Ger, So Proud

Chapter 20: Going Up the Mountain

“Exactly, don’t you think last time’s injury wasn’t serious enough?” Dad Li put down his chopsticks and sighed as he looked at He Ze’s forehead. “You were lucky that time. If Yu-ge hadn’t found you…”

“Dad, last time was just an accident.” The original He Ze hadn’t intended to seek death; he had just stormed off to the mountain in a fit of anger. He Ze frowned, “Alright then, if I go find Lin Yu tomorrow, will that put your minds at ease?”

“Yes, father, Dad, with Yu-ge around, nothing will happen,” He An said with a big smile, showing his white teeth.

He Youcai took a sip of tea, “Since you’re going with Yu-ge, we have no objections. But wife, we should prepare something as a thank you. We haven’t properly thanked him for saving Xiao Ze, and now we’re troubling him again.”

“I know, I’ve already discussed it with Xiao Ze. We’ll buy some things when we go to town in a few days and then visit him. We have to show our gratitude somehow.”

“That’s right,” He Youcai drank the rest of his cold tea in one gulp and picked up his chopsticks again, “Let’s eat, let’s eat. Xiao Ze, since you’re planning to go up the mountain tomorrow, get some good rest after dinner.”

“Okay.” He Ze nodded lightly.

By the time they finished eating, the moon had already risen in the sky, and a few stars were twinkling. When the lights in He Youcai, Dad Li, and He An’s rooms had all gone out, He Ze quietly stepped out of his room and walked to the edge of the courtyard to check the flowers he had planted that morning.

Some of them had already sprouted.

He Ze didn’t know much about flowers or their blooming periods. He had simply used his wood-based powers to speed up the growth when he planted them, and it seemed to have worked.

However, his wood-based abilities were still too weak, and this world didn’t have crystal cores. To enhance his powers, he needed a vast amount of life force.

Or perhaps, there might be some surprises awaiting him on the mountain tomorrow.

He Ze squatted down, gently pinching a sprout in a porcelain pot, and then walked out of the courtyard, closing the gate behind him.

The next day, he returned just in time as always. He Youcai, Dad Li, and He An were still asleep. He Ze went back to his room, removed the cotton bandage wrapped around his forehead, and with a light touch, the scab fell off—the wound was completely healed.

Because he needed to visit the Lin family early to ask about going up the mountain with Lin Yu, Dad Li got up early and made a pot of porridge. Along with some pickles and leftover meat from the previous day, he also boiled six eggs, making sure He Ze ate two before letting him leave.

Half an hour later, at the foot of the mountain at the edge of the village.

“What are you going to do on the mountain?” Lin Yu asked He Ze, who was standing nearby. He carried a backpack with a few arrows inside, and a longbow in his hand.

The sun was just rising, and the trees on either side of the path were lush. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting golden, oval-shaped patches of light on his face, making his features appear even more delicate.

A person who had been hunting for years and still looked like this—naturally beautiful was an understatement. If this place weren’t such a backwater and if Lin Yu didn’t have the reputation of being unlucky in marriage, there would probably be countless suitors lining up at his door.

He Ze’s eyes flickered. Seeing that Lin Yu was still staring at him, he snapped out of his thoughts. “I’m just taking a walk. Are there many wild herbs on this mountain?”

“Herbs? You’re not going up the mountain just to gather herbs, are you?” Lin Yu paused. “Let me give you a piece of advice—you better not go.

This mountain is a treasure trove. A few years ago, someone even found a lingzhi mushroom here. Since then, people have been flocking to the mountain to gather herbs, and most of them have been dug up. Only some resilient plants like white atractylodes are left, and those aren’t even valuable.”

“So, this mountain did have many medicinal herbs growing on it?” He Ze quickly grasped the key point. “Don’t worry, I’m not specifically looking for herbs. Let’s go.”

Lin Yu glanced at He Ze. “Then what are you planning to do?”

“Since this mountain did have many herbs growing on it, it means the climate and soil are suitable for their growth,” He Ze raised an eyebrow and suddenly said, “We can cultivate them ourselves.”

“Artificial cultivation? What do you mean?”

“In simple terms, it means human cultivation, like growing sweet potatoes, planting in spring and harvesting in autumn, for mass production,” He Ze explained. “Aren’t there many herbal medicine merchants nowadays? You didn’t know?”

“I know, but…” Lin Yu frowned. “But herbal medicine merchants must be familiar with the growth habits of each type of herb. Also, out of ten herbs, maybe only one can be artificially cultivated, and even that ‘one’ is extremely difficult to grow. Do you think you’re Xu Xian and know all this?”

“Xu Xian?” He Ze was taken aback by the name but then laughed. “You still remember that?”

“Of course, you didn’t finish the story!” Lin Yu glared at him.

“Alright, alright, it’s just an idea for now. I know my limits.” He Ze admitted that as an outsider, he might face many challenges in growing herbs, but his supernatural abilities were his greatest asset.

No matter how things turned out, he could ensure the He family’s well-being.

This venture was mainly for show. If it succeeded, great. If not, he could make it work. All he wanted in this life was modest prosperity and a peaceful, stable life.

Lin Yu was silent for a moment, then quickened his pace. “Whatever! Hurry up, didn’t you say you wanted to reach the top of the mountain? If you’re slow, I won’t wait for you.”

Seeing Lin Yu moving swiftly, He Ze shook his head, adjusted the straps of his backpack, and sped up to follow.

“By the way, Lin Yu, where did I leave off last time?” He Ze mumbled to himself. “Was it Bai Suzhen flooding Jinshan Temple or revealing her true form during the Dragon Boat Festival?”

Lin Yu slowed down.

“I can’t remember; do you?” He Ze finally caught up, with a teasing smile on his face.

“It was… it was the part where she married Xu Xian!” Lin Yu couldn’t help but turn his head. “What happens next? Does Bai Suzhen get captured by Fahai?”

He Ze shook his head but didn’t leave him hanging.

“No, that night, with warm candles and a cozy bed, Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian were married in front of Xu Xian’s family, promising to be faithful to each other for life. They lived happily together for a while until Fahai visited again…”

Lin Yu pricked up his ears, and He Ze’s voice flowed smoothly, creating a ripple in the air.

About an hour and a half later, they reached halfway up the mountain. The surrounding flowers, grass, and trees were becoming denser, and the path was barely a path anymore. He Ze was entirely following Lin Yu through the trees and bushes.

“Are you okay? Do you need a rest?” Lin Yu frequently turned back to check on him.

“No need, let’s keep going.”

Normally, he would have already been exhausted. But now, surrounded by the mountains and wild plants, this was his territory. He Ze fully unleashed his abilities.

He could almost feel the vast, overwhelming green life energy eagerly rushing into his body, erasing all his fatigue. Meanwhile, his powers were slowly growing.

Of course, since this was his first time, his abilities would have a feast. In the future, the growth wouldn’t be as rapid.

Still, it was a pleasant surprise, confirming his assumptions from last night.

He Ze took a deep breath and suddenly stopped, noticing a few pears hanging from a nearby tree.

Lin Yu, ahead of him, kept walking and hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

He Ze glanced at Lin Yu and, with a stretch of his hand, two pears fell into his lap. Lin Yu turned his head, and He Ze casually tossed him one. “Thirsty? This one should be ripe.”

“…Thanks.”

“No need to thank me, it just fell.” He Ze wiped the pear on his clothes and took a bite. Despite the thick skin, it was sweet and juicy, quite good. “Let’s go. If we find more on our way down, we can pick some to take back. Climbing the mountain is tiring.”

“Okay.”

Lin Yu responded, but just as he turned around, He Ze grabbed his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

He turned his head, silently asking.

“Shh, don’t speak…”

He Ze spat out the half-eaten piece of pear and whispered. Lin Yu didn’t make a sound, only scanning the surroundings with his eyes, finally fixing his gaze on He Ze.

He Ze placed the pear in Lin Yu’s palm, taking the longbow and an arrow from Lin Yu’s basket.

Prey?

But how did He Ze notice when he didn’t?

Lin Yu’s eyes were filled with suspicion.

Compared to last time, when He Ze could barely draw the bow halfway, this time he drew it fully. He closed one eye and fixed his gaze on the distant bushes.

“Whoosh!” The arrow shot through the air, embedding itself in the bush with only half the shaft visible.

A smile spread across He Ze’s face. He took the pear from Lin Yu’s hand and returned the bow. “Guess if I hit it?”

He had taken two bites of the pear, finishing most of it with a crisp chewing sound. Lin Yu glanced at He Ze and tossed his own pear, which He Ze instinctively caught.

Walking over to the bushes, Lin Yu placed the bow on the ground and followed the arrow shaft to part the grass. Inside lay a rabbit, the arrow piercing its back, barely alive.

Lin Yu pulled out the arrow and brought the rabbit to He Ze. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t shoot?”

“…Maybe my eyesight is good? You see, it wasn’t far.”

“Really?” Lin Yu enunciated each word.

He Ze nodded emphatically.

Lin Yu didn’t press further, throwing the rabbit into He Ze’s basket, retrieving his pear, and flatly complimented, “Your eyesight is really, really good.”

“…”

He Ze fell silent, quickly catching up to him as they continued toward the summit.

Author’s Note: I wrote 6,000 characters today and realized that writing 6,000 a day isn’t that hard… Good morning, darlings. What do you think? (￣︶￣)↗

Sneak peek: I’m planning to reveal a big twist in the next chapter!!!