"Ah, I've considered everything you said, but it's no use. High-ranking alchemists basically already understand the harm caused by reckless harvesting, so there is an unwritten rule among advanced alchemists: whenever one encounters a heavenly treasure, one must not sever its roots. In other words, leave some behind when gathering medicinal ingredients. If it is marrow fluid, leave some; if it is a medicinal herb, leave its seeds. However, low-ranking alchemists do not care about such rules at all. They only want to gather as many medicinal ingredients as possible in the shortest time possible. And low-ranking alchemists make up the majority of all alchemists, so they cause the greatest damage to medicinal herbs." Elder Shen Nong shook his head, looking somewhat dejected.
"Low-ranking alchemists... that is indeed a problem." Gu He frowned slightly.
Even if the Pill Tower forcibly implemented the rule requiring alchemists to leave something behind when gathering medicinal herbs, it might not lead more alchemists to follow it. Instead, turning something that should have been voluntary into a mandatory rule could greatly damage its prestige. In the end, although more people would know about it, even fewer low-ranking alchemists might actually abide by it.
"So, I do not concern myself with things that do not happen before my eyes. But when something happens before me, and I have the ability, I must do my best not to damage the environment where medicinal herbs grow when harvesting them. If this continues from the top down, one day all alchemists will understand the importance of this. Then the rate at which medicinal herbs vanish will disappear or be greatly reduced." Elder Shen Nong pointed at the medicinal herbs covering the mountain, his voice carrying a trace of longing.
Only then did Gu He understand Elder Shen Nong's feelings.