High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 185: Chapter 109 Newcomer’s Task_1

Not far along the narrow path between the fields, the procession veered onto a slightly broader wooden and stony road.

The road was founded on wooden stakes, with wooden fences as embankments. Small stones were packed between the stakes, pressed until they were even and flat. The heads of the stakes protruded a few centimeters from the ground. People walking along had to be particularly careful not to trip over them.

Zheng Qing admired the people who paved this path, perhaps this was the purpose intended by the creators of the Hundred Herb Gardens, as he watched his classmates treading carefully around it.

The wooden and stony road circumnavigated an independent herbal garden.

Unlike the previous medicinal fields with their magically varying environments, this particular garden had no unique climate due to magic. Instead, it was like a simple rural courtyard, randomly enclosed by twisted wooden fences. Many vine plants climbed up these fences, their thriving growth adding a touch of elegance to the garden.

Old Man Sistanda led the students along the wooden and stony road not far, and arrived at the entrance of this garden.

The garden gate, similar to the garden wall, seemed rather crude.

The main gate, with a well-shaped wooden stick as the core, was bound by willow twigs and sour jujube branches. Looking through the gate with its twig lattice, you could clearly see the lush scenery within the garden.

”Watch your hands!” Old Man Sistanda suddenly shouted, startling Zheng Qing.

Turning his head, he saw several students who were pulling at the willow buds on the gate, seemingly startled as well. They quickly released their hold and retreated into the crowd.

”Although the gate is not adorned with a Door God and appears dilapidated, it is protected by numerous spells put there by the wizards in the garden.” the old man scolded, sternly glaring at the young people in front of him. ”Have I not warned you not to pull or tug anything carelessly in the garden? Hmm?”

The students were speechless.

When the students were reprimanded, it put the professors in an awkward position.

Professor Li Qihuang put on a stern face, echoed Old Man Sistanda’s words, and continued the admonishment, ”From the moment we entered the garden to now, how many times have I told you! If anyone makes a mistake again, they will have to do a week of mandatory labor in the school’s work committee. Then you can get your fill of the garden!”

The students remained silent, as quiet as cicadas in winter.

Old Man Sistanda glared at the group for a while, before slowly turning around, stretching out his hand to point at a wooden board hanging on the fence.

Zheng Qing fixed his gaze on it.

This board was likely a map of the garden, divided into different zones according to the plants’ effects. There were areas such as those for yin nourishing and dryness moistening plants, blood regulating plants, qi boosting plants, surface-releasing plants, and so on.

The old man pointed to the nerve-relaxing plant area.

”Your task is here.” He leaned on his Crane’s Beak hoe, lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the many students in front of him, seemingly waiting for their responses.

There were no objections.

The old man nodded in satisfaction, pulled open the woody gate, indicating the others to follow.

”Let me tell you!”

”Growing these grasses and flowers is a vast subject.”

”Take the Sun, for example, there are many nuances.”

”Some herbs need to be exposed to the sunlight every twelve hours; some need to bask in the weak, soft rays of the sunset; and others need to grow in the Chaoyang (morning sun), absorbing the vigorous life energy.”

Excited by his own speech, the old gardener leaned on his hoe, shaking his head with pride, the wrinkles crisscrossing his face appearing particularly profound.

”Some herbs must reach for the sunlight through clouds and mist; some must absorb the Yang energy while standing in water; and others must stand in the shade of other plants, exploring the shadowy aspects of the Sun.”

”Both the life energy of herbs differ, so do the forms of the Yang energy they need.”

With this, the procession stopped before a vast medicinal field.

”This is your task!” Uncle Sistanda raised a small dark green plant in his hand for everyone to pass around and examine: ”Your task is to pull weeds.”

Weeding?

The students sighed with relief, then immediately plunged into a hustle and bustle of discussions.

Zheng Qing pinched the slender grass in his hand, speechless.

Just like Li Meng just said, they originally thought that having walked so deep into the garden, the task assigned to them would be something noble.

Even if it wasn’t a big battle against man-eating flowers, catching some young earth dragons could serve as bragging rights to other classes!

Compared to that, weeding!

Just hearing it was a big downgrade in tone.

”This grass is called ’Taste Thorn’, with a dark green color and light green wavy patterns on it. The edges of its inner leaves have jagged protrusions.” Professor Li started to explain: ”This is also a form of medicinal herb with a strong potency. It can suppress certain manic symptoms.”

”There are two methods to identify this herb: one is the external differentiation method that Old Man Sistanda just mentioned; the other is by smell. Crush the leaf of this herb, the residual juice will emit a very strong, irritating smell.” Professor Li crushed the small grass in his hand, and as a demonstration, held it up to the faces of a few students standing in front.

Immediately, they showed expressions of extreme discomfort.

This aroused the curiosity of many people.

Zheng Qing held a taste thorn in his hand, watching others. He tried pinching a piece of the leaf tip with his thumb and forefinger, crushing it. Then he put the dark green smear on the fingertips of the deer-skin gloves close to his face.

Instantly, a strong, irritating smell rushed straight to his brain through his nostrils, as though he had taken a large bite of mustard.

He looked up to find Professor Li also tearfully watching everyone.

”This irritating smell lasts a very short time, approximately five-seconds.” Professor Li sniffled, murmuring, ”You need to bear in mind not to become fond of this stimulating feeling! For wizards who value mental safety, there’s nothing more harmful than constant stimulations.”

”Why should we pull this grass!” With a sniffle and tears streaming down her face, Li Meng loudly queried.

”Because it can’t behave itself!” The Crane’s Beak hoe in Old Man Sistanda’s hand had somehow morphed again into an unknown tool. He casually overturned a clod of mud in the field with the tool’s back, crushing the clod into dust.

An earthworm mixed in the soil also turned into mud with the strike of the tool.

After a pause, the old man looked up at the students and added, ”This little thing, the taste thorn, grows way too fast.”

”Way too fast!” He repeated with emphasis, ”One moment it’s being pollinated, the next it’s blooming, popping its seeds quietly in the middle of the night. The seeds take root as soon as they hit the ground. In the blink of an eye, they germinate. The next day when you look again, the entire field will be overrun by this little thing.”

”It depletes the soil quickly but has limited medicinal use. Apart from few potions, like the ’Wolf Poison Potion’, that need a bit as auxiliary, it’s usually only you students who dare to use it during final exams.”

”Of course, we don’t recommend students to use this herb for calming and stimulating purpose.” Professor Li, who was standing at the side, quickly warned, ”As I mentioned earlier, highly stimulating herbs could harm a wizard’s mental state. If you have similar needs, the school hospital has better options for you.”