574 Thick Skinned
After that, the crowd walked in different directions to look for rare medicinal herbs. In order to increase the rate of success in locating the Black Star Ganoderma, Chen Xiaobei and Yap Liangchen decided to go separate ways temporarily as well. Destroying the Black Star Ganoderma would be Chen Xiaobei's priority if he or Yap Liangchen could not bring it home. No matter what, the Zhuang Family must not find it before them!
One must handle the Black Heart Ganoderma carefully. There was a layer of protection around it – breaking it would mean the loss of all medical Qi in it, making it no different from a piece of rotten wood. With that being said, it was actually very easy to destroy it. However, they must first locate it.
"This jungle is huge! It's like looking for a needle in a haystack!"
Yap Liangchen could not help but complain. Seeing that the sun was setting soon, half a day was gone. Set aside Black Star Ganoderma, Yap Liangchen could not even find any normal medicinal ingredient. It was no wonder that he was left in frustration.
"Eh? That… That is…"
Suddenly, Yap Liangchen had his attention locked on a green plant. There were five leaves on one single stem with the look of a palm. No leaves could be seen on the stem in the middle but a flat and round bright red berry was getting all the attention.
"Wild mountain ginseng! Five leaves! The age of this old ginseng should be around three hundred years old! It can be sold for at least five million! Jackpot!"
Yap Liangchen's eyes sparkled. Recently, he had to make quite a number of trips to a market that sold medicinal herbs. With his knowledge about medicinal herbs growing, he could remember everything clearly when it came to all the expensive and rare ingredients that Chen Xiaobei needed to concoct pills. Immediately, he ran towards the plant. He then knelt down in front of it and used both of his hands to remove the mud around it. Not hurting the root would be his main priority.
"This ginseng's age should be around three hundred to four hundred years old."
His deduction was proven correct when he held the ginseng in his hand. With a smile on his face, he said, "I couldn't even buy a hundred years old ginseng for Bro Bei during my last trip. Also, the lack of spiritual pearl from the Chinese Knotweed caused the pill production to drop drastically! With this three hundred years old wild ginseng, Bro Bei should be able to boost his pill production again! This is so exciting!"
His loyalty towards Chen Xiaobei was unquestionable because he consumed the Heavenly Dog Biscuit a long time ago. Naturally, he would feel happy when he found something that was beneficial to Chen Xiaobei.
"Master Yap! Why are you so happy? Tell us! Let's share the happiness with us!"
A voice with a weird tone could be heard from his back. Filled with fear, Yap Liangchen did not notice that someone was closing on to him because he was too focused on digging out the wild ginseng.
"Nothing much. It's just ginseng."
He got even more nervous when he turned around and saw Du Qiuyu and ten of his followers were standing behind him.
'They didn't go their separate ways to look for Black Star Ganoderma. What the hell are they trying to do by gathering here? Something fishy must be going on!"
"Why are all of you here? There is still light. You guys can still spend some time looking for the Black Star Ganoderma!" Sensing that something was not right, Yap Liangchen asked in a cautious tone.
"There is nothing to be found. Do you really think we can locate the Black Star Ganoderma? That item belongs to Yuntao Faction! There is no way that we can find it before them!"
"As compare to the Black Star Ganoderma, I'm more interested in the wild ginseng that you are holding! Judging from the size of it, I think it can at least sell for five to six million!"
The look of greed could be seen on everyone's face once the price of the wild ginseng was revealed.
"I was just lucky…"
"Ain't that right? Master Yap's luck is just too damn good! Our whole group didn't even find anything valuable after walking up and down the whole afternoon! We are so jealous of you right now!" said Fat Bear.
Everyone then slowly moved from where they stood and formed a circle to surround Yap Liangchen.
"What are you guys trying to do?"
"You are not a kid anymore. Stop acting naively! Give us the wild ginseng that you found!" said Du Qiuyu.
"So, you are trying to rob me right now? How about the friendship between us?"
"Friendship? What is that? All I ever did with you was eat and drink with you several times. That is nothing compared to five million!"
Immediately, Yap Liangchen could feel fear creeping into his heart once again. The way Du Qiuyu acted made Yap Liangchen really surprised but it was only normal that he would pull off something like this. Even a real friend would betray you with the temptation of money – what more a drinking buddy.
"Alright, let's not mention the friendship I thought we had. What about the rule you set earlier? About finders keepers? You just broke your own rule!"
"Hehe… Did I ever say something like that? I don't remember it at all!"
"We don't remember this rule as well! Master Du did not mention about this rule at all!"
"You… All of you…"
Disgusted, Yap Liangchen felt like he just ate a stink bug. He had never seen such shameless individuals.
"Stop playing a fool! Hand us the wild ginseng now and get lost! However, you can choose to stay here if you want to have a taste of my Pinnacle Mountain Crushing Punch!"
"What?! Your Mountain Crushing Punch is already at pinnacle phase?"
A shocked look could be seen on Yap Liangchen's face.
"Why are you so surprised? Our Master Du is extremely talented! He has already perfected his Mountain Crushing Punch! There is no one on the same cultivation level that can defeat him!"
"Using the Moutain Crushing Punch to defeat him is absolutely unnecessary! Our Master Du's strength is always more powerful than Yap Liangchen! I bet our Master Du can defeat him with only a hand!"
After listening to the compliments from his followers, Di Qiuyu's chin was raised. The arrogant look on his face was literally asking for a beating. Yap Liangchen could not wait to dash at him and land a few slaps on his face. Unfortunately, the gap between their combat power was just too huge – like a ravine.
"How about this. I can pay you guys five million right now and I get to walk away with this wild ginseng!"
"Hehe! Master Yap really is filthy rich! As compared to the rest us, the poor ass disciples, you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth! We are really envious of you! I feel like changing my mind. How much do you think the Yap Family will pay us if we kidnap Yap Liangchen? Fifty million or five hundred million?" asked Du Qiuyu with a smile.
All of them could be considered poor disciples – it was rather hard for them to come across such a huge sum of money. With a golden opportunity placed in front of them, it was enough to summon the greed demon from their hearts!
"I will not fight back if I were you!"
With a grim smile on his face, Du Qiuyu glared at Yap Liangchen. All hope was lost. There was nothing Yap Liangchen could do about his current circumstance.
"I will not touch him if I were you!"
An old and raspy voice could be heard from afar. Immediately, everyone shifted their attention to where the voice came from.