The group continued onward, venturing deeper into the Black Mountain. The creatures they encountered were increasingly strange and unknown.
Lin Xiao Tian sprinkled snake repellent powder on the siblings, deterring smaller venomous creatures from approaching them. As for larger poisonous beasts or ferocious animals, Lin Xiao Tian would do his best to avoid them. Despite the pervasive darkness, Lin Xiao Tian’s senses were no weaker than those of any animal, and avoiding them was not an issue. Of course, there were some fearless creatures that dared to provoke him, but they were all subdued by Lin Xiao Tian's flying needles.
The siblings were astonished by Lin Xiao Tian's abilities. He even dared to confront a leopard with his bare hands, driving it away. Furthermore, he could swing from branches in the forest like a modern-day Tarzan. The deeper they went into the Black Mountain, the more precious medicinal herbs they found. The siblings, thanks to Lin Xiao Tian, managed to collect quite a few valuable items. Among them were common herbs like ginseng and reishi mushrooms, but more importantly, they found the Longevity Grass. Wasn't this the very reason they had come to this forest?
"What do you need the Longevity Grass for?" Lin Xiao Tian asked casually.
"Alchemy!" Yang Lin answered without hesitation.
Yang Xin, standing nearby, quickly pinched him. Yang Lin cried out in pain, thinking he had been bitten by something. Only when he saw Yang Xin did he realize what had happened. At this point, Yang Xin's intellect finally returned to normal; she had been completely dazed from excessive nervousness.
"Oh, oh..." Lin Xiao Tian simply nodded, saying nothing more.
Seeing this, Yang Lin stuck his tongue out at Yang Xin, implying that even though he had revealed the secret, Lin Xiao Tian clearly didn't know. However, Yang Xin frowned.
The process of collecting medicinal herbs went smoothly. Although they encountered several ferocious beasts, Lin Xiao Tian dealt with them all. "Fortunately, there were no tigers or wild boars, otherwise, it would have been troublesome," Lin Xiao Tian thought to himself, feeling fortunate. If he were alone, he could guarantee his safe escape from the forest even if he encountered wild boars or tigers. But with two burdens in tow, he would have to create an opportunity for them to escape if such beasts appeared.
"Alright! Brother, stop being modest. Look at how you beat that leopard; it probably has psychological trauma," Yang Lin couldn't help but recall the scene of Lin Xiao Tian fighting the leopard. The leopard had lunged out from the bushes right beside him, and Yang Lin hadn't even reacted, believing he was doomed. Who would have thought that Lin Xiao Tian would actually grab the pouncing leopard? Lin Xiao Tian held the leopard by its scruff, a posture akin to how he would grab a cat at home and swing it around. The leopard then struggled fiercely, its limbs flailing wildly, but Lin Xiao Tian's grip was like a vise. As the leopard thrashed, the skin on its face stretched, and it finally submitted. Lin Xiao Tian carried the leopard for a considerable distance, found a small slope, and simply tossed it down. It wasn't like throwing a leopard; it was more like discarding trash. The leopard never returned...
Gradually, the sky began to lighten. After the gathering, Lin Xiao Tian had collected enough medicinal herbs. If all went according to plan, it should be enough for him to fail another five or six times. "That's impossible," Lin Xiao Tian murmured to himself. He was confident that this time, he would only have leftover herbs and would not use them all up.
"Should we head down the mountain now?" Yang Lin looked at him pleadingly.
Lin Xiao Tian nodded.
"Hooray!" Yang Lin cheered like a child.
"Don't worry, after we get back, I'll keep my promise to you. I won't take advantage of you!" Yang Lin vowed again. Lin Xiao Tian didn't know if he was making empty promises or if he was sincere. He just smiled and didn't reply.
The three of them retraced their steps and, after about an hour, returned to the spot where they had found the backpack.
"This is where we started. It seems we walked the right way," Yang Lin stated the obvious.
Just then, a faint voice caught their attention. "Help... help me..." Lin Xiao Tian was the first to notice the sound and quickly looked in its direction. A woman appeared before them, lying on the ground, weak and exhausted. Her clothes were tattered, revealing her fair skin.
"Aunt Xue?" Yang Xin immediately recognized her.
"Miss." Xue Yi had saved her before. Yang Xin couldn't possibly ignore her plea for help, but out of caution, she glanced at Lin Xiao Tian. Lin Xiao Tian nodded, and only then did Yang Xin dare to approach.
"Aunt Xue, are you alright? Drink some water quickly!" Yang Xin helped her up from the ground.
"Miss, it's good that you are safe. I... I'm fine," Xue Yi replied weakly.
"Did that White Viper not eat you?" Yang Lin asked casually. Yang Xin glared at him, and Yang Lin shrugged indifferently.
"That White Viper didn't kill me, it only injured me and then left immediately. I think it went to chase after you. Fortunately, you are all safe," Xue Yi said, a faint smile gracing her lips. However, her brow soon furrowed.
"Miss, how do you know that thing was a White Viper?" Although she had given the siblings some general information before they came, it was about common creatures. She hadn't mentioned creatures like the White Viper because their original plan didn't involve going that deep into the forest, and she hadn't expected them to encounter one. But if she hadn't told them, and Yang Xin knew, it was clearly illogical. After the world's families reached their agreement, creatures like the White Viper were forbidden from appearing in any documentation. How did they know?
"Xiao Tian told us," Yang Xin said, pointing to Lin Xiao Tian. Xue Yi looked in the direction Yang Xin indicated and quickly spotted Lin Xiao Tian.
"What does he do?" Xue Yi asked suspiciously.
"This... we don't know. We haven't asked."
"Miss, you should be wary of people of unknown origin!"
"Actually, we got lost in the forest. If it weren't for Xiao Tian, we would have been eaten by wolves by now," Yang Xin said helplessly. Xue Yi immediately understood the general situation.
As the two were chatting, Lin Xiao Tian approached.
"You are severely injured and probably won't be able to walk for a while. I'll take them down the mountain first, and then I'll come back for you," Lin Xiao Tian said to Xue Yi.
"But you said it would rain later. Wouldn't it be dangerous for Aunt Xue to stay here alone?"