Outside the door, the experts peered through the crack and saw the scene. They were still in disbelief, but no one dared to speak.
One step remained.
The Herbal Classics recorded that in treating this condition, besides stimulating the acupoints, a medicinal guide was also needed.
Her Spirit Spring Space contained all the herbs except for one: the hundred-year ginseng root. Only a sliver was needed, and it would significantly improve Commander Chen Bing’s condition.
A hundred years…
She could only try for now.
Using the black soil beside the Spirit Spring, she planted an ordinary ginseng seedling. At a visible speed, the seedling’s roots began to exude a faint spiritual energy. Though it wasn’t a hundred-year-old root, nourished by the Spirit Spring water, it should still be effective.
She ground the required herbs together and carefully administered the medicinal decoction to the old commander.
Suddenly…
The heart rate on the monitor, which had been beeping frantically, began to slow down gradually.
The commander’s gray, sallow face regained a hint of color, and the furrowed brow relaxed.
“My goodness! How is this possible?!” The doctors watching from outside the door exclaimed.
In an instant, they rushed in. Seeing the numbers on the monitor, everyone was stunned, faces burning with disbelief.
Shen Zhiwei slowly withdrew the silver needle. Sweat dotted her temples, and though she was mentally fatigued, her eyes were bright as stars.
After all, she had just completed a painstaking acupuncture session. Even with the Spirit Spring’s aid, she still had to precisely control the acupoints herself. One wrong move could affect the whole body.
“It’s… really stabilizing,” one senior expert murmured, looking at the monitor’s readings, his tone complex and awe-filled.
Gu Yanzhou’s tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed slightly. He gave Shen Zhiwei a deep look, his eyes heavy with unspoken gratitude.
He turned to the experts. “Now, do any of you still have doubts?”
The experts opened their mouths, then reluctantly shook their heads. “It appears we were limited in our perspective. Comrade Shen, our apologies for earlier.”
Shen Zhiwei did not gloat, only nodded slightly, and turned her gaze back to the old commander. She mused, “The acute symptoms are stabilized, but the commander’s body has suffered heavy damage. To fully cure him and prevent future complications…”
“…a medicinal guide to strengthen the body and root out deficiencies is needed.”
“What medicinal guide?” the commander’s wife asked urgently. By now, she trusted Shen Zhiwei completely after all, she had just saved her husband.
“The hundred-year ginseng root,” Shen Zhiwei said clearly. “Preferably freshly harvested, with the strongest spiritual energy.”
“Hundred-year-old ginseng?” A senior nurse who cared for the commander suddenly interjected. “Ah! I’ve heard there’s some on the ginseng mountain across the valley.
The commander used to talk about wanting to see it, but the mountain is steep and dangerous. No one dared go, and its exact location is unknown!”
Shen Zhiwei’s heart stirred. Almost at the same instant the nurse spoke, she clearly felt a faint guiding pull from the Spirit Spring Space, pointing directly toward the mist-shrouded mountain outside the window.
This space… could it really guide her to rare medicinal herbs?
She suppressed her excitement, keeping a calm expression, and turned to Gu Yanzhou. “Representative Gu, I’m sensitive to the scent of herbs. I might be able to find it. Please let me try.”
Gu Yanzhou frowned again. “It’s too dangerous. I’ll immediately send soldiers stationed nearby to search the mountain.”
“No.” Shen Zhiwei shook her head, her gaze meaningful, her voice low. “Ginseng is sentient. Too many people making noise will only make it harder to find. And the harvesting technique is delicate I must do it myself.”
She paused, then looked up at him, knowing what he was thinking, and offered a solution.
“The terrain is dangerous, Representative Gu. Could you accompany me? The others can just keep watch on the perimeter to ensure no one interferes.”
Meeting her gaze, Gu Yanzhou nodded without hesitation. “Alright. I’ll go with you.”
On the rugged mountain path, the two moved swiftly, one in front of the other, ascending toward the peak.
Gu Yanzhou, agile and experienced, always went ahead first to scout the path, then extended his hand back to securely pull her up.
Whenever they encountered a steep, slippery patch, he instinctively supported her hand, making sure she was safe.
Shen Zhiwei could feel the warmth of his palm. She kept pace with him, breathing slightly faster, and focused on sensing the increasingly clear guidance from the Spirit Spring Space.
The higher they climbed, the more treacherous the mountain path became, until they finally stopped at a nearly vertical cliff.
The biting mountain wind whipped their clothes, almost knocking them off balance.
“This is it,” Shen Zhiwei said, pointing to a faint patch of green in a rock crevice several meters below. “It’s right there.”
Gu Yanzhou furrowed his brows, firmly anchored one end of the safety rope to a sturdy pine tree, and tied the other end around his waist. “I’ll go down and harvest it.”
“No.”
Shen Zhiwei grabbed his arm. Her eyes were clear like a spring reflecting his figure. “The technique, the force, and the care for the roots one tiny mistake could ruin everything. I have to do it myself. You can manage the rope from above I trust you.”
His heart skipped a beat at her words.
Seeing the determination in her eyes, he finally relented.
He carefully checked her safety harness, double-checked the knots, and said, “Be careful. I’ll hold you.”
Shen Zhiwei smiled, nodded, and cautiously began descending along the cliff.
Fully focused, she avoided sharp rocks and finally reached the ginseng plant.
Holding her breath, she used a small wooden shovel and her fingers to gently move aside the rubble, digging carefully and preserving all the fine roots perfectly.
When the ginseng was finally fully in her hands, a surge of accomplishment filled her heart.
“Got it!” she called upward to Gu Yanzhou, her face lighting up with a bright smile.
Gu Yanzhou’s tense heart relaxed slightly, and the corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily. “Good. I’ll pull you up.”
He braced his arms and steadily lifted her upward.
“Careful!” Just as Shen Zhiwei was about to step onto the cliff top, a rock under Gu Yanzhou’s feet suddenly loosened and fell.
He instinctively leaned back, and to prevent pulling her down, he loosened part of the rope while stabilizing his own balance.
Caught off guard, Shen Zhiwei’s upward momentum suddenly dropped, and she fell slightly only to be caught just in time by Gu Yanzhou. Due to inertia, her whole body collided into his chest.
“Mm!”
Their lips touched unexpectedly.
Soft. Hot.
Carrying the crisp mountain air and his unique scent of soap pod.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Both of them froze, pupils dilated, clearly feeling each other’s halted breaths and pounding hearts.
A single instant stretched out like a century.
Shen Zhiwei stepped back, her cheeks instantly flushed, her earlobes and neck tinged with pink.
This… was this a first kiss?
Flustered, she looked away, too shy to meet his eyes, and thought to herself, It… actually feels… pretty nice.
Gu Yanzhou was stiff as well, a rare trace of embarrassment crossing his normally cold and stern face. His ears turned visibly red in an instant.
His Adam’s apple moved as he touched his lips, feeling the lingering softness.
“Sorry,” he said, his voice low and hoarse, looking away first and bending down to gather the rope, masking the storm of emotions inside. “The path was slippery… I wasn’t steady.”
“It’s… it’s okay.”
Shen Zhiwei’s voice was tiny, her heart racing so fast it felt like it would leap out of her throat. She hurriedly placed the ginseng carefully into the cloth bag she brought. Their movements were both slightly flustered.
The air was filled with a fluttering, intimate tension.
“Let’s go,” Gu Yanzhou said, his voice still trembling with warmth he couldn’t let go of. “The descent is steep. I’ll hold onto you.”
“Mm.”
“Do you want to hold hands?”
“Mm.”