CHAPTER 370: CHAPTER 370: MEDICINAL HERB MARKET

"If he doesn’t sell, I’m not interested in buying anyway. Why should I let the Wang Family earn my money?" Chen Guan didn’t really care.

If they don’t want to sell, so be it. I’ll just buy from the Zhang Family instead.

Since I’ve already come, Chen Guan plans to first take a look at the Changbai Mountain Secret Realm. Although the chances are slim, what if I manage to dig up something?

Even if I find nothing, the Changbai Mountain Secret Realm has a huge market inside where I can buy herbs. Chen Guan plans to simply purchase some millennia-old ginseng or the like to consume.

Though the effect isn’t as good as an elixir, it certainly helps replenish energy.

Duan Shulin was about to take Chen Guan out of Black City towards the Changbai Mountain Secret Realm when a young boy blocked their path.

"Little brother, what are you doing?" Duan Shulin asked as he looked at the boy obstructing the way.

"Big brother, mom wants you to come back," the boy said.

"I have something to do at the Secret Realm. Go back and tell mom that I won’t be back for dinner today," said Duan Shulin, preparing to walk around the boy and continue on his way.

Who knew the boy would step sideways again, blocking Duan Shulin’s path once more.

"Big brother, mom wants you to go back now," the boy insisted.

"Duan Hualong, you’ve grown some backbone, huh? When did my matters become your business?" Duan Shulin said irritably.

"Big brother, this is all for your own good," Duan Hualong said, unmoved.

"Old Duan, go back. I won’t be staying long here either; I’ll be back soon," Chen Guan understood, knowing the Duan Family was aware he was here, so they sent Duan Hualong to call Duan Shulin back.

"What can happen even if I don’t go back," Duan Shulin huffed, pulling Chen Guan along to leave.

But Chen Guan didn’t move. He didn’t want to create a rift between Duan Shulin and his family. First, because there’s no need for it, and second, because he had no conflict with the Duan Family either; why make it seem like they’re enemies?

"Go back, and we’ll be in touch later," Chen Guan insisted that Duan Shulin go back.

Seeing this, Duan Shulin could only let out a bitter smile, "Old Guan, this time I’ve lost face, sorry about this."

"It’s nothing, just go back first," Chen Guan urged Duan Shulin to return.

"Off you go, what are you standing there for?" Duan Shulin admonished Duan Hualong.

"Sorry, and thank you," Duan Hualong slightly bowed to Chen Guan before turning to quickly follow Duan Shulin.

Chen Guan didn’t take this matter to heart and headed to the Changbai Mountain Secret Realm with Fu Tianji.

At the entrance of the Secret Realm, there was a huge market.

Generally, markets near Secret Realms focus on selling Secret Spirit Materials or Secret Cores, pets, and such. But this market was a vast open-air trading market for Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.

All sorts of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures were just heaped on the ground, sacks full of Danshen, Codonopsis, Xuan Shen, Ginseng, Lingzhi, antlers, and the like.

There were also many herbs Chen Guan didn’t recognize. From their appearance, these herbs seemed decent, but he wasn’t sure if they were cultivated or grown wild in the Secret Realm mountains.

As Chen Guan walked, he asked around, first to figure out the prices and then to understand the differences among herbs with different prices.

The herb merchants were happy to share their knowledge with customers, though what they said might not be entirely true, it helped reveal some clues.

What was certain was that the market had plenty of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, but wild ones were rare; over ninety percent were cultivated.

The herbs were effective, but how they compared to the wild ones was uncertain.

Even those so-called wild mountain ginsengs weren’t genuine wild ginseng; they were seeds sown by human cultivators in the Secret Realm’s forests, left to grow on their own and then sold as wild ginseng.

This kind of ginseng was decent enough, but its age wasn’t long, since relying on humans to plant, waiting a decade or so was feasible, but who would wait hundreds or thousands of years to sell them?

These ginsengs sown in the woodlands, called undergrowth ginseng by locals, were considered good stuff.

But what Chen Guan wanted wasn’t this stuff; he wanted Heavenly and Earthly Treasures like millennia-old wild ginseng. These undergrowth ginsengs, grown for a dozen years, were good for average people, effective for energy replenishment, but to Chen Guan, they were no different from carrots, just smaller in size.

Chen Guan visited numerous shops, but the more he browsed, the more disappointed he became. True wild ginseng, if you could find a few hundred-year-old roots in this vast market, would be considered good; millennia-old wild ginseng was almost considered the flagship treasure of these herb shops.

A few roots like that weren’t of much use to Chen Guan.

Though a bit disappointed, Chen Guan patiently planned to explore the entire market before entering the Changbai Mountain Secret Realm.

As he continued looking, Chen Guan spotted a familiar herb, clusters of dark red fruits. Judging by their shape and details, they appeared to be Red Blood Vermilion Fruits.

However, they didn’t seem to be prime specimens, just ordinary ones that could quickly restore energy.

Having seen enough, as Chen Guan prepared to leave, the shop owner stopped him, "Brother, not satisfied with the quality of these Vermilion Fruits? I’ve got top-quality stuff here; care to take a look?"

"What top-quality stuff?" Chen Guan inquired.

"Mutant Red Blood Vermilion Fruits, interested?" the owner suggested.

"Yes," Chen Guan nodded immediately.

The so-called mutant Red Blood Vermilion Fruits were those stained with the Red Refining Demon Blood.

These Red Blood Vermilion Fruits were typically planted by the Spirit Devouring God to lure and consume Red Refining Demon Seeds; their initial effect was inferior to wild Vermilion Fruits.

But due to being stained with Red Refining Demon Blood, they became mutant Red Blood Vermilion Fruits, with effects comparable to wild ones.

"Old Liu, keep an eye on the stall," the owner asked the neighboring vendor to watch his stall and led Chen Guan to a warehouse he rented behind the market.

Chen Guan followed the owner left and right to a warehouse. Upon opening it, it was filled with materials piled everywhere, some Huangjing and such just stacked on the ground.

Many workers were inside, processing various herbs.

The owner led Chen Guan to the innermost part of the warehouse, where there was a plastic-covered greenhouse, filled with many herbs.

In one of the flower pots, there was a cluster of Red Blood Vermilion Fruits.

On the red vine, five Vermilion Fruits grew. Judging by their color, they indeed seemed to be mutant fruits.

With just a few glances, Chen Guan knew there was something off about these mutant Red Blood Vermilion Fruits.

Having seen authentic mutant Red Blood Vermilion Fruits, what he saw was very similar yet still had some differences.

Chen Guan could almost be certain that the shop owner likely transplanted these and used some other Secret Spirit’s blood to fake these Red Blood Vermilion Fruits.

Compared to those nurtured with Red Refining Demon Blood, these fruits’ effects wouldn’t match, and their maturity wasn’t complete, hastened by something else.

Just as Chen Guan was feeling disappointed, he saw a plant resembling an orchid next to the Red Blood Vermilion Fruits.

On that plant, he sensed a stirring that touched his very soul.