Introduction
A week later, the Traditional Chinese Medicine College of Yuanshui City learned that four students who had gone into the field for an herbal medicine research internship were missing
A gust of mountain wind blew in, and suddenly there was a somewhat chilly feeling, causing the hairs on one's body to stand on end. This inexplicably amplified the shadows of doubt in the girl's heart. She wanted to say something, but saw that the tall boy had already slowly walked down to the foot of the hill, disappearing into the thicket.
Of course we must continue to climb, don't you want to see the most precious herbs? It is important to know that the best wild herbs grow in the highest and most perilous places
I will go! You stay! He gritted his teeth and said, "If I don't return in half an hour, you should go down the mountain to report to the police."
However, the bespectacled boy had not returned for a long time. They waited for more than half an hour, yet the dense forest beneath their feet remained silent and still, causing the other three to feel a sense of unease and concern.
However, if he encountered an accident, why did he not call for help? Could it be that he was knocked unconscious?
Another hour has nearly passed, and the two individuals standing on the hillside look at each other, unsure of what to do.
Then, there was no response
One is alive but does not see people, and one is dead but does not see the corpse, along with books
Indeed, we are studying Traditional Chinese Medicine. If we have never encountered these wild herbs, it would be quite embarrassing! The tall boy at the front also stopped, but he did not appear overly fatigued; he merely wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"We are studying medicine, so we should not believe in the sayings of gods, ghosts, or witchcraft." The boy wearing glasses, who had been silent until now, interjected: "I do not believe that there is anything in this world that science cannot explain"
I will go take a look. The tall guy stood up, saying, This guy is usually careless; I hope he hasn't fallen into some kind of trap!
Understood, Goddess of Agriculture! The young man rolled up his sleeves, displaying a demeanor of one willing to risk his life for his companion. "If you are not afraid of the monsters on this mountain that devour people without leaving a trace, then I certainly am not afraid of exhaustion. Let us go!"
Isn't it unnecessary to climb any higher? The young man at the back stopped in his tracks, standing on a relatively flat area, one hand on his hip and the other resting on his chest as he caught his breath
"Alright, alright, let's go!" The last slender boy in the team waved his hand, "Don't say that this small two-step hill is anything. Even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, in front of our school's number one beauty, I will push through!"
A young woman and three young men, a total of four young people, are striving to climb upwards on the hillside.
"What the villagers said—could it really be true?" The slender boy hesitated and uttered a phrase, unsure whether he was speaking to himself or asking the girl.
Otherwise, I will go down and take a look!" The girl said with a pale face, "Waiting like this is not a solution; we cannot just leave them unattended.
As soon as he stopped, the entire four-person team came to a halt
"What’s wrong?" the tall boy asked attentively, "Are you tired? Well, we have been climbing the mountain for half a day without any rest. Come, let’s sit for a moment!" As he spoke, he helped the girl sit down on a rock.
"From what you said, it seems like we are going to attack Demon Mountain," the girl laughed generously, her exquisite and beautiful face illuminated by the glimmer of her intelligent big eyes, which reflected a hint of lake blue. "We are merely going to collect some precious herbs as part of our herbal medicine internship assignment"
Do not be too stubborn! The slender boy argued briefly, climbed a few steps up, and caught up with the three people ahead. He wanted to say something more, but the bespectacled boy waved his hand to stop him
Having spoken, he did not wait for the girl to respond, nor did he allow himself to be consumed by the unknown panic that threatened to drain away his last vestige of courage, and he cautiously descended.
At this moment, it is a bright early autumn afternoon, with the scenery exceptionally beautiful. The lush mountains are adorned with touches of bright yellow and intoxicating deep red, while the sunlight pours down brilliantly. Unfortunately, for the four young people, the steep mountain path, devoid of any shade, is not as pleasant.
The dense forest responded to her with a profound silence
"That's not feasible. By the time we go back to call for help and return to the mountain, it will be dark. Not only will it be difficult to conduct a rescue, but if they have sustained any injuries, we will lose the critical first aid window." The girl furrowed her delicate brows, suppressing her ominous premonition: "Moreover, you know how terrified the villagers are; they would never come above the halfway point of the mountain."
As the sky grew darker, she hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided not to abandon her companions and instead walked towards the increasingly unfathomable dense forest
After climbing the mountain for half a day, everyone is actually tired. As long as we don't stop, it's manageable, but once we pause, especially with the * picture * book, it feels a bit difficult to continue. I just hope the bespectacled boy can stay a little longer, allowing them to rest a bit more.
"We do not argue; the facts will prove my point," he said, pointing to a dense forest on the left. "I see that the slope here is relatively gentle; I will go down for a while."
Walking in front of him was the only girl in the team. Upon hearing the question, she turned her head, and a beautiful smile blossomed on her lovely face, surprisingly illuminated by the mountain scenery, making her appear even more radiant than the sunlight.
"I apologize, but you know, nature calls. We have been climbing the mountain since morning and haven't had a moment's rest!" He chuckled a couple of times to mask his embarrassment, then waved his hand and slowly walked into the depths of the dense forest. Below, the bushes shook in a chaotic manner, and then fell silent, the figure of that young man completely submerged by the green waves, as if he had been swallowed.
Among the four, he has the weakest physical strength and the least courage, even less than the beautiful woman in front of him. He is also the one who believes the terrifying legend the most and has always opposed going up the mountain. However, the four of them are a group, and the other three do not believe in superstitions, insisting on climbing to the top of the mountain to take a look.
Isn't it better for us to go down the mountain and seek help from the villagers? The boy, feeling a bit timid, held onto the girl and proposed a compromise.
Now that the herbs are missing, the two students have mysteriously disappeared. Although he is very afraid, as a man, he cannot allow a girl to go to a dangerous place to check the situation
Once he left, the girl never waited for his return again
"What are you going to do?" the girl asked with a hint of surprise
The girl stood at a high place, watching her classmates' figures disappear, suddenly feeling an ominous premonition, and inexplicably shivered.
The young man appeared somewhat troubled, a hint of fear surfacing in his eyes
From their vantage point, all they could see were clusters of trees rising and falling in height. If someone were to hide among them, they would be completely invisible, let alone falling into any holes.
The mountain is not very high, but it is quite steep
Above the halfway point of these two mountains, no one has ascended for ten years, and there must be many natural herbs, which are far more precious than those cultivated artificially
"No, that's just some superstitious talk," the girl said, her tone firm, yet her eyes did not look at the boy but were instead fixed on the dense forest below.