Her face was ashen, her lips cracked and dry, yet her eyes darted nimbly in the dim light, studying the old physician before her. He wore a rough tunic, his hair was streaked with gray, and a thick scent of medicinal herbs clung to his clothes.
"Slow down, lass. Drink the medicine, and you'll be well soon," the white-haired, ruddy-cheeked old physician said, his eyes full of kindness.
Shao Yutong struggled to sit up, forcing a look of utter gratitude onto her face. Her voice was weak, yet sweet enough to cloy: "Thank you so much for saving my life, old sir! This humble girl has nothing to repay you with..."
As she spoke, she tremblingly slipped a jade bracelet with a rich, glossy luster from her wrist and pressed it into the old physician's hand. "This bracelet isn't worth much, but it is this humble girl's sincerest wish. Please, you must accept it, or I shall never feel at peace!"
Zhan Yurong's eyes flickered.
This bracelet was actually the lowest-quality piece of jewelry in their bundle. After the old physician had saved her daughter, Shao Yutong had taken it out and worn it on her wrist.
Zhan Yurong had not understood why her daughter had done that then, but now she saw clearly. Her daughter wanted the old physician to believe that this was the only valuable thing they owned.
A gift given under those circumstances would seem truly precious.
"No, I cannot!" The old physician waved his hands in refusal. "This is something you rely on for protection. How could I possibly take it?"
"Old sir, your great grace in saving my life is more than I can ever repay. If you refuse to accept even this small worldly possession from me, I shall be so ashamed I won't know where to hide my face," Shao Yutong said, her words ringing with complete sincerity, her attitude unwavering. The old physician could not refuse any longer, and finally accepted the bracelet. Now that he had gained something from them, and was flattered by Shao Yutong's praises of him as a "miracle physician reborn" and a "kind-hearted bodhisattva", he grew talkative.
He was a barefoot doctor who lived nearby, well-traveled and experienced, and spent all year wandering through the deep mountains and old forests. He knew exactly where all the precious medicinal herbs grew in the area, and rarely had anyone to chat with about them. Now that he had an audience, he could not help but boast.
"I'm not bragging, but in all the hills for a hundred miles around, I know exactly under which rock fine herbs hide, and in which forest treasures can be found!" The old physician's voice boomed, sounding especially loud in the quiet cave. "Take the old forest ten miles to the south, for example. The trees there reach high into the sky, and sunlight never touches the ground, but it is full of poria. Walk west, and on the shady cliff walls, there are years-old Dendrobium officinale growing everywhere. And in the Savage Ditch to the north, there is a deep marsh at the far end. You might even stumble upon a fully formed fleece-flower root right by the edge!"
Shao Yutong listened with half her attention, for she had no interest in common medicinal herbs.
But the old physician was growing more and more enthusiastic. He lowered his voice and said to her, "And there's more. Beneath the Eagle Beak Cliff, there is a deep pool. On the rotting logs by the pool, grows purple ganoderma that is more precious than ginseng. Each one is as wide as the palm of your hand."
He held out his own palm to gesture, his eyes shining bright.
Shao Yutong's eyelids twitched sharply. She had never imagined such a divine herb could exist in this world!
She asked, feigning naivety, "Old sir, then why don't you go dig them up?"
"Hey, little girl, those heavenly treasures are not so easy to harvest. The terrain is dangerous, they are guarded by snakes, insects, rats and ants, and what's more, some are watched over by great powers, who wait for the herbs to fully ripen before they come to claim them. Ordinary people never stand a chance!"
Shao Yutong looked as if a great realization had dawned on her. "I see. Old sir, you truly know so much! But there are some divine herbs you might not have heard of, right? Like the seven-leaf flower that can bring the dying back to life? That must be the real treasure, isn't it? I wonder if it's even real..."
"The seven-leaf flower?!" The old physician's eyes lit up the second he heard those words, and his voice rose several octaves, brimming with proud excitement. "Hey! Little girl, you even know about the seven-leaf flower? That is the most precious treasure under heaven! A legendary spiritual herb! My master's master was the only one who ever told me about it!"
He was spitting as he spoke, pouring out every last bit of rumor he knew about the seven-leaf flower: "They say the seven-leaf flower's seed falls to the ground, and it has to absorb the sun and moon's essence for seven whole years before it even dares to break through the soil. After it sprouts, it takes another full seven years just to grow its leaves, one by one, so slowly.
And that's not even all. After all its leaves are fully grown, it has to wait another seven years before it even dares to form a bud. Then it takes seven years to bloom, and seven more to bear fruit. From seed to fruit, you can't do it in less than two or three decades!"
He smacked his lips, his face full of longing, and continued, "The most magical thing is that before it forms a bud, it looks exactly like ordinary wild grass in the mountains. Hidden in a patch of weeds, even a god couldn't tell it apart.
But once it starts to bud, hey! Then it's something else entirely. The whole bud glows with flowing, rainbow-colored light, and it even shines on its own at night, so you can spot it from miles away. It's unbelievably wondrous!"
Shao Yutong was so captivated by the story that her breath came in quick gasps.
This was exactly what she had been looking for! If she could get her hands on this divine herb, she would never have to worry about turning her fate around!
The old physician was growing more and more excited, and he lowered his voice, speaking with a mysterious air. "I've also heard that the world's greatest apothecary, the Valley Master of Heartless Valley, needs the seven-leaf flower as a medicinal ingredient to cure his wife's terminal illness. But the flower is so incredibly hard to find, that he sent countless top experts to sneak into the Imperial Hospital and steal a medical book called... *The Secret Records of Materia Medica*.
They say that book records the appearance of the seven-leaf flower and the places where it is most likely to grow. The people from Heartless Valley sent their best men to guard those locations for over ten years. Doing the math, these past few years must be exactly when the seven-leaf flower is supposed to bloom. Chances are, they've already picked it!"
Shao Yutong's heart thumped wildly. Heartless Valley!
*The Secret Records of Materia Medica*!
These pieces of information were like thunderclaps exploding in her mind.
She could almost see a shortcut leading straight to power and status stretching out before her.
Carried away by his own story, the old physician's voice grew louder again, especially when he said the words "Heartless Valley", which he spoke with a tone of showing off.
Just at that moment, outside the cave, two men in gray tight-fitting outfits, sharp-faced and cold, with medicine pouches hanging from their waists, darted past at great speed.
Their hearing was exceptionally sharp. The moment they caught the words "Heartless Valley" drifting from inside the cave, they stopped dead, exchanged a glance, and a fierce glint flashed in both their eyes.
The loss of the seven-leaf flower from Heartless Valley was the valley's top most classified secret. The entire valley had mobilized all their forces to search for clues everywhere. No mention of anything related to Heartless Valley could be allowed to slip by unnoticed!
Boom!
With a deafening crash, the vines and rocks blocking the cave entrance were blown apart by a powerful force!
The two gray-clad men drifted into the cave like ghosts, their icy gazes locking instantly onto the three people by the campfire.
"Who dares to speak of our Heartless Valley without permission?!" the leading man rasped, his voice thick with killing intent.
The old physician was so terrified his soul nearly left his body. The medicine bowl in his hand clattered to the ground and shattered.
Zhan Yurong shrieked and hid behind Shao Yutong.
Shao Yutong's face had also gone deathly pale, but she forced herself to stay calm, her mind racing to think up an excuse.
The gray-clad man's sharp eyes swept over the dregs of the medicine on the ground, the disheveled state of Shao Yutong and her mother, and caught the strong scent of herbs on the old physician. He snorted coldly. "You all look highly suspicious. You are connected to the stolen item from our valley. Seize them!"
