Sweet in taste, with heat-clearing properties.
It had medicinal value, and its nutritional value was not low either.
Most importantly, it was non-toxic!
"Food. So much of it."
Chen Nuo's eyes lit up.
'Wait, since it's nutritious, does this mean I can start Martial Arts Training?'
The most important aspect of the Nourishing Body Realm is nourishment. Dietary supplements, medicinal baths, and the Breathing Technique all aim to properly nurture the body.
For dietary supplements, medicinal cuisine would be best. If not, the food must at least be nutritious and substantial enough to fill the stomach and replenish energy.
Medicinal baths are very important for stimulating and soothing the body. Without them, it's easy to accumulate hidden injuries.
The Breathing Technique is used in conjunction to speed up digestion and absorption. It also helps with faster stamina recovery during exercise.
Before, with no medicine and not enough food, the Breathing Technique could only maintain the body and wasn't very useful. But now, with these mushrooms, things were different.
"Mom! Are the medicinal herbs Dad left behind still here?"
Chen Nuo ran into the courtyard and asked.
His mother, who was examining the mushrooms, was taken aback. "They're here, but we mixed some in with our food the other day to save grain. Why do you ask? Oh, right, can these mushrooms actually be eaten?"
"As long as there are some left. I'll go take a look. These mushrooms are edible, but they're also medicine. Don't eat them recklessly. Wait for me to portion them out for you."
"Oh, oh, they're edible! As long as they're edible, that's great, that's wonderful..." Both his mother and Sister La beamed with joy.
In these times, anything edible was a reason to be happy.
Chen Nuo was already rummaging through chests and cupboards.
He soon found a pile of medicinal herbs.
But on closer inspection, they were mostly common remedies for bruises, sprains, and things like wind-cold or deficiency fire.
"Clover... Fuling... Atractylodes... Danggui?"
The good news: a medicinal bath was possible.
The bad news: the ingredients weren't all there.
'Oh well, I'll use Danggui as the main ingredient and substitute the missing ones with lesser alternatives that have similar properties. That should work, but the medicinal effect will probably be diminished. And I can only do this once. If I could do it every day, my progress would probably be incredibly fast,' Chen Nuo thought with regret.
This was only possible because he had studied medicine; otherwise, with such a complex mix of medicinal properties, who would dare to make substitutions so casually?
'I'm in this state... I wonder how Chen Li and Chen Yong are holding up?'
...
After learning the mushrooms were edible, his mother and Sister La began trying to cook with them.
Chen Nuo watched from the side, helping out and telling them how many oyster mushrooms to add to the congee at a time. Too much, and their bodies wouldn't be able to handle it, as everyone was physically depleted.
As for actually cooking, his mother would never allow it.
'These things have a high water content. It looks like a lot, but it's actually an average amount. Can't fry them, that would use too much oil. The best way to eat them is to simmer them in congee,' Chen Nuo thought with disappointment, looking at the mushrooms.
If he could, he would have loved to deep-fry them until crispy and sprinkle them with cumin and chili powder, or salt and pepper...
Just thinking about it was wonderful.
Because of the added mushrooms, the congee became much thicker, but it really didn't taste good.
Even so, Chen Nuo still drank two bowls this time.
His mother and Sister La didn't object. Chen Nuo had already told them about his plans for Martial Arts Training.
After the meal, Chen Nuo rubbed his stomach, feeling a warm sensation spread through it. He felt the medicinal effect of the oyster mushrooms was a bit strange. Shaking his head, he began to adjust his breathing.
Three short inhales, one long exhale, steady; one long inhale, four short exhales, steady; six short inhales, one long exhale, rapid...
He focused on controlling the rhythm, coordinating tensing or relaxing his abdomen with his breaths.
After adjusting a dozen or so times, Chen Nuo finally started to get the hang of it.
RUMBLE.
He could faintly feel his intestines moving faster, the warm sensation spreading rapidly.
Before long, he even felt a pang of hunger!
'So fast. Just how weak is my body?'
Afterward, Chen Nuo practiced a while longer, until his stomach rumbled loudly.
He called up the panel in his mind.
[Name: Chen Nuo]
[Identity: Ordinary Clansman]
[Life Points: 0]
[Divine Techniques: Immortality, Communication with the Spirit, Spray Transformation]
[Realm: Nourishing Body]
[Skills: Middle Level Medicine (1/100), Qi Blood Technique (1/10)]
"Whew, I've actually reached the Nourishing Body Realm. I barely felt a thing.
"The Qi Blood Technique is at the entry level too, it was pretty simple. As expected, the Nourishing Body Realm doesn't have high requirements for aptitude. It's all about eating and drinking well, combined with the Breathing Technique and medicinal baths to nurture the body.
'It's a shame I don't have any Life Points, or I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble,' Chen Nuo thought, feeling his stomach grow even hungrier.
Having no other choice, Chen Nuo cooked another bowl of simple mushroom soup, adding a little salt and licorice, and GULPED it down.
「A day passed.」
By now, Chen Nuo's complexion was rosy and his eyes were bright. He no longer looked like a sickly ghost.
Feeling his body had become much stronger, like that of a normal person, Chen Nuo was a bit amazed.
"This is incredibly effective. I might have underestimated the Martial Arts of this world. It may not be some world-destroying, high-level martial art, but it's very useful for strengthening the body."
Chen Nuo glanced at his panel again. [Qi Blood Technique (3/10)]
"It went up by two points. Not bad, considering I had no medicinal cuisine and no proper medicinal baths. Besides, my body was too weak after waking up from the coma to recover this quickly. It must be thanks to these mushrooms from the Spray Transformation."
Thinking of the oyster mushrooms, a glint appeared in Chen Nuo's eyes. His heart stirred with a restless urge. 'Should I use Spray Transformation again to get more supplements and food?'
He looked at the already darkening sky.
"...Never mind. I'll rest up and see about it tomorrow."
Chen Nuo clutched his stomach and went to the toilet.
...
「The next day.」
"Son!"
Chen Nuo was startled out of his Cultivation by his mother's shout.
In the courtyard, the family of three stared at each other, then back at the black wood, which was once again covered in oyster mushrooms.
"This..."
Their eyes were filled with disbelief.
"What a treasure, what a treasure! Son, can these oyster mushrooms of yours keep growing forever?"
His mother stared at Chen Nuo with a burning gaze.
In these times, grain was god!
If there really were mushrooms that could grow forever, they would be a true divine object!
Sister La also fixed her large, clear eyes on Chen Nuo.
'If we really can have food forever, then maybe everyone can survive, and I won't have to prepare to sell myself when the food runs out.'
Chen Nuo didn't answer. He looked at the black wood, equally surprised, and crouched down for a closer look.
The mushrooms they hadn't finished picking yesterday were even bigger. Where they had been picked, new oyster mushrooms had grown, a size smaller than before. And, the black wood underneath seemed to have rotted a bit more.
'If that's the case...'
Chen Nuo compared the reduction in size with the current size of the new mushrooms.
Realization dawned on him. He turned his head and said to his mother and Sister La,
"Mom, there's no such divine object in this world. This thing just grows a bit faster. It can grow seven harvests at most, and then it'll be gone."
"Ai, I knew it. Son, do you still have any of that Seed?" His mother wasn't surprised by this answer.
'What kind of divine object could grow forever? Even if one existed, our family probably wouldn't be able to protect it. We'd just be bringing disaster upon ourselves.'
Faced with his mother's question, Chen Nuo's eyes flickered.
'Seed... What seed? Mushrooms don't have seeds, they spread by spores... wait. That might not be true for mushrooms created by Spray Transformation. And if I use Spray Transformation again, can I replicate it?'