Falling Into the Water

For her benefactor, Zhou Chuxue was naturally grateful.

In today's world, kind-hearted people like the Little Master are quite rare.

And kind people are inevitably bullied...

Although she knew the Little Master's identity seemed unusual, she still felt worried for her.

After bowing to the statue, Zhou Chuxue put the dishes back in their original places.

Then she headed up the mountain with her basket on her back.

It was mid-summer, and the vegetation in the mountains was lush; it was also a period when there were more herbs and they were easier to gather.

She could not continue to delay.

She had walked the path into the mountains many times, and by now, she was already quite familiar with it.

However, along the way, she hadn't seen many of the herbs from before.

Even if she finally saw some valuable herbs.

This was because the age of those herbs was not enough or they were too small, so they could not be taken away.

This was the rule of the herb gathering trade: if one encountered herbs that were not old enough or were too small, they absolutely could not be taken; one could only leave a mark.

After all... herb gatherers relied on herbs for their livelihood, so naturally, they couldn't cut off their own future.

Because of this, she had walked so far.

There were only a few herbs in the basket, and none of them were particularly valuable.

And this small amount wouldn't even fetch ten wen.

After walking for over an hour, Zhou Chuxue was also tired.

She found a tree at random and rested against it.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at the herbs in her basket, a slight sigh escaping her heart.

"It looks like I'll have to change paths later; there are no longer any herbs worth gathering near this path."

Naturally, she was not the only herb gatherer in Long County; she was merely one of them.

And clearly, she was not the only one who came to gather herbs on this path.

Zhou Chuxue looked up at the sun in the sky and thought:

"It's still early, I might as well go a bit deeper."

Zhou Chuxue actually rarely went deep into the mountains.

Because the more she entered sparsely populated places, the more likely she was to encounter wild beasts.

However, it was broad daylight now.

As long as she didn't go too deep into the mountains, the possibility of encountering wild beasts was not high.

Moreover, if she didn't gather more herbs, she was afraid she would go hungry in a few days.

Although she could go and beg the Little Master for help, it wasn't good to always go and beg others...

They were not related by blood or marriage, and the Little Master had already helped her a lot.

After resting well, Zhou Chuxue shouldered her basket, took her sickle, and continued to head deeper into the mountains.

As the child of a herb gatherer, Zhou Chuxue was like a fish in water even when she went deep into places she had never been before.

Along the way, she didn't encounter any obstacles.

After going deeper into the mountains.

The herbs that could be gathered indeed became more numerous.

She even saw several very rare herbs; the only pity was that these herbs were still not old enough.

She could only mark them first and wait to collect them in the future.

Nevertheless, the harvest from this trip gradually became more abundant.

In just over two hours, the basket on her back was already nearly half full.

If she sold it to the medical clinic when she went back, she probably wouldn't have to worry about money for half a month.

It was noon.

Zhou Chuxue stopped by a stream, and after washing the mud off the wild fruit she had picked with the stream water, she began to eat.

This was today's lunch.

While eating, Zhou Chuxue suddenly noticed what seemed to be a very familiar herb on the opposite side of the stream.

The herb had a peculiar appearance, with five leaves that looked like a human hand, and a tiny red flower in the middle.

Although she had only seen this kind of herb in the medical books at the clinic.

But because the people at the clinic told her it was a very precious herb, she had always kept it firmly in her heart.

Seeing it now, she naturally recognized what it was at a glance.

"Gin, ginseng?! And by the looks of it, it seems to be quite old! Cough, cough, cough..."

Zhou Chuxue almost choked on her lunch, and after a bout of coughing, she said in surprise:

"Great, Lady Azure Spirit has truly blessed me! As long as I take this back, I won't have to worry for a long time."

"Maybe I can even repay the Little Master's kindness!"

Thinking of this, the fruit in Zhou Chuxue's hand suddenly lost its flavor.

She immediately threw the fruit back into her basket, then stood up and bowed toward the Daoist temple, saying, "Thank you for your protection, Lady Azure Spirit!"

After saying that, Zhou Chuxue set off once again.

She walked along the stream, looking for a way to cross it.

As for why she didn't just swim across?

Firstly, the stream was relatively rapid, and secondly, it was because Zhou Chuxue could not swim and was a landlubber.

Naturally, she did not dare to swim across.

After all, she cared more about her life than the herbs.

After walking a short distance along the stream, Zhou Chuxue suddenly saw a fallen tree.

And the two ends of that broken wood happened to rest on the two banks of the stream, forming a natural log bridge.

"Great! Heaven is helping me."

Seeing this, she hurriedly ran to the edge of the log bridge.

But she did not rush to walk onto it; instead, she first went to test whether the log bridge was actually stable.

After all, caution was paramount!

She stepped on it forcefully on one side and found that the log bridge seemed quite stable, so she took off her straw sandals and stepped on it carefully.

This log bridge was covered in moss, and Zhou Chuxue did not dare to walk too fast.

She only dared to inch toward the opposite bank bit by bit.

Fortunately, the log bridge was indeed very stable, even when she reached the middle.

This log bridge remained motionless.

"Halfway there, almost across."

Zhou Chuxue took a deep breath.

She continued to inch toward the opposite bank bit by bit.

Suddenly!

Zhou Chuxue stepped on the slippery moss on the log bridge, her foot slipped for a moment, and one foot naturally stepped into empty air, cutting a wound on a branch of that dead wood, and her body also became unstable, she even almost fell into the river just like that.

Fortunately, she stabilized herself.

She did not fall into the water because of it.

This caused Zhou Chuxue to breathe a sigh of relief, and only after her heartbeat slowly calmed down did she slowly get up and walk toward the opposite bank.

Soon, she reached the other side without further incident.

Zhou Chuxue let out a long breath, unable to help but thank the God of the Changbai Mountains for his protection.

She did not stop, and ignoring the wound on her foot, she hurriedly put on her straw sandals and ran quickly to the ginseng.

She carefully looked at the appearance of this ginseng, and after confirming that she had not mistaken it, she began to dig it out very carefully.

Zhou Chuxue had once heard that this kind of ginseng was spiritual and had to be dug slowly and carefully; if it was startled, it would turn into a ginseng baby and run away.

Fortunately, this ginseng did not turn into a ginseng baby and run away.

In a short while, she had dug it out completely.

"Is this ginseng? It really looks like a person!"

Zhou Chuxue looked at the appearance of the ginseng, her heart inevitably filled with excitement.

However, after the excitement passed, the stinging pain in her foot also gradually made itself known.

She then remembered that there was still a cut on her foot...

The blood had stopped now, but the wound still hurt.

She first wrapped the ginseng well and put it back in her basket, then tore off a piece of her hem to give herself a simple bandage.

"There! This will do! I can just apply some medicine randomly after I get back."

Zhou Chuxue put her shoes back on and then got up, ready to return.

Because she had to get back before dark... the Changbai Mountains at night were not as quiet as they were during the day, so she had to start her return journey early.

Moreover, her foot was injured, so the way back would certainly not be easier than the way she came.

Zhou Chuxue shouldered her basket and excitedly stepped onto that log bridge once again.

This time, she walked even slower and more carefully than the last, without the slightest hint of carelessness.

However, on the way back, even though she had been extremely careful, she still slipped on this slippery log bridge.

Worse still, because of the injury on her foot, a sharp pain struck at the same time she slipped.

It even caused her whole body to lose its balance, and she fell into the stream just like that.

The stream was very deep and also very rapid.

Completely unable to swim, she could only struggle with great effort in the water...

But it was futile...

After choking on a few mouthfuls of water, Zhou Chuxue gradually began to lose her strength.

Although she had not given up, her physical strength was almost exhausted.

Even because of the water she had choked on, her entire chest was now burning... making it even more difficult for her to breathe.

At some point, she lost consciousness in the water.

Being washed by the stream, she floated to parts unknown.

In mid-air, several sparrows circled and played in the forest, chirping incessantly.

It was unknown where they got so much to talk about.

It was as if they never felt like they ran out of topics.

As the sparrows flew, they suddenly saw something by the pool in the distance.

Curious about everything, they hurriedly flew over.

After arriving at her side, they finally saw clearly that someone was soaked in the water.

Without thinking much, the several sparrows worked together to pull the person out of the water.

"What to do? What to do? Should we save her?"

"Doesn't Sister Xiao Qing often say that saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda? Of course we have to save her!"

"Yes, yes, she's still breathing, she's not dead yet! She can still be saved!"

"But how do we save her? Do any of you know healing spells?"

"I, I, I heard that you just need to get the water out!"

"Then I'll go call Sister Xiao Qing!"

"Good, good."

Several fat sparrows immediately split up to take action.

Some bounced on Zhou Chuxue's chest, trying to press the water out, while others flew directly to find Su Qing.

Changbai Mountains Heaven Lake.

Su Qing was currently sitting in the newly built pavilion by the Heaven Lake, fishing.

And Ao Ying was also sitting by her side, watching her fish.

Thinking to herself that if Su Qing couldn't catch anything, she would help her cheat.

At this moment, a little sparrow suddenly flew over.

Interrupting Su Qing's leisure, it told her about their discovery in the forest.

After Su Qing heard this, she couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

Then she pinched her fingers to calculate...

As she calculated, she couldn't help but frown slightly and said, "I see. I'll go over and take a look right now."

Su Qing never expected that she had only reminded her this morning to be careful and not get injured after entering the mountains, yet by the afternoon, she had almost died within these Changbai Mountains.

However, she didn't know if this girl was unlucky... or lucky.

Although she almost died in the Changbai Mountains, she had encountered her several sparrows.

And the sparrows had even brought the news to her!

"Should I go over with you, Sister Xiao Qing?" Ao Ying also spoke up.

"Very well, let's go together!" Su Qing nodded slightly.

Then, she also pinched a spell in her hand and conjured an auspicious cloud.

Following the sparrows, she arrived at Zhou Chuxue's side.

Su Qing had just lowered the cloud and landed by the pool.

She saw several sparrows bouncing on the girl, treating her like a trampoline...

Su Qing: "..."

She couldn't help but sigh slightly and said, "Alright, stop jumping. If you keep jumping, I'm afraid you'll break her ribs."

Hearing this, the sparrows were also slightly dissatisfied, chirping and arguing with Su Qing, explaining themselves.

"Alright, alright, I know you mean well. But leave the rest to me."

Su Qing naturally knew what the true intentions of these little fellows were.

It was just that if they kept jumping, they really would break her ribs.

Seeing this, Ao Ying also helped Su Qing call the several sparrows to the side and explained things to them...

To save these little fellows from continuing to disturb Su Qing.

Su Qing crouched down and first checked the other's breath, seeing that she still had a weak breath.

Then she pried open the girl's mouth, fed her a pill, and pinched a spell to help dissolve it.

Doing this was considered helping her hang onto her life.

However, this was not nearly enough, because the girl's injuries were still quite heavy.

Not to mention the scratches and cuts on her body.

She also had several broken bones.

Fortunately, these little fellows had held back their strength a bit and hadn't added new injuries to her existing ones.

"Does Sister Xiao Qing want to take her back?" Ao Ying asked, seeing Su Qing's contemplative expression.

Hearing this, Su Qing nodded slightly.

"But... if you let her know what you look like, Sister, would that be bad?"

Su Qing shook her head and said, "No need to worry, I'll just call myself Azure Spirit Sovereign and let her think of this experience as being saved by a deity."

"Is that so? That is indeed a way." Ao Ying laughed and said, "But Sister, your status as a deity isn't exactly a self-proclaimed one, is it? Although your temple is still under construction, you are already the god of these Changbai Mountains. Who knows how many legends about you there are in Long County now!"

"You, don't tease me anymore." Su Qing gave a helpless smile and said, "I also didn't expect that this City God would actually do so many things."

The City God had long ago told Su Qing the reasons behind the various changes in the city.

He was never the type of person who liked to hide things; if he had helped, he would directly tell the other party that he had helped her.

After all, if the other party knew nothing, who on earth would know how much he had sacrificed?

He was certainly not the type of person to be thin-skinned.

"I know, I know! Sister, don't be shy. The title Azure Spirit Sovereign sounds quite nice, doesn't it? It has already become the synonym for the god of the Changbai Mountains."

Su Qing heard this and her mouth twitched slightly; she really wished she had spent a bit more effort when she was coming up with the name back then.

"Alright, alright, let's go back!"

As Su Qing said this, she picked up Zhou Chuxue, chanted a spell, and flew back to her residence with the girl.