7：Ginseng for Pennies

This was the Chongyang Mountain Range in the Dayang Dynasty, stretching for thousands of miles, dividing the entire empire in two.

To the north was the Great Desert, and to the south lay the path toward the capital, the royal city.

At the center of this division was the Yangguan Ancient Town, strategically placed as a boundary between the two regions, making it a hotspot for bandits and outlaws.

The area was notorious for its danger, with wild beasts and demon beasts roaming the dense forests of Chongyang Mountain.

Yes, demon beasts were real in this world. Alongside martial artists, these creatures were a significant threat.

The man who had previously wounded Shen Hao, Liu Dabiao, was merely a martial artist at the Body Tempering stage. The other bandit was just an ordinary person.

Liu Dabiao hailed from Liu Family Village, a notorious bandit group. Their leader, Liu Baoshan, was a formidable late-stage postnatal expert and the godfather of Liu Dabiao.

From Liu Dabiao's memories, Shen Hao learned that martial artists were classified into several stages:

Body Tempering (strengthening muscles, bones, and skin)

Postnatal

Innate

Beyond that, the memories became hazy—after all, Liu Dabiao was from a small town and hadn't seen much of the outside world.

The Body Tempering stage involves cultivating through breathing techniques and exercises found in various secret manuals. By combining these methods with specific movements, practitioners can strengthen their muscles, bones, and enhance their vital energy (qi and blood).

Once Body Tempering reaches perfection, a person's vitality and energy flow become abundant. At this stage, the practitioner can use their qi to open the body's acupoints, creating a sense of pure, positive energy circulating through the body.

If this energy successfully gathers in the dantian (a central energy point), it transforms into internal power, also known as the Qi Gathering stage.

When internal power increases and the first meridian of the body is unlocked, the practitioner reaches the Postnatal Stage, Level One.

The Postnatal Stage has a total of nine levels. Once perfected, energy and blood will flow freely through the body's meridians in a full circuit known as the Great Circulation.

This connects all parts of the body—organs, limbs, and joints—creating a seamless, holistic system, enabling the practitioner to reach the Innate Stage.

The difference within the Postnatal Stages lies in the quantity and quality of internal energy (internal power). The purity of internal energy is tied to the strength of the martial arts techniques.

The more refined the internal power, the longer it can be sustained, and the greater its potential power.

Of course, having more internal power means techniques can be used for longer durations, but surpassing opponents in rank requires incredibly powerful moves.

Simply having more internal energy won't guarantee victory unless the practitioner has an extraordinarily strong technique.

These martial arts techniques were the most advanced forms of cultivation, something ordinary people could only dream of. Such powerful methods, however, could not be sustained without a strong internal power.

Now, with Liu Dabiao's memories, Shen Hao had access to basic martial arts techniques. The method Liu Dabiao practiced was passed down by his godfather, Liu Baoshan. However, this technique could only reach the Body Tempering Perfection stage.

The technique was called "Twelve Strokes of Body Tempering Guidance", consisting of twelve movements, paired with specific breathing methods and medicinal concoctions needed for cultivation.

Once Shen Hao's body recovered, he began walking towards Yangguan Town, which was at least thirty miles away.

Despite its name, it was more than just a town—it was a bustling county located at a crucial junction between the north and south. However, the place had a reputation for being somewhat chaotic.

Thirty miles was too far for Shen Hao to walk, so he decided to return to the modern world. He shaved his head, donned a set of monk's robes, and filled up Sa Wang Susi's motorcycle with fuel. He brought it back to this world, determined to use it for his journey.

Riding the motorcycle through the forest, Shen Hao felt quite pleased with himself. The engine roared through the trees, the dust flying behind him. There weren't many people around, and the path was barren, with the ground covered in yellow soil.

When he was about a mile away from Yangguan Town, Shen Hao found a secluded spot to store the motorcycle in his space. He emerged from the space once again, looking like a weary monk.

According to Liu Dabiao's memories, monks were rarely targeted by bandits. They were seen as harmless, and besides, they had powerful backers. The Dayang Dynasty's neighbor was the Kun Dynasty, which revered Buddhism. The Xianguo Temple, located in Kun Dynasty, was not only the national religion but also one of the strongest sects in the martial world.

Of course, none of this mattered to Shen Hao. He wore the monk's robe simply for convenience. As a modern man, Shen Hao had no moral restraints about his appearance. Without the ability to defend himself, it was better to stay low-key for now.

What surprised Shen Hao was that the writing system in this world was still Chinese characters. Though the dialects were different, the grammar seemed quite similar to his own world.

After a short walk, about ten minutes, Shen Hao arrived at Yangguan Town. The soldiers at the gate merely glanced at him and waved him through without any trouble.

Inside the town, it was bustling with activity. Street vendors lined the roads, and Shen Hao noticed many people carrying swords and knives, likely martial artists. But he ignored them and instead headed towards a medicine shop.

Before his trip, Shen Hao had brought three gold bars, each weighing fifty grams. He didn't plan to exchange them for silver using modern goods, as that would attract too much attention.

He asked a passerby for directions and soon arrived at the largest medicine shop in Yangguan Town, called Baijitang.

"Little Master, are you here for a consultation or to pick up some medicine?" The apprentice at the medicine shop asked, smiling at Shen Hao, who had a shaved head.

Based on Liu Dabiao's memories, Shen Hao recited the names of the herbs. "Angelica, Poria, Tiger Bone Powder, Atractylodes, Rehmannia..."

"Alright, Little Master, how many doses would you like?"

"How much for one dose?" Shen Hao asked.

"One dose is about ten taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, Shen Hao nodded. "Then, I'll take two doses."

"Okay, Little Master, please wait a moment."

In this world, silver was quite valuable. Ten taels of silver could be exchanged for one tael of gold. Shen Hao had 150 grams, which was three taels of gold—enough to buy only three doses.

As he waited, Shen Hao's gaze shifted to the other herbs in the shop.

When he saw that wild ginseng from the Fifty-Year Harvest was priced at just one tael of silver, he was a bit surprised. Was it really that cheap?

Once the apprentice had gathered the herbs, Shen Hao asked, "Is this ginseng from a fifty-year harvest?"

"Yes, Little Master," the apprentice replied. "The Chongyang Mountain Range is abundant with wild ginseng, and these are older stocks, so the price is not high.

Besides, there are many other herbs from the Chongyang Mountain that replenish vitality, and some are even better than ginseng. Take this Zhi Yang Grass, for example.

One stalk costs one hundred taels, which is much cheaper than ginseng. Of course, ginseng isn't exactly cheap either.

We have a lot of it here, but it still costs one tael of silver. For you, one tael may not seem like much, but with five taels of silver, you could buy yourself a maid, and one tael could feed a family of three for a month.

So, it's not exactly affordable, especially for an ordinary family. They could go pick it from the forest themselves, but they risk running into wild beasts. If this fifty-year-old ginseng were taken to the capital, it could probably sell for seven or eight taels. With the long journey, the price might even double."

Shen Hao understood now—ginseng was plentiful here, making it cheaper. Martial artists had access to even better spiritual herbs.

These older ginseng roots were actually quite valuable, though—fresh ginseng was now considered a level one plant and was forbidden to be harvested.

Shen Hao realized that the silver's value had not depreciated here; one tael of silver still amounted to several thousand Huaminbi in the modern world.

For Shen Hao, however, this wild ginseng was practically dirt cheap.

In the modern world, gold was expensive while silver was cheap, and the price difference could earn Shen Hao a decent profit.

He remained expressionless and said, "Then give me ten roots of fifty-year-old wild ginseng."

The apprentice's eyes lit up—this little monk was indeed a big spender.

"Of course, Little Master. Please wait a moment. I'll pack them up for you."

In no time, the apprentice neatly wrapped the herbs and ginseng in yellow wax paper and handed it over to Shen Hao.

Shen Hao nodded and turned to leave.

Finding a secluded spot, Shen Hao immediately returned to the modern world.

He glanced at his watch, then looked at the clock on the wall.

It was still 1:20 PM.

"Just as I thought, while I'm in the other world, time in the modern world stands still," Shen Hao mused. "I left for Yangguan Town at 1:20, and now I'm back, and it's still 1:20. I've been in Yangguan Town for hours, but not a second has passed. Incredible!"

He then cast his gaze toward his rented apartment.

Now that he had money, it was time to move to a better place.

At that moment, Shen Hao received a WeChat message on his phone.

When he saw the avatar of the sender, he was a little surprised. It was the owner of the Rolls-Royce. Did he want money again?

Shen Hao felt a bit irritated. The guy was really greedy. Sure, it was true that Shen Hao had rear-ended the Rolls-Royce while driving for a ride-hailing service, but it had happened because the other car had suddenly stopped.

The Rolls-Royce was on the fast lane, and there were no cars ahead of it. It had abruptly stopped for no apparent reason. Shen Hao couldn't understand it, so he just chalked it up to bad luck.

However, when it came to traffic accidents, it didn't matter whether the other party had stopped on purpose or not. A rear-end collision meant that Shen Hao was entirely at fault. After all, he hadn't maintained a safe following distance.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Shen Hao opened the WeChat message. To his surprise, the other party wasn't asking for money; instead, they were returning it.

"Handsome, sorry about that.

The main responsibility for the rear-end collision lies with us.

We take full responsibility for the matter.

After the accident, since we were in a hurry, I handed it over to the insurance company.

Today, when the company settled, they noticed an extra 350,000 yuan. After inquiring, we found out where the 350,000 yuan came from.

For Mr. Xiao, 350,000 yuan isn't a big deal, but for a ride-hailing driver like you, it could be a huge burden."

Shen Hao was taken aback. The other party actually wanted to return the money?

Could this be some kind of insurance fraud?

The money felt a bit hot to handle, and Shen Hao wasn't inclined to take it, but the sender wasn't responding anymore, almost like they were just going through the motions.

Seeing that, Shen Hao decided to drop the matter for now. He'd find another chance to deal with it later.

He started packing his things. Now that he had money, he didn't want to stay in this small town anymore.

With a hat on, he went out to find a real estate agent.

Currently, Shen Hao had 550,000 yuan in his account. While that wouldn't be enough for a down payment in a big city, it was more than enough to buy a house in a small county.

He quickly found a property he liked.

It was a newly developed apartment in Xinyue Residential District—97 square meters on the 19th floor. The place was newly renovated, having been done for over half a year, but the couple who had planned to live there broke up. The woman decided she wanted a place in the provincial capital, not a small county. So, the man reluctantly sold the house and used the proceeds to make a down payment on a house in Chang'an, the provincial capital.

The price was 500,000 yuan, no negotiations, and they needed the full amount upfront.

Shen Hao agreed without hesitation.

After the transaction was complete, the real estate agent smiled and said, "Mr. Shen, you really got a good deal. The price per square meter for a raw apartment in this district has already risen to 4,500 yuan. With the renovations, this place is worth at least 580,000 yuan. There are many people interested in it, but very few can pay the full 500,000 yuan upfront."

Shen Hao muttered, "Guess I really got a bargain."

Not in the mood for small talk, he simply said, "The transaction's done, how much is your commission? I'll transfer it to you."

The agent, overjoyed, replied, "The commission is 8,120 yuan, but you can just give me 8,000 yuan."

Shen Hao nodded and immediately transferred the payment without any delay.

He was quite satisfied with the house. It was fully renovated with all appliances in place, ready for him to move in right away. The building had a good layout, with two elevators serving two households per floor. Plus, being on the top floor meant privacy was guaranteed.

The county where Shen Hao lived was different from cities in the south. In the northwest, the 19th floor was considered the highest in the county.

He promptly installed a fingerprint lock for extra security.

Looking at the apartment across from him, 1902, Shen Hao briefly considered buying it as well. If he bought both, the whole top floor would be his, and no one would disturb him while practicing martial arts. However, the apartment across was a larger 151-square-meter unit, and right now, Shen Hao didn't have enough to buy it.

He sighed. "Well, maybe I'll buy a villa later when I have more money."

Afterward, Shen Hao bought some daily essentials, including a set of bed linens, a comforter, and a large wooden tub.