Chapter 45: Century-old Wild Mountain Ginseng

A century-old ginseng!

When Lu Qing finished reading the information about the plant root in his hand, he was shocked.

This was actually a very precious medicinal herb recorded in the *Classic of a Hundred Herbs*—ginseng!

And its age had already exceeded a hundred years!

"Little thing, this gift of yours is quite a grand gesture!"

Looking at the ginseng in his hand and then at the small black beast, Lu Qing couldn't help but exclaim in wonder.

One had to know that among the hundreds of herbs recorded in the *Classic of a Hundred Herbs*, ginseng was undoubtedly one of the most precious.

Furthermore, its value increased the longer it aged.

A ginseng with a few decades of age already possessed excellent medicinal effects and was worth a fortune.

The one in his hand, which was over a century old, was even more rare.

In many pharmacies, it would be treated as a store treasure.

"It really wasn't for nothing that I caught so many fish for you."

Lu Qing was extremely happy.

Although he wasn't sure of the exact value of this century-old ginseng, it was clearly much higher than that of the Red Moon Carp.

After all, while the Red Moon Carp had nutritional benefits, the wealthy bought it more for its exquisite flavor.

But this century-old ginseng was different; it was something that could truly save a life.

Such precious medicinal herbs were often unavailable even if one had the money; as soon as they appeared, people would fight to grab them.

Not to mention, the aura of supernatural energy emanating from the ginseng in Lu Qing's hand carried a hint of red.

This indicated that the ginseng had already faintly acquired the characteristics of a spiritual medicine.

Compared to ordinary ginseng, the value of such a treasure was likely even more immense.

In comparison, the fish he had been feeding the small black beast these past few days were completely negligible.

Watching the Night Spirit狸 (Night Spirit Civet) leisurely licking its paws and washing its face nearby, Lu Qing's eyes shifted. He crouched down and said coaxingly, "Little guy, let's make a deal. If you encounter something like this again, bring it to me. Whatever fish you want to eat, I'll catch it for you, okay?"

If anyone were to see Lu Qing in this state, they would realize that his current smile looked exactly like a strange uncle trying to coax a child with candy.

It was unclear whether the small black beast understood Lu Qing's words. After finishing licking its paws, it merely gave Lu Qing a sidelong glance, then walked elegantly to the fence, gave a light leap, and vanished into the night.

This time, Lu Qing saw its gaze clearly. He felt as though he had just been looked down upon by a small beast.

Lu Qing froze for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. Although he had been looked down upon by a beast, he was still in a very pleasant mood.

Bringing the wooden basin back to the kitchen, Lu Qing rarely lit an oil lamp and found a damp cloth. He sat in the hall and, using the light, began to clean the soil from the ginseng.

As he meticulously cleaned it bit by bit, the full appearance of the ginseng gradually emerged.

The main body of this ginseng was quite plump, resembling a small radish. Its roots were long, and overall, it already vaguely resembled the shape of a human body. If it grew any longer, it might truly look like a little person.

Regrettably, some of the ginseng's fine roots were clearly broken, making its appearance less than perfect. It was evident that the small black beast had snapped them off while digging it up.

Though Lu Qing felt a sense of pity, he knew he couldn't be too greedy. To be honest, the fact that the small black beast could dig up a ginseng was surprising enough. He couldn't exactly demand that it dig it up perfectly like a professional herbalist.

After admiring the century-old ginseng for a while, Lu Qing carefully put it away. He planned to take it to his master tomorrow to see how to maximize its value.

After all, although he had studied the *Classic of a Hundred Herbs* thoroughly, when it came to the actual knowledge of herbs, he could not even begin to compare to his master, the divine physician.

The next morning, Lu Qing woke up and, following his master's example, practiced the Body-Nurturing Fist in the courtyard twice. Feeling refreshed, he then went to make breakfast.

After breakfast, he took Xiao Yan to the hillside courtyard. Upon seeing the old doctor, he immediately produced the century-old ginseng wrapped in cloth.

"Master, I unexpectedly obtained a medicinal herb last night. I wanted to ask for your expert opinion on how best to handle it."

"Oh? What kind of herb is it?" The old doctor asked, somewhat puzzled. Had his disciple gone herb-gathering in the middle of the night?

"It's this one." Lu Qing opened the cloth, revealing the ginseng.

"This is..." When the old doctor saw the herb clearly, his eyes widened instantly. "This is ginseng?!"

In his shock, the old doctor reached out and took the bundle from Lu Qing, picking up the ginseng to examine it closely.

"It truly is ginseng, and it's of excellent quality—a top-grade, fresh, century-old mountain ginseng!" After examining it for a long time, the old doctor let out a long sigh of admiration. "A-Qing, where did this ginseng come from? Did you go into the mountains last night?"

The old doctor looked at Lu Qing with great astonishment. A century-old mountain ginseng of this quality usually only grows in the deepest, most remote forests where humans rarely tread. Ordinary herbalists find it difficult to reach such areas. Even with his many years of experience, he had rarely encountered a few such specimens.

Judging by the freshness, it had clearly been dug up not long ago. How did Lu Qing get it? Could it be that he actually ventured into the deep mountains last night? But that was clearly impossible.

Facing the old doctor's confusion, Lu Qing smiled. "Master, you surely won't guess who gave this ginseng to me."

"Someone gave it to you? Who?" The old doctor became even more curious. Who would be so extravagant as to give away such a precious century-old mountain ginseng?

"It was that small black beast I told you about. After I fed it fish last night, it brought this ginseng to me."

"It was that black beast?" The old doctor was greatly shocked.

Lu Qing then recounted the events of last night in detail. Not only did the old doctor listen with continuous amazement, but Xiao Yan, standing nearby, also stared with wide eyes.

"It seems this black beast indeed possesses extremely high intelligence, reaching the level of human-like consciousness," the old doctor marveled after hearing the story.

"I feel the same way. I think it might even understand what we are saying." Lu Qing thought of the disdainful look the Night Spirit Civet had given him before leaving last night.

"This is the benefit of doing good deeds," the old doctor said, stroking his beard. "If you hadn't been kind that day and hadn't driven it away, but instead fed it fish every night, how could you have gained this karmic connection today?"

*Was I being kind by not driving it away? I simply didn't dare to!* Hearing his master's words, Lu Qing felt a wave of embarrassment. That little thing was incredibly powerful; who would dare provoke it?

"Master, according to what you said, this ginseng is over a hundred years old. What is its value?" Lu Qing asked.