Late at night, the two brothers lay in bed.
Xu Chengbo tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He could feel that his elder brother was drifting further and further away from him.
"Big Brother," he finally couldn't help but ask, "what are you practicing that… for?"
Xu Fan opened his eyes, looked at the cool moonlight streaming in through the window, and after a moment of silence, slowly said, "Chengbo, do you think there are really only rabbits and pheasants in Qingyang Mountain behind our village?"
Xu Chengbo was stunned.
"There are wolves, wild boars, and even giant bears and Spiritual Beasts in the mountain. We are only staying at the foot of the mountain now, so it's safe."
"But the prey in the mountain will eventually run out. To ensure our family always has meat to eat, we have to go deeper."
"By then, the firewood axe in your hand and the wooden stick in my hand won't be for playing; they'll be for saving our lives."
Xu Chengbo's heart trembled violently.
He had always thought that hunting was just for eating meat, never considering anything more.
"I understand, Big Brother." He nodded heavily, "Starting tomorrow, you teach me to practice the stick too!"
"Alright."
The next day, before dawn, when Xu Fan carried a hoe out the door, Xu Chengbo was already silently following behind him, carrying one as well.
"Big Brother, I'm with you."
Xu Fan glanced at him, said nothing more, just nodded.
The two brothers walked one after another towards their family's fields.
The thin morning mist had not yet fully dispersed, carrying the fragrance of earth and green grass, refreshing and invigorating.
Upon reaching the field, Xu Fan did not immediately start working.
He squatted down, picked up a handful of soil, and gently rubbed it in his hand.
[Farming +2 (Proficiency 125/500)]
After advancing to the proficient level, his perspective on this land had completely changed.
He had a general understanding of the soil's moisture and fertility in his heart.
This was not just experience; it was more like an innate instinct.
"Chengbo, look here." Xu Fan pointed to a slightly darker patch of land, "The soil here is stickier, retains water well, but has poor aeration. When we turn the soil, we need to dig deeper, bringing some of the sandy soil from below to neutralize it."
He then pointed to another side: "That side is closer to the water source, the soil is whitish, it's sandy, and water drains too quickly. We need to fetch some silt from the riverbank, mix it in, and increase its fertility."
Xu Chengbo listened, completely bewildered.
In his eyes, soil was just soil; he never knew there were so many intricacies.
He watched his elder brother's calm and unhurried demeanor, as if he were an old farmer who had tended the land his entire life, and his admiration grew.
"Okay, I'll listen to Big Brother."
Xu Fan started working.
With one swing of his hoe, he precisely turned over a complete clod of earth.
His waist, back, and arms moved as one, his movements fluid, without wasting any unnecessary effort.
[Farming Proficiency +1]
[Farming Proficiency +1]
Xu Chengbo imitated him nearby, but his movements were still clumsy, and he was soon breathless with exhaustion.
In contrast, after half an hour, Xu Fan only had a few beads of sweat on his forehead, and his breathing remained steady.
The work that would originally take the father and son a whole day was finished by the two brothers in less than an hour, neat and tidy.
On the way home, Xu Chengbo looked at his elder brother's silhouette, stretched long by the morning sun, and felt that those shoulders could now bear the weight of the entire family.
After breakfast, Xu Fan put down his bowl and chopsticks and said to Yan Aini, who was cleaning up, "Mother, I'm going into the mountain again today."
"Going hunting again?" Yan Aini's heart tightened, and the bowl in her hand almost slipped, "Fan'er, you only practiced that stick yesterday, and you're going again today?"
"The mountain isn't safe. Our family has rice now, enough to eat for a while. Can't we not take that risk?"
"Mother, I'm not going hunting." Xu Fan reassured her, "Last time I went to town, I saw a sign at the entrance of the pharmacy that said they were buying medicinal herbs."
"I want to go into the mountain to look for them. Those things are much more valuable than wild rabbits."
"Medicinal herbs?" Xu Chang, who was listening nearby, frowned even deeper, "You can't just touch those things! If you mistake them, you could die from eating them! What do you, a half-grown child, know about medicinal herbs?"
Even Xu Huining, who was always the most obedient, tugged at Xu Fan's sleeve and whispered, "Big Brother, Mother and Father are right, it's dangerous."
"I know what I'm doing." Xu Fan looked at his family's worried eyes and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his in my arms.
This was something he had specially paid one coin for last time he went to town, asking the pharmacy apprentice to draw several common medicinal herb diagrams from a picture book.
"I'll just look for what's drawn on this, I definitely won't pick randomly."
Looking at the crooked, barely discernible sketches on the paper, the family was half-believing, half-doubting.
Finally, Xu Chang was the first to relent: "If you're going, go. Go early and come back early, don't go into the deep mountains."
"Got it, Father."
Xu Fan put on his back basket, took his firewood axe, and once again headed towards Qingyang Mountain.
This time, his target was no longer the beast trails where wild animals roamed, but the inconspicuous corners within the forest.
Under damp rock faces, beside dark tree roots, along gurgling streams.
He unfolded the sketch and searched according to the diagram.
Then he saw a clump of green plants growing in a rock crevice, with oval leaves and fine serrations along the edges, about seventy percent similar to a medicinal herb called "Stone Grass" drawn on the diagram.
He leaned in for a closer look.
[Herbal Identification Proficiency +1]
A stream of information flooded his mind.
[Stone Grass, also known as "Crushed Stone Orchid", cold in nature, bitter in taste, has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, diuresis and relieving stranguria. Grows on damp rock faces.]
[Age: Three years.]
[Pharmacy purchase price: Fifteen coins per catty.]
It worked!
He carefully used his firewood axe to dig up the entire Stone Grass plant by its roots, shook off the soil, and placed it in his back basket.
With the first success, Xu Fan's confidence greatly increased.
The proficiency panel was like a top-tier teacher, transforming those dry illustrations into new knowledge.
He no longer relied solely on the paper but began to judge comprehensively through smell, touch, and growing environment.
[Herbal Identification Proficiency +1]
[Herbal Identification Proficiency +1]
His tracking skill also came in handy at this time.
He could determine which plants were non-toxic by observing traces of animal gnawing.
He also discovered that some insects would only stay on a specific type of plant.
An hour later, his back basket was already filled with many items.
There was common hemostatic grass, fire-clearing dandelion, and several plants of "Broken Gut Vine" that could treat rheumatism.
Just as he was about to find a place to rest his feet, a sweet, slightly fishy scent wafted into his nostrils.
He followed the scent and, at the edge of a low-lying marsh, saw a plant half a person tall.
The stem of this plant was dark red, like a rusty iron rod, and its leaves were thick, covered with purple spots.
[You have discovered a rare medicinal herb: Iron Bone Root.]
[Appraisal (Beginner 5/100)]
[Appraisal Proficiency +1]
[Iron Bone Root: Warm in nature, primarily strengthens tendons and bones, promotes blood circulation and dispels stasis. Has miraculous effects on old injuries, tendon and bone strain.]
[Age: Fifteen years.]
[Evaluation: The root of this item is slightly toxic and requires special processing methods before it can be used as medicine. It has excellent medicinal properties and can be used to prepare Body Tempering medicinal baths.]
[Estimated value: At least thirty taels of silver!]
Thirty taels of silver!
Xu Fan's heart pounded.
Fifteen-year-old Iron Bone Root!
This item would definitely be considered a treasured commodity at the pharmacy in town!
Thirty taels would be enough to buy a small courtyard in town!
He didn't act immediately but cautiously observed his surroundings.
Medicinal materials of this age usually have guardian beasts nearby.
Sure enough, he found a string of plum blossom-shaped footprints and some black fur in the mud not far away.