Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan prepared their luggage and were ready to depart. Qian Bufei had been very thoughtful; they had driven to Yuzhou, and now Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan were hitching a ride to Dian Province. As they crossed the Yangtze River Bridge, Shen Feng could still see many people fishing on the river surface using steamships.
"I hope this trip to Ruili goes smoothly and that Yuzhou can get oil in the future. Recently, we can only take electric cars, and they can't climb any significant slope. If we had oil, we could produce gasoline and similar things," Chu Chaoyan said to Shen Feng.
Shen Feng casually watched the scenery and replied, "That would be for the best. What worries me is whether there are other dangers in the Mushroom Forest."
If the Mushroom Forest only contained hallucinogenic spores, it wouldn't be a problem for Shen Feng. However, Shen Feng also didn't believe that Dian Province couldn't handle a few spores; they could simply wear protective suits, perhaps with added oxygen tanks for breathing. Yet, Dian Province insisted on his help, which suggested there were more dangers in the Mushroom Forest that they hadn't disclosed.
"Besides spores, there are other dangers?" Chu Chaoyan thought, suddenly suspicious. Could she have been used?
This world was too treacherous; one could be exploited with the slightest carelessness. To avoid this, one needed sufficient information. However, Shen Feng currently lacked enough information. Therefore, he could only proceed with a step-by-step approach to avoid mistakes.
However, Shen Feng also wanted to avoid unnecessary worry, so he said to Chu Chaoyan beside him, "Don't worry. If it's just about dispersing spores and repairing pipelines in Ruili, there's no problem. I can summon a strong wind to blow away any amount of spore powder."
At that moment, Qian Bufei, in the front, spoke up, "Mr. Shen Feng, we heard that a medicinal herb called Phoenix Egg was discovered in the mountains of Yuzhou, and it's now being cultivated there. Is this true?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng immediately became suspicious. It had been accidentally discovered by mercenaries when they were eliminating mutated beasts, and Yu Zhijing had received substantial rewards. However, Yuzhou had always treated the Phoenix Egg as a crucial secret. Later, someone stole information about the Phoenix Egg from the laboratory, which greatly annoyed Shen Feng. Now that someone was inquiring, Shen Feng became suspicious.
"There is such a thing. When humans consume it, it can accelerate lactic acid decomposition and greatly reduce fatigue. Why? Does your Dian Province also want this?" Shen Feng asked.
Qian Bufei quickly explained, "Mr. Shen, you misunderstand me. I mean, the Phoenix Egg is not unique to Yuzhou. It's already being secretly cultivated in the southeast. Our Dian Province also wants to introduce it, but we felt we should ask Mr. Shen if there are any precautions."
"The southeast... could it be Gui Province and Yue Province? Did they steal my information?" Shen Feng thought to himself.
Then Shen Feng directly said, "If you want to cultivate it, then cultivate it. As for precautions, isn't your province experienced in cultivating Chinese herbal medicine? Do you still need to ask me?"
Qian Bufei smiled and said, "As long as Mr. Shen agrees, we will cultivate the kidney fern. Don't laugh at us, Mr. Shen. Although Dian Province has cultivated kidney fern, we just don't have mutated kidney fern. Perhaps it's bad luck. We have a lot of kidney fern, but none of it mutates. Instead, Gastrodia elata has begun to mutate, becoming a great tonic. If Mr. Shen wants some, I can bring you a few dozen catties."
"We'll see about that later. For now, let's focus on what needs to be done after arriving in Dian Province," Shen Feng said casually.
The main base of the zombie virus was in the ocean, but the zombie virus could reach all corners of the world through atmospheric circulation and rainwater. Currently, there were zombie viruses worldwide, and animals had undergone large-scale mutations. However, plant mutations were not as obvious, and the probability of mutation was entirely uncertain.
The number of mutated plants was too small, and many of these mutated plants were harmless to humans. However, any mutated plant capable of hunting became a very troublesome enemy.
Therefore, while Yuzhou found a large number of mutated kidney ferns, mutated kidney fern individuals were almost impossible to find in Dian Province.
On their first day in Dian Province, Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan tasted chicken stewed with Gastrodia elata. It was indeed a great tonic. After eating it, they felt comfortable all over, with a continuous warmth and seemingly inexhaustible energy.
If Chu Chaoyan hadn't been constantly watching Shen Feng, Qian Bufei might have arranged for several beautiful women to attend to Shen Feng while he rested.
Shen Feng had already arrived in Dian Province and had heard about the many delicacies there. He wanted to take this opportunity to try them, especially the whole insect banquet. Shen Feng had often seen pictures of the whole insect banquet online before but had never tasted it. Now was a good opportunity, but Chu Chaoyan strongly objected, so Shen Feng did not get his wish.
Furthermore, Chu Chaoyan criticized Shen Feng's idea, saying, "It's not that we can't afford to eat. Why do you have to try such bizarre food? Don't listen to others calling it high-protein. It actually makes you feel nauseous. In short, you'd better not let me see this stuff."
Insects were considered delicacies by those who liked them, but for those who didn't, they were terrifying. Shen Feng had only tried fried silkworm pupae with salt before, which tasted quite delicious. This was a common way of eating them in the southwestern region.
Besides silkworm pupae, many insects were synonymous with terror in the eyes of ordinary people. There were only two places where insects were consumed on a large scale: Yue Province and Dian Province. The focus of insects in these two places was also different, which in a way could be considered a mutual appreciation.
So, Shen Feng had to give up. Chu Chaoyan was a refined lady and did not like to try new things. In her eyes, insects should not be human food.
However, seeing Shen Feng's disappointed expression, Qian Bufei knew that Shen Feng wanted to try something new and continued, "Mr. Shen Feng, don't be disappointed. In a while, there will be many mountain delicacies on the market, and we'll definitely let you two eat your fill. Let's quickly head to Tengchong. Once we get there, we'll need to discuss how to repair the oil and gas pipelines."
Shen Feng nodded and said, "Alright, let's do that. After this mission is completed, I will definitely try the local specialty dishes. I remember there's hand-grabbed rice, dried beef, crossing-the-bridge noodles, Xuanwei ham, and black goat banquet. I won't say more; it's useless to talk about them now. We'll discuss them later."
When Shen Feng mentioned wanting to try local specialty foods, Chu Chaoyan did not object. As long as he didn't eat insects, Chu Chaoyan was fine with it.
Next, Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan headed directly to Tengchong. This place was famous for its active volcanoes; China's active volcanoes were Changbai Mountain in the northeast and Tengchong. Additionally, the boundary between Tengchong and Heihe was also a population boundary, making the area a natural tourist attraction.
On the way to Tengchong, Shen Feng also saw many convoys with many people, including doctors, nurses, soldiers, and workers. Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be on some important mission, and these people were traveling in the same direction as him.
Seeing this scale, Shen Feng's doubts deepened. The reason was simple: if it were just about connecting the oil and gas pipelines, so many people shouldn't be needed. However, Shen Feng saw a convoy of thousands of people, well-prepared, which clearly indicated that it wasn't just about connecting pipelines, but there was some ulterior motive.
Qian Bufei was in the same car as Shen Feng. Seeing Shen Feng observing his surroundings, he started a conversation, "Mr. Shen, please look outside. This is the Burma Road. It was built entirely by the old, weak, women, and children. A hundred years ago, it was our country's lifeline. Supplies were transported along this road. If Mr. Shen wants to transport supplies along this road in the future, you have foresight and skill."
Shen Feng's attention was successfully diverted. Looking at the relatively wide road, he asked, "You said this was a road built by the old, weak, women, and children? Where did the men go? Why didn't the men build the road?"
Before Qian Bufei could answer, Chu Chaoyan explained, "That's because the men had all gone to war. A hundred years ago, the Dian Army had hundreds of thousands of soldiers fighting. There was no one left to build the road, so they had to use the old, weak, women, and children to build it. You should study history properly. My grandfather is a history professor, and he took you as a student, yet your historical knowledge is so poor."
"Nonsense. I'm from Sichuan Province, so of course, I should learn more about Sichuan's history. It's normal that I don't know the history of this place. I know now that the Burma Road is a lifeline, and this is a place full of heroes," Shen Feng said helplessly.
Speaking of which, Shen Feng was always a science student but was forced to study history, which was also a form of suffering.
"Actually, in Dian Province, there is also the Hump Route, which is also a tragic route. But let's not talk about that. In any case, we still use the Burma Road a hundred years later, and we should be grateful to our ancestors. Mr. Shen Feng will use this road often in the future, and our cooperation will surely continue," Qian Bufei said emotionally.
Suddenly, Shen Feng asked, "By the way, is there anything I need to pay attention to in Tengchong? I'm worried I might accidentally touch someone's taboos."
Dian Province had many ethnic minorities, so there were many taboos. For example, one should not eat pork in front of Hui compatriots, as it violated their religious prohibitions. However, there were many more things that Shen Feng did not know.
Speaking of this, Qian Bufei nodded and said, "Yes, this is indeed quite important. If Mr. Shen Feng wants to know, I will tell you. First, you must not insult Zhuge Liang. Many ethnic minorities actually consider Zhuge Liang their ancestor, and they respectfully call him Kongming Laodie. If you dare to insult Zhuge Liang, be careful, the whole village will beat you."
Shen Feng quickly nodded; this was the first time he had heard of this. Chu Chaoyan also took out her notebook and began to record the information.
Next, Qian Bufei, a local, explained many taboos to Shen Feng. Regarding appellations, it was especially important to be careful. One should not use derogatory terms like "Huizi," "Miaozi," or "Luoluo." Although "Hanzi" was not a derogatory term for Han people but rather a respectful one, ethnic minorities should not be addressed this way. If one dared to use derogatory terms, they would be beaten.
Finally, if one did not know a custom, they should just observe and not speak carelessly. Generally speaking, as long as one was not a loose-tongued person, they would not touch their taboos.
It took Shen Feng a day and a half to reach Tengchong. Standing on a mountain here, he could see a large area of colorful forests on the distant peaks. Reportedly, that was the Mushroom Forest.