The Poor Pickings

The herb-storage house was large and well-organized. Rows of woven shelves held all sorts of herbs, neatly sorted into different categories.

The Feisu Chinese Network

Deeper inside was a slightly smaller room. The herbs there were different from those outside: they were reserved for the tribe's Barbarian Warriors, and ordinary tribespeople were not allowed in.

Even a tribal doctor needed a pass from the chief or Grandpa to enter that room, which was of great importance to the entire Wu Mountain Tribe.

But those rules did not apply to Su Ming. A long time ago, Grandpa had given him a special status, allowing him to come and go as he pleased so he could identify herbs.

Entering the house, Su Ming saw Bei Ling leading Chen Xin by the hand toward the small room filled with precious medicines. An old man sat cross-legged outside the door. He wore clothes of animal hide and leather, and was thin, with white hair and a face full of wrinkles. He had been sitting with his eyes closed, but now opened them to a narrow slit and took the passes Bei Ling and Chen Xin handed him. He glanced at them without changing expression, then closed his eyes again.

Su Ming slowed his steps. He knew Bei Ling didn't want to see him, so he stayed silent instead of following them into the little room. He wandered among the rows of shelves outside, looking at the many herbs. He knew them well; he had gathered almost every kind here himself.

By the time he had looked through them all, Bei Ling and Chen Xin still hadn't come out. After hesitating, Su Ming slowed outside the little room.

"Little Lasu, what are you hesitating for?" As Su Ming wavered, an old voice sounded beside him. He looked up. It was the old man who sat cross-legged outside the little room and had guarded it for years.

"Grandpa Nan Song, I'm not Lasu anymore..." Su Ming scratched his head and smiled.

"Now I remember. The Lasu of your generation completed his Barbarian Awakening a few months ago. I can't call you little Lasu anymore." The old man grinned kindly.

"Since you're here, why not go in? Don't be afraid. Grandpa Nan Song will back you up! Back in my day, I even dared to compete with your Grandpa for a woman. What's there to fear?" The old man winked and chuckled.

Su Ming's eyes widened. This was the first time he had heard about that. After hesitating, he gave a wry smile and pushed open the door to the little room.

He wasn't hesitating because of Chen Xin, as the old man had suggested. He just didn't know how to explain himself to Bei Ling, who had once been kind to him. All these years later, Bei Ling was still just as cold as ever.

"Forget it..." Su Ming sighed inwardly. The instant he pushed open the door, he saw Chen Xin choosing herbs inside. Beside her stood a tall, imposing figure, who turned and gave him a cold, furrowed look.

Meeting his gaze, Su Ming walked over to a nearby shelf and ignored the two of them. Following his memory of the herbs needed to make Mountain Spirit Powder, he began searching.

Chen Xin saw Su Ming too. She wanted to say something, but after hesitating, she said nothing. She was growing up and had come to understand many things, including her relationship with Bei Ling. The thread of affection she had felt for Su Ming as a child had gradually faded.

"Night Marrow Grass..."

"Thousand Leaf Flower..." Su Ming walked slowly around the little room, scanning the precious herbs. At last, he found the two ingredients he needed to make Mountain Spirit Powder.

"Too bad they don't have the last one..." He pondered as he inspected every herb in the small room.

By then, Chen Xin and Bei Ling had finished choosing the herbs they needed. After Chen Xin said goodbye to Su Ming, Bei Ling led her out of the room. Just before leaving, Bei Ling paused. Without turning around, he spoke calmly.

"You don't have a Barbarian Body. These herbs are useless to you! Better to leave them for the other tribespeople than waste them. Take care of yourself." With that, Bei Ling led Chen Xin away.

Su Ming fell silent. He watched the two of them leave without saying a word. After looking around the little room once more, he took the two herbs he needed and left.

The old man sitting cross-legged by the door didn't object to Su Ming taking the herbs. Instead, he watched him with an amused, curious look.

"Grandpa Nan Song... it's not what you think..." Su Ming rubbed his nose.

"What do I think? I never said anything about the complicated relationship between you and those two little Lasus. I didn't say a thing." The old man burst out laughing.

Su Ming's face reddened, and he felt awkward. Then an idea struck him. He crouched down to look at the old man.

"Grandpa Nan Song, have you ever seen this kind of herb?" As he spoke, Su Ming drew its shape on the ground.

The old man smiled and glanced down. His eyes grew thoughtful. A moment later, he slapped his forehead.

"Isn't that a Luoyun Leaf? We don't have that herb in the Wu Mountain Tribe. It needs a special environment to grow, and among the nearby tribes, only the Fengzhen Tribe sells it. What do you need it for?"

"I saw it in a scroll at Grandpa's place, but I searched all over Wu Mountain and couldn't find it. So that's what it looks like." Understanding dawned on Su Ming's face.

"Of course you couldn't find it. It's a good cultivation medicine for low-tier Barbarian Warriors in the Blood Condensation Realm. The Fengzhen Tribe sells it to outsiders, but the price is too high. Still, if you want it, you can ask your Grandpa to take you to the Tribal Market outside the Fengzhen Tribe. They often trade and sell all kinds of herbs there." The old man shook his head with a smile.

Su Ming's thoughts stirred. After asking a few more questions, he stood and took his leave. Under the old man's playful gaze, still amused by what had happened earlier, he hurried away.

Leaving the herb-storage house, Su Ming walked through the tribe over the snow, lost in thought.

"Luoyun Leaf... I can gather all the other ingredients for Mountain Spirit Powder myself. Only this Luoyun Leaf... Grandpa Nan Song said it's expensive... sigh." Su Ming frowned and patted himself down. Aside from a few Stone Coins he had taken from Yu Chi of the Black Mountain Tribe, he had no other money or valuables.

In the tribe, people usually bartered, and money was rarely needed. But once someone left the tribe and went into the outside world, they needed Stone Coins to buy what they wanted.

Stone Coins were made from a special kind of stone. Only large tribes could mint them, and anyone caught making them privately would bring the destruction of their entire tribe at the hands of the large tribes that ruled the region.

After searching himself from head to toe, Su Ming found only three Stone Coins, all of them belonging to the dead Yu Chi. As for Su Ming himself, he didn't have a single one.

"How can I buy it without any money...? If only I had a hundred... a thousand Stone Coins... As for the Tribal Market, I've heard Grandpa talk about roughly where it is. The tribespeople can travel there in groups once they become Barbarian Warriors. It's not too far from here..." Su Ming gave a bitter smile, feeling a dull ache in his head.