Just as they were starting their journey back, they suddenly heard a faint cry. Zhao Hongping stopped, his ears turning toward the sound, and he said in surprise, "Huh, sounds like a child?"
As soon as the words fell, the sound of a beast roaring immediately followed, making the entire group tense up instantly.
The men in the group drew their sickles one after another, looking around vigilantly, their eyes holding a degree of caution and unease.
Everyone prepared themselves to face a battle.
This child was none other than Li Jun.
His appearance not only surprised everyone; how could such a young child be alone in the mountains?
Pan Zhuanghe looked up toward Li Jun's rear, his gaze deep.
A sturdy man standing beside Pan Zhuanghe, Xiao Mingqing, saw the Leopard Cat behind Li Jun and rushed forward without hesitation, swinging his sickle fiercely toward the Leopard Cat.
The Leopard Cat let out a low growl, seemingly unwilling to give up its prey, but facing so many enemies, it clearly felt overwhelmed and decided to turn and flee.
Just as it turned, with a "whoosh," the small Flying Dagger in Pan Zhuanghe's hand shot through the air like lightning, precisely piercing the Leopard Cat's skull.
The vicious Leopard Cat let out a short, mournful cry, then collapsed to the ground, motionless.
All of this happened in a flash; the others hadn't even reacted yet.
Li Jun had already collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted. The wounds from the Leopard Cat's bites and scratches were bleeding continuously, causing him so much pain that he almost lost consciousness.
Seeing this, Zhao Hongping quickly went to check on him: "This child is badly hurt."
Pan Zhuanghe walked slowly to Li Jun's side, squatted down, and examined his injuries.
Afterward, he instructed someone to fetch medicinal herbs and skillfully applied them to Li Jun's wounds to stop the bleeding.
From his sleeve, he took out a bottle of Elixir, poured out one pill, and gently placed it into Li Jun's mouth. The Elixir dissolved immediately upon contact, and a warm essence quickly circulated within Li Jun's body, gradually alleviating his pain.
As the Elixir's effects gradually took hold, Li Jun's breathing stabilized, and he fell into a deep sleep.
"How did this child end up alone near Fengluan Mountain?" Zhao Hongping frowned, looking puzzled.
"Right, if Old Pan hadn't led the team this time, we wouldn't have dared to do Herb Gathering near Fengluan Mountain," Xiao Mingqing agreed.
"To escape from such a dangerous place, he's truly lucky to be alive," the other men exclaimed one after another.
Pan Zhuanghe said nothing more, merely picking up the unconscious Li Jun and gently placing him into Zhao Hongping's Herb Basket.
Li Jun's small body was surrounded by medicinal herbs, and as the group walked, he swayed back and forth in the Herb Basket.
The group continued forward, not quickly, with everyone taking turns carrying Li Jun, taking extra care with every step on the road.
The sun gradually set in the west, and the Forest was slowly enveloped in the soft afterglow. By evening, they finally reached their destination—the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop in Kefeng City.
The Medicinal Cuisine Workshop sat quietly amidst a grove of trees, surrounded by large Medicinal Fields, the fragrance of herbs drifting in the breeze.
It was located in the suburbs of Kefeng City, in a tranquil environment.
Standing at the entrance of the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop was an old man with a wrinkled face, who was Wang Wu, the gatekeeper of the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop. Seeing Pan Zhuanghe return with the team, he quickly hurried forward to greet them.
"Old sir, where did this child come from?" Wang Wu looked at the blood-covered Li Jun, his brow furrowed, clearly filled with questions.
Pan Zhuanghe said lightly, "We found him in the Forest. He has quite a few wounds; he probably encountered a Fierce beast."
Upon hearing this, Wang Wu muttered something under his breath, a complex look flashing in his eyes. How could this child have run off into the Forest by himself?
Looking at the expressions of the accompanying Herb Gathering members, it seemed that was indeed what happened.
Everyone took the Medicinal Materials into the West Storeroom of the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop. Chai Zunhui, who was in the East Storeroom, was watching from a distance. He frowned through the window upon hearing that Pan Zhuanghe had returned after Picking rare Spirit Herbs.
Li Jun was settled in a corner of the West Storeroom.
The West Storeroom had a simple cot, used by Pan Zhuanghe for resting while inventorying Medicinal Materials.
Now, Li Jun was lying on it.
After finishing with the Medicinal Materials, Pan Zhuanghe walked to the corner. The dim yellow lamplight cast his shadow long and slanted.
He placed the lamp near Li Jun's head and checked his body and wounds again. A large area on Li Jun's chest was stained red, but when Pan Zhuanghe opened his clothes to look, there were no wounds on his chest.
Suddenly, he keenly sensed something, a flicker of doubt and surprise in his eyes, but after checking Li Jun's body once more and finding nothing, he let it go.
As night deepened, the lights in the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop storeroom gradually dimmed until they went out. Far from the storeroom, Wang Wu, who was on duty at the main gate of the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop, stared thoughtfully in the direction of the West Storeroom.
Li Jun was unconscious for two days. When he woke up, the scene before his eyes was vastly different from what he had seen before he passed out.
"Am I dreaming again? This isn't the Mountain Valley this time?" Li Jun patted his little head, having drifted off to sleep.
When he woke up again, the scene was still the same.
What greeted his eyes was an unfamiliar room. The furnishings around him were simple yet ancient, and the air was filled with a faint scent of medicinal herbs.
Li Jun's first reaction was: "Where am I?" This was the only question that surfaced in his mind.
He tried hard to recall the scene before he fainted, remembering that the last thing he saw was a group of adults carrying Herb Baskets while Gathering Herbs.
Just as he was wondering, a young voice sounded beside him: "Little fellow, you're awake?" A plainly dressed youth stood next to him, holding a bowl of medicinal soup.
The youth had a faint look of impatience on his face, his tone cold yet undeniably firm as he handed the bowl to Li Jun. "Drink this."
Li Jun was slightly confused; the person spoke with a heavy foreign accent, and he couldn't clearly understand the meaning, but he instinctively took the bowl and finished the medicinal soup, perhaps because he was thirsty.
Seeing Li Jun still dazed, the youth asked, "What is your name?"
Li Jun hesitated for a moment, so the youth spoke word by word.
Li Jun finally understood him: "Li Jun."
The youth nodded upon hearing this and told Li Jun, "I am Huang Zidong. This is the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop in Kefeng City, and I am an Apprentice here. Where are you from?"
Li Jun's heart stirred, and he quickly asked about places he was familiar with, Song Village or Xiping City.
However, the youth frowned. It took him considerable effort to understand what Li Jun meant, as there were still some differences in their spoken language; they were speaking past each other, making it difficult to comprehend.
The youth shook his head and said, "Song Village? Never heard of it. I've been here for over ten years and have never left Kefeng City."
His words conveyed a sense of calm resignation. Originally, he had thought that if this little fellow was a local, he could help him find his family and perhaps gain some benefits, but it seemed that was not going to happen.
Huang Zidong collected the bowl and spoon, then muttered to himself, "This is the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop. Little fellow, don't wander around." Without paying attention to Li Jun's questions or curiosity, he walked straight out of the storeroom.
The Apprentice named Huang Zidong completely lost his curiosity and interest in Li Jun and went to the backyard to busy himself.
Li Jun watched Huang Zidong's retreating back, but his own feelings became increasingly complex.
Li Jun got up and found that he had been changed into a Plain Robe.
The clothes were simple but clean and tidy, and the character for 'medicine' was sewn onto the chest.
His gaze swept over the table in the room, where he saw several steamed buns placed on it. A wave of hunger suddenly hit his stomach; after all, he had been unconscious for two days, and his body was already exhausted.
Li Jun no longer hesitated, quickly climbed onto the chair, grabbed a steamed bun, and began eating ravenously.
After finishing the steamed buns, Li Jun's expression relaxed slightly, but the confusion and unease in his heart remained unresolved.
He gradually recalled the scenes before he fainted—the Masked Old Man he saw in the Mountain Valley, that bizarre and bloody scene kept flashing in his mind.
It made him uneasy and caused him to tremble, almost making him vomit the steamed buns he had just eaten.
To seek a moment of peace and warmth, Li Jun walked to the corner of the storeroom and squatted there.
Sunlight shone on Li Jun from the window. He looked up at the row of neat Grille Drawers along the wall and began counting silently.
Some characters Li Jun couldn't understand were written on the drawers.
He stared at them for a while, and gradually, his consciousness grew hazy. Finally, leaning against the wall, he fell asleep without realizing it.
It wasn't until evening that the door creaked open, and the sudden noise startled Li Jun awake.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a familiar figure walking in—it was Pan Zhuanghe.
Pan Zhuanghe's appearance made Li Jun's heart clench. He instantly recalled the scenes in the Mountain Valley, as if the image of the Masked Old Man overlapped with that of Pan Zhuanghe.
Although the Pan Zhuanghe before him looked kind and amiable, Li Jun remained filled with vigilance and unease.
Pan Zhuanghe seemed to notice Li Jun's tension, smiled kindly at him, and beckoned him forward.
Li Jun hesitated for a moment. Although he took a step forward, he immediately stopped.
He felt an indescribable fear toward Pan Zhuanghe, afraid that this outwardly kind old man would suddenly reveal a cruel face.
As this fear deepened, Li Jun subconsciously retreated a few steps, eventually backing into the corner of the storeroom, curling up there, not daring to approach any closer.