Blazing Qilin Ginseng

The next day, near noon, the two arrived at Green Cypress City.

Green Cypress City was considered a medium-sized city in Southern Mangzhou, and the closest one to Li City.

They had already made inquiries and learned that the most famous medicinal herb merchant in Green Cypress City was Thousand Treasures Hall.

So as soon as he arrived in Green Cypress City, Xia Daoming headed straight for the largest local Thousand Treasures Hall.

In Green Cypress City, Xia Daoming naturally no longer needed to deliberately restrain the aura of his inner strength.

Moreover, in order to keep the other party from doubting his purchasing power, Xia Daoming deliberately and seemingly casually released the aura of a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master when he entered Thousand Treasures Hall.

In Green Cypress City, a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master already counted as a formidable expert.

The moment Xia Daoming deliberately and casually released the aura of a Great Martial Master's inner strength, he alerted the shopkeeper, who personally came out to receive him.

Xia Daoming got straight to the point and told the shopkeeper that he wanted the best pills for strengthening blood and inner strength.

A major deal had come knocking, and the customer was a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master to boot. The shopkeeper was overjoyed and quickly turned to give a few instructions to an attendant.

Before long, the attendant brought over two antique-looking boxes.

"This is the Thousand Treasures Pill. Our Thousand Treasures Hall was founded and grew upon this very pill. It is refined from many precious medicinal herbs using a secret method. Not to mention a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master—even a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master would receive considerable nourishment from taking it for the first time. Of course, the price is not cheap either: one hundred and twenty taels per pill." The shopkeeper opened one of the medicine boxes first and launched into a spirited sales pitch while pointing at the longan-sized, lustrous pill inside.

Xia Daoming had taken plenty of medicine by now, and he often sought Ji Wenyue's advice as well. When it came to identifying pills, he could barely be considered half an expert.

He picked up the Thousand Treasures Pill and inspected it closely, then sniffed its scent. He knew that its effect upon first use definitely could not compare to the Ji Family's Three Yuan Blood Return Pill.

However, he had already developed a considerable tolerance to the Ji Family's pills. Though the Thousand Treasures Pill's medicinal potency was inferior to the Three Yuan Blood Return Pill, since it was his first time taking it, its effect would instead be better than the Three Yuan Blood Return Pill he currently took.

The market price of a Three Yuan Blood Return Pill was two hundred taels each. The ones Ji Wenyue gave him were "special supply" grade; if they were truly sold outside, they would probably fetch three hundred taels each.

It was precisely because of this that Xia Daoming felt it would be too wasteful to keep taking the Ji Family's pills, and would rather make a long journey.

After all, he could live off a woman, but he could not squander it. He still had to let the stream flow long and thin.

"This pill is passable enough. I'll take ten." Xia Daoming said.

"Ten pills?" The shopkeeper's voice practically floated.

Ten pills meant twelve hundred taels. This was absolutely a huge order!

"What, you don't have them?" Xia Daoming raised an eyebrow slightly.

"We do, of course we do!" the shopkeeper hurriedly said.

Xia Daoming nodded, his gaze falling on the other box.

The shopkeeper was perceptive and immediately opened the other box.

The pills in this box were tiny, only as large as broad beans. Their quality was average, and their scent somewhat muddled.

"This is the Hundred Treasures Pill. It is slightly inferior to the Thousand Treasures Pill, but it still nourishes and strengthens a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master. And the price is much more affordable—only ten taels each," the shopkeeper introduced.

"I'll pass on this one." Xia Daoming waved a hand without a second thought.

What a joke. Counting the windfall he had gained along the way and the pills he carried with him, he was now equivalent to someone with eighty thousand taels in his belt. In Green Cypress City, he absolutely counted as a wealthy magnate.

The pills he normally swallowed all cost over a hundred taels. How could these ten-tael Hundred Treasures Pills possibly catch his eye?

Seeing Xia Daoming reject them with a look of disdain without even considering them, the shopkeeper felt disappointed, but a thought stirred in his heart. "Our Thousand Treasures Hall does have a medicinal herb that serves as the treasure of the shop: three-hundred-year-old Blazing Qilin Ginseng. It can be taken directly as a tonic.

"However, this ginseng's medicinal nature is exceedingly fierce. Each time a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master takes even a small section, the meridians throughout the body will feel as though they are being sliced by blades. At least a month of recuperation is needed to recover, and it cannot be taken again until three months later.

"A Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master would fare somewhat better, but would still need seven or eight days of recuperation each time, and could only take it again after a month."

"Oh? Its medicinal nature is actually this fierce? How much does this ginseng cost?" Xia Daoming was secretly overjoyed when he heard this, though outwardly he frowned as he asked.

"Eight thousand taels!" The shopkeeper held out one hand.

"So expensive!" Xia Daoming frowned again.

"Compared to its effects, it truly is not expensive at all. Its only flaw is that its medicinal nature is too fierce," the shopkeeper said.

"Heh." A trace of mockery appeared at the corner of Xia Daoming's mouth. "Each time, only a small section can be taken. After a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master takes it, he must recuperate for a month, and cannot take it a second time until three months later. Which Fifth-Rank Martial Master can afford to waste that time?

"What if an enemy comes knocking during that period? Should he tell them, 'I took a powerful medicine recently. Let's fight another day after I recover'?"

"This..." The shopkeeper was left speechless by Xia Daoming's retort.

Indeed, that was exactly the issue. Otherwise, how could such a great tonic that could be consumed directly still be sitting here? It would have long since been sold, or the owner would have taken it himself.

"Still, since the shopkeeper has brought it up, I truly have never seen three-hundred-year-old Blazing Qilin Ginseng before. Could you bring it out for me to inspect?" Seeing this, Xia Daoming changed his tone.

The shopkeeper was an old hand at reading people. When he saw that Xia Daoming wanted to inspect it, he immediately understood that this fellow wanted to haggle down the price rather than having no interest at all. His spirits rose at once, and he personally went to retrieve the Blazing Qilin Ginseng.

The Blazing Qilin Ginseng was thick and long like an infant's forearm, fiery red from end to end as though flames burned across it. It was shaped like a qilin horn, with five ringed nodes upon it.

The moment the shopkeeper took out the Blazing Qilin Ginseng, Xia Daoming felt a savage aura rush into his nostrils, causing the blood and inner strength within him to stir faintly.

Its medicinal nature truly is fierce! This shopkeeper probably still hasn't told the whole truth. Only someone with abnormal meridians like mine would dare entertain the thought of taking it. If one isn't a Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master, one simply wouldn't dare consume it. Xia Daoming narrowed his eyes as thoughts spun through his mind.

"Esteemed guest, please look. This Blazing Qilin Ginseng has five ringed nodes, and each node represents a full sixty-year cycle. Each time, an entire section must be taken, for a total of five doses. Otherwise, its medicinal effect will be greatly diminished," the shopkeeper explained in detail.

Seeing the shopkeeper deliberately explain how it should be taken, Xia Daoming knew the old fellow had seen through his intentions. He simply stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "Four thousand taels. I'll take this Blazing Qilin Ginseng."

"Esteemed guest, you must be joking, surely you are joking. This is three-hundred-year-old Blazing Qilin Ginseng! If not for the fact that elderly Seventh-Rank Great Martial Masters do not dare take it lightly, and our Green Cypress City has no young Seventh-Rank Great Martial Masters, how could this Blazing Qilin Ginseng still remain in our shop?" The shopkeeper was both delighted and anxious upon hearing this.

He was delighted because Xia Daoming indeed intended to buy it.

He was anxious because the price cut was simply too ruthless.

"A young Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master is a genius with hopes of becoming a Grandmaster, rarer than your Blazing Qilin Ginseng. It will probably be very difficult for you to find such a buyer," Xia Daoming said.

"What you say is indeed true, esteemed guest. Our owner had originally planned to have someone transport this Blazing Qilin Ginseng to the nearest large city for sale. But first, the journey is long, and there is a risk of the goods being robbed. Second, even if we reached the large city, we would be strangers there, and the buyer would certainly be some local big shot. If they used their strength to bully the weak, we could only swallow our losses.

"Thus, in the end, our owner decided to leave it in the shop as its treasure. If a buyer happened to pass by and take a liking to it, selling it a little cheaper would still be better than taking those risks. But four thousand taels is truly going too far.

"To be frank with you, if this three-hundred-year-old Blazing Qilin Ginseng were sold in a large city, a conservative estimate would put its starting price at ten thousand taels. How about this—seven thousand five hundred taels. If you still do not agree, then we can only ask our owner to come speak with you personally," the shopkeeper said.

Xia Daoming actually agreed with the shopkeeper's words. For a talented disciple like Xu Shixiong, what did ten thousand taels matter if it could improve his cultivation?

Still, though he had been making money quickly these days, it was always good to save where he could.

Especially for this sort of "luxury item," where a few words could save several hundred or even a thousand taels—why not?

Thus, agreement aside, Xia Daoming immediately told the shopkeeper to invite the owner over.

The owner soon arrived and warmly received Xia Daoming.

After some friendly bargaining, the two sides finally settled on eight thousand taels including the ten Thousand Treasures Pills, making the ten pills effectively free gifts.

After paying, Xia Daoming immediately left the city with Liu Qiaolian, not lingering in Green Cypress City for even a moment.

Once outside the city, the two galloped on horseback until they were thirty or forty li away from Green Cypress City before slowing down.

They were outsiders, and they had spent eight thousand taels in a single deal. If they continued to stay in Green Cypress City, once the news spread, someone might well grow greedy.

Though Xia Daoming had confidence in his own strength, when traveling abroad, it was naturally best to stir up as little trouble as possible.

Today's update is complete.