"Great Warm Valley produces plenty of Child Ginseng, and some of the roots have been growing for many years. The villagers of Yangxi Village make a living by cultivating Child Ginseng and occasionally going into the mountains to dig up and sell wild roots that have grown for years," Ya Midie said in a lowered voice.
"This place produces Child Ginseng? And there are people in the village who know how to grow it?" Xian Yu was surprised, but then asked in confusion, "Child Ginseng is a decent medicinal herb, but it only sells for about 58 taels per jin. How could it possibly make the Five Great Shinobi Villages jealous? Uncle Ya, I'm young and haven't read many books, so don't try to fool me."?????
Xian Yu was genuinely surprised that this region produced Child Ginseng, and even more surprised that someone in the village knew how to cultivate it.
Growing ginseng wasn't like growing cabbages, after all!
But clearly, this little bit of produce wouldn't catch the attention of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
"Heh, Xiao Yu, don't rush me. Let Uncle Ya explain. This really does have something to do with you!" Ya Midie gave an awkward chuckle, then lowered his voice again. "The people of Yangxi Village originally made a living by digging up Child Ginseng for generations. But after years of overharvesting, there were fewer and fewer wild roots in the mountains. People will find a way when their backs are against the wall. To survive, the villagers spent generations studying the plant, and since these mountain valleys were so well suited to growing Child Ginseng, they eventually developed a skill passed down through the generations: cultivating ginseng."?(?????????)?
"After that, the people of Yangxi Village made a living by transporting Child Ginseng to Linshui City, more than a hundred li away, to sell it, then buying supplies to bring back. They also grew plenty of rice in their spare time. They became much better off than people in many other places."
"But all that changed when a band of bandits gathered here years ago and built Black Wind Stronghold northwest of Great Warm Valley. The good days were over! Not only were their shipments of cultivated and wild Child Ginseng often plundered on the way to Linshui City, but many of the village's able-bodied men were killed or wounded. Eventually, the two sides reached an agreement: Yangxi Village would hand over seventy percent of its profits from selling ginseng to Black Wind Stronghold. Only then did they enjoy a few peaceful years." Ya Midie sounded indignant on the villagers' behalf.(?｀∧′)
Ginseng did fetch a decent price, but that was about it. If the villagers harvested every six years, then with a hundred or so workers, they could produce at most a hundred thousand jin of Child Ginseng per year. At the Konoha pharmacy's price of 58 taels per jin, divided among the village's 128 residents, that came to an average monthly income of just over 3,700 taels per person.
And even those so-called "good days" were being cut short by Black Wind Stronghold, which forcibly took seventy percent!
"If they'd already reached an agreement, why did Black Wind Stronghold come back to kill people this time? Did something happen?" Xian Yu murmured thoughtfully.
"That brings us back to Child Ginseng. Xiao Yu, do you know what else it's called?" Ya Midie asked mysteriously.
Xian Yu paused, then answered uncertainly, "Prince Ginseng?"
"Right! Prince Ginseng. According to legend, a long, long time ago, there was a prosperous country far to the east. When the ministers of that country paid their respects to the daimyo, they had to kneel and cry, 'Long live the daimyo! Long live the daimyo! A thousand times ten thousand lives!' Their daimyo was called 'Ten Thousand Years.' Their crown prince was called 'Nine Thousand Years'... Pah! Director, give me another chance. Let's do that again. Their crown prince was called 'A Thousand Years.' And all Prince Ginseng came from that country." Ya Midie stopped there.
Prince Ginseng? Prince Ginseng? A thousand years meant the prince... Then what about ten thousand years...
Xian Yu's pupils contracted. He stared at Ya Midie in shock. "Uncle Ya, are you saying... the people of Yangxi Village dug up a ten-thousand-year-old ginseng king?"
"Haha, Xiao Yu, look how scared you are. It's all just legend. An ordinary person would be lucky to live to sixty. Who could tell whether some treasure was a thousand or ten thousand years old?" Ya Midie first laughed casually, but his expression suddenly turned serious. He lowered his voice again. "But Daimyo Ginseng really did appear. I don't know if it was a thousand years old, ten thousand years old, or something else. But I do know that someone once ate Daimyo Ginseng and lived to be over a hundred and fifty!"
Now Xian Yu was truly shocked!
Other people might dismiss talk of ten-thousand-year-old ginseng or life-extending roots as nonsense. But Xian Yu had seen a Sixty-Year Pill that could add sixty years to a person's life while drawing rewards.
He was still amazed that something so miraculous could exist in the Naruto World itself.
But at least he could accept it more easily than other people.
Still, he remained skeptical about the "ten thousand years" part.
"Uncle Ya, you seem to know an awful lot." Xian Yu's expression suddenly turned cold.
He wasn't stupid. Ya Midie had shown up out of nowhere today to tell him all this. If he had no ulterior motive, did he really think Shimura Xian Yu was "young and ignorant"?
Desire was always the source of tragedy. When you stared into the abyss, the abyss stared back and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Xian Yu had been an orphan in his previous life. He had endured plenty of suffering and knew how cruel people could be. He knew the despair of being trapped with no one willing to help.
At the same time, he understood one thing: never hesitate to assume the worst of people.
"Xiao Yu, don't get me wrong! I only found out by chance when I overheard Hua Qi and the village chief talking. After you and Xiaomei killed Black Wind and the other four leaders, President Hua Qi and his people went to Black Wind Stronghold..."
They had tried to get their hands on the treasure Black Wind had amassed through years of plundering!
They captured many of the women and children in Black Wind Stronghold and tortured them, but still couldn't get any information about the treasure Black Wind had left behind.
But in the process, they accidentally learned that the people of Yangxi Village had dug up Daimyo Ginseng, and that Black Wind had led a group to massacre the village.
After President Hua Qi returned to Yangxi Village, he proposed that the Hua Qi Caravan escort the Daimyo Ginseng to a big city to sell it.
But the village chief refused! He said the Hua Qi Caravan had stood by and watched when Black Wind Stronghold attacked the village, without lifting a finger to help. He couldn't trust them. If he hired anyone to escort it, he would only hire you and Xiaomei.
You were the ones who saved the whole village.
The village chief would be coming to see you soon. Even if I didn't tell you all this, he would.
Ya Midie spread his hands, showing that he really meant no harm.
"Besides... you proved how strong you were by killing Black Wind, and President Hua Qi is wary of you and Xiaomei being in the village. Otherwise, President Hua Qi would've snatched it already... The village chief clearly knows that too. He needs you, and you're the only ones he can rely on. So the village will definitely entrust you with escorting the Daimyo Ginseng. That's why I said this concerns you. And after what happened with Black Wind Stronghold, the village chief has already said he wants to find a merchant company to partner with and transport Child Ginseng over the long term, to prevent another Black Wind Stronghold from springing up. That's the second big opportunity I mentioned! The third is Black Wind's treasure. We still don't know where it is, but according to what we've heard, it has to be somewhere in Great Warm Valley. The fortune Black Wind built up over so many years must be enormous. It's worth at least ten million taels!"
Xian Yu could feel his heart beating faster. Wealth was tempting, and if he handled these three opportunities well, the fortune he gained would be beyond measure.
"Xiao Yu, will you accept the village chief's offer?" Ya Midie asked curiously.
But Xian Yu knew what these villagers of Yangxi Village were like, what the women and children of Black Wind Stronghold were like, and the kind of people mixed in among the Hua Qi Merchant Company.
This level of secrecyヽ(￣д￣;)ノ=3=3=3
If someone told Xian Yu that elite jonin from the Five Great Shinobi Villages were already on their way to seize the Daimyo Ginseng, he wouldn't be surprised in the slightest...
As still as an ancient well, as steady as a mountain, serene as a Buddha. A well in the green mountains is called Emptiness; an island in the pine-covered sea is called Kaede. After reciting a few lines of a calming mantra, Xian Yu felt much more at peace. Come on, was Shimura Xian Yu really the kind of person who'd lose his head over a mere few tens of millions of taels? Was he someone who'd agree to go die?
No matter how much money there was, he needed to be alive to spend it!
"I accept the job." Xian Yu looked perfectly serious.
"Peril brings survival, while ease brings death" meant that if you weren't out there stirring up trouble, you might as well be dead.
Before you continue