After enjoying a long, leisurely bath and changing into casual clothes similar to Li's, Lingsha slipped into a pair of comfortable sneakers. Silently marveling at the generosity of the house's previous owner, she and Li finally left the building.
At the entrance, they found Ikezawa, who had been waiting for who-knew-how-long and had begun nodding off while still kneeling. After waking him up, the three resumed their search for supplies—Lingsha and Ikezawa primarily doing the hunting, while Li handled the transportation.
Notably, Lingsha discovered several cans labeled with a "75-year shelf life." However, upon opening one, she found its contents had turned foul. A dark, viscous, unidentifiable substance clung together inside, reeking horribly. She immediately tossed the can into a nearby trash bin, covering her nose and mouth.
The stench was nearly as vile as the bowl of Chinese medicine she had once brewed. Just a whiff of it threatened to turn her stomach.
Even Xiao Bai, the little white snake that usually coiled around her shoulders, seemed to sense the putrid odor. It immediately slithered into the gap between Lingsha's collar and disappeared from sight.
Lingsha could clearly feel something slippery crawling all over her. She immediately burst into laughter from the tickling sensation. "Stop it... stop wriggling around like that!"
She quickly reached into her collar and pulled the mischievous little creature out through the gap at her chest. However, she didn't have time to scold it just yet and continued searching for supplies.
Finally, as the trio left the laboratory, laden with bags of all sizes, and headed back to their mountain cave camp, dusk was gradually settling in.
Despite their prolonged absence, the other Beast-Eared Girls in the camp barely glanced at them upon their return. None showed any signs of worry or panic, nor did anyone approach to inquire about their whereabouts. Instead, they calmly continued with their usual tasks, such as crafting arrows and preparing dinner.
Observing this, Ikezawa couldn't help but ask, "Why don't they seem worried at all?"
Li replied with a grin, "Of course not! I'm incredibly strong, and this area is perfectly safe. There's nothing to worry about."
Only Granny Xi approached the trio upon their return, asking, "Li, where did you get these clothes?"
Li dashed over and threw herself into Granny Xi's arms, nuzzling against her as she exclaimed, "Granny Xi, we went to an amazing place! It was..."
While Li excitedly recounted their adventure to Granny Xi, Lingsha quietly withdrew to find a relatively flat spot. There, she systematically unpacked her backpack, neatly arranging its contents.
Besides the usual pots and pans, she also brought out laboratory glassware—essential equipment for brewing Chinese medicine.
Over the next few days, Lingsha's mornings were devoted to herbal research. When her supplies ran low, she would venture back to the nearby basin to gather more, resting in her simple tent when tired.
Notably, Ikezawa later took Li back to the laboratory several times (since only he could open the door). They hauled out vast quantities of supplies, transforming the once-barren Savage Tribe into a community brimming with modern conveniences. The tribe's quality of life soared dramatically.
The entire tribe possessed an extraordinary ability to adapt to and learn how to use modern tools, resulting in a rather peculiar aesthetic throughout the camp.
Primitive people, clad in animal hides and carrying bows and arrows, could be seen using electric rice cookers to simmer soups and stews.
As for their power source, solar panels were impractical, but they had diesel generators and even human-powered generators. One such device resembled a bicycle: continuous pedaling generated electricity, and the Beast-Eared Girls' legendary stamina made this task more like play than work.
Time passed quickly, and three days later, Lingsha carefully poured the medicinal concoction from the pot into a slender test tube. She gently swirled the tube, observing the viscous, deep blue liquid inside. No matter how she looked at it, the substance appeared utterly bizarre. Yet Lingsha held the tube to her nose, inhaled deeply, and nodded in satisfaction.
This was her most successful creation to date: a near-universal medicine capable of treating the vast majority of illnesses.
Alright, the actual effect of this substance is to drastically enhance the human body's own immune system. This enhancement isn't just about increasing its aggressiveness; it also boosts its "intelligence," allowing it to better distinguish between what's harmful to the host and what shouldn't be attacked.
It's no exaggeration to say that even a cancer patient could drink a small vial of this and be completely cured within an hour.
So, the name "Universal Medicine" is quite fitting.
After pouring out the entire pot, filling ten test tubes, Lingsha whispered, "Xiao Bai~"
A small white head peeked out from the cuff of her right sleeve. Yes, "Xiao Bai" was the name Lingsha had given the snake.
To be honest, she couldn't think of anything better. In the end, she settled on this rather plain name. After all... Xiao Bai himself hadn't objected, right?
Over the past few days, Lingsha had noticed the snake's remarkable growth rate. When it was first born, it was barely twenty centimeters long, but now it had more than doubled in length and could wrap several times around her wrist.
Besides its rapid growth, Lingsha had discovered that the snake was quite intelligent, understanding most of her commands. However, she still had no idea what the research results from the Third Laboratory were actually for.
Lingsha handed one of the freshly poured test tubes to Xiao Bai, who eagerly drank it down. The snake didn't eat meat; instead, it thrived on the herbal mixtures and Chinese medicine Lingsha brewed, relishing every drop. The underlying principle behind this bizarre diet remained a mystery.
Once Xiao Bai had finished, Lingsha rose and found Ikezawa resting nearby. She handed him a bottle of Universal Medicine.
Over the past three days, likely due to the effects of the Divine Meat, Ikezawa's physical condition had steadily improved, reaching a peak on the second day. But today, he had relapsed into weakness.
He was sick again.