I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 96 - 93: Mediocre Cultivation Talent, but Boundless Ambition
The moment Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing stepped through the door, the Shopkeeper recognized them.
Chu Fan had previously come to buy the medicinal ingredients for a "Bone Marrow Forging" bath, spending a thousand taels of silver in one go. He was an extremely generous customer.
"My two young sirs have returned!" the Shopkeeper said, rubbing his hands together as he approached, his face wreathed in a smile. "What can I get for you today?"
Chu Fan’s gaze swept across the counter. "Shopkeeper, do you have any Treasure Plants?"
"Aha! You’ve certainly come to the right person!" The Shopkeeper slapped his thigh, a perfectly measured look of pride on his face. "Just two days ago, an old Hunter from the mountains brought me something special. It’s not something I’d show to just anyone."
He lowered his voice, affecting a mysterious tone. "Wait just a moment. I’ll go get it."
With that, he turned and disappeared into the back room.
Chu Fan turned his head and said in a low voice, "Tianxing, keep an eye on things outside."
"Understood." Zhao Tianxing angled his body toward the entrance, his eyes sweeping over Sun Zixuan and his companions outside.
A short while later, the Shopkeeper emerged carrying a rosewood tray lined with red velvet. He moved with extreme care, as if he were holding a peerless treasure.
He gently placed the tray on the counter and pushed it toward Chu Fan, his voice laced with a touch of pride. "Gentlemen, please take a look. Its quality, its Spiritual Mechanism... this is a rare treasure indeed!"
Chu Fan’s eyes fell upon the tray.
On the red velvet lay two ginseng roots.
Both roots were about half a foot long, with branching rootlets and yellowish-brown skin still dotted with flecks of dirt.
However, judging by the state of the dirt, it had been some time since they were unearthed—not "dug up two days ago" as the Shopkeeper claimed.
The Shopkeeper pointed to the rhizome head, launching into an enthusiastic, spittle-flecked spiel. "Look at this crown! Dense and compact—you can tell at a glance it has weathered the elements!"
"And look at the skin—aged yet smooth! The wrinkles—deep and dense! This is the sign of an old mountain ginseng, at least fifty years old!"
"And the rootlets, so fine and orderly, with pearl-like nodules faintly visible. The Spiritual Mechanism is hidden within! Just smell it—isn’t the ginseng aroma wonderfully pure?"
He deliberately pushed the tray closer to Chu Fan’s nose.
An earthy ginseng aroma wafted over, carrying with it a faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation of Spiritual Mechanism.
Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing exchanged a look.
Compared to the one Zhao Tianxing had, these two wild mountain ginsengs were practically weeds!
But they both knew that finding a treasure like Zhao Tianxing’s in a place like this was nearly impossible.
If something that valuable truly appeared, it would have caused a city-wide sensation, with every major power scrambling to get their hands on it.
Setting aside its other effects, just its ability to heal wounds and dissolve Evil Qi could save a life in a critical moment. It was practically a resurrection tool!
That was like having an extra life!
How could the wealthy not go crazy for it?
After consuming half a wild mountain ginseng root, Chu Fan had gained Primordial Energy. In his spare time, he had researched a great deal in the Seven Stars Gang’s Library Pavilion and had also asked Master Cao many questions about Treasure Plants.
As a result, he now knew a thing or two about mountain ginseng and could roughly determine the value of the two specimens before him.
For Martial Artists who had reached the Mortal Transformation realm, these two wild mountain ginsengs were perhaps nothing special, as the Spiritual Mechanism they contained was not particularly abundant.
But for those in the Blood Refining Realm or Bone Marrow Forging realm, they were quite useful, capable of temporarily boosting qi and blood and strengthening muscles and bones.
Seeing Chu Fan observing silently without a word, the Shopkeeper assumed he was intimidated and decided to strike while the iron was hot. "I won’t lie to you, a spirit ginseng of this quality would fetch at least this much at a major apothecary in Qing Province!"
As he spoke, he held up five fingers and shook them.
Zhao Tianxing’s eyes widened. "Five hundred taels?"
The Shopkeeper choked at his words, almost coughing up blood. His voice rose a few pitches. "Five thousand taels! At least five thousand!"
Zhao Tianxing was dumbfounded.
But Chu Fan’s expression remained perfectly calm.
The Shopkeeper continued, "Since you two are loyal customers of Hundred Herbs Hall, if you’re serious about buying, I’ll give you a fair price—twelve hundred taels for one, or if you take both, I’ll make it twenty-three hundred for the pair! How about it?"
He said this with a pained expression, as if he were taking a huge loss.
Chu Fan lifted his gaze, calmly meeting the shrewdness and eagerness in the Shopkeeper’s eyes. The corners of his mouth turned up in a faint, unreadable smile.
"These two wild mountain ginsengs before me... the bowls on their crowns are sparse and shallow, a clear sign of their youth—thirty years at most, perhaps only twenty."
Chu Fan began languidly, "Your so-called ’deep wrinkles’ are mostly just shriveled creases from being bumped around during harvesting and transport, not the tight, natural lines that come with age."
"The rootlets may look long, but they are actually thin and brittle. Many of the tips are already broken."
"As for the ’pearl-like nodules,’ they are sparse, dull, and almost invisible—a result of very little Spiritual Mechanism accumulation."
"And that aroma... the smell of dirt far outweighs the medicinal scent. The meager Spiritual Mechanism is so erratic it can’t even hold a stable form."
"They clearly grew in an area with thin Spiritual Mechanism and barely absorbed any Spirituality. I’m afraid their medicinal potency is only slightly better than that of an ordinary, aged ginseng."
The smile on the Shopkeeper’s face froze instantly, replaced by a look of awkwardness.
Zhao Tianxing stared at Chu Fan, his eyes wide in disbelief.
Chu Fan chuckled to himself.
Even before his Literacy had reached Perfection, he already possessed an unforgettable memory.
Thus, when he was researching mountain ginseng and Treasure Plants in the Seven Stars Gang’s Library Pavilion, he had already committed the contents of those books to memory.
He just hadn’t expected to put the knowledge to use so soon.
Seeing the Shopkeeper’s awkward expression, Chu Fan said calmly, "Eight hundred taels for both."
All Treasure Plants in this world contained abundant Spiritual Mechanism.
Even if this wild mountain ginseng was only thirty-odd years old, it was still beneficial to Martial Artists—it could boost qi and blood, strengthen muscles and bones, and even be converted into Mortal Transformation Qi.
Four hundred taels a root was a price Chu Fan could reluctantly accept.
The Shopkeeper nearly choked, his face flushing crimson and his voice trembling. "Young sir, you must be joking! That price doesn’t even cover my costs! If you weren’t such loyal customers, I’d have thrown you out already!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
Chu Fan remained unhurried. "Then name a real price."
The Shopkeeper gritted his teeth. "Nineteen hundred taels. Not a tael less!"
Zhao Tianxing was inwardly speechless. ’He dropped the price by four hundred taels just like that? Chu Fan’s bargaining skills are incredible.’
But Chu Fan acted as if he hadn’t heard, tapping his finger lightly on the counter. "Eight hundred taels."
"You’re trying to kill me!" the Shopkeeper wailed, beating his chest and stomping his foot.
