The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

The woman looked around blankly, and when her gaze fell on Ye Sheng's face, her pupils contracted sharply, and she suddenly took a step back.

"Don't be afraid."

Ye Sheng raised his hands.

"I'm not a bad person. You seem to have been drugged with aphrodisiac. I'm just trying to save you."

The woman stared at Ye Sheng for a moment, seemingly confirming that he meant no harm, before slightly relaxing her guard.

"Who...who are you?"

Her voice was hoarse.

"My name is Ye Sheng, and I am a vagrant in Shuilongdu."

Ye Sheng spoke calmly.

"And you? Why did you collapse here?"

The woman bit her lip and did not answer.

She struggled to stand up, but as soon as she moved, her face turned pale and she collapsed again.

Ye Sheng reacted quickly and caught her.

"Your body is very weak right now, don't move around."

But the woman pushed his hand away and spoke stubbornly.

"It's none of your business, I can walk by myself."

Upon hearing this, Ye Sheng frowned.

"Where can you go like this?"

The woman gritted her teeth and remained silent.

Ye Sheng remained silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

Are you being chased?

The woman shuddered, abruptly looking up at him, and exclaimed in panic, "How...how did you know?"

"Just a guess."

Ye Sheng said calmly.

The woman remained silent for a moment, then finally sighed.

"You're right, I am indeed being hunted down."

She paused.

"But don't worry about me, because my problems will affect you."

Ye Sheng looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"Implicate me? I'm just a migrant worker, why would I be afraid of being implicated?"

He stood up.

"If you trust me, come back to Shuilongdu with me. I have some herbs there that might be able to help you detoxify."

"Do you know medicine?" the woman asked.

"No!" Ye Sheng replied.

"Then how did you know I was poisoned by the 'Soft Fragrance Powder'?" the woman continued to press.

"I've read the book; it's mentioned there!"

Ye Sheng spoke the truth. In fact, he had learned some toxicology and pharmacology from a medical book left by his father, thanks to his literacy skills.

Coincidentally, the woman's symptoms were exactly similar to those of the soft fragrance powder poisoning described in the book.

The woman bit her lip, looking at Ye Sheng with a complicated expression. After a long while, she nodded.

"it is good."

Then, Ye Sheng helped the woman slowly walk towards Shuilongdu. The woman was very weak, and had to stop to catch her breath after walking a few steps; her face was frighteningly pale.

Seeing this, Ye Sheng simply squatted down.

"Get on, I'll carry you."

The woman was stunned.

"No...no need, I can walk by myself."

"Don't be stubborn."

Ye Sheng didn't turn his head back.

"It's getting dark. If you keep walking like this, you won't get to my house until dawn."

Upon hearing this, the woman bit her lip, but ultimately still climbed onto Ye Sheng's back.

She was light, but had a good figure. Ye Sheng carried her on his back, his steps steady, and they quickly disappeared into the twilight.

By the time we got back to the shack, it was completely dark.

Ye Kai was sitting by the fire when he saw Ye Sheng carrying a woman into the room, and he was startled.

"Brother, she is..."

"I found her by the river; she was poisoned."

Ye Sheng placed the woman on the straw mat and turned to go boil water. Ye Kai glanced at the woman, gently pulled Ye Sheng back, and whispered, "Brother, won't she bring us danger?"

"have no idea."

Ye Sheng spoke calmly.

"But we can't just stand by and watch someone die."

Then, Ye Sheng boiled the water and took out two maidenhair ferns from his pocket and put them into the earthenware pot to cook.

Ye Sheng remembered that the book mentioned that maidenhair fern could neutralize the toxicity of the Soft Fragrance Powder. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so confident in bringing the woman back for treatment.

Before long, the aroma of medicine filled the air.

Ye Sheng poured the boiled medicine into a bowl and presented it to the woman.

"Drink it. This medicine can neutralize the toxicity of the Soft Fragrance Powder."

The woman took the bowl and drank the medicine in small sips. After finishing the medicine, her complexion improved somewhat, but she was still weak.

Thank you.

Her voice was very soft.

"My name is Su Wan, and I am an apprentice at a pharmacy in Blackrock Town."

Ye Sheng nodded and asked, "Since you're a pharmacy apprentice, you should know something about poisons, so how did you get poisoned by the 'Soft Fragrance Powder'?"

Su Wan bit her lip and remained silent for a moment.

"I...I offended someone."

She paused.

"Someone put a 'softening powder' in my food. I found out and ran away, but the poison took effect and I collapsed by the river."

Ye Sheng frowned.

"Oh? Who wants to harm you?"

Su Wan shook her head.

"I can't say, because it would implicate you."

Ye Sheng didn't ask any further questions.

He stood up, walked to the corner, rummaged through a broken wooden box, pulled out an old cotton quilt, and handed it to Su Wan.

"Alright, you should rest first, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Su Wan took the quilt, her eyes slightly red.

Thank you all.

Ye Sheng waved his hand and sat down by the fire.

Ye Kai gently shifted his body closer, lowered his voice, and asked worriedly, "Brother, now that we've saved her, won't we get into trouble?"

"Maybe."

Ye Sheng spoke calmly.

"But since we've already saved them, we should see it through to the end."

Ye Kai nodded and said nothing more.

As night deepened, Su Wan wrapped herself in a quilt and quickly fell asleep. Ye Sheng sat by the fire, took out the black wooden plaque, and fell into deep thought.

Should we go to the Bone Forest to gather herbs three days later?

The place is dangerous, but the pay is tempting. More importantly, if you can complete the mission, you might be able to get more work in the ghost market.

Thinking of this, Ye Sheng gripped the wooden plaque tightly, his eyes resolute, and muttered to himself: Go, I must go.

The next day, Ye Sheng got up very early. Seeing that Ye Kai and the woman were still asleep, he quietly began to cook porridge.

When Su Wan woke up, her complexion was much better, but she was still weak.

How are you feeling?

Ye Sheng handed her a bowl of hot porridge.

"Much better."

Su Wan took it and drank it in small sips.

Thank you.

"You're welcome."

Ye Sheng shook his head.

"What are your plans next?"

Su Wan remained silent for a moment.

"I...I don't know either."

She paused.

"Those people won't let me go. If I go back to town, I'm sure to die."

Ye Sheng frowned.

"Who exactly did you offend?"

Su Wan bit her lip, but finally spoke.

"They are...the people from the naval base."

Ye Sheng's pupils contracted.

Naval Base?

Why?

"Because I saw something I shouldn't have seen."

Su Wan's voice trembled.

"About two weeks ago, I was organizing medicinal herbs in the backyard of the pharmacy when I inadvertently saw Zhao Hu, the patrol chief of the garrison, trading something with several strangers."

She paused.

"I hid in the shadows and didn't dare to make a sound. But a few days ago, Zhao Hu suddenly came to my door, saying that I knew too much and wanted to silence me."

Ye Sheng frowned.

Zhao Hu?

What did you see them trade?

"have no idea."

Su Wan shook her head.

"I only saw Zhao Hu take a wooden box from those people. The box was small, but he handled it very carefully."

Ye Sheng pondered for a moment.

"You can't go back to town right now, so stay here for a few days."

Su Wan raised her head, looking at Ye Sheng with a complicated expression.

"Aren't you...aren't you afraid of being implicated because of me?"

"Afraid."

Ye Sheng spoke calmly.

"But now that I've saved you, I won't give up halfway."

Su Wan's eyes reddened slightly, and she lowered her head.

Thank you.

For the next two days, Su Wan stayed in Ye Sheng's shed. Her health gradually improved, and her complexion became much rosier.

Ye Sheng continued to go out to chop firewood and gather herbs these past two days. Ye Kai's leg is also slowly improving; he can now sit up, but he still can't get out of bed.

With nothing else to do, Su Wan helped organize the herbs and prepare medicine for Ye Kai. As a pharmacy apprentice, she was very familiar with herbs, even more so than Ye Sheng.

"The roots of this snake tongue grass are a bit black, which reduces its medicinal efficacy." Su Wan picked up a herb and examined it carefully.

"Next time you collect herbs, dig them up with the roots and soil still attached, and wash them after you get them back. This will help preserve their medicinal properties."

Ye Sheng nodded, keeping her words in mind.

Herbal Identification: 12/100 → 15/100

With Su Wan's guidance, Ye Sheng's [Herbal Identification] skill progressed even faster.

Three days later, at midnight.

Ye Sheng returned to the old locust tree at the mass grave. He wore a ghost mask, held the Ghost Market copper token, and waited for the guide to appear.

Before long, the hunched figure in black robes appeared silently, carrying a lantern.

"here we go again?"

"Um."

Ye Sheng took out the black wooden plaque.

"Someone sent me this time."

The man in black glanced at the wooden plaque and muttered to himself, "I didn't expect you to have both the bronze plaque and the wooden plaque."

Ye Sheng did not hear what she said.

Afterwards, Ye Sheng entered the ghost market again. He didn't linger in the outer market, but went straight to the old man's stall.

The old man was still there, sitting on the rock, slowly polishing a jade pendant. When he saw Ye Sheng approaching, he looked up.

"Kid, you've arrived."

"Um."

Ye Sheng handed over the black wooden plaque.

"Old man, I'll take this job."

The old man did not take the wooden plaque, but said calmly, "Alright, take the plaque for now, it might be useful to you later."

Then, he took a small cloth bag out of his pocket and threw it to Ye Sheng.

"Inside are the diagram and harvesting method for the Yin Soul Grass, as well as a bottle of exorcism powder that can dispel low-level ghosts."

Ye Sheng took the cloth bag, opened it, and looked inside.

Sure enough, there was a piece of paper inside, with a drawing of the shape of the Yin Soul Grass on it, and dense annotations next to it.

There was also a small porcelain bottle with a red paper label that read "Exorcising Powder".

"Remember, the Shadow Grass only blooms between midnight and dawn, and you must collect it during this time."

The old man said calmly.

"Furthermore, ghosts often appear in the Bone Forest at night, so be careful."

Ye Sheng nodded.

"clear."

"Three days later, at the same time, bring the Yin Soul Grass, and I will give you your reward for the task."

After the old man finished speaking, he lowered his head again to polish the jade pendant. Ye Sheng turned and left, disappearing into the crowd.

Leaving the Ghost Market, he stood under the old locust tree, gazing at the distant night sky, and thought to himself: The Forest of Chaotic Bones—I must venture there. Not only for the hundred coins reward, but also to prove myself.

Thinking of this, Ye Sheng clenched his fists, his eyes turning cold. In this world, without power, one can only be slaughtered.

He must become stronger, he absolutely must!