Chapter 19: Qiao Yitong’s Treasure

The news that Qiao Yitong was still alive hit Shisan and the others like a massive shockwave.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Qi Qing’s eyes flickered with joy, and she let out a visible sigh of relief.

She had never really had a grudge against Qiao Yitong.

Previously, the thought that she might have been the primary culprit who indirectly caused Qiao Yitong’s death had weighed on her heart like a heavy stone, leaving her consumed with guilt.

Now that she had this news, she felt as though a burden had finally been lifted.

Of course, while some felt relief, others felt their hearts tighten with tension.

After a short silence, several people raised questions: “She’s still alive? In an environment like this, how did she survive?”

“Exactly. There are so many of us, and even we find it difficult to find water and food. There are only two of them over there; how are they managing to stay alive?”

“Is it possible they found a food source?”

The word “food” was the strongest possible stimulant for everyone’s nerves at that moment.

As their thoughts raced, many people began to harbor their own little schemes.

“Right, it’s too difficult for just two people to survive. Starting a fire, finding water, finding food… that doesn’t just require physical strength, it requires a vast amount of knowledge. Otherwise, with all the unknown poisonous fruits on this island, one wrong bite would be fatal.”

“It’s obvious that Qiao Yitong doesn’t have those skills. I know a bit about Lu Cheng, too; he only knows how to make some weapons. He should have absolutely no experience in survival.”

“But they’re both living perfectly well right now. How do you explain that?”

The group fell into silence once again.

The harshness of the environment was obvious to everyone. Without water or food, not a single one of them would have lasted seven days.

On their side, they at least had the resources everyone brought when they first arrived on the island.

Those two had nothing.

Their supplies should have lasted them a day and a half at most, right?

Which meant…

“Actually, I think we’ve trapped ourselves in one spot,” the Fitness Coach suddenly said. “We’ve fallen into a rut. The production team dropped us here, and while there’s the ocean and the jungle, food is actually very scarce. Besides, we’ve only ever explored Area A. Who knows if other areas have better conditions? Maybe Qiao Yitong just happened to wander into a decent environment after she left us.”

His words voiced exactly what everyone was thinking.

“I think so too. Let’s head over toward her.”

An invisible greed began to rise in the hearts of several people.

Shisan stood there listening to the chatter, his expression looking somewhat strained.

They were saying Qiao Yitong had found a better place? What did that mean?

Weren’t they implying, intentionally or not, that he had failed as a leader despite being a professional survival blogger?

This realization made him feel humiliated.

However, he knew very well that the group’s unity had already fractured. He needed to cater to their demands.

Shisan took a step forward, taking charge of the situation. “The fact that Qiao Yitong is alive is undoubtedly good news. Since it was all just a misunderstanding before, then the misunderstanding should be cleared up now. It’s not too late to apologize and make amends.”

“We’ll take this opportunity to bring our things and find Qiao Yitong. Since we all started on this island together, we should naturally work together now to get through this month. Don’t you all agree?”

No one objected.

Only the doctor in the team, who had remained silent and barely noticed, watched the group with cold indifference. He watched their performance, observing the selfishness they masked beneath a veneer of self-righteousness.

Whatever their individual reasons, everyone knew that going to find Qiao Yitong was indeed their best option.

The group quickly reached a consensus and began following the tracks Qiao Yitong had left when she departed.

Fortunately, this jungle had never been developed before. To pass through, one had to clear the branches ahead.

Consequently, the trail left by Lu Cheng and Qiao Yitong was particularly obvious.

It wasn’t difficult for Shisan and the others to track them down.

• Umm, I don’t even know what to say. I actually liked a few of these people before, but their behavior right now makes me uncomfortable. It’s hard to watch. –

• Can I say it? Their ‘apologizing’ to Qiao Yitong is a lie. The truth is they think she has better resources and they want to go seize them, right? –

• I get that feeling too. It’s been several days and not one of them thought to look for her. If Sister Tong wasn’t so badass, she would have kicked the bucket long ago after being targeted like that. –

• Just came over from Sister Tong’s stream. I heard this lot is planning to go sponge off her? I’m begging you, leave Sister Tong alone. Can we just let these people fend for themselves? –

Naturally, the netizens’ comments couldn’t affect the actions of Shisan and his group.

On the day the decision was made, the eleven of them packed up their supplies and set off on the path to find Qiao Yitong.

Moreover, fueled by the assumption that Qiao Yitong had food, they moved with exceptional speed.

On the other side.

Qiao Yitong and Lu Cheng, who were living quite well, had no idea that the main group was approaching.

They were busy with their respective duties, perfecting the various facilities at their camp.

“Sister Tong, are you going to keep exploring other areas for food today?” Lu Cheng asked.

“Yes,” Qiao Yitong replied, still as brief as ever.

“Then I’ll keep gathering wood. Be careful out there, Sister Tong,” Lu Cheng said naturally.

He had gone from worrying about Qiao Yitong acting alone in the first few days to having zero concern about her encountering danger.

Pythons? Wild boars?

To deal with those things, Sister Tong didn’t even need to use a knife; a single seashell could solve the problem.

The one who truly needed to be careful was himself.

As Lu Cheng thought this, his gaze fell upon Qiao Yitong’s Bamboo House near the bamboo grove. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

He was envious—he was truly, deeply envious…

He needed to hurry up and gather more wood. Once he had enough, he’d have to ask Sister Tong to teach him; he wanted a little house like that for himself, too.

Qiao Yitong walked through the woods. If a cultivator had been present, they would have realized that her stride was far more than just walking.

With every breath, the vitality radiating from the surrounding vegetation transformed into the spiritual power she needed for her cultivation, flowing and gathering within her body.

Eventually, it condensed once more into a tiny drop of spiritual power, falling into her Sea of Consciousness.

The eleventh drop.

Qiao Yitong took a deep breath, marveling once again at the richness of the spiritual qi in this world. In her delight, her steps grew even lighter.

• I’m seriously impressed. Where does she get this kind of stamina? She’s walked so far in one go without looking tired at all. –

• She’s so fast! –

• I don’t know if you guys noticed, but Qiao Yitong seems to have a magical rhythm when she walks. She slips through the gaps in the branches like a fish, so smooth. –

• Is that how she walks fast while saving energy? I think I saw something like that in special forces combat techniques before, but that’s the kind of thing you only get from professional training. How does she know it? –

• Tongtong, just how many more surprises do you have that I don’t know about? –

• Look, she stopped. What is she doing? –

Qiao Yitong had indeed come to a halt. Her gaze landed on a particular plant, and a hint of excitement flickered in her eyes.

• What’s wrong with her? It doesn’t look like there’s anything edible there. –

Of course there wasn’t. Qiao Yitong wasn’t excited because she had found an ingredient, but because… she had found a spice!

The withered, wood-like branches before her were called Horned Bamboo – at least, that was the name used in her world.

Horned Bamboo was one of her favorite basic seasonings.

This plant was very special. Once the outer bark was stripped away and the inner branches were dried and ground into powder, it became a universal flavor enhancer and seasoning.

It had a sweet taste with the natural, crisp sweetness unique to plants. After being ground into powder, that sweetness faded slightly, transforming into a richer, more profound aroma.

It could be used to enhance the freshness of food in steaming, boiling, roasting, or stir-frying.

No matter how good a cook was, they couldn’t create gourmet food without basic ingredients and seasonings.

And with this…

To put it bluntly, if the grilled fish Lu Cheng made yesterday scored a four out of ten, and she could manage a six based on the fish alone, then with this spice, she could score at least a nine!

To a Culinary Cultivator, seasonings were no different than top-tier ores were to a sword cultivator.

How could she not be happy with the feeling of having stumbled upon a treasure?

She never expected that something which required a bloody brawl and at least two lives to seize back in the Wasteland of her previous life would be everywhere here.

What a waste of heaven’s gifts!

Qiao Yitong murmured to herself, but her hands didn’t slow down at all. She quickly snapped off several of the most perfect Horned Bamboo branches and tucked them into her backpack. After packing them away, she patted the bag as if it were a precious treasure and carefully moved it to her front.

This series of actions left the netizens completely bewildered.

• Can someone explain this to me? What is Sister Tong treasuring so much? Aren’t those just common dead branches? –

• No idea. They look like ordinary dead sticks to me too. –

• There’s no way they’re just sticks. Look at how she’s babying them. You’d think she just picked up gold. –

• I have to say, the way Sister Tong is carefully guarding that bag in front of her makes her look like she’s up to something. –

• Help, she’s clearly a powerhouse, but right now she’s acting like a thief afraid someone will snatch her bag. The contrast is huge. Why is she so cute? –

• Qiao Yitong, do you have to be this adorable! I’m falling for you, SOS! –

The bullet chat was buzzing with excitement, but Qiao Yitong was completely unaware.

Her mind was entirely focused on processing her Horned Bamboo. After picking some wild fruit along the way, she headed back with her haul.

As soon as she returned to the Bamboo House, she tossed the fruit to Lu Cheng and immediately buried herself in processing the Horned Bamboo.

She stripped the bark, bored holes, and gauged the moisture levels. Then, she threaded bamboo-leaf rope through the holes and hung them on the side of the Bamboo House to dry.

The entire process was practiced and meticulous; she was intensely focused.

This unprecedented look of concentration left the viewers in front of their screens completely baffled, adding an extra layer of mystery to her actions.

Of course, the one who felt the most bewildered was Lu Cheng.