Chapter 141: Mo Lan Gathering Herbs

Molan rose at the break of dawn. Although she had a mountain to climb to gather herbs, she meticulously fed Qianyin her medicine, cleaned the bowl, and changed her clothes before preparing to depart.

Equipped with a small basket, a knife, and a length of rope, she slipped into a pair of shoes suitable for trekking. Satisfied with her preparations, she smiled and headed to her car, intending to forage in the area where the Old Immortal once lived. In the busyness of the past few days, she had completely forgotten that the Boss’s base was located right here on Wolf-Bear Mountain.

As she settled into the driver’s seat, four little figures appeared at the gate. Today, they were dressed in matching outfits of the same style, each in a different color. These clothes were also designed for mountain climbing; they could not bear to let Molan go off alone to face danger, especially since she was unfamiliar with the terrain. What if something were to happen?

Xiao Bei, dressed in black, twitched his lip. He remembered that when he first arrived here, he had been a fair-skinned, tender youth, but now he was practically as dark as charcoal. There was no help for it; the sun was too scorching and life too harsh. He had no choice but to climb the mountains to gather herbs. The thought of how long it would take to regain his fair complexion filled him with regret.

"Did you apply sunscreen? Alright, get in the car; we need to follow her immediately. If something happens to her, Sister Qianyin will be both angry and heartbroken. Even though she wouldn't be as devastated if something happened to me, we cannot let Sister Qianyin be saddened," Dong said with a resigned sigh as he took the driver’s seat. The other three boys nodded silently and climbed in with practiced grace.

Molan drove steadily, finding the athletic gear she wore quite comfortable. The scenery along the way was lovely; after several days of rain, the grass had been nourished and was growing wildly, while the flowers vied for attention, each seeming to try and outshine the others.

Molan did not notice the four little figures trailing behind her. She did, however, notice a car flash by ahead—it looked like Boss Jin’s. Boss Jin should be far too busy to be out this way.

Never mind, she thought; she shouldn't overthink it. Getting precious herbs to appease the Old Immortal was more important than anything else. She had to be back by noon, or she would miss the time to feed Qianyin her medicine. With this in mind, she accelerated, no longer sparing a glance for the scenery, focusing only on the road ahead.

She turned onto a smaller path and soon reached the foot of the mountain, where she parked her car and slung her gear over her shoulders.

Testing the weight, she found it quite light. With her knife in hand, she began to climb slowly, keeping a sharp eye out for valuable herbs. The weeds were dense and difficult to distinguish, making the ascent challenging. Molan looked up at the towering peaks and decided to venture deeper into the forest. Some of the herbs near the road were tainted by car exhaust, and since they were for Qianyin, she wanted to find the cleanest, highest-quality specimens.

As Molan climbed, the four boys arrived and followed close behind, helping her search. They had learned much more about herbs than Molan recently, making the hunt easier and more efficient.

Molan assumed the sounds behind her were just birds or small animals and paid them no mind, keeping her head down as she searched. Sometimes insects flew into her eyes, or tree branches scratched her face, causing sharp stings. Stubbornly, she neither cried out nor paused, continuing her search with her head bowed. She would crouch down occasionally, only to find the area choked with weeds and crawling with insects.

She finally understood why the four boys were so tanned; the sun was punishingly fierce. Even in the early morning, standing in one spot for an hour was enough to peel a layer of skin off.

Molan began searching under the trees, having spotted what looked like a Ganoderma mushroom. It looked quite perfect, and just as she reached out to pluck it, a knife suddenly thudded into the earth an inch from her hand.

"Who dares to forage in our territory? Don't you know this is our land?" A hoarse voice emerged. Two figures in black, wearing masks, appeared—one following behind the other, who seemed to be the leader.

Molan looked up sharply, recognizing the masks. It dawned on her that the flower thief had been telling the truth—the Boss’s men really were on Wolf-Bear Mountain. But the mountain was so vast that she had no idea where their specific base was; she hadn't expected to run into them while just picking herbs.

Molan drew her own knife and lunged, intending to take them down. Every strike was aimed at their shoulders, not their vitals. She wasn't familiar with the terrain, putting her at a disadvantage, but these two were simply too weak.

They were no match for her and were defeated within moments. Molan didn't take their lives; she quickly plucked the Ganoderma and tucked it into her basket. She turned to pull off their masks, only to find they had already bitten down on poison and taken their own lives.

Molan let out a sigh. The four boys caught up behind her. Hearing footsteps, Molan whipped around, knife raised, before realizing who it was and sheepishly lowering her weapon.

Faced with her sudden aggression, the four boys took a step back. Dong looked at the two bodies on the ground and then at the surroundings before asking, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It seems that flower thief was telling the truth. The Boss’s base really is nearby. I had forgotten all about it, and with Qianyin back, I thought it was all just a ruse." Molan waved her hand dismissively, though in reality, she had fallen twice during the scuffle, and her palms were bleeding from small cuts.

Seeing this, Dong stepped forward, plucked some herbs, chewed them into a paste, and spat them onto his hand. He then reached for Molan’s hand and carefully applied the poultice.

Molan frowned; she didn't like the idea of someone else's saliva and found it rather impolite, but seeing his good intentions, she endured it in silence. The herbs stung as they touched her skin, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

The three other boys went off to gather herbs elsewhere, ignoring the scene entirely. Once finished, Dong released her hand and walked away to continue his own work, not caring about her expression or her thoughts.

Molan watched them go, feeling that it would be very difficult to return to the way things were before. She tucked her injured hand behind her back and bowed her head to continue foraging.

After several hours, their baskets were full, and they began the slow descent. The path down was treacherous, especially with their heavy loads, and they had to be careful not to damage the herbs.

Each step had to be steady, making their progress slow. Molan looked up at the sky; they would certainly be late for the medicine time, but she hoped the Old Immortal would manage it.