Chapter 22: The Ultimate Freshness, "The Classic of a Hundred Herbs" (Two-in-One Chapter)

"It was in the river outside the village. Xiaoyan and I went fishing yesterday and got lucky," Lu Qing replied.

"That small river actually has Green-Armored Fish of that age?" Old Doctor Chen was somewhat surprised.

The river outside the village wasn't particularly large; for a Green-Armored Fish to grow to this size was truly rare.

However, he suddenly realized that the surrounding villages didn't seem to rely on fishing for their livelihood.

Perhaps that was the reason why the Green-Armored Fish could grow so large.

"No wonder you said before that you felt you had a talent for fishing. To be able to produce a fish stone of such quality... the size of that Green-Armored Fish couldn't have been small. You actually managed to pull it up?"

Old Doctor Chen looked at Lu Qing's somewhat thin and frail body, unable to help but see him in a new light.

"It's also thanks to the silk thread you gave me, Grandpa Chen," Lu Qing said modestly. "Grandpa Chen, that thread is truly exceptionally tough. Without it, I really wouldn't have been able to pull up such a big fish."

"As long as it's useful. It's useless staying with me anyway," Old Doctor Chen waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned.

On the contrary, he took some interest in the wooden bucket Lu Qing was carrying.

"What do you have in that bucket? It looks quite heavy."

Because Lu Qing had placed some branches and leaves in the bucket when he left home to prevent the fish from being too startled, Old Doctor Chen couldn't see clearly what was inside.

"Inside are the things I want to give to you, Grandpa Chen." Lu Qing began to remove the leaves from the bucket. "Yesterday, Xiaoyan and I went fishing and caught two big fish in total. We ate the large Green-Armored Fish, and we thought of giving this smaller one to you to taste, Grandpa Chen."

"That's right, Grandpa Chen! This fish is so, so beautiful. Even Grandpa Zhang and the others didn't recognize what kind of fish it was," Xiaoyan added.

"Oh? Since you're being so thoughtful, I'll have to take a look at what kind of fish it is."

Hearing this, Old Doctor Chen's interest grew even stronger.

"It's this one."

Lu Qing cleared away all the leaves in the bucket and handed it to the old doctor.

The old doctor looked into the bucket. Seeing the fish that looked like flickering flames, his expression first jolted, and then he became visibly moved.

He blurted out, "This... is this a Red Moon Carp?"

The old doctor indeed recognized the fish.

Lu Qing's mind raced, but his face wore an expression of confusion.

"Grandpa Chen, do you know what kind of fish this is?"

Old Doctor Chen set Xiaoyan down, leaned forward, and reached into the bucket to poke at the fish. After a serious identification, he finally confirmed: "There's no mistake, this is a Red Moon Carp!"

The way Old Doctor Chen looked at Lu Qing was now truly astonished. "You actually managed to catch a rare fish like the Red Moon Carp?"

"Grandpa Chen, what is a Red Moon Carp?" Xiaoyan asked innocently.

"This Red Moon Carp... is quite something."

Seeing that Lu Qing also looked bewildered, Old Doctor Chen simply began to explain.

"The Red Moon Carp is a type of rare fish. In this world, anything that can be called a 'rare fish' has its own unique characteristics."

"The Red Moon Carp is famous for its deliciousness."

"Legend has it that its taste is incomparably exquisite; once you've tasted it once, it's hard to forget. Therefore, some enthusiasts call it one of the Ten Great Delicacies of the World."

"One of the Ten Great Delicacies of the World?"

This time, it was Lu Qing's turn to be surprised.

He hadn't expected that the Red Moon Carp would have such a great reputation.

It truly lived up to being a rare fish that could be evaluated as an "extremely delicious" item by his special ability.

"The big red fish is that amazing!" Xiaoyan was also somewhat stunned. "Then Grandpa Chen, have you ever eaten the big red fish?"

"I once had the fortune to taste this Red Moon Carp at a banquet for a nobleman. That taste..."

Old Doctor Chen didn't finish his sentence, but even Xiaoyan could see the lingering, appreciative expression on his face.

"Then giving this Red Moon Carp to you, Grandpa Chen, is the most appropriate thing," Lu Qing said.

"I wouldn't dare accept such a gift," Old Doctor Chen snapped back to reality. "Do you know how much money you could get if you took this Red Moon Carp into the city to sell it?"

Lu Qing shook his head.

"One hundred taels of silver." Old Doctor Chen held up one finger. Seeing the shock on Lu Qing's face, he continued, "The best quality Red Moon Carp can sell for at least one hundred taels of silver."

"A single fish is worth a hundred taels of silver?" Lu Qing gasped.

He knew that the purchasing power of silver in this world was very strong.

One tael of silver could allow a family of three to live comfortably for a month.

In his memory, even at the Lu family's wealthiest, their total assets probably didn't exceed ten taels of silver.

Now, a single fish being worth a hundred taels was truly beyond his expectations.

Crucially, this was only a rare fish with a hint of red light in its white glow. If it were a true Red-Light level spirit fish, how precious would that be?

"The world is a very large place, Lu Qing," Old Doctor Chen sighed. "The daily expenses of those noblemen are beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Do you know how much it costs for a nobleman to host a single banquet?"

Lu Qing shook his head again.

"At least a thousand taels of silver. If they are hosting distinguished guests, the cost is even more unimaginable."

"The Red Moon Carp is a rare, extremely delicious item. For those noblemen who don't lack money, what is a mere hundred taels compared to tasting such a delicacy?"

Lu Qing's mouth hung slightly open.

Half of this expression was feigned, but the other half was genuine shock.

As expected, no matter which world it was, when the rich indulged in luxury, it was always this exaggerated.

"Well? Do you still want to give this Red Moon Carp to this old man?"

Old Doctor Chen teased, looking at the incredulous expression on Lu Qing's face.

Lu Qing regained his composure, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded firmly. "I will. Of course I will. Compared to your life-saving kindness, Grandpa Chen, what is a hundred taels of silver? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be standing here, let alone catching this Red Moon Carp!"

"Hahahaha..."

Old Doctor Chen suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

He laughed for a while before stopping, his face filled with gratification. "Knowing you have such a heart makes this old man very happy. But I truly cannot accept this Red Moon Carp. It would be too much of a waste to let me eat such a precious fish."

"But Grandpa Chen..."

Lu Qing wanted to say more, but Old Doctor Chen raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Alright, it's settled. Leave the fish with me. In a couple of days, I'll take it to the city to sell it for you, and you can take the silver back for your household expenses."

Lu Qing's mouth opened, but in the end, he didn't insist. He simply said, "Alright. But Grandpa Chen, the money from selling the fish must first be used to pay back your previous medical fees."

"Deal!" Old Doctor Chen nodded.

However, he did not tell Lu Qing that among the medicinal ingredients in the decoction he had prescribed, the value of the precious herbs alone was not lower than this Red Moon Carp.

This was because the old doctor could see that Lu Qing was a youth with great self-respect.

If he knew the value of that decoction, he likely would never have accepted the money from the Red Moon Carp.

Old Doctor Chen looked at the Red Moon Carp in the bucket again.

Then he frowned. "It's a pity that although the quality of this Red Moon Carp is good, it is a bit too large. It might not be worth a hundred taels; its value might be slightly lower."

"Why, Grandpa Chen? Aren't fish better the bigger they are?" Xiaoyan asked, confused.

"Generally, that is the case, but the Red Moon Carp is different," Old Doctor Chen explained.

"The most precious thing about the Red Moon Carp is its freshness. A Red Moon Carp that has grown to about two catties is at its most delicious and tender. Once it exceeds that weight, even if the flavor doesn't diminish, the meat becomes slightly older, and its value naturally won't be as high."

Lu Qing could understand this point.

It was like certain seafood in his previous life; bigger wasn't always more expensive. In fact, when they were smaller, the unit price was often higher.

"Regardless of the value, I'll leave it in your hands, Grandpa Chen," Lu Qing said.

No matter how high the value of the Red Moon Carp was, Lu Qing had no way to sell it himself.

He believed that if he actually dared to show up in the city carrying such a rare fish, even if he could sell it, he probably wouldn't make it out of the city.

Perhaps only a cultivator like Old Doctor Chen had the standing to participate in such transactions.

"By the way, Red Moon Carps have always been rare and their habits are hard to discern. They like to be solitary and are difficult to track. How did you catch it?" Old Doctor Chen asked curiously.

"Maybe it was luck. After I caught that Green-Armored Fish yesterday, I fished for a while longer and happened to catch this Red Moon Carp," Lu Qing replied.

His mind, however, stirred slightly.

*Hard to discern their habits? If that's the case, even the old doctor doesn't know that Red Moon Carps like to eat Blood Apricots?*

"In that case, it really was your luck," Old Doctor Chen remarked with a sigh. "Perhaps Heaven saw that you two siblings were living too hard, so it bestowed this fortune upon you."

The old doctor thought of how Lu Qing's illness had suddenly improved.

Perhaps, the reason Lu Qing's illness had suddenly recovered was also due to this?

After reflecting for a moment, Old Doctor Chen placed the Red Moon Carp into a water vat in the house to keep it temporarily, and then proceeded to perform acupuncture on Lu Qing.

This time, after the acupuncture, Lu Qing's period of deep sleep was shorter than the last time.

When he woke up, he saw the old doctor still chatting and laughing with Xiaoyan in the courtyard, and a plate of yam cakes was still on the stone table.

"You're awake. Come, eat something first."

Seeing Lu Qing come out, Old Doctor Chen pushed the cakes on the table toward him.

This time, Lu Qing did not decline; he picked up a piece of cake and ate it slowly.

Old Doctor Chen observed the complexion on Lu Qing's face and nodded.

"Not bad. It seems you listened to my instructions these past few days and didn't neglect your eating and drinking."

"Grandpa Chen, brother and I have been eating delicious food every day! Brother's cooking is so yummy!" Xiaoyan boasted from the side.

"Mhm, Grandpa can tell." The old doctor patted the little one's head affectionately.

With his medical skills, how could he not see that the complexion of the two siblings was much better than it had been a few days ago?

After Lu Qing had eaten a few pieces of cake, the old doctor said leisurely, "I mentioned before that after this round of acupuncture, you would be allowed to study medicinal knowledge with me for half an hour. You still remember, right?"

Lu Qing immediately sat up straight and said solemnly, "Lu Qing certainly remembers."

"Then, do you still have the heart to study medicinal herbs?"

"Of course. Lu Qing's interest in medicinal herbs has never waned."

"That's good." Old Doctor Chen smiled. "I thought that after catching a Red Moon Carp and being on the verge of possessing a large sum of money, you might no longer want to follow the path of herb gathering."

"Lu Qing wants to learn about medicinal herbs not just for survival, but because I am truly curious about various miraculous herbs and want to know how they actually treat illnesses and save people," Lu Qing said seriously.

"In that case, follow me."

Old Doctor Chen stood up and walked toward the house.

Lu Qing hurried to follow him.

Once inside, Old Doctor Chen took out a book and placed it in Lu Qing's hands.

"This is the *Classic of a Hundred Herbs*. It records the names, illustrations, and growth habits of various medicinal herbs. Take it and study it well. Compare it with the herbs drying outside in the courtyard. If there is anything you don't understand, come and ask me."

Lu Qing froze, holding the book. "Grandpa Chen, didn't you say I would help you dry the herbs while learning from you?"

Now, he was being handed a medicinal classic directly.

Lu Qing knew that in this world, books were very precious.

Firstly, paper was expensive, and secondly, ink and brushes were also costly.

The original owner's grandfather, when fleeing refugees in the past, had brought nothing but a few books.

Unfortunately, during the flight, the books were lost.

As a result, when the original owner was a child, he often heard his grandfather sighing, saying that the loss of those family heirlooms was a failure to his ancestors.

Later, due to the family's poverty, they could not afford paper and ink, so Grandfather Lu had never been able to re-edit those ancient family texts.

Consequently, the original owner only knew a few characters, and his literacy was very shallow.

"What, are you unwilling?" Old Doctor Chen asked.

"Of course I am willing," Lu Qing said quickly.

He understood the preciousness of knowledge in this world.

"Then it's fine. You may start learning now."

Seeing that the old doctor had put it that way, Lu Qing could only take the book and return to the courtyard.

After giving Xiaoyan a few instructions, he walked to a quiet spot and opened the book.

However, after skimming through a few pages, Lu Qing couldn't help but frown.

Because in this *Classic of a Hundred Herbs*, many of the names of the medicinal herbs were quite strange, and the characters were very obscure.

The original owner's literacy was already limited.

Although he possessed memories from his previous life, the written languages of the two worlds were different.

There were some characters even he did not recognize.

This made the *Classic of a Hundred Herbs* very difficult to read.

At this rate, he didn't know how long it would take to master the knowledge within.

Lu Qing knew himself; he was not the type of person who was exceptionally brilliant.

Nor did he possess the ability to read ten lines at a glance and grasp everything instantly.

In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person with normal intelligence who studied hard and barely managed to get into an ordinary first-tier university.

Therefore, to master this *Classic of a Hundred Herbs* quickly, he estimated he would have to summon the same intense studying drive he had during his college entrance exams.

Giving himself a boost of encouragement, Lu Qing continued reading.

Then, as he was reading, a hazy white light suddenly emerged from the medicinal classic before his eyes.

[Classic of a Hundred Herbs: A book that records extensive knowledge of medicinal herbs.]

[Mastering this book may grant a rough understanding of all the herbs in the world.]

[Do you wish to proceed with the download?]

The first two lines were fine, but when the third line appeared, Lu Qing was completely stunned.

(End of Chapter)