Leisurely Life in the Beast World - Chapter 413

Xiu Yan sighed helplessly and stood up. Under the incredulous gazes of the surrounding beastmen, he led Ji Nuan toward the firefruit grove.

The chiefs noticed their destination and immediately sprang to their feet, rushing to block their path. “What are you doing? That’s the firefruit grove!” Shi Jie exclaimed, visibly disapproving.

Ji Nuan turned and smiled. “Don’t worry, brother Xiu Yan already explained everything about the firefruit. I won’t touch it with my hands.”

With that, she resumed walking toward the grove.

The firefruit grove wasn’t far from the resting area. Ji Nuan and Xiu Yan reached it quickly. Nestled among fiery red leaves were fist-sized fruits, their smooth, shiny surfaces reflecting the light like glistening rubies.

Ji Nuan gently pushed aside the red leaves with her left hand and plucked one of the fruits. Behind them, the watching beastmen collectively gasped in shock, save for Ya Li, who rolled his eyes and stayed calm.

Of course, he thought smugly. His brother’s snake shedding had definitely been taken by that shameless Xiu Yan.

“Brother Xiu Yan, do you think there’s a lot of juice inside if we cut this fruit open?” Ji Nuan asked.

Xiu Yan shook his head. “I’m not sure. No beastman has ever cut it open before. Just touching it causes unbearable pain.”

Ji Nuan nodded thoughtfully. “Can you get me some large leaves? I’ll cut it open to see. The fruit’s too big to fit into the bottle.”

Xiu Yan nodded and quickly returned with several large leaves.

Ji Nuan spread one leaf on the ground, placed the fiery fruit on it, and used another leaf to shield herself and Xiu Yan. She then pulled out a stone knife and began to slice.

The fruit’s skin wasn’t very thick. After a few back-and-forth cuts, she managed to open a small slit, and fiery red juice began to seep out.

Ji Nuan silently thanked her foresight. If she had tried to pry the fruit open with her bare hands, she’d likely be in excruciating pain by now.

“Brother Xiu Yan, pass me a large leaf,” she said.

Taking the leaf Xiu Yan handed her, she rolled it into a funnel and placed it into the neck of a porcelain bottle. Carefully, she tilted the firefruit over the funnel, letting the vibrant red juice flow into the bottle. Its color was mesmerizing, and a subtle, pleasant fragrance began to fill the air.

Ji Nuan sniffed. “This juice smells amazing.”

Xiu Yan gave her a stern look. “Finish up quickly, and let’s leave.”

Ji Nuan chuckled. “Alright, alright. Let me fill a few more bottles—this isn’t enough.”

She placed the now-empty firefruit skin onto the leaf spread out on the ground and picked five more fruits. Using the same method, she drained the juice from each fruit into the porcelain bottles. Once the bottles were sealed, she wrapped the discarded fruit skins in a large leaf and prepared to leave. “Let’s go.”

Xiu Yan eyed the bundle in her hands. “Why are you taking the fruit skins?”

Ji Nuan grinned. “Well, they’d go to waste otherwise. Might as well take them back for research.”

Looking at the eager little female before him, Xiu Yan sighed in resignation.

As if struck by a thought, Ji Nuan placed the bundle on the ground and went back to pluck a heap of fiery red leaves. She wrapped them up in another large leaf.