Chapter 20 A Letter to the Principal
Tang Chuan no longer hesitated.
He flipped over and jumped in, hugging the fence.
The Blue Silver Grass in his hand extended its silken vines, which tightly wrapped around the low branches of the ancient tree, allowing him to hold himself firmly and avoid accidentally trampling on the precious plants in the flowerbed.
After standing still on the bluestone path, Tang Chuan looked around and realized that the flower garden was much larger than he had imagined.
In addition to the common flowers on the periphery, many uniquely shaped plants were carefully planted in the deeper areas.
Some leaves shimmered with silver, some fruits looked as if they were coated with beeswax, and some vines were adorned with golden veins...
It was obvious at a glance that these weren't ordinary varieties.
"Start with the closest one."
Tang Chuan's gaze locked onto a vine creeping along the ground, its leaves glistening with dewdrops. He quickly plucked a leaf and fed it to the Blue Silver Grass in his palm, instantly lighting up the encyclopedia.
[Ingredient: Haworthia cooperi vine leaves]
[Origin: Sunset Forest Misty Area]
[Duration: Thirty-five years]
[Characteristics: The vines are light purple, the leaves are crystal clear like jade, contain a large amount of water, and contain trace amounts of paralyzing components]
[Effects: Boiling the leaves in water can calm the nerves; adding a small amount to meat broth can enhance the flavor; excessive amounts can cause drowsiness]
"The Jade Dew Vine from Sunset Forest?"
"The principal's flower garden has quite a wide range of subjects!"
Tang Chuan was slightly taken aback, then stared at a shrub next to him bearing small, light blue fruits. The fruits were round and looked like they were covered in a layer of beeswax.
He picked two, and after the Blue Silver Grass consumed them, a new page was added to the encyclopedia:
[Ingredient: Honey-scented shrub fruit]
[Origin: Deep within the Soul Hunter Forest, the territory of the Thousand-Year-Old Ironclaw Bear]
[Duration: Thirty years]
[Characteristics: The peel is a sweet, fragrant resin; when crushed, it has a honey-like flavor]
[Effects: The peel can be used as a substitute for honey for flavoring, and it has a significant insect-repelling effect]
He grew more and more excited as he searched, walking along the cobblestone path in the flowerbed, his hands piling up with more and more spoils:
[Ingredient: Detoxifying berries]
[Ingredient: Chrysanthemum morifolium]
[Ingredient: Silver Leaf Fern]
[Ingredient: Firethorn berries]
[Ingredient: Cloud-patterned mushroom]
[Ingredient: Blood-activating herb]
[Ingredient: Snow Cherry]
[Ingredient: ...]
After collecting more than forty plant samples, he found a clean bluestone platform. The Blue Silver Grass rustled in his palm, and the progress bar of the encyclopedia visibly increased.
[The God of Cookery's Nine Tests, First Test: 5%]
The principal's trip to the flower garden was worthwhile; not only did it unlock more than forty entries in the encyclopedia, but it also increased the age of the soul rings by more than ten years.
Although the improvement was not significant, as the saying goes, even a mosquito's leg is still meat — little by little, it adds up!
Of these forty-plus ingredients, the one that surprised Tang Chuan the most was the Star-Patterned Vine.
[Ingredient: Star-patterned vine]
[Origin: Star River Valley, outer perimeter of Star Dou Great Forest]
[Duration: 98 years]
[Characteristics: The vines have star-shaped patterns, and the stems have a crisp and tender texture like bamboo shoots]
[Effects: Clears the mind and brightens the eyes; long-term consumption can improve night vision; contains starlight energy; gently nourishes the soul; an excellent ingredient for medicinal diet supplements]
The term "medicinal cuisine" appeared for the first time in the "Ingredients Illustrated Guide," which might be part of the subsequent Nine Examinations of the God of Cookery.
Throughout the entire collection process, Tang Chuan maintained a sense of propriety.
He picked only one or two fruits, only the flowers that did not affect appearance, and only one tender leaf and one old leaf from each plant. When digging for fungi, he picked only those growing on the edges and sparsely. Even for vines, he only pinched off the tender tips and nodes, deliberately avoiding the root system and never taking too much, so as not to affect the subsequent growth of the plant.
After all, it was the principal's private garden — he couldn't be too presumptuous.
After all the unrecorded plants in the flowerbed had been devoured by the Blue Silver Grass, Tang Chuan did not leave immediately. Instead, he took out the paper and pen he had prepared beforehand from his pocket.
He quickly began writing on the stone platform beside the flowerbed.
With each stroke of the pen, neat handwriting listed the names, characteristics, and effects of dozens of plants that had just been recorded in the "Ingredients Guide" on the paper — categorized and neatly arranged.
[Dear Principal:]
[Student Tang Chuan is a work-study student at Notting Academy. His Spirit is the food-type Blue Silver Grass.]
[Because I needed to collect ingredients to practice my soul skills, I was tempted to take a few plant samples from the flower garden today, but I only took leaves, flowers, fruits, and branches, without damaging the roots.]
[The following is a detailed list of the effects of various plants, obtained after the student's first soul ring test, for your reference:]
[Detoxifying Berry: Eating it raw helps detoxify minor poisons; its effects are amplified when soaked in alcohol]
[Star-patterned Vine: Clears the mind and brightens the eyes, enhances vision, and nourishes soul power]
[Honey-scented shrub fruit: The peel can be used as a honey substitute and has a significant insect-repelling effect]
[Tranquilizing Flower: Soothes the nerves when brewed as tea; enhances flavor with spices]
[Jade Dew Vine Leaves: Boiled in water, they have a calming effect; boiled in broth, they enhance flavor; excessive consumption can cause drowsiness]
[Snow Cherry: Eaten raw to relieve summer heat, used in sauces and fillings, and the kernels can be pressed for oil that can be used for skincare]
The pen scratched softly as Tang Chuan wrote with utmost care.
After all, he was in the wrong for taking it without asking, so he had to write something sincere to ask for the principal's forgiveness.
[The student, knowing the value of the plants in the flowerbed, has left five Gold Soul Coins, which he has placed in the crack below the note as a small token of compensation. He hopes the principal will understand.]
[Student: Yours sincerely, Tang Chuan]
After finishing writing, Tang Chuan pressed the note against the edge of the stone platform, then took out five Gold Soul Coins from his cloth bag and neatly stacked them in the crack next to the note.
This was given to him by Tang Hao before he left.
Originally intended for Tang Chuan to buy ingredients, it was now being used as compensation — its value far exceeding the scraps he had taken.
Finally, with a slight thought, the thousand-year-old soul ring beneath his feet lit up.
"A thousand threads reappear, a hundred flavors emerge."
The Blue Silver Grass grew vigorously, weaving together the plant parts he had just sampled, producing dozens of copies of each, which were arranged on the stone platform and covered with Blue Silver Grass to ensure they wouldn't be blown away by the wind.
After doing all this, Tang Chuan nodded in satisfaction, checked again to make sure no one was around, and then nimbly climbed over the fence along the same path.
Just as he turned the corner of the teaching building, he almost bumped into a hurried figure.
"Tang Chuan!"
"Where did you go?"
"I've been looking for you for ages!"
Xiao Wu stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him angrily, her pink dress swaying slightly with her movements. "Didn't we agree to apply for the warrant after class? You disappeared in the blink of an eye! Teacher Su has been waiting for us for quite a while!"
Tang Chuan looked up, a perfectly timed apologetic smile appearing on his face, and as if by magic, he reached out his hand from behind him.
He held a few snow-white, round fruits in his palm, their tips tinged with a faint pink blush.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I found some fruits over there that I've never seen before. They looked quite unusual, so I picked some. Would you like to try one?"
As he spoke, Tang Chuan handed the snow cherry fruit, which resembled a miniature snowball, to Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu's attention was instantly drawn to the tempting fruit, and her eyes lit up. "What's this fruit called? They look so cute!"
Xiao Wu happily took the fruit from Tang Chuan's hand, her earlier temper long forgotten.
"This is called a Snow Cherry. It's said to come from the far north. Take a bite and try it; the texture is even better than the Snow Jade Crimson Vine you ate before."
Without hesitation, Xiao Wu brought it to her lips and took a big bite.
The fruit pulp melted in her mouth, cool and creamy, with a sweet and refreshing juice. A subtle coolness spread, dispelling the morning heat.
[end of the chapter]