Chapter 158: Gathering Medicinal Herbs in the Mountains

“Ah, Old Chen, alright, alright, let’s eat—I’m starving.”

The atmosphere had been somewhat tense, but with Li Zijian’s words, everyone brightened up again.

After Second Uncle brought the food to the table, Li Zijian was the first to pick up his chopsticks and start eating. They didn’t drink any alcohol tonight—perhaps because they had drunk too much at noon, and drinking more would make them uncomfortable.

It was already October, and the weather had turned quite cold. In another month, they would have to eat inside the house—after all, they couldn’t freeze outside!

After the meal, I discussed with Li Zijian and Chen Chen for a while, planning to set off the next evening. It was fine to arrive the day after tomorrow; the best time to leave was at night, so we could reach Tianyang Mountain early in the morning.

Both of them had no objections and said they would follow my lead. I nodded and told everyone to go back inside to rest.

I had thought that without signal or any amenities on the mountain, they might feel uncomfortable—but quite the opposite—they seemed to enjoy it and even said they wanted to cultivate through the night.

Perhaps something that happened this afternoon had invigorated me; I felt wide awake with no hint of drowsiness, so I decided to cultivate through the night as well.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I slowly circulated the spiritual energy within me. The stumbling I experienced this afternoon was gone, and my cultivation progressed rapidly.

I also felt as if a small flower was gradually blooming where the white orb used to reside inside me.

Peering closer, it was the White Flowing Flower. It hadn’t shown much effect yet—perhaps I hadn’t discovered its true power. But none of that mattered much; I would leave it to fate.

After a while, I slowly opened my eyes—the oil lamp before me had run out of oil and had just gone out.

Stretching my back, I thought to find some oil outside to refill it.

Opening the door, a blast of cold wind greeted me—not a ghostly chill, just an ordinary southeast wind.

Then I saw a familiar figure—Chen Chen, still vigorously swinging his spear late at night.

“Still not sleeping at this hour?” I suddenly said, startling him. He quickly turned around, relieved when he saw it was me, and then sat on a stone bench.

“What’s up? Trying to improve that much?” I asked.

Chen Chen awkwardly scratched his head, unsure how to answer. I continued:

“Cultivation can’t be rushed. I’ve heard this many times. It’s good to have ideals and ambitions, but you can’t be so impatient.”

He nodded obediently and put away his spear. Since I couldn’t sleep either, I stayed with him.

Tonight, the stars shone brightly, and occasionally a small meteor streaked across the sky, flying off in some direction.

“Lin Yao, what do you think is the meaning of life?” Chen Chen asked.

I wasn’t entirely sure either, so I answered based on my understanding.

“I think the meaning of life is doing what you love, being the person you want to be, living each day well, and making every moment meaningful—that’s enough.”

Without waiting to see if he understood, I got up and headed to the small shed in Second Uncle’s yard.

After finding some oil, I refilled the lamp, lit it again, and returned to the yard.

Chen Chen was still staring at the sky, lost in thought. It was already past three in the morning, and I was starting to feel a bit sleepy.

“Let’s go back and sleep,” I said, patting his shoulder. He nodded.

Back inside, I lay on the bed and soon fell asleep.

...

When I woke again, it was already past eight in the morning. Chen Chen, having practiced spear all night, was still asleep.

Li Zijian was a late riser and was still asleep as well. Only Second Uncle and Nangong Xi were sitting in the courtyard chatting.

From their conversation, I gathered that Second Uncle planned to go up the mountain to gather herbs today but was hesitating about the timing.

I sat beside them and interrupted, “Why don’t the three of us go? We can take those two up the mountain for a walk.”

After thinking for a moment, Second Uncle agreed. I then went to wake Chen Chen and Li Zijian.

Once they were dressed and ready, Second Uncle laid out several kinds of herbs on the table.

Though Chen Chen and Li Zijian were still half-asleep, upon hearing we were going up the mountain, they immediately perked up.

Indeed, nothing excites men more than endless exploration.

Standing beside Second Uncle, he pointed to the herbs and explained:

“This one looks like a chrysanthemum flower; it’s called Cucumber Flower. It grows on trees and is relatively easy to identify. It’s an important herb for healing wounds.”

“Then there’s this one that looks like a weed, called Tiger Tail Grass. It’s used for treating bruises and sprains. This one’s harder to recognize.”

“The last one is the Nameless Flower—not an herb, but a kind of floral tea with a pleasant taste. It looks like a small, ordinary pink flower.”

After learning about the herbs, I picked one up and put it into my ring.

“You all just need to return before 2 p.m., or come back earlier if you like. It’s up to you. Off you go.”

Second Uncle then handed out prepared baskets, which Li Zijian strapped onto his back.

“Well, let’s get going,” I said, leading Chen Chen and Li Zijian through the grass toward the mountain.

I had come here once before, but it was a brief visit—no time to appreciate the scenery.

This time, the weather was perfect—a cloudless, bright day.

“Hey, this is my first time on such a wild mountain. It makes me want to go hunting,” Li Zijian remarked.

His words reminded me—if we came across any wild game like pheasants, we could catch some to take home.

There was no path up the mountain; we had to push through the underbrush. Fortunately, the leaves had fallen, letting sunlight through and making the ground clearer.

After a while, I spotted a yellow flower high in a tree. Li Zijian noticed it too and pointed excitedly.

“Look, Old Chen, Brother Yao, isn’t that the Cucumber Flower? Looks just like it.”

Rather than just looking from below, I took a running leap to grasp a nearby branch, swinging to grab the flower.

After landing, I took out the sample from my ring for comparison. They weren’t exactly the same, but I was certain it was the Cucumber Flower.

“Wow, we found the first one so quickly—we’re bound to fill a whole basket.”

Chen Chen and I ignored him as I casually tossed the Cucumber Flower into the large basket.

“Off to a good start. Let’s keep looking.”

Everyone was in high spirits. Chen Chen relaxed, looking around curiously, while Li Zijian bounced around as if energized by caffeine.