Chapter 6

After all the commotion, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon. Jiang Yuan looked at the time and decided to continue his trip up the mountain.

However, the gunpowder in his mineral water bottle had already been poured out and was wet from water, rendering the firelock useless.

Seeing that the firelock was unusable, Grandpa Jiang worriedly said, "Xiao Yuan... it's already late. Why don't you go up the mountain tomorrow?"

Jiang Yuan casually picked up the machete by the well, waved it, and smiled, "Grandpa... don't worry. It's not early, and I won't go too far. I'll just wander around nearby. I won't encounter anything big. I'll just go and see if I can find some good herbs... I'll definitely be back by half past five!"

Seeing Jiang Yuan's determination and knowing that as long as he didn't go too deep into the mountain, he wouldn't encounter any large wild animals, Grandpa Jiang felt reassured. After giving him some detailed instructions, he let Jiang Yuan go up the mountain.

Without the firelock, Jiang Yuan casually picked up a basket and slung it over his shoulder, then threw the machete into the basket and started up the mountain.

The Jiang family's small courtyard was built against the mountain, with dense forests behind it. Jiang Yuan followed a small path beside the courtyard and headed into the mountains. It had been a long time since he had been in the mountains, and revisiting the familiar place, listening to the birds chirping in the forest and the gentle mountain breeze, he felt extremely comfortable.

In the past few years, he had been cautious every day, always afraid of making a mistake that could cost him his life. It had been a long time since he had felt this relaxed.

During those years, he had been running around with a team, always on guard against enemy attacks. Especially after they seized that small box, they had to escape from the pursuit of over a dozen enemy teams, living in constant fear. When had he ever had the leisure to enjoy such a relaxed atmosphere?

Thinking of the teammates who had died one after another and the captain who had sacrificed himself to cover his escape, Jiang Yuan's mood suddenly became heavy.

"Captain... I won't let you die in vain. I will definitely find out the truth... and avenge you..." Looking at the dense forest in front of him, Jiang Yuan suddenly pulled out the machete from his basket, gritted his teeth, and fiercely slashed at the green bamboo by the roadside.

After cutting down a few arm-thick green bamboos, he skillfully trimmed off the branches and leaves, chopped them into pieces about a meter long, and sharpened them, placing them in the basket. Then he strode into the deep mountains.

Herb gathering is a meticulous task, as you must carefully observe the surroundings to find the herbs you need or those that are suitable. An experienced herb gatherer can determine where the herbs they need are likely to grow, so they can often confirm at a glance whether a place might have their target.

Therefore, experienced herb gatherers often have several times more harvest in a day than ordinary beginners.

Jiang Yuan had often accompanied Grandpa Jiang to gather herbs when he was young, so he could be considered an experienced herb gatherer. However, due to his weak constitution, he could only follow Grandpa Jiang around the outskirts of the forest and couldn't go deep into it. It was only as he grew older that he had a few opportunities to go deeper into the forest with Grandpa Jiang to familiarize himself with the environment.

Especially since he hadn't been back to such a forest for several years, Jiang Yuan wasn't very confident about finding herbs with sufficient age. However, he believed that once he became familiar with the environment, he would be able to find what he needed, even if it took more time.

For example, in the past few years, although the environment was unfamiliar and many plants and herbs were different from those in the country, he had still been able to find many suitable herbs to treat his teammates in emergencies.

Therefore, the reason Jiang Yuan entered the mountain at two o'clock in the afternoon was to familiarize himself with the environment and look for herbs. If he didn't find anything, it would serve as preparation for his second trip up the mountain the next day, when he would go deeper.

Jiang Yuan didn't just wander around the outskirts of the forest as he had told Grandpa Jiang. Instead, he directly headed into the deep mountains. Since there wasn't much time left in the afternoon, he didn't plan to waste time in the outskirts.

In recent years, except for a few old hunters, the government had basically banned guns, so the wildlife in the forest seemed to have increased. Jiang Yuan also planned to try his luck to see if he could catch something for dinner, and the dark green bamboo spears in his basket were his tools.

These sharp bamboo spears were much more reliable than the old firelock. As long as he didn't encounter something with thick skin like a wild boar, they would be enough to deal with most wildlife.

Following the path he remembered, Jiang Yuan walked into the forest, constantly beating the ferns on both sides of the path with a bamboo stick. It was early autumn, and some snakes hadn't yet entered hibernation. Although he was wearing thick jeans and had tied the cuffs, he was still afraid of encountering one by chance.

If he were really bitten, it would be a big trouble, even though he wasn't afraid.

To prevent such an incident, the best method was to beat the grass to scare away any snakes. The bamboo stick was enough to scare away any snakes that might be nearby.

After entering the dense forest, Jiang Yuan began to head towards some shady slopes. Ginseng generally prefers cool, humid climates and grows in mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests or mixed forests on gentle slopes or slopes at altitudes of 500 to 1100 meters, where the temperature difference between day and night is small. Such shady slopes were a good place to look.

However, finding old ginseng with sufficient age would depend on luck.

Today's luck wasn't too good. Jiang Yuan found two or three similar places but only discovered two small ginseng plants, about six to seven years old.

He also carefully examined the banks of several mountain streams, where ginseng could also grow. The wild notoginseng he was looking for also mostly grew in such cool, humid environments.

Jiang Yuan carefully searched, carefully distinguishing the stems and leaves of the low-growing plants. It wasn't easy to identify ginseng and notoginseng among the dense undergrowth.

However, there was one good point: the stems and leaves of ginseng and notoginseng looked quite similar. If he saw such leaves among the undergrowth, there was a good chance of finding one of them.

Wild notoginseng was easier to find than old ginseng. After walking along several mountain streams, Jiang Yuan finally found the elliptical leaves with several compound leaves in the wild grass by a stream, exactly as he remembered the notoginseng.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but feel delighted. With four or five plants, he could dig up two or three notoginseng roots.

Carefully pulling out a bamboo spear from his basket, he used the sharp end to dig around the roots of the plants. To avoid damaging the roots in the soil, he was extremely careful, spending about fifteen minutes to carefully dig out three notoginseng roots.

Seeing the sturdy, ball-like roots, Jiang Yuan finally showed a smile. Although the quantity wasn't much, this trip wasn't in vain. He put the notoginseng roots in his basket, looked up through the dense forest, and saw the sun gradually setting. It was time to leave the mountain, or it would be dark in an hour.

With some harvest, Jiang Yuan didn't hesitate and started walking back down the mountain.

As he walked, his luck seemed to improve. Just as he left the dense forest, he heard a faint rustling sound from the grass about ten meters ahead.

Hearing the sound, Jiang Yuan smiled, lightened his steps, and moved forward a few steps. Looking carefully, he saw a pair of small black ears peeking out from the grass.

Jiang Yuan chuckled, carefully took out two bamboo spears from his basket, weighed them in his hands, and then threw one of them forcefully into the grass.

"Thud..." The bamboo spear firmly inserted into the grass and stuck in the ground, its tail still trembling, showing the strength of Jiang Yuan's throw.

Hearing the spear hit the grass, the grass only rustled faintly. Jiang Yuan walked over confidently, pulled out the bamboo spear, and saw a fat black rabbit skewered on it. He smiled in satisfaction, realizing that although his battle scars were gone, his strength and accuracy had improved, and perhaps even more.

Jiang Yuan, feeling proud, carried the basket and the bamboo spear and walked out of the mountain. However, he didn't realize that he could hear the sound of the rabbit eating grass from several meters away, indicating that his hearing had also improved.

Back home, Grandpa Jiang was already waiting at the door. Seeing his precious grandson return safely, he felt relieved.

Seeing the fat wild rabbit skewered on his grandson's bamboo spear, Grandpa Jiang couldn't help but smile. His grandson had grown a lot in three years, able to catch a rabbit with a bamboo spear, which was better than he himself could do.

In the evening, Grandpa Jiang skinned the rabbit, carefully prepared a bowl of fragrant rabbit meat, made two side dishes, and brought out a bottle of grain wine. He led Jiang Yuan to carefully place the three dishes in front of the ancestral shrine.

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{Piaotian Literature}