Chapter 108 - The Fruit of the Cactus
Su Ming had just finished surveying the garage and villa when he selected a villa plan for his parents. He then gave them a call to arrange a few days for their move. Initially, they had no intention of accepting money, but Su Ming firmly insisted, and they reluctantly took it.
With the supervisor gone, Su Ming excitedly shut the gate and gazed at the land with eager eyes. He couldn't wait to step inside. As he did, the scenery transformed before him, revealing fully-grown cacti.
The cacti were spaced about a meter apart, leaving a perfect walkway in between. Each stood roughly a meter tall, their emerald bodies bristling with sharp spines. But what caught his eye most was the small, vibrant red fruit each cactus bore.
Su Ming had tasted cactus fruit before; the unripe ones were tart, but ripe, they were delightfully sweet. Approaching one of the cacti, he licked his lips in anticipation. With a surge of excitement, he carefully reached out and grasped the fruit, mindful of the thorns. With a firm tug, he plucked it from the plant.
He paused, puzzled. Why hadn't anything happened? Based on his previous experiences, the fruit should have transformed into something like a phone, a watch, a bag, or car keys—something tangible. But in his hand was simply a cactus fruit. It wasn't a precious stone or any valuable item, just a fruit with a subtle, pleasant aroma.
Was this really just an ordinary cactus fruit? It seemed unlikely.
A wave of disappointment washed over Su Ming. He had hoped for the cactus to yield something extraordinary, but it appeared his expectations were unmet. Could there be an issue with the system? Or was it possible that he only reaped extraordinary items when planting specific crops? If he planted ordinary crops, did he only get ordinary fruits, their only remarkable trait being their rapid growth?
With a heavy sigh, Su Ming shook off his gloom. He should appreciate what he had; the land's growth properties were coveted by many and unattainable for most. Bringing the cactus fruit to his nose, he inhaled its fragrance. It was surely delicious, he thought, a small consolation in the face of his letdown.
Su Ming remained composed as he effortlessly split the fruit open with his hands.
Expecting to find luscious red flesh inside, he was surprised to discover two black pills instead.
What were these?
Su Ming paused, momentarily taken aback.
He carefully picked up the pills and gave them a sniff, detecting a medicinal scent.
What?
Pills inside a cactus fruit?
“Special item detected. Congratulations, you have obtained the Body-stretching Pill!”
What in the world?
Body-stretching Pill?
That sounded like poison!
Surely not!
He had never before harvested any special items from this plot of land.
And now, this special item turned out to be the Body-stretching Pill.
Su Ming blinked, taking out one of the pills.
Could this really be poison?
Yet, it didn't have the acrid smell of poison. Instead, it was surprisingly aromatic.
Su Ming was tempted to try the pill.
The System had apparently given him a generous supply of this so-called poison.
But Su Ming had come to a realization—he had been wrong about the System.
The System was indeed formidable; it had just provided him with an extraordinary item this time.
“The Body-stretching Pill can treat bruises, colds, fevers, frequent urination due to kidney deficiency, and cardiovascular diseases. Just one Body-stretching Pill will restore your health! It is also water-soluble!”
Su Ming couldn't help but let out an expletive.
Could the Body-stretching Pill really be that potent?
He began to suspect that the System had done this deliberately.
This was no mere Body-stretching Pill; it was a miraculous life-saving elixir.
“Please be advised, Host, that this medicine is a primary-level remedy. It can cure only minor ailments, not serious illnesses!”
Just then, another notification chimed in Su Ming's mind, leaving him stunned.
It all made sense now.
This medicine had to be beneficial for the body, capable of fortifying muscles and bones, enhancing one's constitution.
Yet, to consider it a panacea was unrealistic.
Still, its potency was impressive, and the System had been clear: what he had was a primary-level medicine, suggesting that in time, he could obtain intermediate or even advanced-level remedies.
While primary-level medicine might not cure serious diseases, advanced-level medicine surely would. But that was for the future. For now, the primary-level medicine was more than sufficient.
Su Ming couldn't contain his burgeoning excitement.
His father had sustained external injuries. If only he had such a pill, his recovery would be swift.
“Fantastic!”
Su Ming was elated.
Previously, the land yielded only valuable crops. Yet for Su Ming, money was merely a number.
Glancing around the field, Su Ming blinked in surprise. The cacti were sparse, but there were still at least a hundred.
Harvesting them all would surely bring in a bounty of goods.
With a grin, Su Ming dashed inside, grabbed a plastic bag, and began picking the cacti, buzzing around like an industrious little bee.
In under two hours, he had neatly organized all the cacti.
Picking them was the easy part; dealing with the leftovers was another story.
The harvest's joy was fleeting; the real agony for Su Ming was the cleanup.
Surveying the land, his face etched with a grimace, Su Ming knew he had no choice but to soldier on.
Thankfully, the shop owner had given him a water jacket, which sped up his work considerably under its protective embrace.
By nightfall, Su Ming had felled every last cactus in the field.
“Successful crop harvest. Earned 450 experience points!”
“Recycled. Congratulations, Host, you've earned an additional 50 experience points!”
Weariness weighed on Su Ming, his back sore and aching. With a deep exhale, he watched as the cacti vanished from the ground.
Though he longed for a break, a sudden thought struck him. He darted over, snatched up a pill, and gulped it down decisively.
The moment the pill was consumed, Su Ming's eyes bulged. A rush of warmth radiated from his abdomen, swiftly erasing any trace of soreness, leaving him invigorated.
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