Chapter 9: Make a Deal
Time flies, and a year has passed in a flash.
During this year, Long Chen has one week of special training every month.
After these days of arduous special training, his progress is obvious.
His body has become more resilient, and his agility has increased.
Mountaineering is no longer a challenge for him, but a joy of self-transcendence in the process of climbing.
His steps are light and steady, and he can climb even the steep mountain roads with ease.
He can shuttle flexibly between branches, as fast as a monkey in the forest.
Ye Tianming trained Long Chen's physical fitness to prepare for future battles with soul beasts.
Except for the period of training in the Soul Beast Forest, Long Chen spent the rest of his time training and researching medicinal herbs.
Whether it is the improvement of his soul power or his theoretical knowledge of medicine, he has made considerable progress.
During the special training in the Soul Beast Forest, Long Chen had picked many rare medicinal herbs.
One day, he visited a medical clinic called "Guang'an Hall" on the street.
Guang'an Hall treats people and has its own pharmacy. It isn't very big but has a good reputation. It is an ideal place for Long Chen to study.
Long Chen walked into the pharmacy of Guang'an Hall.
The pharmacy was filled with the unique aroma of medicinal materials.
Rows of wooden medicine cabinets were neatly placed with various medicinal materials, and several shop assistants were busy picking and packing medicine.
Long Chen walked to the counter and asked softly, "Excuse me, is your shopkeeper here?"
A shop assistant looked up at Long Chen and, seeing that he was just a child, showed a little contempt, thinking he was here to cause trouble. He casually replied, "What do you want to see our shopkeeper for?"
After that, he lowered his head and continued to sort out the medicinal materials in his hands.
Long Chen didn't care about the assistant's attitude. He slowly took out a jade box from his arms and gently opened it. A plant of orchid spirit grass emitting a faint green light came into view.
The shop assistant glanced at this from the corner of his eye and immediately looked up, surprise flashing in his eyes.
Orchid spirit grass was an extremely rare medicinal material, usually only grown in places where soul beasts often appeared.
Moreover, this was fresh orchid spirit grass, which was even rarer.
"This... is this orchid?" The clerk's voice was trembling with disbelief.
Long Chen nodded calmly, "Yes, I want to use it to negotiate a deal with the shopkeeper of your hall."
Though Long Chen's voice was light, it revealed a calmness beyond his age.
Seeing this, the clerk's attitude immediately changed. He quickly put down the work in his hands and smiled, "Little brother, wait a moment, I'll go get the shopkeeper."
The clerk hurried to the back hall, looking back as he walked, fearing Long Chen might change his mind.
After a while, an old man in his sixties, wearing a long robe, walked out of the back hall.
The old man walked steadily, his eyes full of wisdom.
He approached Long Chen and bowed slightly, "I am the shopkeeper Wang of Guang'an Hall. I heard you have the orchid spirit grass. May I borrow it for a look?"
"Of course," Long Chen said, handing over the jade box without hesitation.
Shopkeeper Wang took the jade box and carefully examined the orchid spirit grass, his face showing a satisfied smile.
"Brother, your orchid spirit grass is of high quality and rare. I wonder what you want to exchange it for?" he asked.
Long Chen had already made a plan in his mind. He replied, "I want to use it in exchange for the opportunity to learn about herbs and refine pills in your hall."
"What?" Shopkeeper Wang frowned, thinking he had heard wrong.
You see, this was a very rare herb, and Long Chen's request was so simple.
Shopkeeper Wang studied Long Chen carefully. To keep the orchid grass fresh, a jade device was required. This young man in front of him seemed to know this at a young age, which meant he was definitely not ordinary.
"Little brother, who are you? Did you secretly take this orchid grass from home? If your parents are soul masters, I can't afford to offend them."
Long Chen shook his head and smiled. "Shopkeeper Wang, don't worry. To be honest, I am a soul master. I dug this orchid grass in the Sunset Forest."
Shopkeeper Wang was even more confused after hearing this.
"Since you're a soul master, why waste time learning medicine and refining pills?"
"It's just my personal hobby. I've been studying herbs for more than a year and hope to put what I've learned into practice," Long Chen explained.
Shopkeeper Wang was slightly stunned, then laughed. "What an ambitious young man! Although my Guang'an Hall isn't big, it's well-known in Tiandou City. If you're willing, come and learn. I'll personally teach you the knowledge of herbs and the art of refining pills."
Long Chen was overjoyed. "Thank you for your help, shopkeeper. By the way, I have another rare herb here. Take a look."
Long Chen took out a small iron box from his arms and opened it gently.
Inside was a fiery red herb that looked like a lotus but exuded a faint medicinal fragrance – the Fire Lotus Fruit.
This Fire Lotus Fruit was also an extremely rare medicinal material and played an irreplaceable role in refining certain specific elixirs.
Seeing this, Shopkeeper Wang was even more surprised. He took the iron box, carefully observed the Fire Lotus Fruit, and said in amazement, "Fire Lotus Fruit! This is a pleasant surprise. Little brother, where did you get it from?"
Long Chen smiled and explained, "I accidentally found it on a cliff in the Sunset Forest."
After hearing this, Shopkeeper Wang secretly admired Long Chen's courage and strength.
"By the way, little brother, what's your name?"
"My name is Long Chen, you can just call me Xiao Chen."
"Xiao Chen, can you sell me this Fire Lotus Fruit?"
"Of course! I want to exchange it for something with you."
Shopkeeper Wang was delighted. "Xiao Chen, what do you want to exchange it for?"
"For two pieces of whale glue of better quality, at least thousand-year-old."
"What?" Shopkeeper Wang was shocked again by Long Chen's request.
Whale glue was an aphrodisiac, which was only circulated and used among the nobles.
As an experienced doctor, Shopkeeper Wang certainly knew its function.
However, he couldn't understand why a child would want it.
"Xiao Chen, what do you want whale glue for?"
"Shopkeeper Wang, don't worry. I know it's an aphrodisiac. I just want to study it with other herbs, nothing else."
Shopkeeper Wang nodded, though half-believingly.
This rare Fire Lotus Fruit was more than enough to exchange for two thousand-year-old whale glue.
Adding the orchid spirit grass, this was a big profit for the shop.
"Xiao Chen, I have whale glue in my medicine shop, but the quality is not up to your standards. Let me prepare it, and you can come back in two days to pick it up."
"No problem. I'll leave this Fire Lotus Fruit with you first. If there are any rare herbs in the future, I will sell them to you at a price lower than the market price."
"Okay. In the future, whatever you want to learn, I will teach you without reservation."
Seeing that Long Chen was so straightforward and eager to learn, Shopkeeper Wang was also very happy and expressed his willingness to teach him everything he knew.
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(End of this chapter)