Chapter 148: Chapter 143: Getting There First
"Since everyone has arrived, let’s set out."
Elder Gold Stone, the head of the six elders, swept his gaze across the disciples and boomed, "Before we leave, I have three things to announce."
"First, fighting and theft are not forbidden during the Autumn Harvest. However, once you are off the peaks, you may no longer engage in combat. Violators will be severely punished!"
"Second, know your limits when you strike. Anyone who intentionally maims or kills a fellow disciple will pay with their life!"
"Third, the Autumn Harvest will last for three days. You are to regroup here on the third day, between noon and dusk."
Elder Water Mirror returned to the front of their group and instructed them in a low voice, "Once you’re on the mountain, be sharp and act cautiously. If you run into one of our own in trouble, help if you can, but don’t overextend yourselves."
Zhao Lin and the others acknowledged in unison.
"Disciples of all departments, move out!"
At Elder Gold Stone’s command, the disciples of the six departments took off, rushing toward the five peaks.
Over two hundred disciples split into five streams, surging toward the five peaks like a great tide.
Zhong Yewu and Xiang Bao, the top two disciples from the Spring Competition, took the lead, heading straight for the tallest peak, Middle Finger Peak.
Lin Qiutong of the Cyan Wood Department, along with Du Zhong and Du Nian of the Earth Department, led several of their most outstanding disciples up Index Finger Peak.
Of the fifty disciples from the Outer Court, more than half rushed toward Ring Finger Peak.
With the three main peaks claimed, some disciples who had already chosen their preferred mountains saw the situation and changed course, opting instead for the less competitive Little Finger Peak and Big Thumb Peak.
Five Finger Mountain was rarely trodden by people. There were no paths, and in some places, one had to use both hands and feet to climb.
The disciples sensibly avoided crowding together, instead spreading out to find suitable spots to begin their ascent.
Zhao Lin blended into the crowd, arriving at the base of Middle Finger Peak.
He didn’t speed up right from the start. Instead, he took a detour, deliberately picking a rugged, difficult, and deserted spot. He slid his ox-tendon staff onto his back and began to climb.
After climbing for a while, his body was gradually hidden by the lush vegetation protruding from the mountainside.
Zhao Lin glanced down the mountain. The twenty-eight acupoints on his chest and back simultaneously erupted with spiraling energy, launching his body straight up.
’The rare medicinal herbs are limited. It’s first come, first served. I have to get ahead of the others.’
After passing the steepest section at the beginning, a slope appeared ahead. Zhao Lin closed his acupoints, landed softly on his feet, and began running up the mountain.
The trees on the slope grew diagonally upward, lush and tall, their canopies like roofs. Vines coiled around their trunks, spiraling skyward, interspersed with strange, colorful flowers.
As he went, Zhao Lin breathed in deeply through his nose, sniffing out the various scents in the air.
Soil, flowers, withered leaves, fruit, insects, beasts...
Ever since absorbing the Essence Soul of the Fragrant Mink, these scents were like paintings on a blank canvas to him, perfectly clear and distinct.
To conserve his energy, he would shoot jets of force to vault over difficult-to-climb sections and rely on his legs to run across the easier parts.
About two-thirds of the way up the peak, Zhao Lin suddenly caught the scent of pine nuts, mingled with a hint of something sweet and sour.
"What is that smell?"
Zhao Lin looked up and found himself in a lush, green pine forest.
The forest was dim and cool, with mottled shadows cast by sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves.
’It’s September, the time when pine cones ripen, so the smell of pine nuts is normal. But where is that sweet and sour scent coming from?’
The scent was faint, almost illusory, smelling a bit like the pineapples from his previous life.
Zhao Lin wasn’t sure if this world had such a fruit, but pineapples grew in the tropics. They definitely couldn’t be found in Yan Province.
After a moment’s hesitation, he stopped his ascent and headed deeper into the pine forest.
’It’s worth losing some time to figure this out!’
Inside the pine forest were only some low-lying plants and grasses. Although there were a few flowers here and there, the smell wasn’t right.
As he went deeper, the scent seemed to grow a little stronger.
Zhao Lin scanned his surroundings but saw no special medicinal herbs. He couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
’With my sense of smell, as long as I’ve locked onto a scent, I should always be able to find its source.’
’What’s going on this time?’
After wandering for a long while, he finally spotted a small, unremarkable, yet unique-looking blade of grass under a gnarled old pine tree.
It was unremarkable because it looked a bit like a common plantain weed—short and small, with only seven or eight leaves.
What made it unique was that in a three-foot radius around it, not a single other blade of grass grew.
’Something’s strange!’
Zhao Lin’s eyelid twitched, and he walked over quickly.
Not all rare medicinal herbs were fragrant and vibrantly colored. Some that appeared perfectly ordinary were actually incredibly precious ingredients.
When he got closer, the scent was still very faint.
Zhao Lin thought for a moment, then bent down and lay flat on the ground. As he expected, the scent was much stronger.
He looked up at the old pine tree, and an idea struck him.
’Could it be...’
Zhao Lin’s heart pounded. He quickly took a small iron spade from his pack and began digging in a one-foot radius around the plant.
The spade swung, sending dirt flying. Before long, Zhao Lin had dug out the entire chunk of soil.
He broke apart the clod of earth, revealing a fist-sized, walnut-shaped kernel.
The kernel was deep red, its surface covered with several ring-like patterns, as if they had been carved with a knife.
"Pine Amber Sunflower!"
Zhao Lin’s breath caught in his throat, a look of delighted surprise in his eyes.
He compared it to the memories of rare medicinal herbs in his mind and confirmed that the object before him was indeed a Pine Amber Sunflower.
The Pine Amber Sunflower, also known as the Amber Sunflower, had extremely harsh environmental requirements, growing only in ancient pine forests.
The Pine Amber Sunflower absorbed the essence of the pine forest, feeding on its resin.
Falling drops of pine resin were like nourishing rain and dew to it. Over many years, its rootstalk would gestate a kernel, a process that took several centuries to complete.
Zhao Lin carefully detached the kernel and placed it in his herb storage box.
He thought for a moment, then reburied the remaining part of the plant in the soil.
What he had taken was actually the Pine Amber Sunflower’s most valuable part, the tuber. The rest of the plant could still survive.
Perhaps in a few hundred years, another kernel would grow.
"I wonder who the lucky person will be then?"
Zhao Lin smiled faintly, strode out of the pine forest, and continued toward the summit.
Having obtained a Top Grade medicinal herb on his first try, his heart was filled with joy, and even his steps felt lighter.
...
About the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn after Zhao Lin’s departure, a young man with a high-bridged nose, deep-set eyes, and agile movements arrived before the pine forest.
If Zhao Lin had been there, he would have immediately recognized this person as Xiang Bao, a disciple from the Fire Jade Department.
Curled in the crook of Xiang Bao’s arm was a small fox covered in silver spots.
As they neared the pine forest, the fox suddenly sat up, its nose twitching.
"You smell it?"
Xiang Bao glanced into the pine forest and ordered with a low shout, "Go!"
The fox, as if sentient, leaped to the ground and darted swiftly into the forest.
Xiang Bao came from a martial arts family. Nine years ago, his ancestor had caught a rare Silver-spotted Fox cub beyond the pass.
The Silver-spotted Fox’s sense of smell was as keen as a Fragrant Mink’s, but it was even more intelligent and attuned to humans.
This Silver-spotted Fox had been trained since it was a cub to recognize over twenty types of rare medicinal herbs and had always been a great asset to the family.
In order to obtain the Five-Six Pill, Xiang Bao had gone to great lengths to borrow it.
Two sharp yips from the fox sounded from within the pine forest.
A look of delight crossed Xiang Bao’s face. He muttered to himself, "Looks like there’s a rare herb in the forest. I wonder if it’s a Red Fuling or a Jin Shegan?"
"If only it’s a Pine Amber Sunflower..."
