Intermittent Flower!

The next day, the sky was bright and clear, with not a cloud in sight – perfect weather for gathering herbs.

After breakfast, the apprentices, equipped with their essential herb-gathering tools, followed their senior brothers and sisters up the mountain.

Yang Heng's group consisted of six people, led by Senior Brother Li.

Along the way, Senior Brother Li was a man of few words, rarely speaking.

He would only introduce the growing environment and precautions for harvesting when they found medicinal herbs.

Learning through practice was far more profound than studying herbs in a shop. Yang Heng listened intently, nodding frequently, and learned a great deal.

For example, the methods for harvesting medicinal herbs.

Not all herbs were harvested the same way, simply by digging them up.

There were many important considerations.

Some herbs absolutely could not be touched by hand and required special gloves for harvesting.

Others could not be dug up with iron tools; a small wooden knife had to be used to avoid damaging their roots.

Furthermore, some herbs had even stricter harvesting requirements, needing to be collected at a specific time. If the timing was wrong, the harvested herb would be useless.

There were also some very special herbs that required a ritual before they could be picked.

Ginseng was a common example.

Before digging up ginseng, a red string needed to be tied to it, supposedly to prevent it from escaping.

Whether this was true or not, no one knew.

It was a tradition passed down through generations of herb gatherers, and there was likely some truth to it.

Yang Heng and his group entered the deep mountains.

As expected, the outer areas of the mountain had scarce medicinal herbs, as if they had been plowed by cattle. Even with an experienced hand like Senior Brother Li leading them, their harvest was meager.

The deeper they went, the more rugged and winding the mountain path became. Thorns and bushes densely covered the way, and the group swung the machetes they carried to clear the path ahead.

Instantly, the glint of blades flashed like a torrential downpour, obscuring the sky.

The "swish-swish" sound of cutting echoed continuously as thorns and bushes were hacked to pieces, scattering to the sides of the path.

Chopping down bushes not only cleared the way but also had another benefit: the sound could startle and disperse poisonous insects and ferocious beasts in the vicinity, deterring them from approaching.

This, in turn, provided a certain level of safety for the group.

Once the obstructing bushes and thorns were cleared, Senior Brother Li led the group forward, striding deeper into the mountain.

As soon as they entered the depths of the mountain, the surroundings suddenly fell silent. Not a single sound of birds or beasts could be heard, as if they had trespassed into the territory of some large, ferocious beast.

Senior Brother Li's expression grew serious. He warned everyone not to wander off and to follow closely behind him.

"Look quickly, there's an Intermittent Flower under that big tree up ahead!"

Suddenly, a sharp-eyed apprentice shouted, pointing towards a large tree about five meters away. At the same time, fearing that other apprentices might snatch the herb, he quickened his pace and lunged towards the base of the tree, intending to claim it for himself.

Yang Heng and the others looked in the direction he pointed. Indeed, at the base of the tree grew a small, silvery-white plant, about three inches tall, with five leaves. Dewdrops clung to the leaves, crystal clear. In the gentle breeze, the silvery leaves and dewdrops swayed slightly, shimmering and making one's mouth water.

"Danger, stop!"

Senior Brother Li yelled, trying to halt the apprentice's reckless action, but it was too late.

The apprentice had already reached the Intermittent Flower. He reached out his right hand from above, grabbing for the stem of the flower, like an eagle snatching a chick, intending to rip the small, silvery plant from the ground.

As his hand drew closer and closer to the Intermittent Flower, which was about to be his, Wang Er's face flushed with excitement, his ears turning red, his breathing quickening, and his heart pounding.

The Intermittent Flower's primary medicinal effect was to invigorate the meridians and heal internal injuries. It was expensive and highly beneficial to Martial Artists, rarely seen on the market, and worth twenty taels of Silver.

Precisely because it was so precious, Wang Er couldn't resist the temptation. He acted quickly before anyone else could discover it, intending to secure it for himself.

With this flower, his mission would be completed ahead of schedule. He wouldn't have to go up the mountain for the following days, nor would he have to live in fear of failing his mission by the deadline and being whipped.

When he heard Senior Brother Li's loud command to stop, his right hand was less than a foot away from the Intermittent Flower, within reach.

Stopping was impossible!

At that moment, a flash of silver light appeared before his eyes. Wang Er felt as if his neck had been bitten by a snake, causing excruciating pain.

Immediately, Wang Er staggered and fell to the ground, clutching his neck with both hands, rolling on the ground and wailing loudly.

When Yang Heng and the others approached and looked down, they saw that Wang Er's neck was black and blue, his face alternating between pale and ashen, and his lips tinged purple – clearly showing signs of severe poisoning.

Senior Brother Li quickly took out an antidote pill and gave it to Wang Er. However, before the pill could even touch Wang Er's lips, he suddenly cried out, kicked his legs, and breathed his last.

Seeing this, the other apprentices looked grief-stricken, tears streaming from their eyes.

They weren't mourning for Wang Er, but for their own futures.

Gathering herbs in the inner mountains was fraught with danger, and they feared they would suffer the same fate as Wang Er, dying inexplicably without even seeing their killer.

Among everyone present, only Yang Heng saw the face of the killer who had taken Wang Er's life.

The killer was a small, silvery-white snake, about as thick as a little finger and about three inches long. Its head was triangular, and its body was adorned with silver rings. It had been hidden in the bushes behind the Intermittent Flower. At this moment, it was still concealed there, guarding the Intermittent Flower.

Legend had it that some rare flowers and herbs had owners, guarded by ferocious beasts or exotic creatures. Anyone who harbored ill intentions towards them would be fiercely attacked by the guardian beast.

The Intermittent Flower was such a case, protected by an exotic beast.

Zhao Er was too greedy, and despite Senior Brother Li's dissuasion, he went his own way, ultimately meeting a tragic end in the wilderness.

This was a fate he brought upon himself.

Good advice is hard to give to a suicidal person; compassion cannot save those who choose their own destruction.

If a person wants to die, no one can stop them.

At this moment, everyone was immersed in grief, unable to extricate themselves.

But Senior Brother Li remained expressionless, watching everyone weep. It seemed he was accustomed to such things and was no longer moved.

Yang Heng didn't want to appear out of place.

So, he smeared saliva at the corners of his eyes, pretending to cry.

After a while, seeing that everyone had calmed down a bit, Senior Brother Li spoke, "This place is full of dangers, so do not act rashly.

When you find herbs, be sure to observe your surroundings carefully to see if any strange beasts are guarding them. You can throw stones near the herbs to test the area. Only after confirming there is no danger should you go and collect the herbs.

Otherwise, you will suffer the same fate as Zhao Er, dying with your eyes wide open in regret!"

Regardless of whether the others understood, Senior Brother Li paused and said indifferently, "Let's go, we continue forward."

At this moment, an apprentice pointed at the Intermittent Flower with a confused expression and asked, "Senior Brother Li, aren't we collecting this Intermittent Flower?"

"There is a Silver Ring Snake guarding the Intermittent Flower. This snake is incredibly fast and extremely venomous. If it bites you, and you do not take an antidote pill within one breath, the potent venom will seep into your internal organs, and you will die immediately."

After speaking, Senior Brother Li sneered, "If you are not afraid of death, you can try it."

The apprentice who spoke showed an embarrassed smile and quickly said he dared not.

The group continued to move deeper into the mountains. Yang Heng glanced back at the Intermittent Flower, a smile appearing on his lips.