Chapter 28

Short of money? It felt somewhat strange to hear these words from the mouth of a provincial governor.

Xianyu Qin originally thought that upon hearing that Miss Liu had awakened, he would immediately rush over. However, he unexpectedly only flashed a look of joy before sitting down again. If he didn't care about his daughter, it would be one thing, but from the look of joy on the provincial governor's face, it was clear that he was very concerned about his daughter.

Liu Jun smiled and said, "Since she has already awakened, there's no major issue. I'll go and see her later. Since you're here, if there's anything you want, as long as it's within my capabilities, I can give it to you."

Was the provincial governor unwilling to be impolite? Qin Xianyu glanced at the pile of documents and secretly smiled, "It seems this provincial governor is indeed hardworking. After seeing his daughter, he will come to review the documents. As for someone like me, there's no need to summon me again."

Although he had such thoughts, Qin Xianyu didn't take it to heart and remained calm.

After pondering for a long time, he listed over twenty types of herbs.

Liu Jun nodded. He was used to reviewing documents and wrote quickly. By the time Qin Xianyu finished reciting, he had already written down all twenty-eight names of the herbs. After a moment's thought, he added, "Just the names might not be enough. Please review this list. If there are any details missing, you can add some annotations or descriptions of the herbs."

Qin Xianyu was delighted and said, "Thank you, Governor Liu."

These herbs were all extremely rare, but their value wouldn't be exorbitantly high because they were hard to find and had obscure effects.

The source of the herbs was the true explanation of the Sword Path recorded on the golden paper.

To practice the Dao of the Sword, one first needed a small sword inscribed with talisman patterns, made of gold, jade, or wood, about one foot and three inches long. It would be refined into a broth and drunk in one gulp.

However, to drink the hot broth without being poisoned, a secret medicine was required.

This secret medicine consisted of thirty-six main ingredients and one hundred and eight auxiliary ingredients. The composition of the medicine was almost entirely different from what Qin Xianyu had seen before, and the pharmacological principles were revolutionary. The twenty or so herbs he had listed were part of the thirty-six main ingredients.

"The one hundred and eight auxiliary ingredients, though somewhat expensive, are common and can be obtained with money. But the thirty-six main ingredients are all extremely rare. The twenty-eight I listed are relatively cheaper, and I believe the provincial governor won't refuse."

As a provincial governor, he had great power and influence, making it much easier for him to search for herbs compared to Qin Xianyu alone.

Unfortunately, the remaining few herbs were extremely rare and valuable, such as the thousand-year-old snow ginseng king and the snow mountain white jade lotus. These were only recorded in medicinal books, and even if they could be found, the provincial governor might not be able to obtain them.

There were still three main ingredients and seven auxiliary ingredients that even the well-read Qin Xianyu couldn't recognize.

After reviewing the list, Qin Xianyu found no errors and respectfully handed it back.

Lu Qing hurriedly took it, folded it, and put it in his pocket, saying softly, "I will send someone to handle this."

Qin Xianyu thanked him again and said, "These herbs, though not precious, are extremely rare and have obscure effects, making them very hard to find. I'm troubling you with this."

Lu Qing smiled and said, "Young Master Qin, you're too polite. I will order my people to search as much as possible, but since these herbs are rare, it might be difficult to find them all. I hope you won't blame me."

Qin Xianyu said he wouldn't.

Seeing that he was hesitant, Liu Jun frowned and said, "I see that you listed herbs. Do you have another use for them? I heard that the Daoist temple you live in is dilapidated and incomplete, and you usually survive by gathering herbs. Don't you want any gold or silver as a reward?"

Qin Xianyu already had over two hundred taels of silver, so he wasn't worried about food and drink. But hearing this, he secretly rejoiced. He had originally listed the herbs and thought about asking the provincial governor for a sword, but after listing the herbs, he didn't want to ask again.

From Governor Liu's words, it seemed he didn't take the herbs seriously and could offer other rewards?

Qin Xianyu took a deep breath and said, "I want a small sword, about one foot and three inches long, made of gold. If it's made of fine jade, that would be even better."

A gold sword? A jade sword?

One foot and three inches long?

A gold sword one foot and three inches long would be quite heavy and valuable.

Liu Jun frowned slightly.

Lu Qing, however, looked at Qin Xianyu with a meaningful gaze.

"Alright," Liu Jun said, "I still have some savings. I can gather enough to forge a small gold sword. But the jade sword..."

He looked at Qin Xianyu, his expression becoming more serious, and said, "I do have jade pendants, but to forge a jade sword one foot and three inches long, the original material would need to be quite large. Fine jade is already expensive, and a small pendant can cost hundreds of taels. To carve such a large piece of jade, the value would be at least ten times higher, not just a thousand taels."

Qin Xianyu sighed inwardly and said, "If it's really impossible to get a jade sword, I'll take the gold sword."

Liu Jun didn't ask about the use of the small sword but was puzzled, thinking, "Jade isn't something ordinary people can have. What does this young Daoist want with a jade sword?"

Fine jade is beneficial to one's health and is usually worn by people of high status. Although the current court is lenient and allows anyone with a title to wear it, jade is more valuable than gold and is not something ordinary people can afford.

If a poor person wore a jade pendant, people would immediately think it was stolen.

This is the difference in status.

In the past, tombs were often looted, but the tomb robbers usually took gold and jewels, leaving the jade behind. Wearing jade without the corresponding status would only bring trouble.

It's like wearing a dragon robe without an official position, which is a capital offense.

Hearing about the jade sword, Lu Qing's heart stirred, and he said thoughtfully, "Jade is precious and mostly worn by nobles. To carve a jade sword one foot and three inches long, the raw material would need to be at least that long and two or three fingers wide. Such a piece of jade would indeed be worth more than a thousand taels. Unless..."

Qin Xianyu quickly asked, "Unless what?"

Lu Qing looked at Liu Jun and, after the provincial governor nodded, said, "Unless we go to the capital."

"The capital is the capital of the Great Virtue Holy Dynasty, where the nobles gather and prosperity is endless. If we're talking about gold, jewels, and rare treasures, the capital is the best choice," Lu Qing said seriously. "In about a hundred days, there will be a grand assembly in the capital, and it's rumored that all the Daoists will attend."

"Grand assembly? Daoists?" Qin Xianyu was slightly shocked and couldn't help but think of Master Guanxu. If Master Guanxu knew about this, he would be overjoyed, but unfortunately...

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