8: Baicaotang

Chen Linsheng returned home and handed twenty catties of Brown Rice to Su Wan.

Su Wan happily took the Brown Rice into the house, while Chen Linsheng sat in the courtyard, sharpening the Cleaver he had just bought.

'I absolutely cannot sell it through the Medicine Gang.'

The Medicine Gang's tyrannical actions in the market hung over his heart like a dark cloud.

Selling Spiritual Plants in a place surrounded by tigers and wolves was no different from courting death. Even if the transaction was with a high-ranking member of the Medicine Gang, he wouldn't be able to leave alive with the Silver.

Dozens of taels of Silver were enough to buy several lives.

As for who to sell it to... Chen Linsheng lowered his head and began sorting through the memories of his predecessor.

Before the Medicine Gang appeared, he and his father always went to Qinghe County to sell medicinal materials.

The trading partners were usually the large and small medicine shops in the city.

And regarding the most famous among them, the “Hundred Herbs Hall,” they had, of course, heard of it repeatedly.

It was said to be a branch of a major power's Trading House, with branches open in various counties, commanderies, and even prefectures—a true golden signboard.

Its biggest characteristic was fair pricing, cheating neither young nor old.

However, the Hundred Herbs Hall only ever accepted medicinal materials of the highest quality. Given the crude Processing Techniques of his predecessor's family, their medicinal materials naturally struggled to enter its Dharma Eye.

“Major power...”

The advantage of major powers lay here: they valued structure and reputation, and would not destroy their name for the petty gains of a few dozen taels of Silver, unlike the Medicine Gang.

In comparison, the Hundred Herbs Hall naturally made Chen Linsheng feel more at ease.

This is it!

Chen Linsheng selected his target but was not in a hurry to go to the county town to sell.

Not only might the dozens of miles of Official Road not be peaceful, but even though the Hundred Herbs Hall valued reputation, there was no guarantee that its counter staff or those who happened to witness the transaction wouldn't harbor malicious intent.

'There are still seven days. After improving my Skills for six days and gaining greater strength... I'll go then!'

He must ensure everything was foolproof... For the next six days, Chen Linsheng went up the mountain almost every morning and only returned at night, devoting all his energy to Cultivating.

However, the refinement of Skills was inherently a process of gaining rewards.

A large pile of Herbal Medicine accumulated in his house again.

Even Su Wan, who had been somewhat despairing about the Autumn Tax problem, felt a glimmer of hope, and her whole demeanor brightened.

On the night of the fifth day, the sound of air being torn and wood snapping was incessant in the courtyard.

Sweat soaked his coarse cloth shirt; his arms were sore, swollen, and trembling from countless exertions, but the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

In an instant, Chen Linsheng swung his Cleaver.

The blade light was like a cold flash of lightning, precisely splitting a falling dead leaf in the air, leaving a cross-section as smooth as a mirror.

And the spirit book in his mind violently shook, emitting a great radiance!

[Skill: Cleaver Technique (Major Achievement)]

[Progress: (0/2000)]

[Divine Effect: Lifting Heavy as Light, Water Cannot Enter, Armor-Piercing Strike. The blade technique combines firmness and flexibility, allowing one to wield the blade to protect the entire body, and a short, explosive exertion can break open hard armor.]

A power far more majestic and pure than when he reached Minor Achievement instantly surged through his limbs and bones!

Chen Linsheng felt as if the Cleaver in his hand had come alive, no longer a cold piece of iron, but an extension of his arm—where his thoughts led, the blade pointed!

He casually swung it, and the blade light flashed. A Bluestone used as a stepping stone in the courtyard instantly cracked, the break perfectly flat!

“Good!”

Chen Linsheng couldn't help but let out a low shout, his chest filled with heroic spirit.

The Major Achievement in Cleaver Technique gave him much greater confidence.

Chen Linsheng exhaled and opened the spirit book Panel again, focusing his gaze on the word 'Skill'.

[spirit book]

[Host: Chen Linsheng]

[Skill: Herb Gathering (Major Achievement), Tracking (Major Achievement), Climbing (Major Achievement), Cleaver Technique (Major Achievement), Throwing (Major Achievement), Disguise (Minor Achievement)]

Five Major Achievements, one Minor Achievement!

Leaving aside Herb Gathering and Cleaver Technique, the other three Major Achievement Skills brought him extraordinary bonuses.

The Divine Effect brought by Major Achievement in Tracking: Scent Tracking, Pre-empting the Enemy, Leaving No Trace. Can track targets for several days based on residual scent, predict the movements of beasts and enemies, and ensure one's own tracks are hard to follow.

Relying on this, Chen Linsheng could perfectly manage his tracks, preventing anyone from discovering them.

If he were a Bandit, this would definitely be a great Skill for murder and robbery.

And Major Achievement in Climbing endowed him with the Divine Effect: [Gecko Climbing Walls, Treading Air, Flying Across a Line. Can ascend vertical cliffs, and leap short distances by leveraging force.]

This Divine Effect provided the greatest boost to his combat power, allowing him to maneuver or even escape in complex terrain when facing enemies.

And the third Skill, Throwing, was Chen Linsheng's second means of attack.

The Major Achievement Divine Effect also left him very satisfied.

[Divine Effect: Listening to Sound to Locate, Arcane Flying Stone, Qi-Breaking Strike. Can blindly shoot and hit targets behind him or around corners based on wind sounds; the stone travels erratically, bypassing simple obstacles to hit the target; a full-force strike can temporarily interrupt the enemy's Internal Energy circulation or spell casting wind-up.]

Not only was the accuracy far superior to Minor Achievement, but it also possessed the ability to interrupt Martial Artists, making it truly extraordinary.

Besides these Skills, the Disguise Technique was a Skill Chen Linsheng had newly acquired during these six days.

When traveling outside, one extra layer of Disguise meant one less point of danger.

Chen Linsheng understood this principle perfectly.

“With these Skills accompanying me, my certainty for this trip has increased by several points.” Chen Linsheng felt settled... The next morning, as the sky was still dark, Chen Linsheng quietly got up.

Su Wan had already grown used to Chen Linsheng's schedule these days, so Chen Linsheng did not inform her and left the village directly.

Walking outside the village and into the woods, he retrieved a coarse cloth bundle from a Tree Hollow.

Chen Linsheng opened the bundle using the faint morning light. Inside were a set of slightly worn coarse cloth clothes, a broken Bamboo Hat, and some grayish-brown paste.

He quickly changed into the worn clothes.

Afterward, he picked up the paste and carefully applied it to his exposed skin, such as his face, neck, and the backs of his hands.

The Divine Effect of [Disguise (Minor Achievement)] naturally circulated.

[Divine Effect: Changing Appearance, Temperament Simulation, Minor Bone Adjustment. Can finely adjust facial contours and skin texture, simulate the basic temperament of people of different ages and statuses, and slightly adjust body shape through padding, bandages, and other methods.]

His movements were practiced and precise. In just a moment, his appearance had drastically changed.

His skin tone became dull and sallow, and a few fine lines were cleverly drawn at the corners of his eyes and mouth, making him look weathered and tired. Even his brow shape seemed slightly rougher.

Coupled with the broken Bamboo Hat pulled low, he now looked like a down-and-out Herb Gatherer who had traveled year-round and endured hardships.

He was completely different from his original clean-cut youthful appearance.

“Although it's only Minor Achievement and can't change my bones, it should be enough to fool people who don't know me well.”

Chen Linsheng checked carefully, confirmed there were no flaws, and then carefully hid the personal Leather Pouch containing the Spiritual Plant in his bosom. He wrapped the Cleaver in cloth and carried it on his back.

He took one last look in the direction of his home, turned, and melted into the night that had not yet fully dispersed.

Dozens of miles of Official Road would take an ordinary person more than half a day to walk, but for Chen Linsheng, who possessed several Major Achievement Skills, it was not difficult.

His steps were light and his speed far surpassed ordinary people. As the sun rose higher, the majestic city walls of Qinghe County were already in sight.

Soldiers guarded the city gate, lazily collecting the entry tax and ignoring the passing pedestrians.

Chen Linsheng pulled down his Bamboo Hat, blended into the crowd, paid the three Wen entry tax, and, keeping his head down, successfully entered the county town, which was both familiar and strange to him.

The county town was far more prosperous than the market. Shops lined both sides of the Bluestone-paved streets, and the sounds of hawking were incessant.

Chen Linsheng had no intention of stopping to sightsee.

Following the route in his memory, he passed through streets and alleys. Before long, he saw the grand shop at a relatively quiet intersection.

The signboard had gold characters on a black background, the three words “Hundred Herbs Hall” written with vigor and strength.

The shop entrance was wide. Although people weren't shoulder-to-shoulder, the flow of customers was continuous. Most were decently dressed, completely unlike the sallow, thin Herb Gatherers in the market.

Chen Linsheng paused briefly across the street, observing carefully.

After confirming there were no suspicious people around, he tidied his clothes, took a deep breath, and walked inside.