Chapter 351 - 283: Medicine Gatherer 2

Chapter 351: Chapter 283: Medicine Gatherer 2

"Most importantly, our prices are absolutely the fairest."

Yang Cai’zai said all this in one breath, then paused. A conflicted, pained look appeared on his face. "How about this? Since this is your first time here, gentlemen, I’ll give you a twenty percent discount. What do you say?"

Zhang Tianwen was a bit slow to react. He glanced back at the others, and after receiving their affirmative nods, he turned back to the man and nodded. "Alright, then. Take us to have a look."

"Excellent, excellent! This way, please, gentlemen." Yang Cai’zai was overjoyed, having clearly identified Zhang Tianwen as the group’s leader. He led them forward, explaining as they walked.

"Our Ancient Sun Medicine Gathering Team has been operating at the foot of Huishui Mountain for nearly a hundred years. You gentlemen certainly don’t need to worry about our reputation. Within our team, we have masters at different price points offering different services, all according to the client’s needs."

A natural smile spread across Yang Cai’zai’s face as he spoke.

"Different services?" Li Minghan blinked and muttered, "Are these... legitimate services?"

Yu Changsheng turned his head and shot Li Minghan a disdainful look.

Li Minghan scratched his head and gave an awkward, sheepish chuckle.

"Ahem..." Hearing this, Yang Cai’zai gave Li Minghan a strange look, then shook his head and let out a choked laugh.

"Well, if you gentlemen have such needs, it’s not entirely out of the question."

With that, Yang Cai’zai adopted a coy expression and waggled his eyebrows at Li Minghan.

Li Minghan: "..."

"Alright, just ignore him. Take us there," Zhang Tianwen said with a helpless smile. Soon, under Yang Cai’zai’s guidance, they arrived at a pavilion on the edge of town.

Above the pavilion, the words "Ancient Sun Medicine Gathering Team" were hung, shining brightly.

"This is our Medicine Gathering Team. The Ancient Sun Medicine Gathering Team has nine members in total. We may not be many, but every one of us is an expert in this field. We’ve all spent at least ten years in Huishui Mountain, so we know all its ins and outs like the back of our hands."

"You gentlemen can rest assured; we will definitely leave you satisfied."

Yang Cai’zai chuckled as he introduced them, a self-satisfied look on his face. After leading the five of them into the pavilion, he clapped his hands. Immediately, three men walked out slowly from the back courtyard.

"Six members of our Medicine Gathering Team are currently out on assignments, leaving just these three. However, these three happen to be the top three of our Ancient Sun Medicine Gathering Team. You gentlemen might want to consider them."

Hearing this, Yu Changsheng’s gaze fell upon the three men, studying them carefully. All three were middle-aged men, radiating the fluctuations of the Foundation Establishment realm with calm expressions.

Upon seeing Yu Changsheng’s group of five, the three men stepped forward one by one, clasped their fists in salute, and introduced themselves. "Ancient Sun Medicine Gathering Team, First Medicinal Material Collector, Bai Zichen."

"Ancient Sun Medicine Gathering Team, Second Medicinal Material Collector, Tang Mohan."

"Ancient Sun Medicine Gathering Team, Third Medicinal Material Collector, Guo Feng."

The three men were dressed plainly and spoke with composed, tranquil expressions. A faint aura of Blood Evil Qi naturally rose from their bodies.

They were clearly men accustomed to years of fighting, their hands stained with much blood.

Zhang Tianwen fell into thought, observing the three men and nodding pensively.

’Among the three, the one with the highest Cultivation is that Bai Zichen, at the Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer. Of the other two, one is at the Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer, and the other at the Fourth Layer.’

After making up his mind, Zhang Tianwen turned back, exchanged a glance with the others, and after a moment’s thought, pointed at Bai Zichen and said:

"We’ll take him. What are his rates?"

"Him, you say?" Yang Cai’zai paused, then his face lit up with a wide smile when he saw who was being pointed at. "You gentlemen have excellent taste! Master Bai is our Medicine Gathering Team’s top expert, and his Cultivation has reached the Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer."

"With his help, no matter what you gentlemen want to do on Huishui Mountain, you’ll get twice the results with half the effort. It’s just that his price... well, it might be a bit steep."

Yang Cai’zai’s eyes darted around. He hesitated for a moment, then changed his tune and continued.

"But you get what you pay for. Across this entire Medicinal Herb Town, you probably won’t find a Medicine Gatherer more experienced than Master Bai. And with his Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer Cultivation, he can protect you gentlemen well, ensuring your safety, don’t you think?"

"Just say it. How much?" Zhang Tianwen frowned, not bothering to listen to Yang Cai’zai’s spiel. He waved a hand, cutting him off, and asked again.

"One hundred thousand Spirit Stones." Yang Cai’zai took a deep breath. "But as I said, with the twenty percent discount for you gentlemen, that comes to eighty thousand Spirit Stones."

"Eighty thousand Spirit Stones?" Zhang Tianwen raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

Eighty thousand Spirit Stones was no small sum. The entire net worth of some Foundation Establishment Cultivators might only be around a hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

"Eighty thousand Spirit Stones is indeed expensive, but he’s worth every bit of it," Yang Cai’zai said with a sycophantic chuckle.

"That eighty thousand also covers your safety on the mountain. Eighty thousand Spirit Stones for a Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer bodyguard is a worthy trade."

"Fine," Zhang Tianwen said after a moment’s thought, not hesitating for long. After giving Yang Cai’zai a deep look, he took out eight ten-thousand-denomination Spirit Tickets and handed them over.

"Here’s your eighty thousand Spirit Stones. So, when do we depart?"

Yang Cai’zai was ecstatic. He took the Spirit Tickets, inspected them, and then carefully put them away. His smile grew even wider as he turned and nodded to Bai Zichen.

"Well then, Master Bai, these gentlemen are in your hands now. You must treat them well. You can discuss the details with them."

"Understood." Bai Zichen nodded, taking a deep breath to suppress his own Blood Evil Qi. His expression was calm as he glanced at the five of them and said:

"If you gentlemen have no objections, we will set out tomorrow morning. We can rest for the day, make proper preparations, and depart tomorrow."

"That works. Let’s do that."

Zhang Tianwen looked back, exchanged glances with the others, and after seeing no objections, he nodded in agreement.

"Excellent. Please follow me, gentlemen. There are quarters for you in the back courtyard. Please rest here for the day. Of course, you are also free to look around the town. Just let me know if you need anything."

Yang Cai’zai chuckled, an eager smile on his face. After arranging their accommodations, he took his leave.

"Alright, let’s all use the rest of the day to rest up and prepare. We head into the mountains tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything," Zhang Tianwen instructed before returning to his room.

Yu Changsheng thought for a moment. He didn’t hurry back to his room. Since it was still early morning, he turned and left the Ancient Sun Medicine Gathering Team’s headquarters to wander around the town.

The town was bustling with activity. Yu Changsheng wasn’t in a rush, so he just ambled about, occasionally stopping to look at something that caught his interest.

"How much for this map of Huishui Mountain?"

A short while later, Yu Changsheng entered a shop and asked about a scroll-like map he saw inside.

"The simplified version is ten Spirit Stones, the standard version is one hundred Spirit Stones, and the deluxe annotated version is one thousand Spirit Stones. Which one would you like?" the shop assistant said with a smile.

"Of course, since this is likely your first time at Huishui Mountain, sir, I recommend the deluxe annotated version. It contains the compiled knowledge of generations of Medicine Gatherers, who have risked everything to explore the mountain. For a newcomer, it could be a lifesaver at a critical moment."

"I’ll take the thousand-Spirit Stone one, then." Yu Changsheng thought for a moment and didn’t hesitate, choosing the most detailed one. For him, a thousand Spirit Stones was not a significant amount anymore.

"Right away."

The shop assistant smiled, respectfully retrieved the map, and handed it to Yu Changsheng. "This map can only be opened once. After you scan it with your Divine Sense, it will automatically self-destruct, so please be careful, sir."

"Understood." Yu Changsheng nodded. After handing over the Spirit Stones, he took the map. He briefly scanned it with his Divine Sense, and a moment later, the map dissolved into slowly fading specks of light.