Walking Alone to Pick the Intermittent Flower!

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three days, Yang Heng followed Senior Brother Li up the mountain to gather herbs and gained a lot.

He made great progress in understanding the growing habits of medicinal herbs, harvesting techniques, and observing the surrounding environment. He also witnessed firsthand the dangers lurking deep within the mountains.

However, he felt confident that his own strength was sufficient to handle them.

Ever since Zhao Er's death, everyone had been cautious, not daring to act rashly. Even when they found herbs, they would first seek permission from Senior Brother Li, check the surroundings for any danger, and only then dare to act once they confirmed it was safe.

Once bitten by a snake, one fears a well rope for ten years.

One only has one life, so one must be careful.

After the news of Zhao Er's death reached the camp at the foot of the mountain, it only caused a stir among the new apprentices. The older apprentices remained unfazed.

When the Apothecary Shop masters heard about it and learned the details, they simply said, "He deserved to die," and nothing more.

The cold-heartedness of the Apothecary Shop was fully revealed at this moment.

This was the nature of chaotic times, devoid of any warmth.

The Apothecary Shop was neither a charity nor a sanctuary. Apprentices living here, if they lacked ability and couldn't stand out to be promoted to Apothecary Shop disciples, would die unnoticed.

The new apprentices were merely tools, mere firewood. If a batch died, another could be recruited immediately; they were insignificant.

The Apothecary Shop provided them with food and clothing, which was the only time they were useful. Otherwise, they wouldn't recruit a batch of apprentices every year.

It was precisely because gathering herbs on the mountain was fraught with danger and the consumption of apprentices was high, requiring replenishment, that new apprentices were recruited annually.

The rule of gathering herbs on the mountain was established by the Medicine King Gang. All apprentices under the various apothecary shops had to pass this trial until they were promoted to Apothecary Shop disciples.

Senior Brother Li and the others had also gone through this.

In this chaotic world, the Apothecary Shop offered them shelter. As apprentices, how could they not contribute?

The life-and-death waivers they signed before joining the Apothecary Shop were not signed in vain.

It was too late to go back on their word now.

On the evening of the third day, as Yang Heng lay in bed, about to sleep, he suddenly heard a sound of crying.

After listening carefully for a while, Yang Heng realized that it wasn't just the apprentices in his room crying; he could hear crying from other rooms as well.

In the dark night, the wind howled.

The sound of crying mingled with the wind, like the mournful cries of a cuckoo, bringing endless sorrow.

Yang Heng sighed upon hearing it.

If he hadn't obtained the Martial Arts Manual from Li Kui, he would have been among those crying at this moment.

Fortunately, he had now escaped that predicament. In this chaotic world, he had gained a little power to protect himself. As long as he acted steadily, living wouldn't be a problem.

Hearing the apprentices' cries, the masters shouted loudly, "If you cry one more sound, you'll go up the mountain to gather herbs right now!"

The apprentices immediately stopped crying, not daring to make the slightest sound, for fear of angering the masters and being sent up the mountain to gather herbs immediately.

The mountains at night were far more dangerous than during the day. They were like a giant beast with its mouth agape, standing there, devouring everyone who entered.

The crying disappeared, leaving only the howling wind, which grew stronger and stronger, as if protesting the apprentices' plight.

The night passed without incident.

The fourth day of gathering herbs on the mountain.

Starting today, Yang Heng and the others would have to venture into the mountains alone to gather herbs, without the escort of senior brothers. Everything would depend on themselves.

Early in the morning, just as dawn broke, the apprentices finished their breakfast, packed their essential tools for entering the mountain—ropes, iron hooks, choppers, wooden shovels, etc.—along with their food for the day: a bag of hot water and four steamed buns.

With everything prepared, there was no need for the masters to urge them. The apprentices voluntarily walked towards the mountains.

For the next twelve days, they had to gather medicinal herbs worth ten taels of silver, no matter what. Otherwise, being whipped was inevitable, and in more severe cases, they could even lose their lives.

Yang Heng entered the mountain with the main group.

There were no medicinal herbs in the outer areas of the mountain; it wasn't worth wasting precious time here.

Everyone's footsteps didn't stop as they strode forward.

After a while, they entered the depths of the mountain.

As soon as they stepped into the depths of the mountain, the apprentices began to part ways, each choosing a direction to leave.

Yang Heng separated from the main group and proceeded along the path Senior Brother Li had taken before.

He had traveled this path once and was familiar with it.

Moreover, he couldn't forget about that Intermittent Flower.

Afterward, Yang Heng had inquired about the medicinal effects of the Intermittent Flower from Senior Brother Li.

Its main efficacy lay in activating meridians and healing internal injuries. It was very valuable and extremely useful for martial artists, yet it was rarely seen in the market.

At that time, he had resolved to obtain this herb.

Even if he couldn't use it himself, he could sell it to those in need or exchange it for items he urgently needed.

With treasure right before him, how could he let it go?

As for the Silver Ring Snake guarding the Intermittent Flower, Yang Heng hadn't taken it seriously yet.

He had watched the entire process of the Silver Ring Snake killing Zhao Er very clearly. Its speed was indeed fast, but in his eyes, it was nothing special.

Its movement trajectory was completely visible to Yang Heng.

What's more, he had the Marrow Cleansing Pearl protecting him. Even if he were bitten and poisoned, the Marrow Cleansing Pearl would convert the toxins into substances his body needed for absorption.

Toxins also contained nutrients. For some people, they were like delicious desserts.

The function of the Marrow Cleansing Pearl was to absorb nutrients from food entering the body. A portion was absorbed by itself, and the other portion was converted into substances needed by the body for absorption.

At the same time, if there was any remaining energy, the Marrow Cleansing Pearl would use the surplus energy to temper the host's internal organs and various parts of the body.

Therefore, Yang Heng had no fear of being poisoned and could be considered immune to all poisons.

If, in the future, the Marrow Cleansing Pearl took too long to accumulate energy, consuming poisonous substances to speed up its energy accumulation might not be a bad option.

In the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Yang Heng arrived at the location where Zhao Er had met his end again. Seeing that the Intermittent Flower was still in its original spot, Yang Heng breathed a sigh of relief.

Yang Heng was also a little puzzled. Senior Brother Li had already informed the Apothecary Shop masters about this matter, so why hadn't the masters come to pick the herb?

Could it be that they were powerless against the Silver Ring Snake?

At the very least, they could have asked Master Lei for help. Master Lei was a Blood Strengthening Martial Artist, and dealing with a Silver Ring Snake would be as easy as flipping his hand.

Once the Martial Artist's Pressure was released, the majesty of a higher being would penetrate the bone marrow, and the Silver Ring Snake wouldn't even dare to move.

In this way, the Intermittent Flower could be easily obtained.

Could something unexpected have happened?

After pondering for a moment, Yang Heng still had no clue, so he put the matter aside and focused on dealing with the Silver Ring Snake hidden in the dark.

Yang Heng's gaze swept towards the bushes behind the Intermittent Flower, and his heart suddenly rejoiced. The Silver Ring Snake was still lurking in its original spot; it hadn't changed its position these past few days.

Although he wasn't afraid of the Silver Ring Snake's poison, getting bitten wouldn't be pleasant.

With it hiding behind the Intermittent Flower, he only needed to guard against one direction.

To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Yang Heng struck immediately.

There were no special precautions for picking the Intermittent Flower. Its roots were thick and sturdy, making them difficult to damage. Even if they were damaged, it wouldn't matter. The most valuable part of the plant was its five silver-white leaves.

Just like Zhao Er, Yang Heng spread his right hand with five fingers open and descended from the sky, reaching for the main stem of the Intermittent Flower.

Yang Heng's speed was incredibly fast, accompanied by a rushing wind. In less than half a breath, his right hand was only a hair's breadth away from touching the Intermittent Flower.

And at that very moment, the Silver Ring Snake attacked!

A silver light shot out like an arrow from a bowstring, whistling through the air with incredible speed towards Yang Heng's neck.