Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley

"Yes."

Zhou Yu replied immediately.

Compared to the seven or eight herb gatherers who were unaware of the situation, Zhou Yu knew some of the inside information regarding this operation.

Why was it necessary to reorganize a herb-gathering team?

And why enter the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley within the Hundred Thousand Mountains?

It was precisely because of the "Sir's" orders.

Zhou Yu did not know who this "Sir" was, nor did he know the purpose of entering the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.

He only knew that this "Sir" was a great benefactor to Zhou Pharmaceutical, and even if their entire herb-gathering team were to die in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, it would still be difficult to repay even one ten-thousandth of the "Sir's" kindness.

"Hmm, prepare yourselves now. We depart in ten minutes and thirty-seven seconds."

The "Sir's" deep voice came through the miniature earpiece.

"Understood."

Zhou Yu immediately checked the time.

At the same time, he felt quite moved; this "Sir," who had shown such great kindness to Zhou Pharmaceutical, was incredibly strict with his sense of time, even calculating the departure time down to the second.

Of course, feelings aside, Zhou Yu dared not defy the "Sir's" orders in the slightest. He stared at his watch, waiting for the ten minutes and thirty-seven seconds to pass so he could set off.

Inside the main hall of the Zhou Family Old Residence.

After setting the departure time for the herb-gathering team, Su Yuan began to review the plan in his mind.

Regarding how to retrieve the Blood Lingzhi from the depths of the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, Su Yuan had naturally formulated a complete and precise plan using the Grey Mirror.

The entire plan did not require Su Yuan to show his face; he only needed to command from the rear.

As for the executor of the plan? That would be Zhou Yu and the herb-gathering team he led.

In truth, those seven or eight herb gatherers were merely there to assist; the only person capable of venturing deep into the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley to retrieve the Blood Lingzhi was Zhou Yu.

With the help of the Grey Mirror, Su Yuan knew that Zhou Yu was strong enough and would not hesitate to carry out his orders.

Only Zhou Yu had any hope of retrieving the Blood Lingzhi from within the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.

As for why it was Zhou Yu and not a Transformation-level Grandmaster... while a Transformation-level Grandmaster was certainly much stronger than Zhou Yu, they would have their own ideas and were not nearly as obedient.

Under the watchful eyes of countless snake monsters and two Snake Mothers comparable to Core-Formation Grandmasters, there was little difference between an Internal-Strength expert and a Transformation-level expert; if discovered, both would die.

A Core-Formation Grandmaster would have a better chance, but with Su Yuan's current means, he could not force a Grandmaster to risk their life for him without any hidden dangers.

"It's about time."

Su Yuan glanced at the clock and thought to himself.

Meanwhile, outside the Hundred Thousand Mountains, in that wooden cabin.

Zhou Yu stared at the time, and once he confirmed it had reached the departure time specified by the "Sir," he stood up immediately. He swept his gaze over the eight herb gatherers around him and said, "We depart now."

Hearing this, the eight herb gatherers felt bitter inside, but they still obediently shouldered their large packs, walked out of the cabin, and entered the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

There was no help for it; even if they were unwilling, they had to bite the bullet and obey. After all, Zhou Yu was an Internal-Strength expert, and killing them would be far too easy.

Furthermore, the parents, children, and relatives of these eight gatherers were all outside. Zhou Pharmaceutical was not a soft-hearted organization; in the Southern Frontier, one could not survive by being soft-hearted.

Fifteen minutes later, the herb-gathering team officially entered the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

The light dimmed significantly, and a damp scent began to permeate the air.

However, the team consisted of experienced herb gatherers. Their only fears were forbidden areas like the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley; other places could not stump them.

Zhou Yu observed his surroundings cautiously, as he was also very familiar with the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

While observing, Zhou Yu also kept a close watch on the miniature earpiece in his ear, ready to receive orders from the "Sir" at any moment.

Five minutes later, the miniature earpiece vibrated slightly.

Zhou Yu's spirit lifted, and he immediately began to listen.

"Start digging two meters ahead. You will unearth some snake eggs; take these snake eggs with you."

Su Yuan's voice came through the miniature earpiece.

"Snake eggs?"

Zhou Yu stopped in his tracks and looked at the spot two meters away.

He immediately ordered the eight herb gatherers to begin digging.

Sure enough, the gatherers unearthed thirty-four snake eggs.

The men doing the digging had no suspicions, assuming Zhou Yu had simply judged by the surrounding environment that this was a snake den and would contain eggs.

However, Zhou Yu's heart was not at peace.

How did "Sir" know there were snake eggs here?

Zhou Yu wondered, Has "Sir" been to this place before? Is that why he knows?

Although puzzled, Zhou Yu did not dwell on it.

This was the key reason Su Yuan had chosen Zhou Yu to execute the plan—

He was obedient.

He only knew how to carry out orders.

Even if he had doubts in his heart, he would not show any hesitation toward the next command.

Following this, on the way to the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, Zhou Yu stopped repeatedly to dig up hundreds of snake eggs as Su Yuan had instructed.

The hundreds of eggs were carried by the eight herb gatherers; fortunately, the eggs were small, so it was no problem for each of the eight men to carry about a hundred of them.

Half a day later, the group finally arrived outside the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley.

The so-called Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley was a valley surrounded by mountains on all four sides.

Zhou Yu took a deep breath. In truth, various types of snakes had become more frequent as they approached the valley, but the team had come prepared with snake-repellent spray, which kept them from being attacked.

However, Zhou Yu knew that the repellent could only scare off common snakes; the valley was filled with ferocious serpents that the spray could not handle.

"Now, take out the medicinal herbs I told you to bring. Take five of them and grind them up."

At that moment, Su Yuan's instructions came through the miniature earpiece Zhou Yu was wearing.

"Take out five herbs and grind them."

Zhou Yu immediately looked at the eight herb gatherers. Before coming to the Hundred Thousand Mountains, they had followed instructions to carry many herbs, though they still did not know what these herbs were for.

Soon, the eight gatherers had ground the five herbs into a powder.

"Now take two snake eggs, crack them open, pour the liquid in, and mix it with the ground herbs."

Su Yuan's voice sounded in Zhou Yu's ear again, and he immediately ordered the gatherers to do so.

Splosh, splosh. As the ground herbs and egg liquid were stirred together, the two substances fused, gradually forming a transparent, colorless, viscous substance.

"What is this?"

Zhou Yu observed the newly formed transparent goo; it was colorless and odorless.

"Now, smear this transparent substance all over your body. Every corner must be covered."

Su Yuan's voice echoed in Zhou Yu's ear through the earpiece.

Receiving the order, Zhou Yu immediately began to undress. Under the gaze of the eight gatherers, he carefully smeared the transparent substance over his entire body, covering every inch before putting his clothes back on.

"Next, have the eight gatherers repeat the process: grind the herbs, mix in the egg liquid, and then smear the resulting transparent substance onto the nearby rocks and trees."

"Then, you are to enter the Ten Thousand Ravine Snake Valley alone."

Su Yuan's voice continued to come through.

Zhou Yu's expression flickered. He looked at the eight gatherers and repeated Su Yuan's orders.

Finally, to be safe, Zhou Yu said coldly to the eight men:

"Don't even think about running away once I go inside."

"You can't hide in the Hundred Thousand Mountains for the rest of your lives, can you?"