Chapter 7

(Calling out for some love from the book friends for the new book, how about some recommendation votes and collections?)

The Shennongjia area is rich in natural resources, with wild medicinal herbs abundant everywhere, making it a natural large pharmacy. At the Shennong Altar, there are a large number of medicinal herbs for sale. Wang Hao casually walked up to a small stall, looked at the herbs, and found that he only recognized the lingzhi mushrooms.

Shennongjia and Wudang Mountain are the birthplaces of lingzhi mushrooms in China, with a history of thousands of years. Lingzhi mushrooms are known as "immortal grass" and have a long and profound history in traditional Chinese medicine, being particularly effective in treating insomnia and other symptoms.

"Sir, take a look at these herbs. They were all collected by me in Shennongjia yesterday. I, Zhang Mou, am quite a figure here in Shennongjia. I have been collecting wild lingzhi mushrooms for over ten years and have never sold inferior goods."

The shop owner, seeing Wang Hao's gaze fixed on the lingzhi mushrooms, began to introduce them enthusiastically: "From your appearance, I can tell you don't know the effects of lingzhi, right? It has powerful effects for nourishing and strengthening the body, calming the mind, and toning the stomach. Buying some for your parents is a good way to show filial piety, and it's also a great gift. The *Shennong Bencao Jing* once listed lingzhi as a superior herb that can 'nourish the liver, calm the soul, and prolong life.' You can compare it with others around here; the lingzhi I collect is of the best medicinal quality, and the price is very reasonable!"

He had said these lines countless times, speaking so fluently that it was clear he was a professional merchant, not someone who collected lingzhi.

Wang Hao was not particularly interested in buying, but he wanted to test the ability he had just obtained. He focused his mind and sensed the lingzhi in his hand, and to his surprise, he felt a vague consciousness within it. His eyes widened in shock; it seemed that a novice druid could indeed sense plants!

After putting down that one, Wang Hao picked up another smaller lingzhi mushroom and asked casually, "Boss, how much do you sell these lingzhi for?" As he sensed the medicinal power of the lingzhi in his hand, he carefully observed it. Wild lingzhi should have many insect holes, as they are often infested by insects during their early growth stages and may be penetrated by weeds or branches.

"Pure wild lingzhi is sold by weight. Here, where there are many sellers, the price is lower, at 2000 yuan per kilogram, which is quite a good deal. In other cities, the price of wild lingzhi can be twice as much!" Zhang Long couldn't help but laugh, seeing this young customer as a potential source of income early in the morning. He had seen many tourists like Wang Hao who pretended to know but actually didn't. A little more persuasion, and they would obediently open their wallets.

"Buy lingzhi, and we'll give you a beautiful gift box. The packaging is very high-end and elegant, perfect for gifting!"

Wang Hao shook his head, clapping off the dirt from the lingzhi, and said, "Boss, you're not being fair! Selling cultivated lingzhi at such a high price, trying to take advantage of me not knowing better?" He had already identified that the lingzhi had a strong life force, which, although weakened by being picked and processed, could not be completely hidden.

Wild herbs have to struggle against harsh natural conditions, making them strong and resilient, with many injuries. Cultivated lingzhi, on the other hand, grows in a safe environment with no worries about pests or diseases, growing steadily. Most importantly, cultivated lingzhi is grown densely, so each plant gets less nutrition, making it much weaker.

As a merchant, the most important thing is not to admit to selling fakes. Zhang Long looked at Wang Hao with some resentment, thinking he was pretending to be ignorant while actually being an expert. He still had to do business and couldn't ruin his reputation: "I'm asking you, do you really know lingzhi? Are you pretending to know to ruin my business? Are you deliberately causing trouble? Look at the size of the lingzhi, the dirt below, and the flesh. It's clearly wild. If you don't want to buy, just say so. If you can't afford it, no one will look down on you. What kind of person are you?"

Wang Hao was not bothered by the merchant's accusations. He wasn't really interested in buying a bunch of cultivated lingzhi. He might as well buy lingzhi seeds and grow them himself, ensuring that they would be as good as wild ones, or even better with his cultivation skills.

As he walked, using his ability to distinguish between wild and cultivated lingzhi, Wang Hao was not surprised to find that almost all of them were cultivated. It made sense; if they were all wild, Shennongjia wouldn't have enough wild lingzhi to meet the demand, and they would have been extinct long ago.

Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly noticed a man dozing against a stone pillar in a corner. In front of him were a few misshapen lingzhi mushrooms that looked particularly poor, clearly substandard.

Wang Hao couldn't help but stop and, almost involuntarily, walked over to the man, asking in a low voice, "Boss, can I take a look at your lingzhi?" He asked first to avoid any trouble later if the owner accused him of damaging the lingzhi.

The middle-aged man in an old jacket nodded and said, "I saw you looking around just now. I know you can tell good from bad. These are mostly collected by me from the mountains, but unfortunately, you don't recognize their value. Other sellers here want to buy them from me, but the price is too low. You're an expert; tell me how much you think they're worth?"

Wang Hao carefully examined the lingzhi in his hand and was almost certain it was wild, with a strong life force that was clearly different from the previous ones. Unfortunately, he didn't have much money on him, and if it was too expensive, he couldn't afford it.

"Brother, let me be honest with you. I've only been out of school for a couple of years and haven't earned much. If it's too expensive, I can't afford it. And I can only buy one, to help my mother, who can hardly sleep now." Although Wang Hao's spatial ring contained many valuable gems, they couldn't solve his immediate problem.

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then picked up a red lingzhi from the stall and said, "This one is about eight liang (400 grams). Charging you 1500 yuan isn't too much, right?"

Wang Hao estimated the size of the lingzhi and then counted the money in his wallet. He took out 15 red bills and handed them over, then put the packaged lingzhi in his bag.

"Hey, brother, can I ask you something? Do you have any lingzhi seeds? I want to buy some to try growing them myself." At this moment, Wang Hao suddenly remembered his hidden profession and couldn't help but ask.

The man was counting the money when he heard Wang Hao's question and was surprised, saying with a mix of amusement and frustration, "Brother, aren't you an expert? Don't you know that lingzhi is a fungus and reproduces through spores?"

Wang Hao's previous expertise in selecting the lingzhi had made the man think he was a very knowledgeable person, but now he realized that Wang Hao lacked basic knowledge.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Wang Hao explained with a red face, "Actually, it's my first time dealing with lingzhi. I've only looked at them before, and I found that the people who claim to collect them are not very reliable. They are more convincing than merchants in big cities. By the way, brother, can you sell me some spores?"

"Lingzhi isn't that easy to grow. Even with spores, it might not grow or mature. I know some people who cultivate lingzhi; I can ask them for you."

"Great, thanks, brother!" Wang Hao sat down happily, watching the middle-aged man go and negotiate with others. He felt for the first time that being a druid was not bad, as it helped him distinguish between genuine and fake items. He wondered if he could use this ability to identify vegetables that had been treated with pesticides and fertilizers.

In the end, he bought two bags of spores for 500 yuan, waiting for them to grow mycelium.

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