Zhuo Yu Feng Yang Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Looking for orchids in southern Yunnan, traveling along the mountain road

Three days later, Jiang Zhuo and Lu Jingyang accompanied Mr. Gu on the train to southern Yunnan.

The scenery outside the window gradually changed from the bustling city to the rolling green mountains. The moisture in the air became heavier and heavier, carrying the refreshing smell of vegetation.Mr. Gu was worried about his daughter’s condition all the way, frowning and speaking very little.Lu Jingyang was afraid that he would get sick from suppressing it, so he talked about the customs and antiques of southern Yunnan. Occasionally, he would discuss the growth habits of Konggu orchid with Jiang Zhuo, and the atmosphere in the carriage relaxed a little.

When we arrived at the small town at the foot of Ailao Mountain, it was already dark.The three of them found a bed and breakfast to stay. Lu Jingyang contacted the Yunnan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau and the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that night, explaining the condition of Mr. Gu’s daughter and the clues to the prescription hidden in the inkstone, and applied to collect Konggu Orchid samples in the name of emergency scientific research and medicinal use.At the same time, he also contacted the Ailaoshan National Nature Reserve Management Bureau and requested professional assistance.

Early the next morning, the temporary collection permit was approved, allowing the collection of a wild Konggu orchid for medicinal research under the guidance of the reserve staff, and in-situ replanting work must be carried out simultaneously.Two researchers from the reserve were also waiting at the door of the B&B, bringing professional rock climbing equipment and fungal symbiosis seed bags.

“Konggu Orchid is an endangered species of the orchid family and has extremely high requirements for the growth environment. We can only take the rhizome of one plant for medicinal purposes, and leave the rest on the cliff.” Researcher Lao Chen patted his backpack. “Inside are fungal spores that are symbiotic with Konggu Orchid. After collecting the samples, fixing the seed bag at the original growth point can help it breed new seedlings.”

Jiang Zhuo and Lu Jingyang nodded repeatedly, and Mr. Gu held Lao Chen’s hand and thanked him repeatedly.

A group of five people carried their luggage and headed into the mountains. The mountain roads were rugged and covered with moss, making the walk extremely slippery.Lu Jingyang had learned how to survive outdoors, and his hands and feet were nimble. From time to time, he would reach out to help Mr. Gu, who almost slipped. He would also move the branches in front of him that were blocking the road. He turned around and shouted to Jiang Zhuo: “Boss Jiang, the road is easier this way!”

Jiang Zhuo carried a backpack filled with tools and dry food. He walked steadily and glanced at the vegetation on the roadside from time to time. The system’s beep sounded occasionally, marking several rare herbs, but there was no trace of Kong Gu Lan.

Lao Chen pointed to the mist-shrouded valley ahead and said: “Konggu orchid likes shade and only grows on shady cliffs. The ‘Secret Orchid Valley’ is the most likely place. However, there has been a lot of rain recently and the mountain road has collapsed, making it difficult to walk.”

Sure enough, when we reached the halfway point of the mountain, a section of the mountain road really collapsed, revealing a bottomless ravine below. Only a narrow wooden bridge barely connected the two ends. The wind blew and the wooden bridge swayed, which was scary to see.

Mr. Gu looked at the wooden bridge, his face turned pale, and he shrank back: “Is this really possible?”

Lao Chen nodded: “You can walk if you can, but you have to be careful and you can only pass one by one.”

He took the lead and walked over. The wooden bridge shook violently, which made people feel nervous.

Lu Jingyang patted Mr. Gu on the shoulder: “Uncle Gu, follow me. I’ll walk slower. Just hold on to the rope.”

As he spoke, he grabbed the vines on the side of the road and wrapped them around his wrists, took a deep breath and stepped onto the wooden bridge.Jiang Zhuo stood at the end of the bridge, following him closely with his eyes. Seeing that his steps were steady, he felt a little relieved.

When it was Mr. Gu’s turn, he had just taken two steps when the wooden bridge shook violently. He exclaimed and almost fell down.Lu Jingyang quickly stretched out his hand on the opposite side: “Uncle Gu, hold on! Your feet are firmly planted!”

Jiang Zhuo was also holding the rope here and said in a deep voice: “Don’t look down, look at me.”

Mr. Gu gritted his teeth and moved over step by step. When he reached the other side, his back was soaked with cold sweat.

Finally, there is Jiang Zhuo.When he stepped onto the wooden bridge, the wind just got stronger and the wooden bridge swayed more and more.Lu Jingyang’s heart suddenly rose to his throat, and he couldn’t help shouting: “Boss Jiang, be careful!”

Jiang Zhuo seemed not to feel it, his steps were neither fast nor slow, his eyes were straight ahead, his hands gently holding the ropes on both sides, and he walked steadily to the other side.

Lu Jingyang breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward with a smile: “Boss Jiang, you are too courageous!”

Jiang Zhuo glanced at him, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: “You’re not bad either.”

The five of them continued walking into the valley. As they went further in, the trees became denser and denser. The sunlight could hardly penetrate, and the air was filled with the moist smell of rotten leaves.Lao Chen suddenly stopped and pointed to the cliff ahead: “Look! Is that Konggu Lan?”

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed and saw a few lavender grasses growing against the stone wall on the steep cliff. The leaves were slender and the petals were like butterflies spreading their wings, stretching quietly in the damp air.

“Yes! That’s it!” Lu Jingyang’s eyes lit up and he took out the magnifying glass he carried with him to observe carefully, “The veins of the leaves are exactly the same as those recorded in the literature!”

Mr. Gu was so excited that he almost cried: “I found it! I finally found it!”

But a new problem came again – the Konggu Orchid grew halfway up the cliff, more than ten meters above the ground, and the cliff was smooth, making it impossible to start.

Old Chen pointed to the rock climbing equipment in his backpack: “Professional things require professional tools. Boss Jiang, you said before that you have rock climbing experience?”

Jiang Zhuo nodded.Lu Jingyang immediately said: “I’m here to assist you! I learned rope fixing in school!”

The two cooperated tacitly. Lu Jingyang and Lao Chen worked together to tie one end of the rope firmly to the thousand-year-old tree nearby and checked the safety buckle over and over again.Jiang Zhuo put on rock climbing equipment, grabbed the rope, stepped on the cliff with his toes, and slid down little by little.

The moss on the cliff was slippery, and his feet almost slipped several times. Lu Jingyang, who was on the cliff, was so frightened that he couldn’t help shouting: “Boss Jiang, slow down! Pay attention to the bumps under your feet!”

Jiang Zhuo looked up at him and replied at the top of his voice: “Don’t worry!”

His movements were very steady, and he soon reached the position where the Konggu Orchid grew.Following Lao Chen’s instructions, he carefully dug out part of the rhizome of one of the plants with a sterile shovel, and put it into a sterile sealed bag along with the surrounding symbiotic soil.Then, he carefully fixed the bag of fungus seeds he brought next to the original growth point of the Konggu Orchid.

After doing all this, he grabbed the rope and climbed up.

When he returned to the cliff, Jiang Zhuo’s forehead was dripping with sweat, and his palms were red from the rope.

Lu Jingyang quickly handed over the kettle and towel: “Quickly wipe off your sweat and drink some water!”

Jiang Zhuo took the kettle, took two sips, looked at the sealed bag in his hand, and breathed a sigh of relief: “That should be enough.”

Mr. Gu looked at the bag of roots with soil, tears filled his eyes, and he bowed deeply to Jiang Zhuo, Lu Jingyang and the two researchers: “Thank you! Thank you!”

“Uncle Gu, you’re welcome.” Lu Jingyang hurriedly helped him up, “Go back quickly. The earlier you go, the earlier Sister Gu can be treated.”

The five people did not dare to delay, so they immediately packed up their things and headed down the mountain.

The road down the mountain was more difficult than the one up the mountain. The sky was getting darker, fog had formed in the forest, and the visibility was getting lower and lower.Lu Jingyang was afraid that everyone would be separated, so he sang a folk song from southern Yunnan, and the clear singing echoed in the valley.

Jiang Zhuo followed him, listening to his singing, looking at his hair wetted by the mist, and suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart.

The bumps and twists along the way were like an invisible thread, bringing him and Lu Jingyang closer.

The fog is getting thicker and thicker, but it can’t hide the light in the young man’s eyes and the fragrance of the mountain vegetation.

When dusk fell, they finally walked out of the mountains and saw the lights of the town in the distance.