Chapter 22

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Outside the spiritual sites, almost all places are unsuitable for cultivators to practice. These areas are generally referred to by cultivators as "poor and remote regions." The term "poor" here does not refer to financial poverty, but rather to the scarcity of spiritual energy in the heavens and earth.

Li Wenjun sighed in frustration. If he continued to cultivate in the county of Sanshan, he would never achieve anything in his lifetime. By the time he was near death, it would be considered excellent if he could attain the abilities of the old Taoist. He had to find a way to change this unfavorable situation.

The first thing Li Wenjun thought of was leaving the county of Sanshan to search for a spiritual site. However, this was easier said than done. Not only was the chance of finding an unoccupied spiritual site uncertain, but even if he could find one, it would take a lot of time and he would face many life-and-death challenges. He had not even crossed the threshold of cultivation, and if he encountered a monster like the black-striped giant python or other cultivators, he would surely die.

Without the strength to search for a spiritual site, Li Wenjun turned his attention to other methods.

The "Miscellaneous Discussions on Cultivation" mentioned that there were multiple ways to absorb the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth, such as elixirs, crystals, the flesh and blood of monsters, and herbs and fruits with spiritual properties, all of which could rapidly increase a cultivator's cultivation speed.

At the end of the "Changchun Technique," there were recipes for two types of elixirs: one called Qi-Gathering Powder and the other called Golden Wound Powder. The former could increase a cultivator's cultivation speed, while the latter was a healing medicine.

Thinking of elixirs, Li Wenjun immediately thought of the few bottles of elixirs he had obtained from the old Taoist. He quickly took them out and opened each one to examine them. One bottle of elixirs seemed to match the description of Golden Wound Powder, but he was not entirely sure. The other bottles did not match the description of Qi-Gathering Powder. He could not determine what they were.

With no choice, Li Wenjun put the elixirs away. It seemed he could not continue to rely on the old Taoist's legacy and would have to find a way on his own.

After sitting in silence for half a day, he heard Sun Jianing's call from outside. During this period, the Sun family often invited Li Wenjun over for meals.

Hearing Sun Jianing's call, Li Wenjun suddenly remembered that the Sun family were hereditary herbalists. The county of Sanshan was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and there were many wild herbs on the mountains. There had been instances of passing cultivators buying herbs from herbalists, which suggested that the three mountains might contain herbs needed to refine Qi-Gathering Powder.

With this in mind, Li Wenjun hurriedly went to the Sun family's house next door.

After dinner, Li Wenjun asked about the rumors of cultivators buying herbs, focusing on which of the three mountains the incidents had occurred.

Sun Baicao advised Li Wenjun not to have unrealistic expectations, but seeing Li Wenjun's determination, he told him that the incidents had occurred on Wufeng Mountain.

Li Wenjun knew almost nothing about herbs. After a long time of interaction, he found the Sun family to be honest and trustworthy. He then asked about the herbs needed to refine Qi-Gathering Powder.

Sun Baicao mistakenly thought Li Wenjun was interested in becoming a herbalist. He sighed inwardly, always believing that Li Wenjun should pursue the imperial examinations and perhaps secure a government position.

Sun Baicao did not persuade Li Wenjun further but had Sun Jianing bring out a book that was almost worn out. It was a thick book written in ink, recording the various experiences accumulated by the Sun family's herbalists over generations, including records of the herbs they had collected, their most common locations, and what to pay attention to when collecting them.

These were the Sun family's closely guarded secrets, and Sun Baicao revealed them to Li Wenjun without reservation, a significant favor. Sun Baicao also intended to repay the debt of gratitude for the letter that had saved a life.

Li Wenjun carefully read through the book and was pleasantly surprised to find that all seven herbs and one herb catalyst needed for Qi-Gathering Powder were recorded. He asked Sun Jianing to bring him writing materials and began to copy the information. Out of caution, he copied a few extra herbs.

"Li Wenjun, if you want to go up the mountain to collect herbs, let Jianing accompany you," Sun Baicao said.

Li Wenjun politely declined Sun Baicao's offer, saying, "No, Uncle Sun, let Jianing stay home and take care of you. You can't be left alone. I'm not really going to collect herbs, just curious."

Sun Baicao sighed and did not say anything more.

After Li Wenjun left, Sun Baicao had Sun Jianing send him a complete set of herbalist tools and then had Sun Jianing copy the book of herbs, planning to give it to Li Wenjun after it was finished.

The next day, Li Wenjun packed enough food, water, fire starters, pickled vegetables, and other supplies into his bag.

He now knew that this was a storage item called a storage bag. The internal space of the storage bag was not very large, roughly enough to fit half an eight-person table.

After everything was packed, he put on his herb basket, sent his dog to the Sun family for them to take care of for a couple of days, and then headed straight for Wufeng Mountain without looking back.

By noon, Li Wenjun had climbed to the halfway point of Wufeng Mountain and met Wang the Hunter again.

It was now mid-autumn, and the weather was a bit cool. Wang the Hunter was wearing a single-layer shirt, his chest exposed, sitting in the yard, making stone arrows. He would break stones, find sharp-edged pieces, slightly polish them, tie them to a straight branch or shrub with a rope, and then attach feathers to the other end of the branch. Thus, a stone arrow was made.

Seeing Li Wenjun, Wang the Hunter greeted him warmly. Learning that Li Wenjun was going to collect herbs alone, he first offered to go with him. After Li Wenjun politely declined, Wang the Hunter insisted on having Li Wenjun stay for lunch. During the meal, Wang the Hunter shared some of his hunting experiences, mainly about what to do if he encountered wild animals on Wufeng Mountain.

For example, if he encountered a wolf, he should not panic. First, he should see if there was a chance to escape. If there was, he should run. If not, he should try to fight the wolf.

Climbing a tree was not an effective way to avoid a wolf attack. Some wolves had excellent jumping abilities and could easily jump up and bite him if he was low on the tree. More importantly, wolves were extremely patient animals. Competing with a wolf in patience and endurance was very foolish. Staying in the tree and waiting for the wolf to leave was impossible.

Wang the Hunter shared his life-and-death experiences with Li Wenjun, who listened attentively and remembered them.

After lunch, Li Wenjun bid farewell to Wang the Hunter. As he left, he took out a few copper coins to pay for the meal, but Wang the Hunter refused to accept them.

After saying goodbye to Wang the Hunter, Li Wenjun continued up the mountain to search for his herbs.

Wufeng Mountain covered an area of over a hundred miles. It was impossible to explore the entire mountain in one or two months just by walking. Finding the herbs and catalyst needed to refine Qi-Gathering Powder in such a vast mountain was extremely difficult, especially since Li Wenjun had no experience in searching for or collecting herbs. The difficulty was even greater.

The difficulty of collecting herbs far exceeded Li Wenjun's expectations. In a month, he had already run out of the provisions he had brought. During this time, he survived by collecting wild fruits and hunting small animals. Wufeng Mountain had many wild fruit trees like walnuts and hawthorns, and it was autumn, so finding food was not a problem. Water was even less of an issue, as there were several mountain springs on Wufeng Mountain.

To ensure safety and avoid poisoning, Li Wenjun chose to pick fruits from trees where small animals had already picked, or to take water from springs where fish or small animals drank.

This was also what Wang the Hunter had repeatedly emphasized, and there were similar records in the book Sun Baicao had shown him.

During the month on the mountain, Li Wenjun had some success. He had collected six of the seven herbs and one catalyst needed to refine Qi-Gathering Powder. The only one missing was Moon Cliff Grass.

Moon Cliff Grass was very magical. It only grew on cliff faces where moonlight could reach. During the day, its leaves would curl up, making it hard to see. Only at night, when the moon was out, would it spread its leaves, and the brighter the moon, the more it would spread. This was the best time to find Moon Cliff Grass.

For this reason, Li Wenjun risked his life every night, crawling to the edge of the cliffs to look for Moon Cliff Grass. However, in over a month, he had not seen a single plant. As for the catalyst, he had not even seen a trace of it.

The catalyst needed to refine Qi-Gathering Powder had to be a herb over a hundred years old. Such herbs were the most sought-after by herbalists and could fetch a good price. Wufeng Mountain had been thoroughly searched by herbalists, and all the visible herbs over a hundred years old had been picked. Only in some unnoticed places might there be a chance to find them. Of course, these unnoticed places might not be suitable for the growth of herbs.

As the weather grew colder and winter approached, Li Wenjun had to leave Wufeng Mountain before winter. Once winter arrived, snow could fall, blocking the mountain, making it difficult to find food, and he could starve to death. The slippery and steep paths could cause him to fall to his death, and the cold could freeze him to death. Staying on the mountain during winter was not a good idea.

Li Wenjun planned to search the mountain for a few more days. If he still could not find Moon Cliff Grass, he would have to go down the mountain. He would have to wait until next spring to come back up.