Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Intention
Water rushed past the mouth of the karst cave.
The stone surface was remarkably smooth. With a single glance, Bai Mo knew this was a man-made medicinal field.
If the cave had formed naturally, there wouldn’t be a patch of thick soil in the corner, much less one nurturing a poisonous flower.
Lanshan scratched his head furiously, looking quite frustrated.
"When we came by last time, we could still see a few medicinal herbs here."
"Unfortunately, they withered the moment we got close, so we couldn’t take any."
As he spoke, he started to walk forward.
Bai Mo was too late to stop him and could only flick a ray of starlight from his fingertip, severing the herb in the corner.
Lanshan’s eyes went wide.
"This Buddha’s Hand Flower hasn’t even matured yet. Why would you do that?"
The herb Bai Mo had cut had a stem that bent several times, topped by a budding flower.
Its thick leaves, varying in length, were arranged like a human hand and radiated a dense life force.
But Bai Mo just snorted coldly.
"This isn’t a Buddha’s Hand Flower. It’s a Black Hand Flower, an invasive species."
"What makes you say that, Lanshan?"
Lanshan paused. "From books, of course. A lot of the old-timers say the same thing."
It was rare for any herbs to have survived, and Lanshan had treasured this one, but now he realized he’d made a mistake.
"You’ve misunderstood," Bai Mo said bluntly.
"The other herbs withered precisely because this flower releases toxins!"
"The air currents from you walking by are enough to trigger a stress response in the flower. It releases a toxic powder that’s fatal to any nearby plants it lands on!"
The flower was incredibly aggressive when it came to competing for space.
To make matters worse, it had no significant use once it matured.
That’s why everyone detested it.
Lanshan picked it up, glanced at it, and handed it over.
"But it hasn’t even matured. How could it have pollen?"
Bai Mo casually tossed it aside, letting the current outside sweep it away.
"This *is* what it looks like when it’s mature."
"We Pill Masters and apprentices had been wondering how this flower was spreading. It turns out someone has been secretly planting them."
As he spoke, Bai Mo ventured a little deeper and finally saw other herbs.
There were several types of plants growing in just a thin layer of soil—the ’medicinal paste’ mentioned in books.
Their roots were very long, delving into the rock crevices to absorb nutrients from the damp environment.
With just a casual glance, Bai Mo recognized them all.
They were all poisonous.
They weren’t commonly used in Alchemy.
Even the Jia Chen Alchemy Skill he’d obtained from the Li family didn’t describe many poisonous herbs.
’Why would the Li family cultivate these herbs?’
Lanshan ventured a guess. "They may have made their name with Talismans, but there’s no guarantee they haven’t dabbled in other businesses."
Bai Mo accepted his explanation for the time being.
’Or maybe there’s another reason. Are they using these poisonous plants to form a protective perimeter?’
The various plants were distributed all around. They seemed to be growing independently, but their properties were actually in a delicate balance.
If that balance were to be abruptly broken, the plants wouldn’t necessarily die, but their individual properties would definitely change!
Bai Mo thought for a moment, and an idea came to him.
’The one who laid out this medicinal field is an expert. The arrangement is as intricate as a mechanism of traps; even I can’t see through it completely.’
’But their grasp of the herbs’ properties is far too crude! I already have a counter-measure!’
A confident expression appeared on Bai Mo’s face as he began to give Lanshan instructions.
"Lanshan, pull up those herbs in front of you. We’ll take them."
"And don’t move your feet. Its roots are at least ten feet long and extend under the pebbles where you’re standing. If you step on them, they’ll break for sure and leak poisonous sap..."
Lanshan broke out in a cold sweat. Following Bai Mo’s directions, he took a series of bizarre steps, pulling up each of the poisonous plants blocking their path.
It was the first time he’d ever had to do such delicate work.
"The Li family’s Cultivators must have a safe way to get through," Bai Mo said. "I just don’t know it, so I have to force my way past."
Han Meng, who was at the cave entrance, wanted to go in and help, but Bai Mo stopped him.
’Too many people would just increase the risk of someone being careless, setting off a trap, and destroying the herbs...’
Ma Bizi and the others scanned the surrounding landscape, listening intently for any nearby sounds.
An experienced Cultivator could tell if a Demon Beast was active in the area just from the sounds of the local birds, animals, and insects.
"We’ve been in the mountains for a day and a half now, with few delays along the way," Ma Bizi estimated.
"This Mountain Entrance Map... the route isn’t particularly long, but it’s not short either."
"Still, the profits to be made are considerable."
The leader of the Giant Spear Demon Hunting Team remained expressionless.
"It’s for the best. If the route were any longer, we wouldn’t have the strength to manage it anyway."
Ma Bizi gave him a thoughtful look.
"So it seems you’ve made up your mind to throw in your lot with Lanshan?"
The man nodded.
"At our current cultivation level, the resources we need are too numerous and expensive. A few people working alone can’t sustain that."
"Haven’t you noticed? Even those heavy hitters who used to be lone wolves quickly formed their own teams once they made a name for themselves."
He saw things clearly.
"Lanshan’s a decent guy, and more importantly, he’s allied with a Pill Master. Why wouldn’t we join him?"
Hearing this, Ma Bizi fell into deep thought.
Meanwhile, back in the cave, Lanshan set down the bundle of plants he was holding and couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his brow.
Bai Mo, on the other hand, was staring into a deep pool in the back of the cave, lost in thought.
’Now I finally understand why the Li family set up this medicinal field.’
’It was all for the ring of Ling Grass growing at the water’s edge.’
Lanshan walked over, his eyes gleaming.
"Is this grass valuable? I’ve certainly never seen anything like it! It looks so precious and rare!"
Bai Mo shook his head. "You can’t find this grass on the market at all."
"And even if you could, it wouldn’t fetch a high price. Whether for Alchemy or other medicinal uses, I can name at least five other herbs that could easily replace it."
Lanshan hesitated.
"Then what’s with this whole elaborate setup...?"
"They don’t want anyone to discover the Ling Grass," Bai Mo said.
"The poison from a single Black Hand Flower is enough to kill all of this Ling Grass."
"And when that happens, whatever is in the pool won’t come ashore."
Lanshan’s eyebrow shot up. He moved in front of Bai Mo, assuming a wary stance.
"There’s really something in the pool? What is it?"
"I knew I wasn’t mistaken about those sounds!"
Bai Mo paused for a moment.
"I don’t know either. I’ve just heard that Ling Grass is a favorite food for many aquatic creatures."
"But a secret they’re guarding this carefully can’t possibly be worthless!"
After a moment’s hesitation, Lanshan picked up a stone and tossed it into the water.
A long moment passed, but there was no sound of the rock hitting bottom.
"This pool is extremely deep. It’s not a place we can just dive into and explore."
Lanshan said, looking at Bai Mo, "Can we call the others in?"
Bai Mo nodded.
"All the plants blocking the path have been removed. Go ahead and call them in."
The others filed in.
A Cultivator from the Mountain Breaker Demon Hunting Team tossed an iron chain into the pool. A moment later, he shook his head.
"It’s not long enough."
Ma Bizi said, "Are the Li family using the Ling Grass to fish for something in this pool?"
"They can afford to come when the Ling Grass ripens, but we can’t wait that long."
When Ling Grass ripens, it emits a unique scent. That’s its ultimate lure for attracting creatures.
Bai Mo pondered for a moment.
"I’ll figure out a way to process the Ling Grass and force out its essence."
"That might just work."
Lanshan waved his hand grandly.
"We’re already here, so let’s give it a shot! Everyone, lend a hand and let Shopkeeper Bai work his magic!"
