Chapter 2

The Ling family's Medicine Mountain extends from a branch of the Extreme Cold Mountain Range, located at the very outer edge of the range.

Compared to the towering, icy mountains of the Extreme Cold Mountain Range, Medicine Mountain is rather insignificant, with its spiritual energy not particularly concentrated.

The Ling family town is situated at the foot of Medicine Mountain, on the edge of the Extreme Cold Mountain Range.

Although Medicine Mountain does not have outstanding spiritual energy, it is far enough from the Extreme Cold Mountain Range that it is not too cold, making it suitable for the cultivation of spiritual herbs.

The spiritual herbs on Medicine Mountain are the main source of income for the Ling family. Most of the tributes the Ling family pays to the Star Cloud Pavilion each year are from the spiritual herbs of Medicine Mountain. In recent years, the planting and harvesting of the spiritual herbs on Medicine Mountain have been managed by Ling Chengzhi. Du Jiaolan has tried several times to get involved with Medicine Mountain, but the Ling brothers have always found ways to thwart her.

On Medicine Mountain, the herb fields are laid out like tofu blocks. The spiritual herbs and plants grown in these fields are mostly of the third rank or lower, which, although not of high value, are valuable in their large quantities.

Among them, Jade Hand Flower, Cold Essence Grass, and Snake Crown Flower are all third-rank spiritual herbs, and are the main herbs planted in the fields. These three herbs are the basic ingredients for refining Spirit Recovery Pills, and the Star Cloud Pavilion has a huge demand for them every year.

At this moment, the two brothers, Ling Chengye and Ling Chengzhi, are standing in front of a field of Jade Hand Flowers.

When the Jade Hand Flowers bloom, they resemble a young girl's open palm, with five slender leaves like delicate fingers, hence the name Jade Hand Flower. The cycle from planting to harvesting Jade Hand Flowers is only about half a year, and they are not much affected by weather changes, making them one of the easiest spiritual herbs to grow.

However, in this field of Jade Hand Flowers, the flowers have not yet bloomed, and they are withering in patches, causing Ling Chengye's face to turn extremely ugly.

"Is it just the Jade Hand Flowers?" Ling Chengye asked hopefully.

Ling Chengzhi smiled bitterly, "The Jade Hand Flowers are still relatively good. The fields of Cold Essence Grass and Snake Crown Flower are even worse, with more severe withering. This year, it will be very difficult to gather enough herbs to pay tribute to the Star Cloud Pavilion..."

Ling Chengye's expression changed, and he sternly demanded, "What exactly is going on? Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

"I don't know what's going on," Ling Chengzhi said with a bitter face, also puzzled, "Since Qin Shan's death two years ago, the yield of the herbs in the fields has been decreasing season by season. The decrease was acceptable, and it didn't affect the supply to the Star Cloud Pavilion. I should have paid more attention to this, but I was busy trying to advance my cultivation realm."

"When I realized something was wrong, I thought I could still control the situation. I put a lot of effort into the cultivation and adjustment of the spiritual herbs, hoping to turn things around. However, I didn't expect that from three months ago, the herbs started to wither gradually. Before I could react, large areas of the herbs in the fields had already withered..."

Ling Chengzhi hung his head in dejection, not trying to shirk responsibility.

Ling Chengye's face fell, and he remained silent for a while before suddenly saying, "Is the withering of the herbs in the fields related to Qin Lie? He has been in the mine inside Medicine Mountain for years and has never come to the fields. How could he affect the herbs? Third Brother, why do you suspect Qin Lie?"

From his perspective, Qin Lie was just a fool, living a soulless life, and could not possibly have any impact on Medicine Mountain.

"Since the grandfather and grandson entered the mine on Medicine Mountain five years ago, I have been secretly observing. Over the past five years, there have been few changes on Medicine Mountain, but one phenomenon is very strange..." Ling Chengzhi frowned, thinking as he spoke.

"What phenomenon do you find strange?" Ling Chengye was taken aback.

"Whenever there is a thunderstorm, the lightning in the sky over Medicine Mountain becomes very dense. Each time, lightning strikes the peak of Medicine Mountain, and sometimes when the lightning strikes, I am startled. However, before the grandfather and grandson arrived, even in the worst weather, there was no such concentration of lightning over Medicine Mountain, and lightning never struck directly!" Ling Chengzhi said firmly.

"Is this lightning... related to the grandfather and grandson?" Ling Chengye shook his head, thinking his brother's theory lacked solid evidence.

"Big Brother, let me finish," Ling Chengzhi's expression became more serious, "This phenomenon has become more pronounced since Qin Shan's death! In the past two years, whenever there is a thunderstorm, the lightning over Medicine Mountain has become even more concentrated, and it strikes the mountain more frequently! Sometimes, I can faintly sense the powerful lightning, as if it is seeping into the mountain through the rocks..."

Hearing this, Ling Chengye finally took it seriously and said solemnly, "Go on!"

"Over the years, I have been stationed on Medicine Mountain. After each lightning storm, I secretly observed the mine. Several times, I saw Qin Lie come out of the mine with his hair and skin slightly charred. I can guarantee 100% that it was caused by lightning strikes!" Ling Chengzhi said firmly, "Considering the abnormalities on Medicine Mountain over the years, I have reason to suspect that this is related to Qin Lie! Big Brother, the herbs would not wither for no reason. I believe there must be some unusual changes inside Medicine Mountain that are causing the herbs to wither!"

Ling Chengye frowned deeply and remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, "I promised Qin Shan that I would not enter the mine without cause."

"Big Brother, if this is indeed related to Qin Lie, if you don't find out, it will be very difficult to save the herbs in the fields. Medicine Mountain is crucial to the development of our Ling family. If this continues, we will never be able to gather enough spiritual herbs to pay tribute to the Star Cloud Pavilion..." Ling Chengzhi said worriedly.

Ling Chengye fell silent again. After a while, he took a deep breath, took out a pale ghost mask, and put it on. He then changed into a white robe and sternly said, "I will secretly investigate the mine. Do not mention this to anyone!"

"Big Brother, don't worry, I know what to do."

...

Ling Chengye moved like a white ghost, cautiously descending to a secluded corner of Medicine Mountain. He stepped on protruding rocks and grabbed hanging vines, his figure as silent as a falling willow leaf. He quickly arrived at the entrance of one of the caves.

Having made up his mind, Ling Chengye did not hesitate. He directly entered the cave and quickly moved deeper inside.

On the backside of Medicine Mountain, there are many caves of various sizes, all formed by the Ling family's mining from different angles and directions. These cave passages are interconnected, so once you enter one cave, it is easy to find the direction leading deep into the mountain.

However, not long after entering the cave, Ling Chengye suddenly felt a shock and gradually froze in place.

In his memory, there were at most twenty cave passages inside Medicine Mountain. Although it had been a while since he last came, his memory of the cave was still very clear.

In his youth, he was one of the miners, and he was very familiar with this place.

But now, he had the feeling that he had entered the wrong place, because the number of cave passages inside the mountain had increased by more than ten times!

Looking at the complex, crisscrossing passages in front of him, like a spider web, Ling Chengye was extremely shocked and felt no familiarity at all.

"Heaven! How did they do it?" Ling Chengye drew in a sharp breath.

He remembered that when the Ling family had dozens of people working together, it took them three years to only open up a dozen or so passages leading into the mountain.

But this grandfather and grandson, in just five years, had opened up hundreds of passages. This was simply unbelievable to Ling Chengye.

The hundreds of passages intertwined with the original passages, forming a maze-like, intricate network, as complex and intricate as the human body's meridians.

Ling Chengye forced himself to calm down and began to search through the hundreds of cave passages, trying to reach the deepest part of the mountain and find Qin Lie.

After half an hour, the head of the Ling family gradually became disoriented and appeared directly at the entrance of the cave where he had started.

When he regained consciousness, his face turned extremely pale. He stubbornly entered the caves again, trying to find Qin Lie...

After seven attempts, he always returned to the initial cave entrance. Ling Chengye felt his energy waning, and his face turned pale. Looking at the sky, he returned to the top of Medicine Mountain in a somewhat disheveled state.

"Big Brother, your face looks terrible. What happened? Did you find anything inside?" Ling Chengzhi asked anxiously after Ling Chengye removed his mask.

Waving his hand, the head of the Ling family signaled him to not ask too many questions for the moment. He sat down silently and took a Spirit Recovery Pill, then began to meditate and recover his energy.

Ling Chengzhi wanted to speak but held back, staring at him in shock and confusion.

As the sky gradually darkened, after a period of recovery, the head of the Ling family's aura slightly recovered. He opened his eyes and, before Ling Chengzhi could ask, he sternly said, "Don't ask yet! Now, Qin Lie should be leaving the cave and returning to Ling Family Town. I will intercept him on his way back and see what's going on with him!"

Without waiting for Ling Chengzhi to say more, the head of the Ling family put on the white ghost mask again and headed towards the path between Medicine Mountain and Ling Family Town with a serious expression.

...

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