Under the envious gazes of others, Chen Mo endured his position until the concert concluded.
"I'm heading back. Contact me if anything comes up," Mo Xiaojing said, glancing at Chen Mo.
Chen Mo nodded.
Seeing Mo Xiaojing leave, Chen Mo finally felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, the two of them hadn't escalated their confrontation further; otherwise, Chen Mo truly wouldn't have known how to resolve the situation.
After the concert ended, Meng Chang personally came backstage to take photos with Tian Mengyao and her group. An Qi and the others were ecstatic. They had never dreamed they would have the opportunity to take a photo with their goddess, Meng Chang.
Meng Chang had initially wanted to invite Tian Mengyao and Chen Mo to their celebration banquet, but Chen Mo directly refused. It was already eleven o'clock at night, and Tian Mengyao was injured and shouldn't stay up late. Zhou Tianchang personally drove Chen Mo and Tian Mengyao back to the hospital.
Only after seeing Tian Mengyao asleep did Chen Mo return to his rented apartment. Upon his return, Du Huili and Xiao Wen were already asleep. Chen Mo moved quietly and went directly into the kitchen. Xu Chengping had brought many medicinal herbs that day, and Chen Mo decided to use the night to boil them into a medicinal paste to enhance his strength.
By five in the morning, Chen Mo had finally finished preparing a pot of medicinal paste. He entered the bathroom and applied the scalding paste all over his body. A familiar cool sensation swept through him, and his drowsiness vanished. However, just as Chen Mo was about to rinse off the paste, he suddenly noticed that it hadn't scabbed over but remained in a viscous state.
"Old Ancestor, what's going on?" Chen Mo exclaimed in surprise, calling out to the Old Ancestor.
"Your body has reached a state of saturation," the Old Ancestor's voice echoed.
"Saturation? Does that mean this medicinal paste won't be effective for me anymore?" Chen Mo asked, astonished.
The Old Ancestor replied irritably, "You brat, doesn't saturation lead to breakthroughs? As long as you break through the bottleneck, you'll naturally be able to continue absorbing this medicinal power."
Hearing this, Chen Mo finally understood the Old Ancestor's meaning. "Old Ancestor, are you saying my strength is about to break through?"
"Indeed."
"So, I'm going to get stronger again?" Chen Mo stood in the bathroom, filled with excitement.
"You brat, don't get happy too soon. Breakthroughs aren't always successful, and failure can be life-threatening."
"Ah?" Chen Mo, who had just become excited, felt as if he'd been doused with a bucket of cold water.
"However, for your Old Ancestor, this is a simple matter. If I can find a Nine-Leaf Ginseng, I can guarantee you a one hundred percent successful breakthrough." The Old Ancestor's voice sounded again.
"Nine-Leaf Ginseng? That should be difficult to find, right?" Chen Mo asked.
"How would I know? In my era, Nine-Leaf Ginseng was just like weeds in front of my house."
Chen Mo's eyelids twitched a few times. He had a feeling the Old Ancestor was bragging, but he had no proof. After rinsing off, Chen Mo decided to ask Xu Chengping directly once it was daylight. Having been in the medicinal herb business for so many years, Xu Chengping would likely know the whereabouts of the Nine-Leaf Ginseng. As for the breakthrough, Chen Mo dared not attempt it lightly. It wasn't that he was timid, but he wouldn't do something without a certain degree of certainty.
The next morning, after breakfast, Chen Mo headed directly to Shenzhi Tang. Upon learning of Chen Mo's arrival, Xu Chengping, the manager of Shenzhi Tang, rushed out to greet him and led Chen Mo to a VIP room on the second floor.
"Director Chen, you could have just called if you needed anything. Why bother coming all this way?" Xu Chengping politely poured Chen Mo a cup of tea.
Chen Mo didn't hide anything. "Boss Xu, to be honest, I need a medicinal herb right now. I wonder if you can help me."
"What herb? As long as it's available on the market, I, Xu Chengping, can find it for you!" Xu Chengping boasted.
"Nine-Leaf Ginseng. I wonder if you have it here, Boss Xu?"
"What?!" Upon hearing the name of the herb, Xu Chengping was instantly stunned.
"Nine-Leaf Ginseng," Chen Mo repeated. Xu Chengping's expression turned somewhat awkward. After all, he had just bragged, and now his words were quickly being put to the test. He could only respond awkwardly, "To be frank, Director Chen, we don't have Nine-Leaf Ginseng here. This kind of ginseng is extremely rare. Once discovered, it's usually sent to auction houses and never sold in pharmacies."
"Then, Boss Xu, do you have any way to obtain this Nine-Leaf Ginseng?" Chen Mo asked, frowning slightly.
Xu Chengping fell into thought. Then, his eyes suddenly lit up. "How could I forget? Tomorrow morning, Galen Auction House is holding a private auction. I recall seeing a Nine-Leaf Ginseng advertised during their promotion!"
"Galen Auction House?" Chen Mo clearly hadn't heard of it.
Xu Chengping explained, "This is an auction specifically tailored for private clients, only inviting members and not open to the public. We at Shenzhi Tang are fortunate to be members and have the qualification to attend."
"If Director Chen needs it, I can take you to the Galen Auction House tomorrow."
Chen Mo was delighted. However, Xu Chengping added, "It's just that the price of Nine-Leaf Ginseng is extremely high. I remember at an auction two years ago, a single Nine-Leaf Ginseng fetched a high price of thirty million!"
"How much?!" Before Chen Mo could celebrate, he was startled by the figure.
"Thirty million, and that was two years ago. The price is certainly higher now," Xu Chengping replied.
"Alright, I understand. I'll trouble you tomorrow, Boss Xu."
"You're too kind, Director Chen. There's no need to say such things. It is my honor to be able to assist you," Xu Chengping said quickly, cupping his hands.
Chen Mo didn't say anything further and prepared to take his leave. After all, he had to find a way to get thirty million; otherwise, if he couldn't break through, his life would be in danger!
Just as Chen Mo was about to leave, Xu Chengping suddenly said, "Director Chen, I have an unpromising nephew who happened to come to the store today. I'd like to introduce you two, and I hope you can offer him some guidance and support."
"Nephew?" Chen Mo frowned slightly, a figure seeming to appear in his mind.
"Yong'er, hurry up and come in to meet Director Chen," Xu Chengping called out towards the door.
As soon as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and a young man walked in. However, the moment the young man clearly saw Chen Mo in the room, he froze in place, his expression one of shock. "Chen, Chen Mo?! How, how is it you!" He hadn't expected that the renowned doctor his uncle, Xu Chengping, had texted him to meet would be Chen Mo!
"Xu Yong? It really is you." Chen Mo also smiled. He had suspected it might be his classmate Xu Yong earlier, and it turned out to be him.