Hu Tao Is Monetizing My Existence. [62]

Realizing that Qiqi had been gone for quite a while, Bubu Pharmacy's owner, Baizhu, sneezed several times in a row just as he was about to head out to find her.

The snake coiled around his neck flicked its tongue, hissing in concern. "You're not catching a cold, are you?"

Baizhu placed a hand on his own wrist, feeling his pulse. After a moment, his brows smoothed out.

"My health has been relatively stable lately. It's probably just the cold wind." Saying this, he grabbed a coat and draped it over his shoulders.

"You'd better take good care of yourself. I really don't want to have to find a new master so soon…" the snake muttered.

"Don't worry. I intend to live a long, long life…"

---

With their decision made, Jiang Bai and Hu Tao continued their journey with Qiqi in tow.

Despite looking like a child, her zombie body was anything but weak. And since zombies didn't feel fatigue, she could walk endlessly without tiring.

Although she spoke slowly, her movements were anything but sluggish—she had no trouble keeping up with them.

Still, Jiang Bai couldn't shake the feeling that he had forgotten something.

It wasn't until they reached a pavilion that it finally hit him.

"My Mora!"

He smacked his forehead and let out a wail.

He'd been so focused on Qiqi that he had completely forgotten something this important!

"What Mora?" Hu Tao asked, confused.

This guy only had a single Mora to his name—what could he possibly have lost?

"I saw a plant growing on a cliffside earlier. It had beautiful purple flowers. I was going to pick it, but then I got distracted and forgot!"

"And what does that have to do with Mora?"

"A plant like that has to be rare! Growing in such a harsh environment, blooming against all odds—it's gotta be worth a fortune, right? If I picked it and sold it, I'd make so much Mora!" Jiang Bai said with conviction.

Things are valuable because they're rare. A plant that could thrive on a sheer cliff had to be on par with ginseng or at least as precious as lingzhi mushrooms and deer antlers, right?

The moment Hu Tao heard purple flowers on a cliff, she immediately knew what he was talking about.

"That's a Glaze Lily! Sure, they're hard to pick, but they're not exactly rare."

She didn't know much about herbs, but thanks to Xiangling's influence, she at least knew that Glaze Lilies could be used in cooking.

Besides, there were plenty of them on cliff faces—they were just a bit tricky to harvest.

"Qiqi… has some."

Trailing closely behind Jiang Bai, Qiqi reached into her basket and pulled out a wilted Glaze Lily, offering it to him.

"Here…" She raised it with both hands, standing on tiptoe to pass it to him.

"So it's just a common herb after all…" Jiang Bai was a little disappointed but still gave Qiqi a smile as he accepted the flower.

"Glaze Lily… can heal…" Qiqi pointed at the flower.

It was one of the few medicinal herbs she still remembered. In fact, she had tried to pick one from a cliff earlier—that was how she had gotten stuck in the first place.

"Thanks, I'll take it then."

Even though it wouldn't fetch him a fortune, Jiang Bai carefully placed the Glaze Lily into his basket, alongside the Sweet Flowers.

Mora wasn't important. The little girl's kindness was. He couldn't let her down.

Seeing him treat her gift with care, Qiqi's mood improved. Though her face remained expressionless, the joy she felt was still somehow apparent.

"Qiqi… will heal you." She gestured for Jiang Bai to crouch down.

Jiang Bai was confused but complied.

Qiqi placed her cold hands on his face, and a soft blue glow emanated from her fingertips. The red mark left by Hu Tao's earlier slap gradually faded until it was completely gone, revealing his smooth, handsome features.

Jiang Bai had nearly forgotten about that mark. His sense of pain was dull, so if he didn't feel it, he simply didn't remember.

"Done…"

"How did you do that?" Hu Tao curiously leaned in, cupping Jiang Bai's face and examining it from side to side.

Qiqi instinctively took two steps back, putting some distance between them. "Qiqi's adeptal art…"

"Then can you heal this?" Hu Tao pointed to a small pimple on her chin. She had eaten too much heat-inducing food recently and ended up with a blemish.

"Qiqi hates you… Won't heal you…"

Her rejection was blunt.

shocked.jpg

That direct, huh?!

"Fine, fine…" Hu Tao pouted in frustration.

Jiang Bai barely managed to hold in his laughter.

Seeing the Director suffer a setback—was this karma?!

Inside, a tiny version of himself was laughing hysterically with hands on his hips.

"It's almost noon. Let's take a break and have lunch. I'll go see if there's anything to eat."

Feeling wronged, Hu Tao stomped off to vent her frustration on the mountain's wildlife.

Unfortunately for the local rabbits, their peaceful existence was about to be rudely interrupted.

Meanwhile, Jiang Bai set up a fire, gathering some firewood and lighting a flame. Before long, Hu Tao returned, carrying several unconscious rabbits.

The poor creatures had spirals in their eyes, clearly knocked out cold.

"We're having roast rabbit for lunch!" Hu Tao declared, pleased with her haul.

Jiang Bai eyed the rabbits warily.

"Do you even know how to prepare them?"

"Nope!"

"…I don't either."

Roasting rabbit wasn't as simple as grilling skewers. Skewers were easy—you just had to turn them frequently, make sure they didn't burn, and sprinkle on some seasoning. Even if you weren't an expert, it was hard to mess up.

But roasting an entire rabbit? He had no clue where to start.

Come on, I'm just a poor amnesiac! Don't expect so much from me!

"It can't be that hard, right?"

Hu Tao tried to recall Xiangling's cooking process.

"First, drain the blood… then pluck the fur… then cut open the belly and clean out the insides… then skewer it on a stick and roast it over the fire… That should be it, right? Sounds pretty straightforward."

"I feel like by the time we finish all that, it won't be lunch anymore—it'll be dinner."

Jiang Bai had no idea how long it would take to skin and gut a rabbit, but he was sure that roasting such a large animal would take ages.

"…You've got a point."

Hu Tao sighed, feeling defeated.

She had hunted down an entire nest of rabbits, but now they couldn't even eat them.

She tossed them aside and lazily flopped onto a rock, throwing two meat pies at Jiang Bai before stretching out like she had no energy left.

So exhausting…

Maybe next time, I should kidnap Guoba and bring him along…

Guoba had spent so much time with Xiangling—surely, he'd picked up some cooking skills by now, right?

"You want some?" Jiang Bai turned to Qiqi.

"Qiqi isn't hungry… Qiqi doesn't need food…" She shook her head. As a zombie, she didn't feel hunger.

Since she didn't need it, Jiang Bai didn't insist. He took a bite of the meat pie—a bit dry.

Thinking for a moment, he pulled out a small pouch of tea leaves.

He had swiped it from Zhongli.

He tossed the tea leaves into the pot, then poured in some milk from Hu Tao's supplies, squeezing the nectar from a Sweet Flower into the mixture before setting it over the fire to brew.

Hu Tao, intrigued, leaned over. "What are you making?"