Xu Tian's master had also arrived at the Yuan Shun Escort Agency.
The old man's beard and eyebrows were white as snow, his voice strong and his complexion ruddy. He reached into his robes and took out another jade casket.
Inside lay an aged ginseng root. Though it could not compare to the eighth-leaf ginseng Yan Lingyun had brought back from the Northeast, it was still seventh-leaf. Half of the character for "imperial" was faintly visible on its crown; it must have been tribute sent into the palace back then.
The old man picked off a rootlet with a bamboo sliver and placed it in Lian Youming's mouth. Seeing everyone else sitting listlessly, he could only offer reassurance in a low voice. "Who ever sails through life without a single setback? This child advanced too quickly and experienced too little. This ordeal was something we foresaw back then."
Feng Xiong had lost an eye the night before. Now wrapped in gauze, he was as lively as ever, seemingly not caring at all.
"Senior Martial Uncle, I'm hurt too. Spare me a rootlet! I've never tasted aged ginseng of this quality in my life."
The mood had been heavy and oppressive, but his interruption made the old man laugh.
The old man bristled and glared, but when he saw that gauze-wrapped head, the rebuke on his lips turned into a disgruntled warning. "Just hold it in your mouth. Don't swallow it like some ox chewing peonies. This is a treasure for keeping people alive..."
For all his grumbling, he still picked off a ginseng rootlet.
Feng Xiong smacked his lips. It tasted a little bitter and a little astringent. "Why the hell does this taste a bit like the fish mint I ate over in Yunnan and Guizhou..."
Those words truly