Chapter 138: Blue Leaf Yang

Blueleaf Poplar?

Is this the prescription Red Lotus deciphered?

Why are there only three words?

Didn't Ma Wu taste dozens of ingredients?

To mislead others?

But there’s no need to use dozens of herbs to hide just one, is there?

Ma Wu needs to be asked about this.

Ma Wu woke up feeling clearer-headed and was about to deduce the prescription, but Li Banfeng told him the medicinal powder was lost.

Ma Wu was filled with chagrin: "Brother Li, how could you lose such precious medicinal powder?"

"Never mind the medicinal powder for now. Do you know what Blueleaf Poplar is?"

"I do," Ma Wu nodded. "The most famous specialty of this new land is Blueleaf Poplar. Originally, there was no village here, but many hunters came to the new land to hunt Blueleaf Poplar and lived nearby for years, which led to the establishment of Blue Poplar Village."

So, Blue Poplar Village got its name from the Blueleaf Poplar.

Li Banfeng was delighted: "Brother Ma, where can we find Blueleaf Poplar? Let's go cut one down and bring it back."

"Cut one down?" Ma Wu chuckled. "Brother Li, you're quite ambitious. Forget a whole tree, do you know how hard it is just to find a few leaves?"

"Blueleaf Poplar became extinct thirty years ago due to excessive hunting. It's rumored that someone saw it deep within the new land, but whether that's true or not is hard to say, and that place isn't somewhere ordinary people can go."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and said, "Shall we try our luck?"

Ma Wu was even more puzzled: "Brother Li, why would we try our luck with this? We don't have any use for Blueleaf Poplar."

Li Banfeng asked, "What exactly is Blueleaf Poplar used for?"

Ma Wu found it hard to understand Li Banfeng's intentions. Why would he suddenly want Blueleaf Poplar if he didn't even know its use?

"Blueleaf Poplar is used for crafting weapons. When its branches are ground into powder and added to molten iron, the resulting weapons become extremely tough. If the leaves are added, the weapons can even become inherently poisonous."

Crafting weapons?

It's not a medicinal herb?

Li Banfeng had a deep misunderstanding about Blueleaf Poplar.

Ma Wu said, "Brother Li, if you need weapons, we can just buy some ready-made ones. Don't even think about Blueleaf Poplar for now; the craftsmen who knew how to use it are all gone."

Blueleaf Poplar has no medicinal properties?

No!

Blueleaf Poplar must have medicinal properties, otherwise, the Copper Lotus wouldn't have given such a hint without reason.

Li Banfeng thought for a while and still decided to search for Blueleaf Poplar. Ma Wu sighed, "Alright, I'll pack my things and go with you to the new land to try our luck."

Li Banfeng shook his head: "You shouldn't go. Stay here and guard the house, just provide me with some clues."

Ma Wu was worried about Li Banfeng, but on second thought, he realized he might truly be a burden if he went.

He brought over a notebook containing his observations since arriving in Blue Poplar Village. He picked out one entry and said to Li Banfeng, "There are indeed rumors about Blueleaf Poplar, but most of them are nonsense. Only this one is reliable."

"An old hunter told me this half a month ago. He said he saw Blueleaf Poplar in the orange grove in the new land and wanted to ask me about its market price. This old hunter has some reputation in the village, so I doubt he'd lie carelessly."

This old hunter was named Shen Xueyong. Li Banfeng went to his house that very day, gave him thirty silver dollars, and inquired about the Blueleaf Poplar.

Shen Xueyong took the money, counted it five times, and put it in his pocket. He then told Li Banfeng, "The Blueleaf Poplar is in the orange grove. It's about a half-month journey from the village entrance."

"Half a month?" Li Banfeng paused, surprised by the distance.

"For ordinary people, it takes half a month; the road is long and difficult. But if a first-level journey cultivator makes the trip, seeking good fortune and avoiding ill, running day and night without distinction, they could get there in five or six days. If the cultivation level is even higher, I wouldn't know."

A first-level journey cultivator could reach it in five or six days; a second-level cultivator would probably need only three.

This distance was acceptable to Li Banfeng.

But the crucial point was that Li Banfeng couldn't run at full speed; he also had to bring the old hunter, as he didn't know the location of the orange grove.

However, the old hunter couldn't be his guide: "Sir, I truly wish I could go to the new land with you again. You know your goods. A few days ago, I asked Young Master Wu about the price of Blueleaf Poplar, and he told me that one leaf would only fetch a thousand coins."

"Is that too little?"

The old hunter sighed deeply and shook his head: "It's not that it's too little. If Song Jiasen were in charge here, he might not even offer three hundred coins. But this is Blueleaf Poplar, Blueleaf Poplar!"

"Sir, you might not know what Blueleaf Poplar is used for. One leaf mixed into molten iron, without any further application, makes the weapon inherently poisonous and usable for over a decade. Forty years ago, a single Blueleaf Poplar leaf could sell for tens of thousands!"

Li Banfeng frowned. Logically, Ma Wu shouldn't have suppressed the price so severely.

The old hunter smiled wryly: "Actually, it's not Young Master Wu's fault. Blueleaf Poplar is extinct, and the craftsmen who knew how to use it are also gone. There's no market for this item, so Young Master Wu truly can't offer a high price."

"When I saw the Blueleaf Poplar, my heart swelled with joy, and I thought I'd make a fortune. But the price Young Master Wu offered chilled me to the bone."

"Three days ago, I went to the new land again, hoping to try my luck in the Green Bamboo Forest, maybe encountering the Hundred Bamboo Immortal and making a big profit. I did encounter the Bamboo Immortal, but unfortunately, I fumbled and failed to catch it, ending up with a hundred bamboo punctures through my heart."

After speaking, the old hunter lifted his clothes, pointing to rows of transparent holes on his chest: "I didn't count carefully, 'a hundred holes' is an exaggeration, but there should be twenty or thirty."

Li Banfeng counted carefully; there were twenty-eight in total.

Twenty-six of the holes went straight through from his chest to the back wall.

One hole was half-healed, with the remaining half revealing wriggling flesh inside.

The last hole was almost completely healed.

The old man was injured, so he likely couldn't go to the new land.

Crucially, Li Banfeng couldn't understand how this old hunter was still alive.

"May I be so bold as to ask, which Daoist sect do you belong to?" Li Banfeng handed over another ten silver dollars. Inquiring about one's Daoist sect was taboo, and one couldn't expect an answer for free.

The old hunter took the silver dollars and chuckled: "You flatter me. I'm a second-level Body Cultivator, a 'Qushen'."

Qushen means earthworm.

One truly shouldn't underestimate such beings; their self-healing ability alone made Li Banfeng envious.

Although he couldn't go to the new land, the old hunter didn't take Li Banfeng's money for nothing; he drew him a map.

As a hunter who couldn't read or write, his map was naturally not precise, but the meaning it conveyed was very clear.

"This mountain path is called Gourd Gully. It starts narrow, then gradually widens. There are especially many mosquitoes along the way, particularly at the 'gourd waist,' where mosquitoes of all sizes swarm together, making it impossible to open your eyes."

"You must walk quickly through this area. If you linger, your blood might be sucked dry."

"After Gourd Gully, the next place is Red Mud Ridge, a marshland. Here, you can't walk fast; every step must be taken with extreme caution. I once saw someone get stuck in Red Mud Ridge and disappear completely in less than half a cigarette's time."

"I'm not afraid; I can climb out. But if you don't have that ability, you'll need a good walking stick to cautiously test your way forward, inch by inch."

"Then there's Iron Thread River. If you want to cross it, you absolutely must not enter the water..."

"And there's Little Yellow Spring. This path is deadly and extremely long. When walking, you must pay close attention to the wind direction..."

"After Little Yellow Spring is the Orange Grove. The Orange Grove is a good place; the oranges are edible, but you must follow the rules. Whether you encounter Blueleaf Poplar depends on your fortune..."

The old hunter described each location along the route and specifically emphasized the matter of provisions.

"Don't carry too much food. The journey is perilous. Better to go hungry than burden yourself. Once you reach the Orange Grove, there will be food."

Li Banfeng was curious: "According to your route, a round trip would take a month. If you don't bring enough food, what will you eat on the way?"

The old hunter chuckled: "I can eat dirt. Different kinds of dirt have different flavors. The mud from Red Mud Ridge tastes the richest, like it's been marinated in soy sauce; it even saves on salt."

Li Banfeng was impressed. He bid farewell and returned to the warehouse to prepare his supplies.

Ma Wu tried to persuade Li Banfeng: "Brother Li, Blueleaf Poplar has no market value anymore. It's not worth risking your life for it."

Li Banfeng didn't listen. Ma Wu sighed helplessly: "If you won't let me go, then at least let Zuo Wugang accompany you, so you have someone to look out for you on the way."

"If he comes with me, what about you?" Li Banfeng had hired Zuo Wugang precisely because Ma Wu was too weak.

After packing his luggage, Li Banfeng set off in the early morning, heading south towards Gourd Gully.

The mosquitoes here were indeed numerous. Even ten li away from Gourd Gully, large swarms of them flew directly at his face.

The old hunter had a difficult journey because his supplies were limited. Li Banfeng, however, had the resources of the entire Blue Poplar Village at his back, coupled with the experienced hunter's wisdom, giving him far more ways to cope.

He took a glass jar from his satchel, poured out the grease inside, and rubbed it onto his body.

This was grease rendered from a Nine-legged Toad. These toads loved to eat mosquitoes, consuming tens of thousands daily. When mosquitoes smelled this scent, they immediately detoured. While the grease was still fresh, Li Banfeng sprinted, exiting the thirty-li-long canyon in less than half an hour.

Leaving Gourd Gully and reaching Red Mud Ridge, Li Banfeng dared not be reckless. He slowed his pace, used his Tang blade as a walking stick, and carefully advanced, relying on his ability to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune.

"The muted strings express yearning, as if recounting a lifetime of unfulfilled ambition. My lord, I am a renowned blade of my generation. Is it appropriate for you to stab me into the mud like this?"

Li Banfeng used his Tang blade to test the path ahead and replied, "As long as the artistic conception is there, it's fine."

The Tang blade shook off the mud coating it: "What kind of artistic conception is this? What artistic conception can there be in mud? My lord, you are humiliating your subordinate."

Li Banfeng traversed fifteen li of marshland in over five hours.

After passing Red Mud Ridge, he reached Iron Thread River. Its surface was dark, over thirty meters wide, and flowed from west to east.

Cultivators who could fly could cross by air; those who couldn't had to find a way to use magical artifacts or spiritual objects to get across.

But whatever you do, don't try to swim across, not even if you are a Water Cultivator.

Because there was no water in this river at all.

What surged and flowed in the river was not water, but countless horsehair worms.

These horsehair worms, driven by some unknown force, constantly wriggled in one direction. If anyone took a single step into the "river," countless worms would burrow into their flesh. They could burrow into existing openings, or create new ones if there were none. The entire body would become a nest for the horsehair worms, which would not only live there but also reproduce and proliferate.

Li Banfeng couldn't fly, nor did he have any flying magical artifacts.

His method of crossing the river was quite simple: he took out a key, opened his Portable Residence, threw the key to the opposite bank, and then emerged from the Portable Residence.

After crossing Iron Thread River, there was another stretch of wilderness, unremarkable and perfect for sprinting straight through.

After walking for sixteen hours straight, Li Banfeng had covered nearly half the journey.

The reason for his speed was twofold: first, Li Banfeng didn't need to scout the path, as he had the ready route provided by the old hunter; second, a second-level journey cultivator's speed was indeed very fast. Moreover, Li Banfeng was well-prepared and wasn't burdened by his satchel, as all his belongings were stored in his Portable Residence, ready for immediate use.

At this rate, Li Banfeng wouldn't need three days; if he kept running, he could reach the Orange Grove by two or three in the afternoon tomorrow.

However, he didn't plan to run any further. The journey had been very taxing, and his legs were trembling.

Returning home for the night was fundamental for a 'Home Cultivator' and a basic quality for a 'shut-in'.

Entering his Portable Residence, Li Banfeng took off his mud-splattered clothes and sat beside the phonograph.

Clatter, clatter.

The phonograph asked with concern, "My lord, covered in dust from your journey, you must have gone shopping for groceries."

"My dear wife, don't be so impatient. Tomorrow, tomorrow I will surely bring back top-quality dishes." Li Banfeng ate two cans of food and a box of biscuits, then fell into a deep sleep.

The phonograph was very displeased. While cleaning Li Banfeng's clothes with steam, it grumbled, "Tomorrow, tomorrow, it's always 'tomorrow'! I gave him three levels of cultivation, and in the end, he still lets others go hungry!"