The three of them walked to the foot of the Great Wilderness Mountain.
The mountains and forests are dense and stretch as far as the eye can see.
Because of the heavy rain the day before, the soil was a bit soft, and Xu Nuo had only taken a few steps when her white sneakers were splattered with a lot of black mud.
She immediately regretted not wearing the rain boots Li Xian had given her.
Luo Chen walked in front and turned to the two of them, saying, "No one usually goes into this mountain forest. We'll only go to the outer area to find some medicinal herbs. Be sure not to get separated."
"Mm." Xu Nuo nodded, watching the ground beneath her feet and trying her best not to step into the mud.
After walking for a while, there was a large patch of wild pearl grass on the mountain wall ahead. Xu Nuo didn't recognize the herb, but Luo Chen did: "It's pearl grass."
The herb *Phyllostachys edulis* has heat-clearing and detoxifying properties. Some villagers dry it and boil it with honeysuckle to prevent heatstroke during summer work.
The three of them picked the cattail grass and put it into the basket.
The area outside the mountain was relatively safe, with few wild animals, so the three of them separated a short distance to see if they could find anything of value.
Xu Nuo looked at the plants covering the mountains and fields, feeling somewhat troubled, as she didn't recognize any of them. In the end, she had no choice but to run back to meet up with them and help pick some small things.
The vegetation was lush, and wild rabbits would dart around from time to time. Xu Nuo held her breath, trying to catch one, but Luo Chen said, "You can't catch them without tools. These wild rabbits are very fast."
Sure enough, the wild rabbit disappeared before anyone even got close.
Xu Nuo watched the rabbit's retreating figure with disappointment.
They found many good things on the mountain in one afternoon, and their biggest gain was digging up two wild ginseng roots.
To replant the ginseng, it was dug up along with the soil. Xu Nuo carefully placed it in a small bamboo basket and secretly added a lot of herbal water.
Xu Yan looked at the soil and said, "The vegetation in this area isn't growing well. There must be other ginseng plants absorbing nutrients. Let's split up and search, but don't go too far."
Xu Nuo nodded and walked forward. She squatted down and examined the details inch by inch. Because she was so focused on the comparison, she ended up walking quite a distance.
When they turned around, Luo Chen and Xu Yan were no longer in sight.
She called out, "Sister, Xu Yan."
No one answered her.
She had no choice but to turn back, and ended up in a circular area, unable to tell which way to turn back.
He looked around and reluctantly picked a direction to walk forward.
This time, she didn't care if her shoes got dirty; she just wanted to find Xu Yan quickly. But after walking for a long time, she still couldn't see the two of them.
She shouted, "Luo Chen, Xu Yan!"
The mountains and forests were deserted, with only the sound of the wind answering her.
Xu Nuo panicked immediately, gripping her backpack straps tightly with both hands and looking around nervously.
She not only got separated from them, but also got lost.
It was getting dark, so Xu Nuo had to keep walking, calling out as she went, "Xu Yan, Luo Chen."
Something darted past her with a "whoosh," startling her so much that her face turned pale, and she took off running in the opposite direction.
...
On the other side, Xu Yan looked anxious and was extremely worried.
She and Luo Chen walked for more than three hours in the mountains and forests, but still couldn't find Xu Nuo.
Xu Yan's eyes reddened with regret: "It's all my fault, I shouldn't have gone too far just now."
She found a clump of wild Panax notoginseng along a small path and called Luo Chen to come over. Because they had run far away, they didn't hear Xu Nuo calling for help.
When they returned to the original spot after digging up the Panax notoginseng, Xu Nuo had already gotten separated from them.
Luo Chen glanced at the sky; it was already dark. If they delayed any longer, neither he nor Xu Yan would necessarily be able to find their way down the mountain.
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