Chapter 4 Treasure Hunt 1 A Person Fell From the Sky
The distant, rolling mountains seemed to have opened their giant mouths, and if one entered them, it would be as if one were swallowed up.
At the foot of the mountain, villages built along the river bask in the sunlight, peaceful and serene.
Inside the house on the back hill, Xu Xing found a piece of wood, took a knife, and slowly shaved it into a suitable size to serve as a door latch.
The repetitive mechanical movements gradually calmed her down, but the treasure-hunting compass in her mind still emitted a faint light, pointing towards the depths of the mountains and forests.
Upon unlocking her treasure-hunting skill, Xu Xing's first reaction wasn't excitement, but fear. She didn't even consider venturing into the mountains to try her luck; she abandoned the hemostatic herb and turned back to her house.
Although she hadn't yet witnessed the power of martial arts and immortal cultivation in this world, she knew that treasures were always coveted. If Xu Xing could discover the location of treasures using his treasure-hunting compass, why couldn't the extraordinary individuals of this world do the same?
We still don't know what this treasure is. If it's a valuable treasure, it might bring disaster to the peaceful little river village...
Intending to ignore the movement of the treasure compass, Xu Xing quickly discovered that with her mental control, she could open the life skills panel at will. With a slight thought, the treasure compass disappeared into the panel and stopped flashing.
Xu Xing stopped thinking about the treasure, bolted the door, and began to study the hemostatic herb.
In the game, the "Medical Skill" can be understood as medicine making and alchemy, which is a skill that can create various medicines, and the "Herbal Gathering" skill complements it.
The collected herbs are used to make medicine. Now that Xu Xing has hemostatic herbs, perhaps he can try to synthesize the most basic "hemostatic powder" in the "medicine" skill in the game.
Xu Xing guessed that the hemostatic powder might be for external application, so he took a hemostatic herb and tried to grind it into powder. However, the hemostatic herb was not dried and was still very moist. After grinding it, it turned into a paste, but the skill panel did not respond.
Perhaps it's for internal use?
Since it was a hemostatic herb, it was naturally not poisonous. Xu Xing used the cooking pot in the house to test it. She chopped up a hemostatic herb and put it in the pot to heat it. Worried that it would burn, she turned it over a couple of times. Unexpectedly, the skill panel reacted quickly.
Xu Xing was overjoyed. He checked the menu and found that the [Medical Skill] skill was still grayed out, but the experience bar for the [Cooking] skill had increased slightly, and [Stir-fried Hemostatic Herb] had appeared among the unlocked dishes.
This...this isn't right...
Is this considered a dish?
Xu Xing was stunned for a moment, then he was amused by his own behavior of cooking the hemostatic herb as a dish.
It seems the life skills panel isn't that smart. No matter what the type is, anything that's cooked and edible is classified as a dish.
Xu Xing extinguished the fire and continued to ponder the hemostatic powder.
Logically, if it's for internal use, then eating the hemostatic herb directly or after cooking should both have hemostatic effects. If it's for external application, then there's no difference between paste and powder. The reason she hasn't unlocked the skill is probably because she hasn't triggered the key action.
Xu Xing only had seven hemostatic herbs left, and she didn't have many chances to make mistakes. Instead of continuing to test randomly, she began to think.
She unlocked [Cooking] because she cooked bamboo shoots in a pot, and she unlocked [Herbal Gathering] because she gathered hemostatic herbs. Does this mean that [Medicine] is not related to making medicine, but rather that she needs to treat other people's illnesses?
But she knew absolutely nothing about medicine...
etc!
Wasn't Xu Xing's father, Xu Zhen, a doctor?
Xu Xing recalled that he seemed to have seen a medicine box a few days ago when he was looking for something to eat. Inside were some silver needles and other tools. There was also a medicine furnace in the corner of the room, which must have been used by Doctor Xu when he was alive.
She quickly gathered all the medical-related items in her home and laid them out on the table.
An incomplete set of silver needles, two broken filters, a medicine furnace, a medicine mortar missing its pestle, and several broken earthenware jars for storing medicinal herbs...
Looking at the things on the table, Xu Xing felt that something was missing. She looked at the pottery jar and realized what was wrong.
As a doctor, Xu Zhen would surely have a stock of commonly used medicinal herbs at home, but she hadn't seen anything resembling medicinal herbs in the few days since she transmigrated.
Xu Xing glanced at the newly installed door latch and then at the many missing utensils, and sighed softly, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.
In the past two years, the simple-minded Xu Xing has been unable to protect what his father left behind. Looking at the current state of the family's destitute state, it's likely that anything of value has been taken away by others...
Silently wiping the tools clean, Xu Xing picked out three hemostatic herbs and put them outside to dry, planning to grind them into powder and try it out after they were dried in a couple of days.
As for the stir-fried hemostatic herbs in the pot, although it was only a bite's worth, it was better than nothing. Xu Xing thought for a moment and decided to eat it directly, which made her grimace from the bitterness.
In the afternoon, Xu Xing dug up a few more bamboo shoots at the edge of the bamboo forest. His body was too weak. He had only been able to eat things that were not nutritious during the past few days since he transmigrated. Xu Xing had no way to replenish his energy, which made him pant heavily and feel weak and sore after digging up a few bamboo shoots.
Just as Xu Xing was about to carry the bamboo shoots back into the house, she heard a cry of "Ouch!" and a white light fell from mid-air, bending several bamboo stalks. Startled, she looked closely and realized that what had fallen from the sky was actually a person.
Xu Xing gripped the hoe tightly, slowly backing away, watching the figure hidden under the bamboo leaves warily.
"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"
Zuo Qiuxu spat out the dirt in his mouth, covered in dust, and crawled out from behind the bamboo. He immediately saw the little girl watching him from not far away.
Upon seeing her golden eyes, Zuoqiu Xu immediately picked up his longsword from the ground and shouted, "Who goes there?!"
This young man possessed an extraordinary air about him; he was handsome, dressed exquisitely, and even carried a sword…
Xu Xing reasonably suspected that the other party was a cultivator from this world.
What a coincidence! Her treasure-hunting compass had just detected treasure in the back mountain, and now an immortal has arrived so quickly.
Panicked, fearing she would be killed as a monster, she hurriedly explained, "I...I live here..."
Zuo Qiuxu was skeptical, as he hadn't sensed any demonic energy, but he still didn't lower his sword. "Where is this place? How come a little girl like you is all alone in this desolate mountain?"
Xu Xing dared not refuse to answer. She was nervous, but she had to appear completely at ease. "I..."
Just as Zuo Qiuxu was about to speak, a whooshing sound came from behind them, and a figure in white rode a sword and landed steadily in front of the two of them.
"Senior Brother Xiang! Look at her..."
Xiang Yuquan jumped off the sword and immediately noticed Xu Xing's eyes.
He used some unknown method, and Xu Xing only saw a white light fly towards her. She thought that the other party was about to attack without warning, and with nowhere to hide, she could only close her eyes tightly.
To his surprise, the white light only made Xu Xing feel a chill running through his body, but he was not harmed in any way.
A moment later, she heard one of their voices say, "Just a mortal."
Upon hearing this, not only Zuo Qiuxu, but also Xu Xing felt relieved.
She had already doubted her own identity, but unexpectedly, meeting these two people confirmed that she was not a monster. It seems that her eyes were indeed just a genetic mutation.
Xiang Yuquan's expression softened considerably. He sheathed his longsword, took two steps forward, and said softly, "I'm sorry, we startled you, young lady. We were just passing by and meant no harm."
Zuo Qiuxu also spoke up to explain, "Little sister, don't be afraid! We're not bad people!"
"..."
Seemingly realizing that his words had frightened the little girl even more, Zuoqiu Xu removed the bamboo leaf from his shoulder and tried his best to smile in a harmless manner. "Little sister, may I ask where this place is? What is the name of this mountain?"
Xu Xing then opened his eyes, looking like a shy little girl, and said in a soft voice, "This is Xiahe Village, and that mountain is Huiling Mountain."
At this moment, Xu Xing was glad that he had asked Zhao Linglan a lot of questions about the village, otherwise she wouldn't even have been able to answer the question about the name of the mountain.
"Senior Brother Xiang, we've never heard anyone in the sect mention this mountain before. It must just be an ordinary mountain in the mortal realm, so there shouldn't be any danger. Let's go in quickly!"
Zuo Qiuxu was glad he had taken a detour, otherwise he would never have discovered the treasure! Who would have thought that a simple mountain in a mortal realm with scarce spiritual energy would actually emit spiritual light?
That purple light must mean something good!
Xiang Yuquan frowned. A serpent spirit?
He looked at the timid-looking girl and asked, "Are there large snakes lurking in this mountain?"
Xu Xing was now certain that they had come for the treasure in the mountains. She shook her head in fear, "I...I don't know..."
"What would such a young child know? Let's hurry! What if someone else gets there first?"
Seeing Xiang Yuquan's leisurely manner, Zuo Qiuxu was so anxious that he stomped his feet.
Xiang Yuquan ignored him and said to Xu Xing, "Little girl, it's dangerous in the mountains. It's best not to play around alone nearby. You should go home first."
The young man had a handsome face, and his appearance was even more gentle and approachable than the previous one. He spoke softly and certainly did not seem like a person with malicious intent.
Xu Xing asked timidly, "Are you...are you immortals?"
Xiang Yuquan smiled slightly, "We are disciples of the Jade Cloud Sect, but we are merely people seeking immortality and do not deserve the title of 'immortals'."
Xu Xing breathed a slight sigh of relief; the Jade Cloud Sect sounded like a reputable and righteous sect.
If they are truly after the treasure, I hope they can obtain it successfully and leave as soon as possible, so as not to cause any further trouble and affect Xiahe Village.
Xu Xing didn't dare to be curious about what happened next. He turned around and was about to go home when he heard the boy who had fallen first urging the other one to hurry up and go into the mountains.
"We can't rush things. The two of us aren't strong enough. I'll send a message to Senior Brother Shen right now. It would be safest to go together with him."
"Oh dear! You know how weak Senior Brother Shen is! With him around, even a duck that's already in your grasp will fly away!"
"..."
He couldn't hear what was said after that, so Xu Xing quickened his pace and went back to the cabin.
However, just as darkness fell, there was a knock on Xu Xing's door.
Is anyone home?
Recognizing the voices as those of the two young cultivators from earlier that day, Xu Xing's heart skipped a beat. After a moment's hesitation, she opened the door.
If a cultivator really wants to come in, her broken door latch won't be able to stop him.
Xiang Yuquan was surprised to find that it was the same little girl from earlier that day who opened the door. He glanced inside and saw the entire structure of the small house, its furnishings were extremely dilapidated, and there was no sign that any adults had lived there...
Xiang Yuquan realized something and lowered his voice, "I'm sorry to bother you so late. Could you please take us to the village chief? We have something important to discuss."
A note from the author:
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