Rapidnovel #580 - Chongzheng Academy
#580 - Chongzheng Academy
Chapter 577 Chong Zheng Academy
Ginseng is valuable in any era, especially ginseng that has been aged for many years.
Even in this era of mysteries, ginseng remains a precious commodity.
And Zhang Chen happened to have mastered the power of time.
Returning to the inn and finding his family resting, Zhang Chen didn't disturb them. Instead, he quietly returned to his own room, took out the Ascension Pool, casually threw the ginseng seed into it, and then activated his wood-attribute authority: "Decree, sprout and take root!"
With Zhang Chen's command, the seed quickly broke its shell, growing roots that burrowed into the soil.
At this moment, innate energy flowed down, nourishing it, causing the ginseng seedling to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Innate energy is incredibly beneficial to acquired beings," Zhang Chen murmured, watching the seedling mutate under the nourishment of the innate energy, a glint in his eyes. The next moment, he flicked his finger, and fifty years of time power passed by in a hurry. The seedling took root in the soil, and because it had enough innate energy to nourish it, the seedling showed no signs of malnutrition during its fifty years of growth. The ginseng began to gestate and take root in the soil, transforming into the length of an infant's arm, thicker than an adult's arm.
"Nourished by innate energy, fifty-year-old ginseng is better than ginseng that is hundreds of years old. It seems that the medicinal properties of ginseng are not only judged by time, but also by many external factors," Zhang Chen said thoughtfully.
At this time, the ginseng flowers in the Ascension Pool bloomed and withered, and seeds fell. The seeds sprouted and took root again in the fifty years, and then produced countless more seeds. Looking around, the Ascension Pool was overflowing, filled with dense ginseng.
Zhang Chen casually dug out the ginseng, examined it for a moment, then threw it into the Bashe space to store it. Then, he cleared all the soil from the Ascension Pool and put the Ascension Pool back into the Bashe space.
For him, the most important thing was to collect points. Points were the top priority. Ginseng was just a skill he used to make a living.
Zhang Chen was not in a hurry to sell the ginseng, but rested in the inn for the night. The next morning, he asked the innkeeper about the most famous medicinal herb shop in Jinling, then bought a box, carefully placed the ginseng inside, and walked towards the medicinal herb shop.
It should be known that the ginseng Zhang Chen harvested was complete with all its parts, and the ginseng roots were probably two meters long, which could be regarded as a top-quality item.
Zhang Chen walked through the crowd and arrived at the most famous medicinal herb shop in Jinling, looking at the shop's signboard: "Shangjia Medical Hall."
"That's right, this is the place!" Zhang Chen confirmed, and then looked at the medical hall. It covered hundreds of square meters, with more than a dozen doctors in attendance. Countless patients came and went, hurrying in and hurrying out.
Shangjia Medical Hall was founded in Jinling City by a former imperial physician of the Imperial Hospital of Kyoto after he retired and returned to his hometown. As soon as the medical hall opened, it attracted countless powerful people.
Zhang Chen looked at the antique medical hall and ignored the people in line. He walked inside with the box in his arms. At this time, a shop assistant blocked Zhang Chen's path and said, "This young master, please line up and take a number."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen patted the box containing his ginseng: "Little brother, I'm here to sell medicinal herbs, not to see a doctor."
The shop assistant glanced at Zhang Chen and pointed to the back door: "Go to the back door to sell medicinal herbs."
Zhang Chen was stunned when he heard this, then turned and went to the back door. There were more than a dozen carriages lined up at the back door, and a strong smell of medicinal herbs came from the back door.
Zhang Chen also understood the rules and lined up behind the carriages. A steward from the medicinal herb shop checked the medicinal herbs in the carriages one by one, marking them with four grades: A, B, C, and D, and then instructed people to weigh, settle the bill, and pay the money.
When it was Zhang Chen's turn, the steward looked Zhang Chen up and down, his eyes falling on the box in Zhang Chen's arms: "Young brother, are you lining up here to...?"
"I want to sell medicinal herbs," Zhang Chen patted his box. "Newly dug ginseng."
The steward's eyes fell on the two-meter-long box, and he immediately became interested: "Can I open it and have a look?"
Zhang Chen naturally had no reason to refuse. With a flick of his hand, the box opened, revealing the ginseng cultivated with innate energy to the steward.
When the steward saw the thick ginseng, his eyes widened, and he stammered: "This ginseng... this ginseng... is it not hundreds of years old?"
"I don't know. I just dug it up casually in the mountains, and I don't know how many years old it is," Zhang Chen said with a smile.
"Young brother, please come inside! I can't make the decision. I need to ask our chief steward to come forward," the steward said to Zhang Chen with a smile, making an inviting gesture.
The two walked towards the door. The steward said to Zhang Chen, "My surname is Wang, and my given name is Chong. You can call me Little Wang."
Little Wang?
Zhang Chen looked at the other party's face, which was full of traces of time, at least forty-five or six years old. It was really humble of him to call himself Little Wang to a teenager like himself.
Thinking about it, it was also true. Collecting medicinal herbs was a top priority. The medical skills of the pharmacy were one thing, and the quality of the medicinal herbs was another. If there were no good medicinal herbs, no matter how high your medical skills were, it would be useless. Without decades of honing, it would be difficult to be competent for this job.
Looking at the other party's face full of vicissitudes, he couldn't call him 'Little Wang', so he just called out, "Steward Wang." Then he introduced himself: "My surname is Zhang."
"So it's Young Master Zhang. Your ginseng is extraordinary. Since I came to Shangjia Medical Hall, I have never seen ginseng of such quality. This ginseng can be called top-grade, and it will definitely sell for a good price. Moreover, your ginseng came at just the right time. The dean of Chong Zheng Academy is looking for top-grade ginseng. If your ginseng can be seen by the dean of Chong Zheng Academy, you will soar to the sky," Wang Chong said to Zhang Chen.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen looked at Wang Chong with a surprised expression, feeling a little strange in his heart, secretly complaining, 'Is this guy sick? Isn't he afraid that I will ask for a sky-high price by saying this?'
Seeming to see Zhang Chen's expression, Wang Chong said with a smile, "The dean of Chong Zheng Academy has already issued a reward. If anyone can find ginseng that is more than two hundred years old, they can buy it for ten thousand taels of silver."
"Ten thousand taels of silver? Even two-hundred-year-old ginseng is not worth ten thousand taels of silver, right?" Zhang Chen said in shock.
"Of course not! But what if the ginseng is used to save someone's life? I heard that Dean Zhou's son was injured in his essence, qi, and spirit because he came into contact with the mysterious, and he urgently needs high-quality ginseng to save his life. If the quality of your ginseng is sufficient, we don't need to make money from you, and Dean Zhou will naturally give us a satisfactory reward. The price of your ginseng, you personally go and talk to Dean Zhou. What I have to do now is to confirm whether the quality of the ginseng in your hand meets the requirements."
Speaking of this, Wang Chong babbled: "Of course, if it does not meet Dean Zhou's needs, we will also give you a satisfactory price for your ginseng."
"Chief steward, there is a big deal, please take a look yourself," Steward Zhou shouted into the house.
Then, a hoarse voice came from the house: "Boy, what good things do you have that you can't judge and need me to come forward in person?"
Although the voice was old, it was full of energy.
Then, a figure with a head of silver hair walked out of the house. Zhou Chong introduced to Zhang Chen: "This is our pharmacy's chief master: Wang Dan."
Then he turned to Wang Dan and said: "Chief steward, this guest has a ginseng with excellent quality in his hand. I can't judge it, please take a look yourself."
The silver-haired figure's eyes fell on Zhang Chen's box, and he bowed his head and saluted: "I am Wang Dan, may I see the ginseng of the distinguished guest?"
Zhang Chen handed the box over, and Wang Chong carefully took it from him, then took it to a stone table next to him and opened it. The chief steward Wang Dan's eyes widened when he saw the medicinal material, and he quickly leaned forward to carefully observe it with the help of the sunlight. After observing it for a long time, he said: "I can't judge this ginseng, and its quality doesn't look like ordinary ginseng."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen nodded secretly. This ginseng contained innate energy. Although the innate energy in it quickly dissipated due to exposure to the acquired environment, it was still not an ordinary product.
The old man carefully broke off a centimeter of the root and put it in his mouth to taste it. The next moment, his eyes lit up even more, and he turned to Zhang Chen and said: "Young man, this ginseng is not an ordinary thing, we want it. There are now two options. First, we will send it to Chong Zheng Academy and ask Dean Zhou to offer a price. Second, we will buy it for thirteen thousand taels of silver."
Speaking of this, Wang Dan closed the box and said sincerely to Zhang Chen: "Our pharmacy is one of the most fair in Jinling City, and we will never deceive you. There are countless eyes staring at Chong Zheng Academy. If you take this ginseng to sell, although you can sell it for a higher price, I am afraid you will not have the life to spend it."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen glanced at the steward: "Just do as you said!"
He had no interest in showing off. He just wanted to stay low-key in Jinling City, and then practice silently and accumulate strength in secret.
"Go get the silver notes. Exchange them all for one-hundred-tael silver notes, and then get one hundred taels of loose silver!"
Wang Dan nodded when he heard this. He saw that Zhang Chen was wearing coarse linen clothes and didn't look like a child from a wealthy family, so he advised him to avoid losing his life.
What kind of person was Zhang Chen? Of course, he could feel the other party's kindness?
Wang Chong quickly entered the house, counted a stack of silver notes, and a bag of loose silver, and handed it to Zhang Chen: "Young Master Zhang, please count it."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen took the silver notes, and his primordial spirit sensed everything. He directly stuffed the silver notes and loose silver into his sleeves, and made a chic expression on his face: "No need to count, I trust you! Now we have cleared the money and goods, and the ginseng belongs to you."
Looking at Zhang Chen's actions, and the dashing figure gradually disappearing from sight, Wang Dan and Wang Chong couldn't help but be stunned. Wang Chong scratched his head: "We actually misjudged him!"