But before opening the shop, there are two important things Shen Yuan needs to do: first, contact medicinal herb farmers in various villages in the city to ensure supply; second, find some precious medicinal herbs that can be used to enhance the shop's reputation, such as ginseng and lingzhi.
After having a plan, Shen Yuan decided to go to Nanlu Mountain the next day.
Nanlu Mountain is the most majestic mountain range outside Jian'an City, with thirteen peaks stretching for hundreds of miles. The mountains are high and the valleys are deep, and it is shrouded in clouds all year round, making it very suitable for the growth of medicinal herbs.
Shen Yuan packed her things and chose a sunny day to go into the mountains.
She was dressed in a brown outfit with the cuffs and pant legs tied up high. Her hair was simply pinned up in a bun wrapped in a rag and piled on her head. Her eyebrows were also blackened with charcoal, making her look like a tomboy.
Shen Yuan searched the mountains for most of the day but didn't find any precious medicinal herbs. She did collect two large baskets of common herbs, which she hid in a cave before continuing to climb the mountain.
Having finally come all this way to Nanlu Mountain, she was determined to bring back some valuable things!
Using a tree branch he had picked up at random, Shen Yuan climbed step by step to the highest peak on the southern slope of the mountain.
She heard that the Southern Mountain is home to Crane Blood Flower, a very rare flower that blooms only in spring and autumn. Both the stamens and petals can be used in medicine. If made into powder, it can stop bleeding instantly when applied to a wound. If made into pills and taken orally, it can save the life of someone who has lost all their qi and blood.
High-ranking officials and nobles would prepare this Crane Blood Flower when giving birth, as it could save a woman's life if she suffered severe bleeding during childbirth.
However, Crane Blood Flower only grows in the crevices of rocks on cliffs, making it extremely difficult to pick. If one is not careful, the herb gatherer will fall into the abyss. Moreover, even if one is lucky enough to pick it, the flower is delicate and the petals will fall off if one is too strong. Once the flower falls off, it loses its medicinal properties, which means all the previous efforts are wasted.
Because of its rarity, this flower is extremely expensive, with a single plant selling for hundreds of taels of silver.
Shen Yuan thought that even if she didn't find ginseng or lingzhi on this trip, finding a few crane blood flowers wouldn't be a loss!
Having climbed to the highest peak, Shen Yuan carried a bamboo basket and slowly made her way to the edge of the cliff. Looking down, she saw a bottomless valley shrouded in mist, dark and deep, as if a giant beast was lurking below, which made her feel fearful.
Despite the fear, we still had to do it!
Shen Yuan took out a leather rope from her basket. This rope was specially made by her, woven from thin strips of cowhide and hemp rope, making it stronger than ordinary hemp rope.
She tied one end of the leather rope to a large tree about the thickness of a person next to the cliff, and the other end to her waist, and then slowly slid down the edge of the cliff.
As the afterglow of the setting sun spilled into the valley, Shen Yuan actually spotted a cluster of white flowers amidst the orange glow. The petals were slender and long, resembling the neck of a crane, while the edges of the petals were extremely red, like the blood of a crane. It was exactly the same as the Crane Blood Flower she had seen in her book.
She said she had extraordinary luck when it came to collecting herbs!
She actually discovered the Crane Blood Flower!
Shen Yuan gripped the leather rope and carefully moved her body step by step toward the Crane Blood Flower.
She didn't know how long she had been moving, but Shen Yuan was covered in a fine layer of sweat. She wiped her forehead and took another step toward the flower plant that was right next to her.
The leather rope could only go this far. Shen Yuan stopped in place and stretched out her arm to reach the Crane Blood Flower that was so close at hand.
There are three Crane Blood Flower plants in total, and the one closest to her is just one finger's width away from her fingertip.
Shen Yuan leaned her upper body, straining to reach the nearest Crane Blood Flower. She stretched her arms as far as she could, trying her best to reach it. Finally! She touched the Crane Blood Flower!
Shen Yuan was overjoyed and reached out to pull the flower plant. She wanted to uproot the plant, but unfortunately, she only managed to pluck a handful of petals.
Looking at the snow-white and blood-red petals in her hand, Shen Yuan felt so heartbroken that she could hardly breathe. If these petals could not be used to make medicine on the spot, the sap inside the petals would dry up and lose its medicinal properties.
She went through so much trouble to pick just one plant, and now she can't use it. It's such a waste!
Just then, a muffled groan came from not far behind her, sounding like a man's voice.
Shen Yuan froze on the spot. She took out the dagger from her bosom and looked around warily. Soon she spotted the man's shadow on a crooked tree halfway up the mountain.
They were quite far apart, and Shen Yuan couldn't see the other person's face clearly. She could only see that his blue robe was stained with blood, which covered his entire body and was dark and black in color, indicating that he had not been injured for a long time.
This man has been hanging on this old pine tree for who knows how many days, and despite bleeding so much, he is still not quite dead!
That's incredibly resilient!
Shen Yuan clicked her tongue inwardly. She looked down at the petals in her hand, then at the man hanging in the tree, pondering whether or not she should save him.
The man also noticed Shen Yuan and gently shook the branch, as if asking her for help.
Shen Yuan took a deep breath.
In principle, she didn't know the man at all, and he hadn't paid her for his medical treatment, so she had no obligation to help him. Besides, the man was so badly injured that he clearly had enemies, and if helping him caused unnecessary trouble, it wouldn't be a good thing for her.
But for a doctor, saving lives is her natural mission. She couldn't remain indifferent to someone who asked her for help, or watch him die before her eyes.
Moreover, this was the first time she had picked Crane Blood Flower, and she wanted to personally test its medicinal properties!
Shen Yuan exhaled a breath of stale air, no longer dwelling on it, and turned to crawl in the opposite direction from the Crane Blood Flower.
With one hand gripping the leather rope around her body and the other bracing herself against the rocky cliff, Shen Yuan carefully moved to the side of the crooked old pine tree that grew out of the rocky cliff.
As she got closer, she realized that the man hanging in the tree was exceptionally handsome, with long, slender eyebrows, deep eyes, and thin, pink lips beneath a high, straight nose. There were also a few drops of blood on his face, giving him a bewitching and alluring appearance, like a bewitching monster.
Seeing the man looking at her, Shen Yuan asked, "Do you want me to save you?"
The man didn't answer, but simply nodded his chin. This simple action caused him to cough up blood again, staining the green branches beside him.
"Treatment and healing require consultation fees. Do you have any consultation fees on you?" Shen Yuan asked again.
The man closed his eyes silently, then gently raised his fingertip and pointed to his waist.
Shen Yuan glanced at the man's waist and saw a gold medal that had been cut in half. Her eyes lit up immediately; someone actually wore such a large piece of gold on their person—no wonder they were being chased and fell off a cliff!
This means we've attracted the attention of thieves!
Shen Yuan loosened the leather rope in her hands and nimbly climbed up the old pine tree. Fortunately, the old pine tree had been rooted in this cliff for hundreds of years, and even with the two of them on its back, it only trembled and did not break.
Shen Yuan settled herself on the old pine tree, then took out the Crane Blood Flower from the bamboo basket, put it in her mouth and chewed it. At the same time, her hands were not idle; she pulled open the man's robe to check his injuries.
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