I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 164 - 162: Spirit Ginseng Suicide

Upon reaching the Ye Family, Housekeeper Hu instructed the servants to open the main gate in welcome and respectfully escorted Li Xing, Qi Ming, and Cui Tianxiao to the drawing room where Ye Chun was already waiting.

Unlike the lavish style of the Chu Family, the Ye Family’s architecture was understated and elegant, with a pastoral flair. The white walls and gray tiles resembled the houses in the Jiangnan region of Blue Star. The drawing room also had a Chinese-style decor, with solid wood furniture and calligraphy on the walls that made Li Xing feel inexplicably at home.

"Master, the guests have arrived."

From the moment they stepped into the drawing room, Ye Chun excitedly stood up and walked over to Qi Ming, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

"The resemblance! Simply uncanny! He’s exactly like Qi Lang when he was young!"

Seeing Qi Ming was like seeing the spirited youth of a hundred years ago, as if their adventurous days together were just yesterday. Tears shimmered in Ye Chun’s eyes.

"Qi Ming pays respects to the Ye Family Head!"

Ye Chun laughed heartily and said, "Calling me the Family Head is too formal. I was good friends with your great-grandfather; you can call me Grandpa, just like Qingtian does."

Qi Ming nodded shyly in agreement.

Ye Chun then turned his attention to Li Xing, becoming increasingly convinced of this girl’s exceptional grace and extraordinary temperament. Who would have thought that someone who was just an amateur Healing Master a year ago would now, like his eldest son, enter the ranks of advanced Healing Masters.

Such a person is destined for greatness, much like a dragon that one day transforms by catching the wind. The Ye Family’s early connection and friendship with her were all thanks to Qingtian.

"Li Xing pays respects to the Ye Family Head!"

In front of Li Xing, Ye Chun didn’t put on any airs. He cupped his fist in a respectful gesture, smiling as he said, "Mr. Li, I’ve long heard of your great name and finally have the honor to meet you today. Your presence surpasses the reputation! Hahaha!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Li Xing responded with a smile, "Ye Old Master, you flatter me. Thanks to Qingtian’s care for so long, I should have come to visit earlier, but was delayed by trivial matters. It was truly my fault, and I hope Ye Old Master will forgive me!"

"Hahaha, no worries, no worries!"

Ye Chun glanced over Cui Tianxiao, acknowledging him with just a nod. After all, this kid comes and goes often, much like his own grandson, so there’s no need to be overly formal with him.

Cui Tianxiao, also unconcerned with formality, had no sense of restraint in front of Ye Chun. He got straight to the point, asking, "Grandpa, where is Qingtian? He’s the one who asked us to come, so why isn’t he here?"

Ye Chun’s smiling expression was replaced by a worried frown. He sighed deeply, saying, "Our Ye Family is facing a serious issue this time. It might even escalate into a disaster affecting the entire clan. The reason we invited you here is to seek Mr. Li’s help."

Li Xing was puzzled, "Me? What can I help with?"

"It’s a long story. Qingtian has been at the medicine garden in the rear mountain for the past ten days and can’t come back. I’ll take you to him and explain in detail on the way."

Housekeeper Hu drove an off-road vehicle, carrying Ye Chun, Li Xing, Qi Ming, and Cui Tianxiao towards the medicine garden. On the way, Ye Chun recounted the events of the past ten days to them, explaining why Qingtian couldn’t return to school.

The Ye Family had been residing in Cuihuan City for generations, and their largest industry was herbal cultivation. Due to the unique geographical advantages suited for herb growth and the numerous clan members with the Wood Element Spirit, the Ye Family’s herbs were always of the highest quality and quantity.

Thousands of high-end herbal stores on Qianyuan Continent sourced their herbs from the Ye Family, making herbal sales the primary economic lifeline of the Ye Family.

A particular herb called the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, exclusively grown on the medicine mountain governed by the Ye Family, couldn’t be found elsewhere on Qianyuan Continent. It became the specialty signature herb of the Ye Family.

Historically, during periods of decline for the Ye Family, they relied on selling Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng to make enough money to rise again and remain a noble family.

The Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng helped the Ye Family, which remained grateful by leaving an ancestral instruction: unless it related to a matter of family survival, they must never sell the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng in large quantities. As long as it existed, the Ye Family could not abandon their ancestral land.

Twelve days ago, the Healing Master responsible for caring for herbs noticed that a stalk of Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng had been uprooted but not taken away, left on the ground by the sun to dry out.

The Healing Master reported this to the Steward, who, recognizing the significance, immediately intensified supervision, dispatching two Healing Masters and eighteen martial masters for around-the-clock watch over the ginseng garden.

Unexpectedly, this strict watch led to a shocking discovery for the family—the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng wasn’t pulled out by someone; it leaped out on its own!

After the first stalk, more Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng started emerging from the soil, like an infectious outbreak, with more and more leaping to their demise.

Although this was unbelievable, Ye Chun and other Ye Family members witnessed it firsthand and could not deny the reality.

Even without understanding the cause, herbs removed from the soil for a long time would definitely affect their efficacy and even threaten their survival.

The Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng was too crucial for the Ye Family to risk any loss. So, the Ye Family began assigning more people to forcibly replant the ginseng that leaped from the soil.

But these ginseng stalks seemed to have springs attached, leaping out again shortly after being replanted, forcing the family to tirelessly dig holes and replant.

If there had been only a few stalks, it would’ve been manageable. But with tens of thousands acting up simultaneously, even the entire Ye Family was overwhelmed.

In the end, it was Elder Ye Mubai who came up with a solution, having Ye Qingting use the Ice Element to cool the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng, putting them into a false dormant state.

This method proved effective, as the ginseng ceased to jump, but it put a strain on Ye Qingting, who couldn’t leave the rear mountain.

During this respite, the Ye Family sought experts familiar with herbs to investigate the cause of the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng’s anomaly, but to no avail.

When solutions were exhausted, Ye Qingting recommended Li Xing to Ye Chun, believing her unconventional approach might succeed where other Healing Masters failed.

Since Ye Chun learned that Li Xing was the amateur Healing Master who developed the Spirit Fruit Powder in the past, he had an inexplicable confidence in Qingtian’s judgment and immediately decided to invite her over.

Ye Chun: "Mr. Li, the artificially induced dormancy can last a maximum of fifteen days. Beyond that, the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng will bloom and seed, then quickly wither and die. Whether the seeds will sprout, or even if they can, is unknown. The Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng is vital to the Ye Family’s fortune, so I must ask for your considerable efforts!"

"Uh—I will certainly do my best."

Though she voiced determination, Li Xing had no real confidence. Her expertise lay in Alchemy, not cultivating Spirit Plants, and she had never even heard of such an unusual phenomenon with the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng. What could she possibly do?

Despite how unprepared she felt, out of respect for Qingtian, Li Xing decided to tackle the problem head-on and see what she could discover.