Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 151: Searching for Guiding Drugs of the Great Strength Pills in the Mountains

"Is there some trouble at your home? You know, with our current relationship, you can come to me for help if you encounter any difficulties," Qiu Yanqing asked, expressing his genuine concern when he noticed Su Yijia was not making excuses.

Su Yijia, however, shook her head and let out a deep sigh, "There are some issues, but they haven’t escalated to the point of being too severe yet. Don’t worry; it’s just minor stuff, and I can handle it myself."

Since Su Yijia genuinely seemed unwilling to discuss the matter further, Qiu Yanqing didn’t press her for more information.

He could only watch as Su Yijia left the alley. With her current situation sorted, there was still plenty of time left in the day. Su Yijia made her way to the herbal medicine store before it opened.

"Why are you here so early? Are the herbs you bought last time already used up?" When he opened the door and saw Su Yijia standing outside, Yu Qiancheng was taken aback.

Su Yijia nodded, "I need to buy some more herbs."

This time, she bought thirty sets of the formula for the Whitening Lotion and the remaining herbs needed for the Detoxification Pills. Although the other eight ingredients only added up to two hundred yuan each, it wasn’t considered expensive. However, the hundred-year-old polygonum multiflorum root cost three hundred yuan per piece. Luckily, not many people were interested in traditional Chinese medicine these days, so many valuable herbs were still held by these old TCM practitioners.

The hundred-year-old polygonum multiflorum root wasn’t an urgent remedy, but it was precious due to its age. So, Yu Qiancheng had bought all the ones he had found the last time.

Lastly, Su Yijia also purchased some high-quality anti-parasitic and anti-snake herbs and a few common antidotes to snake bites typically found in mountainous areas.

All these items amounted to over seven thousand yuan.

Before leaving, Su Yijia felt reluctant as she patted her slightly flattened pocket. She thought this had become her signature action whenever she visited the Chinese herbal medicine store. However, due to time constraints, she couldn’t afford to waste more time. She immediately hopped on the minibus and headed for Xiangwang Village.

By the time she arrived, it was already 9:30 AM. She had informed her family before leaving, explaining that she would be collecting things today, so she wouldn’t be coming back for lunch. As long as she made sure not to be seen by the workers before 5 o’clock, it would be fine.

Su Yijia took out the hatchet she had bought from the supply and marketing cooperative and the slingshot she had made herself from her space. She entered the mountains in a hurry.

When she passed by Peng Kun’s house, she deliberately tiptoed past, afraid of stirring up trouble and causing more issues with the man.

This time, she had gone up the mountain to collect the last two medicinal herbs for the Great Strength Pills. Once she had taken the pill, she wouldn’t be afraid of meeting people from the village when she went down the mountain.

Thinking about this, Su Yijia’s pace quickened. Although there were no tall mountains around Hu City, Xiangwang Village was adjacent to several villages, which formed a small mountain range. The combined area was quite large, especially with rolling hills, making it a hotbed for venomous creatures and rodents.

Before entering the mountains, Su Yijia applied a special snake and insect repellent all over her body, then clenched her teeth as she entered a dense thicket of shrubs nearly as tall as her. She hacked her way through the path with her hatchet. Wearing long sleeves and pants, she could still feel the stinging of scratches and thorns, and the magnified pain brought tears to her eyes. Fortunately, the mountains were cool, resembling spring rather than the scorching summer.

Su Yijia felt a little relief from the heat. Her movement startled some wild chickens hiding in the bushes, causing them to flap their wings and fly further into the forest. She quickly pulled out her slingshot and took aim. In just a couple of seconds, she shot a small wooden arrow from the slingshot.

The arrow she used had been specially carved, very sharp, like ancient arrow. The arrowhead, however, was not made of iron, but it was sufficient for dealing with wild chickens. Su Yijia was full of confidence, ready to welcome her prey.

However, the short arrow pierced right through the tail of the wild chicken. Not to mention that it could have been a fatal shot, she hadn’t even touched the long tail feathers of the chicken.

The chicken perched on a branch and squawked as if taunting Su Yijia, letting out a couple of cackles. Before she could reload the slingshot, it flapped its wings and flew away.

Su Yijia frowned and looked down at her hands. She had been pretty accurate when shooting these kinds of targets in the past. Maybe not 100%, but at least over 90%. Her coach had even told her she had real talent. Furthermore, her previous shooting experience had been with targets flying in the sky. Even if her body had changed and her sense of touch was different, could the difference be so significant?

Su Yijia carefully thought it over and, as if she realized something, she smacked her head hard. How foolish she was! Shooting aerial targets could hardly be compared to shooting live, agile chickens. Wild animals had the strongest instincts to seek safety and avoid danger, and any disturbance in the air would prompt them to dodge.

Su Yijia learned her lesson and gripped her sickle. Instead of cutting the shrubs around her, she refrained from doing so to avoid startling any wild chickens hidden in the bushes. This way, if she encountered one, she’d have a few more seconds to make a more accurate judgment.

However, the idea was beautiful, but reality was cruel. After missing seven or eight wild chickens in a row, Su Yijia’s short arrows finally managed to inflict some damage, but just a bit. The chickens would fall into the thicket, experience some pain, and then flap their wings to escape immediately.

Even someone as patient as Su Yijia couldn’t help feeling a bit frustrated. She took a deep breath, sat down in a clear spot, drank some water, and then climbed a tall and thick tree. After scanning her surroundings multiple times, she finally spotted the old locust tree in one direction. After carefully planning her route and noting significant landmarks along the way, Su Yijia finally climbed down from the tree.

The distance might have seemed close, but it took her quite some time to traverse it. She even encountered a small wild chicken along the way, and she shot it with her slingshot. Thankfully, the small chicken wasn’t as alert as the larger ones, and Su Yijia succeeded in hitting it. When she saw the little creature lying motionless on the ground, Su Yijia was so happy that she wanted to light a firecracker to celebrate.

She hummed a couple of songs, and her voice, tinged with an eerie tone, echoed through the open mountain forest, making her shiver. Startled by her own voice, she quickly collected the small wild chicken and checked with 666 to make sure the chicken’s heart was acceptable. After receiving confirmation, she tossed the heart into her portable warehouse.

Su Yijia used the water from her canteen to wash away the blood on her hands before continuing toward the old locust tree. The tree grew on the edge of a hillside, with most of its trunk protruding. After a careful assessment, Su Yijia realized that collecting the guiding drugs from this tree would be quite dangerous. She valued her life and preferred to avoid risks whenever possible.

However, after climbing other trees and scanning her surroundings, she didn’t spot another old locust tree.