Entering the Mountain

"Ling'er, before winter arrives, Mother and your father will make one more trip to Wild Mountain."

Zhou Ling knew how dangerous the Wild Domain was and did not want to go, but he had no say in the matter.

Though he could already walk on his own, he still could not survive apart from his parents.

"Ah, it's too dangerous to bring the child along!" Zhou Shan said with a frown.

Li Ru shot Zhou Shan a gentle glare and said softly, "There's only one month left before winter sets in. If we enter the mountains again after that, the returns will be too low and the risks too high."

"And our other harvests this winter will be limited, while the child's appetite is growing bigger and bigger. Our daily expenses will only increase."

"Right now, I only want to earn more Spirit Stones, so Ling'er can cultivate properly in the future. I want to watch him grow into an adult, marry, and have children."

"And I don't want my husband to tire himself out too much!"

Zhou Shan felt wretched inside and said guiltily, "It's all because your husband's cultivation is too low that Ru'er and Ling'er have to suffer like this!"

Looking at the somewhat self-reproachful Zhou Shan, Li Ru shook her head. "Husband has already done very well!"

Zhou Shan was a Mid First-Tier Body Cultivator. Over the years, aside from the bitter winter, he spent nearly twenty days of every month in Wild Mountain.

He encountered Demon Beasts from time to time, with danger lurking at every turn.

Even with her help, their household still could not make ends meet.

At the root of it all, life was simply too difficult for bottom-tier Rogue Cultivators. Without any special skill, being able to sustain one's livelihood and cultivation was already quite good.

Saving up some Spirit Stones was nothing more than a wild hope.

Zhou Shan knew his wife was comforting him, so he said no more. Yet bitterness filled his heart. Looking at the child, his face was full of guilt. "It's cold in the mountains. Don't let the child catch a chill!"

It was now past the Mid-Autumn Festival. Faint sunlight spilled over the mountain path, and Black Cloud Mountain lay vaguely shrouded in a veil of morning light.

A light mountain breeze stirred the leaves, making them rustle. From time to time, the howls of unknown Demon Beasts drifted over.

Zhou Ling was wrapped in a fur blanket and held in Li Ru's arms.

Zhou Ling could also feel the hardship his parents endured and the way they clung to each other through thick and thin.

In such an environment, a woman carrying her child into the mountains with her husband also drew surprised looks from passing Rogue Cultivators.

"Mother, what kind of grass is this?"

Zhou Ling poked his little head out from the blanket and asked in a childish voice.

"Ink Essence Grass. It can be refined into Spirit Ink, but this one is not even a year old yet! It can't be picked!"

Li Ru's face was full of doting affection. She seemed to have noticed that her child had taken a particular interest in herbs these past two days.

Whenever Zhou Ling asked, she introduced them with earnest care.

Though the threshold for becoming an Herb Seeker was low, recognizing a certain number of common spirit medicines was still the most basic Skill.

"This is Azure Sun Grass. It can dispel cold energy. There are three leaf rings on its leaves, which means it has grown for three years."

"But this herb isn't worth much. Five stalks are only worth one Broken Spirit."

After walking some distance, Li Ru bent down and picked a Spirit Herb from the grass, smiling as she explained it to Zhou Ling.

Though it was not worth much, having a harvest was already quite good.

Held in Li Ru's arms, Zhou Ling wriggled his little bottom, wanting to get down.

He hoped his mother would understand that he could already walk on his own.

Besides, with Zhou Shan scouting ahead, there should not be any danger.

But Li Ru's arms tightened instead, holding him even more securely.

[Identified Ink Essence Grass, Mountain Treasure Hunt +1]

[Identified Azure Sun Grass, Mountain Treasure Hunt +1]

As they continued onward, the number of spirit medicines they encountered gradually increased. Originally, they could travel dozens of zhang without finding a single spirit medicine.

But in this area, they could find one every About Ten Zhang.

Li Ru found that carrying Zhou Ling restricted her view while searching for spirit medicines, so she simply placed him in the Medicine Basket on her back.

After that, Zhou Ling could only sit obediently in the Medicine Basket, staring blankly like a frog at the bottom of a well at the Wild Domain's sky, where faint mist hung everywhere.

"This is a First-Grade Low-Rank Hundred Treasures Grass. When Artifact Refiners add it while refining artifacts, it can improve the quality of a Magic Artifact."

"This one is worth a Spirit Stone!"

Li Ru carefully placed a Spirit Herb with pale golden leaves into the Medicine Basket. Afraid that the child would be bored, she smiled and continued explaining.

[Identified Hundred Treasures Grass, Mountain Treasure Hunt +1]

Watching Li Ru's careful yet delighted expression, Zhou Ling sighed. He did not want to stay in this Medicine Basket.

But there was no helping it. This was the Wild Domain, where threats could appear at any moment.

Naturally, Li Ru could not possibly let him wander about on the mountain ground.

Besides, his parents were already working hard enough. They earned Spirit Stones so they could buy him more Spirit Food.

Zhou Ling also blamed himself for being unable to help with anything.

He could only sit obediently in the Medicine Basket, without causing his mother any trouble.

Night gradually fell, and Black Cloud Mountain became shrouded in hazy darkness.

Zhou Shan and his wife also returned to the temporary Camp set up by the Herb Seekers.

As night deepened, the mountain wind picked up, damp and cold. The vegetation rustled bleakly, while the howls of Demon Beasts grew increasingly frequent.

Zhou Shan and the others entered their own tent and set down the Medicine Baskets on their backs.

Li Ru lit the Firestone Lamp, then took out a fur blanket and spread it on the ground before lifting Zhou Ling out of the Medicine Basket.

"Ling'er, you must be hungry. Mother will make you something tasty right away!"

As Li Ru spoke, she gently rubbed Zhou Ling's little hands, afraid that he might be cold.

"Mother, I'm not hungry!"

Zhou Ling said sensibly.

His parents had toiled hard all day and had eaten only two hard Meat Buns at noon.

Meanwhile, he had been snugly wrapped in a blanket, with still-warm Spirit Porridge to drink.

Hearing his wife and child's conversation, Zhou Shan shook his head helplessly. "Ling'er is so sensible!"

Li Ru set Zhou Ling down on the blanket, letting him walk around.

Then she took out Beef Jerky, dry rations, and a hot-water bag, handing them to Zhou Shan.

She herself began building a fire to cook Spirit Rice Porridge.

As she cooked the Spirit Rice Porridge, she counted today's harvest.

Over the course of the day, the couple had gathered more than twenty stalks of spirit herbs in total.

Their luck had been quite good. Among them was even a stalk of First-Grade Low-Rank Hundred Treasures Grass.

All told, they could earn two Spirit Stones today.

Li Ru's face brimmed with delight, without a trace of fatigue from the hard day's work.

Once the Spirit Porridge was ready, Li Ru ladled out a small bowl and gently blew on it.

Then she began feeding Zhou Ling.

"Old Chu found a stalk of First-Grade Mid-Rank Mystic Spirit Grass on the South Side today. How about we go over there and try our luck tomorrow?"

That night, after dinner, Zhou Shan pondered for a while before speaking to Li Ru.

"We rarely go to the South Side. We aren't familiar with the route, and we have the child with us. Wouldn't that be too dangerous?"

Li Ru set down the spirit herbs she had finished sorting, her voice tinged with worry.

Zhou Shan nodded. "You stay at the Camp and rest tomorrow. I'll go by myself!"

A First-Grade Mid-Rank Mystic Spirit Grass of good quality was worth seven or eight low-grade Spirit Stones. Finding just one would equal a month of hard work.

Though there was some risk, Zhou Shan could not resist such temptation.

Besides, after this trip into the mountains, they would have to wait until spring before entering again.

The more they could earn, the better.

"I'd better go with you! I won't be at ease if you go alone."

After thinking it over, Li Ru spoke softly.

Zhou Shan could only agree.

With Li Ru's explanations, the number of spirit herbs Zhou Ling recognized finally reached thirty.

[You have identified the thirtieth spirit herb, Crimson Crow Grass!]

[Effect: Cumulatively identified thirty spirit herbs]

[Mountain Treasure Hunt Talent achieved!]