Chapter 87: Entering the Mountains to Harvest Ginseng
“Xiao Li, is this the spot where you found the ginseng?” Lu Qing glanced around the dense forest, asking the small creature perched on his shoulder.
He stood deep within the mountains now, far beyond the borders of Jiu Li Village—over ten miles away. Towering trees rose like sentinels, their canopies forming a thick, unbroken roof over the ancient, wild terrain. The air was thick with the scent of moss, damp earth, and untamed life. To Lu Qing, the mountain felt like a world apart from the outside.
Since learning that the Black Wolf Gang had been firmly subdued by the Wei Family, and would not be able to spare time to hunt him for the foreseeable future, his heart had finally relaxed. With that weight lifted, he could finally focus on one thing: rapidly increasing his strength.
Once his cultivation reached a higher level, the Black Wolf Gang would be nothing more than a minor nuisance. And right now, the most accessible way to grow stronger was through his Qi and Blood energy.
Having mastered the secret of Qi and Blood perfection, the Qi Xue Jing was no longer a barrier for Lu Qing. As long as he had the pills, he could push his cultivation without restraint.
But there was a problem—his master’s Blood Nourishing and Qi Invigorating Pills had nearly run out after his intense training. After careful thought, Lu Qing decided to bring Xiao Li into the mountains to retrieve the wild ginseng the little creature had once discovered. This was why he now stood deep in the wilderness.
“Ah～” Xiao Li let out a soft cry, nodding eagerly, then pointed a tiny claw toward a certain direction.
Lu Qing immediately activated his Abilities, scanning the surroundings. He ignored the common herbs scattered throughout the undergrowth. His sole focus was on ginseng.
After only a few moments of searching, he found it.
【Ginseng: A precious medicinal herb, edible and non-toxic.】
【This ginseng has grown for fifty years—solid maturity, but not yet ancient.】
Lu Qing frowned slightly. The ginseng glowing faintly in his vision was only fifty years old. Its aura was a pale white—nothing like the radiant, golden hues of the century-old ginseng Xiao Li had once given him. This one was far from rare.
He didn’t touch it. Instead, he kept searching.
Even a fifty-year-old wild ginseng was valuable enough to fetch a high price in any apothecary. But Lu Qing, having already tasted the power of true ancient ginseng, found this one barely worth his time.
He pressed on.
Not long after, another ginseng appeared in his vision.
【Ginseng: A precious medicinal herb, edible and non-toxic.】
【This ginseng has only grown for five years—weak vitality, minimal medicinal effect.】
Lu Qing blinked. This one was even worse—barely more than a sapling. A ginseng child, truly.
“No way… my luck is this bad?” He stared at the information, stunned.
“I don’t believe it!” He narrowed his eyes, determined.
He could’ve just asked Xiao Li, but he didn’t. A stubborn pride had taken hold. The little beast, who knew nothing of herbs, had managed to find two century-old ginsengs. He, who had studied the Hundred Herbs Scripture and possessed the power of Abilities, couldn’t possibly fail to find one?
He searched again.
And again.
He found several more ginsengs—each one disappointing. None reached a hundred years. The oldest was a mere eighty years old, its aura still only white.
Still, he didn’t dig it up.
“Could it be… there’s only those two century-old ginsengs Xiao Li found?” After discovering yet another thirty-year-old ginseng, doubt crept into his mind.
“No… that can’t be. Otherwise, Xiao Li wouldn’t have brought me here.”
He kept searching.
And after half an hour of relentless effort, he finally found it.
But when he saw what lay before him, he froze.
【Ginseng: A rare medicinal herb, non-toxic and edible.】
【This ginseng has grown for over two hundred years.】
【Legends say ginseng possesses miraculous properties. With sufficient age, some ginseng are said to develop spiritual awareness—awakening true sentience.】
“Two hundred years?!”
Lu Qing’s eyes widened. His breath caught.
After so many failures—after finding only weak, young ginsengs—now, suddenly, he’d stumbled upon this?
A two-hundred-year-old ginseng. Far older than the ones Xiao Li had unearthed.
Even the ginseng the Wei Family had sent to his master, meant to treat the Wei Xiao Gongzi’s frail health, hadn’t reached this age.
This was a true treasure—something rare, priceless, and nearly impossible to find.
He’d struck gold.
Staring at the ginseng glowing with a soft, white-and-rose hue, Lu Qing barely contained his excitement. He quickly set down his herb basket, pulled out a length of red rope and a medicinal hoe, preparing to dig.
First, he tied the red rope around the ginseng’s base—the old custom of herbalists. When harvesting rare herbs like ginseng, you bound it first, to prevent it from suddenly burrowing underground and escaping.
In another life, Lu Qing would’ve laughed at such superstition.
But now? He’d lived through a cross-world journey. He’d met Xiao Li and Strange Fish—creatures beyond imagination. His Abilities had confirmed the possibility of ginseng developing spirit. If he still didn’t believe in it, he’d be a fool.
Even if this ginseng wasn’t yet sentient, he followed the tradition anyway.
Once secured, he began digging—slow, careful, precise. He cleared away the dirt and weeds around the root, then used the hoe to follow the natural curve of the ginseng’s growth, working with its structure, not against it.
Every movement was deliberate. For a ginseng of this age, even a single broken root could cost a fortune. And he wasn’t some clumsy beast like Xiao Li. This was a once-in-a-lifetime treasure. To damage it would be unbearable.
But he was a Qi and Blood realm expert—his control over his body was near-perfect.
And so, after careful, patient work, the ancient ginseng was finally unearthed—whole, intact, every root perfectly preserved.
Holding the ginseng in his hands, its roots pristine and unbroken, Lu Qing couldn’t help but smile.
A two-hundred-year-old mountain ginseng. The pills made from it would be vastly superior to those from a hundred-year-old root. With this, his path to Qi and Blood perfection would be shortened dramatically.
Xiao Li watched from the side, puzzled.
Just dug up a weed… why’s he grinning like an idiot?
After admiring the ginseng he’d harvested with his own hands, Lu Qing wrapped it in a piece of grassy turf, tied it tightly with the red rope, and placed it carefully back into his basket.
Then he straightened up, gazing out at the endless forest, his eyes blazing with excitement.
If this mountain could produce a two-hundred-year-old ginseng…
Then what else might be hidden here?
(End of Chapter)
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