Chapter 24

Finally, Li Wenjun climbed to the place where the Moon Cliff Grass grew. To his delight, it wasn't just one plant but a cluster of them, with four or five plants in total. They grew staggered on the cliff, each huddled together like balls of grass.

Next to this cluster of Moon Cliff Grass, a small tree was growing, leaning out from the cliff. This pine tree was about as thick as a baby's arm. Li Wenjun carefully grabbed its trunk, testing its sturdiness. Once he confirmed it could bear his weight, he tightly gripped the trunk and reached out with his other hand toward the Moon Cliff Grass.

Before Li Wenjun's hand could reach the Moon Cliff Grass, a snake suddenly darted out from a hole in the cliff, aiming to bite his hand.

Li Wenjun was startled. San County was in the north, where most snakes were non-venomous. However, even non-venomous snakes were not something he wanted to be bitten by, especially since he was lying on the cliff. Any injury could prevent him from climbing back up.

Moreover, not all northern snakes were non-venomous. A few were venomous, and even if their venom wasn't very strong, it could cause significant trouble in his current situation.

Li Wenjun quickly pulled his hand back. The snake's rear was still in the hole, while its front part was raised, its head facing Li Wenjun, its eyes radiating endless coldness.

Li Wenjun moved to one side, put away his dagger, and returned to his original position. This time, he drew his machete. The snake lunged at him again.

Li Wenjun swung the machete, cutting the snake in two. Warm snake blood splattered all over him.

Li Wenjun was probably too anxious. Although he cut the snake, he used too much force, and the machete hit the cliff, causing a painful jolt in his hand. He loosened his grip, and the machete fell down. It took a while for the sound of the machete hitting the ground to reach him.

Li Wenjun's body shook. He quickly grabbed the pine tree with both hands, barely stabilizing himself and avoiding a fall off the cliff.

Li Wenjun let out a sigh of relief. He pulled out the herb hoe with his other hand, prodded the snake hole, and confirmed there were no more snakes inside before he began to harvest the Moon Cliff Grass.

He dug up all five plants and placed them in his herb basket. Then, he followed the path he had taken down and climbed back up the cliff using the rope, panting heavily.

At the top of the cliff, Li Wenjun collapsed like a pile of mud. He spread his limbs and lay on the ground, thinking of the herbs in his basket. He laughed out loud, but as he thought about the hardships of the past month, gathering these herbs deep in the Five Peaks Mountain, tears streamed down his eyes.

Laughing with tears, crying with a smile, a mix of bitter and sweet, perhaps even Li Wenjun himself couldn't explain his emotions.

After resting for half an hour, Li Wenjun packed his things and began to descend the mountain. He could only put off gathering the ingredients for the Qi Gathering Powder for now. Winter was approaching, and it could snow at any time. He had to leave the Five Peaks Mountain before the first snow.

The descent was smooth, and Li Wenjun encountered no dangers, such as wolves or wild boars.

More than two days later, just before the first snow, Li Wenjun left the Five Peaks Mountain and met Wang the Hunter again.

Seeing Li Wenjun's cheerful face, Wang knew he had a good harvest. He invited Li Wenjun to his home for a meal, then packed his things and followed Li Wenjun down the mountain. In winter, Wang wouldn't stay in the mountains. He had a home in the county town of San County, where he would spend the winter. He would return to the mountains in the spring to continue his hunting.

Wang the Hunter, like Sun Baicao, was a straightforward and kind-hearted man. As they walked to the county town, they talked. Li Wenjun, anticipating future trips into the mountains, took this opportunity to ask Wang for more tips on dealing with wild animals.

Wang the Hunter shared all his knowledge without reservation, having a good impression of Li Wenjun.

As they approached the gate of the county town, they saw a crowd gathered at the entrance, pointing at a newly posted notice and discussing it.

It was a wanted notice issued by the government. A man named Wang Yonggui was a notorious bandit, ruthless and bloodthirsty, having killed over a hundred people, set fires, and committed countless crimes. The government was offering a reward of a thousand taels of silver for his capture. The notice included a portrait of Wang Yonggui.

Wang the Hunter couldn't read, so he asked Li Wenjun to read the notice for him. Upon hearing the reward of a thousand taels, he smacked his lips and said, "Whoever can kill Wang Yonggui won't have to worry about anything for the rest of their life."

After entering the town, Wang the Hunter showed Li Wenjun his home and invited him to visit whenever he had the time.

After parting ways with Wang the Hunter, Li Wenjun returned home. He first hid his storage bag, along with the Moon Cliff Grass and other herbs. The herbs would retain their potency for a certain period in the storage bag, but not indefinitely.

The best way to preserve the herbs was to use a special jade box and a spirit talisman. However, neither the "Changchun Technique" nor the "Miscellaneous Treatise on Cultivation" mentioned what kind of jade box or talisman to use. Li Wenjun could only temporarily store the herbs in the storage bag.

Later, Li Wenjun went to the Sun family's home to retrieve his dog.

The Sun family was delighted to see Li Wenjun return safely and invited him to dinner that evening.

At the dinner table, Li Wenjun thought about the ingredients and asked Sun Baicao if he knew of anyone who had herbs over a hundred years old.

Sun Baicao shook his head. He told Li Wenjun that such herbs were extremely precious and hard to find. Once found, they were either carefully stored or sold to wealthy families for a fortune.

The Sun family had once had a wild ginseng over a hundred years old, but Sun Baicao's grandfather had to use it to bribe the county magistrate to save his son's life when he was young. Since then, the Sun family had not encountered such herbs again.

Li Wenjun was disappointed but had no choice. He asked the Sun family to keep an eye out for any news about such herbs.

As he left the Sun family's home, Sun Jianing gave Li Wenjun a book he had spent over a month copying, which contained the Sun family's generations of herbal knowledge. This gift was very timely for Li Wenjun.

Li Wenjun did not refuse but took out ten taels of silver to buy it. However, Sun Baicao and Sun Jianing refused to accept the money. Reluctantly, Li Wenjun put the silver back and resolved to repay the Sun family for their help in the future, perhaps by bringing them wealth.

Back home, Li Wenjun flipped through the book, reading the parts that interested him. Unconsciously, the night grew deep. He closed the book and began to practice again.

As before, he couldn't continue practicing for long because the surrounding spiritual energy was quickly depleted. He stopped, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep. During his month in the mountains, he hadn't had a good night's sleep. Now back home, he no longer had to worry about wild animals or searching for Moon Cliff Grass, and he could sleep soundly.

Days passed, and it was soon the twelfth month. It had been over three months, nearly four, since Li Wenjun began practicing the "Miscellaneous Treatise on Cultivation." In these hundred days, his progress was as slow as a turtle's. Perhaps a turtle moved faster than he did.

The spiritual energy in the county town of San County was extremely scarce, almost a desert of spiritual energy. Despite his daily practice, Li Wenjun was still outside the threshold, unable to take that crucial step.

Li Wenjun knew that being anxious wouldn't help. Besides practicing for half an hour each day, he spent two hours learning more characters. The rest of the time, he went to a martial arts school in the town to learn boxing and kicking. Before mastering any immortal techniques, it was necessary to learn some martial arts.

Additionally, Li Wenjun went to a teahouse in the town every day. He wasn't there for the tea or to listen to stories but to gather information, hoping to hear about herbs over a hundred years old.

One day, after leaving the martial arts school, Li Wenjun was about to go to the teahouse when Sun Jianing ran over from a distance, shouting, "Brother Wenjun, come with me quickly!"

"What's the matter?" Li Wenjun asked.

Without waiting for an answer, Sun Jianing grabbed Li Wenjun's arm and said, "Brother Wenjun, come with me quickly, or it will be too late."

Li Wenjun had no choice but to run with Sun Jianing. After a few steps, he heard a piece of news that both surprised and worried him.

In the county town of San County, besides Sun Baicao, there were several other herbalists. One of them, Zhang Qi, was a widower. His wife had left him a son before she died. Zhang Qi had spoiled his son from a young age, and as he grew up, he was led astray and became addicted to gambling.