Ginseng Gathering

Late at night.

Beneath the cliff on the eastern side of the back mountain.

The moonlight was blocked by the towering cliffs, leaving the base in pitch darkness. Occasional flickers of faint light seeping through the rock crevices illuminated the jagged, strange stones.

Lin Ye lay prone behind a giant boulder, his presence suppressed to the absolute limit, blending into the surrounding shadows.

He had changed into a black night-traveling outfit, his face covered by a black cloth, revealing only his eyes. A bulging leather pouch was tied to his waist, containing the "tools" he had prepared over the past three days.

"Rustle... rustle..."

A faint sound of footsteps approached.

Lin Ye's eyes narrowed as he looked toward the source of the sound.

A black shadow emerged from the woods like a ghost, also dressed in black and masked.

Standing still at the base of the cliff, the figure scanned the surroundings, finally fixing his gaze on the boulder where Lin Ye was hiding.

"Come out, it's me."

Only then did Lin Ye slowly step out, lowering his voice: "Senior Brother Chen."

Chen Feng glanced at him and nodded: "Did you bring the things?"

"I did." Lin Ye patted the pouch at his waist.

"Good." Chen Feng stopped wasting words and pointed toward a deep, dark cave entrance at the base of the cliff. "The nest of the Green-Scaled Python is in there. The entrance is three zhang high and two zhang wide, with a winding path inside. Deep within, there is a cold pool where the Green-Scaled Python resides."

"What about the Purple Ginseng?"

"There is a crack on the cliff wall to the right of the cave entrance; the Purple Ginseng grows inside that crack."

"What is the plan?" Lin Ye asked.

"I will go to lure the Green-Scaled Python away, and you will go to harvest the Purple Ginseng," Chen Feng said. "After you pick the ginseng, wait for me at the cave entrance. I will lead the Green-Scaled Python out of the cave, and we will set an ambush outside to kill it."

"You're going to lure the Green-Scaled Python alone?" Lin Ye frowned. "That is a Level 2 demonic beast."

"I am confident." Chen Feng's tone was calm but filled with certainty. "Remember, you only have one quarter of an hour. After that, no matter how much Purple Ginseng you have harvested, you must leave the entrance and wait for me under that old locust tree on the east side."

"And if you don't come out after a quarter of an hour?"

"Then it means I am dead; you must leave immediately," Chen Feng said indifferently.

Lin Ye looked at him deeply: "Fine."

"This is a Miasma-Avoiding Pill; it can resist the toxic miasma inside the cave." Chen Feng tossed over a small porcelain bottle.

Lin Ye caught it and poured out a black pill the size of a soybean.

The pill was bitter, but once it entered his mouth, a cool sensation spread, and even the faint, foul stench drifting from the cave seemed to diminish significantly.

"Let's go."

The two arrived at the cave entrance, and a foul wind rushed toward them.

The cave was pitch black and bottomless, with the faint sound of dripping water echoing from deep within.

Chen Feng drew his long sword, the blade emitting a faint glow in the darkness.

"Remember, one quarter of an hour."

With that, his figure flashed, and he charged into the cave.

Lin Ye crouched to one side of the entrance, holding his breath and waiting quietly.

"Hiss--!"

A moment later, a sharp, ear-piercing hiss erupted from within the cave.

This was followed by the sounds of intense combat and the ringing of swords.

"It's coming!"

Lin Ye's eyes sharpened as he saw a black shadow dash out of the cave at high speed; it was Chen Feng.

Behind him was a giant python, entirely green and over five zhang long. Its scales shimmered with a sinister light under the moonlight, and a pair of fleshy lumps grew on its snake head. Its eyes were blood-red, and it spat green toxic mist from its mouth.

The Green-Scaled Python!

"So fast!"

Chen Feng's speed was already extremely high, but the Green-Scaled Python was faster, chasing him almost at his heels.

"Boom!"

Chen Feng rushed out of the cave entrance and, without stopping, darted directly toward the western forest.

The Green-Scaled Python hissed and gave chase relentlessly, its massive body crushing the ground and leaving deep furrows behind.

In the blink of an eye, the man and the python vanished into the darkness.

"Now!"

Lin Ye dashed out from his hiding spot and headed straight for the cliff crack to the right of the cave entrance.

Sure enough, there were a few purple plants there, their leaves thick and fleshy, their roots shaped like human figures, glowing with a faint purple light under the moonlight.

Lin Ye counted them; there were seven in total.

"Take them all!"

He used both his hands and feet to climb up the cliff face, carefully digging them out with a specialized small herb hoe.

One, two, three...

"Rustle..."

A faint sound drifted from within the cave.

Lin Ye's heart tightened, and he quickened his pace.

The fourth, the fifth...

"Hiss!"

A low hiss echoed from inside the cave.

Lin Ye's expression shifted.

The Green-Scaled Python was back? How could it be so fast?!

He didn't have time to worry about anything else; he yanked the last two Purple Ginsengs out by the roots, stuffed them into his leather pouch, and leaped down from the cliff.

The moment his feet touched the ground, a green shadow darted out from the cave entrance.

It was a slightly smaller Green-Scaled Python.

"A hatchling!"

Lin Ye understood in an instant.

No wonder the Green-Scaled Python that Chen Feng had lured away returned so quickly.

"Hiss!"

The hatchling's scarlet eyes locked onto Lin Ye, and it lunged forward.

Lin Ye didn't retreat but advanced instead; he stomped his foot, his body shooting out like an arrow, narrowly dodging the snake's head while simultaneously slamming a fist into the seven-inch mark on its body.

"Bang!"

The force of the punch erupted, and the hatchling let out a pained hiss, its body rolling on the ground.

"Can't get tangled up here!"

The mother python could return at any moment.

Without hesitation, he grabbed a handful of white powder from his pouch and scattered it toward the hatchling.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!"

As soon as the powder touched the hatchling, it began to smoke, emitting a pungent odor.

This was one of the "little gadgets" Lin Ye had prepared.

The hatchling's eyes burned with intense pain, and it thrashed about wildly.

Lin Ye seized the opportunity to turn and sprint toward the old locust tree to the east.

"Hiss—!"

An angry hiss from the mother python came from behind, moving from far to near with terrifying speed.

Lin Ye's scalp tingled as he pushed his speed to the absolute limit.

"Over here!"

Chen Feng's voice came from the side.

Lin Ye turned his head and saw Chen Feng rushing out from the woods, his clothes tattered and blood at the corner of his mouth; he was clearly heavily injured.

"The mother python is catching up!" Lin Ye shouted urgently.

"Follow me!"

Chen Feng turned and sprinted in another direction.

Lin Ye followed closely behind.

The two of them wove through the forest, one after the other.

Behind them, the mother python's hissing grew closer and closer, and wherever it passed, trees toppled over with a terrifying momentum.

"There's a cliff ahead!" Lin Ye yelled.

"Jump down!" Chen Feng didn't hesitate.

"What?!"

"There's a pool of water below, you won't die!"

As he spoke, Chen Feng leaped off the edge.

Lin Ye gritted his teeth and jumped down after him.

"Splash!"

The icy pool water submerged his entire body.

Lin Ye held his breath, letting his body sink.

"Boom!"

A loud crash came from above; it was the Green-Scaled Python, which had chased him to the cliff's edge and was frantically slamming against the rock wall.

The pool was deep, and Lin Ye sank five or six zhang before touching the bottom.

He surfaced to see Chen Feng already on the bank, clutching his chest and coughing, each cough bringing up a spray of blood.

"You're badly hurt." Lin Ye swam to the shore.

"I'm not dead yet." Chen Feng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Did you get the Purple Ginseng?"

"Seven stalks, all here." Lin Ye patted his leather pouch.

"Good." Chen Feng nodded. "As agreed, whoever picks them keeps them. These seven are all yours."

"What about the materials from the Green-Scaled Python?" Lin Ye asked.

"Didn't manage to kill it." Chen Feng gave a bitter smile. "I underestimated it. A Rank 2 beast is truly not something a Body Tempering realm cultivator can handle. If I hadn't run fast, I'd be dead by now."

The gap between a Rank 2 beast and a Rank 1 beast was simply too vast.

"And the beast core..."

"We'll talk about that next time." Chen Feng shook his head. "Let's leave here first; the Green-Scaled Python might not give up so easily."

The two followed the downstream flow of the pool for about half an hour, and only after confirming the Green-Scaled Python was not pursuing them did they stop to rest.

"This is healing medicine." Lin Ye took a small bottle from his pouch and handed it to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng took it, poured out two pills, and swallowed them; his complexion improved slightly.

"What were those powders you used?" Chen Feng suddenly asked.

"Lime powder, chili powder, mixed with a bit of poisonous herb juice." Lin Ye said. "It's still somewhat useful against low-level beasts."

"You're quite good at these things." Chen Feng glanced at him. "You don't seem like an ordinary outer sect disciple."

"Isn't Senior Brother Chen the same?" Lin Ye countered. "Body Tempering stage five, daring to lure a Rank 2 beast—that kind of nerve doesn't look like an ordinary disciple either."

The two looked at each other and both laughed.

"This cooperation went fairly well." Chen Feng said. "Although we didn't get the Green-Scaled Python materials, seven stalks of Purple Ginseng are worth 140 points. You've made a profit."

"Does Senior Brother Chen need any compensation?" Lin Ye asked.

"No need." Chen Feng waved his hand. "We agreed that whoever picked them keeps them."

"What are Senior Brother Chen's plans for the future?" Lin Ye asked.

"Recover from my injuries, then take a mission and leave the sect for a while." Chen Feng said.

The two rested for a moment, and the horizon began to turn a pale, fish-belly white.

"Time to go back." Chen Feng stood up. "Remember, don't tell anyone about what happened tonight."

"Understood."

"Until we meet again."

Chen Feng cupped his hands, turned, and left, quickly disappearing into the morning mist.

Lin Ye watched the direction he vanished in, lost in thought.

This Chen Feng had more secrets than he had imagined.

Lin Ye withdrew his gaze, deciding not to dwell on it any longer.

Right now, he only wanted to gather enough contribution points as quickly as possible to trade for a stronger cultivation technique.