Chapter 5

Although this method was good, Xu Yinglong's reputation was thoroughly ruined after the incident. But so what? The most important thing now was to clear his name. As for whether he was a man, only he needed to know. What others said was none of his business.

In the morning, Xu Yinglong roamed through most of the traditional Chinese medicine markets in Lucheng, buying a large amount of herbs. However, he was still missing two precious herbs: one was a hundred-year-old wild ginseng, and the other was an adult rhinoceros horn.

This hundred-year-old wild ginseng was different from the cultivated ginseng. Wild ginseng seeds were spread by birds and animals, growing in mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests composed of trees, shrubs, and weeds. It mainly came from Russia, the Changbai Mountains in China, and North Korea.

The so-called hundred-year-old wild ginseng in Lucheng's pharmacies was either cultivated ginseng or not old enough, failing to meet Xu Yinglong's requirements. Rhinoceros horn, which is the horn of a rhinoceros, has a sour and salty taste and is cold in nature. It is a heat-clearing herb, used to clear heat and cool the blood, calm the mind, and detoxify. Due to the rhinoceros being listed as a protected animal, the trade of rhinoceros horns is banned worldwide, and breeding is also prohibited, making adult rhinoceros horns extremely rare.

Lucheng is a prefecture-level city in the northern province of SaiBei and does not have a large traditional Chinese medicine market. Therefore, the precious herbs in Lucheng's market were not only scarce but mostly fake, and the prices far exceeded Xu Yinglong's budget. He heard that the capital city of SaiBei Province, Qingcheng, had the largest herbal market in the northern region, so Xu Yinglong decided to go to Qingcheng.

The Rongqiao Herbal Market is located in the new district of Qingcheng. After arriving in Qingcheng, Xu Yinglong rushed to the Rongqiao Herbal Market without delay.

Whether it was the tragic man from the past or the current Xu Yinglong, neither had much knowledge of Earth's herbs. Although Xu Yinglong had visited the herbal shops in Lucheng, Lucheng was just a prefecture-level city without a large herbal market. Therefore, when Xu Yinglong arrived at the Rongqiao Herbal Market, he was quickly captivated by the mountains of herbs. In just over ten minutes, he discovered over a hundred types of herbs from the Nine Heavens Immortal Realm.

Although the medicinal properties of these herbs were only a fraction of their original strength, they could still be used with increased dosage. Moreover, Xu Yinglong found that the degeneration of immortal herbs into ordinary herbs was related to the spiritual energy on Earth. The spiritual energy on Earth was extremely thin, causing these precious herbs to gradually degenerate into ordinary herbs. If the spiritual energy were abundant, these ordinary herbs might evolve back into immortal herbs.

Xu Yinglong was not short of spiritual energy; the spiritual energy in the Chaos Space was extremely abundant, almost liquefied. If these herbs were transplanted to the Chaos Space, they might regain their divine properties and evolve back into immortal herbs.

With this discovery, Xu Yinglong's mood greatly improved, and he unknowingly roamed through half of the herbal market.

Xu Yinglong arrived at a pharmacy called "Zhongde Hall." The pharmacy was not very large, but from its ancient and elegant exterior, it seemed to have a long history.

There were not many people in the pharmacy, just an old man with white hair and a teenager around sixteen or seventeen years old, along with a few scattered customers.

Seeing Xu Yinglong enter, the teenager hurried over and asked, "Sir, are you here to see a doctor or to buy herbs?"

"Buy herbs!"

"Please give me your prescription!" the teenager said.

"I only need two herbs: one is a hundred-year-old wild ginseng, and the other is an adult rhinoceros horn. Do you have them?" Xu Yinglong asked.

"Sir, we don't have a hundred-year-old wild ginseng or an adult rhinoceros horn. We only have a sixty-year-old wild ginseng, but it is our store's treasure and is not for sale. Additionally, the sale of rhinoceros horns is prohibited, and now water buffalo horns are used as a substitute. If you need it, we do have water buffalo horns," the teenager replied.

Before coming, Xu Yinglong knew that there were not many hundred-year-old wild ginsengs on Earth, but he did not expect them to be so hard to find, not even in a long-established pharmacy like Zhongde Hall. He frowned and asked, "Where can I buy a hundred-year-old wild ginseng and an adult rhinoceros horn?"

The old shopkeeper interjected, "Young man, the hundred-year-old wild ginseng is almost extinct. In recent years, it has been rarely heard of. Apart from deep forests, the rest are mostly collected by wealthy people, and there are none for sale on the market."

"Is there none in the entire herbal market?" Xu Yinglong asked, unwilling to give up.

"There were some a few years ago, but not in recent years. However, you can try the auction houses. Last month, an auction for a hundred-year-old wild ginseng from the Changbai Mountains was held at the Pazhou Exhibition Center in Yangcheng. A hundred-year-old wild ginseng was sold for 1.8 million yuan," the old shopkeeper replied.

"1.8 million yuan!" Xu Yinglong exclaimed. "Although it's a bit expensive, the number of hundred-year-old wild ginsengs is decreasing year by year, and it can save your life in emergencies. Whether for personal use or investment, 1.8 million yuan is worth it," the old shopkeeper smiled.

"What about the rhinoceros horn? Is it also so scarce on the market?" Xu Yinglong asked again.

"Rhinoceroses have been listed as protected animals for decades, and private breeding and slaughtering are prohibited. In the past twenty years, the use of rhinoceros horns in traditional Chinese medicine has been rare, and when used, water buffalo horns are often substituted. If you really need an adult rhinoceros horn, I suggest you check out the craft stores. Some rhinoceros horns made into crafts are still for sale."

"Thank you, sir. I'll check other places then!" After thanking the old man, Xu Yinglong left.

Suddenly, Xu Yinglong felt a faint spiritual energy. This spiritual energy was familiar to him, emitted by an aged herb, but it was so weak that Xu Yinglong almost missed it. A red medicine box placed in the center of the pharmacy caught his attention, and the faint spiritual energy was coming from this box.

"Sir, can you tell me what's inside that box?" Xu Yinglong pointed to the red wooden box and asked.

The old man took down the wooden box and said, "It's a wooden carving, passed down from my grandfather's generation!" As he spoke, the old man opened the wooden box and took out a beautifully carved wooden carving.

Xu Yinglong immediately recognized that the wooden carving depicted a auspicious beast, the Pi Xiu. The Pi Xiu has a dragon's head, a horse's body, and a lion's feet, resembling a lion with grayish-white fur and the ability to fly. An adult Pi Xiu is as powerful as a five-clawed golden dragon, and even a great immortal would not be its match, making it exceptionally fierce and majestic.

However, what puzzled Xu Yinglong was that the material of the wooden carving was not precious, and the carving was not very old. Why was there a faint herbal spiritual energy emanating from it? Xu Yinglong then recalled that the Pi Xiu, in the mortal world, symbolizes the gathering of wealth from all directions because it has a mouth but no anus, capable of swallowing everything without excreting. It can attract wealth and treasures, only taking in and never giving out, with unique supernatural abilities. From ancient times to the present, from emperors to commoners, everyone values collecting and wearing Pi Xius, and some shops also display Pi Xiu decorations or carvings. This wooden Pi Xiu might have something special inside, possibly a herb.

With this thought, Xu Yinglong smiled and said, "This wooden carving is exquisite. To be honest, my old man loves such carvings the most. I wonder if you could part with it. I'm willing to pay 10,000 yuan for it."

Xu Yinglong was not lying; the old man of the Xu family indeed loved wooden carvings, especially root carvings. Before he went missing, his study was filled with various wooden carvings, and during his birthday, people often gave him various wooden carvings.

The old shopkeeper smiled and said, "Young man, it's rare to see such filial piety. I'll help you out. This item has been passed down for at least a hundred years, though it's not an antique. The material itself is quite ordinary, but it's still an old item. 10,000 yuan is not unreasonable."

Xu Yinglong quickly said, "Thank you very much, sir!"

After the transaction, Xu Yinglong took the wooden carving and left Zhongde Hall. The old shopkeeper did not lie; there was indeed no hundred-year-old wild ginseng on the market. Xu Yinglong roamed through the entire Rongqiao Herbal Market but still could not find the hundred-year-old wild ginseng or the adult rhinoceros horn.

There were fewer than four days left before the trial, and the necessary hundred-year-old wild ginseng and adult rhinoceros horn for refining the Yang Locking Pill were still not found. Even Xu Yinglong was a bit anxious. However, he did not lose heart. Besides the Rongqiao Herbal Market, Qingcheng had two medium-sized herbal markets. Although they were not as large as Rongqiao, they might still have the herbs Xu Yinglong needed. So, he found a hotel in Qingcheng and decided to visit those markets the next day.

After checking into the hotel, Xu Yinglong eagerly took out the wooden Pi Xiu carving and examined it from top to bottom but could not find any joints. Unwilling to give up, he tapped the wooden carving with his fingers. When he heard a slightly muffled clanging sound, he was sure there was something inside.

Thinking of the Pi Xiu's ability to swallow everything without excreting, Xu Yinglong turned the Pi Xiu's head and noticed something unusual about its tongue. He applied some force, and the entire tongue came off, revealing a hole about five to six centimeters in diameter. Xu Yinglong was delighted and turned the Pi Xiu upside down, and a piece of yellow cloth fell out. Unfolding the yellow cloth, he saw a blackish-yellow object inside.

Seeing this somewhat ugly object, Xu Yinglong was overjoyed. He was most familiar with this herb; it was the wild ginseng he needed, and its medicinal properties were strong, with an age far exceeding a hundred years.

After searching the entire herbal market without success, he found what he needed so easily. (PS: Thank you to the generous donations from the readers "Yibu Fengshen" and "Qiufeng." Your support is the greatest motivation for Aotian. Thank you!)

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