Chapter 9: Exploring the Secret of Herbs: The Elves' Obstruction

He Shiqing's slender fingers brushed across the raised runes on the magic circle. The runes were a bit rough. When her fingers brushed across, a slightly cool energy spread throughout her body along her fingertips, like a cold little snake crawling on her skin, causing a burst of fine goose bumps. She could clearly feel the touch of small bumps popping up on her skin.

This magic circle is quite interesting!

She was thinking about how to crack this thing when a figure suddenly flashed out from the dense bushes.

It was a girl with pointed ears and long emerald green hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her hair looked soft and smooth, sparkling in the sun, and dotted with a few unknown white flowers.

She was wearing a dress woven from leaves and vines and was barefoot, like an elf from a fairy tale.

"Bingo! I found you!" He Shiqing was secretly delighted. With this outfit, she was undoubtedly a forest elf. She might be the key person to unlock the magic circle!

The elf girl, Lily, looked at He Shiqing warily, with suspicion flashing in her emerald green eyes.

He Shiqing could hear her own heartbeat, and in this quiet atmosphere, she could even seem to hear Lily's gentle breathing.

"Human, why are you trespassing into my territory?" Her voice was clear and pleasant, like a clear spring flowing in a mountain stream, but with a hint of unquestionable majesty. This voice reached He Shiqing's ears, making her shudder slightly.

He Shiqing put on her signature sweet smile: "Hello, beautiful elf lady! My name is He Shiqing, and I'm a... uh... traveler passing by. I got lost and came here by accident. I have absolutely no ill intentions!"

Lily obviously didn't buy her tricks, her eyes were still cold: "I have heard too many sweet words from humans. This magic circle is my barrier to protect the holy medicine. If you try to force your way in, don't blame me for being rude!"

Holy medicine?

It seems that there is something else behind this magic circle!

He Shiqing put away her smile and said in a serious tone: "Ms. Elf, I need a precious magical herb to save people. The situation is urgent. Please help me!"

"Save people?" Lily smiled contemptuously. "Humans' lies are endless. I have been guarding here for hundreds of years and have seen too many greedy people like you who want to steal the holy medicine under various pretexts."

The magic circle around her was flickering, the light was bright and dim, and the flickering light was a bit dazzling. He Shiqing felt that she was surrounded by an invisible pressure, as if she had fallen into an elaborately designed trap. She couldn't find the exit, and couldn't explain it clearly.

She could feel the air around her seem to become heavier, pressing down on her.

This feeling is really crazy!

"Everything I said is true!" He Shiqing was eager to prove her innocence, but Lily didn't give her a chance and the hostility in her eyes grew stronger and stronger.

He Shiqing took a deep breath and tried hard to suppress the irritation in her heart.

It seems that the hard approach doesn't work, so I can only try the soft approach.

She simply sat down on the ground, which was a little damp, cold and hard. She patted the empty space beside her and said in a relaxed tone: "Okay, since you don't believe me, let's talk?" He Shiqing collapsed to the ground like a deflated ball and began to chat with Lily.

She didn't hide anything and told him everything about her experience.

"I'm the daughter of the He Group, I can get whatever I want, but I ended up traveling through time and became an abandoned daughter of a poor family, with my family broken up. Don't you think it's tragic?" He Shiqing described the story vividly, shaking her head and sighing from time to time, as if she was telling someone else's story.

At this moment, the sky suddenly darkened and a breeze blew, blowing up her hair and clothes. She could feel the gentle caress of the wind. The flowers and plants around her lowered their heads slightly, as if they were sad for her experience.

Lily was deeply moved by this scene, and for the first time a trace of sympathy appeared in her eyes.

He Shiqing thought silently in her heart that although she had encountered so many hardships since coming to this world, she would never give up as long as there was a glimmer of hope.

There was always a stubborn gleam in her eyes.

Lily looked indifferent at first. The scenes she had seen kept appearing in her mind. Those humans did whatever it took to get the holy medicine and destroyed the tranquility of the forest.

But He Shiqing's story seemed to have a kind of magic that made her want to listen to it. Her heart kept wavering between trust and doubt.

"Then I bound myself to this system and started my adventure in another world! Although the process was a bit tortuous, I finally became a decent person." He Shiqing said, raising her chin proudly.

"System? What is that?" Lily blinked curiously, and her pointed ears moved slightly.

He Shiqing smiled mysteriously: "This is my secret weapon! With it, I know everything about astronomy and geography, and I can do anything!" She deliberately exaggerated, making Lily couldn't help laughing.

"It's really interesting. This is the first time I've seen a human like you." The vigilance in Lily's eyes decreased a little, and her tone became much softer.

He Shiqing was secretly delighted, it seemed that this trick of "sincere chat" was quite effective.

She struck while the iron was hot and continued: "Ms. Elf, I'm in such a miserable state. Please be kind and let me pass. I really need a herb to save people. I will leave after saving them and will not stay any longer!"

Lily pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "I can see that you are different from other humans. I can give you a chance, but you must pass my test."

He Shiqing was so excited that she almost jumped up, her face was full of smiles: "What test? Just tell me!"

The surrounding trees seemed to have sensed this unexpected turn of events. Their branches and leaves swayed gently, making rustling sounds, as if they were cheering her on.

Lily stretched out her slender finger and pointed to a medicinal field shrouded in mist in front of her: "My test is..." She paused and looked at He Shiqing, "Can you identify the herbs I need?"

Lily brought He Shiqing to the edge of the medicine field, pointed to three herbs of different shapes and said, "If you can tell the names and effects of these three herbs, you will pass the test." There was a hint of cunning in her eyes. These three herbs were extremely rare species, and ordinary people would never be able to recognize them.

He Shiqing looked at the three herbs without any emotion and even felt like laughing.

With the system in hand, the world is mine!

She calmly turned on the system scan function, and the information of the three herbs instantly appeared in front of her: Moonlight Flower, which can be used to treat hidden injuries; Stardust Grass, which enhances magical perception; Dragon Scale Grass, which strengthens the physical body.

"The first one, Moonlight Flower, heals hidden injuries; the second one, Stardust Grass, enhances magical perception; the third one, Dragon Scale Grass, strengthens physical fitness." He Shiqing finished speaking in one breath, her tone as relaxed as if she was reading out the names of dishes.

As soon as she finished speaking, a soft light suddenly appeared around the medicine field. The light was very warm, like gentle sunlight shining on the body, as if acknowledging her correct answer.

Lily's eyes widened. The branches and leaves of the surrounding trees swayed more violently, and the rustling sound seemed to be cheering.

He Shiqing raised her chin, her eyes full of confidence, as if to say that this was a piece of cake for her.

Lily was stunned. She thought He Shiqing would scratch her head for a long time, but she didn't expect her to give the answer so easily.

She confirmed again: "Are you sure? These three herbs are extremely rare. Do you really know them?"

"Of course I'm sure! I never lie." He Shiqing shrugged with an expression that said, "Are you questioning my professionalism?"

Lily looked at He Shiqing with eyes full of shock and confusion. Where did this human woman come from?

"Well, you did pass my test." Lily had to admit He Shiqing's ability. She waved her hand, and the light of the magic circle around her gradually weakened. "You can pass now."

He Shiqing walked to the front of the magic circle, stretched out her hand confidently, and was about to pass through the magic circle when suddenly, the magic circle fluctuated violently, making a shrill buzzing sound that was as sharp as a needle piercing the ear, and the light flickered, as if it was disturbed by something.

"What's going on?" He Shiqing was shocked. Were all her previous efforts in vain?

Lily was also panicked, she had never seen such a situation before.

She anxiously checked the magic circle, but could not find anything unusual.

"Zizizi..." A strange sound came from behind the magic circle. It was like some creature rubbing against the ground, or like the sound of electric current. This sound made He Shiqing feel a little creepy.

He Shiqing and Lily looked at each other and saw uneasiness in each other's eyes.

This sound...

It came from the other side of the magic circle.

What is hidden there?

"Shall we... go over and take a look?" He Shiqing swallowed and clenched the dagger in her hand.

Lily nodded and drew the dagger at her waist.

The two of them walked cautiously towards the source of the sound behind the magic circle...