Colorful years

When doing chores like chopping wood and cutting grass, it's easy to accidentally hurt your hands; this is commonplace for people who do these things regularly.

Let's rewind to when Congcong was fourteen years old, when he was still a naive and immature boy.

That same year, for the first time in his life, he went alone to Shadao Bay, a place quite far from his home, to collect firewood.

That day, perhaps due to inexperience or a moment of carelessness, the machete he was gripping tightly struck his own thumb at the base of his hand. Instantly, blood gushed out like a fountain, the wound so deep that bone was visible.

Although the wound eventually healed after being bandaged, it left a shocking scar. More seriously, due to this injury, his thumb has never been able to straighten as freely as before.

Speaking of this Sand Knife Bay, it has quite a history! It is adjacent to the famous scenic pearl - Zhangjiajie, and its unique geographical features are typical of quartz sandstone landforms.

The main peak here stands majestically, as if it were about to pierce the sky and reach the clouds; the mountain is as if it had been cleaved by a giant axe from the gods, so steep and dangerous that it makes people tremble with fear.

Over the years, the erosion and scouring of rainwater have created a valley that resembles a sand knife.

That's why people named this magical place "Sand Knife Bay".

Despite its rugged terrain and undulating mountains, this valley is actually a place with dense forests.

The dry branches and fallen tree trunks were everywhere, making it an ideal place for people to gather firewood. However, it was by no means easy to find anything here, as various dangers and challenges were lurking within.

However, young Congcong was determined and pressed forward no matter how difficult the situation.

On a sunny Sunday morning, as the first rays of sunlight touched the earth, Congcong resolutely embarked on his journey to Shadao Bay.

Upon finally arriving at the foot of Shadao Bay, Congcong couldn't help but look up. The mountain peaks at the top of the bay soared into the sky, shrouded in mist, seemingly connecting with the heavens.

Several agile mountain eagles circled and soared in the air, sometimes swooping down and sometimes flapping their wings and flying high. Their sharp figures were truly amazing.

Looking up for a long time, Congcong felt dizzy and couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

Gathering firewood in the mountains is the priority. Congcong discovered that there was no obvious path into the valley.

Congcong had no choice but to grip the tree branches and vines tightly with his left hand and use his right hand to cut through the thorns with his knife, struggling to climb towards the center of the hillside.

After a strenuous climb to the middle of the hillside, just as Congcong had hoped, there were withered branches everywhere and dry firewood to be picked up at will.

Suddenly, Congcong's sharp eyes, like lightning, quickly spotted a withered chestnut tree not far ahead. The trunk of this chestnut tree was as thick as a bowl; without a doubt, it was an excellent source of firewood.

Upon seeing this, Congcong rushed forward without hesitation, gripping the sharp machete tightly in his hand. He raised it high and then chopped down fiercely on the tree trunk.

However, to his surprise, the withered chestnut tree was unusually hard, as if it were cast from steel. Despite his best efforts, he swung his machete repeatedly and fiercely, but the tenacious withered tree still stood proudly, showing no sign of falling.

Perhaps it was because of excessive force, or perhaps it was a cruel twist of fate, but just as the withered tree finally collapsed under the pressure, the blade of the machete, which had rebounded, slashed straight at the web of Congcong's left hand like a runaway horse.

In an instant, a "ripping" sound was heard, and a hideous wound three inches long was immediately cut into the base of Congcong's thumb.

At first, the skin and flesh at the wound site were turned outwards in a shocking white manner.

Strangely, he felt no pain whatsoever at this moment, as if the wound had nothing to do with him.

However, this eerie calm did not last long. As blood gushed out like a burst dam, a piercing pain suddenly struck, like a raging flame relentlessly burning his nerves.

We must stop this gushing blood immediately! But we're in this remote, desolate place, what should we use to stop the bleeding?

The intense pain did not cause Congcong to lose his mind and composure. On the contrary, he endured the pain and tried his best to search his mind for various methods of stopping bleeding in the wild.

Persistence pays off; he searched the depths of the divine sea and found at least three common herbs with hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, there is a prerequisite for using these herbs to stop bleeding—the user must not be allergic to these herbs.

Based on the description in his memory, Congcong turned his head with difficulty and carefully looked around at his surroundings.

Heaven has eyes, and he soon discovered that not far from him, there was a lush clump of the herb Thousand Leaf Grass, which was effective in stopping bleeding and reducing inflammation.

As for whether he would be allergic, he didn't know and couldn't conduct any tests; he could only leave it to fate.

He quickly plucked a stalk of sage, crushed it, and applied it to the wound. The bleeding stopped quickly, and the pain lessened.