In the dark and cold cave, a few flames flickered, and the fragrance of a pot of mushroom stew filled the air.
Jiang Ming returned to his senses and filled the bowl with the stew. In the golden stew, there was a trace of flame-like red light, which was very strange.
"This bowl of stew can probably put down an elephant."
Looking at the colorful mushrooms in the stew, Jiang Ming could not help but grin. Then, he blew on the hot air and could not wait to eat.
"Hiss!"
After a mouthful of the stew, it was so fresh that it almost melted Jiang Ming's tongue. The mushrooms were also delicious. An unknown burning force swirled in his body with the heat of the mushroom stew.
Jiang Ming was so content that he almost moaned out loud. The cold of the rainy night was dispelled in an instant, and his whole body was warm and full of energy.
"This is the power of the fire cloud grass?"
Jiang Ming was extremely shocked. His weak body seemed to be cheering and jumping for joy, showing an intense desire for the stew in front of him.
He immediately went all out and destroyed the remaining mushroom stew.
As he drank, there seemed to be little people dancing in front of him, but they soon disappeared.
His body gradually warmed up, and Jiang Ming's thoughts gradually became lively.
"Things like fire cloud grass and beast-taming prescriptions aren't something that can be found so easily in an ordinary martial arts world. It seems that this is indeed a world of immortal cultivators. I just wonder if there are really immortals here? The immortal path is ethereal. It's useless to overthink. At present, martial arts is the only way to become stronger."
Jiang Ming took a deep breath and suppressed the doubts in his heart. He lay down by the fire and gradually fell asleep.
The storm was still raging outside, with occasional thunderclaps. The fire in the small cave gradually weakened and returned to darkness.
* * *
The following day, the rain and clouds dispersed.
The sky was as clear as a mirror. Rays of sunlight passed through the vines and shone into the cave.
Jiang Ming stood up and looked down in a daze.
"The toughest thing in the world is no longer steel. This medicine is too strong!" Jiang Ming was speechless. He felt his whole body burning up.
He pushed aside the vines and walked out of the cave, taking a deep breath of the fresh air after the rain. Then, he stood on a huge rock and began to practice a set of fist techniques that strengthened his body.
Medicine and martial arts were inseparable.
The herb gatherers were also involved in martial arts and had their own ways of strengthening their Qi. The fist technique that Jiang Ming practiced had no name, but it still had some effect.
He practiced the fist technique over and over again. He could feel the medicinal power dissolving in his body, and his strength was slowly increasing.
Even his thin and weak body seemed to have become tougher.
"Such a strong medicinal effect. It seems that it's not just the fire cloud grass. Those poisonous mushrooms also have amazing medicinal effects. It's just that ordinary people don't have the fortune to enjoy them. If that's the case, then this mountain forest is a huge treasure for me. Precious herbs like the fire cloud grass are hard to find, but it's not a problem to find some poisonous fungi or herbs."
In his memories, some medicinal herbs had extraordinary effects but were also highly poisonous. Ordinary pharmacists simply could not process them. Even if they could, the cost would be higher than the profit. Basically, no one would pick them.
If Jiang Ming used these herbs and poisonous fungi as resources for practicing martial arts, then his martial arts journey would be twice as effective with half the effort.
After more than two hours of practice, the heat finally subsided.
"I gotta continue picking herbs!"
After having a goal, Jiang Ming was full of energy. He ate some dry food, carried the herb basket, and continued to move forward according to the route in his memory.
After the rain, the mountain forest was empty and fresh. The grass and leaves were stained with raindrops, and from time to time, the chirping of insects and birds reverberated in the forest.
In the thick of the forest, Jiang Ming was alone. Like an apprentice who was thirsty for knowledge, he kept tasting every kind of herb and familiarized himself with various herb-picking skills.
Most of the herbs were delicate. Some of them could not be damaged, some only needed unbosomed flower buds, and some of the fruits had to be picked in the morning to prevent the pods from bursting.
Even with the memories of his predecessor, Jiang Ming did not know how many herbs he had picked before he felt that his level had improved a lot.
* * *
Two days later, early in the morning, the waning moon was still hanging in the sky.
Jiang Ming walked out of the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest in the morning mist. Water was dripping from his bamboo hat. He carried a basket full of herbs and came to a refugee gathering place at the foot of the mountain.
In fact, Jiang Ming could have continued to stay in the mountains, but according to the habits of his predecessor, he would come back to rest for a few days after three or four days in the mountains.
He was new here and did not want to attract too much attention.
Wisps of smoke rose from the kitchen chimneys. There were many simple straw huts scattered around, and people were coming and going. It was full of smoke and fire.
In the beginning, there were only a few herb gatherers who built houses here. Later on, the pitiful people who could not survive in Great Cloud City gradually gathered here.
When the city's officials came for an outing, they were kind and personally named this place. Thus, Peace Town was opened.
As soon as Jiang Ming walked to the town entrance, a young official in a shabby black robe came from the side of the road. He looked at Jiang Ming casually and said lazily, "Toll, please."
Jiang Ming stuffed two copper coins into his hand. The officer immediately showed a satisfied smile. He casually rummaged through the herb basket a few times and took two pieces of sealwort. Then, he waved his hand and asked Jiang Ming to leave.
Back then, when the old official showed kindness, he did not forget to be prepared for danger in times of peace. He pointed out that there might be bandits in the mountains, so he sent small officials to guard this place at the risk of their lives to check if there were any dangerous people causing trouble.
The commoners were touched and sent some silver and specialty products in gratitude.
However, until now, no one had seen what the bandits looked like.
Life was so funny and difficult. Fortunately, the world was still peaceful. His predecessor was restrained and low-profile and did not cause any trouble. Jiang Ming planned to continue to maintain this and did not have any sense of urgency.
After entering the town, Jiang Ming greeted some of the herb gatherers and walked into a small bar.
Although it was called a bar, it was actually just a bigger straw hut. The dirty wine cellar was extremely tattered, the environment inside was dark and messy, and the tables and chairs were all in tatters. It was one of the few entertainment places in the town.
There were quite a few people in the tavern. Most of them were men in tattered clothes. There were herb gatherers, hunters, and woodcutters. They were drinking and talking nonsense while bragging about what they had seen and heard.
It was very humid in the mountains, so many people would come here to drink a glass of wine to dispel the cold and dampness before or after entering the mountain.
Over time, drinking wine during the day had become a unique custom in Peace Town. Even if there was nothing to do, many people would come to drink a bowl and chat to numb themselves to the bad things in life.
Jiang Ming threw the herb basket to an empty table, went straight to the counter, and patted two copper coins.
"A glass of tongue runner and a plate of smoked tofu!"
Tongue runner was the cheapest wine here. It cost a copper coin for a glass, and it only had one special characteristic— it was strong.
One mouthful would cause one's tongue to lose all feeling, and one's entire body would be steaming hot. It was the best choice for expelling cold.
Behind the counter was the owner of the bar, Old Jiang. His hair was white and sparse, and he knew Jiang Ming and the other herb gatherers. He immediately smiled and said, "Looking at your glowing face, you must have had a good harvest."
"Good harvest? I almost got fed to the wolves!" Jiang Ming casually made up a story and sat down.
He first took a big gulp of wine, and the burning sensation rushed from his throat to his chest and abdomen. Then, he picked up a piece of tofu that had turned yellow from the smoke, dipped it in chili sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth.
The aroma of strong wine and tofu intertwined in his mouth. Jiang Ming smacked his mouth and listened to the surrounding drinkers boasting.
"I heard that the Wang family's reward has been raised to fifty silver taels!"
"So what? Fire cloud grass isn't white cabbage. Where can we find it?"
"If I can find it, I'll book the top courtesan of Qinghe Tower, Miss Xue'er, for three days and three nights!"
"Dumbass, you're counting your chickens before they've hatched. Can you hold up against Qianqian?"
"Hahahaha!"
Jiang Ming raised his eyebrows and drank without saying a word.
People came and went in the bar, and some familiar herb gatherers came by. Jiang Ming greeted them one by one.
No one mentioned Old Ghost Huang. After all, it had only been a few days. Many people went into the mountains for ten days to half a month.
Late in the morning, Jiang Ming licked the tofu dish clean and drank the last mouthful of wine. He then carried the herb basket and staggered away.
"After drinking a cup of wine, no one in this world can stop me!"