For several days running, Lin Qing had worked from sunrise to sunset, traveling back and forth between Qingping County and the mountains beyond the city. Gathering herbs had become part of his daily routine.
Unfortunately, his harvest had remained meager, doing little to ease the urgent crisis.
But today was different. He was going deep into the heart of Azure Cloud Ridge.
That was a dangerous place ordinary herb gatherers wouldn't dare venture into lightly.
In the early hours, before the night had fully faded, Yongning Street lay shrouded in a hazy twilight.
Every so often, a few barks drifted from far away, adding to the chill and desolation.
In the back courtyard of Benevolent World Hall, Lin Qing was making his final preparations.
He carefully tied up the last coil of hemp rope and hung it from the bamboo basket on his shoulder.
Besides the small hoe he needed for gathering herbs, the basket held a coil of sturdy rope. A sharpened dagger was tucked at his waist.
He had also strapped a piece of thin, solid wood to each shin and across his chest, securing them with thick cloth strips as makeshift armor.
This was the most thorough preparation he could think of.
"Qing..."
Lin Wan stood in the doorway wearing an old padded jacket, her eyes filled with worry.
Lin Qing turned and gave her a reassuring smile. "Sis, don't worry. I'm just going to wander around Azure Cloud Ridge and try my luck. Father's map is very detailed. I'll be fine."
"The deep mountains aren't like the outskirts. They say there are wolves in there, and poisonous miasma..."
Lin Wan stepped forward to straighten his crooked collar, her voice carrying a tremor she could barely conceal.
"Father's gone now. You're all we have to rely on. You mustn't get hurt."
"It doesn't matter if you don't find any herbs. We can think of another way..."
"I know, Sis."
Warmth spread through Lin Qing's heart.
"I'll be careful."
"Look, I've brought a knife and all this protective gear. Ordinary beasts won't be able to hurt me."
"I'm not opening the shop today. Stay home, and don't answer the door for anyone unless you're sure who it is."
He paused, then lowered his voice. "Especially anyone from Security Hall."
Lin Wan nodded firmly, her eyes reddening. "Come back early. Nothing matters more than your safety."
"Mm."
Lin Qing answered, then said no more. He turned, pushed open the small back gate, and disappeared onto the long street.
Lin Wan leaned against the doorframe, gazing in the direction her younger brother had gone. Only when the cold had seeped through her thin clothes did she silently close the door and slide the bolt into place.
She locked all her worries and prayers inside that small courtyard.
At first light.
Lin Qing had already entered the territory of Azure Cloud Ridge.
Mountain ranges stretched on and on, like the backs of colossal beasts lying in wait, their vast outlines emerging in the brightening dawn.
In the deep autumn forest, the trees blazed with color, while the land lay desolate.
Dead leaves carpeted the ground, crackling beneath his feet and making the surroundings feel all the emptier.
Following the directions on the parchment map, he climbed along a narrow path nearly swallowed by wild grass.
Several places marked on the map as easy spots to gather herbs included Hare Slope and the streambank.
He searched them one by one, only to find that most had been reduced to disturbed soil, broken stems, and scattered leaves.
"Looks like plenty of herb gatherers have been through here lately."
Lin Qing's heart sank.
Security Hall's rise had not only squeezed the city's medicinal shops; it had also led to the mountain's resources being harvested more frequently.
He drew a deep breath of the crisp mountain air, tamped down his agitation, and focused on the Heavenly Dao Record deep within his consciousness.
[Herb Lore (Entry Level)] [Proficiency: 408/500]
Since the marked locations had yielded so little, he turned his attention to the trail itself.
The subtle sense granted by the Dao Record made him exceptionally sensitive to the presence of plants.
A faint medicinal scent that an ordinary person might overlook shone to him like a firefly in the dark.
He stopped and parted a dense clump of ferns, revealing several plants below, each topped with small red berries.
"Dichondra? It's good for stopping bleeding and dispersing bruises."
He carefully dug them up, roots and all, with his hoe and placed them in his basket.
A short while later, he spotted a few plants with star-shaped leaves growing in a crack in the rocks.
"Seven-Star Herb. It clears heat and detoxifies..."
He bent down to pick them.
Each time he successfully identified and gathered a plant, the experience value in the Dao Record quietly ticked upward.
[Identified medicinal herb, experience +3] [Identified medicinal herb, experience +5]
When he tucked a pinellia plant hidden beneath a tree root into his basket, the writing in the Dao Record blurred, then became clear again.
[Herb Lore (Proficient)] [Experience: 7/2000]
A much clearer, more thorough understanding welled up inside him.
It was as though all the scattered knowledge of herb lore he had learned before had been invisibly linked together in that instant.
His understanding of medicinal plants' characteristics, properties, and growing conditions had all risen to a new level.
He could even judge the approximate age and quality of the herbs in his hand more precisely.
"At last... proficient."
Lin Qing's spirits lifted. It was a rare piece of good news.
Just as he was quietly pleased, the bushes nearby rustled, and a middle-aged herb gatherer emerged. He wore coarse hemp clothes, had a dark complexion, and looked honest and simple.
A bamboo basket hung on his back, filled with common herbs.
"You're gathering herbs too, young man?"
The middle-aged man grinned, revealing yellowed teeth stained by smoke, and greeted him in a loud voice.
Lin Qing tensed slightly, but his expression remained calm. He nodded. "Mm. My family's short on herbs, so I came in to try my luck."
The man scratched his head. "There aren't many good things left in the mountains these days. Folks have dug them all up."
"I'm Zhang Laoshi. I scrape out a living in these mountains. What about you?"
"Lin Dazhuang."
Lin Qing gave a casual name, without letting his guard down entirely.
The man looked honest, but whenever his eyes swept over Lin Qing's basket, something about it struck him as odd.
After a brief exchange, Zhang Laoshi pointed toward a fork in the path. "I'll go have a look over there. Be careful, young man. These mountains aren't safe."
"Thanks for the warning, Brother Zhang."
Lin Qing watched him disappear among the trees before continuing deeper in, following the map.
The farther he went, the steeper and rougher the mountain path became.
According to the map, one of his main targets was a rare treasure called Red Blood Ganoderma. It grew on the shaded face of a steep cliff ahead known as Eagle Beak Cliff.
After much effort, he climbed to the top of Eagle Beak Cliff. The wind howled, whipping his clothes and making them snap.
He lay on his stomach at the edge and peered carefully below.
In a crack halfway down the sheer cliff, about a dozen zhang below, a lingzhi sat growing in silence. Its color was a dark red like congealed blood, and cloud-shaped rings marked its surface. Moss partly concealed it.
The mushroom was shaped like an umbrella, nearly the size of his palm. Its color was deep and muted, and against the gray-brown rock it was easy to miss. Without a careful look, someone might have mistaken it for an ordinary stone.
But Lin Qing's herb lore had reached proficiency, and the gathering route map had marked the spot specially. That was why he had paid such close attention and noticed something unusual.
"Could it be Red Blood Ganoderma? Judging by its color and size, it must be at least thirty years old."
Lin Qing's heart pounded violently.
Red Blood Ganoderma was a precious herb that replenished qi and blood and strengthened the bones and sinews. Martial artists especially prized it.
The city's martial arts schools and great lineages were eager to get their hands on it, and often paid a high price.
A thirty-year-old Red Blood Ganoderma would be worth enough to cover the clerks' extortionate signboard fee, with plenty left over to keep Benevolent World Hall afloat for some time.
It could also give him an opportunity to befriend the martial arts schools and find a little protection.
The wind on the cliff was fierce enough to nearly knock him off his feet.
The cliff face was almost vertical and covered in slick moss.
Lin Qing took a deep breath, removed his basket, and tied one end of the rope securely around a sturdy old pine at the cliff's edge. He gave it a hard tug. Once he was sure it would hold, he fastened the other end around his waist.
He glanced down at the clouds below, where the bottom of the cliff was lost from sight, then gritted his teeth. He tucked his dagger behind his waist where he could draw it easily, gripped the rope, and began inching his way down.
The rocks were so cold they stung, and footholds were scarce and slippery. The rope bit painfully into his waist and stomach.
Every foot of descent took tremendous effort and concentration.
Several times, loose rocks crumbled beneath his feet and plunged into the ravine. He never heard them land, and cold sweat broke out all over him.
He focused completely, searching for every possible foothold.
The rough rock scraped his fingers raw, and blood mixed with sweat, staining the rope red.
At last, he carefully lowered himself beside the crack.
Up close, the Red Blood Ganoderma looked even more suffused with spiritual energy, its dark-red sheen seeming to flow slowly.
Holding his breath, he used the small hoe he had brought to pry it loose with extreme care, taking some of the surrounding rock with the roots so he wouldn't damage it in the slightest.
He tucked the hard-won lingzhi safely against his body, then finally let out a long breath. Exhaustion and elation surged through him.
After resting for a while, he began the difficult climb back up.
Getting down had been hard; getting back up was harder. He had burned through so much strength that his arms were weak and trembling.
Using the last of his strength, he hauled himself over the cliff edge on hands and feet, then collapsed and gasped for breath. He felt as though he had narrowly escaped death.
But before he could catch his breath, a voice rang out beside him like a thunderclap:
"Young man, you're pretty nimble! You dared to climb down such a steep cliff. Want me to give you a hand?"
Lin Qing stiffened all over and jerked his head up.
Zhang Laoshi had returned at some point.
He stood not far away, still wearing that honest, simple smile.
But he no longer bothered to hide his gaze. His eyes were fixed on Lin Qing, especially the basket on his back, which had been knocked askew by the climb.
Lin Qing's guard shot to its highest point.
That guy hadn't gone far at all. He'd been lurking nearby, watching him the whole time!
Lin Qing forced a tired, shaken smile and played along. "Thanks, Brother Zhang. The cliff really was dangerous. I nearly couldn't make it back up."
He thanked him aloud, but secretly gripped the dagger's handle behind his waist.
As he got to his feet, he quietly closed his fist around a small packet of lime powder he had prepared earlier.
He had brought the little packet along to drive off insects in the mountains.
Zhang Laoshi smiled as he came forward, pretending he meant to help him. His gaze seemed to wander casually over Lin Qing's basket. "After all that effort, you must've found something good, young man."
"I've been making my living in Azure Cloud Ridge for more than ten years, but I've never seen a treasure growing on Eagle Beak Cliff. How about letting me have a look?"
He approached slowly. His tone seemed casual, but his growing pressure sent a chill down Lin Qing's spine.
Lin Qing sneered inwardly, but pretended to be clueless. "It's nothing much. Just a lingzhi. It looked pretty rare, but I don't know what kind it is."
As he spoke, he took off his basket and handed it over as if it were no big deal.
Greed flashed in Zhang Laoshi's eyes as he eagerly reached out to take the basket.
His gaze immediately sharpened, locking onto the Red Blood Ganoderma, its spiritual sheen seeming to flow across its surface.
"This is..."
He picked up the Red Blood Ganoderma and examined it closely. He could no longer contain his delight. "Hahaha! It's Red Blood Ganoderma—and at least thirty years old!"
Just as Zhang Laoshi's attention was completely absorbed by the Red Blood Ganoderma,
at the very instant he burst into laughter,
Lin Qing moved.
"Here's your reward!"
He shouted, flinging up his right hand, which held the lime powder.
A great cloud of grayish-white powder flew straight into Zhang Laoshi's eyes!
"Ah! My eyes! You little bastard, how dare you!"
Caught completely off guard, Zhang Laoshi cried out as the lime hit his eyes.
The Red Blood Ganoderma and basket slipped from his hands and hit the ground. He covered his eyes with both hands and bent over in agony.
Lin Qing pushed off with one foot and lunged for the fallen Red Blood Ganoderma!
But despite being caught by surprise, Zhang Laoshi reacted quickly. Even through the pain, he could tell where Lin Qing was by sound.
Keeping one hand over his eyes, he yanked the dagger from his waist with the other and slashed wildly toward the direction Lin Qing was charging from.
"You're asking to die!"
Zhang Laoshi cursed.
He had thought Lin Qing was inexperienced and harmless-looking.
That was why he had set his sights on him.
But he had never expected the young fellow to be so cunning!
A flash of steel passed by. Lin Qing twisted aside just in time, but the blade sliced through his sleeve and drew a thin line of blood.
Seeing that his opponent was still resisting with a knife despite being unable to see, a fierce ruthlessness surged through Lin Qing.
He glanced around and spotted a sharply jagged stone nearby.
He didn't hesitate.
He snatched it up, summoned every ounce of his strength, and slammed it into the man's temple!
"Thump!"
A muffled impact.
Zhang Laoshi's scream cut off abruptly.
His body swayed, then crashed heavily to the ground. The short knife flew from his hand.
He didn't die at once. Lying on the ground, he groaned in agony, fixing his blurred gaze on Lin Qing and cursing hoarsely, "You little bastard, I'll never let you go, even as a ghost..."
Lin Qing watched the man thrashing wildly on the ground.
A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes.
But when he thought of the hopeful look in his sister's eyes and the desperate straits his family was in, his heart turned cold as iron.
"That's the way of the world. If you don't die, my whole family will."
He muttered the words, then raised the bloodstained stone again and brought it down on Zhang Laoshi's head, once, then again, striking with all his might!
At first, there were still curses and struggles. Before long, all that remained were the teeth-grating cracks of breaking bone and the muffled, sickening thuds of flesh.
Only when the man on the ground had fallen completely silent, his head a mangled mess, did Lin Qing finally let the stone slip from his hand and slump to the ground as though all his strength had left him.
He stared at his hands, smeared with blood and brains. His stomach churned, and his face turned as pale as paper.
It was the first time he had killed someone.
There was none of the fear he'd imagined, only bewilderment.
He panted for a moment, forcing himself to calm down.
Then he swiftly cleared the scene, tying Zhang Laoshi's body and belongings
together with the bloodstained stone, before laboriously pushing them over the edge of Eagle Beak Cliff.
He watched with his own eyes as the dark shape plunged into the depths of the clouds and disappeared.
Once he had finished, he picked up the undamaged Red Blood Ganoderma and carefully tucked it close to his chest, in the innermost part of his clothing.
When he stood again, his eyes were utterly different from when he had entered the mountains.
There was less uncertainty, and more of the quiet composure that came from having faced life and death.
The mountain wind still howled, scattering some of the stench of blood.
Lin Qing hefted the bamboo basket, now more than half empty.
Without looking back, he headed down the mountain.
That was the way of the world: either you got eaten,
or... you ate others!
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