Chapter 43

It was as if a person who was extremely thirsty had encountered a water source. The Five Elements Spirit Spring was desperately absorbing the essence of the wild ginseng in the brocade box, and it was joyfully pulsating. Fortunately, the Five Elements Spirit Spring was hosted within Wang Xiaoqiang's body, being colorless, odorless, formless, and intangible, so there was no fear of the boss noticing. What Wang Xiaoqiang was worried about was the brocade box, fearing that he might accidentally reveal the secret.

The fat boss saw Wang Xiaoqiang's hand on the brocade box, his expression slightly tense, and thought he was being robbed. He snatched the brocade box away and said coldly, "Hey, are you buying or not?"

Fortunately, at this moment, the essence of the wild ginseng had been completely absorbed by the Five Elements Spirit Spring, leaving only a pile of residue. Otherwise, there was a real danger of the boss noticing.

Wang Xiaoqiang secretly sighed with relief and was about to speak when he heard a voice from the store entrance: "Hey, boss, come here for a moment."

The speaker was an old man wearing a Tang suit and a hat, carrying a black plastic bag, with a large ring on each hand. The old man, around sixty years old, had a ruddy complexion and looked healthy, but his face was now very unhappy.

The fat boss, seeing another customer, especially a well-dressed old man, ignored Wang Xiaoqiang, whether he was a genuine buyer or had ulterior motives. He put the brocade box back in its place and forced a smile, greeting the old man: "Sir, are you here to buy ginseng?"

The boss's indifference was a relief to Wang Xiaoqiang, as he couldn't afford the wild ginseng and could imagine that the ginseng in the brocade box had turned into a pile of residue. If it were opened, it might not directly implicate him, but it would certainly make the boss suspicious.

The boss, thinking a sale was coming, greeted the old man with a smile, but was met with a cold response. The old man's face grew even more displeased as he angrily threw the plastic bag onto the glass counter and said, "Look at this lousy wild ginseng you're selling for 280,000..."

The boss's face changed, and he carefully examined the old man. The old man, seeing the fat boss scrutinizing him, became even angrier and shouted, "What are you looking at? I bought this ginseng the day before yesterday. Don't you recognize it?"

The old man's loud shout drew the attention of passersby who stopped to watch.

The fat boss, seeing the crowd, became even more sullen. Business relies on reputation, especially for a ginseng store. If his reputation was damaged, his business would be ruined.

The boss didn't respond, but with a sullen face, he quickly picked up the black plastic bag from the glass counter, took out the ginseng box, and inside was a palm-sized ginseng.

The boss glanced at the ginseng, his expression extremely complex. Suddenly, he angrily threw the ginseng box to the ground and said sternly, "This isn't the ginseng from my store. Get out now, or I won't be gentle!"

Wang Xiaoqiang didn't expect this to happen.

At that moment, he was quietly sensing the changes in the Five Elements Spirit Spring within his body. The Spirit Spring, having absorbed the essence of the wild ginseng, had swollen like a balloon, eventually growing from the size of a duck egg to that of a goose egg before settling near his heart.

Wang Xiaoqiang was secretly pleased, knowing he shouldn't stay any longer, so he walked out. As he passed the ginseng box the boss had thrown on the ground, he paused slightly, sensing it, but the Five Elements Spirit Spring inside him, like a well-fed balloon, didn't move.

Wang Xiaoqiang, of course, knew it wasn't because it was full, but because the ginseng on the ground wasn't wild ginseng.

Wang Xiaoqiang didn't leave immediately but lingered outside the store, curious to see what would happen.

"This is the ginseng from your store. I bought it the day before yesterday and had it appraised by an old pharmacist yesterday. It's a cultivated ginseng, worth only a thousand, but you charged me 280,000. Tell me, are you cheating or not?" The old man deliberately turned to the crowd outside, explaining the situation in a calm but indignant voice, showing that he wasn't lying and didn't seem like someone who would frame others.

"I'm telling you, this isn't the ginseng from my store. Don't slander me here, or I won't be gentle..."

Before the fat boss could finish, a bald young man quickly came down from the second floor, asking aggressively, "What's going on?"

"Ah Fei, someone is deliberately causing trouble..." The fat boss pointed at the old man and said, "It's him. He's not ashamed of his age, bringing fake ginseng here to frame us..."

"What, is that true?" The young man called Ah Fei had a shiny head with a coiled snake tattoo, the large snake head spitting a red tongue, looking quite eerie. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ah Fei walked over and pushed the old man, threatening him, "Old bastard, get out now, or I won't be gentle."

"Come on, if you dare, hit me here!" To everyone's surprise, the old man had a tough temper, pushing away Ah Fei's hand and pointing to his head.

Seeing that Ah Fei wasn't a good person and that the old man might suffer, Wang Xiaoqiang pulled the old man and gave him a meaningful look, signaling him not to be impulsive.

However, the old man just glanced at Wang Xiaoqiang and said, "Don't pull me. I have to teach this blind fool a lesson today..."

The old man cracked his knuckles, making a popping sound, and instead of retreating, he stepped forward toward Ah Fei.

"Ha, old man, your body isn't even strong enough for one punch," Ah Fei sneered and grabbed the old man's collar.

The old man suddenly furrowed his brows and punched Ah Fei in the stomach. Ah Fei's face turned red as if he had drunk a shot of liquor, and he grimaced, but he managed to withstand the old man's close-range punch.

Everyone, including Wang Xiaoqiang, didn't expect the old man, at sixty, to still have such a powerful punch and were surprised.

At that moment, a fierce smile flashed across Ah Fei's face, and he delivered a sharp knee to the old man's lower abdomen. Despite his toughness, the old man, being old, let out a muffled groan and fell backward.

Ah Fei rushed forward to beat the old man, but a leg suddenly swept toward him, a random and unstructured kick from Wang Xiaoqiang.

Ah Fei, a street thug with some martial arts skills, managed to withstand the old man's punch. Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang's kick, he sneered and grabbed Wang Xiaoqiang's leg.

Wang Xiaoqiang had no martial arts skills, but since obtaining the Five Elements Spirit Spring, his body had become stronger, and he had superhuman strength. The Spirit Spring had just absorbed the essence of the wild ginseng, giving him a sense of power and confidence, which was the reason for his intervention.

In Ah Fei's eyes, Wang Xiaoqiang was weak and insignificant. After grabbing Wang Xiaoqiang's ankle, he didn't throw him to the ground as usual but instead grinned and squeezed hard. Ah Fei's hands were large and powerful, covered in calluses, and he was confident he could make Wang Xiaoqiang cry out in pain.

However, as he squeezed, he suddenly felt a numbness in his right hand, as if electrocuted, and a counterforce pushed his hand away.

"Ah~~" Ah Fei screamed, holding his right hand with his left, his mouth sucking in air as if he had drunk hot pepper water, feeling a mix of pain, numbness, and swelling, which was very unpleasant.

It was his bad luck. The Five Elements Spirit Spring in Wang Xiaoqiang's body had just absorbed the essence of a wild ginseng from the store, making it rich in spiritual energy, and the metal element was even more powerful and sharp. If Wang Xiaoqiang had attacked him intentionally, Ah Fei would have been on the ground already.