Chapter 21

Aside from Gu Shengsheng, the rest of the team was in good health. Shen Jinfeng let out a sigh of relief. He glanced at the sky; it was around 6:30 PM. Since it was summer, the days were long, and the island remained bathed in daylight.

"You all sit here for a while; I'm going into the woods," he said to Qin Ye and the others.

Qi Xiu looked up, puzzled. "Boss, a heavy storm is coming soon. Can't you wait until after the storm to go?"

Although Qin Ye didn't fully believe a storm was imminent—there were no signs of one yet—he watched Shen Jinfeng intently. "Is there an emergency? Can I go with you to help?"

He Erwang and Mo Fan didn't say anything, but their expressions mirrored the same concern.

Shen Jinfeng felt a touch of warmth but didn't tell them he was going to forage for medicinal herbs. After all, judging by Gu Shengsheng’s pulse, those few cold pills wouldn't be enough to pull him through. More importantly, he didn't know how it happened, but the young man was harboring deep-seated emotional distress. He hadn't noticed it during their short time on the island, but when he took his pulse earlier, he had been shocked.

Coincidentally, when he was passing through the woods yesterday, he had spotted several herbs that were effective for soothing the liver, relieving stagnation, and dispersing lumps. He couldn't play the role of a sensitive big brother, but he could use medicinal intervention to help regulate the boy's stagnant liver qi.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't worry about me," he said, declining the others' requests to accompany him.

Qin Ye, who had instinctively started to follow him, paused and stood still. "Stay safe, come back early."

The others chimed in, "Stay safe, come back early!"

[This scene really looks like a bunch of kids watching their dad/mom go to work, waiting for them to make money and come home to cook dinner.]
[More like a group of wives watching their husband head off on a long journey.]
[What the hell, wives? A whole group of wives, haha! If He Erwang sees this comment, he's going to argue with you for three hundred rounds, I'm telling you!]
[But it’s so late; why does Shen Jinfeng have to go into the woods today? Can't it wait until tomorrow? What if a storm really hits?]
[That depends on whether the production team decides to act like decent human beings (doge).]

Soon, the viewers watching the livestream understood why Shen Jinfeng had gone into the woods. Once he entered, he didn't hesitate; he moved with clear purpose, weaving through the towering trees that all looked identical to the untrained eye. Perhaps feeling the pressure of time, he moved at a speed beyond human imagination—on screen, he was almost a blur.

The viewers, unable to speed up the stream, rubbed their eyes in astonishment.

[Is he... is he walking? Why does it feel like his feet aren't even touching the ground? Is he floating?]
[Good heavens, this is the first time I've ever truly understood the phrase "ghostly agility."]
[Can you guys tell, or rather, see which direction he's heading? It's like he's back in his own backyard; he doesn't even need to look for a path, he just zips along!]
[And you're telling me he's not a descendant of some ancient martial arts lineage? Sob, when will Shen Jinfeng get off the show? I want to be his apprentice!]
[Seriously, is this a pace a human can actually walk at?]
[Seriously, did the production team speed up the footage?]

As the chat was in an uproar, a familiar notice appeared on the screen: [Professional technique, do not imitate!!!] Unlike last time, this one had three exclamation marks at the end.

Sun Xinping glared. "Goat, what the hell are you doing?"

The head of the equipment team turned around, bewildered. "Huh?"

"Director, didn't you say that if Shen Jinfeng does something a normal person can't do, we should put up that warning?"

Sun Xinping stared at him gloomily. "The problem is, is this really a speed a normal person—oh, wait, a person—can move at?"

The equipment head hesitated. "The world is vast; there are all sorts of wonders. Should... should there be, maybe?"

Sun Xinping was choked by his reply. For the umpteenth time, he voiced his suspicion: "Is our equipment malfunctioning? Did we really not speed it up?"

The equipment head realized the director was just looking for someone to blame and couldn't be bothered to reply. He typed directly onto the public feed: [The streaming equipment is functioning normally; the production team has not sped up the footage!]

Fortunately, the chat didn't dwell on the issue, because after moving at a speed that defied logic, Shen Jinfeng stopped after only about ten minutes.

[Looks familiar. Did he come here yesterday?]
[Can't tell. To me, they all look the same, and there are no coconuts here. I only recognize that coconut grove from yesterday.]

On screen, Shen Jinfeng stopped abruptly, crouched down, and with a quick motion, harvested a bunch of "wild weeds" into his leaf basket. He was so fast that no one could even see what the plants looked like. He seemed to have reached his destination and stopped moving at high speed. He simply picked a few plants from a vast patch of weeds that, to the average person, all looked identical.

[He came out this late just to pick these?]
[Damn, I recognize that one he just picked. It's *Justicia procumbens*. It's great for clearing heat and detoxifying, and it's excellent for colds, fevers, and sore throats!]
[The one next to it looks like *Bupleurum*. That one's famous for treating colds. And the one he just grabbed is *Plantago*, a diuretic...]
[Holy crap, is this a live medical practice class? I'm telling all my students to watch this!]
[I have a terrifying thought...]
[Same here, an amazing thought... Did Shen Jinfeng come out this late just to forage for medicine? Are those things he's picking not weeds, but actual medicinal herbs? And they sound like they match Gu Shengsheng's symptoms perfectly.]
[And if a storm really is coming tonight, these herbs could be incredibly useful.]
[Could it be this absurd? Did Shen Jinfeng study medicine before he debuted?]
[Don't say he learned it just now based on some "mastermind" persona. If the production team were that capable, we could just have knowledge implanted into our brains; that would be a revolutionary advancement.]
[So, is Shen Jinfeng a real expert?]

As more medical students flooded the chat, it became clear that some true experts were present, even starting to teach lessons directly in the comments! The viewers remarked that they had never learned so much medical knowledge in their lives, though it kept going in one ear and out the other. After all, to them, these "shabby leaves" all looked the same.

Shen Jinfeng’s harvesting was fast, but not as fast as the unpredictable weather. Once the sun set completely, the light faded, and the last of the sunset’s glow vanished. Within minutes, massive, heavy storm clouds gathered. The entire sky turned pitch black, and flocks of birds scattered in alarm. A brilliant flash of lightning tore across the sky.

Shen Jinfeng’s hands paused. He squinted at the sky, counting the seconds in his mind.

Sun Xinping, who had been engrossed in the medical discussion, was jolted by the lightning. "Is the storm starting?"

The equipment head nodded silently. "The storm was set for 7:30 PM. It’s already 7:13."

"Seventeen minutes," Sun Xinping muttered. If Shen Jinfeng started moving now, he would have just enough time to get back to the cabin at his previous pace. He breathed a sigh of relief.

But to his dismay, the cold-faced young man on screen just glanced up briefly before lowering his head to focus on harvesting again.

[Looks like it really is going to storm. This show truly never misses a chance for drama. Was Qi Xiu a plant?]
[Looking at this, the rain doesn't seem like it'll be light.]
[Why is Shen Jinfeng still picking? How is he so calm? Go back already!!!]
[Walking in the woods during a storm is way too dangerous. I hope he doesn't end up trapped in the rain just to get herbs for Gu Shengsheng.]
[Getting sick on a desert island is a nightmare. Especially if Shen himself gets sick—is there anyone else in the team who recognizes these herbs?]
[I hope the production team acts like decent people. If Shen Jinfeng is still in the woods when the storm hits, I’m sending them razor blades! Don't tell me it's all pre-programmed—get the staff up and change the code!]

Little did they know, Sun Xinping was just as panicked and frustrated. "What is Shen Jinfeng doing? Can't he tell a storm is about to hit? If he doesn't leave now, he won't make it back!"

The equipment head asked weakly, "Don't worry, Director. I'm working on it. Should I change the storm time and delay it a bit?"

Sun Xinping’s face darkened, but he didn't dare go against the public will. Having produced variety shows for years, he had a sharp sense for these things. Shen Jinfeng was clearly the core of this season of *What Kind of Person Are You?*; losing him would kill half the show's appeal. He didn't want him getting sick from the rain, either.

"Wait a bit longer," he gestured to the equipment head.

As the minutes ticked by, Sun Xinping’s brow furrowed deeper. He was breaking into a cold sweat, even in the 20-degree air-conditioned room.

The equipment head couldn't wait any longer. "Director, only five minutes left! I need to calibrate the equipment; if I don't change it now, it'll be too late!"

Sun Xinping closed his eyes for two seconds, then opened them, having made a decision. "Push the storm back. Set it for 8:00 PM."

*Delay it by half an hour—he should get up and leave by then!*

But the moment he spoke and the equipment head raised his hands, the young man on screen finally moved. Shen Jinfeng stood up and pulled a long, vine-like rope from the bottom of his basket. It was significantly longer than the one he’d used for He Erwang—nearly twenty meters.

He threw the vine with an effortless, almost unbelievable flick. The rope seemed to have eyes and hands of its own, instantly wrapping around a tree over ten meters away. Shen Jinfeng tapped his toes, borrowed momentum from the tree beside him, and launched himself into the air. In the blink of an eye, he was on the other tree, ten meters away.

Sun Xinping’s jaw dropped to the floor, speechless. The equipment head’s hands froze in mid-air, forgetting to move.

As for the viewers: [?!!]
[! Mom, I just saw a human flying!!!]