Chapter 149: Chapter 144: The Summit of Middle Finger Peak

"Someone beat me to it!"

Xiang Bao arrived under the pine tree. When he saw the disturbed soil on the ground, his expression changed drastically.

He frantically dug away the dirt and yanked out the Pine Amber Sunflower, roots and all. He saw a snapped section on it—the kernel had clearly been taken.

"Who could be so fast?"

Xiang Bao pressed his lips together, his expression flickering between anger and gloom. He suddenly threw the Pine Amber Sunflower to the ground with a vengeance, stomping it into a pulp.

’No, I have to hurry to the summit. I can’t let anyone get ahead of me again!’

...

Rare medicinal herbs mostly grow on sheer cliffs and in the depths of mountains and marshes. This was a piece of wisdom gleaned from the experience of countless herb gatherers, and there was certainly some truth to it.

Zhao Lin reached the summit and, in the crevice of a large rock jutting out over the cliff, discovered a Lonely Immortal Grass.

Lonely Immortal Grass was also called Five-Colored Grass. It was very easy to identify, growing as a single stalk with only five leaves.

The leaves were five-colored—white, cyan, black, red, and yellow—containing the qi of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Although the Lonely Immortal Grass itself wasn’t very potent, it excelled at harmonizing the properties of various medicines, making it an excellent catalyst. In the hierarchy of herbal formulas—monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy—it held the role of "envoy herb."

’I must be the first one to the summit. Otherwise, this Lonely Immortal Grass is so conspicuous, anyone who came up here would have seen it!’

Zhao Lin muttered to himself as he cleanly and deftly removed the Lonely Immortal Grass from the rock crevice and carefully placed it into his herb box.

The mountain wind howled, and the sea of trees below billowed like waves. Looking into the distance, he could see several other peaks, but they were too far away to make out any figures on them.

Zhao Lin circled the summit once more but found no other herbs, so he began his descent down the shaded side of the mountain.

Others were sure to arrive here soon. It was best to leave as early as possible. ’A wise man doesn’t court disaster,’ he thought, ’best to avoid being targeted.’

「A moment later」

Two figures arrived at the summit at almost the same time.

"Zhong Yewu?"

"Xiang Bao!"

Zhong Yewu and Xiang Bao locked eyes. They remained wary of each other while scanning their surroundings, ready to snatch any herb they discovered.

After a brief standoff, Zhong Yewu suddenly grunted in surprise. He pointed to the ground near the cliff’s edge and said, "It looks like someone’s been here."

Xiang Bao quickly looked over. Sure enough, there were footprints on the ground, and a faint footprint remained on the large rock.

Both of them frowned at the same time.

They were the strongest disciples in the Wuxiang Institute. Could someone else have arrived before them?

Whoever it was seemed to have lingered on the summit for a while before leaving at their leisure.

’Could it be someone else?’

Xiang Bao’s eyes flickered as he glanced at Zhong Yewu.

He had discovered the plundered Pine Amber Sunflower in the pine forest earlier, and his first suspect had been Zhong Yewu. Now, it seemed it was someone else entirely.

Zhong Yewu walked to the large rock, peered into the crevice, and said in a low voice, "There should have been an herb here. Someone took it."

Xiang Bao went over and, sure enough, saw a severed root in the crevice.

"Forget it. We can just look elsewhere."

Zhong Yewu was surprisingly nonchalant. After speaking, he didn’t linger and leaped off the summit.

Xiang Bao waited for a moment, then with a flick of his sleeve, released the Silver-spotted Fox. He let out a cold snort. "I won’t be beaten a third time. Whoever you are, you’d better hope I don’t run into you!"

...

The cliff face was covered in dark green moss. Murky black sludge gave off a pungent, acidic stench, and the skeletons of a few animals that had accidentally fallen into the marsh and died were visible.

Zhao Lin and a Mire Toad stared at each other from opposite sides of a swamp.

Thanks to having smelled dozens of rare herbs at the Xuanwu Apothecary, Zhao Lin had found another three herbs in less than half a day.

Although their quality was far inferior to the Pine Amber Sunflower kernel and the Lonely Immortal Grass, they still counted toward his harvest.

Zhao Lin wasn’t sure if the final rankings for the Autumn Hunt would be based on the quality or quantity of herbs; the elders hadn’t specified.

To be safe, it was best to hold a commanding lead in both aspects.

Along the way, he had also dug up a Nine-headed Crow. This herb had excellent nourishing properties, but it wasn’t a martial cultivation ingredient. He planned to take it home for his parents to help them build up their strength.

The shaded side of the mountain rarely saw sunlight, and the air was thick with the smell of dampness.

Zhao Lin made his way to the shoulder of the peak. Following a putrid smell, he arrived at a stretch of swampland.

The swamp was about a hundred-some feet across. It seemed to have once been a pond, but the water had since dried up, leaving only sludge at the bottom.

He immediately spotted a cluster of forty to fifty slender "mushrooms" growing near the cliff face. They were a precious, jade-like white, their caps covered in fine fuzz, giving them the quality of emerging from the mud unstained.

"White-Fuzz Reeds!"

Zhao Lin’s eyes lit up. Although this herb wasn’t high-grade, it was rare to find so many of them growing in one place.

However, he didn’t act immediately. The words of the deacon replayed in his mind.

"White-Fuzz Reeds often grow in dark, decaying places and are slightly toxic. Venomous creatures like scorpions, lizards, centipedes, and toads are often found nearby."

"These creatures consume the White-Fuzz Reeds over long periods and will eventually mutate..."

Zhao Lin stared intently at the swamp but saw no living things. He vibrated his throat, emitting an ultrasonic wave, and finally detected a heartbeat coming from a "rock."

Only then did he realize the "rock" was shaped like a toad. It was as large as a watermelon and covered in sludge, allowing it to blend in perfectly with its surroundings. Its grayish-white eyes blinked only after a long moment.

’So it’s a Mire Toad.’

The deacon had mentioned some of the exotic beasts and insects while explaining the rare herbs, which was how Zhao Lin knew about it.

The Mire Toad could release a toxic mist that would cause any human or beast who inhaled it to fall unconscious immediately. However, it had a placid temperament and generally didn’t attack. It would only use the mist to knock out an animal that fell into its swamp.

Zhao Lin observed his surroundings. The swamp was bordered by cliff faces on two sides and a precipice on the third. If he wanted to get the White-Fuzz Reeds, he would have to sprout wings and fly over.

As it happened, he could fly.

Zhao Lin drew his beef-tendon staff, swung it a few times to create a fierce whistling sound, and then pointed it at the Mire Toad from a distance.

"I won’t kill you, so don’t you get in my way."

With that said, he expelled streams of energy from his acupoints. His body rose into the air. Holding his breath, he bypassed the Mire Toad and hovered above the cluster of White-Fuzz Reeds.

The Mire Toad blinked, a look of shock seemingly on its face. It watched, stunned, as Zhao Lin snatched up all the White-Fuzz Reeds, flew away from the swamp, and strode off into the distance.

After a long while, the Mire Toad let out two croaks. CROAK... CROAK.

...

"Don’t come any closer! If anyone takes another step, I’ll crush them!"

"Stop! Are you crazy..."

From a stretch of rolling hills on the shaded side of the mountain, the faint sounds of an argument could be heard. It seemed like someone was fighting over herbs.

Zhao Lin glanced toward the hills but didn’t stop, continuing on his way.

He had no desire to steal herbs from others at the moment. He could find them faster on his own with that kind of effort. Besides, it was only the first day; no one had much of a harvest yet.

"Try moving again! If I can’t have them, neither can you..."

Zhao Lin stopped in his tracks. The voice sounded familiar. After a moment’s hesitation, he hurried in the direction of the sound.

Rounding two hills, the scene he witnessed almost made him laugh out loud.