Qin Yi's duty task this time required the collection of seven types of medicinal herbs, ten portions of each.

Fire Salamander Bone, Thousand-Mile Herb, Celestial Maiden Bamboo, Jadewood, Dual-Tone Herb, Rhinoceros Horn Stone, Deep Shadow Water.

Among these materials, the Fire Salamander Bone comes from a type of fire salamander. You need to find this beast, slay it, and extract its spine.

Except for this material, which requires contact with the beast, the others need to be found throughout the mountains, relying on luck.

As with previous tasks, these items would be distributed based on the number of people.

For example, the Fire Salamander Bone, being more difficult, would be assigned to the strongest person.

The other materials would be sought by the others, each person specializing in one or two types, and if they encountered other materials, they could collect them as well.

Although their team this time only consisted of four people, fortunately, besides the Fire Salamander Bone, the other materials didn't involve much danger.

After leaving the Famous Sword Sect, under Miao Xiufeng's control, the Willow Leaf Boat traversed countless mountains and plains, finally landing in an area known as the Nine-Turn Mountain Range.

"Senior Brother Qin, let's organize this task."

Miao Xiufeng, being sensible, let Qin Yi arrange the task distribution upon arrival.

After learning the usual arrangement from Gu Yiyi, Qin Yi said, "Alright, we only have four people now. I'll take on the Fire Salamander Bone, and the rest of you can each look for two types of materials. How does that sound?"

Gu Yiyi agreed, "I'll look for the Thousand-Mile Herb and Celestial Maiden Bamboo. I've searched for them before and know where to find them."

Miao Xiufeng nodded, "Then I'll look for Jadewood and Dual-Tone Herb. I also know where these are likely to appear."

Qin Yi said, "Then the remaining Rhinoceros Horn Stone and Deep Shadow Water will be up to Junior Sister Xu. Is that okay, Junior Sister Xu?"

Being a reserved, introverted, and quiet girl, Xu Xinran naturally had no objections.

"I... can do it," she nodded.

After the tasks were assigned, Miao Xiufeng was the first to leave.

With his departure, the Willow Leaf Boat was handed over to Qin Yi.

Once stored, the Willow Leaf Boat was only palm-sized and was put into Qin Yi's pocket.

This item was obtained from the task pavilion and needed to be returned after the task. If lost, it would require compensation.

The price was not cheap.

The Nine-Turn Mountain Range, as the name suggests, is known for its winding and twisting paths, and the mountain roads are not only rugged but also particularly treacherous.

Moreover, the entire Nine-Turn Mountain Range is shrouded in white mist, making sword flight impossible in its airspace.

Holding the Willow Leaf Boat in hand, it couldn't be used, as flying in the mist would render you blind.

Therefore, to find the task materials here, one could only hike through the mountains, searching every corner for opportunities.

After Miao Xiufeng left, Xu Xinran also set off alone. It wasn't her first task, so she probably knew where to find Rhinoceros Horn Stone and Deep Shadow Water.

Once they were gone, Gu Yiyi pointed in a direction and said, "Qin Yi, let's go too."

Qin Yi quickly caught up with her pace and, taking advantage of her inattention, held her small hand in his palm.

"What... what are you doing?"

Gu Yiyi shyly tried to pull away but couldn't.

At this moment, she had an affection level of 90 for Qin Yi, which was a very fond level, so naturally, she wouldn't reject holding hands.

However, she had never held hands with a boy before, so she was still a bit shy.

"Hand in hand, let's walk together. The fog in this mountain is so thick, I can't bear to let Junior Sister take risks. If there's any danger, remember to hide behind me, Junior Sister Yiyi."

A shy and nervous Gu Yiyi said, "Who... who needs your protection... I've been here many times, and although it's sometimes dangerous, the chances are very small."

"Anyway, it's better to be cautious," Qin Yi said, holding her hand tightly, refusing to let go.

After walking together for a while, Gu Yiyi gradually accepted this gesture psychologically.

For some reason, being held by a boy made her feel a sweet sensation in her heart.

"The Fire Salamander Bone can only be found deep in the mountain range, making it the most difficult material in this task," Gu Yiyi said.

"No rush. Since the Fire Salamander Bone is hard to obtain, let's first help Junior Sister Yiyi find the Thousand-Mile Herb and Celestial Maiden Bamboo."

"Here, take this," Gu Yiyi suddenly pulled out a beasthide map from her pocket.

It depicted the shapes and distribution points of various materials in the Nine-Turn Mountain Range.

"In the past, it was easy to find materials here, but after years of harvesting, resources have gradually depleted. The distribution on this map can only be used as a reference now. However, the map is drawn accurately, and if you get lost in the fog, you can use it to find your way out."

"Thank you, Junior Sister."

After glancing at the map a few times, Qin Yi had almost memorized the terrain and the appearance of the materials.

Since Gu Yiyi had been here more than once, she led the way this time.

They walked on the mountain path for over two hours before reaching a canyon.

There was a rushing stream here, and the Thousand-Mile Herb and Celestial Maiden Bamboo could only grow on the banks of this stream.

Every place here resembled a primeval forest. There were no paths in the mountain forest, and even if someone had cut through here before, the forest would quickly grow back, covering the path with weeds.

So, their progress was slow. The forest was also teeming with snakes, insects, rats, and ants, and strange beasts frequently appeared.

Although Gu Yiyi was a girl, she wasn't weak. With her previous experience, she would often thrust out a green longsword when danger approached, using Sword Qi to keep threats three meters away.

After half an hour, they finally found the first Thousand-Mile Herb.

The herb grew in a crevice in the rock, and it was hard to spot without careful observation.

When Gu Yiyi was about to collect it, Qin Yi stopped her, "When harvesting herbs, you shouldn't take everything. Leave some branches or roots so that it might grow back over time. If you take everything at once, naturally, there will be fewer in the future."

He carefully pinched off a portion of the Thousand-Mile Herb's roots, leaving them in the soil, and handed the rest to Gu Yiyi.

"Will this really work?" Gu Yiyi asked.

"Trust me, it will," Qin Yi assured.

"But, it took us so long to find just one. Won't it take several days to gather all the materials?" Qin Yi asked.

Gu Yiyi nodded matter-of-factly, "Yes, each duty task takes at least four or five days before we can return."

Qin Yi said, "So, does that mean we'll have to spend the night in this wilderness?"

Gu Yiyi replied, "Yes."

Spending the night!

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

Initially, Qin Yi was a bit reluctant about staying in the wilderness, but with Junior Sister Yiyi by his side, he suddenly found himself looking forward to the night.