Chapter 46

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According to the county annals of Sanshan County, Wufeng Mountain stretches for hundreds of miles, and the mountain range within the county is just a small part of the entire mountain. Hundreds of miles is just a straight-line distance; if you add the rugged mountain paths and the undulating peaks, stretching them out, it would be an understatement to say a thousand miles.

The Sun family has been herbalists for generations. In the booklet that Sun Jianing copied for Li Wenjun, there is a map of Wufeng Mountain they drew. However, this map only covers the outer area of Wufeng Mountain, roughly a hundred miles from the foot of the mountain. Beyond that, even a family as experienced as the Sun family has not ventured.

In most cases, this hundred-mile range is sufficient for herbalists to gather herbs. Continuing deeper is unnecessary on one hand, and on the other, it poses many practical problems. For example, supplies are hard to secure, there are more wild animals, and if injured, it would be much more difficult to retreat from Wufeng Mountain.

At first, Li Wenjun wandered around the outer area of Wufeng Mountain using the map provided by the Sun family. When he last entered the mountain to gather herbs, he mostly searched within this range.

However, Li Wenjun soon realized that due to the snow cover, it was already difficult to find herbs. If he remained in this frequently visited area, the probability of successfully finding herbs would decrease significantly.

Understanding this, Li Wenjun unhesitatingly ventured deeper into the mountains. His boldness was partly due to his confidence in his cultivation, having reached the first level of the Qi Practitioner stage, and his belief that he had more survival skills than ordinary herbalists.

Not long after delving deeper into Wufeng Mountain, Li Wenjun found a lush patch of herbs in a small valley. This valley was sheltered from the wind and snow, with only a small amount of snow falling there. Most of the herb leaves were exposed, making it easy for Li Wenjun to discover them.

Li Wenjun was overjoyed, jumped into the valley, and dug up dozens of herbs, placing them in his herb basket. This significant harvest further strengthened his resolve to continue searching in the deep mountains.

In no time, Li Wenjun had spent nearly two months in the deep mountains. The snow on Wufeng Mountain had long since melted, and the trees were turning green. The willows had sprouted new buds, and spring had quietly arrived, driving away the harsh winter.

During the past fifty to sixty days, Li Wenjun spent most of his time, aside from cultivation and sleep, gathering herbs. His harvest was substantial. He calculated that he had enough to prepare over two hundred doses of medicinal soup. If he took two baths a day, he would have enough for the next three months.

When he entered the mountain, the dry rations he brought had long been consumed. When hungry, he hunted, searched for mountain fruits, or found edible plant roots. When thirsty, he ate snow, and when there was no snow, he drank from streams or the blood of his prey.

This life was hard, but compared to his days of fleeing famine, it was like living in paradise. Moreover, he could occasionally gather herbs, and the sense of achievement made even the hardest and most tiring tasks sweet for Li Wenjun.

Li Wenjun regretted not bringing a sand pot and a bathtub when he entered the mountain. If he had, he could have directly bathed and cultivated in the mountains.

However, this was just a thought. His storage bag had limited space and could not fit a bathtub. Carrying such a large bathtub would greatly affect his efficiency in gathering herbs.

Li Wenjun touched his storage bag, which was almost full of herbs, and decided to return along a different route. If he found suitable herbs, he would gather them; if not, he would ignore them. Now, the most important thing was to quickly use up the herbs in his storage bag and improve his cultivation realm as much as possible.

One day, Li Wenjun got lost again. He climbed to a mountain peak to get a better view and see how to get out of the mountains.

Standing on the mountain peak, he looked far into the distance. Before he could check thoroughly, a wisp of blue smoke suddenly rose from a distant mountain hollow. The smoke drifted gracefully, carrying a hint of fire.

Where there is smoke, there is fire. Li Wenjun looked thoughtful. This was deep within Wufeng Mountain, far from any towns, desolate and rarely visited by people. It was almost impossible for anyone to be here. But why would there be smoke in such a place? This seemed very suspicious.

Li Wenjun shook his head. As long as it did not interfere with his plans, he would just continue on his way, regardless of how suspicious it was.

However, Li Wenjun soon realized he had to go to where the smoke was rising. The reason was simple: it seemed to be the only way out of the surrounding large mountain area. Unless he was willing to spend several days taking a detour, he had to pass through the place where the smoke was rising.

Li Wenjun did not want to waste time, so after realizing he could not avoid it, he decided to go. However, he did not act rashly but lay on the mountain peak, patiently observing the situation.

He wanted to see who was making a fire in the deep mountains and determine the owner of the smoke before deciding how to handle any unexpected situations.

When he first entered the mountains, Li Wenjun was full of confidence, thinking that as a Qi Practitioner at the first level, nothing would be too difficult for him. After nearly two months of wandering in the mountains and encountering various dangers while gathering herbs, he realized that even without encountering other cultivators, he was far from safe, and many unexpected situations could still threaten him.

With a clear understanding, Li Wenjun became more cautious, planning carefully before taking action, and the impulsive and rash aspects of his personality diminished.

After observing for a while, there was no significant change in the mountain hollow. Li Wenjun did not see anyone from start to finish.

Li Wenjun lay on the mountain, unmoving, maintaining this position until the next morning. The smoke in the mountain hollow disappeared early in the morning and did not reappear.

This scene was like a sudden wildfire in the mountains that extinguished itself before it could spread.

Li Wenjun no longer wanted to wait. He put on his herb basket, fastened his mountain knife to his waist, and held a hunting fork in his hand. He crossed the shrubs and headed toward the mountain hollow.

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