Mu Chengfeng was seen running toward the house door on his short legs.
He gently unlatched it, left the wooden door slightly ajar, then poked his small head through the gap.
"Father!"A slap landed directly on Mu Chengfeng's little head.
…
My head is ringing!!!
The sudden slap left Mu Chengfeng unable to respond in time. He shook his head, now full of stars, and looked toward the source of the attack.
Standing next to him was a girl around ten years old, wearing a light blue dress. Though her appearance wasn't striking, she could be considered rare in beauty.
The faint smile on her face radiated a calm, refined aura. That unique air gave her an instant charm.
Though she was still young and her figure not fully developed, the elegance of her features was already emerging, especially her slender waist, cinched tightly with a green silk ribbon. It was so thin it could be held in one hand, making people instinctively want to keep looking. Her frailty and delicacy evoked both sympathy and a desire to protect.
This girl was the orphan adopted by Director Yao of Wanyaozhai. She was also a well-known physician in Qingshan Town. Her name was Xiao Yixian a beautiful name indeed.
Looking at the calm, unique girl in green before him, Mu Chengfeng's little face lit up with laughter.
"Sister Xiao Yixian, are the doctors from Wanyaozhai going to the Magic Beast Mountain Range to gather herbs again today?"
Mu Chengfeng asked with slight nervousness. It was clear he already knew why Xiao Yixian was visiting him this time.
Although the doctors spent a lot of money hiring mercenaries as guards when entering the Munster Mountain Range to gather herbs, accidents still happened. The last time he accompanied the little medicinal fairy to gather herbs, he suddenly got diarrhea and had to relieve himself in the grass.
He got bitten on the butt by a Tier 1 magic beast an Ice Dragon Scorpion. His rear stayed swollen for over half a month, and he could only sleep on his stomach. Since then, he had a painful memory of the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
"Oh dear! This time, your sister will follow you no matter what. I won't let any beasts attack your little butt again, don't worry."The little medicinal fairy covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Hmph! If you laugh again, I won't go to Warcraft Mountains with you."Mu Chengfeng rolled his eyes and grumbled.
Aside from his father, Xiao Yixian was the only person in Qingshan Town who cared for him. He felt deeply lonely and helpless.
Xiao Yixian was three years older than him. It's often said that a woman three years older is a treasure. When she saw that his mother had disappeared when he was young and that his father was unwilling to let him cultivate Dou Qi, she always took good care of her little brother.
The little medicinal fairy hoped he would one day learn a medical skill like hers and become a physician himself, at least to make a living in the future. That's why she took him along every time she went to the Munster Mountains to gather herbs so he could learn medical skills and more easily identify herbs.
Physicians were also a type of alchemist, but their status was much lower. After all, they couldn't refine pills.
They could only use ordinary fire to fuse some low-level medicinal ingredients and purify them into medicine to treat illnesses and injuries.
"Alright! Alright! Sister won't laugh at you anymore. Get ready to go. The others are still waiting for us."The little medicinal fairy reached out to pat the boy's head and said with a smile.
"Okay! Wait for me then, I'll go talk to Father."After all, children needed their parents' permission to go out.
Mu Chengfeng tiptoed back into the house and quickly reached his father, Mu Yang.
"Father! I need to go with Sister Xiao Yixian to the Munster Mountains to gather herbs later, so I won't be back for dinner."Mu Chengfeng spoke shyly. After what happened last time, Mu Yang might not agree to let him go back to the Magic Beast Range again.
Father Mu Yang looked at him, then squatted down, reached out, and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. After a moment of thought, he said,"Alright! Just be careful and come back as soon as you can. We begin training tomorrow."
"Okay, Father! I'll try to return early!"Before he could even finish his sentence, the little guy was already out the door.
"Ah~"
After Mu Chengfeng left, Mu Yang sat on a stool and let out a deep sigh.
If it had been before, he definitely wouldn't have allowed Mu Chengfeng to go with Xiao Yixian to the World of Warcraft Mountains to gather herbs again. As a seasoned mercenary, he naturally knew there were many unknown dangers in those mountains.
But now, he had decided to let Mu Chengfeng begin cultivating Dou Qi. If he wanted to raise this child properly, he couldn't keep him in a greenhouse, sheltered like a flower untouched by wind or rain.
…
In the center of Qingshan Town, at the entrance of Wanyaozhai, a middle-aged man shouted with enthusiasm,
"Wanyaozhai is heading to the Magic Beast Mountain Range to gather herbs. There are still 23 spots left. You must be a Two-Star Fighter or higher. Hurry up and register!"
The loud shout attracted some attention. Mercenaries passing by also wanted to join in the excitement, causing a crowd to gather around Wanyaozhai. Eventually, a long line formed in front of the entrance.
This was a regular herb-picking mission held by Wanyaozhai twice a month. Every time, it attracted many mercenaries.
Wanyaozhai was the largest pharmacy in Qingshan Town. It was impossible to make money just by recycling the scattered medicinal materials brought by mercenaries. Moreover, mercenaries' collection methods were rough, often causing great loss to the medicinal properties and wasting valuable materials.
We're getting ready to depart! Brother Chengfeng, don't go running off alone this time.
The little medicinal fairy sat on a cart in front of Wanyaozhai. Beside her was a child half a head shorter, lying messily in the cart. He held a sweet and juicy pear in his hand and was munching it happily. At a glance, it was clear he was a food lover!
The little medicinal fairy was in charge of this herb-gathering trip for Wanyaozhai. Though she was still young, her medical skills were outstanding. Her mysterious acupuncture techniques were far beyond the reach of many veteran doctors in Qingshan Town.
In addition, she was very familiar with the exact distribution of medicinal veins in the Munster Mountain Range. She even knew when it would rain just by seeing clouds in the area. So every time Wanyaozhai organized a herb-gathering trip, the team would definitely bring the little medicinal fairy along.
This not only allowed them to locate needed herbs quickly and precisely, but also reduced the risk of beast attacks. And if something did go wrong, at least there was a miracle doctor on hand for protection.
"Gee~"
The driver whipped the horse's back. The pony's hooves rolled forward, its long hair fluttering, and the entire herb-picking team began moving.
"Sister Xiao Yixian, I remember you said last time that today, when we go to the Magic Beast Mountains to gather herbs, you'd teach me how to tell the difference between Tian Qingteng and Zi Qingteng two herbs that look alike, right?"
After finishing the pear in his hand, Mu Chengfeng tossed the core into the bushes beside the mountain road and turned to ask.
"Yes, that's right. After we enter the Munster Mountains, if our team finds either of those two herbs, I'll teach you how to tell them apart."The little medicinal fairy nodded and replied.
Although the names of the two herbs, Tian Qingteng and Zi Qingteng, differed by just one word, their prices differed by thousands of gold coins, and their medicinal effects were also drastically different.
While both were used to treat internal injuries and severe bleeding, Azure Ivy was ten times more effective than Purple Vine in healing internal wounds.
The appearance of the two herbs was extremely similar. Their leaves dropped and clustered around the vines. The stems were woody, and the branches were soft, light purple with fine vertical stripes. Just looking at their appearance, even experienced doctors found them hard to distinguish.
The difference was that Azure Ivy usually grew beside the nests of Tier 3 beasts and fed on their droppings. If you broke it and sniffed it lightly, you'd catch a faint fishy smell.
After hearing the answer from the little medicinal fairy, Mu Chengfeng became certain that today's medical task in the Magic Beast Mountains was indeed to identify the herbs Azure Ivy and Purple Vine.