Lin Xiao Tian's first thought was of the Yuan Gathering Pill, but its production rate was too low, making large-scale production exceedingly difficult for him in his current state.
As Lin Xiao Tian pondered, Qin Yu Xiang's voice drifted in from outside.
"Xiao Tian, Er Mao is here. He says he has something urgent to tell you and that you'd agreed to meet. I asked him what it was, but he wouldn't say. Do you want to come out and see him?"
"Er Mao?" Lin Xiao Tian recalled his previous conversation with Er Mao. Could Er Mao be here to trade for the Spring Return Grass?
Unfortunately, given Er Mao's efficiency, even if he mobilized all the village children to search, it would still fall far short of Lin Xiao Tian's needs.
However, he had promised Er Mao earlier, so he naturally had to keep his word.
"Coming," Lin Xiao Tian replied, then stepped out of the room.
Outside, Lin Xiao Tian saw Er Mao, but to his surprise, Er Mao was not carrying any herbs.
"Er Mao, what's up?" Lin Xiao Tian patted his head.
"Xiao Tian, you said before that you'd buy a stalk of grass for one dollar. Is that still good?" Er Mao asked.
"Of course, it's still good. Did you find some? Let me see it."
"I can't bring it out," Er Mao said. "But, Xiao Tian, I found a place with a lot of those grasses."
Lin Xiao Tian's heart leaped at this. He quickly asked, "Where? I'll go take a look."
"Well..." Er Mao paused, looking at Lin Xiao Tian with a smile.
Lin Xiao Tian knew exactly what he meant. "Go ahead! What reward do you want?"
"Hehe, you understand me so well, Xiao Tian," Er Mao grinned. "Didn't you say one dollar per stalk? I counted, and there are at least hundreds of those grasses there, but the place is too steep for me to get to."
"Xiao Tian, I don't want to take advantage of you. We discussed it, and we've decided on a lump sum. If you agree, not only will we take you there, but we'll also guard the grasses there for you in the future."
Looking at Er Mao, who was acting like a businessman, Lin Xiao Tian was amused and speechless.
"You brat, still saying you don't want to take advantage of me! Alright then! Name your price, how much?"
Seeing that Lin Xiao Tian had agreed, Li Er Mao proudly held up one finger.
Lin Xiao Tian blinked, thinking a thousand dollars. If there were truly that many Spring Return Grasses, it wouldn't be a loss.
"One hundred dollars!" Er Mao's voice came.
Lin Xiao Tian was stunned, not quite processing it.
Seeing Lin Xiao Tian fall silent, Er Mao thought he had quoted too high and quickly added, "You won't even give me a hundred dollars! Xiao Tian... you're too stingy. If that's no good, fifty... that would be alright too!"
"Such a big jump?" Lin Xiao Tian deliberately teased Li Er Mao.
"This is our sincere offer, based on our past friendship. If you still don't agree, then... then forget it," Li Er Mao said stubbornly, frowning.
Seeing Li Er Mao's earnestness, Lin Xiao Tian couldn't hold back his laughter.
"What are you laughing at?" Li Er Mao asked, confused.
"Haha! Er Mao, how about this! Let's not do fifty or a hundred. You take me there, and if there really are that many herbs, I'll give you one thousand dollars all at once."
"A thousand? Say that again?" Li Er Mao doubted he had heard correctly.
"A thousand, as a sign of our past friendship," Lin Xiao Tian stuck out his tongue at Li Er Mao.
"You... you can't go back on your word!" Li Er Mao said excitedly.
"Don't worry, I won't lie, provided there really are that many herbs," Lin Xiao Tian said seriously.
"Alright! Then come with me!"
Ten minutes later, on a cliff face in Black Mountain, Lin Xiao Tian finally saw the place Er Mao had spoken of.
No wonder Er Mao came empty-handed. Such a cliff was impassable not only for a child like Er Mao but perhaps even for an adult.
However, just as Er Mao had said, there were indeed quite a few Spring Return Grasses here. Lin Xiao Tian estimated at least several thousand stalks.
This quantity was more than enough for large-scale production of beauty cream.
More importantly, according to the Divine Farmer's Medical Canon, places where Spring Return Grass grew in abundance often harbored precious herbs!
Lin Xiao Tian's anticipation grew.
"Xiao Tian, see, I didn't lie to you!" Li Er Mao said proudly.
"Er Mao, thank you. This is for you," Lin Xiao Tian said, pulling out several red banknotes.
"This... this is too much!" Li Er Mao was a little overwhelmed by the sight of so much cash.
"What's wrong? Don't you want it? Then I'll take it back."
"Hey, hey! Wait! I want it!" Li Er Mao quickly said.
Lin Xiao Tian stopped teasing Li Er Mao and gave him the one thousand dollars.
After receiving the money, Li Er Mao still seemed uneasy and did not leave immediately.
"Xiao Tian, I can't take this money for nothing. I'll watch these grasses for you from now on, and I guarantee no one will dare to touch them!" Li Er Mao said earnestly.
Lin Xiao Tian smiled and said no more, instead suggesting Li Er Mao head back quickly.
After Er Mao left, Lin Xiao Tian surveyed the cliff face, then found a spot where the Spring Return Grass was densely clustered and leaped down onto the cliff.
Following this, Lin Xiao Tian moved step by step towards his target.
The Spring Return Grass was most abundant here, which usually meant something valuable was hidden.
Lin Xiao Tian held onto the rock with one hand and began to grope with the other.
The next moment, his eyes lit up.
"Is this... wild ginseng?"
Wild ginseng was no ordinary ginseng; it was an extremely precious medicinal ingredient with the effect of prolonging life.
Furthermore, the older the wild ginseng, the higher its market price!
Wild ginseng over twenty years old was almost impossible to find in pharmacies and had to be obtained through specialized channels.
And wild ginseng over a hundred years old was almost never seen outside of auctions!
Lin Xiao Tian quickly pushed away the soil around the wild ginseng, and soon, it was fully exposed.
The age of wild ginseng could be judged by its skin color and the "lu tou" (the knob-like part where the roots emerge). Lin Xiao Tian looked at the wild ginseng he had dug out; its skin color was deep, and its "lu tou" had more than three hundred nodes.
"Three-hundred-year-old wild ginseng?" Lin Xiao Tian's eyes gleamed.
Wild ginseng of this caliber was no longer considered a mere medicinal ingredient but a collectible!
Lin Xiao Tian carefully put away the wild ginseng and then began harvesting the surrounding Spring Return Grass.
This time, he did not uproot them completely. Since so many Spring Return Grasses had grown here, it indicated that the environment was more suitable for their growth, so Lin Xiao Tian saw no need to waste effort.
Beneath the cliff was a large open area. Lin Xiao Tian planned to turn this into a medicinal field as well, leveraging the environmental advantages to cultivate more herbs.
When Lin Xiao Tian had harvested enough, he prepared to leave. But just as he was about to depart, a stalk of herb near where he had just landed caught his attention...