Chapter 488: Descendants of the Witch Tribe

"Do you know how to raise Gu?" Chen Yu asked half-jokingly.

"Pfft, do you think all of us know how to raise Gu?" Fan Zhen burst out laughing.

"Haha, just curious," Chen Yu said with a smile.

"I don't. We're actually just like normal people, though my grandfather said my ancestors did indeed know these things," Fan Zhen said seriously. "It's just that it was lost."

"So that's how it is," Chen Yu nodded, stepped on the gas, and headed toward the Traditional Chinese Medicine Market.

He couldn't figure out Fan Zhen's background for the moment and didn't know if she had any connection to Wuming, but chatting with her, Chen Yu felt her appearance was likely a coincidence.

However, none of this was important; even if she had been sent by the Wuming Sect, it wouldn't matter. Right now, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Market was more attractive to Chen Yu.

They arrived at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Market. Chen Yu parked the car outside casually, then walked into the market with Fan Zhen.

This was a street that wasn't very wide, with shops on both sides as well as street vendors. This Traditional Chinese Medicine Market used the gimmick of "original ecological" medicine, which did attract quite a few people.

It was already getting dark when the two arrived. The streetlights on both sides lit up. Just as they stepped over the threshold of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Market, five or six locals swarmed up.

"Friend, need medicine?"

"Come to us, it's all gathered from deep mountains and old forests. We have Ganoderma and ginseng, guaranteed authentic."

"Come to my place, mine is a time-honored brand. The medicine is all collected from herb farmers, absolutely original ecological."

"Sorry, this is my friend; I'm bringing him to take a look," Fan Zhen said in the local dialect.

Hearing that Fan Zhen's tone sounded like a local, these people left in a huff.

"Are these medicine peddlers?" Chen Yu asked.

"No, scalpers," Fan Zhen laughed. "They'll take you to some remote shops where the medicine is either artificially cultivated or fake, and it's all at sky-high prices."

"The gouging is quite serious," Chen Yu smiled. If these people really tried to take him away, it wasn't certain who would be gouging whom.

"No choice, it's a small place, and regulation isn't up to par," Fan Zhen said helplessly. "This bit of popularity will be ruined sooner or later."

Chen Yu smiled and began to eye the traditional Chinese medicine on both sides.

There were shops on both sides, as well as herb farmers with street stalls. Because the area around Wangchuan was all deep mountains with a suitable climate and sparse population, some precious medicinal materials were able to thrive here.

Chen Yu took one look, and whether it was the street stalls or the shops, most of the medicine was artificially cultivated; there wasn't much truly pure, original ecological traditional Chinese medicine.

Even if there was, it was just some medicine of ordinary quality, and the age and quality were both average.

Chen Yu couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. He had originally wanted to encounter some good things here, but he hadn't expected to find nothing but disappointment. It seemed one really couldn't trust tourist spots.

"Are you a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine?" Seeing Chen Yu observing the stalls on both sides seriously, Fan Zhen couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Yes," Chen Yu smiled slightly. "But the traditional Chinese medicine in these places isn't worth looking at. Most of it is planted, or simply fake. Even if there is real stuff, the quality is truly average."

"Hey, look, this ginseng is quite large," Fan Zhen said, seeing a ginseng displayed on a street stall.

This ginseng was large in size and bright in color. The person running the stall was an old farmer who looked very simple and honest.

"Young lady, looking at medicine? You have a great eye. This ginseng is a genuine wild mountain ginseng. Judging by its age, it must be at least a hundred years old. I dug it up from the mountain behind my house." As soon as the old man saw someone approach, his spirits lifted, and he began to introduce it enthusiastically.

"Look at this color, look at this texture. No matter how you look at it, it's a top-tier item. I just set up the stall; you two really caught it at the right time."

"Chen Yu, it looks quite good, doesn't it?" Fan Zhen couldn't help but turn her head toward Chen Yu.

"It is indeed quite good. The appearance, quality, and texture all perfectly match the standards of wild mountain ginseng, and this is indeed mountain ginseng," Chen Yu smiled slightly. "Old man, how much are you selling it for?"

"One hundred thousand," the old man quoted the price directly. "If this thing went to an auction, it would start at at least five hundred thousand."

"So if you sell it to us for one hundred thousand, are you doing charity?" Chen Yu laughed.

"I'm old and can't run around anymore, so I have to sell it cheap to you young people. One hundred thousand is already very cheap. Do you want it? If not, someone else will buy it immediately," the old man said.

"What a big piece of mountain ginseng, how much? I'll take it." Just at this moment, a hoodlum with tattoos squeezed over.

"One hundred thousand," the old man stuck to the same price.

"Fine, I'll take it. Transfer the money." The hoodlum didn't hesitate at all and took out a card to pay.

"Do you two want it? If not, I'm selling it to this friend," the old man said, looking at Chen Yu and Fan Zhen.

"Then sell it to him. We'll go ahead and take a look," Chen Yu smiled. He pulled Fan Zhen and walked away.

Trying to scam money with such a low-level shill tactic? They must be crazy for money.

As soon as Chen Yu left, the expressions of the old man and the hoodlum changed. Chen Yu hadn't played by the rules.

"Chen Yu, is there a problem with that mountain ginseng?" Fan Zhen asked.

"No problem, it's real, and it's not artificially cultivated. It's just that it's at most ten years old, and the appearance has been treated, so it looks like it's of excellent quality. This kind of medicine costs a few dozen yuan per jin in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Market," Chen Yu said.

"So that's how it is. There are really more and more tricks these days," Fan Zhen realized suddenly. "Even I, a local, was almost fooled."

"Ha, that's nothing. Every trade has its secrets; there are plenty of tricks in traditional Chinese medicine and Jade," Chen Yu laughed.

"Brother, wait a second, brother." Just then, a shouting voice came from behind.

Chen Yu turned his head to look, and it was the hoodlum who had just been haggling with him who had followed them.

"Something up?" Chen Yu turned and asked.

"Friend, you're from out of town, right? I'm in the traditional Chinese medicine business. Come take a look at my place, I guarantee you won't regret it." The hoodlum took out a business card: "Li Dashan."

"No need. I just took a look around, and there's nothing that catches my eye," Chen Yu shook his head. "The Traditional Chinese Medicine Market really doesn't live up to its name."

"Don't say that, brother. The stuff put out in the open in these tourist spots definitely isn't good; after all, it's all to fool people who don't know the trade," Li Dashan chuckled. "For someone who knows the trade like you, brother, this definitely won't do. Go to my warehouse; I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

"Really?" Chen Yu flipped the business card, feeling that this guy was like a medicine peddler, yet he couldn't refuse the temptation of top-tier traditional Chinese medicine.

"Of course, let's go, let's go." Li Dashan pulled Chen Yu along.

This guy hadn't lied; it was a Precious traditional Chinese medicine shop, specializing in selling precious medicinal materials, and he had a large warehouse in the back where the quality of the medicinal materials was much better than those in the town.

Chen Yu first walked around his shop, and this guy also strongly recommended his shop's treasures: a Purple Light Ganoderma and a Millennium Mountain Ginseng.

However, his items were of course not as good as he claimed, and Chen Yu had a sharp eye; he could always hit the nail on the head regarding the problems with these medicines.

After recommending for a long time, the guy was a bit parched. He looked at Chen Yu and said, "Brother, I see you're someone who knows the goods. Come, follow me to the warehouse. If you see something good, just name your price."

"Should have done that earlier," Chen Yu smiled slightly and followed Li Dashan into his warehouse.

Once inside the warehouse, Chen Yu's eyes lit up; there were indeed quite a few good things in here.

"How much for this Ganoderma?" Chen Yu pointed casually at a Ganoderma on the medicine shelf; this Ganoderma had been air-dried, its surface covered in a layer of green, and in terms of Ganoderma grade, it belonged to the Qingping Ganoderma, which was extremely Precious.

"You know your stuff; this Ganoderma is one I collected from the Mountain..." Li Dashan stuck out his thumb and began to introduce it.

"Just tell me the price directly." Chen Yu smiled.

"One million." Li Dashan gritted his teeth and spat out a price.

"Deal." Chen Yu nodded: "Also this piece of Ambergris, these few catties of Cordyceps, and these few pieces of fleeceflower root, I want them all."

Li Dashan was stunned; Chen Yu had pointed out five or six cabinets on the medicine shelf in one breath, and the items stored inside were all Precious goods.

No one knew better than Li Dashan how Precious these medicines were, but when he collected the medicine, he always brought experts and experienced herb farmers, verifying them several times before daring to make a move.

Yet Chen Yu only took one look, without even touching them, and could directly distinguish that these medicines were good medicine, which made him feel somewhat incredulous.

"Brother, these are all my shop's treasures." Li Dashan was in the medicine business; selling all these things made him feel somewhat reluctant.

"Treasures of the shop are also meant to be taken out and sold." Chen Yu laughed: "Brother, I practice Traditional Chinese Medicine; these medicines can exert their greatest effect in my hands, name whatever price you want."

"For these few items you want... this amount." Li Dashan held up one finger.

"You want one hundred million?" Chen Yu instantly understood what this guy meant.