Don't disturb me, I won't be a concubine

Dong Jiafu and her group returned to the inn and learned from Mao Feng that Six-Fingered Sun had come to see them yesterday.

"He said he had found someone to look for the Snow Spirit Grass. I gave him twenty taels of silver as Master Cui had instructed before he left. He came again early this morning and said he had not found it yesterday. I gave him the silver as usual."

Mao Feng said worriedly, "We don't know whether he has looked for us or not. What if he just wants to cheat us out of money?"

"It's okay," Cui Qiyan said, "It's just a few dozen taels of silver. I can afford it. If he is smart, he should know that I can give him so much silver before he finds the herbs, and he will get even more after he finds them."

"It is better to rely on ourselves than on others. We cannot pin our hopes on others for this matter. Let's go to the Eight Immortals Mountain now." Dong Jiabai said.

"Prince, I..." Ji Bai woke up yesterday and was now being supported by Tan Hao, with an anxious look on his face.

Cui Qiyan knew what he was going to say, "You stay at the inn and recover from your injuries. We will take care of finding medicine."

Several people went upstairs to change their clothes, and then rushed to Baxian Mountain.

Tan Hao and Mao Feng had been here several times and took them up the mountain with ease.

Winter has arrived in Xizhou, and the leaves on the trees have all fallen, making it easier to identify directions and have better vision.

At Tan Hao's suggestion, the five people divided into two groups to search separately.

Dong Jiafu and Cui Qiyan went west along the path where they separated, while the remaining three went east.

The mountains were very quiet, except for the occasional bird song and the sound of fallen leaves as they walked.

Dong Jiafu had memorized what the snow spirit grass looked like. She looked ahead carefully as she walked and said, "The shopkeeper said that most of the snow spirit grass grows in the cracks of the cliff. Let's go up and look for it."

"Okay, don't just focus on looking for herbs, watch your step." Cui Qi Yan reminded worriedly.

"I understand." Dong Jiafu responded, but her pace did not slow down.

Cui Qi Yan had no choice but to stay by her side and help her keep an eye on the road.

The higher they went, the steeper the mountain became, and the two people unconsciously slowed down their pace.

It was already noon, Cui Qiyan said, "Take a break, eat something and then look for it again."

Dong Jiafu followed him to a slightly flat place and sat down, eating the meat pie she brought from the inn.

Before I finished eating a pancake, I suddenly heard a rustling sound not far away.

Dong Jiafu immediately became nervous when she remembered what the innkeeper said about wild animals roaming around here.

Cui Qi Yan signaled her not to move, stood up, took out the dagger he carried with him, and slowly approached the direction where the sound came from.

Dong Jiafu also stood up carefully, sticking to a tree behind her. Seeing Cui Qiyan turn to the other side, she didn't dare to move or make any sound. After a while, she suddenly heard someone scream.

She was afraid that something might happen to Cui Qi Yan, so she bravely followed him.

"Sir, it's me, put the knife down quickly."

Hearing someone talking, Dong Jiafu's tense nerves relaxed and she felt that the voice sounded familiar. She turned around and saw that it was Liuzhisun.

He is honest in doing things for money. Of course, it is also possible that, as Cui Qiyan said, he is a smart man and wants more.

Six-Fingered Sun also looked at her, "You are so brave to come here in person."

Cui Qiyan put away the dagger and said, "Didn't you say you would find someone to help you look for herbs? Why are you the only one there?"

"We are familiar with this area, so we all spread out to look for it."

"How many people do you have?"

"Including me, there are six of us, all villagers from the mountain, and we are also experts in finding Snow Spirit Grass."

"Have you found anything?" Dong Jiafu walked over and asked.

Liuzhisun shook his head. "It depends on luck to find this thing. If you are lucky, you can find one in two or three days. If you are unlucky, all your efforts will be in vain."

"I will come here every day until I find the herbs. If you find them first, you will still get the same amount of money," Cui Qi Yan promised.

"It's obvious from one glance that you two are not ordinary people. We will try our best to find you." Liuzhisun smiled so hard that his teeth were showing, which was completely different from the way he looked when he first met them. He said excitedly, "You two should be careful. I will continue to look for you."

After Liuzhisun left, Cui Qiyan turned around and said, "With these people helping us look for it, I believe we will find it soon. Don't be too anxious. Sit down and eat something."

"I'm not eating anymore. I'm full. I want to continue looking." She would not feel at ease until she found the Snow Spirit Grass.

“Okay, let’s keep looking.” Cui Qiyan replied.

It was almost dark when the two of them went to the agreed place to wait for the other three.

Seeing that they were empty-handed, Tan Hao said, "You didn't find anything either."

Cui Qiyan nodded, "We met Liuzhi Sun on the way. Six of them were also looking for him, but it seems there is no progress."

"If we can't find it today, we'll look for it again tomorrow. We're all tired after a day's work, so let's go back to the inn and have a good rest." Dong Jiabai didn't look depressed at all.

The five people went down the mountain and it was dark when they returned to the inn.

They searched for two days in a row, and finally on the third day, they heard someone shouting in Baxian Mountain, "Found it!"

Cui Qiyan and Dong Jiafu were the first to rush over following the sound and saw Liuzhisun and the others gathered together.

"Have you found the Snow Spirit Grass?" Dong Jiafu asked impatiently.

Liuzhisun glared at one of the honest men, then turned around and immediately put on a smiling face.

"We found it, but the place where it grows is too steep, so it's hard to harvest. Why don't you two look for it again? Maybe you can still find it. Let's think of a solution here."

"Where is the Snow Spirit Grass?" Tan Hao and the other two came hurriedly looking for it.

Cui Qiyan understood what Liuzhisun was worried about, and took out a bag of silver from his pocket, "Don't worry, you found the Snow Spirit Grass, even if you didn't pick it, I will still pay you."

Seeing the money bag, Liuzhisun's eyes lit up and he complimented, "Sir, you are a true gentleman. You know it's not easy for us brothers to find it in this deep mountain."

"Now can you tell us where the Snow Spirit Grass is?"

"It's right over there—" Six-Fingered Sun went over and pointed it out to them.

"It's really Snow Spirit Grass!" Tan Hao said in surprise.

Cui Qiyan handed the purse in his hand to Liuzhisun.

Dong Jiabai frowned as he looked at the cliff. "How can we mine this? It's too dangerous."

The snow spirit grass grew in the cracks of the rocks, revealing a few evergreen leaves swaying in the cold wind. Below was a hundred-foot abyss. If one wanted to get across, one had to climb over the steep cliff. If one was not careful, one would end up in pieces.

The honest man said, "Since we have received the money, we should hand over the Snow Spirit Grass to you, young master."

He rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward resolutely, "I'll go pick it!"

"Lao Fang, you are going to kill yourself," a fellow villager nearby held him back, "We have never been to such a high place. Think about your family and don't be impulsive."

The man surnamed Fang's expression relaxed when he heard this.

"Among the people here, I'm the only one who knows Kung Fu. Let me do it," Cui Qiyan said.