Mi Xue hadn't followed, but she was still standing where she was, her body trembling slightly.

"Don't worry, wait for me over there for a moment!"

Zhang Yang rose, walked to Mi Xue's side, and gently carried her to a safer spot. They were already quite far from the Xie family villa; otherwise, he would have sent Mi Xue back first.

Setting aside the fact that he still hadn't figured out why the Fox-tailed Marten and the Black Iron Spider were fighting to the death, he couldn't just abandon the Black Iron Spider's corpse either.

The Black Iron Spider was ranked ninth among the Ten Great Poisons, and its body held countless treasures.

Its carapace was incredibly black and hard as iron, which was the origin of its name. Its shell could be ground down to make excellent Black Iron Needles—not the silver needles Zhang Yang used for healing, but rather poison needles.

The poison of the Black Iron Needle wasn't severe enough to kill, but it carried a significant dizzying effect. Being pricked by one would plunge a person into a state of hallucination. Zhang Yang knew a hypnotic technique, and using the Black Iron Needle in conjunction with hypnosis could yield tremendous results.

Furthermore, the Black Iron Spider's claws were also very useful.

Its claws could be fashioned into a type of gauntlet. The claws were also poisonous; a wound inflicted by such a gauntlet would bleed incessantly, resistant to even the best styptic medicine.

However, this particular benefit was of little use to Zhang Yang right now; he had no need for such lethal weaponry.

Finally, there were the Black Iron Spider's internal organs and venom sac.

These were the most crucial parts. A portion of the Black Iron Spider's entrails could be used in medicine, serving as a rare, potent detoxifying agent. The venom sac was even more significant; if its poison were introduced into water, it could kill hundreds of people.

Of course, Zhang Yang would never engage in such destruction. He needed the Black Iron Spider's venom for research, or perhaps for other beneficial applications.

After ensuring Mi Xue was settled, Zhang Yang immediately returned to the edge of the cliff.

The Black Iron Spider's corpse remained. Disposing of it required caution. Zhang Yang currently had nothing on hand; even the fruit knife had been lost during the preceding fight.

Staring at the spider's carcass, Zhang Yang could only shake his head helplessly. It seemed he would have to move it elsewhere before processing it; this location was unsuitable for butchering.

Zhang Yang first placed the Fox-tailed Marten on the ground, making sure to secure its four small legs and mouth as he did so. He had experienced the creature's potency firsthand.

Crouching down, Zhang Yang carefully flipped the Black Iron Spider over.

The spider was enormous, no wonder Mi Xue had been so terrified. Its body was half a meter long—a spider this size would frighten anyone, anywhere.

A hint of confusion surfaced in Zhang Yang's mind. The Black Iron Spider was a rare venomous creature, just like the Fox-tailed Marten. Why were both appearing on this already developed mountain? It felt highly irregular.

As the spider's body was turned over, Zhang Yang froze again.

Beneath the Black Iron Spider’s body lay a very small green plant, severed at the stem. The upper portion of this green plant bore three small fruits.

The three fruits were distinct in color—red, yellow, and blue. Each fruit was no larger than a thumbnail, yet they shone with an exceptionally bright, alluring radiance.

"Tri-Color Fruit!"

Zhang Yang swallowed hard, his eyes locked onto the three berries.

His heart, betraying him, began to pound. Tri-Color Fruit—he never expected to encounter such a heavenly treasure here. The Tri-Color Fruit was exponentially more valuable than a thousand-year ginseng root.

Zhang Yang had only read about the Tri-Color Fruit in books; he had never seen one in person.

The books he consulted were ancestral secret manuals passed down in his family, which is how he learned about both the Fox-tailed Marten and the Black Iron Spider. These manuals were compilations created by generations of Zhang family ancestors, summarizing and verifying information gathered across different eras.

They were effectively unique, absolute records of truth.

The Tri-Color Fruit was a treasure mentioned by the Saint of Medicine, an ancestor of the Zhang family.

Legend claimed that a Tri-Color Fruit tree bore only one fruit every five hundred years, and all three fruits had to mature together for the treasure to take effect, requiring a total of fifteen hundred years for that initial maturation cycle.

In terms of sheer age, it didn't surpass Zhang Yang's thousand-year ginseng, but the growth process of the Tri-Color Fruit was exceedingly difficult.

Firstly, the fruits grew externally; if plucked before maturity, they would be wasted. Secondly, once mature, the fruits had to be picked within one hour, or they would drop off naturally. A fallen Tri-Color Fruit would instantly dissolve into sap and seep into the earth.

This absorbed sap would then nourish the tree, and the subsequent batch of fruits would be superior, possessing greater efficacy. The second generation of fruits was much better than the first.

If the second generation was left unpicked and fell back into the earth, a third generation would emerge, whose effects would be vastly stronger than the second. If this cycle continued, perhaps up to the seventh generation, the tree wouldn't bear three fruits but seven.

Seven fruits of seven different colors—this was the legendary Seven-Colored Immortal Fruit, something spoken of but never witnessed.

The inclusion of the word 'Immortal' hinted at the fruit's profound power. Putting aside the notion of immediate ascension, it was certain that these fruits were magnitudes stronger than any other kind.

Regardless, it represented a supreme treasure that had grown for perhaps over ten thousand years.

Seeing this specimen, Zhang Yang instantly recalled all this lore. He had been thinking too far ahead, but upon seeing this particular Tri-Color Fruit, everything became clear.

This Tri-Color Fruit tree must be growing nearby, and the Fox-tailed Marten had come specifically to harvest it.

However, the Marten hadn't anticipated running into them. Despite its intelligence, it was an animal. Sensing Zhang Yang's strength, it perceived him as a competitor for the treasure, which is why it initiated the attack.

At this point, Zhang Yang understood why the Fox-tailed Marten had persistently blocked his path toward this area.

After wounding Zhang Yang, the Marten immediately retreated, indicating that the Tri-Color Fruit was close to ripening and it needed to hurry.

Unfortunately, it was a step too slow, and the Black Iron Spider got there first.

The rest was easy to deduce. The Tri-Color Fruit held a fatal attraction for any spirit beast. Such fruits were inherently used to enhance physical constitutions; if the Fox-tailed Marten consumed it, it would become even fiercer—perhaps even a match for the previous life's Zhang Yang.

The same applied to the Black Iron Spider. The reason the spider hadn't eaten the fruit yet was due to a condition: the fruit could not be consumed within an hour of ripening; at that stage, it held no potency and required an hour post-harvest before ingestion.

True heavenly treasures, spirit fruits of the cosmos, always came with numerous prerequisites.

The two spirit beasts fought for the Tri-Color Fruit, neither willing to yield. As the saying goes, men die for wealth just as birds die for food—the same applied to spirit beasts, as this treasure offered them immense benefits.

The result was mutual injury, and Mi Xue's timely arrival allowed Zhang Yang to reap the windfall.

Having grasped the entire sequence of events, Zhang Yang could only sigh softly.

Though he had walked the edge of the Ghost Gate today, the harvest was significant. The Tri-Color Fruit would be highly beneficial to Zhang Yang. Fruits that enhance spirit beast constitutions could also strengthen his own, and most critically, they could enhance his internal energy—genuine, tangible enhancement.

It was ten, even a hundred times more effective than the thousand-year ginseng.

Of course, the enhancement wasn't instantaneous, like swallowing it to gain decades of power. Zhang Yang needed to process it into a medicinal form and consume it slowly, allowing for gradual absorption to achieve the desired effect.

The thousand-year ginseng required six months to restore Zhang Yang to his peak condition; the Tri-Color Fruit could accomplish that in fifteen days at most—that was the difference.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yang carefully picked up the Tri-Color Fruit.

The moment his fingers closed around it, he whipped his head around, staring behind him in alarm.

The small Fox-tailed Marten had opened its eyes at some unknown moment. Its eerie, greenish eyes were fixed directly on Zhang Yang—or rather, on the Tri-Color Fruit in Zhang Yang's hand.

He hadn't even registered when the Marten had awakened.

Its recovery speed was far quicker than he had anticipated. Thankfully, he had prepared beforehand, binding the little creature tightly. Restrained like this, the Fox-tailed Marten, no matter how formidable, was powerless.

Letting out a soft breath, Zhang Yang slowly patted his chest.

When the clam and the oyster fight, the fisherman profits. Zhang Yang had unconsciously played the role of the fisherman, acquiring the Tri-Color Fruit, the Black Iron Spider's corpse, and the Fox-tailed Marten—three treasures in total.

This outcome truly exceeded his expectations.

Yet, upon reflection, if Mi Xue hadn't been there, he wouldn't have gained any of this.

It was Mi Xue's reckless dash into danger that led him to witness everything. Had they arrived later, the Fox-tailed Marten would certainly have taken the Tri-Color Fruit itself upon waking, or perhaps even consumed the Black Iron Spider whole.

Spirit beasts like the Fox-tailed Marten enhanced their own toxicity by consuming other venomous creatures.

One could say that Mi Xue brought all of this to him; she was his lucky charm.

However, Zhang Yang mused, if he hadn't been trying to protect Mi Xue, and had been alone, even if he couldn't defeat the Marten, escaping on his own should not have been an issue. He wouldn't have encountered the previous dangers.

As the old saying suggests, every sip and every peck is fate. Because both cared deeply for the other, they achieved this immense bounty today.

For Zhang Yang, these gains were worth far more than hundreds of millions in wealth.

The Fox-tailed Marten was awake, but its movements were constrained. Zhang Yang felt no fear. Now that the poison was neutralized, his internal energy could slowly be utilized again. Without hesitation, he tapped the Marten's head sharply.

A single tap was enough to knock the Fox-tailed Marten unconscious again.

The little creature might look adorable, but its potential for harm was too great. He simply couldn't trust it while it was conscious; better to keep it in a stupor.

Securing the Tri-Color Fruit, carrying the Fox-tailed Marten in one hand, and carefully dragging the Black Iron Spider with the other, Zhang Yang started walking upward with satisfaction. He had only taken a couple of steps when a scream echoed from ahead: "Zhang Yang, what—what are you doing? Why are you dragging something so disgusting!"

Mi Xue, standing ahead, was covering her face and shouting at him. Zhang Yang stopped in his tracks, stunned. He had been so focused on the treasure within the Black Iron Spider's body that he had completely overlooked Mi Xue's intense fear of the creature.

But then again, a spider that size would frighten most boys. Zhang Yang wasn't most people; that's why he dared to drag it.