extended. But I am very strong, so you don't need to worry. If I am injured, you won't be harmed, only feel a bit weak," Feng Yu explained, looking slightly embarrassed.

In the Beastman Continent, excluding accidents and illness, a typical beastman lived to be about 300, while females lived at most 221 years, usually around 200. It was a significant gap, which is why every tribe had many elderly, widowed, and single beastmen.

"In other words, if something happens to you, something happens to me too." Qi Yue looked at him and nodded. Since that was the case, it was better for him to know about some of her abilities. She said, "Feng Yu, I should tell you that I have the ability to identify toxicity, so from now on, I will handle the task of checking for poisons."

"Really?! I understand, but it's best not to speak of this ability to anyone else." Feng Yu was overjoyed; Qi Yue was starting to share her secrets with him, bringing them one step closer. Yet, the more special she was, the more he worried. Could he truly protect her?

At this moment, Feng Yu didn't realize that Qi Yue was a person who took time to warm up to others and would not accept people easily. However, once she did accept someone, she would hold them completely in her heart and become dismissive of others. Feng Yu was undoubtedly lucky; his worries were groundless, though no one could tell him that his path of anxiety was just beginning.

"I won't tell anyone casually. Could you cut some more bamboo that is half the thickness of the ones I mentioned before?" Qi Yue said, looking out over the bamboo forest.

This bamboo liquid was wonderful; it would be a pity if she couldn't drink it later. Besides, she didn't plan on returning to Lu Yu, and it was unlikely she would come back here just for this. Transplanting thin shoots would take up too much space, and if Feng Chi were to enter the lava, their supplies would have to be stored with Feng Yu. If only she could find bamboo rice.

After wandering around, Qi Yue found only two clusters of bamboo that had finished flowering and produced plump seeds, so she took out a sack and began to harvest them. Chi'er helped from the side, picking up the ones Qi Yue accidentally knocked down.

By the time Feng Yu finished cutting the bamboo, the mother and son had only filled half a small bag. He took the sack from her hand, held it open under a bamboo branch, and with a single sweeping motion of his large hand, all the leaves and seeds fell into the bag.

Having a beastman around was truly convenient. Before long, both clusters of bamboo rice were harvested. As for the leaves in the bag, she could pick those out later.

"Next, let's dig for bamboo shoots." There were many shoot tips about half a meter high on the ground here. Qi Yue pointed to the nearest one. "You dig it up first, and let's see if it's too old."

Feng Yu grabbed the middle of the shoot and gave it a gentle snap, cleanly separating the entire bamboo shoot from its base.

Qi Yue peeled away the toughened outer layers, revealing the milky white core. She sensed it with her hand: *Non-toxic.* She took a bite of the tip—it was very tender—then a bite of the base—it was crisp. "Nice, let's dig up ones this size. Oh, and if you come across any bamboo chickens or bamboo rats while digging, don't let them escape," Qi Yue instructed.

Hmm, what else in the bamboo forest could be eaten? There were bamboo worms, though modern ones grew inside the stalks, unlike here where the stalks were full of liquid. She would have to look on the surface of the bamboo; perhaps the worms here ate the leaves instead. And then there were stinkhorn mushrooms, which were excellent for soup.

Qi Yue had Chi'er fly up to the bamboo to look for insects and bring them down for her to identify. Meanwhile, she carried her basket, head bowed, searching for stinkhorn mushrooms and other wild fungi.

[Mother, are you looking for this kind of bug?] Feng Chi flew over, carrying the leg of a longhorn beetle.

Qi Yue took it and looked; it was huge. The insect was ten centimeters long and six or seven centimeters wide. Everything in this world was so large. "Uh, not this one. It should be their larvae—soft, without a hard shell."

[Oh! You mean those big white worms that crawl on the leaves? Chi'er knows.] Chi'er flew back up and caught a large white worm. [Mother, is it this one?]

Qi Yue took it and examined it; it was shaped like a silkworm, only ten times larger. Her sensing confirmed: *Bamboo worm, non-toxic, loves eating bamboo leaves.*

"Chi'er, go catch them and store them in your space. I'll fry them up for you as a snack later." Qi Yue handed the worm back to him and went back to gathering stinkhorn mushrooms.

After Feng Yu had harvested four or five hundred bamboo shoots, he shifted into his mimicry form to hunt bamboo chickens and bamboo rats, his efficiency beyond compare.

Before they knew it, it was noon. Qi Yue was hungry, so she called Chi'er back, and the mother and son sat down to eat lunch.

She asked Chi'er to call his father. "Feng Yu, take a break and have some water."

"Alright, Qi Yue. I've pulled up about five hundred shoots, caught over twenty chickens and forty rats, and found three nests of eggs. Is that enough?" Feng Yu cut down a nearby bamboo stalk and said while drinking the liquid.