Chapter 612: Chapter 610: She Couldn’t Bear to Leave

This time, Su Qing didn’t deliberately conceal her movements on her trip to Qinling. She didn’t have to worry about causing a huge stir like she had in Japan. After all, if anyone really asked, she could just say she was going into the mountains to gather herbs.

With Mr. Gong vouching for her, everyone knew that it was perfectly normal for Su Qing to go into the mountains to gather herbs.

However, when Cao Zhengming learned that Su Qing had gone to Qinling, he hurried over to the residential compound. "That girl Su Qing went to Qinling? Oh dear, she should have told me! I could have arranged for some people to go with her."

Ever since his last visit to the Li family, Cao Zhengming had been eager to arrange for his people to go into the mountains with Su Qing. He even planned on going with her himself.

Mr. Li shot Cao Zhengming a glance. "What’s your hurry? Qingqing isn’t going to the same place where she found the ginseng before. Your people are all busier than the next. If they make a trip for nothing, you’ll just come crying to me again."

Cao Zhengming chuckled. "Old Chief, listen to you. Of course not."

"Hmph," Mr. Li said. "As if I don’t know you. Don’t think I didn’t hear. The last time, over the issue of medication purchase quotas, you were slamming tables and were one step away from rolling up your sleeves to punch someone."

In this day and age, many Western medicines were in short supply. A good number of them had to be purchased from foreign distributors, and the quantities of many imported drugs were restricted by the other party.

Cao Zhengming chuckled again. ’So what? As long as I can get more good medicine and allow more patients to receive timely treatment, what’s a little table-slamming? If it gets me the medicine, I wouldn’t be against rolling up my sleeves and punching someone either.’

Mr. Li smiled and said to Cao Zhengming, "Alright, relax. When my Qingqing goes to that mountain range next time, she’ll definitely bring your people along."

"Hehe, Old Chief, then it’s a deal. I’ll be waiting," Cao Zhengming said with a grin.

"Don’t worry, I’ll keep it in mind."

"Yes, sir."

Meanwhile, Su Qing, who was already in Qinling, was not having much luck finding her targets. She had been wandering the mountains for three to five days without seeing a single soul.

Su Qing was growing anxious. ’These people entered Qinling. If they manage to set up an Array Technique here and I can’t find them, what if they discover the grand array in Japan was destroyed and set up a new one there? That would be disastrous.’

But Qinling was so vast. How was she supposed to find them?

Su Qing was at a loss for a moment.

However, despite her predicament, Su Qing didn’t forget to absorb the Spiritual Energy in Qinling. It had to be said, Qinling truly deserved its moniker as the dragon pulse of Hua Country. The Spiritual Energy here was so rich that even Xiqing Mountain couldn’t compare. After just a few short days, Su Qing felt the Spiritual Energy within her body had already increased.

’Could it be? Could I break through to the Seventh Rank here in Qinling?’

At this thought, Su Qing’s eyes instantly lit up.

A Sixth Rank Wood Ability was already incredibly powerful in the current world. It could be said that almost no one was her match. But who would complain about their superpower level being too high? If she could advance to the Seventh Rank, that would naturally be for the best.

And just as Su Qing had hoped, on her tenth day in Qinling, she had a sudden premonition. She discovered that a massive amount of Spiritual Energy from her surroundings was surging toward her.

’I’m about to advance!’

Su Qing was experienced in this. Overjoyed, she immediately found a spot and sat down cross-legged. A massive amount of Spiritual Energy then began to pour into her body.

Su Qing closed her eyes, feeling the Spiritual Energy rush into her. She knew that once this energy had washed through her entire body, she would be able to advance to the Seventh Rank.

However...

Su Qing soon realized something was wrong.

Pain!

This was a sensation she had never experienced during an advancement since awakening her Wood Ability. All her previous advancements had been effortless: Spiritual Energy would rush into her body, wash through it, and her superpower would naturally rise by a rank.

But what was happening this time?

The pain continued, gradually spreading throughout her body. Su Qing felt as if her whole body were being sliced open inch by inch with a sharp dagger, the flesh beneath her skin brutally churned. The agony was so extreme she couldn’t help but scream.

What Su Qing didn’t know, however, was that the intense pain had sapped almost all her strength. What she thought was a scream was merely a few low groans.

Gradually, Su Qing felt something flowing out from her skin. She couldn’t spare the focus to look, her mind entirely consumed with resisting the heart-piercing, bone-gnawing pain. The sheer intensity of it blanked her mind.

Her strength was gradually draining away, and her consciousness began to fade into chaos. Su Qing had never experienced pain like this. Even in her past life, when she was finally trapped in a zombie horde and torn apart, it wasn’t even one percent as agonizing as this. She thought that perhaps something had gone wrong with her superpower advancement. A mishap like this could cost her her life. She felt herself starting to lose her grip.

’I’m not going to die here in these mountains, am I?’

The thought surfaced in Su Qing’s mind. She couldn’t even understand it herself—her whole body hurt so much that even breathing was a stabbing pain, so how did she have the spare capacity to think about this? Perhaps this truly was the final thought of someone who couldn’t hold on any longer.

But as she considered this, images and smiles of her family suddenly flashed through her mind, which had been nearly blank from the pain.

"My Qingqing is the best-behaved and most beautiful."

Those were her grandmother’s kind words.

"My granddaughter takes after me, haha!"

That was her grandfather’s proud gaze.

"Qingqing, Mom will make you your favorite fried hairtail fish."

The aroma of fried hairtail fish seemed to linger at the tip of her nose. Those were her mother’s gentle words.

"This is Su Qing. My sister, my actual sister."

Those were Li Huan’s smug words, his expression affectionate and joyful.

...

The faces and words of her family flashed through her mind one by one. This was her family in this life, the family that cared for and cherished her...

She couldn’t bear to leave them!

And they certainly couldn’t bear to lose her, either. If she didn’t make it out of Qinling this time, she couldn’t imagine her family’s pain. She had seen their anxiety and worry with her own eyes when she returned home from Xiqing Mountain last time.

A sliver of clarity pierced through her chaotic thoughts. ’No, I have to hold on.’

Su Qing didn’t know where the new burst of strength came from, but she used it to fight desperately against the pain wracking her body. She had to stay conscious. Only by staying conscious did she have a chance of pulling through.

Time passed, drop by drop. Su Qing had no idea how long it had been. All she knew was that wave after wave of even more violent pain was sweeping over her entire body.

Just when Su Qing felt she truly couldn’t hold on any longer, the pain finally began to subside. When the last trace of it vanished, she felt as if her body was completely drained of strength. She collapsed weakly onto the grass, struggling to keep her eyes slightly open. She watched the sunlight filter down through the branches before she slowly sank into darkness...

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