Reborn in the 1980s: Nine Stunning Beauties Get Pregnant Before Marriage

Although Ding Wanru was somewhat puzzled, she followed. The two pushed aside the tangled weeds and walked forward for a while, soon arriving at the foot of a steep cliff.

"It's all bare here, there doesn't seem to be anything there. Yongqiang, shouldn't we go back?"

Chen Yongqiang knew in his heart that the wild ginseng was not far ahead, but he couldn't say it outright. He couldn't explain how he could find the old ginseng hidden in the crevices of the cliff so accurately.

He was pondering how to naturally head in that direction when Ding Wanru suddenly screamed behind him.

"Oh!"

She was so frightened that she backed away repeatedly. She had accidentally stepped on a loose stone, and a brownish-red centipede, more than 20 centimeters long, crawled out from underneath. Its hundreds of legs were wriggling, making people's scalps tingle.

Chen Yongqiang turned around at the sound, and Ding Wanru had already buried her face in his chest: "There's a centipede!"

What she fears most are these kinds of multi-legged reptiles.

Startled, the centipede scurried about, and by sheer coincidence, it crawled right towards Chen Yongqiang's feet. Ding Wanru's scream rose even higher.

Chen Yongqiang picked up a stone and was about to throw it at the poisonous insect when Ding Wanru grabbed his neck and shouted, "Catch it alive! This centipede can be used in medicine!"

Although she was terrified, she never forgot her duty as a herb gatherer.

Chen Yongqiang patted her back helplessly: "Then you have to get off me first so I can free my hands to grab you."

Ding Wanru then realized she was still clinging to Chen Yongqiang, her face flushed red, and she hurriedly let go and hid behind him.

Chen Yongqiang took the musket off his shoulder and used the butt to pin down the still writhing centipede.

Although the venomous insect was large, it appeared tiny in front of an adult man, and after being firmly restrained, it could only helplessly twitch its tentacles.

"Be careful, it might bite!" Ding Wanru warned from behind.

Chen Yongqiang untied the water bottle from his waist and drank the remaining water in one gulp.

Then, using the gun butt, he pushed the centipede into the kettle spout, inserting its more than twenty-centimeter-long body into the inner liner of the aluminum kettle.

After putting the lid on the teapot, Chen Yongqiang turned to Ding Wanru and said, "Now they can't escape."

Ding Wanru looked at the kettle that kept making a slight scraping sound, still shaken. She was both frightened and delighted. This rare red centipede was a valuable medicine.

Neither of them mentioned the time they had just hugged, as if nothing had happened.

Chen Yongqiang also took the opportunity to speak up: "My grandfather once said that where there are poisonous insects, there must be some rare medicinal herbs nearby."

The two tacitly avoided mentioning their earlier embrace, as if it were merely a natural reaction in the heat of the moment.

Chen Yongqiang hung the water bottle containing the centipede back on his waist and said casually, "My grandfather used to say that wherever there are poisonous insects, there must be rare medicinal herbs growing nearby."

As he spoke, he casually took a few steps toward the right side of the cliff, his gaze falling on a few inconspicuous clumps of weeds.

When the topic of medicinal herbs came up, Ding Wanru momentarily forgot her fear: "That makes sense! The old saying goes that there's always an antidote within seven steps of a poison, that's what it means..."

Ding Wanru followed Chen Yongqiang's gaze and, instinctively as a herb gatherer, immediately held her breath.

Upon seeing the ginseng leaves, they exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Yongqiang, this is an old ginseng! We're so lucky!"

Chen Yongqiang stood behind her, gazing at the wild ginseng swaying in the breeze.

The mountain god's warning still rings in our ears; this unexpectedly acquired medicinal herb is likely the first safeguard against future uncertainties.

Ding Wanru walked over, brushed aside the dead branches covering it, and according to custom, she needed to shout to the mountain: "Club..."

Chen Yongqiang blocked the mountain: "What goods?"

Ding Wanru said joyfully, "Six leaves..."

A wild ginseng with six leaves needs to grow for over a hundred years; it is a treasure that many herb gatherers would never find even after a lifetime of exploring old forests.

She remembered her grandfather always saying that one should have reverence when seeing such a ginseng king, because it had absorbed the essence of heaven and earth for a hundred years and could be considered half a divine herb.

Although Chen Yongqiang was not an expert in herb gathering, he knew the dosage of six leaves.

He recalled the rare, crimson centipede from earlier and suddenly realized that the venomous creature was probably not just there by chance, but rather the guardian of this old ginseng.

Ding Wanru turned to Chen Yongqiang: "Brother Yongqiang, this ginseng must be extracted according to the ancient method; there can be no carelessness whatsoever."

Chen Yongqiang shifted his gaze from the wild ginseng: "You should handle this ginseng."

He knew in his heart that his rudimentary herb-gathering skills were only good for dealing with ordinary herbs, but when faced with a mature ginseng, he would easily damage the roots and diminish its precious medicinal effects if he was not careful.

Ding Wanru nodded in understanding, then clasped her hands together and respectfully bowed three times to the ginseng.

She softly murmured the rules passed down from the older generation: "Mountain God, Elder Master, I, your disciple Ding Wanru, have been blessed to see this precious ginseng today. It is thanks to your kindness that I have been granted this gift. I will only take what I need, ensuring the immortal roots remain intact, and may you bless the mountains and forests to prosper, so that new shoots may sprout again next year..."

After saying that, she took out a red string, tied it to the ginseng stem, and then squatted down and began to use a bamboo stick to carefully remove the soil.

Seeing this, Chen Yongqiang didn't say anything more, picked up his machete and turned around to clear away the bushes and branches around the ginseng.

The soil in the woodland was loose, and it took Ding Wanru nearly two hours to carefully remove the wild ginseng.

Holding the ginseng, still covered in fresh soil, in her hands, she couldn't contain her joy: "Brother Yongqiang, look, this ginseng is of such exceptional quality!"

Chen Yongqiang leaned closer for a closer look. He saw that the wild ginseng in Ding Wanru's palm was in a standard "人" (human) shape, with a thick and full main stem and symmetrical and powerful branch roots on both sides.

What's even more remarkable are those fine roots. Ding Wanru was extremely careful when digging them up, and even the finest roots were intact, just like the white beard of an old man.

"Look at the rings on this reed head. The reed bowls are so dense, and it grows one ring every year. It must be more than a hundred years old."

As soon as Chen Yongqiang took the wild ginseng, a system notification sounded in his mind:

[Obtaining a century-old ginseng king triggers a body-tempering formula]

[Body Tempering Pill: Strengthens muscles and bones, clears meridians and cleanses marrow]

Main ingredient: Century-old wild ginseng

[Additional ingredients: century-old Ganoderma lucidum, century-old Polygonatum sibiricum, tiger bone, spiritual spring water...]

Chen Yongqiang muttered to himself, "The mountain god has warned of a major upheaval in Qinglong Mountain. Could this Body Tempering Pill be the key to increasing my strength?"

"Dr. Ding, this ginseng will be of great use to me..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ding Wanru smiled faintly and said, "This ginseng is destined for you. If you hadn't insisted on coming over to take a look, we would have gone back long ago."

She bent down to tidy up the medicine basket, her tone calm, "People in the mountains believe in fate. Since you found it, it should belong to you. I was just helping out."

Chen Yongqiang originally thought he would have to use some persuasion, but he didn't expect Ding Wanru to be so understanding.

If this century-old wild ginseng were taken to a pharmacy in the county town, it could easily be exchanged for an apartment in the city. Everyone would be envious.

"I'll remember this favor. From now on, when I go hunting in the mountains, I'll save any medicinal herbs that catch your eye for you."