Chapter 21 The Thirst for Knowledge

That night, Xu Qing had a dream. It was the first time in over six years that he resided in such a luxurious house, and also the first time he didn’t feel the cold outside. Moreover, it was a rare night filled with dreams. In the dream, this world was not cruel; the sky did not bear the remnants of divine beings, and his parents were by his side, even having an older brother. He carefree went to school with a group of friends, returned to a warm home after school, had a warm dinner with family, and fell into a beautiful sleep. However, the appearance of his family members in the dream was somewhat blurry. He wanted to see them clearly, but a veil of mist always shrouded them, until dawn arrived. Lying in bed, Xu Qing opened his eyes. He gazed at the ceiling, calming down for a moment, as if he had completely awakened from the dream, silently looking around... In the gray-black brick and tile room, there were not only tables and chairs and a bed but also a washroom. The floor still held some residual warmth, leftover from last night’s stove. On the floor, there was a woven mat, and next to it stood an empty bookshelf. It seemed simple, yet in Xu Qing’s heart, it felt very luxurious. Xu Qing took a deep breath, walked towards the washroom, carefully reached out to touch the water, watching as his dirty hands slowly regained their color, then quickly pulled them back. Lowering his head and gazing for a moment, he wiped his hands on his body before deliberately getting them dirty again, then raised his head to look at himself in the mirror. He wore a large leather coat, had messy black hair, a dirty little face, and a pair of clear, innocent eyes. However, as he looked on, when Xu Qing turned to gaze out the window, the innocence in his eyes was replaced by indifference. Outside the window, the wind and snow had stopped; the early sun had risen, and as sunlight spilled down, the last snow of winter slowly disappeared from the ground. On the distant trees, as the snow melted, a hint of green sprouts emerged, as if telling everyone that spring... had truly arrived. Xu Qing stepped out of the room, habitually glancing at Lei’s dwelling, while in the yard, more than a dozen wild dogs didn’t even lift their heads, just wagging their tails on the ground as a form of greeting. 'I should do something,' Xu Qing murmured, determination flashing in his eyes. So he pushed open the yard door and stepped out, his target clear—it was the tent where the caravan's doctor was located. In the early morning, there weren’t many scavengers in the camp. As Xu Qing approached the caravan, the guards there cast their eyes over him, while gradually, he began to hear the faint sound of reading coming from the doctor’s tent. After hesitating for a moment, Xu Qing stood silently outside the tent, quietly waiting. The gazes of the caravan guards were scrutinizing; after observing for a while, most of them withdrew their attention, but there were still a few who continued to pay attention to him. Xu Qing paid no mind to this, because as the sound of reading from within the tent came out, he slowly became engrossed, and he also noticed that the sound inside was not purely the reading; it also included assessments. 'Golden Niu Grass, also known as Three-Leaf Pearl or Scatter Cold Grass, is the whole herb of the single spike water centipede, a perennial herb that grows in damp places under forested hills and open fields, distributed in the southern regions of Lingyou and Guangling. Its efficacy can clear the lungs and stop coughs, dispel heat and detoxify, scatter bruises and reduce swelling, and it is remarkably effective against snake bites and trauma when combined with...' A girl's voice was initially full of confidence, but as she spoke, she began to hesitate. 'Combined with what?' From within the tent, Master Bai’s authoritative voice seemed to carry strictness. 'Combined with Rhinoceros Fire for medicinal refining, borrowing yang to transform into yin, it can form a drop of universal detoxification liquid, which is one of the basic materials for the Great Transformation Pill.' The girl seemed a bit scared, her speaking speed quickened, and after finishing, she let out a long sigh. Xu Qing listened to all this from outside the tent, becoming more serious. 'White Back Root, also known as... uh, is the root of the Euphorbiaceae plant White Poplar, slightly astringent and bitter, produced in... its efficacy treats the five internal organs...' Then came the boy, who started to hesitate as he spoke, and soon stopped altogether, clearly having forgotten. Inside the tent, the boy sitting with the girl looked nervous and quite anxious, yet couldn’t remember, glancing helplessly at the girl for help. The girl beside him clearly knew the answer but chose not to remind him, leaving the boy to wear a long face of despair. And the Master Bai in front of them turned to glance outside the tent, and the nearby guard immediately sought permission with his gaze. Master Bai thought for a moment, shook his head slightly, and then coldly snorted at the stammering boy. 'Tonight, write the Herbal Canon ten times!' The boy truly looked like he was about to cry this time but didn’t dare to refute; he could only lower his head and silently mourn. After evaluating the two disciples, Master Bai calmly began to speak about today’s lesson, his voice louder and clearer than usual. The boy didn’t notice, but the girl was keen, feeling puzzled; she blinked and glanced outside the tent, following her gaze that could see Xu Qing’s slender figure under the sunlight. Outside the tent, Xu Qing listened more attentively; every word and sentence spoken by Master Bai was firmly etched in his mind, fearing even a slight forgetfulness, as knowledge was extremely precious and desired for him. Thus, time slowly flowed by, and that day, Master Bai’s lecture exceeded the usual time by nearly double, until the sun was high in the sky, and scavengers outside began waiting to see the doctor, before Master Bai finally concluded the lesson, his hoarse voice coming out. 'Young man outside, come in.' Xu Qing jolted, waking from his lingering thoughts. He took a deep breath and cautiously opened the tent door, entering and standing silently to the side, feeling somewhat awkward. He wouldn’t usually act this way, but he had come today to consult and had eavesdropped outside for a long time, which was quite frowned upon in the slum. Sensing the boy's nervousness, Master Bai softened his voice slightly and spoke calmly. 'What matter?' As he spoke, the girl beside him curiously scrutinized Xu Qing. She had a bit of an impression of this boy, remembering that a few days prior, he had carried an old man to see the doctor. 'I’ve met Master Bai,' Xu Qing bowed his head, imitating Lei’s previous demeanor, and deeply bowed to Master Bai. Then, after some hesitation, he spoke about wanting to consult regarding fate. After saying this, Xu Qing took out five white dan from his pouch and placed them in front of Master Bai. The consultation fee was normally one white dan, but Xu Qing felt that having listened to the lesson, one white dan wasn’t enough, and even five felt a bit short. So he took out ten spirit coins and placed them alongside the white dan. After doing this, he finally felt relieved inside. Master Bai looked deeply at Xu Qing, then slowly spoke to the girl beside him. 'Ting Yu, you answer.' The girl straightened her body, her expression serious, and spoke clearly. 'Fate, also known as the Life Continuation Flame, Divine Grass, is a variant of the divine nature plant Resurrection Wood. According to records, there are seventy-three variations of this transformation, but only the first can be used for medicine. It can grow in any area within the forbidden zone, without a pattern, and is rare in quantity. Its efficacy can regenerate severed limbs, reignite suspended lives, and can treat all ailments except injuries to the divine soul.' As she spoke, the girl quickly picked up a nearby book, flipped through a few pages, and revealed a page with a drawing. 'This is what it looks like.' The drawing depicted a grass that seemed unremarkable, but the serrated edges of the leaves were somewhat obvious, along with a strange symbol formed by a thread in the center. Xu Qing looked closely, memorizing it in his heart, then he deeply bowed to Master Bai and the girl before turning to leave. Just before he departed, he heard Master Bai’s calm voice behind him. 'This grass is something you can encounter but cannot seek. It is often accompanied by powerful exotic beasts, so be cautious.' Hearing this, Xu Qing bowed again, and after leaving the tent, he swiftly dashed through the camp. He returned to his residence at top speed and immediately took out a bamboo slip from his pouch, using an iron pen to carve out the description of the fate and the totem as described by the girl. After thinking for a moment, he also carved down everything he had heard today. Finally, looking at the densely packed bamboo slip filled with tiny characters, he felt very satisfied, carefully storing it away as if it were a rare treasure. 'If only I could listen again,' Xu Qing murmured, beginning to ponder how he could continue to attend. After a while, he collected his thoughts and began to cultivate. That night, Xu Qing awaited Lei’s return from outside, informing him that he intended to go to the forbidden zone. Upon hearing this, Lei hesitated but ultimately nodded, sharing his experiences with Xu Qing. It was as if an elder at home was watching his offspring leave; Lei spoke very in detail. It wasn’t until dawn that they finished, and after Xu Qing had noted everything down, Lei handed him a pouch containing various medicinal powders left behind by Luan Ya. After understanding their specific functions, Xu Qing, at the break of dawn, bid farewell to the camp. He hurried across the wilderness, and before long, he reached the edge of the forbidden zone. As he stepped into the boundary, the warmth of the sunlight outside was cut off, and a chill penetrated his entire body. Xu Qing squinted his eyes, becoming vigilant, as his body transformed into a shadow, darting straight into the jungle. Within a few leaps, he vanished without a trace. Entering the forbidden zone’s jungle for the second time, Xu Qing’s familiarity with the area was different from before. Yet the more familiar he became, the more cautious he was. While leaping forward, he paid attention to the surrounding grass, quickly reaching the spot where the mud had been previously. Mimicking Luan Ya’s earlier actions, he scooped up the mud and smeared it on his body before continuing onward. Time flowed by, and soon an entire day passed. This time, Xu Qing did not encounter any mist; as for the powerful exotic beasts, they were present but he managed to avoid them with caution. Along the way, he also kept an eye on the grass, searching for fate. At this moment, he arrived at the place where he had encountered the Black-scaled Wolf, scanning the surroundings, and could still vaguely see the layout from that time. However, the ground was littered with wolf corpses, most of which had turned into rotting white bones by now. Carefully observing the decaying remains, he found no signs of bites; they had naturally rotted away, which made Xu Qing breathe a sigh of relief. This indicated that there was likely no exotic beast arriving in this area. Thus, he found a spot nearby to rest, planning to continue forward after daybreak. Soon, as night fell, the jungle turned pitch black. Xu Qing hid within a tree gap, watching the direction of the Seven-Leaf Grass Valley, beyond which lay the temple ruins. This time, he had entered the forbidden zone not only to search for fate but also to find a scar-reducing stone for the little girl. 'Let’s go take a look,' Xu Qing murmured. (End of Chapter)