"Yes. Behind Fengdu City, there is a mountain tens of thousands of feet high, extremely difficult to climb. The blood ginseng you asked about, Xueqizi, is rumored to grow in these deep mountains. A farmer once stumbled in and saw it," Xiao Wangye said, his eyes thoughtful.
Upon hearing the name Xueqizi, Ye Qingcheng's eyes lit up, and she became instantly excited. Since arriving here, she had been busy treating the strange illness and researching its antidote. She had actually forgotten about this. Xueqizi was one of the reasons she had been willing to follow Xiao Wangye to his fiefdom.
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry and let me go!" Ye Qingcheng looked at Xiao Wangye with great excitement, completely disregarding the poison still in her body, eager to collect both medicinal herbs.
However, he reached out and stopped her, his expression serious as he shook his head.
"No, this mountain is very difficult to climb. Many greedy people have tried, and most have ended up with nothing but bones!" Xiao Wangye would never allow Ye Qingcheng, a woman with no strength to even tie a chicken, to go to the back mountain to gather herbs. Moreover, she was still ill.
Hearing his words, Ye Qingcheng calmed down and carefully considered the matter. If even Xiao Wangye treated it with such caution, then the mountain must indeed be as difficult as ascending to heaven. She was not a master of any particular skill, so it was indeed unsuitable for her.
Seeing the hesitant look on her face, Xiao Wangye paused, then said earnestly, "Don't worry, I'll go and get it for you." Ye Qingcheng was stunned, staring at him blankly. Soon, she instinctively shook her head, refusing his offer. If the back mountain was truly so dangerous, how could she bear for him to risk his life for her?
"No, I can't go, and you can't go either. Let's think of another way." After firmly refusing Xiao Wangye, Ye Qingcheng stated decisively that this matter was settled and they would find another method.
Xiao Wangye also felt her sincerity, a flicker of a smile in his eyes, and he temporarily swallowed his intention. He knew that although she appeared gentle and easy to talk to, she was actually very stubborn. Once she made up her mind, she would not change it. Thus, he pretended to agree with Ye Qingcheng and did not mention going to collect the herbs himself.
After leaving the room, he quietly instructed his attendants to prepare his travel gear. Xiao Wangye understood very well that if they continued to delay like this, the poison in Ye Qingcheng's body would only deepen. Even setting aside the risk to her life, she would at least fall into a coma like other patients. Now, only Ye Qingcheng could concoct the antidote. If she fell into a coma, it was uncertain if anyone else in the city could treat the strange illness. Xiao Wangye could not, and would not, see her fall into such a predicament.
Xiao Wangye knew that Ye Qingcheng would not permit him to go up the mountain to gather herbs, so he decided to act first and report later. By the time he presented the Xingchen Flower and Xueqizi to her, she would have no choice but to accept. With his mind made up, he instructed his attendants to prepare the necessary items and got ready to ascend the mountain.
To prevent Ye Qingcheng from becoming suspicious, the next morning he deliberately told her he was going to interrogate Luo Qinquan. Ye Qingcheng did not suspect anything of this and obediently agreed not to disturb him. After making all the arrangements, Xiao Wangye secretly set off for the back mountain alone.
To the south of Fengdu City lay the foothills. Due to the high elevation, there was little arable land, making the area sparsely populated with very few residents. Some hunters with a bit of skill would occasionally come, catching rabbits and pheasants in the woods at the foot of the mountain, but they never ventured deep into it. Xiao Wangye mingled with these hunters and entered the mountain with them. While others were busy tracking their prey, he had already ventured deep into the dense forest, heading straight for the cliffs.
The reason this back mountain was avoided was because of the many ravines on the mountain, which were bottomless when looked down upon. Those unfamiliar with the terrain could easily step into one and lose their lives in vain. Fortunately, Xiao Wangye had done his homework. He watched his footing carefully, his steps heavy as he made his way up the mountain.
The Xingchen Flower was located at a lower altitude than the Xueqizi, found around the halfway point of the mountain. However, there were no paths in the mountains, and the slopes were steep and uneven. Even for someone as skilled in martial arts as Xiao Wangye, he was sweating profusely. Fortunately, hard work pays off. By noon, he had found the Xingchen Flower. The Xingchen Flower was both a medicinal herb and a flower, growing in clusters. Its pale blue petals swayed in the wind, creating a visually pleasing scene. Xiao Wangye picked some Xingchen Flowers, wrapped them in cloth, and placed them in his embrace before pausing to rest.
His next objective was the Xueqizi, a legendary medicinal herb with extremely demanding growing conditions, requiring it to grow on the walls of extremely high mountain streams. This was also the reason for its rarity, as the walls of all mountain streams were soft and slippery, making them difficult to climb. Moreover, one had to climb to great heights to find even one or two Xueqizi. However, since Xiao Wangye had come this far, he had no intention of returning empty-handed. After a brief rest, he set off again, searching for some extremely precipitous mountain streams.
Mountain streams were common in the back mountain, but not all of them contained Xueqizi. Xiao Wangye climbed several treacherous streams with trepidation but found no sign of the Xueqizi. Just as the sky began to darken and he was about to give up, the blood-red root-like plant finally revealed itself. Xiao Wangye's pupils contracted, and he immediately became fully alert, carefully climbing over. After picking the Xueqizi and hiding it in his embrace, he climbed back to solid ground and let out a heavy sigh, his entire body relaxing. The day's hardship had paid off. He happily descended the mountain, eager to return and surprise Ye Qingcheng.
By this time, the sunset had faded, leaving only a faint afterglow illuminating the forest path. Xiao Wangye walked with heavy steps, utterly exhausted. He just wanted to hurry back, but suddenly, a sense of danger struck him, and he took a step back. The moment he retreated, a flash of cold light zipped past – it was a sword beam. Xiao Wangye's expression turned stern, and he scanned his surroundings. Without him knowing, four or five men in black had appeared around him, encircling him. Drawing the sword at his waist, he frowned, his gaze fixed on these black-clad figures who clearly meant him harm.
Without further ado, seeing that their sneak attack had failed, they drew their weapons and charged at him together. Xiao Wangye, already tired from a day's exertion, found it quite difficult to deal with these assassins. These individuals were all trained fighters, skilled in combat, and their coordination did not lag behind Xiao Wangye at all.