We finally arrived at the edge of Tiger Leaping Valley.
The mountains on both sides are steep and steep, splitting like a giant axe, forming a natural pass.
Along the way, Huang Li's specimen bag has indeed been enriched a lot, and several rare herbs were carefully put into her bag.
However, there is not even a trace of the Cynomorium cynomorium that I most long to find.
Lin Xiaoyu stopped next to a huge rock: "We can't go any further."
"From here on, it is the real Tiger Leaping Valley. The ancestral teachings said that you must not cross this boundary stone."
Huang Li obviously also understands that the more inaccessible and dangerous a place is, the more likely it is to breed rare medicinal materials.
I looked at the valley mouth in front of me. Cynomorium cynomorium was very important to me, but let them both.
It is absolutely impossible to accompany me into a dangerous place that even the locals regard as taboo.
"Let's go back!" I turned around and suppressed the disappointment in my heart.
Huang Li looked at me, and I knew she was worried about my body.
We started to turn back along the way we came.
Although the target of this trip was not found, being able to evacuate this area safely is also a gain in itself.
Perhaps if you come back next time, you might gain something.
We walked back along the way we came. The way down the mountain seemed easier than the way up the mountain.
Huang Li tried to find something else on the way back.
Just when she turned sideways and tried to observe a strange fern growing on the slope, the gravel under her feet suddenly loosened!
"Ah~!" She gave a short scream, losing her balance instantly and sliding down the steep slope!
"Teacher Huang!" Lin Xiaoyu shouted.
I pounced almost instinctively.
The slope was very steep, and Huang Li was sliding down extremely fast. Her hands were holding on to the weeds along the way, but she couldn't stop the momentum at all.
"Grab it!" I rushed down and grabbed her wrist!
Huang Li's body was hanging on the slope, obviously very frightened.
I used my arm strength to pull her up little by little. Lin Xiaoyu also hurried over to help.
Just as I was pulling Huang Li back to a safe zone, my eyes inadvertently glanced at the slope where Huang Li had slipped.
Among the uncovered wet soil and broken roots, the shape of a plant surprised me.
Its stems are slender and straight, with several bright red berries on the top.
"This is...?" I subconsciously let go of my hand holding Huang Li and pointed to the plant.
Huang Li followed my gaze, and the panic on her face was instantly replaced by extreme shock.
She even forgot about the scratches on her body and climbed back to the edge of the slope almost on her hands and knees.
"Five leaves...whorled...red fruits on top...reed bowls densely packed...still, still have this form..."
"This is ginseng! Looking at the shape of the reed head and ginseng body, I'm afraid it's no less than a hundred years old!"
Lin Xiaoyu also came over and took a breath of cold air when he saw the plant.
In the legends she heard since she was a child, this kind of formed old mountain ginseng is almost a spiritual creature on the same level as the mountain spirit.
If the quality is good, the price is very expensive.
The three of us all focused our attention on the wild ginseng that unexpectedly appeared.
Lin Xiaoyu took out a piece of bright red rope from his small bag and tied the red rope to the ginseng stem.
She recited in a low voice the ancient local words passed down from generation to generation, as if she was communicating with the spiritual beings in the mountains and forests, praying for the understanding and blessing of the mountain gods.
After doing all this, she nodded to me: "It's time to dig."
Huang Li also whispered: "Be careful, be careful. Follow the direction of the roots and clean the soil slowly, and be sure not to break any ginseng roots. Any damage to such an old ginseng is a huge loss."
I knelt down on one knee next to the wild ginseng. The medicine hoe in my hand has become extremely heavy. What I touch at this moment is the essence of time.
"If I can sell it for a good price, I can also relieve financial pressure and buy more professional mountaineering equipment. Maybe I can go deeper next time." I was also very excited.
Huang Li was on the side, reminding her in a very low voice from time to time: "On the left, there should be whiskers under the soil on the left. Slow down, there seems to be a bend here."
As the soil was cleared, the complete form of the wild ginseng appeared before our eyes.
Its main body is plump and thick, shaped like a stocky little person.
Huang Li looked at the century-old wild ginseng on the cotton cloth: "I didn't expect, I really didn't expect that this might be the biggest opportunity for this trip to the mountains."
She glanced at me, as if she had something to say, but she still held it back.
We took the century-old mountain ginseng and started descending along the way we came.
The pace of the return trip seemed to be lighter than when we came. I walked at the end to ensure their safety.
Although I failed to find Cynomorium cynomorium when I went into the mountains this time, this century-old wild ginseng I got unexpectedly was not in vain.
At the evening of the third day, the three of us carried our hiking bags and finally returned safely to the small yard of Lin Xiaoyu’s house. .
Hearing the noise, Mother Lin was the first to come out of the house.
Her eyes quickly swept over the three of us, and she was visibly relieved when she saw that we were all standing together.
MH repeatedly murmured: "It's good to be back, it's better to be back, nothing happens is better than nothing."
MH Father Lin followed behind, he was much calmer, just smoking silently.
Lin Xiaoyu put down her backpack and walked to her father: "Dad, we dug something in the mountains this time." She said and looked at Huang Li.
Huang Li understood and took out the object wrapped in multiple layers of cotton from her backpack.
Father Lin had a calm expression when he saw the old wild ginseng.
He stared at the old ginseng: "This... this is..."
"This reed head, this skin color, and this figure, baby, a real mountain treasure!"
I asked the question I was most concerned about: "Uncle Lin, in your opinion, how much is this old wild ginseng worth?"
Father Lin did not answer immediately. He leaned down again and inspected the old ginseng plant.
After a while, he shook his head: "This thing is hard to say. There is no fixed price for wild ginseng. It mainly depends on the buyer's needs and taste."
He seemed to be reminiscing, then looked at me, and his tone was a little more serious: "In terms of appearance, this plant of yours is definitely a top choice. It has good shape, full beard and hair, and it must be old."
"I remember a few years ago, Lao Zhao from the end of our village got lucky at Erdaoliangzi and dug up a plant that was obviously smaller than yours."
He held out five fingers and waved them in front of me: "Finally, I heard that a boss from the south asked him to leave with this amount."
"Five hundred thousand?" My heart skipped a beat.
· Father Lin nodded affirmatively, and his eyes fell back on the old ginseng plant, "Your plant, regardless of shape, age, or quality, is above Lao Zhao's. If you really want to meet a customer who knows the goods and is in urgent need of it, the price will probably have to go up."
· He didn't finish his words, but his meaning was clear.
The value of this old wild ginseng I got unexpectedly far exceeded my expectation.
It is not only a herb, but also a huge wealth that can change many things.