The World Is Like This, If You Don't Die, My Whole Family Can't Live

For several days in a row, Lin Qing had worked from sunrise to sunset, traveling back and forth between Qingping County and the mountains outside the city; gathering herbs had become his daily routine.

Unfortunately, his harvests remained meager, failing to resolve the urgent crisis at hand.

But today was different from the others; he intended to venture deep into the heart of Azure Cloud Ridge.

That was a perilous region that ordinary herb gatherers dared not easily tread.

At the hour of the tiger, before the night had fully faded, Yongning Street was immersed in a hazy twilight.

The occasional sound of a dog barking in the distance only added to the chill.

In the backyard of Benevolent World Hall, Lin Qing was making his final preparations.

He carefully tied the last strand of hemp rope and hung it on the bamboo basket slung over his shoulder.

Inside the basket, besides the small hoe essential for gathering herbs, there was a coil of sturdy rope, and a sharply honed short blade was tucked into his waistband.

He had even strapped thin, hard wooden boards to his shins and chest with thick cloth strips, serving as makeshift armor.

This was the most thorough preparation he could conceive of.

"Ah Qing..."

Lin Wan stood at the doorway draped in an old coat, her eyes filled with worry.

Lin Qing turned around and offered a reassuring smile. "Sister, don't worry. I'm just going for a walk in Azure Cloud Ridge to try my luck. The map Father left behind is very detailed; nothing will happen."

"That deep mountain is not like the outer perimeter. I've heard there are wolves inside, and poisonous miasma..."

Lin Wan stepped forward to straighten his slightly crooked collar, her voice trembling in a way she couldn't quite hide.

"With Father gone, the family relies on you. You must not let anything happen to you."

"It doesn't matter if we don't gather herbs; we can think of other ways..."

"I know, Sister."

A warmth spread through Lin Qing's heart.

"I will be careful."

"Look, I brought a knife and this protective gear; ordinary wild beasts won't be able to hurt me."

"Don't open the shop today. Stay inside, and don't easily answer the door for anyone."

He paused, lowering his voice. "Especially the people from Security Hall."

Lin Wan nodded heavily, her eyes reddening. "Go early and return early. Your safety is what matters most."

"Mm."

Lin Qing replied, saying no more. He turned and pushed open the small back gate, his figure disappearing into the long street.

Lin Wan leaned against the doorframe, watching the direction her brother had vanished, until the cold seeped through her thin clothes, at which point she silently closed the door and slid the bolt into place.

She locked all her worries and prayers within this small courtyard.

When the first light of dawn began to glimmer.

Lin Qing had already stepped into the territory of Azure Cloud Ridge.

The mountains stretched on, like the backs of dormant giant beasts, revealing their vast, desolate outlines in the brightening light.

In the late autumn, the forest was painted in layers of color, and the earth was silent.

The fallen leaves piled beneath his feet crunched as he stepped on them, making the surroundings feel even more empty.

Following the guidance of the parchment map, he climbed upward along a narrow path nearly swallowed by weeds.

He searched one by one for the locations marked on the map where herbs were easily gathered, such as Hare Slope and the creek side.

Yet, he found that most were left with nothing but overturned soil and the remnants of broken stems and leaves.

"It seems many herb gatherers have been here recently."

Lin Qing's heart sank slightly.

The rise of Security Hall had not only squeezed the business of the medicine shops in the city but had also led to the resources in these mountains being scavenged more frequently.

He took a deep breath of the cold mountain air to suppress his impatience, sinking his focus into the Heavenly Dao Record deep within his consciousness.

[Pharmacology (Elementary)]

[Proficiency: 408/500]

Since his intended destinations yielded so little, he shifted his attention to the path itself.

The subtle intuition granted by the Dao Record made him exceptionally sensitive to the scent of vegetation.

A trace of unusual medicinal fragrance that an ordinary person might overlook was, to him, like a firefly in the dark of night.

He stopped in his tracks and pushed aside a cluster of dense ferns, revealing several plants beneath them topped with small red berries.

"Dijingcao? A fine herb for stopping bleeding and resolving stasis."

He carefully pried the plant up by its roots with his hoe and placed it into his basket.

Not far ahead, in a crevice between some rocks, he discovered a few more plants with star-shaped leaves.

"Seven-Star Herb, clears heat and dispels toxins..."

He leaned down to harvest them.

With every successful identification and collection, the experience points on the Dao Record would quietly tick upward.

[Identify medicinal herb, experience +3]

[Identify medicinal herb, experience +5]

As he tucked a Pinellia tuber he had found hidden beneath some tree roots into his bag, the text on the Dao Record blurred for a moment before sharpening into clarity.

[Pharmacology (Proficient)]

[Experience: 7/2000]

A sense of understanding, clearer and more thorough than ever before, surged into his mind.

It was as if the many scattered pieces of pharmacological knowledge he had learned previously were being invisibly linked together at this very moment.

His grasp of the properties, medicinal effects, and growth environments of herbs had all ascended to a new level.

He could even more accurately judge the approximate age and quality of the herbs in his hands.

"Finally... I've reached proficiency."

Lin Qing felt a surge of spirit; this was rare good news.

Just as he was feeling pleased, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes, and a middle-aged herb gatherer with a dark complexion and simple, honest features emerged, dressed in coarse hemp clothing.

The man also carried a bamboo basket on his back, filled with some common medicinal herbs.

"Little brother, are you here to gather herbs too?"

The middle-aged man grinned, revealing teeth yellowed by smoke, and greeted him with a booming voice.

Lin Qing felt a slight tightening in his chest, but his expression remained calm as he nodded. "Yes, my family is short on some herbs, so I came in to try my luck."

The man scratched his head. "In this day and age, there aren't many good things left in the mountains; they've all been picked clean."

"My name is Zhang Laoshi, I just scrape a living in these mountains. What about you?"

"Lin Dazhuang."

Lin Qing gave a name at random, his vigilance not entirely relaxed.

The man seemed honest enough, but the way his eyes occasionally swept over Lin Qing's basket always made him feel something was off.

After a few brief pleasantries, Zhang Laoshi pointed toward another fork in the path. "I'm heading that way to take a look. Little brother, be careful—these mountains aren't very peaceful."

"Many thanks for the warning, Brother Zhang."

Lin Qing watched him disappear deep into the woods before continuing to follow the map's guidance, heading deeper into the mountains.

The further he went, the more rugged and difficult the mountain paths became.

According to the map, one of his main targets for this trip was a rare treasure known as Red Blood Ganoderma, which grew on a shaded cliff face ahead called Eagle Beak Cliff.

He spent all his strength climbing to the top of Eagle Beak Cliff, where the howling wind whipped his sleeves until they snapped loudly.

He lay at the edge of the cliff, peering cautiously downward.

He saw that about ten or so zhang down the middle of the cliff, in a crack in the rock, a dark red ganoderma—the color of congealed blood and marked with cloud-like rings—was growing quietly, partially obscured by moss.

It was shaped like a parasol and about the size of a palm; its deep color made it inconspicuous against the grey-brown rock, and if one weren't looking carefully, it would easily be mistaken for an ordinary stone.

But since Lin Qing's pharmacology had reached proficiency, and the herb-gathering map had specifically marked it, he had been paying close attention and spotted the anomaly.

"Could it be the Red Blood Ganoderma? Judging by the color and size, it should be at least thirty years old."

Lin Qing's heart hammered against his ribs.

Red Blood Ganoderma was a rare treasure for nourishing qi and blood and strengthening the bones and muscles, highly sought after by martial artists.

The martial arts schools and great families in the city had a massive demand for it and were often willing to pay a high price.

A thirty-year-old Red Blood Ganoderma was worth enough to pay the protection money extorted by the local clerks, with plenty left over to keep Benevolent World Hall running for some time.

He could even use it as an opportunity to build connections with some martial arts schools and seek a measure of protection.

The cliff wind was biting, making it nearly impossible to stand steady.

The cliff face was almost vertical and covered in slippery moss.

Lin Qing took a deep breath, took off his basket, and tied one end of a rope securely to a thick, old pine tree at the top of the cliff. He tugged on it hard to ensure it was firm, then tied the other end around his waist.

He glanced at the bottomless clouds and mist below the cliff, gritted his teeth, and moved his short blade to the position on his back where it was easiest to draw. Then, he grabbed the rope and began to climb down, inch by inch.

The rock was ice-cold, the footholds were slippery and hard to find, and the rope dug painfully into his waist and abdomen.

Every foot he descended required a tremendous amount of effort and focus.

Several times, the stones beneath his feet loosened and fell into the deep ravine, and the fact that he couldn't hear them hit the bottom for a long time broke him out in a cold sweat.

He focused all his attention, searching for every possible point of leverage.

His fingers were shredded by the rough rock, and blood mixed with sweat to stain the rope crimson.

Finally, he carefully descended to the side of the rock crevice.

Up close, the Red Blood Ganoderma was brimming with spiritual energy, its dark red luster appearing to flow slowly.

He held his breath and used the small hoe he had brought to pry it up with extreme caution, taking a portion of the surrounding rock along with the roots for fear of causing the slightest damage.

After tucking the hard-won ganoderma securely against his chest, Lin Qing let out a long sigh of relief, a wave of immense exhaustion and joy washing over him.

After resting for a moment, he began the arduous climb back up.

Going down was not easy, but coming up was even harder; his physical strength was spent, and his arms felt weak and sore.

He exhausted his last ounce of strength, scrambling up to the cliff top with hands and feet before collapsing to the ground, gasping for air with the distinct feeling of having survived a brush with death.

However, before he could even catch his breath, a voice rang out beside his ear like a thunderclap:

"Little brother, quite the skill you have there. Daring to descend such a steep cliff—do you need me to give you a hand?"

Lin Qing's entire body stiffened, and he jerked his head up.

He saw that Zhang Laoshi had returned, having appeared out of nowhere.

He was standing not far away, that same simple, honest smile still hanging on his face.

But his eyes no longer hid his intent, staring straight at him, especially at the slightly disheveled bamboo basket on his back.

Lin Qing's vigilance instantly spiked to its peak.

This guy hadn't gone far at all; he had been lurking in the shadows the entire time!

Lin Qing forced a smile of exhaustion and lingering fear onto his face, following the other man's lead: "Many thanks, Brother Zhang. This cliff is indeed treacherous; I almost didn't make it back up."

While he offered thanks with his mouth, his hand secretly gripped the hilt of the knife behind his waist.

Under the guise of standing up, he quietly clenched a small, pre-prepared pouch of lime powder in his palm.

It was a little trinket he had brought specifically to ward off insects while entering the mountains.

Zhang Laoshi walked forward with a smile, making a show of helping him up, though his gaze swept over the bamboo basket on his back as if by accident: "With all this hard work, little brother, you must have found something good, right?"

"I've been roaming these Azure Cloud Ridge for over a dozen years and have never seen a treasure growing on Eagle Beak Cliff. Could you let me feast my eyes on it?"

He moved closer, his tone seemingly casual, but the gradually encroaching pressure made a chill run down Lin Qing's spine.

Lin Qing sneered inwardly, but feigned ignorance on the surface: "It's nothing much, just a ganoderma. It looked quite rare, but I don't even know what it is."

As he spoke, he took off his basket and handed it over with an air of indifference.

Greed flickered in Zhang Laoshi's eyes, and he reached out to snatch the basket with impatient eagerness.

His gaze then froze, locking directly onto the Red Blood Ganoderma with its flowing spiritual aura.

"This is..."

He picked up the Red Blood Ganoderma and examined it closely, his ecstasy no longer containable: "Hahaha, it's actually a Red Blood Ganoderma, and one over thirty years old at that."

Just as Zhang Laoshi's mind was completely captivated by the Red Blood Ganoderma.

In the very moment he let out that wild laugh.

Lin Qing moved.

"Take this!"

He let out a low shout, his right hand, clutching the lime powder, lashing out violently.

A massive cloud of grayish-white powder was flung directly into Zhang Laoshi's face and eyes!

"Ah, my eyes! You little bastard, how dare you!"

Caught off guard, Zhang Laoshi let out a shriek as the lime entered his eyes.

The Red Blood Ganoderma and the bamboo basket slipped from his hands; he clutched his eyes and doubled over in agony.

Lin Qing kicked off the ground, lunging immediately toward the fallen Red Blood Ganoderma!

However, even though Zhang Laoshi had been ambushed, his reactions were not slow; amidst the blinding pain, he tracked the sound to pinpoint Lin Qing's position.

Covering one eye with one hand, he whipped out the short blade at his waist with the other, slashing wildly in the direction of Lin Qing's charge.

"You're courting death!"

Zhang Laoshi cursed in a rage.

He had initially targeted Lin Qing because he looked inexperienced and harmless.

He never expected this young man to be so cunning!

A cold glint flashed; Lin Qing narrowly dodged to the side, but the blade sliced through his sleeve, drawing a thin line of blood.

Seeing that the man was still fighting back with his blade despite being unable to see, a surge of ruthlessness welled up in Lin Qing's heart.

His gaze swept across the ground, landing on a sharp-edged rock nearby.

Without hesitation.

He snatched up the stone and, with every ounce of his strength, smashed it fiercely against the other man's temple!

"Thud!"

A dull, heavy sound rang out.

Zhang Laoshi's scream was cut short instantly.

His body swayed for a moment before crashing heavily to the ground, the short blade flying from his hand.

He did not die immediately; instead, he lay on the ground, groaning in agony while glaring fixedly in the direction of Lin Qing with blurred vision, hissing a curse: "You little beast... even as a ghost, I won't let you go..."

Lin Qing looked down at the man struggling frantically on the ground.

A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes.

But thinking of his sister's expectant gaze back home and the dire straits his family was in, his heart instantly turned as cold and hard as iron.

"Such is this world; if you do not die, my whole family cannot live."

He muttered to himself, raised the blood-stained rock once more, and brought it down against Zhang Laoshi's head—once, then again, smashing it down ruthlessly!

At first, there were curses and struggles, but soon there was nothing left but the teeth-grinding sound of fracturing bone and the dull thuds of mangled flesh.

Only when the man on the ground had completely ceased all movement, his head a ruin, did Lin Qing release the stone as if drained of all strength and collapse onto the ground.

He looked at his hands, coated in blood and brain matter, and his stomach churned violently, his face turning as pale as paper.

This was his first time killing a man.

There was no fear as he had imagined, only a sense of bewilderment.

He gasped for breath for a moment, forcing himself to calm down.

Then, he quickly cleaned up the scene, taking Zhang Laoshi's corpse and his belongings.

He tied them together with the blood-stained rock and pushed them laboriously off Eagle Beak Cliff.

He watched with his own eyes as the dark shape plummeted into the depths of the clouds and vanished from sight.

Once all this was done, he picked up the undamaged Red Blood Ganoderma and carefully tucked it into the innermost pocket against his chest.

When he stood up again, his eyes were completely different from when he had first entered the mountains.

There was less hesitation, and more of the composure that comes after experiencing life and death.

The mountain wind continued to howl, dispersing some of the stench of blood.

Lin Qing shouldered his half-empty bamboo basket.

Without looking back, he began his descent down the mountain.

Such is this world: either be eaten.

Or... eat others!