CHAPTER 397: CHAPTER 388: MINT ALOE AND WORMWOOD (TWO IN ONE)

Since Han Qiwu and Aunt Hong Mei both drank some alcohol, they couldn’t drive, so they decided to just walk over.

People in the village were strong on their feet, walking a few kilometers was nothing. After some time getting in shape, Han Qiwu’s physical fitness had improved too, so walking a bit wasn’t a big deal.

Once they left the town, the colors of spring became even more magnificent. Little yellow, purple, white, and blue flowers filled the fields, and the little girls who loved beauty squatted beside them, debating which one was the prettiest.

After walking for a while, Han Qiwu remembered that mint was one of the ingredients needed for the freezing potion. He turned his head and curiously asked the two aunts beside him, "Aunts, have you seen any mint along the way? I want to make some mint water to drink, but I’ve never been able to find any."

"What’s mint?" Aunt Guo asked curiously, not quite catching on at first.

Aunt Hong Mei chuckled and said, "Mint? That’s what we call Yin Dan grass. I saw some just a few days ago, it’s growing on the north bank of Buffalo River. If you can handle its taste, it’s pretty good—can be used in congee or mixed with shredded chicken!"

"Yin Dan grass, huh? I saw some not long ago too. We’ll pass by Buffalo River on the way to Dog Head Mountain, I’ll pick some for you while we’re there." Aunt Guo blushed a little and glanced at Han Qiwu. Suddenly, she walked closer to him and said, "Something’s wrong. Xiao Han, why is your face so red?"

"I just had some alcohol at Sister Zhou’s place. Xiao Han’s constitution is pretty good, his face flushes when he drinks, so he’ll never have to worry about being pressured to drink again." Aunt Hong Mei laughed jovially, "When I drink, my face doesn’t turn red at all. It’s hard to get out of drinking at gatherings—people insist I haven’t had enough even when I clearly have!"

"It’s not that," Aunt Guo said, grabbing Aunt Hong Mei’s arm and pointing to Han Qiwu’s face. "Look at his face. That’s not an alcohol flush, it looks like a burn. Does it hurt?"

At Aunt Guo’s light touch, Han Qiwu finally realized his face was aching a little. He pulled out his phone to take a selfie and see for himself.

It wasn’t the faint blush of alcohol.

It was the abnormal redness of a mild burn. His face felt hot and raw in places, with some patches starting to peel. It wasn’t serious though, there were no blisters, and even without treatment it would heal naturally in time.

Thinking back, Han Qiwu figured out what had caused it.

The heat from the lava layer!

This redness on his face was definitely caused by the high temperatures near the lava layer. The damage hadn’t been severe at first, but drinking alcohol must’ve irritated the skin, triggering the symptoms more suddenly.

"Ugh, it stings a bit," Han Qiwu said helplessly. "Maybe it’s because I got too close to the fire last night while barbecuing, and the alcohol just made it worse. It’s okay, it’ll be fine in a couple of days."

Aunt Hong Mei instantly became anxious, "That won’t do! Our Xiao Han is so handsome, we can’t have his face injured! Put your straw hat on first, don’t let the sun hit you, I’ll take you to find something good!"

Aunt Guo leaned in to examine his face too. "Luckily, it’s just a mild burn, otherwise we’d definitely have to take you to the hospital. No more getting so close to the fire when barbecuing! If you can’t manage, just come to my place and I’ll make barbecue for you instead."

Han Qiwu smiled awkwardly, "Well, that sounds great."

Aunt Hong Mei led Han Qiwu toward the base of a nearby small hill.

The small hill wasn’t very tall, and there were few footprints along the way, making it a rather isolated spot. The front was covered with shrubs, but Aunt Hong Mei seemed quite familiar with the area.

After walking for seven or eight minutes, the three of them reached the side of the hill.

When Han Qiwu saw the swaying plants in clusters ahead, he finally understood what Aunt Hong Mei’s "good thing" was.

Wild aloe.

The wild aloe plants were especially large, clustered in groups. Their leaves were long and lance-shaped, colored a soft greenish pink. The tips had small serrations, and sparse thorn-like serrations grew along the edges as well.

Aloe’s juice had whitening and smoothing effects, with mild antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. When used to treat minor burns like Han Qiwu’s, it could replenish lost moisture and soothe tissue inflammation.

Seeing the wild aloe plants, Aunt Guo laughed and teased Aunt Hong Mei, "So this is why your skin is so good! I asked you last time and you didn’t say anything, turns out it’s all thanks to this aloe!"

Aunt Hong Mei retorted, "You’re a good few years younger than me, so you don’t need to worry about that yet. This aloe is scarce around here and works great—I’ve tried transplanting it several times with no success. If it weren’t for Xiao Han’s face being hurt, I wouldn’t have brought you here."

Han Qiwu quickly expressed his gratitude and walked to a glowing aloe plant, reaching out to snap off a piece.

[Wild Aloe Leaf] ×2

[Wild Aloe Leaf]

[Uses: Medicine/Food]

[Stamina +50]

[Health +80]

[Special Effect - Skin Care: External application enhances skin radiance and whitening, repairs damaged skin]

[Note: Aloe is great, but don’t overdo it]

"Two pieces in one go?" Han Qiwu was a little surprised. He thought back for a moment and realized it must’ve been a special effect from his foraging skill upgrade, which granted an extra +1 to collected items.

Judging by the attributes, the wild aloe leaves were quite impressive, serving both as medicine and food, with significant health recovery effects.

"This piece Xiao Han picked is pretty good." Aunt Hong Mei walked over, took the aloe leaf, and skillfully pulled out a small machete from her basket. With two quick cuts, she peeled off the aloe’s skin, exposing the slimy gel inside.

"Sit down, close your eyes," Aunt Hong Mei instructed Han Qiwu as she motioned for him to sit on a nearby dirt slope. She leaned down and carefully applied the aloe gel to his face, spreading it evenly over his skin.