Chapter 9

At the incense and candle shop, everything sold was related to incense, candles, gold and silver paper, and other items used for worship and prayer. There were also images of deities and porcelain statues.

The old Taoist used to be a regular customer at this shop, as he needed to maintain the incense offerings to the statues of the Taoist deities in the temple every day. Although Qin Xianyu was the old Taoist's disciple, he only knew a little about these matters. What he truly learned from the old Taoist was the skill of identifying herbs, not the rituals of burning incense and worshipping deities.

Qin Xianyu, though living in the temple, did not worship deities. Therefore, after the old Taoist passed away, this incense and candle shop lost a major regular customer.

Seeing Qin Xianyu, the young Taoist who did not worship the deities, the shopkeeper immediately recalled the years of poor business and the loss of a major customer. He blamed Qin Xianyu for not worshipping deities and thus did not show him a good face.

Qin Xianyu secretly smiled but did not buy much. He only grabbed about twenty incense sticks and a candle, threw down a few silver coins, and left.

Selling about twenty incense sticks was considered good business, and it was not a small amount. However, the shopkeeper always felt that this young Taoist might not be buying them for worship. He felt somewhat aggrieved, thinking to himself, "Why did the old Taoist pass away? And why did you take a disciple who doesn't worship deities?"

Qin Xianyu left the shop and saw a robust young man pass by.

"Wang Ji?"

Qin Xianyu paused, turned his head, and recognized the robust young man as a villager from Li Ding's village. He looked strong but was not yet eighteen.

Wang Ji, though tall and strong, was not very smart and was called a "big fool." Qin Xianyu knew him and understood that he was not actually foolish, just not very sharp compared to others. He was simply too honest and had simple thoughts.

Qin Xianyu's gaze fell on a pot of grass in Wang Ji's hand, and his eyes immediately narrowed.

It was a potted plant, but slightly different.

The grass was planted in a cauldron covered with rust. The cauldron was old and rusty, but what caught Qin Xianyu's attention was the grass itself.

This grass was called Cold Year Grass, which had the effect of invigorating the mind. It had seven branches, each with two leaves. If the leaves were picked, they would regrow in seven days.

The true value lay in these leaves.

These leaves could invigorate the mind and were useful in pharmacies. However, since there were many similar herbs in pharmacies, they were not considered very precious. For incense and candle shops, however, Cold Year Grass was extremely rare because the leaves, when ground into powder and added to incense, not only invigorated the mind but also eliminated negative effects.

Generally, incense sticks made with Cold Year Grass leaf powder were of the highest quality and much more expensive, affordable only by wealthy families.

"Adding the leaf powder to incense makes it much more expensive, but the powder is hard to solidify and the color is not good. It's difficult to remove the green color. If a Cold Year Grass leaf is sold, it would be worth two silver coins. Fourteen leaves would be worth twenty-eight silver coins."

Qin Xianyu looked at the Cold Year Grass and thought, "Selling the leaves is one thing, but why did Wang Ji bring the entire plant?"

Cold Year Grass regrew its leaves every seven days, meaning it could generate twenty-eight silver coins every seven days. Although this amount was not huge, it was still considerable. Why would someone sell the Cold Year Grass?

It was almost like a money tree.

As the saying goes, a hen that lays eggs is a treasure.

"What? You want to sell this Cold Year Grass?"

The shopkeeper's voice came from inside.

Thud.

Qin Xianyu accidentally dropped two bamboo incense sticks on the ground. He smiled bitterly, picked them up, and thought about leaving. However, he was very puzzled. The Cold Year Grass was like a money tree; why would Wang Ji want to sell it?

Just as he was about to step out, he heard the shopkeeper's loud voice from inside.

"I'll give you three taels of silver, no more."

"Cold Year Grass is good, but it's not easy to make it into incense. The craftsmanship... well, let's just talk about the price of the leaves. Look at your plant; it's not well cared for and looks sick. I don't even know if it can regrow leaves every seven days."

"Normally, a leaf is worth one silver coin, so you would get fourteen silver coins every seven days. My three taels of silver is three hundred silver coins, enough to cover your Cold Year Grass leaves for almost a year. Besides, it's not easy to care for the plant."

The shopkeeper's loud voice continued, and Qin Xianyu could faintly hear a hint of joy in his incessant chatter.

Wang Ji remained silent, probably not understanding the intricacies and thinking the shopkeeper's arguments made sense.

Qin Xianyu sighed softly, thinking, "This shopkeeper is really ruthless."

Cold Year Grass leaves, when sold to pharmacies, were usually worth one and a half silver coins for three leaves, or two silver coins for three leaves. For incense and candle shops, two silver coins was already a low price. If it were fair, a leaf should be worth two and a half silver coins.

The shopkeeper was only offering one silver coin per leaf, which was too low.

Qin Xianyu was about to leave but then turned back into the shop.

"Three taels of silver is too low."

Qin Xianyu pointed at the Cold Year Grass and said, "A leaf is worth at least two silver coins, so fourteen leaves are worth twenty-eight silver coins. Every seven days, you get twenty-eight silver coins. In no time, you'll have three taels of silver. Moreover, this Cold Year Grass grows so well, regenerating leaves every seven days, providing a continuous source of income. You want to buy this money tree? Even thirty taels would be too low."

"You..." The shopkeeper trembled with anger. Wang Ji was about to agree, but this meddler appeared. He gritted his teeth and said, "What do you know? I need it to make incense, and the process and techniques..."

Qin Xianyu laughed and said, "That's your business. Let's just talk about the price of the leaves and the Cold Year Grass. How you make money, how you make the incense, and how you sell it at a high price is your business."

The shopkeeper gritted his teeth and said, "It's not easy to care for Cold Year Grass. Do you know how much oil is needed to cultivate it? Do you know how much effort it takes?"

"This... this..." Wang Ji stammered, "This... this grass... doesn't need care, it... it grows on its own."

"Nonsense, who doesn't know that Cold Year Grass needs oil?" The shopkeeper angrily said, "You liar, take it or leave it. Three taels of silver, take it or leave it."

Qin Xianyu raised an eyebrow and said, "You wouldn't get three taels from a pharmacy, would you?"

The shopkeeper was furious, waved his hand, and shouted, "What's it to you? Meddler, get out!"

Wang Ji looked troubled and then said to the shopkeeper, "I... I need six taels to make ends meet, you..."

The shopkeeper huffed, "Not a single coin more."

Qin Xianyu pulled Wang Ji and said, "Let's take it to a pharmacy."

Wang Ji hesitated.

The shopkeeper finally changed his expression and said, "I'll give you four taels."

Qin Xianyu pulled Wang Ji out.

"Five taels!"

"Six taels!"

"I'll give you eight taels of silver!"

The shopkeeper, seeing their determination to leave, kept raising the price.

Wang Ji showed signs of being swayed and wanted to go back.

Qin Xianyu held him back and said, "This Cold Year Grass is a money tree. The leaves it produces every month, if sold at a fair price elsewhere, would be enough for you to live on. Why do you want to sell it?"

Wang Ji lowered his head and said, "I... I want to get married."

Qin Xianyu was taken aback.

Wang Ji smiled foolishly and said, "Her family... they want six taels of silver."

Qin Xianyu pondered for a moment and said, "Just the dowry is six taels. What about the other expenses? Like the gifts and the banquet?"

Wang Ji was shocked, "This..."

"I'll give you ten taels." Qin Xianyu sighed, took out his money pouch, and secretly gave it to Wang Ji, saying, "Don't show it to anyone, keep it safe."

Wang Ji was overjoyed, looked at Qin Xianyu with gratitude, and could hardly speak.

Qin Xianyu shook his head and said, "Actually, this plant could fetch thirty taels in a big city, but in this small town, ten taels is the most you can get. Even at ten taels, I'm still getting a good deal."

"Don't worry, don't worry."

Wang Ji grinned and said, "If you think it's worth it, I... I'm happy."

Qin Xianyu couldn't help but laugh and said, "Let's go back."

Wang Ji nodded, handed the Cold Year Grass to Qin Xianyu, and ran home.

Holding the plant, Qin Xianyu couldn't help but think of something.

"Probably just a rumor."

It was said that if Cold Year Grass was left to grow for ten years without picking its leaves, it would accumulate ten years of potency. Such potent leaves were said to be worth several taels of silver each.

However, Cold Year Grass was difficult to care for and usually only survived for eight to nine years.

Moreover, the small income every seven days was quite considerable for most people. Who could resist the temptation to leave it untouched for ten years?

It was said that if the leaves were picked before ten years, they would be no different from ordinary Cold Year Grass leaves. Even if it had grown for nine years and eleven months, it would still be worthless. If the Cold Year Grass had any issues, all the effort would be wasted, and the leaves would still be worth only two silver coins each.

Only after ten years would it be extraordinary.

Medical books mentioned ten-year-old Cold Year Grass and even a "hundred-year-old Cold Year Grass," but only briefly.

"Thinking too much."

Qin Xianyu thought for a moment, laughed, and headed back to the temple.

As he walked, his expression changed.

Someone was following him.

Since taking the jade pill, Qin Xianyu's senses had become very sharp. He closed his eyes and listened carefully.

Sure enough, he heard footsteps behind him, even though the person was trying to be quiet.

His heart tightened. He was already out of the city, and there were few people on the road.

So, he took a side path with the Cold Year Grass.

The side path led to a small hill.

Most people who cut grass for firewood did so on this hill.

The hill was scattered with branches.

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Note: The story continues, but the text provided ends here.