Qin Feng had no intention of taking on subordinates at the moment. He kept the other party by his side simply to ascertain the truth of his words. Therefore, Qin Feng looked at Zhang Youcai and said, "If you truly wish to follow me, then you must first tell me the truth. If you are speaking the truth, I will consider it. However, I do not wish to have anyone else by my side for the time being. Thus, if you speak the truth, I will let you go. As long as you do not reveal any information about me to outsiders and keep your mouth shut, then when we meet again in the future, I will consider taking you as my own."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Youcai showed no apprehension. He immediately patted his chest and said, "Please rest assured. It is my honor to meet you. How could I dare to lie to you? I will never mention your whereabouts to anyone in the future. Please rest assured, I am known for my discretion."
Hearing this, Qin Feng smiled and said, "If you were truly discreet, you wouldn't have revealed important information to me. Now, walk forward with me and continue searching for other monsters and treasures."
Zhang Youcai's face flushed slightly. He nodded and said, "I am only telling you the truth because it is you. If anyone else were to interrogate me about this space, I would not say a single word. To my knowledge, there is another monster ahead. I will lead you there."
With that, Zhang Youcai took the lead and walked forward, while Qin Feng led his Red Alert army to follow from behind.
Thus, Qin Feng continued to search for monsters while replenishing his energy, simultaneously awaiting the maturity of his treasures.
As long as the treasure was not absorbing surrounding spiritual energy but releasing it, it signified the treasure's maturity. Qin Feng directly entrusted this task to Zhang Youcai, who was to stay in the helicopter, guard the treasures, and sense when a treasure matured. He also assigned several dozen Red Alert soldiers to watch Zhang Youcai in the helicopter to ensure he did not escape.
Even if this person had lied to him, there was absolutely no possibility of escape, thus ensuring he would receive useful information.
After several days passed, a treasure finally matured. Zhang Youcai immediately reported this news to Qin Feng.
Qin Feng was also very curious. He approached the treasure that Zhang Youcai was holding. It was a magical plant resembling an ice cone. Qin Feng did not know what it was or what its function was. However, it was indeed no longer absorbing surrounding spiritual energy but had begun to slowly release spiritual energy into the surrounding space.
Zhang Youcai pointed to this magical treasure and said, "This is the sign of maturity. If you eat it, you will no longer be restricted by the rules of this space and can freely cast spells. It will also possess fire attributes. Once you eat it, you will know I haven't lied, and it will prove my loyalty to you."
Qin Feng nodded, but he was unwilling to casually consume unfamiliar things. Firstly, he did not fully trust Zhang Youcai yet. If he ate this thing carelessly, and it turned out to be a trap, it would be troublesome. He could not risk his life recklessly.
Another point was that even if this treasure was exactly as Zhang Youcai described, allowing him to be free from the space's restrictions, he did not know if there were any side effects. Even if Zhang Youcai was telling the truth, the latter might still have many unknown aspects. What if the poison relapsed a year later after consuming this item?
However, to verify if the other party was telling the truth, he had to find someone to test it. The Red Alert army was out of the question because they practiced body-refining techniques and were not restricted by the rules of this space. Even if they ate this item, it would have no effect. Therefore, only Zhang Youcai was the most suitable candidate to consume it.
With this thought, Qin Feng said to Zhang Youcai, "Since this plant-like treasure has matured, I will give it to you. Eat it, and let me see if you are telling the truth. If you are telling the truth, it should bring benefits to your body. If you have deceived me and this item is poison, then you have only yourself to blame."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Youcai immediately patted his chest and said, "Of course, what I said is true. Such mature treasures are very rare. You are actually giving it to me? Is that true? Then I will eat it? But if I eat it, you will still be subject to the rules within this space. The next treasure to mature might take a long time. Are you sure?"
Hearing this, Qin Feng waved his hand and said, "It's alright, I can wait. Eat it now, and let me see the effect!"
Zhang Youcai no longer hesitated, nodded, and then pulled the plant out of the soil.
Just as Zhang Youcai was about to eat it, Qin Feng reached out and stopped him.
"Wait a moment!"
Zhang Youcai paused and asked, "What is it? Have you changed your mind?"
Qin Feng shook his head and said, "Have you noticed that after pulling it out of the soil, it is no longer releasing spiritual energy into the surrounding space?"
Hearing this, Zhang Youcai closed his eyes and sensed carefully. Then, he said in surprise, "Indeed. As expected of a master, your perception is far superior to mine. I never noticed this before. Does pulling the treasure out of the soil mean it has died? It not only stops releasing spiritual energy into the surrounding space but also stops absorbing spiritual energy from the surrounding space. It's no different from a dead plant. However, the first time I ate this kind of plant-like treasure, I also pulled it out of the soil. I think this is just a natural phenomenon, harmless, right?"
Qin Feng nodded, then signaled the other party to eat the treasure.
In fact, he had only stopped the other party from eating it to confirm if his senses were mistaken. At the same time, he had also discovered important information: once a treasure matures, pulling it out of the soil means it might not wither anymore, implying it could be preserved in a storage ring.
It was like harvested grain that could be stored in a warehouse. However, if the treasure had not matured and was pulled out of the soil, it would quickly wither. If it matured but remained in the soil, it would also wither. This was the magical aspect of plant-type treasures in this space.
At this moment, Zhang Youcai had already consumed the treasure. A strange energy suddenly surged through his body. Zhang Youcai felt something different. He opened his eyes and said with surprise, "I can sense not only fire-attribute spiritual energy in the surrounding space but also a cold spiritual energy mixed in. It seems both types of spiritual energy can be used by me. Should I try it?"
Qin Feng nodded, and Zhang Youcai formed a simple hand seal and pointed forward.
An ice cone appeared out of thin air and shot towards the distance.
Seeing this, Zhang Youcai was overjoyed.