Blue Leaf Poplar

Blue Leaf Poplar?

Is this the prescription that Red Lotus deciphered?

Why are there only three characters?

Didn't Ma Wu discover dozens of medicinal herbs by tasting them?

To cover up the truth?

There's no need to use dozens of medicinal herbs to mask just one of them, is there?

You should ask Ma Wu about this.

When Ma Wu woke up, his mind was clearer. He was about to calculate the prescription again when Li Banfeng told him that the medicine powder had been lost.

Ma Wu was filled with remorse. "Brother Li, how could you lose such a precious medicinal powder?"

"Forget about the medicine for now, do you know what Blue Leaf Poplar is?"

"I know," Ma Wu nodded and said, "The most famous specialty of this new land is the Blue Leaf Poplar. There was no village here originally. Many hunters came to the new land to hunt Blue Leaf Poplar and lived nearby for many years, which is how the Blue Poplar Village came to be."

The name of Blue Poplar Village comes from the Blue Leaf Poplar.

Li Banfeng was delighted. "Brother Ma, where is the Blue Leaf Poplar? Let's go cut one down and bring it back."

"Cut down a tree?" Ma Wu laughed. "Brother Li, you're really magnanimous. Don't even mention a whole tree, do you know how hard it is to pick up a few leaves?"

The Blue Leaf Poplar disappeared thirty years ago due to overhunting. It's said that some people have seen it deep in the new lands, but whether that's true or not is hard to say; that place is not accessible to ordinary people.

Li Banfeng pondered for a while and then said, "How about we try our luck?"

Ma Wu was puzzled. "Brother Li, why are we going to try our luck? We have no use for Blue Leaf Poplar."

Li Banfeng asked, "What exactly is the use of the Blue Leaf Poplar?"

Ma Wu found it hard to understand Li Banfeng's intentions. He didn't even know what the purpose was. Why would he suddenly want Blue Leaf Poplar?

"Blue Leaf Poplar is used to forge weapons. The branches are ground into powder and added to molten iron, and the resulting weapons are extremely strong and tough. If leaves are added, the weapons can also be poisonous."

Crafting weapons?

Isn't this a medicinal herb?

Li Banfeng has a deep misunderstanding of the Blue Leaf Poplar.

Ma Junyang said, "Brother Li, if you need weapons, we can buy some ready-made. Let's not think about Blue Leaf Poplar for now; we can't find any craftsmen who know how to use Blue Leaf Poplar."

Does the Blue Leaf Poplar have no medicinal properties?

Wrong!

The Blue Leaf Poplar must have medicinal properties, otherwise the Copper Lotus wouldn't have given such a hint so casually.

After thinking for a while, Li Banfeng decided to go find Blue Leaf Poplar. Ma Wu sighed and said, "Fine, I'll pack my things and go with you to Xindi to try our luck."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Don't go. Stay here and watch the house. Just give me some clues."

Ma Wu was worried about Li Banfeng, but upon closer reflection, he realized that if he went, he might really become a burden.

He took out a notebook containing his observations from his visit to Blue Poplar Village, picked out one entry, and said to Li Banfeng, "There are indeed rumors about Blue Leaf Poplar, but most of them are nonsense. Only this one is reliable."

An old hunter told me this about two weeks ago. He said he had seen Blue Leaf Poplar in the Tangerine Forest of Xindi and wanted to ask me about the market price. This old hunter is somewhat well-known in the village, so I figured he wouldn't just lie about it.

The old hunter's name was Shen Xueyong. Li Banfeng went to the old hunter's house that day, gave him thirty silver dollars, and asked about Blue Leaf Poplar.

Shen Xueyong took the money, counted it five times, and put it in his pocket. He then said to Li Banfeng, "The Blue Leaf Poplar grows in the Tangerine Forest. It takes about half a month to get there from the village entrance."

"Half a month?" Li Banfeng was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected this distance.

"It would take most people half a month. The road is long and difficult to travel. If a higher-level Travel Cultivator take this route, Auspiciousness and Avoiding Calamity and running day and night, they could arrive in five or six days. If the level were even higher, I don't know."

It takes five or six days to get to the first Travel Cultivator, and three days should be enough for the second floor.

This distance is acceptable to Li Banfeng.

The key issue is that Li Banfeng can't run at full speed; he has to take the old hunter with him, and the old hunter doesn't know where the Tangerine Forest is.

But the old hunter couldn't be his guide. "Sir, I really want to go to the new land with you again. You know your stuff. A few days ago I asked the Fifth Young Master about the price of Blue Leaf Poplar, and Fifth Young Master told me that one leaf would cost a thousand dollars."

"Is it because you think it's not enough?"

The old hunter sighed and shook his head, saying, "It's not exactly a small amount. If Song Jia Sen were in charge here, he might not even be able to give us three hundred yuan. But this stuff is Blue Leaf Poplar, it's Blue Leaf Poplar!"

"Sir, you may not know the uses of the Blue Leaf Poplar. If you mix a single leaf with molten iron, you don't need to apply any medicine; the weapon will be poisoned on its own and can last for over ten years. Forty years ago, a single Blue Leaf Poplar leaf could sell for tens of thousands!"

Li Banfeng frowned. Logically speaking, Ma Wu shouldn't have pushed the price down so drastically.

The old hunter smiled wryly, "Actually, it's not entirely the Fifth Young Master's fault. The Blue Leaf Poplar is extinct, and the craftsmen who knew how to use it are also extinct. There's no market for it, so the Fifth Young Master really can't offer a high price."

When I saw Blue Leaf Poplar, I was overjoyed and ready to make a big splash, but the price the Fifth Young Master offered chilled my heart.

Three days ago, I went to the new place again, hoping to try my luck in the Green Bamboo Forest and maybe encounter the Hundred Bamboo Immortal, and make a fortune. I did encounter the Hundred Bamboo Fairy, but unfortunately, I failed. I didn't catch the bamboo fairy, and ended up with a hundred bamboos piercing my heart.

After saying that, the old hunter lifted his clothes and pointed to the rows of transparent holes in his chest. "I didn't count carefully, but a hundred holes is an exaggeration, there should be twenty or thirty."

Li Banfeng counted them carefully; there were twenty-eight in total.

There are twenty-six holes, allowing a direct view from the front chest to the back wall.

One of the holes had healed halfway, and the remaining half revealed the writhing flesh and blood inside.

The remaining hole has almost completely healed.

The old man is injured, so he probably won't be able to go to Xindi.

The key question Li Banfeng couldn't understand was how this old hunter had survived to this day.

"May I ask you a question? Which Daoist sect do you belong to?" Li Banfeng handed over another ten silver dollars. Inquiring about Daoist sects was taboo, and he couldn't let the other person ask for no reason.

The old hunter accepted the silver dollars and laughed, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh. I'm only at the second level of body cultivation; I'm just a worm."

The earthworm is called a qushan.

These kinds of creatures should not be underestimated; their self-healing ability alone is something Li Banfeng greatly envies.

Although they couldn't go to the new land, the old hunter didn't take Li Banfeng's money for nothing; he drew a picture for Li Banfeng.

As a hunter who couldn't read a single word, his map was naturally not accurate, but the meaning he conveyed was very clear.

"This mountain path is called Gourd Gulch. It gets narrower and narrower at first, and then it gets wider and wider. There are a lot of mosquitoes along the way, especially in the Gourd Waist, where mosquitoes of all sizes are swarming together, making it impossible to open your eyes."

We need to leave this place quickly; if we stay any longer, they might drink all the blood from our bodies.

After passing Gourd Gulch, the next place is called Red Mud Ridge, a muddy swamp. You can't walk fast here; you have to be extra careful with every step. I once saw someone get stuck in Red Mud Ridge, and in less than the time it takes to smoke half a pipe, he was completely submerged.

I'm not afraid; I can climb out. If you don't have that ability, you'll need a good walking stick to carefully incline forward little by little.

And there's the Iron Wire River; if you want to cross it, never go into the water...

And then there's Little Underworld. That road is deadly and incredibly long; you have to watch the wind direction while walking...

Beyond the Little Underworld lies the Tangerine Forest. The Tangerine Forest is a wonderful place; the oranges are edible, but you must follow the rules. Whether you encounter the Blue Leaf Poplar depends on your luck...

The old hunter recounted the events along the way, emphasizing the importance of food supplies.

"Don't bring too much food. The journey is arduous, so it's better to go hungry than to add to your burden. Once we reach the Tangerine Forest, there will be food."

Li Banfeng was curious. "According to your plan, a round trip would take a month. If you don't bring enough food, what will you eat on the road?"

The old hunter laughed and said, "I can eat dirt. Different kinds of dirt have different flavors. The mud from Red Mud Ridge has the most flavor, like it's been braised in soy sauce. You don't even need salt."

Li Banfeng was convinced, took his leave, and returned to the warehouse to prepare his supplies.

Ma Wu advised Li Banfeng: "Brother Li, there's no market for Blue Leaf Poplar anymore. It's not worth risking your life for this stuff."

Li Banfeng wouldn't listen, Ma Wu said helplessly, "Fine, if you don't want me to go, then let Zuo Wugang go with you. It'll be good for you to look after him on the way."

"What are you going to do if you make him follow me?" Li Banfeng hired Zuo Wugang because Ma Wu was too weak.

After packing his luggage, Li Banfeng set off in the early morning, heading south all the way to Gourd Gulch.

There are so many mosquitoes here. Even though we're still more than ten miles away from Gourd Gulch, swarms of mosquitoes keep hitting our faces.

The old hunter's journey was arduous because he had limited resources, while Li Banfeng had the resources of the entire Blue Poplar Village and the experience accumulated by the old hunter, giving him a much wider range of ways to cope.

He took a jar from his backpack, poured out the grease from the jar, and smeared it on his body.

This is oil extracted from the body of Nine-Legged Toad. These toads love to eat mosquitoes and can eat tens of thousands of them every day. Mosquitoes will immediately avoid it when they smell this. Before the oil dries, Li Banfeng ran all the way and in less than half an hour, he ran out of the thirty-mile-long canyon.

After leaving Gourd Gulch and arriving at Red Mud Ridge, Li Banfeng dared not be reckless. He slowed his pace, used his Tang Blade as a walking stick, and cautiously moved forward, relying on his ability to Auspiciousness and Avoiding Calamity.

"Each string, though trembling, seems to lament a life of unfulfilled ambitions. My lord, I am a renowned swordsman; is it right for you to stab me into the mud?"

Li Banfeng tested the road ahead with his Tang Blade and replied, "As long as the artistic conception is there, that's good."

Tang Blade shook off the mud covering his body. "What kind of artistic conception is this? What artistic conception can be found in mud? My lord is humiliating his subordinates."

It took Li Banfeng more than five hours to walk through the fifteen-mile-long muddy terrain.

After passing through Red Mud Ridge, we arrived at the Iron Wire River. The dark river surface was more than 30 meters wide, flowing from west to east.

Those cultivators who can fly can fly across, while those who cannot must find a way to cross using magical artifacts or Spiritual Object.

Don't even think about swimming across, not even if you're Water Cultivator.

Because there is no water in this river at all.

What's rushing and flowing in the river isn't water, but a dense swarm of Iron Wire Worm.

Driven by some unknown force, these Iron Wire Worm wriggle in one direction. If someone steps into the "river," countless Iron Wire Worm will burrow into the flesh. They can burrow into places with holes, and if there are no holes, they can make one and burrow in. The entire body becomes a nest for the Iron Wire Worm. The Iron Wire Worm not only live inside, but also reproduce and spread.

Li Banfeng cannot fly, nor does he possess any magical artifacts that allow him to fly.

His method of crossing the river was quite simple: he took out the key, opened the Portable Abode, threw the key to the other side, and then came out of the Portable Abode.

After crossing the Iron Wire River, there was another desolate wasteland. There was nothing special about it; we just kept running.

After walking for a full sixteen hours, Li Banfeng had covered nearly half the distance.

The reason he traveled so fast was twofold: firstly, Li Banfeng didn't need to scout ahead, as the old hunter had provided a ready-made path; secondly, the second-floor Travel Cultivator speed was indeed fast enough; and thirdly, Li Banfeng was well-prepared and not burdened by his luggage, keeping everything in his Portable Abode for easy access.

Following this trend, Li Banfeng won't need to walk for three days. If he keeps running, he should be able to reach the Tangerine Forest around 2 or 3 pm tomorrow.

But he didn't plan to run anymore. He had been exhausted from the journey, and Li Banfeng's legs were trembling.

Staying home overnight is the foundation of House Cultivator and a basic quality of a homebody.

Upon entering Portable Abode, Li Banfeng took off his mud-covered clothes and sat down next to the record player.

Clang clang~

The singer asked inquisitively, "My lord, you're covered in dust; you must have gone grocery shopping."

"My Wife, don't be in such a hurry. Tomorrow, I will definitely buy the best vegetables." Li Banfeng ate two cans of food and a box of biscuits, and then fell into a deep sleep.

The record player was quite dissatisfied, complaining as it used steam to wash Li Banfeng's clothes, "Tomorrow, tomorrow, it's always tomorrow! We gave him three levels of cultivation, and in the end, he's still starving!"

P. S.: Li Banfeng wasn't just boasting; tomorrow we'll be crossing the Little Underworld, and it really is a great place to buy groceries.