Free Web NovelChapter 184: Chapter 161: Touch of Death, Temporary Shelter
As he stared at the tree’s leaves, a memory silently surfaced in his mind.
His expression changed drastically.
"’Drawing Blood Seals the Throat?!’"
As this taboo name left his lips, Lin Chen retreated another dozen or so steps, completely clearing the area under the giant tree’s canopy.
He patted his chest, the fear still lingering. "Friends, that last step I took was straight into the Ghost Gate. Scared me to death." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"Oh, right. In Great Xia, the Ghost Gate is the entrance to the underworld. It means I had a near-death experience."
He raised his wrist and tapped the screen a couple of times. Sure enough, he saw dense rows of small white text scrolling by quickly.
"What kind of tree is that terrifying?"
"When the camera focused on those dead birds just now, I almost threw up last night’s dinner. The way they died was so bizarre!"
"I’ve never seen so many creatures die in the same area at the same time on a survival show before. What the hell happened?"
"Is it the tree? Or some unknown plant? Or is there a swamp nearby with poisonous miasma?"
"I was eating lunch and wasn’t paying attention. Didn’t the stream just start? How did he almost die already?"
His display didn’t show the video feed, only the chat box. A few quick scrolls revealed that almost everyone was discussing the bizarre scene from moments ago.
Lin Chen extended his finger, pointing at the tree from a distance.
"That’s the one. The trunk is really thick. It looks like an ordinary tree, right?"
"But look closely. The trunk is covered in dense white spots. In Great Xia, this tree’s nickname is ’Drawing Blood Seals the Throat,’ but it’s also known as the Poison Arrow Wood."
"’Drawing Blood Seals the Throat’ means its poison is extremely potent. So potent that as soon as it enters a wound and touches blood, the toxin acts like an invisible hand, choking you until you’re completely dead."
"The name Poison Arrow Wood means the same thing. In ancient times, people discovered the tree’s toxicity and used it to create Poisoned Arrows."
"Its toxin is mainly stored in its sap, which is a milky-white fluid. That means any part of the tree with sap is poisonous, including the trunk, bark, branches, and leaves."
"Theoretically, as long as you don’t touch it, you won’t be poisoned. Even if you do, you should be fine as long as the sap doesn’t come into contact with an open wound or your eyes and mouth. You just need to disinfect the area promptly."
"But since we’re seeing a large number of dead animals, things aren’t that simple. I’m guessing there’s a Great Tit nest in this tree."
His gaze swept back and forth across the treetop, but he was too far away to see anything clearly.
"The Great Tit is a truly amazing bird. They are completely immune to the Poison Arrow Wood’s toxins and build their nests in its branches, using the tree’s poison to defend against predators."
"Furthermore, they eat the Poison Arrow Wood’s fruit and excrete droppings that contain the toxin."
"These droppings fall to the ground, and when it rains, the poison gradually seeps into the soil. This causes all the surrounding plants to die off, so the land around the tree is usually completely bare."
To test his theory, he kicked at the nearby ground a few times, sweeping aside the layer of rotting leaves and dead shrubs and moss. Sure enough, he couldn’t see a single living green plant.
"See? No plants can survive on the ground here. The reason the nearby trees are still alive is most likely because the toxin concentration in the soil isn’t high enough yet to have seeped down to their roots."
"Once the roots of a Poison Arrow Wood absorb these toxins and transport them throughout its body, the entire tree will be poisoned and die. And thus, the Poison Arrow Wood ends its own life, making it one of the few species to be killed by its own poison."
"As for the more detailed scientific principles... if you guys are interested, you can look it up online yourselves. I’m a chef, after all, not a botany professor. I don’t know the really technical stuff."
After he finished explaining the characteristics of the Poison Arrow Wood, the chat room was flooded with exclamation points.
A quick glance at the comments showed that almost everyone was marveling at how intensely poisonous the tree was.
"For safety’s sake, I need to get out of here as soon as possible."
If there were living plants in the nearby soil, he wouldn’t have been so worried.
But now, the ground beneath his feet was entirely toxic soil. Who knew if he might accidentally get some on him if he lingered too long.
He made a wide detour and walked for a good ten minutes more before he finally started to feel at ease.
Maybe it was because of his recent brush with misfortune, but he found himself paying more attention to the plants around him.
This time, as he walked, his gaze unintentionally fell upon a large patch of familiar-looking leaves.
This tree wasn’t very tall, only about half a head taller than him. Its leaves had a peculiar shape, looking almost like several hearts pieced together.
"A Mulberry Tree!"
His eyes lit up, and he moved closer as if he’d found a treasure.
"Haha, it really is a mulberry! I’ve hit the jackpot!"
"The Mulberry Tree is an indispensable and crucial part of Great Xia’s five-thousand-year history. It was also the original raw material for one of Great Xia’s Four Great Inventions: papermaking."
"As you all probably know, without the invention of paper, modern technology would never have developed so rapidly. The bark of the Mulberry Tree was first discovered by Cai Lun during the Eastern Han Dynasty to be suitable for making paper. The art of papermaking was born by combining this with the experience of those who came before him."
"Not only that, but the Mulberry Tree is a treasure from top to bottom. It can be used for medicine and is also directly edible. The leaves have a very high protein content—about 20 to 30 grams of protein per 100 grams, which is even higher than many types of meat."
"Because of this, mulberry leaves are often used as fodder for cattle and sheep. And in the past, when food was scarce, the tender leaves of the Mulberry Tree were one of the main sources of protein for the Da Xia People."
