He didn't know the lifespan of Soldier Ants or Worker Ants, but he'd heard that an Ant Queen's lifespan was extremely long. Some species could live for 30 years, and special breeds could even reach 60. Some scientists claimed that if conditions were ideal, an Ant Queen had the potential to live to be 100.
For such a high-potential insect to mutate into an Extraordinary Creature during the Apocalypse, and in his own backyard no less, was far too dangerous.
How could he allow such a threat to sleep right under his nose? Best to eradicate it sooner rather than later.
He immediately looked around. Seeing no one, he ran over to turn off his phone, which was recording a video, returned to the anthill, and unzipped his pants.
PSSSSS~ Drowning of the Seven Armies!
This time, the flood was torrential, completely inundating the anthill with remarkable effect...
System: "Congratulations, Host. You have killed nine Tier One mutated Blazing Flame Ants. Reward: 90 Achievement Points."
Li Xiang gave a little shake, tucked himself in, and zipped up, feeling quite pleased with himself. Then, he suddenly fell into deep thought.
'Something's not right. The Ant Queen definitely wasn't among these Tier One mutated Blazing Flame Ants. Maybe... she's still alive.'
He figured that as the empress of this colony, the Ant Queen had to be more powerful. Upon mutation, her Tier would absolutely be higher.
So, he brandished his hoe and continued to turn the soil, completely digging out the entire anthill.
Sure enough, after some destructive digging, he found the plump Ant Queen and gently crushed it with his hoe.
System: "Congratulations, Host. You have killed a Tier Two mutated Blazing Flame Ant Queen. Reward: a Tier One Spirit Grass Wuling Ginseng."
His consciousness entered the system's inventory, where he saw a dark, nondescript object. At the same time, he received information about the item.
This Wuling Ginseng was a fungus that developed from a fungal sphere inside the anthill. Its scientific name was *Xylaria nigripes*. Because the part that grew above ground looked very similar to a Deer Antler, it was also called the Black-Stem Deer-Antler fungus.
It had many other aliases, like Dark Poria Ginseng, Dark Beauty Ginseng, Termite Mushroom Egg, Earth Charcoal Stick, and Chicken Tuckahoe.
In previous years, top-quality Wuling Ginseng sold for nearly 10,000 yuan per kilogram. And while the price had dropped recently, it still generally fetched close to 5,000 yuan per kilogram. Of course, a low-quality batch might only go for a few hundred yuan per pound.
As for a Tier One Mutated Spirit Grass Wuling Ginseng, its value was simply immeasurable. At present, it was a mountain delicacy that money couldn't buy.
Of course, Li Xiang wasn't going to sell it. He would consume it himself. This would help him accumulate Spiritual Power, which was the foundation of his Cultivation.
Li Xiang turned his phone's recording function back on and got back to work. When he got thirsty, he went to the kitchen to drink the wild tea he had brewed that morning.
The tea leaves were wild and the water was from a mountain spring, so the resulting brew was absolutely divine. City folk might sip their tea delicately, but Li Xiang chugged his down. GULP GULP.
After digging through the vegetable patch once with his hoe, Li Xiang switched to a rake.
The hoe had only flipped over large clumps of soil. Although he'd tried to break them apart, many large clods remained. The hoe head was small, making the task awkward. Plus, the soil was still full of grass roots, tree roots, and the like. So he used the rake to continue the fine tilling.
Li Xiang had grown up in a rural village and was skilled at farm work. He raised the rake, and with every strike, he shattered the clods into fine dirt. At the same time, he picked out grass roots, tree roots, small Stones, and other debris, then used the back of the rake to level the soil.
He raked with the tines, tamped with the back, and flipped the head in mid-air as needed. His movements were seamless and masterful. In Li Xiang's hands, the simple nine-toothed rake became a spectacle of skill.
Stroke after stroke, he left no spot untouched.
Once the raking was done, he switched to a shovel to trim the edges of the plot, dig a drainage ditch, and finally level the whole area. A beautifully prepared garden bed began to take shape.
Li Xiang divided the vegetable plot into several sections, planting them with yu choy, potatoes, fava beans, bok choy seedlings, Chinese chives, napa cabbage, daikon radishes, and cilantro.
Cilantro was his absolute favorite; it was an indispensable ingredient for winter lamb stews and hot pot. In his hometown, the herb was also called "salt whisker," but its proper name is coriander.
Of course, China is a vast country, and names can vary by region. In some places, other herbs like culantro or certain types of elsholtzia are also referred to as cilantro.
Li Xiang edited the process of clearing the garden and planting the vegetables into a video and posted it on his TikTok account.
While his followers liked it, they couldn't help but be disappointed.
Someone commented below: "Brother Xiang, hurry up and update that *Saintess's Heart Stirring, Ten Thousand Gu Devouring Body* short! Even the donkeys on the production team don't take breaks this long."
Li Xiang saw the comment and shook his head with a smile, replying: "You'll have to wait a bit longer, sorry about that."
'He really couldn't produce a second episode.'
'The female lead ran off—oh, no, she went back to school. How was he supposed to film? He'd have to wait a month.'
A fan left a comment: "How come the Miao Family girl isn't in this one?"
Li Xiang had no choice but to explain, "She went back to school."
The fan was shocked: "What? She's still a student? You beast!"
In fact, Jiang Cai'Er looked so young and fresh-faced that many people had already guessed she was in middle or high school; they just weren't sure which.
...
Having finished the ordinary mushrooms from last time, Li Xiang went back up the mountain to gather more.
This time, in addition to the small mushrooms, "bigfoot" mushrooms, and Black Truffles, he also harvested termite mushrooms and Caesar's mushrooms.
The Caesar's mushroom (*Amanita caesarea*), also known as the "goose egg mushroom," looked, as its name implied, a lot like a goose egg. Its texture was even similar to an egg yolk. Delicious, tender, and nutritious, it was a rather expensive delicacy, selling for about seventy to eighty yuan per pound.
Records state that the Roman Emperor Caesar loved this mushroom, which is why in the West it is known as "Caesar's mushroom."
He also killed a Tier One Mutated Creature: a Red-Eyed Profound Rabbit. It was quite plump, weighing at least nine or ten pounds, and earned him 10 Achievement Points.
His biggest haul, however, was still the small mushrooms, "bigfoot" mushrooms, and Black Truffles. These three types were quite common on the mountain near his house.
Especially the Black Truffles. He had ventured farther this time and dug up well over ten pounds of fresh ones, filling a large back-basket to the brim.
After this video was posted, a fan left a skeptical comment: "Did you just bury them yourself and then dig them up?"
This was because many online videos were faked that way. For instance, some videos of foraging at the beach looked authentic but were actually filmed on a set at home. And even for those who really went to the beach, they would often bury their "catch" in the sand beforehand.
Of course, most people believed him. After all, Li Xiang was clearly walking through a real mountain forest. And that wild rabbit, in particular, was incredibly fast. If Li Xiang hadn't become an Extraordinary, he almost certainly wouldn't have been able to catch it.
Besides, if he'd bought a rabbit just to release and catch it, he'd be at a huge loss if it got away.
"Brother Xiang, are your Black Truffles for sale?" A fan's interest was piqued, and they sent Li Xiang a direct message.
Li Xiang thought for a moment before replying, "Of course. I have about fifteen pounds of fresh ones. How much do you want?"
The other person replied: "All of it. What's your price?"