Detoxifying Snake Venom

After a brief rest, guided by Dashu and the other nine men, they set off once again.

Lin Yan looked around with a puzzled expression. This direction was precisely the route the giant black ox had taken earlier.

Not only that, but they had been following the giant black ox's tracks for the past half hour.

Frowning, she lowered her voice and asked Blue Star, "Are you sure this is the correct direction?"

Blue Star had noticed it too. He replied, "Dashu and the others all point to this direction. It should be right."

If any of them were playing tricks, it would be impossible not to notice. Besides, they were all in this together, and Dashu and his men wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

Although secretly apprehensive, they desperately hoped to find the hematite deposit as soon as possible.

Thinking about it, Lin Yan realized that Dashu and the others would not dare to harbor malicious intentions because the cost was simply too high. In a place fraught with danger like this, traveling alone was utterly impossible.

After walking for the better part of the day, they took a turn and stopped following the giant black ox's tracks, which finally put Lin Yan at ease.

This untouched land was overgrown with lush vegetation, making the hike extremely arduous.

In truth, any place devoid of human development was almost always like this—difficult to walk through and full of obstacles.

In some places, there were traces of ferocious beasts, but they didn't dare linger, fearing they might run into a pack of beasts.

Unless absolutely forced by circumstances, none of them wanted to fight beasts head-on; that was something reserved for moments of life and death.

The fear of ferocious beasts was deeply engraved in their bones. Who would dare to provoke them voluntarily? Whenever they encountered them, they tried their best to avoid them, sneaking away silently while praying not to be discovered.

The journey that day went relatively smoothly, but when Lin Yan had Fat Bao check the distance, they hadn't covered much ground—less than ten miles.

At this pace, who knew how much time it would take to find Dashu's original cave.

They made camp for the night, but even those on watch did not dare to sleep too soundly, terrified of being unable to react in time to an emergency.

The night passed without incident. When Lin Yan woke up, it was already broad daylight, and they set off on another day of travel.

As they walked, Huahui asked Lin Yan in a soft voice, "Are you holding up okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Lin Yan assured her, showing that she was completely unhurt. "You guys carry me every day; I don't have to walk myself, so I'm not tired at all."

"I know, I'm just afraid you were frightened. That giant black ox the other day was truly terrifying. I didn't dare sleep at all last night."

"No wonder you look a bit exhausted today, Mom. Tonight, you can sleep soundly—if there's any danger, I'll wake you up."

"I don't dare sleep. Can you?" Huahui was genuinely terrified; whenever she closed her eyes, the scene from that night replayed in her mind.

Lin Yan fell silent. "I can sleep, Mom. Who knows how many days we'll have to live like this? If you don't sleep at night, your body won't be able to hold out."

"You're really set on finding this hematite, aren't you? What if we can't find it? Are you just not going back?" Huahui grew even more worried, seeing that Lin Yan had clearly made long-term preparations.

Lin Yan replied, "Mom, with Dashu and the others, we will definitely find it. You need to think positively so that good things will happen."

As the mother and daughter were talking, the procession suddenly called for a halt.

Startled, they looked forward, wondering what had happened.

Heitu hurried over. "Someone was bitten by a snake! Do you have a way to help?"

"What?" Lin Yan's eyes widened. Although they had encountered quite a few snakes along the way, the people here were all experienced and usually just scared the snakes away.

"That snake is green and as thick as a rice bowl. Huoshi didn't notice it while scouting the path and stepped right on it. It bit him on the lower leg, and the skin quickly turned dark blue and swelled up. He's fading fast."

Heitu was frantic with worry. "Lin Yan, do you have any way to save Huoshi?"

Hearing the details, Lin Yan immediately said, "I'll go take a look first."

Heitu scooped her up and ran over, with Huahui hurrying close behind.

Snakes were venomous creatures, and the chances of surviving a bite were exceptionally slim. Many people had died from snake venom. It was only because they now lived in houses that the number of snakes had decreased.

The moment she saw Huoshi, Lin Yan looked directly at his left leg. His trouser leg had been rolled up, revealing a blackened lower leg where the discoloration had already spread above the knee.

On her way over, she had already asked Fat Bao how to treat the wound. Without hesitation, she instructed, "Get a piece of thin rope, tie it tightly here first, and then suck out the snake venom."

Before she even finished speaking, someone sprang into action—it was one of the members of the second scouting team who had been with Huoshi. They had been the first to discover the snakebite and had worked together to beat the snake into an absolute pulp, ensuring it was thoroughly dead.

Seeing someone about to suck out the venom, Lin Yan quickly called out, "Get some water! Have him take a sip and rinse his mouth after each suck." She didn't want the person sucking the venom to end up poisoned as well.

Lin Yan instructed that they should stop sucking once the extracted blood turned bright red, and told the members of the second team to take turns rather than letting just one person do it all.

She turned to Heitu. "Let's go find some medicinal herbs. Once the venom is sucked out, we'll apply them to Huoshi's wound."

Fortunately, Fat Bao had told her a couple of days ago about finding a medicinal herb called Paris polyphylla, also known as Seven-Leaf Lotus, which possessed the properties of clearing heat and removing toxins, reducing swelling and alleviating pain, and counteracting snake venom. She had kept it in mind, never expecting to use it so soon.

Paris polyphylla grew in shaded, damp places under mountain forests or among grassy areas along roadsides. They had seen quite a few along the way, but because they were in a rush, Lin Yan hadn't gathered any.

Heitu was stunned for a moment, then picked up Lin Yan and started moving. "What herb is it? What does it look like? Can it really cure poison?"

"We're looking for Paris polyphylla, also called Seven-Leaf Lotus. It clears heat, detoxifies, reduces swelling, and relieves pain. It's very useful for treating venom."

"How does it cure the poison?" Heitu asked, half-understanding. This was the first time he had ever heard that medicinal herbs could cure poison.

"Mash the leaves of the Paris polyphylla and apply them directly to the wound, or dry the roots and stems into a powder to pack the injury."

Scanning the area with her spiritual perception, Lin Yan pointed to a spot where several mature plants of Paris polyphylla had been growing for a few years, urging Heitu to dig them up roots and all.

The two quickly returned to Huoshi. The dark blood had already been extracted, and Heitu mashed the leaves of the Paris polyphylla, applying them to Huoshi's lower leg as Lin Yan directed, before wrapping it up securely with linen cloth.

The others watched in utter bewilderment and hurried over to ask why they were doing this.

Once they heard the explanation, everyone cast burning gazes at the remaining Paris polyphylla in Lin Yan's hands. If this really worked, it meant they would have a lifeline if they were ever bitten by a snake in the future.

Lin Yan handed the herb over so they could examine it clearly.

Previously, she rarely went out, and when someone got injured, they hadn't sought her out, choosing instead to endure it on their own; hence, she hadn't thought about gathering medicinal herbs.

Huoshi being bitten by a snake this time made Lin Yan realize the critical importance of medicinal herbs. Venturing outside inevitably led to encountering all sorts of venomous snakes and insects, and injuries were inevitable—medical herbs were truly a necessity for treatment.

On this trip, she decided to find more medicinal herbs and popularize them back at the village, having people gather more whenever they went out so they would be prepared for any emergency.

Lin Yan had never been exposed to medical treatment before and could only follow what the books said, unsure of how effective it would truly be.

The group paused their journey and waited for over half an hour. Huoshi regained consciousness, and the dark discoloration on his leg had faded slightly. Heitu changed the dressing for him once more.

Seeing his condition improve—far better than enduring it on his own as they used to do—Heitu and the onlookers fully grasped the value of medicinal herbs.

This opened up a magical new world for them. Who would have thought that those inconspicuous wild grasses possessed such miraculous properties?