Hu Zi carefully noted the route on the ground: "Thanks, brother. We won't disturb you anymore. We'll head over to ask Old Zhao now."

The middle-aged man nodded, advising, "Be careful on the way. There are many wild animals in these mountains, and that Old Zhao has a bit of a temper. You should be polite when you talk to him."

After thanking him once more, they bid farewell and left.

Following the route indicated by the middle-aged man, they walked for about ten minutes before they arrived at the foot of the mountain, where there were indeed two wooden houses.

As soon as they approached, a wolf dog suddenly sprang out from the doorway, baring its teeth and barking fiercely at them.

Soon after, a wooden door nearby creaked open, and an old man wrapped in a military coat came out of the house.

"Hu Zi! Come back!"

The dog listened to the old man's command and immediately stopped barking. It whimpered twice before lying back down in its kennel.

Hu Zi looked at the dog with a peculiar expression and asked the old man, "Sir, is its name also Hu Zi?"

Old Zhao glanced at the group suspiciously and asked, "What are you guys here for?"

"We're here to collect herbs, Sir. Do you have any fifty-year-old wild ginseng?" Hu Zi asked.

Old Zhao sized them up and down, seemingly realizing they weren't troublemakers, and turned around to head back inside: "Come in and talk."

The group followed Old Zhao into the house, which was filled with a faint herbal scent. Some herb-collecting tools hung on the wall, and a few baskets were piled in the corner.

Old Zhao pointed to a somewhat worn-out wooden table and said, "Have a seat."

Everyone sat down, and Hu Zi said with a smile, "Old man Zhao, the herbal smell is quite strong here."

Old Zhao snorted, saying, "I've been dealing with these things my whole life. Can my house not have the smell? You mentioned fifty-year-old wild ginseng earlier. What's your offer?"

Hu Zi didn't speak and turned his head to look at Qi Yun.

Qi Yun gave him a signal, indicating that he would handle the negotiation.

Hu Zi then felt at ease and spoke up, "Sir, could you take it out and let me have a look first?"

Old Zhao slowly got up, walked to an old cabinet, and held onto it as he moved it aside, revealing a wooden plank underneath.

He lifted the plank to reveal a small dirt pit, inside which was a wooden box.

He took out the wooden box, placed it on the table, and gently opened it. Inside lay a piece of ginseng tied with a red string, with slender roots and a plump body, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

Qi Yun glanced at it briefly, thinking it looked about the same as the one Cao Yufei had brought him before.

Hu Zi cautiously picked up the box, examined it carefully for a while, and then put the box down, saying, "The quality is very good; it could be sixty years old."

Old Zhao heard Hu Zi's words and showed a hint of pride on his face: "You young man know your stuff."

Hu Zi smiled at him, "Sir, I'm in this business too. If I couldn't recognize good stuff, I'd be in trouble."

Old Zhao didn't say much more and directly asked, "Then make your offer."

Hu Zi rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Sir, twelve thousand; what do you think?"

Old Zhao nodded, pleased: "You kid knows your prices."

This meant he agreed.

Hu Zi heard this and smiled, "Haha, it's not easy for you to collect herbs, and we're buying them for ourselves, so we definitely won't undercut you unfairly."

Old Zhao sighed, "Alright, I'll sell it to you for twelve thousand."

"Okay, thank you, sir." Hu Zi closed the wooden box and continued to ask, "Sir, do you only have this one piece?"

Old Zhao glanced at him after hearing this: "Do you want more?"

Hu Zi nodded, "Yes, if you have more, take them all out and we'll buy them from you at a fair price."

Old Zhao frowned, puffed on his pipe for a while before saying, "What price would you offer for a hundred-year-old one?"

As soon as he said this, Qi Yun and the others were momentarily stunned.

Hu Zi looked surprised, "You have one that's a hundred years old?"

Old Zhao squinted his eyes and slowly said, "I know where there's one growing. If your offer is good, I'll go and harvest it."

"It's not easy for this thing to reach a hundred years old. If it wasn't for my grandson needing a bride price for his wedding, I really wouldn't want to touch it."

After hearing this, the group exchanged looks. Hu Zi saw Qi Yun nodding, thought for a moment, and made an offer: "Sir, if there's really one that's a hundred years old, thirty thousand; what do you think?"

Old Zhao puffed on his pipe again, finally nodding in agreement: "Alright, thirty thousand."

"But today it's too late, I won't be able to bring it back. I'll go up the mountain early tomorrow to collect it."

"No problem." Hu Zi nodded with a smile, but when his gaze returned to the wooden box on the table, he looked a bit troubled.

This place has no signal, so they couldn't pay Old Zhao; it's impossible to bring cash into the mountains.

The nearest location with a signal is where they stayed last night, by the cabin.

Old Zhao seemed to notice Tiger's difficulty and said after thinking, "I'll take you to Big Zhuzi. You can stay at his place tonight, and once that ginseng is harvested tomorrow, I will go with you to settle the payment."

Tiger nodded in agreement and handed the wooden box back to the other party.

Old Zhao tucked the box into his coat and then led them back to the middle-aged man's house they visited earlier.

Outside, Old Zhao called Big Zhuzi aside to explain the situation. He handed the ginseng to him for safekeeping.

From this, you could see Old Zhao was cautious; after all, his hiding spot was seen by Qi Yun and the others earlier, so he felt uneasy leaving it at home.

If he took it into the mountains, climbing up and down, he feared losing it—it's worth tens of thousands.

Big Zhuzi carefully stored the wooden box and nodded in acknowledgment.

Old Zhao didn't say much more, puffing on his pipe and leisurely headed home.

In the evening, Big Zhuzi prepared a large pot of meat to treat everyone.

The group sat around the stove, their mouths watering at the sight of the delicious-looking, fragrant meat pieces.

Once the meat was cooked, Qi Yun picked a piece and chewed it, feeling it tender and succulent, tastier than anything he had ever eaten.

After finishing the meal, he felt a warmth inside as if a small fire was burning, making his blood boil.

No one asked what kind of meat it was—they knew it was simply delicious.

...

The next day, after breakfast, Big Zhuzi took his hoe to tend to his vegetable garden.

In the mountains, supplies are scarce; aside from grains, oils, and staples purchased elsewhere, other foods are self-sustained.

Qi Yun, feeling idle, saw Chen Wei practicing boxing in an open space and went over to observe.

As Chen Wei finished a set of Military Boxing, Qi Yun spoke, "Brother Wei, can you teach me a few moves?"

Chen Wei paused, puzzled, "You want to learn?"

Qi Yun nodded, "I want to learn a few self-defense moves, just in case I encounter danger when you're not around."

Chen Wei looked at Qi Yun's earnest expression and, after a moment of thought, nodded: "Alright, if you want to learn, I'll teach you, but it's not easy. You'll have to bear some hardships."

Qi Yun smiled at him, "Toughening up is fine, as long as it can save my life."

Chen Wei nodded and started with the basic stance: "Stand properly, feet apart, shoulder-width, knees slightly bent, lower your center of gravity—this is stable."

Qi Yun adjusted his posture according to the instruction, while Chen Wei carefully corrected him.

Once the stance was right, Chen Wei taught the moves: "When punching, extend your arm straight, generate force from the waist, keep the fist surface flat."

"Try punching my chest."

Qi Yun didn't hesitate to worry about injuring Chen Wei, and threw a punch directly.

But before his arm fully extended, Chen Wei's large hand swiftly grabbed it.

"Incorrect, your force point is wrong; it's not just using your arm's strength, you need to turn your waist to transmit the force."

Thus, Chen Wei patiently taught while Qi Yun diligently learned, practicing repeatedly for a long time. Chen Wei finally said, "Now punch my chest again."

Recalling the force execution, Qi Yun threw a punch again.

The next second, a dull "thud" sound was heard.

Qi Yun felt as though he had punched a wall, and his hand ached fiercely.

Chen Wei, usually expressionless, now had a changed expression, staring at Qi Yun, "Why are you so strong?"

"Huh?" Qi Yun was a bit surprised, "Am I really that strong?"

Chen Wei nodded: "Generally, those without special training don't have such strength."

Qi Yun secretly guessed that it was likely the effect of a potion he recently started drinking. He could clearly feel his physique strengthening a lot...

After being trained by Chen Wei for over two hours, Qi Yun collapsed in a chair, panting heavily.

The training was truly exhausting and required persistent practice.

...

Time in the mountains passed quickly; while daydreaming, the sky gradually darkened.

But Old Zhao, who went into the mountains to gather herbs, still hadn't returned...

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