Chapter 36

"Second-level Chinese herbalist?" Wang Ge, who only had a junior high school education and had dropped out of high school, had been making a living in the black market. Although he knew about the existence of Chinese herbalists, he knew very little about them, let alone their classification.

"A Chinese herbalist is an extremely important category in the existing traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine has been passed down, but only Chinese herbs have suffered a severe blow due to the mutation of medicinal plants. Traditional Chinese medicine cannot rely solely on acupuncture and massage. Without Chinese herbs, traditional Chinese medicine is incomplete, so it cannot compete with Western medicine.

"Every Chinese herbalist is a treasure of traditional Chinese medicine, and even more so for the 'Yanhuang Bloodline' in the Federation. They are all counted, you know?

"The levels of Chinese herbalists range from one to five, from low to high. A second-level Chinese herbalist is already qualified to be a department head in a hospital of the base level!" Fat Brother said, rubbing his thick chin and squinting at Wang Ge. "If you don't have anyone under you, Fat Brother really recommends you to take the Chinese herbalist exam.

"Don't look at Western medicine overwhelming traditional Chinese medicine, but our Yanhuang Bloodline still strongly supports traditional Chinese medicine. If you pass the second-level Chinese herbalist exam, you will directly enter the Chinese hospital as an elite, and even the base governor will have to treat you politely.

"But to be honest, most second-level Chinese herbalists are around thirty to forty years old. Without talent, they might only reach the second level by the time they retire.

"If you, at your young age, pass the second-level Chinese herbalist exam, it will definitely shock the Mountain City Base! No, it will shock the entire Earth Federation!"

After Fat Brother said this, Wang Ge was initially a bit tempted. But soon, his usual calmness made him think more— he was only twenty, with only a junior high school diploma, and had never even finished high school. How could he explain it if he passed the Chinese herbalist exam?

If he were low-key, it would be fine, but being high-profile enough to shock the entire Earth Federation...

Those who only reach the second level by the time they retire would definitely scrutinize him with a microscope.

At that time, his dark history would definitely be exposed— dropping out of high school, being a sparring partner, illegal mining, poaching, and fighting in the black market. Ha...

Forget it, better to focus on making money...

Wang Ge chuckled and said, "Alright, Fat Brother, stop teasing me. If I had that ability, would I still be in the Black City?"

"You're right, ha, come, let's see how much these herbs can be settled for." Fat Brother took Wang Ge's words as a joke. He was rooted in the Black City and could easily investigate anyone there.

Having done business with Wang Ge twice, he knew Wang Ge was a boxer. As a black market fighter, relying on powerful martial arts and fearlessness to hunt insect beasts was very reasonable and logical.

But if he were also a second-level Chinese herbalist, that would really be beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

As for investigating how many people Wang Ge had under him, Fat Brother wasn't that idle.

For him, it was just necessary to ensure the customer's identity was fine. Investigating more of the customer's privacy wouldn't be meaningful.

After settling the account, Fat Brother patted Wang Ge, "Ten thousand sun coins. I really appreciate customers like you. Make sure to visit Fat Brother's black market again next time!"

This didn't sound right... Wang Ge shrugged, "If you give me fifteen thousand, I'll guarantee to only come to your place!"

"Uh, actually, it's good to visit other shops too. Compare prices, you know. How would you know how honest Fat Brother is if you don't compare?"

Wang Ge patted his butt and left. As for the Chinese herbalist thing, he put it out of his mind. That was not a future that belonged to him.

It would be nice to have that ability, as it would significantly increase his income.

The next day, Wang Ge went to Sifeng Mountain. He had searched Gele Mountain for a day without finding anything, so he decided to try his luck at Sifeng Mountain. Although there were fewer herbs, he could also hunt insect beasts, which would definitely earn him more than ten thousand sun coins.

It wasn't that the herbs were cheap; it was just that Wang Ge could only sell to Fat Brother what was listed in the *Herb Hundred*.

If he were less smart, he might have brought out the rare herbs he identified, which weren't listed in the *Herb Hundred*. How would Fat Brother know their value or how much to pay?

Also, don't forget, this was a "black market."

After arriving at Sifeng Mountain, Wang Ge consciously focused his attention on the herbs.

Sure enough, he found that the herbs in Sifeng Mountain were much rarer than in Gele Mountain, but they weren't nonexistent. However, if he focused mainly on herbs, his income for the day would be very low.

Wang Ge climbed the mountain and didn't encounter any insect beasts, only a few mutated beasts. With a "rainy day, might as well do something" attitude, he casually killed two mutated beasts and collected their valuable parts.

Mutated beasts' specimens weren't worth much and didn't add much weight. With his equipment, Wang Ge could handle some mutated beasts without much pressure. Not all mutated beasts turned into monsters after mutating.

As he walked, Wang Ge suddenly heard a struggle in the bushes ahead. He quietly approached and parted the wild grass, only to be surprised.

One of the fighters was a round, calf-sized hedgehog, which might have been the one he encountered last time.

The other was a humanoid figure!

Wang Ge looked closely and saw that the person didn't seem to be an ordinary person.

The person was wearing tattered clothes, looking like a beggar. The exposed skin was dark, and messy hair covered most of the face, but red eyes glinted through the hair.

Wang Ge initially thought it was a beggar, but seeing the red eyes, he couldn't help but gasp— could it be an insect person?

With insect beasts, there would naturally be insect people. Insect people weren't born from the mating of insect demons and humans; they were either infected or parasitized.

But it was clear that this insect person was infected. His skin wasn't just dark but covered with a thin layer of black armor.

This insect person seemed to have been an ordinary person before, as he fought the mutated hedgehog like a wild animal, using claws and teeth.

The mutated hedgehog had long, sharp spines that pierced the insect person's body, but only tore his clothes. The spines were stopped by the black armor.

The spines had no effect on the insect person, and despite the lack of fighting skills, the insect person had the upper hand.

The insect person's intelligence, in Wang Ge's view, was even lower than the insect dog he had fought before. This insect person was clearly of the lowest level, as Wang Ge had later found out that higher-level insect people had higher intelligence.

The insect person even tried to bite the hedgehog's spines, resulting in a bloody mouth.

But fortunately, the insect person soon found the hedgehog's soft belly. He grabbed the hedgehog and bit into its belly, and despite the hedgehog's struggles, it eventually became a meal for the insect person.

Wang Ge decided to leave, as he didn't plan to hunt insect people.

Although insect people might have egg whites inside, they were once human. Wang Ge could kill an insect person, but taking the egg whites was a psychological barrier. Besides, insect people were usually sold alive, and only the dead ones were bought by the Academy. Wang Ge decided to let it go.

But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed two birds flying in the air near the insect person's crime scene.

No, they looked like sparrows in size but flew like eagles or hawks.

What was this? Wang Ge looked closely and saw that they were actually two plants. The leaves of these plants were shaped like bird wings and could soar like eagles or hawks.

The two plants were connected, flying together like birds. But then something even more surprising happened—

The leaves of the two plants could fold and adjust angles, landing next to the insect person like a landing aircraft.

Whether intentionally or coincidentally, the two plants landed in the blood of the mutated hedgehog.

Wang Ge slapped his head. This... must be the Feipeng Grass!

Leaves like bird wings, and they can fly!

Indeed, it was real! This was great, two plants at once!

He had searched Gele Mountain for a day without finding any, but today he found Feipeng Grass in Sifeng Mountain, where there were fewer herbs. Luck was truly unpredictable.

He didn't know why they flew here, but it didn't matter. Since they were here, he would wait!

Wait for the insect person to finish eating the hedgehog and leave, then he could pick up the two Feipeng Grass plants for free.

Wang Ge planned and hid in the bushes to wait.

But the insect person seemed to be deliberately opposing him. After eating the mutated hedgehog, it didn't leave but wandered around the spot.

Wang Ge had patience and waited in the bushes. But as night fell, the insect person still showed no signs of leaving. Wang Ge couldn't do anything— what could he do with a mindless zombie?

Take action! Wang Ge gritted his teeth and carefully observed the insect person's movements. Although the insect person looked foolish and a bit slow, the online information said that insect people could fight at the speed of a fifth-level life form and had the strength of a tenth-level life form, making them hard to deal with.