Chapter 104 – Medicine Mountain

Chapter 104 – Medicine Mountain

Xiao Shaobai and his younger sister lived together, depending on each other, in the western part of the village.

Wang Susu and the other two first went to find Jiang Tian. Jiang Tian was a few years older than them. After leaving the Community School, he had achieved little in either literary or martial pursuits, but he had become a famous hunting king in the area. He once entered the mountains overnight and bagged three tigers and two wild goats, earning praise.

Now he had opened an inn in Luo County, considered quite successful for his youth. This time, he happened to be back at Green White Mountain to visit old friends.

Perhaps because they were all lonely, unfortunate people, these few often played together.

The four of them packed up roast chicken and goose, brought wine, and went to Xiao Shaobai’s house.

Xiao Yiyi opened the door, her eyes rimmed red. Jiang Tian smelled a strong medicinal odor and was greatly alarmed. “Yiyi, what happened?”

Seeing the familiar older brother and sisters, Xiao Yiyi immediately burst into tears. “Brother was clawed by wolves. He’s lying in bed now.”

Wang Susu and the others had a vague feeling—could it be that something happened during yesterday’s hunting trip up the mountain?

Jiang Tian had already rushed inside. “Brother, how are you? Why didn’t you notify us!”

Xiao Shaobai looked at the four who had hurried over in surprise, his smile gentle. “What’s a little injury like this? I’m not dead yet.”

“You really are…” Zhou Yiru patted his hand. “If something happens, just say the word. We’re here.”

“Mm.” Xiao Shaobai turned his head and sniffed. “So fragrant, there’s wine and food. You really understand me. Bring it over quickly.”

“Get lost.” He Guangzhi handed the things to Xiao Yiyi. “You should lie down properly. Is this stuff something you can eat right now?”

“Yiyi, quickly go hide this and eat it, and bring your brother a bowl of plain congee while you’re at it.” The little girl responded with an “Aye!” and ran off to the kitchens, beaming, truly feeling it was wonderful that her brother had such friends.

Over there, Xiao Shaobai sighed. “Poor choice of friends, they won’t even give me meat.”

After joking around for a while, Wang Susu brought up serious business. “Brother Shaobai, look, Yiyi is still young. If something happens, what she can do is limited. You’re injured this time, and there’s no one to take care of you. Why not consider finding us a sister-in-law?”

Xiao Shaobai was silent for a moment. He used to think that cultivators aspired to travel the world, and that starting a family and taking a Dao companion was a kind of shackle. But after this serious injury, he had come to understand—it’s good to have someone at home.

Someone who could take care of Yiyi, manage household chores, and then leave behind a child to continue the family line. Then he could pursue his martial path with peace of mind.

“Does Susu have any good candidates?”

“Susu thinks Yu Sheng from Orchid Heart Pavilion is quite good. She’s beautiful and talented. Although a bit aloof, her cultivation talent isn’t great—at most Foundation Establishment material—perfect for keeping at home.”

Xiao Shaobai had also heard Yu Sheng’s name and was slightly moved. Moreover, like him, she had no one to rely on, so their families were well-matched.

Aloofness wasn’t a problem. She had no father or brothers; once she came to his home, wouldn’t she have to rely on him?

But, “Would she agree?”

Zhou Yiru said, “You can try pursuing her. We’ll help.”

“Brother Shaobai, don’t forget you are a descendant of Marquis Xiao Bo. Marrying you would be marrying up.” Wang Susu reminded him. “Moreover, didn’t your father once save Teacher Qin’s life? As the saying goes, a teacher is like a father. You just need to ask Teacher Qin, find a good matchmaker, and then you’ll have both parental consent and a matchmaker’s words.”

Jiang Tian thought this was a good thing and patted his chest. “Brother, if you get married, I’ll cover the betrothal gifts. I’ll arrange a ten‑li of red bridal finery for you.”

Xiao Shaobai had already made up his mind. “Wait until I recover from my injuries.”

Seeing this, the others thought there was hope.

After chatting a while longer, everyone said their goodbyes.

Before leaving, Jiang Tian remembered something, turned back, and said, “Brother, I bought a wolf pelt this morning. It’s awesome. I’ll wait until it’s made into soft armor and give it to you. I’m waiting for you to shine at the martial exam in three months, to enter the Martial Arts Academy and bring us honor.”

Xiao Shaobai was touched. “Definitely.”

Meanwhile, Zhan Changfeng had met with Teacher Yangming, applied for the initiation ceremony, and after being questioned about the Bijia Mountain incident, returned to her residence. She casually picked up a book and started reading. She already had a general understanding of this world’s geography, customs, history, politics, and human affairs. She was prepared in terms of knowledge reserves to go out and make her way. Next, she just needed to wait for the Six Academies selection.

The Six Academies were actually quite different. The Gentleman’s Court mainly taught Spells. The Myriad Elegance Academy was known for music. The Spirit Taming Academy controlled spiritual beings. The Mechanics Academy and Martial Arts Academy were as their names suggested. There was also the Hundred Herbs Academy, which trained physicians.

It was said that behind each academy was a corresponding major sect from the Upper Realm, but exactly which sects was unknown.

They set the age limit for selection between six and thirteen years old. The main reason was that this age group already possessed a certain degree of autonomy, yet was still in an ignorant stage, not having truly begun cultivation. Their plasticity was relatively strong.

But the age limit was just one of the conventional standards. Except for the Gentleman’s Court, which adhered to this standard quite strictly, the other five academies would make decisions based on circumstances.

For example, if the Spirit Taming Academy felt your spiritual communication talent could blur the age standard, they would accept you.

Or take the Martial Arts Academy. Besides accepting disciples during the Six Academies’ recruitment, it would also hold early martial exams to select a batch of cultivators who had exceeded the age limit.

Zhan Changfeng had considered directly taking the martial exam to enter the Martial Arts Academy. But considering her actual situation, entering the Martial Arts Academy wasn’t very suitable, as her physical body was incomplete and she couldn’t exert her true energy greatly.

Therefore, she was more optimistic about the Spirit Taming Academy and the Hundred Herbs Academy. The former because she had the Heavenly Eye, giving her an advantage regarding ghosts and spirits. The latter because she could come into contact with rare medicinal herbs and Recipes, and might even find a way to solve her body’s problems.

But these were matters for later, not something she needed to consider now.

Having some free time, Zhan Changfeng found Gong Qixian to express her thanks. She just didn’t know what ailment this celebrity of Bamboo Inquiry Tower had, wearing a high collar in the hot weather and even asking if she wanted to go to the temple together to pray for talismans.

Additionally, the matter on Bijia Mountain had been suppressed. Whether in the village or among the people at the Community School, very few knew about it. But according to Cheng Zhigao, who came to deliver money, the instructors had been lying in wait at the foot of Bijia Mountain for over ten days to prevent the wolf pack from coming down the mountain for revenge.

Over ten days later, the Community School’s semi-annual major exam arrived.

After finishing the questions and putting away her brush and ink, Zhan Changfeng left. Because of the wolf incident, Bijia Mountain was temporarily closed. Unable to hunt, she turned her attention to Medicine Mountain.

Some medicinal herbs were more valuable than pelts, making them excellent tools for earning money.

She familiarized herself with all the herb varieties, inquired about the mountain entry routes and the distribution of common herbs, then entered the mountain carrying a medicine basket, a sword at her side, and a small hoe in hand.

Herb gathering usually involved entering the mountain at dawn and searching all day. They didn’t go at night, as the mountain roads of Medicine Mountain were difficult to traverse, the peaks were steep, and there were miasma deep inside.

However, except for spring planting, autumn harvests, and sacrificial ceremonies, the Community School didn’t have vacations. Zhan Changfeng could only use the time from the Shen hour (3-5 PM) until sunset, when it wasn’t dark yet, to go.

But one or two hours was ultimately a bit short, not enough for her to go far.

Daily assessments were reviewed individually by the teachers, but this semi-annual major exam was conducted for the entire Community School. This assessment was divided into three days. The first two days had written exams in the morning and review in the afternoon. The third day concentrated on cultivation assessment.

She didn’t care much about the review, just feeling she finally had a whole afternoon to enter the mountain.

The herbs on Medicine Mountain grew exceptionally well, with an astonishing variety, unmatched by the other two mountains.

Zhan Changfeng’s Sixth Sense was very sensitive. As soon as she entered the mountain, she felt a refreshing comfort, though she didn’t know what unique advantage this mountain possessed.

She encountered two herb gatherers, both of whom didn’t say a word and walked off alone. This was similar to hunters; generally, hunters wouldn’t tell others about beast habitats or resting places, and herb gatherers wouldn’t casually reveal where certain herbs grew.

Zhan Changfeng didn’t linger too long and went directly to the location from last time.

The first time she came, she searched for herbs in one direction and gradually felt the comfort deepening. Then she made a mark at the place where she finally stopped. Next time she came, she would start exploring directly from this place and then make another mark.

Repeating this multiple times, she discovered a pattern: heading southwest, the comfort grew stronger, and the possibility of finding herbs also increased. Their quality was slightly higher compared to herbs found elsewhere in the mountain.

Today, I was hit hard yet again. I want to know, seeing the book title and synopsis, how many people think this is a male-oriented novel…

(End of Chapter)