Sludge suction system

Ever since Bai Pingping swallowed the miraculous "photographic memory pill," her brain seemed to be activated by a powerful force, and her memory ability seemed to instantly break through its limits. The previously obscure and densely packed medical texts could now be deeply imprinted in her mind with just a quick glance. It was as if she had suddenly acquired a super cheat code, allowing her to rapidly improve her medical skills.

"Haha! In that case, the day I leave the valley is not far off!" Bai Pingping muttered excitedly to herself, her eyes gleaming with the flames of revenge. She knew that as long as she mastered sufficiently advanced medical skills, coupled with a meticulous revenge plan, those who had harmed her would pay a terrible price.

Thinking of this, Bai Pingping couldn't wait to find out just how good her medical skills had become. So, she softly called out to the mysterious being who had always been by her side—Xiao Zha.

A transparent panel slowly emerged like a phantom, accompanied by a cold yet crisp, mechanical voice: "Host, after a comprehensive scan and analysis by this system, your medical skills are currently 20% below the standard required to successfully leave the valley. In addition, you need to complete two important tasks: first, collect a special token; second, gather a sufficient quantity of various herbs and pills with different effects to deal with any possible emergencies."

Upon hearing this, Bai Pingping frowned slightly and pressed for an answer: "What is the origin of this token? Why is obtaining it one of the key factors in whether I can leave the valley?"

Xiao Zha replied in a completely emotionless tone, "This is the Gong family's token."

"The Gong family? Could it be the legendary Gong family, the head of the four great families of the White Bird Kingdom? But... what kind of intricate connection does this White Bird Valley have with the Gong family? Why would the Gong family's token be hidden here?" A series of questions flooded her mind, causing Bai Pingping's originally expectant face to be filled with deep confusion.

"If the host wants to know the whereabouts of the token, they also need to find Valley Master Bai Yan, the heroine's father, and unravel the mystery of her origins. If this task is accomplished, the host will obtain a divine artifact, the Ghost Needle, which can not only be used for self-defense but also assist the host in better using the Big Dipper Needle Technique." Xiao Zha's answer was undoubtedly a major surprise. What Bai Pingping needed most right now was this Ghost Needle. Her martial arts skills were not powerful enough. With the help of this hidden weapon, wouldn't her revenge plan be greatly enhanced?

"Then what about the other task? How am I supposed to make so many pills in such a short time, and where am I supposed to store them?" Bai Pingping asked, her face full of doubt.

"Host, you forgot, you have another precious item called the 'Universe Shrinking Bag,' you can use it!" Xiao Zha's words were like a wake-up call, and Bai Pingping suddenly realized.

"I forgot, I also have the 'Qiankun Shrinking Bag'! Look at my brain, I've been reading too many medical books lately, I'm all confused." Bai Pingping slapped her forehead and giggled foolishly.

As dawn broke, just as the sky began to lighten, the hazy morning light filtered through the leaves, casting its glow on the entrance to White Bird Valley. Bai Pingping, filled with anticipation, hurried to Xia Mu's house and eagerly knocked on the door. Xia Mu opened the door sleepily, and Bai Pingping, without a word, grabbed his arm, saying, "Xia Mu, hurry, let's go gather herbs! The sooner we get there, the more good herbs we can find!" With that, she pulled him quickly deeper into White Bird Valley.

Upon entering the valley, it felt as if one had stepped into a natural treasure trove of herbs. The valley was lush with vegetation, and the herbs were numerous and varied in appearance. Bai Pingping focused intently, carefully identifying each herb with her solid medical knowledge.

She squatted down in front of a patch of grass, pointing to several plants with slender, needle-like leaves and bulbous rhizomes at the base, saying, "This is asparagus. It is cold in nature, sweet and bitter in taste, and enters the lung and kidney meridians. It has the effects of nourishing yin and moistening dryness, clearing the lungs and generating fluids. It can be used to treat symptoms such as dry cough due to lung dryness, persistent cough with sticky phlegm, dry throat and thirst." After speaking, she gently dug out the asparagus with a small shovel, shook off the soil, and put it into a bamboo basket, her movements gentle and careful.

Not far along, by a damp stream, Bai Pingping discovered several calamus plants. The calamus leaves were long and slender like swords, standing upright and vibrant green. She explained, “Calamus is warm in nature, pungent and bitter in taste, and enters the heart and stomach meridians. It can open the orifices and clear phlegm, refresh the mind and improve intelligence, dispel dampness and stimulate appetite. It is helpful for symptoms such as delirium, epilepsy, forgetfulness, and insomnia.” Holding a sickle, she cut down several calamus plants and placed them in a bamboo basket; their unique medicinal fragrance filled the air.

Then, they came to a forest edge, where Bai Pingping's gaze was drawn to a clump of small, alternate-leaved herbs with serrated edges and small white flowers. She said, "This is Prunella vulgaris. It is pungent and can disperse stagnation, bitter and cold and can clear heat. It enters the liver and gallbladder meridians and can clear liver fire, improve eyesight, disperse stagnation and reduce swelling. It is effective for red and swollen eyes, headaches and dizziness, scrofula, and goiter." She carefully picked the Prunella vulgaris and put it into a bamboo basket.

Further along, on a sunny hillside, Bai Pingping spotted several Bupleurum plants. The Bupleurum plants were tall, with upright stems, many branches in the upper part, and slender, strip-shaped leaves. She explained, “Bupleurum is slightly cold in nature, bitter and pungent in taste, and enters the liver, gallbladder, and lung meridians. It has the effects of harmonizing the exterior and interior, soothing the liver and relieving depression, raising yang and lifting prolapse, and reducing fever and stopping malaria. It is often used for colds with fever, alternating chills and fever, and chest and rib pain.” As she spoke, she used scissors to cut off the stems, leaves, and roots of the Bupleurum and placed them in a bamboo basket.

Not far away, several vines of Polygonum multiflorum twined around a tree. The leaves of Polygonum multiflorum are heart-shaped with long petioles, and the tuberous roots are thick. Bai Pingping said, "Polygonum multiflorum is slightly warm in nature, bitter, sweet, and astringent in taste. It enters the liver, heart, and kidney meridians, and can nourish the liver and kidneys, replenish essence and blood, blacken hair, strengthen muscles and bones. It can also detoxify, reduce swelling, and lubricate the intestines to relieve constipation. It is a very practical medicinal herb." She carefully dug out the tuberous roots of Polygonum multiflorum, cleaned the soil off them, and placed them in a bamboo basket.

Next, they found some plantain. Plantain leaves are broad, ovate or elliptical, with prominent veins, and long flower stalks grow from the base, bearing small, pale green flowers. Bai Pingping explained, "Plantain is cold in nature and sweet in taste. It enters the liver, kidney, and bladder meridians, and has the effects of clearing heat, promoting urination, relieving strangury, resolving phlegm, cooling the blood, and detoxifying. It can be used for painful urination due to heat, edema with scanty urine, and summer-heat diarrhea." She gently picked up some plantain and put it in her bamboo basket.

In addition, there were dandelions with small yellow flowers that resembled daisies. Bai Pingping explained, "Dandelions are cold in nature, bitter and sweet in taste, and enter the liver and stomach meridians. They can clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and dissipate nodules, and promote urination. They are very effective for treating symptoms of excessive heat and toxins, such as mastitis, lung abscess, and intestinal abscess." She picked the dandelion flowers and leaves and put them in a bamboo basket.

In a thicket of bushes, Bai Pingping found several Zanthoxylum nitidum plants. The leaves of Zanthoxylum nitidum were glossy on the front and had many small oil dots on the back, with sharp thorns on the stem. She said, “Zanthoxylum nitidum is warm in nature, pungent and bitter in taste, and slightly toxic. It enters the liver and stomach meridians, and can promote blood circulation, relieve pain, dispel wind and unblock the meridians, detoxify and reduce swelling. It can be used for various pain symptoms such as injuries from falls, stomachaches, and toothaches.” She carefully picked the Zanthoxylum nitidum, avoiding getting pricked by the thorns.

And so they traversed the White Bird Valley, successively identifying and collecting hundreds of herbs such as Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Fritillaria cirrhosa, Saposhnikovia divaricata, Notopterygium incisum, Angelica pubescens, Atractylodes lancea, Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Rehmannia glutinosa, Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Paeonia lactiflora, Paeonia veitchii, Paeonia suffruticosa, Lonicera japonica, Forsythia suspensa, and Curculigo orchioides. Each herb carried the hope of curing the illness.

Although Xia Mu didn't understand pharmacology, he was quick and nimble, following closely behind Bai Pingping, his eyes rapidly searching for the herbs she pointed out. Once he found them, he would quickly pick them. Before long, their bamboo baskets were filled with all sorts of herbs.

Xia Mu asked curiously, "Sister Pingping, what are you going to do with all these herbs? Are you planning to leave the valley?"

"Shh..." Bai Pingping quickly covered Xia Mu's mouth.