Chapter 111 - 110: Qi Gathering Vine
The herb market was much the same as his last few visits, but there was a subtle undercurrent of agitation.
Jinkang Pharmacy was the leading company of Jinshui District. Now that it had suffered a heavy blow, a vacuum might be created in the market.
It was like the lead company had taken an elbow to the ribs, and now all its competitors were singing and dancing.
A few shops were practically setting off firecrackers to celebrate. They all began running sales in unison.
Demand was a constant. In the past, they couldn’t compete with Jinkang’s resources, but now...
They were willing to earn less just to make Jinkang bleed more.
Whether Jinkang could weather the storm was of no real concern to Yang Shen, despite being one of its official spokespeople.
The contract was already signed. If Jinkang went under, Director Liang had offered to handle the debt collection.
He would only charge a 30% "finder’s fee" on the total amount owed—a fair price for all.
As for Lin Yuebai’s shop, it was the same as always: empty, with her inside, idly flicking the beads of an abacus.
The only change was a few boxes of "666 Cold Remedy" on the counter, probably just for show.
If their previous collaborations hadn’t gone so smoothly, Yang Shen would have been genuinely worried the shop was about to go under at any moment.
Hearing the sound, Lin Yuebai immediately put on a broad smile and looked up, thinking it was a customer.
But when she saw it was Yang Shen, her smile faded considerably.
Then she remembered she was his "kept woman," and her smile became even brighter.
"President Yang, welcome, welcome... Tea?"
Yang Shen glanced around. "Looks like you and the boss of Jinkang had a showdown... and you didn’t come out on top, huh? Who comes to an herbal medicine market to buy cold remedy?"
Lin Yuebai sighed, resting her chin on her hands on the counter as if all the energy had been drained from her body.
"I was just starting to see a glimmer of hope, but then Jinkang Pharmacy took that massive hit."
"Isn’t them taking a massive hit good news for you?"
"No! He’s even more vicious now. He’s looking for a soft target to crush just to prove he’s still got it, and I’m that soft target."
The owner of Jinkang wasn’t capable of monopolizing the market, but he could influence most of the top suppliers to cut Lin Yuebai off.
Anyway, Lin Yuebai’s order volume was peanuts, so it was no skin off their backs.
’It’s a classic case of my rival underestimating me, and me not living up to my own potential.’
Of course, this was all kept at the business level. No one was coming to get physical with Lin Yuebai. The owner of Jinkang had some influence, but not that much.
He had no control over independent sellers like Yang Shen. Every day, the market was full of mountain folk and farmers looking to offload their goods. Who cared about Jinkang, Silverkang, or any other "kang"?
But the girl had high standards. She had a quick mind, but she was also proud and refused to stock anything but the finest-quality herbs.
Those people would dig up a piece of ginger, smoke it dry with sulfur, and insist on calling it High Source astragalus...
The girl, whose skin was as white as porcelain, pouted. "Let’s not talk about it! I bet they’re just grasshoppers in late autumn—they won’t be around for much longer!"
’I feel the same way about you,’ Yang Shen thought.
Of course, he wasn’t about to tell Lin Yuebai that he was now a spokesperson for Jinkang.
Lin Yuebai’s expression changed. "I saw the news! It said you saved people in there!! That’s amazing! But the reports still haven’t identified the attackers. Who were they?"
Yang Shen hesitated. Lin Yuebai had returned from the Si Realm, a place of Witchcraft... He desperately wanted to talk to her about it, but he’d promised Wang Yuanyuan he wouldn’t say a word...
But the wily girl noticed his strange expression. She leaned in close, her big eyes scanning him up and down. "That look in your eyes... it’s not related to the Exotic Realm, is it?"
Yang Shen raised an eyebrow.
"Whoa, you’re raising your eyebrow... Does that mean it has something to do with me? Let me think... It’s not related to the Si Realm, is it? Did that group go crazy again?"
A thoughtful look appeared in Lin Yuebai’s wide eyes. "No... that group isn’t strong enough for a frontal assault. They couldn’t cause such a huge disturbance. And the black sphere on the news didn’t look like any Witchcraft technique... Did they team up with someone else?"
Yang Shen: ...
"I didn’t say anything! Not a single word!"
’If you used that crafty mind of yours on your business for even a second,’ he thought, ’you wouldn’t be getting crushed by Jinkang Pharmacy...’
Yang Shen quickly changed the subject.
"How did you end up with such a feud with Jinkang Pharmacy?"
Lin Yuebai’s enthusiasm waned. "Before my grandfather went to the Si Realm, he was a renowned Great Physician in the area. You’ve probably never heard of him, but he was very famous within the industry in Jinshui District... Oh, back then it was still called Jinshui County."
"When he was young, he exposed the previous owner of Jinkang for selling fake medicine, and the man supposedly died of rage."
Yang Shen asked, "He just died from that?"
"It was a different time. People took reputation very seriously back then, especially established medical families. And that’s how the feud started. Jinkang went into decline after that. When Grandpa and I left for the Si Realm, they still hadn’t recovered. I never expected them to become so wealthy again in just ten years..."
Lin Yuebai sighed. "Now my grandfather is gone, and after ten years, the family’s reputation and foundation have long since vanished. I was left all alone to clean up the mess. I had to wrack my brains just to get this shop back... It’s been so hard..."
Now, almost 90% of her income came from her commission on Yang Shen’s consigned goods.
After paying for utilities, she was left with barely enough for a hard life of plain noodle soup every day. Adding a chicken drumstick to her meal required the resolve of someone splurging like there was no tomorrow.
It was a good thing that Lin Yuebai had already given up on the path of Martial Arts due to her ’studies abroad.’ Otherwise, for a typical Martial Arts High School student, this kind of pressure would have broken them.
Yang Shen placed a new batch of Jade Marrow Grass on the counter. The quantity was much larger this time. It looked like just two small pots, but they actually contained more than a dozen stalks. Lin Yuebai would need to find new pots and transplant them herself.
He needed to clear out his stock.
"This many?! Huh... and they’re all different ages. Did you just dig up the entire bloodline?!"
Lin Yuebai had always been a little suspicious about how Yang Shen consistently brought her such high-quality Jade Marrow Grass, but seeing this haul today actually made it seem more plausible.
He’d really raided the Jade Marrow Grass’s entire nest.
You never knew with Mountain Travelers; some people found wild antiques in the mountains. Though she was young, she knew the rules and never asked questions.
Yang Shen said, "The place was too remote. I don’t plan on going back, so I figured I’d dig them all up at once."
"By the way, that mountain where I was digging has all sorts of other things. Is there anything selling for a good price on the market right now? I could keep an eye out."
Lin Yuebai sounded surprised. "You must have good grades, right? The college entrance exams are right around the corner, and you’re still going out into the mountains?"
Yang Shen shrugged. "Isn’t it because my grades are good that I have time to unwind? It’s called balancing work and leisure. If I were a slacker, I’d be the one panicking."
"That makes sense..."
Lin Yuebai thought for a moment. "The college entrance exams and summer vacation are coming up soon. The market for Qi Gathering Vine has been pretty good lately. Are you familiar with it?"
She was only asking casually. It’s not like you could ask for something and just have it appear—the mountains weren’t a Wishing Pool.
Yang Shen nodded. He actually recognized it!
It was one of the three main ingredients for the Peiyuan Pill in the Approximate Pill Formula that Chen Beiwang had analyzed.
"I’ve heard of it. What’s the price?"
"The price depends on the quality, of course. Qi Gathering Vine actually grows quite fast, but it has strict environmental requirements. It can only grow in places with an extremely high Source Concentration..."
"A one-year-old Qi Gathering Vine, complete with its roots, goes for over 4,000 yuan. The ideal quality is a three-year-old specimen, which is worth at least 20,000. However, the price for a four-year-old one actually drops, because the cork layer becomes too thick and constricts the space for the effective inner parts."
Lin Yuebai really was a budding medicine expert; she spoke with the clear confidence of a professional:
"If you come across it in the mountains, it’s very easy to identify. Pinch it with your fingernail. If sap comes out easily, it’s young. If you make a 3-millimeter cut and still don’t see any sap, it’s too old. Oh, and you have to dig it up with the roots intact, or it’ll affect its potency."
’Forget the roots,’ Yang Shen thought. ’I can just bring it pot and all.’
After all, he’d be force-growing them himself.
As for needing an "extremely high Source Concentration" to grow, that was practically his specialty.
His own Window Spirit Field was assisted by a Spirit Gathering Eye; it should be no problem at all.
However, to avoid looking like he could conjure anything she named on command, Yang Shen patiently asked about a few other popular items before taking his leave.