Chapter 16: Successful Herb Gathering!

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Staring at the sheer cliff before them, the group was momentarily stunned, each person somewhat perplexed, their eyes filled with confusion. Suddenly, someone in the crowd raised a hand, pointing toward the edge of the precipice: “Hey? Isn’t that Li Siyu’s fiancé, Zhang Hao?”

No sooner had the words fallen than all eyes turned towards the cliff, chatter erupting among them.

“Ah, it really is him. What’s going on? Why is he sitting at the edge of the cliff?”

“Could it be he’s feeling hopeless? But he seemed fine these past couple of days. I heard he even realized he couldn’t keep being so down and had to get things done. In fact, he brought supplies into the mountain today.”

“So he came into the mountain after all; that means he’s probably just tired and resting there, maybe even trying to build courage? Whatever it is, he can’t be thinking of giving up, especially since Li Siyu is his fiancée!”

“Sigh, Li Siyu is following him... forget it, let’s not meddle. Let’s figure out how to get down the mountain first—we’re all hungry.”

Someone said this, causing a ripple of discomfort among the group; their expressions twitched awkwardly.

Soon, they turned away from the cliff and continued walking into the dense forest.

...

Zhang Hao silently calculated the time in his mind. Hearing faint sounds behind him, he glanced back.

There, clad in white mourning garb, a funeral procession was making its way back along the path they had come.

A funeral procession… how could it appear here?

This isn’t the path down the mountain, is it?

Before he could ponder further, his gaze immediately shifted downward to the protruding ledge beneath the cliff, where the herb known as “Xu Duan” grew.

The time to harvest the Xu Duan had come; there was no more hesitation.

He steeled himself, took two steps toward the cliff’s edge, stood up, grasped a protruding rock above, and planted his foot on another stone. His breathing was heavy as his eyes fixated on a few rocks descending to the right.

Beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead; his expression was tense and anxious.

Carefully, he released his grip and slowly reached to the right, cautiously grabbing another stone. His foot followed suit.

Pressing his body against the cliff once more, he steadied himself.

Continuing this method, he carefully and slowly made his way toward the ledge.

Soon, he was less than half a meter from the protruding platform and the Xu Duan plant.

Panting heavily, sweat pouring down his face, Zhang Hao slowed his breathing; his trembling legs began to steady.

Below him yawned a bottomless abyss; to his left was the path he had come, and less than half a meter to his right was the ledge with the very Xu Duan he sought.

The mountain wind howled past, stirring his hair and clothing.

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Yet it was precisely this seemingly gentle mountain breeze that nearly caused Zhang Hao to lose his balance and fall over the cliff.

Being perched on the cliff was already precarious, especially for a novice like him—this was practically a task of the highest difficulty.

Steadying himself again, feeling the solidity beneath his feet, Zhang Hao drew a deep breath and carefully reached out to grasp a nearby stone.

He tested it with a slight shake and felt it could bear his weight, so he moved his foot.

After another two or three minutes, he finally reached the protruding ledge.

Gazing at the Xu Duan growing nearer, he could see the stalks turning translucent in the sunlight, the veins within clearly visible.

This was the Xu Duan that could restore vitality to the weak.

Though delighted, Zhang Hao remained cautious and vigilant.

Grasping the edge of the ledge to steady himself, he lifted his other hand to set down the spirit-stabilizing basket beside him.

He then shifted slightly to the right, bringing himself closer to the Xu Duan.

The damned mountain wind struck again.

Panic flashed across Zhang Hao’s face. One hand clutched the basket tightly, the other gripped the ledge’s edge, while his legs trembled violently.

Once the gust passed, he pressed himself firmly against the cliff and regained his balance.

Panting, he wiped the sweat streaming down his forehead and face.

His clothes were soaked through once more.

Swallowing his saliva, he resolved to try again.

Slowly and cautiously, he moved his feet, his hands already gripping the ledge.

Then, with a sudden surge of strength, he leapt upward.

In the next instant, one foot landed on the ledge’s edge. Gritting his teeth, Zhang Hao summoned every ounce of strength to pull himself up.

At last, nearly drained of energy, he reached the platform.

The entire ledge was almost completely occupied by the flourishing Xu Duan, leaving him barely any room to stand.

He moved carefully, fearful of damaging the precious herb.

Then, he slowly crouched down and placed the basket to the side.

Looking up at the glaring midday sun, feeling the oppressive heat in the air,

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he took out his phone and checked the time.

It was 12:56 p.m.

Thank goodness—he was still within the period of peak Yang energy.

Zhang Hao exhaled deeply, his heart pounding.

Had he been four minutes later, the time of greatest Yang energy would have passed.

Wasting no time, Zhang Hao began harvesting the Xu Duan.

He recalled the instructions from the ancient texts he had just read.

“Gently pinch the stem, curve the hand upward, and pluck off the head. Then pinch the root of the stem, loosen the soil without breaking the root, repeat several times in one breath, pull out the entire plant with roots intact, and quickly place it into the spirit-stabilizing basket to preserve its essence.”

Taking several deep breaths, Zhang Hao followed the ancient method as he reached out.

The stem felt soft, almost as if liquid flowed within. His curved hand gently lifted the connection between the head and the stem.

Then, swiftly, he pulled upward.

The spherical head of the Xu Duan came off easily.

He repeated this with the other heads.

Then came the most critical step.

Pinching the root of the Xu Duan, he gently loosened the soil, repeating multiple times. Once confident, he exerted force to pull the entire plant, roots and all, from the earth.

Though it sounded simple, the process was far from easy.

The key was to avoid breaking the root underground, which required experience and a combination of tactile and visual judgment.

Focusing intently, Zhang Hao kept his attention on his hands, closely observing the root’s position.

After several attempts, he felt ready.

He didn’t rush but loosened the soil a few more times to ensure success.

Then, widening his eyes, he grasped the root with one hand and the base with the other, exerting a gentle upward pull.

The whole Xu Duan, roots and tendrils intact, came free without a trace of breakage.

Without a moment’s rest, Zhang Hao glanced over it, then quickly placed it into the spirit-stabilizing basket.

Only then did he finally exhale fully.

Checking the time again, it was exactly 12:59 p.m., and the next moment, the clock struck 1:00 p.m. sharp.