Chapter 20: Child, You Answer

It was only after Xu Qing returned to his residence that he finally let out a long sigh of relief. He felt what he was doing wasn't quite right, but his thirst for knowledge left him with no other option. He also understood that his little trick had probably been seen through.

"I'll have to repay him someday," the young man murmured, committing the thought to memory. He wasn't sure how he would repay him, but he genuinely felt that way, hoping the opportunity would arise.

Worried he might forget, Xu Qing took out a bamboo slip from his leather pouch and carved the three words "Master Bai" onto it with an iron stylus. A closer look at the bamboo slip revealed "Master Bai" and "Captain Lei," along with three other names inscribed above them. Those three names belonged to people who had helped him during his time in the slums; even the smallest gestures were firmly etched in his memory.

After inscribing the names, Xu Qing took out another bamboo slip and meticulously recorded the information he had learned from the recent lesson. He even took out the bamboo slip from the previous lesson, silently recited it, and after confirming he had remembered everything, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

"I now know twenty-seven types of herbs," Xu Qing thought, delighted. This mood lasted all day, even carrying into his cultivation practice.

The next day, he woke up early again. After selling some Seven-Leaf Grass, he purchased an herb resembling the Heaven's Mandate Flower and, with practiced ease, headed to Master Bai's tent. He took his usual spot, quietly waiting and listening to the lesson inside. And just like the day before, when the lesson concluded and Master Bai emerged to ask questions, Xu Qing nervously presented his herb for identification.

Master Bai looked at the herb, cleared his throat, and despite shaking his head, proceeded to tell Xu Qing all about the plant he had purchased. This implicitly taught Xu Qing about another herb, further increasing his satisfaction and gratitude. After bowing and departing, he looked back from a distance, just as he had yesterday, and saw Master Bai still standing there, nodding at him. This image imprinted itself on Xu Qing's mind.

And so, half a month went by. Almost every day, Xu Qing would bring various herbs, and after listening to the lesson outside Master Bai's tent, he would present them for identification. He accumulated more and more botanical knowledge, eventually even learning about methods of herb preparation. Xu Qing benefited immensely from this, and the bamboo slips he used for notes soon numbered in the dozens.

Master Bai never once mentioned Xu Qing's "eavesdropping," and patiently answered his daily questions about herbs. Eventually, not only did the guards grow accustomed to the sight of the fur-clad child appearing every morning, but even the young man and woman inside the tent became deeply impressed by him. One time, during a heavy downpour, both Master Bai and his two young students assumed Xu Qing wouldn't show up. Yet, through the rain, Xu Qing arrived, clad in a straw rain cape. His unwavering dedication, rain or shine, left a deep impression on Master Bai and his two disciples.

So one day, when class was about to begin and Xu Qing was uncharacteristically late, the two young students repeatedly glanced outside. They seemed curious as to why the dirty little scavenger hadn't shown up today. It wasn't until Xu Qing's weary figure finally appeared by the tent that the young students averted their gaze.

The reason for his lateness was that besides attending Master Bai's lessons daily, Xu Qing also entered the forbidden zone to search for Heaven's Mandate Flowers and Scar Removal Stones, while also honing his skills in hunting strange beasts. However, the search process wasn't smooth. He still hadn't found either item, and Xu Qing once again experienced the profound dangers of the forbidden zone. Even with his fourth-level Sea Mountain Art cultivation and the keen judgment and observational skills of an experienced scavenger, allowing him to survive and even hunt cautiously on the jungle's periphery, he still occasionally faced perilous situations. That particular lateness was due to encountering a strange beast that emerged from deeper within the zone. He barely escaped with his life, fleeing through the night until he returned at dawn. After returning, he didn't rest but silently listened to the lesson.

In addition, Xu Qing had made a small but significant gain these past few days: the "insurance" arrangement Bone Knife had proposed. Bone Knife was doing very well. Ever since his last purchase, Bone Knife bought the "insurance" every time he entered the forbidden zone. Though the mist never reappeared and Xu Qing never had to intervene, Bone Knife remained persistent. Somehow, word spread, and gradually, more people started coming to Xu Qing for this "insurance." Exercising caution, Xu Qing largely ignored them, agreeing only to those he had previously rescued. This boosted Xu Qing's income, and combined with his hunting gains in the forbidden zone, his life slowly improved.

Although Captain Lei could no longer go on missions, Xu Qing insisted on paying a substantial amount of rent. Even when Captain Lei initially refused, Xu Qing's persistence left him no choice but to accept it. Captain Lei mostly spent this money on food, ensuring Xu Qing always had a warm meal waiting when he returned from the forbidden zone. Captain Lei even bought some clothes for Xu Qing. These clothes were brand new, and Xu Qing was reluctant to wear them. He folded each item neatly and stored them in his cabinet, occasionally taking them out just to look at them, which always brought him joy.

And daily mealtime was always the warmest part of Xu Qing's day. Not only did he eat well, but Captain Lei would often, like an elder reminiscing about neighborhood affairs in their old age, share bits and pieces of camp life with him. During this time, Cross and Luan Ya also returned, stayed with Captain Lei for a while, and then departed again.

It's safe to say that this period was the most content Xu Qing had felt in six years. He had hot meals, new clothes, Captain Lei's company, his cultivation was improving, and his knowledge of plants was still increasing. Therefore, alongside this contentment, he deeply cherished everything he had, and his daily lessons outside the tent were exceptionally diligent.

Then came the day when, under the morning sun, Xu Qing, standing outside the tent, heard Master Bai questioning the young male student inside.

"Chen Feiyuan, tell me about the herb 'Night Corpse Morning Glory.'"

Xu Qing had learned over the past month that "Chen Feiyuan" was what Master Bai called the young man, and that the girl's nickname was Tingyu. Hearing Master Bai's question, the young man struggled to answer, stuttering out a few words before trailing off. Xu Qing couldn't see inside the tent, but he could easily imagine the crestfallen expression on the young man's face from the quick glances he'd caught when the tent flap had opened before.

"Useless! Tingyu, you answer," Master Bai said sternly, calling on the girl. This time, however, the girl was clearly unprepared as well.

"Night Corpse Morning Glory, also known as Poison Mountain Root... Teacher, I... I forgot," the girl stammered, then fell silent.

Silence immediately fell inside the tent. Clearly, Master Bai's anger was simmering, and then his voice, laced with barely concealed irritation, echoed out. "Child, you answer."

Xu Qing, standing outside the tent, paused, then instinctively blurted out the answer. "Night Corpse Morning Glory, also known as Poison Mountain Root Flecked Doveweed, is the vine stem and root of the *Vernonia cinerea* plant, a woody vine that grows in shady mountain ravines, cold stream banks, or jungles. It has an astringent and pungent taste, a slightly warm sensation when ingested, and a hint of decay. It possesses miraculous properties for dispelling wind and relieving external symptoms, but it is toxic in excessive doses, making it a classic example of a yin-yang duality herb." Xu Qing paused after reciting this.

"What are the symptoms of an overdose?" Master Bai asked again from inside the tent, as the young man and woman looked on with a hint of disbelief.

"Symptoms of poisoning include abdominal pain, dizziness, and hallucinations. Without intervention, death occurs within fifteen minutes," Xu Qing replied instantly, his heart racing but his voice unwavering.

"How does one detoxify it?"

"One can first alleviate the symptoms by inducing vomiting and gastric lavage, supplemented with egg whites and red thorn stamens. Symptomatic treatment should be administered during strong midday sunlight, not exceeding half an hour per session, for three consecutive days."

As Xu Qing answered, Master Bai inside the tent remained expressionless, but the young man and woman beside him widened their eyes, somewhat surprised.

"What defines a yin-yang duality herb?" Master Bai asked again.

"Yin-yang duality means encompassing both beneficial and harmful properties within a single plant; its positive yang aspect acts as medicine, while its negative yin aspect acts as poison," Xu Qing replied without hesitation. This was all knowledge he had absorbed over time and committed to memory through repeated recitation.

"How does this particular plant manifest these qualities?" Master Bai's questions came faster.

"Taking Night Corpse Morning Glory as an example, when combined with Inch-Square Leaf, its positive effects are doubled, primarily treating soul injuries and offering some soothing properties for anomalies. However, when combined with Soft-Haired Flower, its negative effects are greatly amplified, becoming so toxic that an ordinary person who ingests it accidentally would die within thirty breaths."

"How is Soft-Haired Flower processed?" "What are the uses of Inch-Square Leaf roots?" Master Bai's questions came faster and faster. Xu Qing's initial nervousness gradually dissipated, and his replies matched the pace.

Thus, an old man and a young boy, separated by a tent, engaged in a rapid-fire question-and-answer session that lasted for a full stick of incense. Master Bai asked many questions, many of which required combining lecture content from several days apart to know the answers, but Xu Qing answered them all fluently. Meanwhile, the young man and woman had gone from merely surprised to utterly astounded, staring blankly at Xu Qing's shadow cast upon the tent.

It wasn't until Master Bai asked the last question, under the dumbfounded gaze of the two young students: "What is the efficacy of a medicinal liquid prepared from three one-year-old Night Corpse Morning Glories, combined with six three-year-old Cloud Crossing Bushes, and nine ten-year-old whole plants of any *Cyperaceae* family's single-spike water sedge (*Kyllinga brevifolia*)?"

The moment this question was posed, the young man and woman's expressions changed drastically, and their breathing quickened. This was no longer about simple identification but complex herbal compounding. This was the question that stumped Xu Qing for the longest during the entire examination. He pondered it for over thirty breaths before taking a deep breath and speaking in a low voice.

"Evil struggles to suppress good; yang triumphs over yin. When combined with Cloud Grass, it amplifies the positive effects, leading to an astonishing detoxification potency from the entire single-spike water sedge plant." As Xu Qing finished, his eyes widened, as if he had subtly realized something.

"This, in fact, is seventy percent of the foundational formula for the Great Transformation Pill, a type of detoxification pill. With the addition of three more herbs and seven hours of simmering, it can be concocted," Master Bai's faint voice drifted from inside the tent. "I've tested you quite thoroughly. Do you have any questions you'd like to ask?"

Xu Qing's spirits lifted, and his breathing quickened. For over a month, he had indeed accumulated many unanswered questions. However, since he was merely eavesdropping—though Master Bai, in his kindness, hadn't stopped him—he hadn't felt it appropriate to interrupt the lectures or ask questions. Hearing Master Bai speak now, Xu Qing quickly organized his thoughts and immediately asked:

"Master Bai, Blazing Rope Hemp and Sun Sprout Thorn share similarities in both origin and efficacy. What distinguishes these two plants?""Why can't Spirit Halting Flowers be harvested during the day?""The sap of Inch-Square Leaf clearly has exorcising properties, so why can't it be used with Life-Eye Branch, which also dispels evil?"

...

Xu Qing asked his questions one by one, and Master Bai answered each one thoroughly. Xu Qing seemed to have an endless stream of questions, and Master Bai answered each one thoroughly. Time stretched far beyond the usual lesson duration. Finally, under the bewildered stares of the two young students, who looked at him as if he were a monster, Xu Qing reluctantly glanced at the sky, realizing he had to end his inquiries.

He felt that the insights he had gained that day were immeasurable; most of his lingering questions had been answered, and he experienced a profound sense of integration and understanding. This intensified his thirst for knowledge, and he planned to return home and meticulously record everything.

Just as he was about to leave, Master Bai's somewhat tired voice came from inside the tent. "From now on, you don't need to stand outside, nor do you need to bring those random herbs. Starting tomorrow, you may come inside the tent for the lessons."