The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

After daybreak, Ye Sheng went to Master Liu's place again and spent a few copper coins to get a temporary travel permit.

Then, he went straight to town, intending to get some medicinal herbs for Ye Kai.

From Shuilongdu to Heishi Town, a distance of fifty li, it took Ye Sheng several hours to walk. Although he had blisters on the soles of his feet, he didn't care and just quickened his pace.

It was already noon when we arrived in town.

The streets were bustling with pedestrians, shops lined up one after another, and the air was filled with the aroma of cooked food.

Ye Sheng's stomach was growling, but he didn't buy any food. Instead, he headed straight for the pharmacy.

Shopkeeper Hu also opened a pharmacy at the east end of the town. Although the storefront was not large, the business was quite good.

Ye Sheng would come here every time he got medicine for his younger brother. He pushed open the door, and the copper bell jingled.

Behind the counter, Manager Hu was pounding medicine in a mortar and pestle when he heard the sound and looked up.

"Is it you?"

He was somewhat surprised, put down the pestle, looked Ye Sheng over, and asked, "How is your brother's leg?"

"I'm much better now. Thank you for your help last time, shopkeeper."

After saying that, Ye Sheng took out one hundred copper coins from his pocket and placed them on the counter.

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to get some more medicine for my younger brother."

Shopkeeper Hu glanced at the copper coins, then at Ye Sheng, and asked, "Where did you get so much money?"

"I chopped firewood to sell."

Ye Sheng spoke calmly.

Manager Hu stared at him for a moment, but in the end, he didn't ask any more questions and picked up his pen and ink.

What medicine do you need?

"Ginseng rootlets, astragalus, angelica, and some herbs that replenish qi and blood."

Manager Hu raised an eyebrow and teased, "You're really good to your brother, kid. You know he needs to replenish his qi and blood, and you're willing to go to great lengths to do so."

He paused.

"However, these medicinal herbs are not cheap. With your money, you probably can't get many doses."

"Catch as many as you can."

Ye Sheng said in a deep voice.

Shopkeeper Hu nodded and turned to get the medicine from the medicine cabinet. He moved with practiced ease, speaking in a low voice as he grabbed the medicine.

"Did you sell that rock you had last time?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in surprise, "How did you know, shopkeeper?"

"I guessed."

Manager Hu didn't even turn his head.

"For a nobody like you to suddenly have money to buy medicine, it's either because you found a treasure to sell or you got incredibly lucky."

Judging from your appearance, it should be the former.

Upon hearing this, Ye Sheng replied frankly, "It was indeed sold, at the ghost market."

Manager Hu paused in his work, turned around, and looked at Ye Sheng with a complicated expression.

"You've got some nerve, kid. You actually dared to go to that kind of hellhole."

"There was no other way; the situation forced us to."

Manager Hu sighed, wrapped the prepared medicinal herbs in oil paper, and handed them to Ye Sheng.

"Here are five doses of medicine. Each dose should be decocted twice, once in the morning and once in the evening, and should last for five days."

He paused.

"Of your 100 coins, I'll only take 80. Keep the remaining 20 coins to buy some food for your younger brother."

Ye Sheng was stunned.

"Shopkeeper..."

"Don't say any more."

Manager Hu waved his hand.

"I told you, I owe your father a favor."

Upon hearing this, Ye Sheng took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Manager Hu.

"Thank you, shopkeeper."

Shopkeeper Hu waved his hand and went back to grinding the medicine.

"Alright, hurry up and leave, don't delay my business."

Ye Sheng picked up the medicine packet and turned to walk out.

Just as they reached the door, Manager Hu suddenly spoke.

"Kid."

Ye Sheng stopped and turned around.

"Avoid going to that ghost market."

Manager Hu didn't even look up.

"If you go there too often, you might actually encounter ghosts."

Although Ye Sheng was confused, he nodded, pushed open the door, and went out, the copper bell ringing again.

After leaving the pharmacy, Ye Sheng did not immediately return to Shuilongdu, but instead wandered around the town.

He wanted to see if there were any other ways to make money. After walking around for a while, he stopped in front of a blacksmith's shop at the west end of town.

Inside the shop, a burly man was hammering away, the iron clanging and clattering. The furnace was glowing red-hot, and waves of heat emanated from it.

Ye Sheng stood at the door for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Master, how much for a wood-chopping knife?"

The blacksmith stopped his work, looked up at him, and said calmly, "An ordinary wood-chopping knife, twenty coins. A better one, fifty coins."

Ye Sheng touched the worn-out wood-chopping knife at his waist, thought for a moment, and asked, "Can I trade my old knife for it?"

The blacksmith walked over, picked up Ye Sheng's wood-chopping knife, and examined it from all angles.

"This knife is ruined. The blade is badly bent, and the handle is loose."

He paused, then continued, "However, the material of the blade is decent; it can be reforged."

"How about I use this knife and add ten coins to get a new wood-chopping knife?"

The blacksmith stared at Ye Sheng for a long time before finally nodding.

"Okay, you wait."

He turned and went into the shop, and soon came out with a new wood-chopping knife. The blade was sharp, the handle was wrapped with hemp rope, and it was easy to hold.

Ye Sheng took the knife, weighed it in his hand, and nodded in satisfaction. He took out ten coins and handed them, along with the old knife, to the blacksmith.

"Thank you, Master."

The blacksmith waved his hand and went back to forging.

Ye Sheng tucked the new wood-chopping knife into his waistband and turned to walk out of town.

It was dusk when we returned to Shuilongdu.

The river surface shimmered with a dark red light, and the shouts of boatmen calling to finish their work could be heard from the distant ferry dock.

Ye Sheng pushed open the shed door and saw Ye Kai leaning against the corner of the wall in a daze. When he saw his brother come in, Ye Kai's eyes lit up.

"Brother, you're finally back?"

"Um."

Ye Sheng placed the medicine packet in front of Ye Kai.

"This is the medicine I got for you; it will last for five days."

Ye Kai took the medicine packet, examined it carefully, and then looked at Ye Sheng.

"Brother, this medicine must be very expensive, right?"

"Not expensive."

Ye Sheng shook his head.

"Manager Hu gave me a discount."

He paused, then said, "Brother, take good care of your injuries. I'm going out for a bit."

"Brother, you just got back, where are you going again?"

"Let's go to the riverbank and gather some herbs."

After Ye Sheng finished speaking, he picked up the new wood-chopping knife, pushed open the door, and went out.

On the riverbank, the setting sun casts its golden rays upon the shimmering water.

Ye Sheng walked along the riverbank, his gaze sweeping over every wetland and every pile of rocks.

The innate perception granted by his "Scavenging (Skilled)" skill makes him exceptionally perceptive of his surroundings.

After walking about half a mile, he stopped. There, several snake tongue grass plants were swaying in the wind.

Then, Ye Sheng squatted down and carefully dug them out.

Herbal Identification: 7/100 → 8/100

He continued his search along the river and found another clump of maidenhair ferns and several blood orchids.

Herbal Identification: 8/100 → 12/100

Ye Sheng carefully wrapped the herbs he had dug up and tucked them into his pocket. He planned to save these herbs for Ye Kai to use slowly.

He was about to turn back when suddenly his [Scavenging (Skilled)] senses jolted.

The sensation was very faint, like a fine needle gently pricking his brow. It didn't come from the herbs, but from behind a pile of rocks ahead.

Ye Sheng stopped and cautiously looked around. Then, gripping his machete tightly, he slowly walked over.

He circled around the rocks and saw a figure huddled behind a pile of stones, motionless.

She was a young woman, wearing a faded blue cloth dress, her hair was disheveled, and her face was covered in mud, so her appearance was not immediately discernible.

At this moment, the woman's eyes were closed, and her breathing was weak, as if she were unconscious.

Seeing this, Ye Sheng frowned and did not approach immediately, but observed the surroundings again. After confirming that there was no ambush, he walked over, squatted down, and reached out to check the woman's breath.

Yes, there's still breath, but it's very weak.

Ye Sheng thought to himself, then looked at the woman's body. There were no obvious external injuries, but her face was pale and her lips were purple, as if she had been poisoned.

He hesitated for a moment, then took out a snake tongue grass from his pocket, chewed it, and then pried open the woman's mouth and fed her the herbal juice.

Snake tongue grass has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. Although it is unknown what kind of poison the woman in front of me is poisoned with, it can at least alleviate the symptoms to some extent.

After a moment, the woman frowned slightly and slowly opened her eyes.