Chapter 121: Mosquito Nutrient Solution

Can mosquitoes dive? In the modern world, Yun Qing only knew how to swim, not how to dive. When swimming, staying afloat and catching one's breath requires technique, study, and practice; but sinking to the bottom of the water requires no effort at all.

With a flick of her mind, a heavy blacksmith’s hammer appeared in her hand. Yun Qing, who had been buoyant in the water, quickly plummeted toward the riverbed. She activated her Universe Energy Circulation Technique, sensing the attacks coming from above. To her surprise, the diving mosquitoes plunged into the water like depth charges, closing in on her as she sank.

"Liu Liu, are you kidding me? Mosquitoes can dive too?"

"These are mutant mosquitoes. They’re huge and can use spells; it’s no surprise they can dive. They might even be capable of more."

"Don't—please, stop. I don't want to eat mosquito meat, and I certainly don't want to be eaten by mosquitoes."

The buoyancy of the water was a bit of a hindrance to the mosquitoes. Struggling against it slowed their pursuit, stripping them of the speed and agility they possessed in the air. However, their strength was formidable. Unlike ordinary mosquitoes, these could dive and survive underwater for some time without breathing. By utilizing both the water's force and their own, their speed was now on par with Yun Qing, who was burdened by the heavy hammer.

She couldn't let them catch her. To increase her sinking speed, Yun Qing pulled a heavy piece of dark iron ore from her inventory and clutched it to her chest. As soon as she held the ore, she sank faster, successfully widening the gap between her and the mosquitoes.

After sinking for another two breaths, the mosquitoes stopped pursuing. Yun Qing felt something was amiss—why was the water in this underground river so deep? Her "diving" skills didn't allow her to remain stationary; she either had to put away the heavy items and float up or continue to sink. While it seemed she had two choices, in reality, with the mosquitoes lurking like tigers above, she had no choice but to keep descending.

Just as she began to wonder if the underground of the Sunlight Grassland was actually a deep ocean, her feet touched sand. She had finally reached the bottom. The depths were pitch black. Yun Qing stowed away the dark iron ore, retrieved a fluorescent stone, pinned it to her clothes, and surveyed the bed.

In the darkness, the riverbed consisted of stone, mud, and sand, but many areas were embedded with countless tiny white spheres. These spheres were the size of water droplets and lacked any health bars. Uncertain of what they were, she didn't dare touch them with her bare hands. Yun Qing raised her hammer and struck one of the white spheres. She used twenty percent of her strength, but perhaps due to the underwater environment, the sphere didn't react at all. Not believing this, she struck again with fifty percent of her force. Her hand felt a clear recoil, yet the white sphere remained completely undamaged.

It had no health bar and wasn't a mosquito egg. In such deep water, Yun Qing speculated: could this be the other ingredient needed for the anti-mosquito poison pill—mosquito nutrient solution?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, a text prompt appeared over the white drop-shaped object: [Mosquito Nutrient Solution, harvestable.]

It really was the mosquito nutrient solution. Now, she had all the materials for the anti-mosquito poison pill; the ten taels of gold hadn't been wasted. Holding the hammer in one hand, she used the other to pry at the solution. After some effort, she finally managed to dislodge one.

[Harvesting Experience +32]
[Obtained: Mosquito Nutrient Solution x1]
[Mosquito Nutrient Solution: A favorite food of the mosquito queen. Formed by mosquitoes absorbing energy and placing it into the queen's formation. Material for the Anti-Mosquito Poison Pill.]

After harvesting one by hand, the system took over the automatic collection. The experience per unit wasn't high, but the sheer quantity made up for it.

[Harvesting Experience +32]
[Obtained: Mosquito Nutrient Solution x1]
...

Yun Qing harvested them one by one, each providing a bit of experience. She was confident her harvesting level would reach 40. Every mosquito nutrient solution and toxic stinger could be crafted into an anti-mosquito poison pill, granting her crafting experience and silver coins—a win-win situation.

The advantage of harvesting at the bottom of the river was the abundance of the nutrient solution; the disadvantage was the lack of oxygen. Fortunately, she was already at the Post-Natal stage and could hold her breath for a while. She also had empty water skins in her backpack that allowed her to persist for a longer period.

After harvesting for a while, feeling suffocated, Yun Qing entered her cave dwelling to breathe fresh air and craft the pills at the alchemy table. Automatically crafting the pills yielded 100 crafting experience per unit. She felt that reaching level 40 in crafting would be faster than reaching level 40 in harvesting. With so many mosquitoes outside and one unused dungeon scroll, reaching level 40 in combat was also highly promising.

Surprised by how fast she was leveling up, Yun Qing said, "Liu Liu, I went from level 1 to 40 in just three months. Is it possible that in another three months, I'll be level 80 and invincible across the Central Mainland?"

Liu Liu rolled its eyes and retorted, "You look quite ugly, but you dream quite beautifully."

Yun Qing, who felt the Pre-Natal stage was within reach, laughed. "A person has to have dreams. Are you saying that at level 80, I won't be invincible across the Central Mainland?"

"You could figure out with your toes that it's impossible to reach level 80 in three months. You might not even do it in thirty years."

Level 71 was the early stage of Nascent Soul, and level 80 was likely the peak. If she could reach the peak of Nascent Soul in thirty years, that would be remarkable. By then, she would have seen the wonders of the world, mythical beasts, gods, and ancient tombs—she would be the brightest star in the Central Mainland. She could brag to little Jingzi to her heart's content then.

Ignoring Liu Liu's mockery, Yun Qing took a deep breath, used the empty water skins to refresh her air, exited the cave, and continued harvesting.

...

While Yun Qing was frantically harvesting underwater, the group at the inn had received no word from their leader. Exhausted from the prolonged battle, many had been bitten by mosquitoes.

Duan Mengrou despised mosquitoes and had been cautious to avoid being stung. But as fate would have it, she became too focused on fighting off the pests and failed to watch her footing. She stepped into thin air and fell from the carriage. Seeing the black swarm of mosquitoes closing in, she was too drained to fight back and fainted from sheer terror.

At a critical moment, Zhang He overcame all obstacles to shield her, preventing her from being bitten, though he suffered multiple wounds himself. As he carried the frail, disheveled, and unconscious Duan Mengrou back into the carriage, she no longer seemed as unapproachable as before. Instead, she stirred a strong protective instinct in him, and for the first time, Zhang He felt a desire to protect the woman in his arms with all his might.

Wei Yi and Fang Rui were too powerful. The mosquitoes swarming them were slaughtered until they dared not attack, scattering and clearing a path toward the exit. Wei Yi killed his way out with great satisfaction. Looking up, he saw a bright moon hanging in the sky; he had made it out.

He looked around and realized he was in a field of Sunlight Grass. Only Fang Rui had emerged with him.

"Brother Fang, did we make it out?"
"Yes!"
"Where are the others?"
"Divine sense is restricted underground. I only realized a moment ago that we had been separated from the others."
"What about the hive? Did we kill the mother mosquito?"
"I don't think so."
"Damn that mother mosquito for causing us to get lost. Let's go back underground and find the hive."

The two turned back to re-enter the depths.