Chapter 47: Lost in the Desolate Mountains

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  According to the county annals of Sanshan County, Wufeng Mountain stretches for hundreds of miles. The mountain range within the borders of Sanshan County is only a small part of the entire mountain range. Hundreds of miles are just a straight-line distance; if you also consider the rugged mountain roads and undulating peaks, it would be thousands of miles if they were all stretched out, which is still an understatement.

  The Sun family has been engaged in medicinal herb collection for generations. In the booklet copied by Sun Jianing for Li Wenjun, there is a map of Wufeng Mountain drawn by them. However, this map only depicts the outer periphery of Wufeng Mountain, roughly within a hundred miles from the foot of the mountain to the inside. Further in, even the Sun family, who are experienced medicinal herb collectors, have not ventured.

  In general, the range of one hundred miles is enough for medicinal purposes. Continuing to venture deeper, on the one hand, is unnecessary, and on the other hand, it also faces many practical problems. For example, supplies are not easy to solve, there are more wild beasts, and once injured, it will be much harder to withdraw from Wufeng Mountain.

  Li Wenjun started by following the map given to him by the Sun family, wandering around the outer reaches of Wufeng Mountain. The last time he entered the mountain to pick herbs, he basically searched for medicinal plants within this range.

  However, Li Wenjun soon discovered that due to the snow cover, it was originally difficult to find medicinal herbs. If he still insisted on staying in this area where people often picked medicinal herbs, it would greatly reduce the probability of successfully finding medicinal herbs.

  After understanding this point, Li Wenjun walked into the deep mountains without hesitation. This can also be considered as having a strong artistic talent and being bold, relying on his cultivation to the first layer of Qi Refining, he was confident that he would have more ways to save his life than ordinary herb collectors.

  Not long after entering the Wufeng Mountains, Li Wenjun found a lush patch of medicinal herbs in a small valley. The valley was sheltered from the wind and snow, with only a small amount of snow falling here, and most of the herb's branches and leaves were exposed outside, making it easy for Li Wenjun to discover.

  Li Wenjun was overjoyed, jumped into the valley, dug open the snow, and dug out dozens of medicinal herbs, which were all collected in a medicine basket. Such a huge harvest made Li Wenjun even more determined to continue searching in the deep mountains.

  Before he knew it, Li Wenjun had spent nearly two months in the deep mountains. The snow that covered the Five Peaks had not only melted away, but the trees had also turned green and the willows were sprouting new buds. Spring had quietly arrived, driving away the harsh winter.

  In the past fifty or sixty days, Li Wenjun spent all his time except for practicing and sleeping on picking medicinal herbs. His harvest was very large, he calculated that it could be used to make more than 200 doses of medicine. If he took two doses a day, he wouldn't have to worry about not having enough medicine to bathe in for the next three months.

  When entering the mountain, the dry food brought was already finished. Li Wenjun was hungry and hunted, or searched for mountain fruits or edible plant roots to eat. When thirsty, he ate snow. Later, when there was no more snow, he drank from streams. If not, he drank the blood of the prey.

  Such days were bitter, but compared to the time he was fleeing, it could be said that he was living in heaven. Moreover, from time to time, he could pick some medicinal herbs, and with a harvest, no matter how hard or tired Li Wenjun was, he was still sweet as honey.

  Li Wenjun regretted a bit, when he first entered the mountain, he should have brought the sand pot and bathtub with him. If he had brought them, he could have directly soaked in the hot spring to cultivate inside the mountain.

  But that's just a thought, his storage package space is limited, and the bathtub can't be stuffed in at all. He can only carry it on his back, with such a large bathtub on his back, climbing mountains and wading through water, not to mention talking. Not to mention anything else, at least his medicine collection efficiency will be greatly affected.

  Li Wenjun patted the storage pouch that was almost full of herbs and decided to take a different route back. If he came across suitable herbs, he would pick some; if not, he wouldn't bother. For now, the most important thing was to consume the herbs in the storage pouch as soon as possible and raise his cultivation realm.

  That day, Li Wenjun got lost again. He climbed to the top of a mountain and looked into the distance to see which way he should go in order to get out of the mountains.

  When he stood on the top of the mountain, looking far into the distance, before he could even take a second glance, a wisp of blue smoke suddenly rose from the distant valley. The blue smoke drifted lazily, carrying with it a hint of gunpowder smell.

  Where there's smoke, there's fire. Li Wenjun furrowed his brow. This was deep in the mountains of Wufengshan, far from any village or town, desolate and remote, with hardly anyone ever passing through. Yet, why would smoke appear in such a place? No matter how you looked at it, it seemed suspicious.

  Li Wenjun shook his head, as long as it didn't interfere with his business, he didn't care if others were narrow-minded or not, he just focused on his own path.

  But soon, Li Wenjun found that he still had to go and take a look at the place where the smoke was rising. The reason is simple, it seems to be the only way out of the surrounding mountains. Unless Li Wenjun is willing to spend several days going around, otherwise, he must pass through the place where the smoke is rising.

  Li Wenjun didn't want to waste time, so after finding that he couldn't go around, he decided to walk past. However, he didn't take action rashly, but instead lay on the mountain top, patiently observing the movements over there.

  He wanted to see who was making a fire in the depths of the mountain, and once he had determined the owner of the smoke and fire, he would be able to determine how to deal with the sudden situation.

  This time, when Li Wenjun first entered the mountain, he was full of confidence, thinking that as a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage, nothing could pose a threat to him. It wasn't until after he had spent nearly two months in the mountains and encountered various dangers while collecting herbs that he realized even without encountering other cultivators, he was still far from being safe, and there were many unexpected situations that could threaten him.

  With a clear understanding, Li Wenjun became more and more cautious, planning carefully before acting, and the impulsive and rash elements in his character gradually decreased.

  After observing for a while, there was no significant change in the mountain pass. From start to finish, Li Wenjun did not see anyone.

  Li Wenjun lay on the mountain, motionless, maintaining this posture until the next morning when the smoke and fire in the valley had dissipated under the bright sky, after which he never appeared again.

  This scene is just like a wildfire suddenly appearing in the mountains, but it didn't catch fire and naturally went out.

  Li Wenjun lost his patience to wait any longer, he slung the medicine basket over his back, tied the mountain knife at his waist, held a hunting spear in his hand, and walked through the bushes towards the valley.