A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

Yang Hu did not rush to respond to the message from the wealthy family in the city.

That was a really good opportunity.

Once you've established a reputation in the city, things will be easier to talk to here.

However, he had two concerns in his mind.

The first one is Qin Ying.

She was a female general, and she was quite well hidden in the village. But in the city, with its many people and powerful figures, her secrets could easily be exposed if she wasn't careful.

Taking her into the city was to help her light the fire.

He was worried about leaving her at home unattended.

The second item is medicine.

The village chief said that even the most renowned doctors in the city were unable to cure the old man's illness.

For a disease that can stump even the best doctors in the city, ordinary herbs certainly won't work; nine times out of ten, you'll need some strong or unusual medicine.

His small medicinal herb garden has just started, and he doesn't yet have all the potent herbs.

Entering the city empty-handed, unable to cure the disease, they'll smash the signboard.

"This can't be rushed," Yang Hu said, suppressing his thoughts. "Tell the village chief that I need to go and collect some herbs and can't leave for the time being. We'll go to town once the herbs are ready."

Lu Yan was arranging the medicine when she heard Yang Hu say this, so she looked up at him.

"Young master, are you worried that bringing Sister Qin into the city might cause trouble?"

She comes from a wealthy family, so she immediately noticed this.

"It's different in the city," Yang Hu nodded. "There are plenty of high-ranking officials and nobles there. Qin Ying's status can't be hidden."

Qin Ying didn't reply.

Her thinking was clear: she was a burden to Yang Hu. If she hid, she would be controlled by others at every turn; if she revealed her true colors, she would be implicated.

"Let's postpone going into the city," Yang Hu seemed to know what she was thinking. "Anyway, that old man has been sick for almost half a year, so a few more days won't make a difference. Let's gather all the medicine first, so we'll have a clear plan for what to do next."

After sending the messenger away, he went to find Liu Ye.

"Can we harvest those medicinal herbs you mentioned over at Eagle's Beak Cliff now?"

Liu Ye's injury has been healing for more than half a month and is almost fully recovered.

Her eyes lit up when she heard they were going up the mountain.

"Yes! Paris polyphylla and Dragon Bone Wind are perfect for this time of year," Willow Leaf jumped to her feet, then stopped. "But that area is dangerous. How can a doctor like you go in?"

"Go in," Yang Hu said, slinging his medicine basket over his shoulder. "You lead the way."

Liu Daben also shouted that he wanted to protect his sister, but Yang Hu left him behind.

That guy was big and strong, so going into the mountains to explore the crevices would only be a burden. It was safest for him to stay in the village to help Lu Rou tend the medicinal herb garden and watch the woodshed.

Qin Ying listened with a furrowed brow.

"Eagle Beak Cliff, I've heard people in our village say it's a dangerous place," Qin Ying said, looking at Yang Hu. "How about I go with you?"

"Your arm can barely bend, where are you going?" Yang Hu grabbed her. "Willow leaves are enough."

Liu Ye stood tall and proud.

"Don't worry, I'll protect her. Even the wild cats and dogs on the cliff can't touch her."

That sense of certainty made Qin Ying take a second look.

The two women, both capable of fighting, suddenly developed a sense of mutual respect.

The next morning, before dawn, Yang Hu and Liu Ye went into the mountains.

Before leaving, Qin Ying handed the small dagger she had been reluctant to take off while recovering from her injury to Liu Ye.

"The bow is far away, the dagger is near." That's all she said.

Liu Ye took it, carefully tied it around her waist, and nodded to her.

She also carried a small knife she had brought back from the army on her waist, and now that she was recovering from her injuries, she was finally able to hold it tightly.

Two girls, neither of whom were very talkative, got to know each other through a knife.

The fog on the mountain has not yet dissipated.

It gets harder to walk further in.

The ground beneath my feet was covered in wet stones, and the sky was filled with dense, overhanging branches. The air was thick with the smell of decaying leaves and damp earth.

Occasionally, the call of an unfamiliar bird would startle her, making her heart pound.

Liu Ye walked ahead as nimbly as a lynx.

She could tell where the pit was, where the landslide was, and where a snake was hiding under the grass without even looking closely.

She casually broke off a branch and tapped it against the grass, thinking, "I'm just trying to scare the snake away, so you don't get bitten first."

Yang Hu followed behind, stumbling and falling many times.

"I'm not even as good as your little finger," he said, leaning against a tree and panting.

Liu Ye turned around and smiled, a rare occurrence for her.

"Each has its own merits. I can open up a dead body and retrieve it, but you can't."

When the sun was directly overhead, they arrived at Eagle's Beak Cliff.

Sure enough, some herbs with white flowers and leaves, each with seven leaves, were sparsely growing on a rock that stretched straight into the clouds and resembled a knife's edge.

Liu Ye tied a hemp rope to a large tree, then wrapped one end around her waist and climbed up the rock like a gecko.

The rock was practically a right angle, but she climbed up steadily, stepping on the seemingly impossible crevices.

"Don't disturb the roots of that seven-leafed jasmine on the left!" Yang Hu shouted from the foot of the mountain, looking up.

"Okay!"

With one hand gripping the crack in the stone and the other holding a small shovel, Liu Ye dug the herb with white flowers and seven leaves out of the soil.

Carefully placed it into the small cloth bag in her arms.

The wind blew by, and she swayed slightly on the cliff face, making Yang Hu's heart leap into his throat.

However, she acted as if nothing had happened and took two more steps toward the more dangerous area.

He had all the herbs that Yang Hu's pharmacy was missing: Paris polyphylla, dragon bone herb, and clematis.

These herbs grow on cliffs that no one else dares to climb, and they are expensive and sought after by those who want them.

He sat down and shook off the dirt from the pile of herbs that had been tossed with willow leaves, then put them into the medicine basket according to their type.

He was thinking: This basket of medicine will be enough for Jirentang to sell for a while, and he will also have a solution for the big medicine to treat that old man in the city.

With Liu Ye's hands, which knew the way and had the courage to climb cliffs, his pharmacy was truly revived.

After Liu Ye finished picking all the herbs, she slipped down, her forehead covered in sweat, and her hands were covered in several cuts, but she didn't feel any pain at all.

Yang Hu frowned, took a pinch of wound medicine from the medicine basket, and applied it to her hand.

"What's the big deal!"

Liu Ye tried to remove her hand, but didn't.

"To me, this is a big deal! Look at these hands, I'll be gathering medicinal herbs for the rest of my life! If they get hurt, who am I supposed to turn to?"

As he spoke, Yang Hu gripped the handle even tighter.

"..."

Liu Ye paused for a moment, then lowered her head, a blush creeping onto her face.

She didn't say anything more.

The mountain wind howled and whistled as it blew down from the cliff face.

It's much warmer than before.

Just then, Liu Ye suddenly let out a soft "shh" sound from a small grassy slope not far above the rock wall.

She pressed herself against the rock, motionless, just like a highly alert leopard.

"There's someone there."

She lowered her voice and then quickly slipped down.

At the same time, they suddenly pulled Yang Hu behind a large rock, "in the grass, there were three people, wearing fur coats, and carrying a knife."

Yang Hu's heart started pounding.

A fur coat, and a knife.

Are the barbarians coming again?

Yang Hu rummaged through the rocks and looked down.

Sure enough, three ragged barbarian men were sneaking around under the trees!

The leader had a dirty strip of cloth tied around his arm.

He also had a limp, as if he were a war wounded.

"The one who ran away from those barbarians who were scared away by the 'plague' last time! He's back now... and he seems to be a lone wolf."

Liu Ye's eyes turned sinister.

Her hand had already reached for the hunting bow behind her.

"They must have been hiding in these mountains for about half a month... They must have run out of food and fodder! They've come out to forage for something to eat."

However, Yang Hu was not too optimistic.

Generally speaking, barbarian cavalry wouldn't gain much advantage and should have already returned to their own grasslands, right?

But these three guys just happened to hide in the deep mountains of Dacheng for more than half a month.

Without food or fodder, how have we managed to survive until now?!

It can only be...

Someone brought them food and drinks!

As Yang Hu thought of this, beads of sweat immediately formed on his back.

Looking at the leader of the barbarians, his brows furrowed more and more tightly.

Although the barbarian was wearing a tattered leather coat, he gave off a strange sense of order and discipline, unlike the impetuousness of ordinary barbarian cavalry.

The most crucial point is...

He also had something hanging from his waist; when the sunlight shone on it, you could faintly see a metallic sheen on it.

This is not something from barbarians.

It looks exactly like... the waist tag used in the Da Cheng Army.