First update,

...

Naturally, serious matters were more important, and both of them immediately got out of bed.

With Qin Fang's stamina, even going without sleep for a day or two wouldn't greatly affect him. Chu Yunxuan had a tough night and slept especially soundly, though it was for a shorter duration, the deep sleep was still quite effective.

After washing up, there was still no movement from the bedroom. Guessing that Ye Huan had not woken up, Qin Fang decided to leave with Chu Yunxuan right away.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

Chu Yunxuan gestured towards the bedroom, referring to Ye Huan who was sleeping inside.

"No need..."

Qin Fang shook his head; he was a bit unclear about his relationship with Ye Huan, and it was better not to get entangled with her for the time being.

Chu Yunxuan was indifferent; she stood by Qin Fang's side. Since Qin Fang said so, she had the least objections.

The two of them left Chu Yunxuan's cabin, and before departing, they just left a note for Ye Huan. Qin Fang had arranged for Shen Liang to wait downstairs. If Ye Huan needed to leave the military region, Shen Liang would take her, which saved Qin Fang a lot of trouble.

Today, Qin Fang was about to head into the mountains and naturally couldn't make a special trip to the city to enjoy himself again. Qiao Zhenfei, Li Yang, Ai Nan, and a few others had their meal at the military region's guesthouse,

Though they didn't know what exactly happened last night, they could guess it wasn't trivial. Li Yang and the others tacitly refrained from asking questions, which Qin Fang found pleasing.

This was the code of conduct for the children of official families. If they couldn't even manage that, they would probably have already been trampled over by others.

"I won't say anything superfluous. Qin Fang, my brother has just one request—don't fall behind!"

During the meal, most of the conversation was about the upcoming trip into the mountains to gather herbs, because it was a primitive forest, rarely trodden by humans, and no one could guarantee the absence of vipers and fierce animals.

The military warriors were already accustomed to such environments, knowing how to deal with even the most adverse natural conditions, so it wasn't much of a problem for Li Yang himself.

But this time they had to ensure Qin Fang's safety, inadvertently making him a highly protected species, which made Qin Fang quite uncomfortable.

"That won't be a problem!"

Qin Fang opened his mouth to say that his survival skills in such an environment were definitely not inferior to those of special forces warriors, but unfortunately none of the people in front of him would believe that; only Chu Yunxuan smiled serenely. She was the least worried about Qin Fang.

Their destination was in the great mountains of Shu Nan. This stretch of mountains was quite expansive and continuous, connected to the large mountains in a few neighboring provinces, with vast swathes of primitive forest among them.

That included a very famous scenic area in Xishu, Jiuzhaigou...

Of course, scenic areas like these were mostly artificially modified. Many precious herbs had long been taken away, and the environment, crowded with tourists, had become polluted and no longer suitable for the growth of these medicinal plants.

Therefore, the destination for Qin Fang and the others was the rarely visited primitive forest, where the very primitive natural environment was preserved, and the air was exceptionally fresh. Only in such places was it possible to find the herbs Qin Fang needed.

However, such places, with few people, crisscrossing mountain ranges, and an abundance of birds, fish, insects, and animals, also carried their own risks.

Otherwise, Li Yang and his team wouldn't have to protect Qin Fang this way.

Chu Yunxuan did not accompany them. Even though she really wanted to follow, she understood that doing so would only slow Qin Fang down, so she wisely chose to stay behind and wait.

This was the choice of a wise woman, and Qin Fang appreciated this about Chu Yunxuan.

Departing from the Jincheng Military Region, Qin Fang and his team once again boarded an armed helicopter and headed towards the great mountains of Shu Nan. They would make a brief stop at a frontier outpost to change into gear and equip various necessary items, before forming a small detachment and heading deep into the mountains.

Everyone's equipment was similar; military green camouflage uniforms, steel helmets on their heads, army boots on their feet, a submachine gun hanging from their chest, a pistol at their waist, and a backpack on their back containing packed food and water, with necessary items like maps, compasses, flashlights, and simple tents also inside.

Such equipment might not seem like much, but once on one's back, the weight was apparent. For those not regularly trained, just this gear alone could weigh them down.

"I didn't expect you to be so sturdy, kid. I was planning to find someone to carry for you!"

The small team was personally led by Li Yang, with members comprised of the best special forces in the military region, warriors capable of fighting ten at a time. Several had survived many days of combat in the jungles of Vietnam; at least, everything Qin Fang saw suggested they were all Level 4 experts.

Of course, the Level 4 designation didn't mean much.

Everyone's combat skills were not low; they all learned the military's killing techniques, but in a one-on-one situation, Qin Fang was confident he could dispatch his opponent without incurring any injuries.

If it came down to using a gun, Qin Fang was even more certain he could kill his opponent before they even had a chance to react.

However, this was not to say that their strength was too weak, but rather that they each had different areas of focus. If it came to small team tactical combat, Qin Fang would definitely be eliminated by them easily.

Soldiers were never about winning through single combat; they required unity and cooperation.

This is why in the Martial World, despite the multitude of martial arts experts who were unbeatable in single combat, once they encountered a sizeable armed force, even a Grandmaster-level Expert could only meet a bitter end.

"I told you earlier, there's really no need to make such a fuss over such a small matter. Just having two people follow me is enough..."

Qin Fang had indeed made this request, but Li Yang did not believe it, which led to the creation of this rather sizable team.

"Let's not talk about that anymore, I did it considering your safety!"

Li Yang waved his hand dismissively. Even if Qin Fang was really powerful, he couldn't afford any oversight, "According to the map, we should be able to reach our first destination before dark, which is a circular valley that grows Purple Dragon Grass..."

Purple Dragon Grass was the first herb in Qin Fang's Heart Nourishing Pill recipe, one of the four main ingredients, so when Qin Fang was choosing a route, he picked this one that led directly to the valley.

The group moved swiftly through the mountains, not daring to stop along the way due to their clear objective, which naturally meant they traveled very quickly.

After roughly two hours' journey, Qin Fang and his team finally arrived at their first destination—a valley whose name was unknown.

Several warriors quickly found advantageous positions to stay on guard. In such deep mountains, one must always be vigilant, otherwise, nobody could guarantee they wouldn't encounter any deadly threats.

These warriors were elites among elites, their actions quick and precise in positioning—a fact that made even Qin Fang nod his head in involuntary approval.

Qin Fang and Li Yang, accompanied by two warriors, then sneaked into the valley.

The valley was not particularly large, and its environment was quite beautiful, with a pool of water at its deepest part. It was beside this pool that Purple Dragon Grass grew on the sheer cliff.

The smooth and protruding cliff stretched upwards for several tens of meters, with thin streams of water flowing slowly down its face, draining into the pool.

The pale purple herbs, growing amidst the rocks, were not particularly tall—about three meters in height. Their roots burrowed into the crevices of the cliff while the stems and leaves stretched outward, winding and twisting, resembling a dragon with bared fangs and claws, which probably explained the name Purple Dragon Grass.

"Qin Fang, take a look, is this Purple Dragon Grass...?"

Upon seeing such a plant, Qin Fang had not yet employed his Scouting Skill to identify its authenticity, but just by its appearance, it was clear that it must be Purple Dragon Grass. Li Yang, on the other hand, seemed somewhat excited as he spoke.

Although Qin Fang had already determined it was Purple Dragon Grass in his mind, he still used his Scouting Skill to verify it, to be certain of its true nature.

"Purple Dragon Grass, Spiritual Medicine second grade, appearance... growing on..., one of the main ingredients for Heart Nourishing Pill."

Indeed, the scouting result matched Qin Fang's expectations—it was the Purple Dragon Grass.

"It is Purple Dragon Grass... I'll go and gather it!"

With confirmation, Qin Fang naturally wouldn't keep Li Yang in the dark. He informed him right away and then Qin Fang proceeded to prepare the necessary equipment to pick the Purple Dragon Grass.

The Jincheng Military Region's surveillance area included the country to the south, which was densely forested and the locals rather unreasonable and wild. Therefore, the majority of the Jincheng Military Region's special forces soldiers were experts in jungle warfare, and even their equipment was primarily designed to adapt to a variety of jungle environments.

In such a mountain range, where sheer rock faces abound, many soldiers were experts at climbing cliffs, and they were always equipped with ropes, hooks, suction cups, etc.

A mere cliff of several dozen meters high posed no difficulty whatsoever for these soldiers.

Ideally, the soldiers would have been best for the task of gathering herbs, but unfortunately, they were not knowledgeable about the proper methods of herb gathering, and careless picking could easily damage the medicinal properties of the herbs.

Especially with the likes of Purple Dragon Grass, the most essential part was not the dragon-like stems and leaves exposed on the surface, but rather its roots—that was the best part.

The area of the cliff was not too large, but the quantity of Purple Dragon Grass was quite substantial. Qin Fang could see at least five plants with the naked eye—if extracted into those medicinal beads, it would amount to hundreds of doses.

With such a significant amount, how could Qin Fang not be pleased? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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