51: Does Mr. Shen still have ginseng?

Of course, the memories that Shen Hao absorbed were only the important ones—specifically the vivid memories of the deceased. Human memory is limited, and not every detail can be recalled.

For Shen Tu Lie, the memories he held most dearly were his cultivation methods. He practiced the "Xiantian Lieyang Jue," a technique specifically suited for those with fire spirit roots. This method allowed a practitioner to directly break through to the Lingdan realm. There were nine levels in total: the first three levels were for the Xiantian realm, the middle three for the Zhenyuan realm, and the final three for the Lingdan realm.

However, his foster father, Shen Tu Jiao, only passed down the first three levels of the technique, covering the Xiantian realm, leaving the latter six levels untouched.

When Shen Hao broke through to the Xiantian realm, his inner strength converted into true qi and began circulating through the "Xiantian Lieyang Jue." With the memories of Shen Tu Lie, he became familiar with the technique, and the breakthrough was relatively easy.

However, Shen Hao had no intention of continuing to cultivate this method. In his eyes, the best cultivation method was the devouring space. Rather than struggling through painstaking cultivation, it was much quicker to defeat a few Xiantian masters and absorb their skills. In the end, he could choose the best method based on whose technique proved the most powerful.

Shen Tu Lie had also practiced a sword technique called the "Shen Tu Sword Art." It consisted of nine moves, all of which were force-based, suitable for large-scale battles rather than one-on-one combat. However, Shen Hao was surprised to find that Shen Tu Lie's lightness skill was quite basic—just a simple technique for leaping and dodging—something quite inferior. His foster father, Shen Tu Jiao, had never taught him advanced footwork techniques, believing that once a person reached the Zhenyuan realm, they could fly using weapons, making such skills unnecessary.

After reviewing the techniques in Shen Tu Lie's memories, Shen Hao chose not to study them. He still preferred his own "Qingfeng Sword Art," which, now that he had reached the first stage of the Xiantian realm, could allow him to move at speeds far beyond even Shen Tu Lie.

At this point, Shen Hao realized something else. Since the Yangzhou governor Li Chongyan had colluded with Shen Tu Lie to ambush Wen Ren Yiyi, and because of Shen Hao's interference, Shen Tu Lie had been killed prematurely—this meant he had made enemies with the mighty Zhenyuan general, Shen Tu Jiao, and the Xiantian grandmaster Li Chongyan.

The events in Black Tiger Gorge couldn't be hidden for long. The warhorse that had been given to Lu's Escort Agency would surely lead back to Shen Tu Lie's death. A thorough investigation would uncover Shen Hao's involvement. As a result, Lu's Escort Agency would likely face trouble. Furthermore, Ma Laoliu and Shen Hao would soon be implicated.

This realization made Shen Hao uneasy. He was also suffering from a headache, so he decided not to return to the inn just yet. Instead, he changed into casual clothes—jeans and a t-shirt—and decided to return to the modern world for a while to recuperate.

Upon arriving back at the living room, he could hear the sounds of his housekeeper, Lu Jie, changing the bed linens in the bedroom. Shen Hao sighed in relief, but his head was still throbbing. He went over to the coffee table, grabbed a bottle of mineral water, and drank a large gulp, feeling a bit better.

He lay on the sofa for a while, the headache gradually subsiding after about ten minutes. At this point, Lu Jie walked out of the bedroom. Seeing Shen Hao almost fall asleep, she quickly asked with concern, "Boss, if you're tired, you should go to the bedroom and rest."

Shen Hao nodded, "Yes, I will. I'll take a short nap. Don't wake me when you're done."

"Understood, Boss," Lu Jie replied.

After a quick shower, Shen Hao lay down heavily on the bed in the master bedroom, and before long, he fell asleep for over three hours. It wasn't until Lu Jie knocked on the door that he woke up.

"Boss, the food is ready."

"Okay, I'll be right out," Shen Hao replied, stretching lazily. Despite the lingering headache, he felt much better.

When he entered the dining room, he was greeted with a hearty meal: clear-broth pork rib soup, stir-fried sliced pork with green peppers, and stir-fried vegetables. The aroma made his mouth water, and he dug in eagerly.

"This is really good. You've got great skills. The meat is perfectly cooked, not too strong on the flavor," Shen Hao praised.

Lu Jie smiled slightly, "Thank you, Boss."

Just then, Lu Jie's phone pinged with a new message. After reading it, she couldn't help but send a voice message, "Didn't I just give you living expenses yesterday? How are you out of money again? Can you be more careful with your spending?"

She looked slightly embarrassed after sending the message and then turned to Shen Hao, "Boss, if you're finished, I'll be leaving. I'll come back this afternoon to clean up."

"Alright, go ahead," Shen Hao replied.

After Lu Jie left, Shen Hao quickly finished a bowl of rice and put the remaining dishes into the fridge. He was still feeling a bit light-headed, so he decided to take another nap.

For the next three days, Shen Hao stayed at home, relaxed, played with his phone, ate the meals Lu Jie prepared, and lived a carefree life.

"This account is useless. All they keep recommending are yoga and borderline dance videos," he muttered to himself as he scrolled through his social media feed.

At that moment, a WeChat message popped up.

"Mr. Shen, are you there? Do you remember me?"

Shen Hao looked at the name "Zhou Peiyuan" and immediately remembered who it was. Zhou Peiyuan was the herbalist who had helped him appraise the ginseng when he sold the century-old wild ginseng to Xiao Bing. They had exchanged WeChat contacts before parting ways.

"Yes, I remember. Is something the matter, Old Zhou?"

"Mr. Shen, I won't beat around the bush. Do you still have the 50-year-old wild mountain ginseng? I'll pay 1 million."

Upon hearing this, Shen Hao thought for a moment and agreed, "Sure, I still have two pieces. How do you want to proceed with the transaction?"

"That's great! I'll come over to pick them up. Don't sell them to anyone else!"

Not wanting Shen Hao to back out, Zhou Peiyuan immediately asked for his bank details and transferred two million to his account.

When Shen Hao saw the extra two million in his bank account, he felt no different. Inside his space, there were 9.3 million RMB, 9.26 million USD, five pounds of gold, and 1,730 taels of silver. He wasn't exactly hurting for money.

However, who would ever say no to more money?

Though the 9.26 million USD wasn't useful domestically, it was just about enough for Shen Hao to buy a villa. The deal felt good, especially since he had previously been using plastic bags to store ginseng—something that didn't make him look very classy.

After rummaging through his space, he found an elegant old box that he had previously used to store gold. It was perfect for the ginseng, so he decided to put it in there.

The reason he planned to sell the ginseng was not just for the money, but because of the incident when he was taken in by the police. Although it was just a routine investigation, it made him realize that having some connections in the domestic world wouldn't hurt. Despite his martial prowess, he couldn't take on the government, and it was smarter to stay low-profile.

About 4 p.m., Zhou Peiyuan arrived at his place, bringing only one assistant with him.