Chapter 25: The Healing Stone

After seeing the Crimson Phoenix off, Gu Xiaomai stared at the mint plant wrapped in cloth strips.

How had so much time passed without her hearing its inner voice? Was the special liquid ineffective on it? Or did this mint plant simply have no thoughts? Or perhaps plants, in general, lacked an inner voice?

...

The next day, just as Gu Xiaomai finished a session of Tai Chi, the Crimson Phoenix arrived in high spirits.

"Gui—gui—" Woman, I am here. Let’s trade!

"No rush. Wait until I finish five more sets of Tai Chi," Gu Xiaomai said, assuming her starting stance to continue.

"Gui—gui—" I’m in a rush! A big rush!

Seeing Gu Xiaomai moving through her forms at a leisurely pace, the Crimson Phoenix was so anxious it wanted to stomp its feet; it had been looking forward to this all night!

No amount of stomping from the Crimson Phoenix could make Gu Xiaomai finish her six sets of Tai Chi any faster. She still wasn't sure if the appearance of the special liquid was related to the number of times she practiced.

Realizing that no matter how impatient it was, Gu Xiaomai wouldn't give it the delicious water first, the Crimson Phoenix stopped fussing and stood to the side to watch her.

Once Gu Xiaomai finally finished, the Crimson Phoenix immediately hopped in front of her.

"Gui—gui—" How is it? How is it? Can I have the delicious water now?

Gu Xiaomai stalled for time. "Quiet! I need to focus my energy. Wait for my signal."

With that, she closed her eyes and carefully sensed the changes within her body. The Crimson Phoenix quieted down as well. Soon, its gaze fixed on her fingertips grew increasingly intense. Seeing her open her eyes, it chirped excitedly:

"Gui—gui—" Hurry! I want it!

It lunged toward her fingertips. After observing today's drop of special liquid and finding it no different from the previous two days, Gu Xiaomai flicked it toward the bird.

"Gui—" Ah! Bliss!

The cry was filled with pure delight.

"Shouldn't you trade the delicious grass you promised me now?"

The Crimson Phoenix shook the small pack off its back and gestured for Gu Xiaomai to open it.

Gu Xiaomai pulled out... a pea sprout? She looked closely; it was indeed a pea sprout. When the Crimson Phoenix had pulled it up, it had been too rough, snapping the stem right at the root.

*This plant's leaves and fruits are delicious; I like them very much.*

*This woman should like them too, right?*

Seeing Gu Xiaomai’s lack of enthusiasm, the Crimson Phoenix felt a bit uneasy. After a moment of anxiety, it thought with a touch of roguish defiance:

*It doesn't matter if she doesn't like it. I’ve already drunk the delicious water, and I can't spit it back out.*

Gu Xiaomai paused as she reached back into the bag. This little rogue of a bird! Trading a single, rootless pea sprout for her precious, rare special liquid—she was being swindled! She was losing big time! Next time, she would demand to see the goods before providing the liquid.

Gu Xiaomai continued to rummage, pulling out ten bright red raspberry-like fruits. When fully ripe, these "March Berries" were vibrant and packed with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids—highly beneficial for human health. Gu Xiaomai’s mood improved instantly. She had told the bird yesterday that the gift for naming it should be delicious fruit; these must be it.

She carefully set the ten berries aside and fished out another item from the pack: a pebble the size of a fingernail that looked remarkably like a diamond. She had no idea what this was. Pointing to the diamond-like stone, she asked, "What is this?"

*This woman is truly ignorant! This is a healing stone!*

*When I got hurt fighting in the past, Mother White Rabbit always made me lie on these stones. After a few sleeps, I would be fine.*

*If this weren't the smallest one in my collection, I wouldn't have been willing to give it to this woman as an apology gift.*

*Sigh! Oh well, I still have more. I’ll just consider this an act of charity.*

"Gui—gui—" This is an apology for scaring you yesterday. It’s a stone that can heal wounds.

"Mm. I accept. We’re even now," Gu Xiaomai replied calmly.

Inwardly, however, she was far from calm. She suspected this was the "special energy stone" she had heard Jiang Chen'an and Yumi talk about—the very reason the original owner of this body had been sent to the reclamation team for hard labor. It was extremely rare. Neither of them had ever seen one, but they knew one thing: special energy stones could rapidly heal wounds.

Whether it was a true energy stone or not, Gu Xiaomai tucked it away safely. Even if it wasn't, a stone capable of healing was anything but ordinary.

"Are these March Berries the thank-you gift for naming you yesterday?"

"Gui—" Yes!

The Crimson Phoenix nodded.

*Many small animals love these fruits. I went out specifically to pick them this morning.*

Gu Xiaomai handed one to it. "Here, have one. Where can these be found? Are they hard to pick?"

The Crimson Phoenix pecked the fruit and swallowed it.

"Gui—gui—" Very far from here. Over one mountain, then over another.

"Gui—gui—" Woman, do you want to go find some?

"Gui—gui—" Forget it. There are many fierce animals there, and...

Seeing the Crimson Phoenix chattering away without any unusual reaction, Gu Xiaomai felt relieved. She held the remaining berries over her transplanted mint and rinsed them with a bit of drinking water. Her mouth watered, and she popped one in—it was tart, sweet, and juicy. Delicious! After more than a month, she was finally eating fruit.

Remembering Jiang Chen'an’s words that the more "Qinghua biological matter" one consumed, the easier it was to awaken an ability, Gu Xiaomai ate the remaining nine in one go. She waited, sensing her body, but felt absolutely nothing! She wasn't disappointed; they were just nine tiny berries, so it was normal to feel nothing. She would just have to eat more in the future.

"This remaining plant—is this what you are trading for the delicious water today?"

"Gui—" Yes.

The Crimson Phoenix nodded again.

"You are bullying me now! The water I give you is incredibly rare and precious. Besides me, have you seen it anywhere else? You can find these pea sprouts if you just look a little harder. The values are not equal!"

"This is a seller's market. You need to know that I don't *have* to trade with you. It is you who are hounding me for a trade..."

"However, I’ll let it slide this time. But if you only bring one blade of grass next time, I won't trade with you, understand?"

The Crimson Phoenix, feeling dizzy from her lecture, breathed a sigh of relief when she said she would let it slide—only to have its feathers stand on end at her next sentence.

"And if you try, even after you've already drunk the water and can't spit it out, I will slaughter the Phoenix and eat Phoenix meat. I’ve lived this long and have yet to taste what a Phoenix tastes like."

"Gui—gui—" You woman, don't even think about it!

After some back-and-forth, the woman and the bird finally agreed on the quantity of fruit and the schedule for the next trade of the special liquid.

"My current practice is still a tiny bit imperfect. Come back to trade for the delicious water once you have counted all four claws on your feet."