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As dawn broke, the mist in the forest still carried the chill of last night.

The door of the thatched cottage creaked open.

Zou Yuan was still wearing the same faded coarse cloth clothes. He didn't even glance at Lu Qingshan. He just stuffed the last bite of the mixed grain cake into his mouth and mumbled something indistinctly.

"Keep up."

Lu Qingshan opened his eyes. The night's meditation had eased the stinging pain in his shoulder wound, and his strength had recovered to about 70-80%.

He stood up and followed the old man without saying a word.

The two walked one after the other through the valley filled with the fragrance of herbs, heading deeper into the mountain hollow.

The path here is even more difficult than the one Lu Qingshan found on his own yesterday; there is almost no path at all.

Zou Yuan walked slowly, but each step was taken in the most effortless and stable place, like an old ape that had been walking in the forest for decades, becoming one with the mountain forest.

Finally, Zou Yuan stopped in front of a damp valley flanked by two mountain walls.

The fog in the valley was even thicker, the vegetation was so dense that it almost blocked out the sun, and the air was filled with a damp, decaying plant smell, mixed with all sorts of strange odors.

"Day 1".

Zou Yuan turned around, his thin face expressionless.

"Before sunset, find me a hundred different poisonous herbs in this valley."

He untied a bundle of bright red hemp rope from his waist and threw it at Lu Qingshan's feet.

"Once you find one, tie it to its base with this red string to mark it."

"Remember," Zou Yuan held up a finger, his tone suddenly becoming more stern, "You can only look, not touch, and you absolutely cannot damage its roots in the slightest. If I find out you've damaged any of them..."

He paused, his eyes showing no threat, only a cold indifference as he stated a fact.

"Now you can get lost."

After saying that, he found a high rock to sit on, took out his pipe from his pocket, and started puffing away, not looking at Lu Qingshan again.

"A hundred kinds... This old man really thinks highly of me."

Lu Qingshan muttered to himself, but didn't pay attention to the other party's attitude.

He picked up the red rope from the ground, took a deep breath, and stepped into the damp, dark valley.

As soon as he stepped into the valley, Lu Qingshan felt an overwhelming pressure.

The plant species here are so diverse.

He could distinguish at least a dozen different types of moss with just a glance.

Ferns, vines, shrubs, weeds... crowded together, vying for the limited sunlight and space.

In order to survive, many poisonous plants have evolved extremely strong camouflage abilities.

A vine called "Heartbreak Hook" has leaves that are almost identical in shape to the non-toxic "wild grape," with only tiny barbs on its stem and a touch of purplish-red near the roots revealing its true identity.

A poisonous fungus called "ghost face mushroom" grows right next to a cluster of bright red wild strawberries, and if you're not careful, you might mistake it for an edible fungus.

There are even more cunning ones, such as "One-line Throat," a tiny black grass as fine as cow's hair that grows exclusively on the underside of the leaves of another non-toxic plant, "Ox Tongue Grass," making it impossible for ordinary people to spot.

This is not only a test of herbal knowledge, but also a triple test of eyesight, patience, and physical strength.

Lu Qingshan didn't rush in and search aimlessly like a headless fly.

He stood at the mouth of the valley, not in a hurry to take action, but closed his eyes and stood quietly for a quarter of an hour.

He used his nose and his skin to feel the "temperament" of this valley.

"The eastern side of the mountain is damp, receives the least sunlight, and is mostly cold and shady, so there should be quite a few poisonous fungi and mosses that thrive in shade."

"A small stream flows through the west side, and the soil is moist and fertile, which is suitable for the growth of poisonous plants that need water."

"The central part of the valley is relatively dry, and sunlight can seep in through the cracks. It must be the place where sun-loving poisonous plants, such as wolfsbane and strychnine, grow."

His brain was like a sophisticated computer, quickly matching the valley's environment with his knowledge from his past life, and rapidly creating a "map for finding drugs" in his mind.

"Start with the simplest things."

Lu Qingshan opened his eyes and walked straight to the center of the valley.

Sure enough, after walking a few steps, he found a large patch of plants with small purple flowers next to a pile of rocks.

Wolfsbane flower.

He skillfully took out a red rope, squatted down, and carefully tied a slipknot on the root of one of the plants.

First.

Then, he found strychnine and Gelsemium elegans not far away...

These are all relatively common poisons, posing no challenge to him.

He was extremely efficient; he had only been in the center of the valley for less than an hour when the red rope under his feet was almost half gone.

Without pausing, he turned and plunged into the darkest and dampest area on the east side.

The environment here is more complicated; the light is dim, and the humus underfoot is wet and slippery.

Lu Qingshan slowed his pace, his eyes sharp as he carefully examined every subtle difference in the cracks of the rocks and the rotten, withered wood.

"Got it."

He discovered a cluster of black fungus shaped like ghost claws at the base of a decaying pine tree.

"Black fungus?"

No, that thing is called "bone-rotting fungus," which is highly poisonous. If ingested, it can cause organ failure and death within half an hour.

Lu Qingshan tied the red string again.

In less than half a day, he had marked more than seventy kinds of poisonous plants.

If outsiders saw this speed, they would probably be astonished.

He stopped when he found a highly poisonous vine called "Snake's Kiss" at the foot of a cliff. The vine was completely black with serrated edges on its leaves.

He tied the red string, but did not leave immediately.

He crouched down and began to carefully search within a radius of seven or eight steps, using the base of the "snake-like kiss" as the center.

His fingers gently brushed aside the thick layer of fallen leaves, his eyes intently examining every inch of the land.

Finally, under an inconspicuous blue stone, he discovered a small plant with only two leaves and a faint blue glow.

Upon seeing this small blade of grass, Lu Qingshan's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

He pulled another bundle of rope from his pocket.

It was a bundle of white hemp rope.

He carefully tied a slipknot at the base of the blue grass with white rope.

After doing all this, he stood up and continued searching for his next target.

In the distance, Zou Yuan, sitting on a rock, seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, his peripheral vision never left Lu Qingshan.

When he saw Lu Qingshan take out a white rope and tie it to the small blue grass, a hint of doubt flashed in his usually calm eyes for the first time.

"What's this kid up to?"

What happened next was a strange scene in the valley.

Every time Lu Qingshan found a poisonous herb, he would mark it with a red rope and then stop nearby to search for a while.

Then, a white rope will appear on another seemingly ordinary plant not far away.

His movements became faster and faster, as if he had entered a wonderful rhythm.

Red string.

White rope.

Red string.

White rope.

The two colors of markings appear alternately in the dark valley, like black and white chess pieces on a game of chess, clearly distinct yet echoing each other.

As the sun sets, the last rays of sunlight are about to disappear below the horizon.

Lu Qingshan walked out of the valley and came to Zou Yuan.

"Sir, a hundred kinds, no less."

Zou Yuan opened his eyes, stood up from the rock, and without saying a word, took the lead into the valley.

Lu Qingshan followed behind.

Zou Yuan walked very slowly, stopping to take a look at each place with a red rope tied around it.

Upon seeing that it was indeed a poisonous herb, he nodded expressionlessly.

But when his gaze fell on the conspicuous white rope beside him, his brows would furrow almost imperceptibly, his eyes would flicker, but he would remain silent.

The valley was eerily quiet, with only the rustling sound of two people stepping on fallen leaves.

This silence is more oppressive than any harsh interrogation.

Zou Yuan remained silent, and Lu Qingshan offered no explanation.

He followed calmly behind like a student waiting for the teacher to grade his homework.

Finally, after inspecting the last marked poisonous plant, Zou Yuan stopped.

He turned around, pointed to a plant tied with a white rope and bearing small yellow flowers, and spoke in a cold voice.

"I'm sending you to find the poison."

"What are you looking for these things for?"

He was referring to the "heartbreak grass" marked with a red rope, and the "ram's horn flower" tied with a white rope next to it.

Lu Qingshan looked at him, calmly meeting his scrutinizing gaze.

"Old sir, you only taught me to recognize poison, but you didn't teach me why I recognize poison."

His voice rang out in the silent valley, clear and steady.

"In my view, the purpose of knowing about poisons is not to harm people, but to be able to detoxify them."

"All things in the universe are interconnected and mutually restraining. I'm fortunate enough to understand a little about the principles of Changbai Mountain. For highly poisonous substances, there is always an antidote within seven steps."

Lu Qingshan pointed to the red and white markers in the valley.

"The red rope is the poison, the white rope is the antidote."

"This is the answer sheet I submitted."

"..."

Zou Yuan's body jolted violently.

He stared intently at Lu Qingshan, and for the first time, an incredulous light flashed in his cloudy eyes.

Shock, horror, and a hint of surprise that his thoughts had been completely exposed.

His intention in setting this question was to test Lu Qingshan's eyesight, knowledge, and character.

He anticipated that Lu Qingshan might not be able to complete it, might make a mistake, or might even try to be clever.

But what he never expected was that this young man could see through the second, hidden meaning behind his question!

Identifying medicinal herbs is an art.

The principle of mutual generation and mutual restraint is the way!

He not only passed the test of "skill", but also presented his understanding of "principle"!

a long time.

Zou Yuan finally managed to squeeze out a few words from his dry throat.

"Fine... you pass."

He turned around, his back to Lu Qingshan, and walked out of the valley.

This time, however, his steps seemed a little lighter than before.

The fleeting, barely concealed smile on his lips did not escape Lu Qingshan's notice.

"Tomorrow, the preparation will be put to the test."

Zou Yuan's voice drifted from ahead, returning to its usual cold tone.

"There's an abandoned lime kiln on the east side of the valley. Clean that place up."

Where will you sleep tonight?