Chapter 137: What's the Point of Staying Here?

Xiao Ze stared at the stone cave opposite: "I suppose that place is where the Nine Pure Spirit Leaves are."

"There's writing at the cave mouth!" He suddenly shouted, stared hard, and read it out: "Believers... go forward, those who give up... will obtain."

Several people gathered around, all straining to look across.

Tuan Tuan tugged his sleeve: "Third Elder Brother, what does that mean?"

Xiao Ze crouched, looked at her, thought, and said: "Believers moving forward means, if you believe the path ahead is right, then go on."

"Giving up to obtain means, you must sacrifice something to get what you want."

Tuan Tuan looked puzzled: "I don't get it!"

Xiao Ze smiled, pinched her little cheek: "It's fine, you don't need to understand these big principles, Tuan Tuan."

He rose to his feet, stared at those two lines, and pondered deeply.

By the abyss's side, Xiao Er anxiously gripped Tuan Tuan's hand, fearing she might meet with mishap.

One hand held by him, Tuan Tuan squatted on the ground, her other hand boredly picking up stones and tossing them in, waiting for a while for the soft landing sound "thud!"

Mo Zhanggeng walked around, wondering if there were any other paths to detour.

Tuan Tuan played and played, then suddenly noticed that a stone she'd thrown actually bounced in midair, as if hitting something, changing direction and falling into the ravine bottom.

Huh? Strange!

She threw another stone in the same direction, and it was the same! This time she even heard a muffled sound!

What's going on? What's blocking my stone? Why can't I see it?

She shook off Xiao Er's hand and rushed to the cliff edge, without hesitation lifting her foot to step toward the bottom!

"Miss!" Xiao Er's eyes nearly burst, he stepped forward, grabbed Tuan Tuan's collar, and lifted her up.

"Tuan Tuan!"

"Disciple!"

Xiao Ze and Mo Zhanggeng were also frightened out of their wits by her and rushed over.

Xiao Er lowered his arms, holding her tightly in his embrace: "Miss! What are you doing? The Prince and Princess Consort are still waiting for you at home!"

Tuan Tuan's little arms were tightly locked by him, she could only nudge him with her head: "Second Uncle, I wasn't trying to jump down! Let me go, I'll show you!"

Xiao Er, half-believing, set her down on the ground, gripping her small hand tightly, never daring to let go.

Xiao Ze and Mo Zhanggeng also hurried over.

Tuan Tuan squatted at the spot where she'd thrown stones before, tossing stones toward the direction the stone had bounced; the first two fell straight into the ravine bottom, the third bounced in midair before dropping.

"Huh?!" Several people suddenly understood.

There must be something blocking the stone, but what is it? We can't see it!

Xiao Ze thought, untied his waist sachet, poured out a handful of processed realgar granules; the deep red granules were especially conspicuous, something he'd specially brought to ward off snakes.

He walked to the cliff edge and scattered the realgar forward in a fan shape.

Part of the deep red granules fell into the ravine bottom, while another part hovered in midair!

Looking closely, those granules weren't suspended in air; they lay on the surface of a bridge that had shown no trace just before!

"Wow! There really is a path here!" Tuan Tuan widened her eyes: "That's why I stepped down!"

"Don't move! I'll go check and you follow!" Xiao Ze shouted, then carefully stepped onto the miraculous bridge.

He stepped forward with extreme caution, each step scattering a few realgar granules ahead, making the bridge seem to lengthen, revealing another segment.

Until Xiao Ze stepped with one foot into the opposite stone cave, turned back and looked, only then did he understand.

It turned out to be a bridge made entirely of transparent glass! Completely blending with the surroundings, thus invisible to the naked eye.

"Third Elder Brother's over there!" Tuan Tuan cheered from the opposite side.

Xiao Ze hurled all the realgar granules on his body onto the bridge, making its outline clearer: "Come over!"

Xiao Er led Tuan Tuan, with Mo Zhanggeng closely following, and they all came over in turn.

Xiao Ze read the inscription at the cave mouth: "Believers go forward, those who give up obtain. Now I understand!"

Upon entering the cave, everyone exclaimed: "Wow! This truly lives up to its name as a blessed land!"

Sunlight poured down from the cave's top, falling on the round lake in the center, water shimmering, waves sparkling, the banks filled with various exotic flowers and herbs, a fresh fragrance wafting.

"How beautiful!" Tuan Tuan exclaimed, hopping about and looking around: "So beautiful!"

Mo Zhanggeng, meanwhile, swiftly searched among the flora, finally his eyes lit up: "Found it!"

Tuan Tuan, who had been playing by the lake, heard and ran over: "Where is it?"

Mo Zhanggeng gestured with his hand: "Here, there, see, it's everywhere!"

"Wow! So many!" Tuan Tuan jumped up happily: "Enough for Uncle Wang to eat!"

Mo Zhanggeng looked around: "Not just that! Having him soak and bathe in it daily would be plenty!"

"No doubt because this place has long been undisturbed, these spiritual herbs can grow so lush—truly rare!"

Tuan Tuan bent over, pulled out a stalk, and held it up to Mo Zhanggeng: "Is this it?"

Mo Zhanggeng examined it carefully: a stalk with nine leaves, jade-like, exactly as recorded in the medical texts: "Correct! This is it!"

Tuan Tuan cheered: "Second Uncle! Pull them all out!"

Mo Zhanggeng felt dizzy: "Pull them all out? Are you trying to kill Xue Jin?"

Tuan Tuan looked at him: "Then... leave a few for him! Divine Doctor Grandfather, this herb, whatever leaf it is, is for curing illness, right?"

Mo Zhanggeng nodded: "Exactly."

Tuan Tuan asked again: "Since it can cure and save lives, of course we should take it all! Who could we save by leaving it here?"

Mo Zhanggeng: "……" That makes perfect sense!

"So, let's take as much as we can, okay?"

Tuan Tuan looked around, her big eyes sparkling: "Divine Doctor Grandfather, there are so many spiritual herbs here—I want to take them all outside to plant!"

"With this, wouldn't we be able to save more people?"

Mo Zhanggeng was completely speechless. He looked at Tuan Tuan's small face, recalled the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng she had given him, liked it to the core, and lifted her in his arms: "You're right! Good disciple! Then let's take as much as we can!"

"You two, work hard; we not only need to take this Nine Pure Spirit Leaf, but also all the other spiritual herbs!"

"If there are fruits, harvest the fruits and bring them back as seeds; if not, dig up a root, wrap it in earth, let none be left behind, and take everything!"

"See if we can plant them outside, then later use them in medicine to save more people!"

Xiao Ze and Xiao Er smiled and nodded: "Alright!"

A few of them got to work, beginning to "harvest" various spiritual herbs, stripping off their outer robes to make bundles and straps for packing.

Tuan Tuan was small and not much help; she hopped by the water's edge, occasionally picking something up and putting it into her little Embroidered pouch.

After almost two hours of work, they finally finished and set off to return.

Xiao Ze led, cradling a large bundle of spiritual herbs wrapped in outer robes, walking very carefully.

Tuan Tuan walked in the middle, carrying a small bundle made from her own little clothes, filled with various small fruits.

After Xiao Er finished, his hands were also full of assorted medicinal herbs.

The transparent Glazed Bridge spanned across both sides, beneath it a dizzying dark abyss.

Just as the three reached the middle of the bridge, a black beam shot out from the shadowed rock wall above the side, moving so fast it left only an afterimage, racing straight toward Tuan Tuan in the center of the party!