Zhang Xiaohua cautiously moved closer and asked, "Captain He, wh... what happened here?"
He Tianshu did not turn around. He merely sighed and said, "See for yourself. I don't know what happened either."
Zhang Xiaohua did not rush forward. Instead, he said softly, "Captain He, it's all my fault. I was so occupied with the Martial Arts Tournament that I failed to keep a proper watch over the herb fields."
He Tianshu turned back to look at Zhang Xiaohua and shook his head. "You can't be blamed entirely for this. After all, the herb fields are under the care of our Medicine Hall. You merely came to help. And honestly, I've been too focused on preparing for the Martial Arts Tournament lately as well. I truly neglected the herb fields."
Seeing that He Tianshu was not blaming him, Zhang Xiaohua felt even guiltier. Only then did he step into the herb field, crouch down, and examine the herbs carefully by the firelight.
The firelight did not reveal things very clearly, but he could still vaguely make out that the leaves of the herbs had withered somewhat, their edges yellowing. Zhang Xiaohua had read quite a few books, and he immediately recalled that these were precisely the symptoms of herbs about to die.
Zhang Xiaohua found it most strange. Withering herbs were not uncommon. The books recorded that every herb field would always have some herbs that died. But these few herb fields of Huanxi Mountain Villa had been tended with painstaking care. Everything had been normal before this. How had such a thing happened in merely a few short days?
Moreover, according to the books, there was no way at all to save herbs that had begun showing symptoms of withering. Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaohua raised his head and