My sister broke off her engagement to marry someone richer? My older sister married me and became in

The words, though not deeply engraved, were like a red-hot iron awl, fiercely branded into Lu Qingshan's mind.

He stretched out his hand, his fingertips repeatedly stroking the seven characters "The one who saves the tiger may come to see me."

Strength, brushstrokes, angle of penetration...

That's right.

That's the old man.

Lu Qingshan withdrew his hand, took two steps back, and solemnly bowed towards the ancient pine tree.

Without lingering any longer, he turned around and, without hesitation, followed the arrow pointing eastward, plunging headlong into the denser forest.

This road was unlike any other mountain road he had ever traveled before.

There is no road.

Or rather, it deliberately chooses to go where there are no roads.

Steep rocky slopes, tangled vines, and streams that are knee-deep.

Every step is a challenge to the limits of a mountain runner.

Ordinary hunters would be too scared to even look at it, let alone walk away.

Lu Qingshan walked slowly, but each step was exceptionally steady.

He was like a lone wolf wandering through the forest, every part of his body blending into the mountains and forests.

He hadn't gone far when he stopped at a fork in the road.

In front of them were three paths that looked almost identical.

He crouched down and found the second "deer bone divination" mark under a moss-covered rock.

It's no longer a simple arrow.

It consists of two long lines sandwiching a short line, arranged vertically.

Xun Gua.

The word instantly popped into Lu Qingshan's mind.

Xun represents wind.

In a past life, the old man once said that top herb gatherers have noses more sensitive than dogs, able to smell the withering and flourishing of hundreds of herbs from the wind and discern the direction of mountains and rivers.

This is not a test, it's a selection process.

Lu Qingshan closed his eyes and calmed down, becoming as still as a stone in the mountains.

All his attention was focused on his nasal cavity.

The wind blows from deep within the valley.

It brought countless kinds of information.

It has the earthy smell, the musty smell of decaying leaves, and the unique oily fragrance of pine needles.

It's a mess.

It's also quite varied.

Lu Qingshan patiently discerned, peeling away these chaotic auras bit by bit from his mind.

Finally, he caught a faint, almost imperceptible scent in the breeze blowing from one of the paths.

It's neither the scent of flowers nor the scent of grass.

It has a slightly bitter, dry medicinal taste.

He opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the path to his left, and walked in without hesitation.

As they ventured deeper, the surrounding scenery began to become eerie.

The trees and rocks on both sides seem to have been carved from the same mold. If you look at them for a long time, you will have the illusion that you are going around in circles.

Bewitching Valley.

The name popped into Lu Qingshan's mind.

This is one of the most dangerous natural mazes in Changbai Mountain, according to the legends of the older generation. Once you go in, you can forget about coming out.

He didn't panic, because he knew that since the old man dared to lead the way here, he must have left behind a way to break the formation.

Sure enough, he found the third mark on a dead tree that looked exactly like a human face.

A broken line is sandwiched between two long lines.

The Kan trigram.

Kan represents water.

Lu Qingshan frowned.

On this mountain ridge, so dry that even the ground is cracking, you expect him to go find water?

He looked around, but couldn't find a river, or even a patch of damp ground.

There is no solution to this problem.

But Lu Qingshan did not give up.

He crouched down, not to look for water, but to begin observing the plants on the ground.

His gaze fell upon a kind of inconspicuous, dark green moss that grew close to the ground.

He then looked at a fern with small purple flowers next to him.

Memories of my past life came flooding back like a tidal wave.

This type of moss only ever grows on the shady side of mountain ridges.

Ferns, on the other hand, require their root systems to absorb large amounts of water to survive.

There is only one possibility when two plants appear at the same time.

There is groundwater in this area.

Lu Qingshan stood up, his gaze sweeping around before finally settling on a seemingly ordinary patch of bushes not far away.

He walked over, parted the dense foliage, and used his hunting knife to pry open the hard, dry soil.

After digging less than half a foot deep, a damp coolness seeped out from deep within the soil.

He continued digging.

Soon, a pool of clear, sweet spring water slowly seeped out from the soil, forming a small puddle.

Beside this hidden spring, on a stone soaked by the spring water, the fourth mark is clearly visible.

Along the way, Lu diligently studied the "Zhen" hexagram and used sound to locate objects. Among the three waterfalls, he found the only cave with an echo.

They also crossed the almost vertical, steep mountain ridge indicated by the "Gen" hexagram.

He became increasingly alarmed.

And I've grown increasingly awestruck.

The old man who left these marks was not just testing his mountain running skills.

Eyesight, hearing, sense of smell, knowledge of plants, geographical judgment...

This is a master herbalist selecting a versatile disciple to inherit his mantle.

The sun was gradually setting in the west.

The golden afterglow dyed the entire mountain forest a vibrant orange-red.

Lu Qingshan's body fluids and strength were being rapidly depleted.

The wound on my shoulder, torn open by the tiger's claws, began to throb and burn again after being jostled and pulled for so long.

He leaned against a tree, panting heavily, and took a sip from the kettle.

There's not much water left.

We must escape this bewitching valley before nightfall.

He stood up and continued following the markers.

Finally, he arrived at a precipice.

Ahead lay a bottomless abyss, shrouded in mist and clouds.

The road is blocked.

Lu Qingshan knew that this must be the final test.

He dragged his weary body, searching repeatedly along the edge of the cliff.

He examined every stone and every weed that sprouted from the cracks in the rocks.

Finally, at the bottom of the cliff, on an inconspicuous blue stone that was mostly covered by vines, he found the last mark.

Six broken lines, arranged neatly.

The Kun hexagram.

Kun represents earth and obedience.

Looking down into the abyss, Lu Qingshan instantly understood the meaning of the divination.

down.

The old man told him to get off here.

Without the slightest hesitation, he untied the sturdy climbing rope from his backpack.

He didn't rush to throw the rope down.

Instead, they walked to the edge of the cliff and carefully observed the structure and orientation of the rock face.

Finally, his gaze settled on the side of the cliff, on an extremely narrow natural crevice hidden by countless thick vines.

He secured one end of the rope firmly to the root of an old pine tree growing on the edge of the cliff and tested its tension.

Then, he grabbed the rope, leaned back, and suspended himself in mid-air, his feet bracing against the rock face, slowly descending toward the crack.

The crack was very narrow, allowing only one person to pass sideways.

It was dark, damp, and covered with slippery moss inside.

Every point Lu Qingshan dropped was incredibly dangerous.

When his feet finally touched solid ground, all the strength in his body seemed to have been drained away.

He looked up and realized he was at the bottom of a valley.

This place is a completely different world from the desolate and precipitous scenery at the top of the cliff.

The valley was warm as springtime, with exotic flowers and rare herbs everywhere, and the air was filled with a rich, lingering medicinal fragrance.

In the very center of the valley, under the last rays of the setting sun.

A simple thatched hut built of logs and straw stands quietly there.

Wisps of smoke are rising from the rooftops.

Lu Qingshan knew.

He found it.

He straightened his tattered clothes, dusted himself off, and walked step by step toward the thatched hut.

He walked to the fenced courtyard of the thatched cottage, where several old hens were leisurely pecking at their food.

Everything seemed so peaceful and serene.

He took a deep breath, just about to speak.

An old, yet powerful voice came from the closed wooden house.

"Stand outside for an hour to dissipate the murderous aura emanating from you before you come in."