Chapter 3 Part I

    “Xiao She, come here. Massage my legs and later I’ll ask sister for some magical water for you,” said He Yu to his new friend.

    Ah, perhaps it’s better to call it a new pet. But this "pet" is the very creature Zhenzhu wanted to keep the farthest distance from—a brazen giant snake that had imposed itself as the He family’s pet in exchange for the spiritual power-laden water that He Yu was tasked with feeding it once a day. This made it stick to He Yu all the time except when it went off to feed.

    In the first few days, little He Yu was somewhat afraid of it, but look at him now, comfortably using it to massage his legs. This leg massage involved letting it wrap around his short legs, gently squeezing, and slithering with just the right amount of pressure. He Yu liked to brag about how easy and useful his pet was, even letting it massage his father's legs sometimes. However, Zhenzhu never got close to it. Sometimes, when she accidentally ran into it, she would get so scared that her legs gave out, and she would collapse right there.

    Xiao She is the name He Yu gave it, a name that hardly honors its size. It seemed content to follow the He family around. Xiao She refused to leave for five days straight. Two days ago, Miss Wang tried to put it in a sack and take it up the mountain to release it back into the wild, but by the time she walked back home, it had slithered its way back not long after. They didn’t know how to get rid of it and had to accept the reality that it was now their pet.

    What was somewhat comforting was that it never harmed anyone in the He family, and it acted as if it could understand human language. But who could guarantee that one day, if it got hungry, it wouldn’t consider them as its next meal?

    Zhenzhu had no choice but to live with it, always on edge.

    On day when Miss Zhou and her husband went to sell vegetables in town, she would seize the opportunity to follow, simply because she didn’t want to be at home and feel her skin crawl around the massive Xiao She. Now, she knew almost every alley in Fengfu City as she wandered around it.

    Well, at least it could guard the house. Other families use dogs to guard their homes, the He family might as well use a snake.

    “Sister, why don’t you try? Xiao She gives such comfortable massages.”

    “No! Yu’er, take it away. I’m going to water the vegetables, don’t let it follow me to the garden.”

    “Bring me a cup of that magical water. I’ll make sure it doesn’t follow sister.”

    The little boy said this while gently stroking Xiao She’s head, feeling like a hero with a formidable pet by his side. Zhenzhu, watching this, couldn’t help but get goosebumps.

    She dipped a golden fish scale into a cup filled with water to make spiritual power water and placed it beside the jar before hurrying off to the vegetable garden.

    She really couldn’t get used to it.

    Now in the morning, today Miss Wang went up the mountain early to gather herbs, leaving the task of watering the vegetables to her. He Ming went to collect firewood at the foot of the mountain. Zhenzhu walked into the vegetable garden, shimmering with pure spirit energy.

    The woven bamboo fence was completed, enclosing the area securely.

    My beloved plants have grown!

    The bok choy had grown enough to be harvested, and a patch of experimental herbs was now fully grown, emitting pure blue spirit energy, seeming even purer than the three herbs Wang had accidentally gathered.

    “Maybe I should sell them in town tomorrow.”

    These hundred or so herbs could fetch a good price. Last time, just three of these herbs were sold for one tael. If she sold these at the same rate, three for one tael, her family could earn up to 33 taels!

    That amount could enable the He family to buy seeds, repair their dilapidated house, and purchase thick blankets without any financial strain. Zhenzhu thought excitedly.

    She quickly watered all the vegetables and then went to discuss this matter with her father.

    Zhenzhu walked into the house, which was divided into two rooms by wooden panels – one for her father and the other where she and her siblings slept.

    As soon as she entered, she was startled to see Xiao She giving her father a massage, with He Yu supervising nearby.

    “Yu’er, take it outside. I have something to discuss with father.”

    “Yes,” he complied before taking his beloved pet away.

    “Father, how are you feeling today?”

    She sat down at the edge of the old bamboo bed, massaging her father’s legs in place of Xiao She.

    “Much better, Zhu’er.”

    He raised his arm to show his daughter, proving his improved condition. Before, even lifting his arm was difficult, but now he could move it and had regained some strength in his legs. His condition was gradually improving.

    “Father, the plot of herbs we’ve been growing is ready to be sold.”

    “Is that so? Good, tomorrow your mother can sell them to Old Man You. Then we won't have to worry about money anymore,” He Lei said excitedly.

    “That won’t work, father. If we sell them to Grandfather Yao, I’m afraid the villagers will wonder where we got so many spirit herbs from. Spirit herbs aren't something you can just pick up anytime.”

    She pointed out the problem.

    “That’s true, I hadn’t thought about that,” He Lei murmured. He had been too excited and forgot to consider this aspect.

    “How about this, father? I’ll take these herbs to a pharmacy in town. Aunt Zhou is going to sell vegetables tomorrow. I’ll go with her. We’ll sell about 20 of the spirit herbs first. The rest we can sell gradually, so we don’t attract too much attention,” Zhenzhu suggested.

    “That sounds good,” He Lei looked at his daughter admiringly. Lately, she seemed to have grown up, becoming more rational than before. She used to be a shy little girl, afraid to voice her opinions. Now, she had grown into an adult, proving the saying true that farmer’s children grow up faster than nobles’ children.

    “But, you’re still too young to sell herbs in the city. You might get cheated by those merchants; they’re not always honest,” He Lei expressed his concern, forgetting to consider this point. His daughter was still young and might be easily deceived by cunning merchants.

    “Don’t worry, father. Aunt Zhou will be with me,” she reassured him.

    The next morning, Zhenzhu, wearing a wide-brimmed woven hat, cheerfully left the house with a small basket. She had managed to convince the He family to let her sell the herbs. Today, she was in charge of selling the produce her family had cultivated. The basket contained various herbs Wang had gathered, with spirit herbs hidden underneath and ordinary herbs on top to avoid drawing attention.

    “Oh, Zhu’er, you’re here already? And what have you brought today?” Miss Zhou greeted her as she saw the young girl approaching, humming a tune.

    “Today, I brought the herbs mother has collected to sell at a pharmacy in town,” she replied.

    “Oh, that’s good. Selling them by yourself will get you a better price,”

    “Let’s set off then,” Miss Zhou’s husband joined them, ready with his load of vegetables as usual.

    The three set off for Fengfu City, a journey they made regularly. The more Zhenzhu traveled this path, the less daunting the distance from Dongshan village to Fengfu City seemed. She happily sang along the way, occasionally greeted by farmers across the fields. Frequent trips had made her a familiar face to them.

    “Zhu’er, do you want me to accompany you to sell the herbs?”

    Miss Zhou asked. The girl often visited with her but had never brought goods to sell. This time, bringing herbs to sell, Miss Zhou worried the young girl might be taken advantage of by unscrupulous merchants.

    “It’s okay, Aunt Zhou. I know the price of these herbs well. I’ve secretly checked out a few pharmacies before,” she assured her.

    “Then, let’s meet at our usual vegetable stall,”

    “Yes, Aunt Zhou,”

    After parting with the couple, Zhenzhu headed towards the pharmacy area. Fengfu City, nestled by the Longshan Mountain, was rich in a variety of medicinal plants. It was renowned for producing herbs and pill medicines, making these products the city’s staple export. Many pharmacies dotted the city, with the three largest ones dominating the market.

    Every day, pharmacies would set up stalls outside to buy herbs from locals. Those wanting pill medicines had to go inside the shops.

    The area where Zhenzhu was walking was filled with many medicine shops. In front of these shops were stalls for purchasing herbs, with the shop employees busy buying herbs from the locals. Villagers who had gathered herbs to sell stood in line, creating a lively scene. Zhenzhu walked towards the shop with the longest queue.

    A long queue usually indicates that they offer better prices than other shops, right?“Next,”

    “All for 50 brass coins,”

    “Next,”

    “All for 20 brass coins,” 

    “Next,” 

    “All for 30 brass coins,” 

    The line in front of her gradually shortened. 

    “Next,” finally, it was her turn. The young girl placed her basket of herbs on the counter for the buyer to inspect. 

    The pharmacy employee took out the herbs one by one, weighing them on a scale. 

    “Huh?” After all the ordinary herbs were taken out, he found 20 spirit herbs neatly stacked at the bottom of the basket. 

    “Spirit herbs!” 

    He exclaimed, startled by the large quantity of spirit herbs, all 20 of them, and their exceptionally pure spiritual power. 

    “Did you collect them yourself, little girl?” 

    “No, sir, my mother collected them,” 

    She replied smoothly, not specifying where her mother had gathered them from—simply that they were from the backyard, not the mountain, so she wasn’t lying. 

    “Ah, in that case, wait here a moment,” he said before quickly disappearing into the shop. 

    Shortly, he returned with a short, chubby old man. The old man was only slightly taller than her, his eyes squinted to the size of beans, yet they twinkled cunningly. 

    “Master, this little girl brought these to sell. Look, 20 fully grown, pure spirit herbs,” 

    “Little girl, come inside the shop with me,” 

    His narrow eyes glanced over at her, sending shivers down Zhenzhu’s spine, a feeling reminiscent of when Xiao She looked at her. 

    She scooped up the ordinary herbs from the scale back into her basket and followed the old man into the pharmacy. 

    The shopkeeper Man led the little girl into the medicine shop and then had her place the basket on one of the tables.

    “Let me see your herbs,” 

    He eagerly took out the ordinary herbs before his eyes sparkled upon seeing the 20 neatly arranged spirit herbs in the basket. 

    With over 20 years of experience as a pharmacy owner, he immediately recognized these spirit herbs as some of the purest he had ever seen, even if they were just blue tier. 

    “For the ordinary herbs, I’ll offer 15 brass coins, and for these spirit herbs, 4 for one tael, making it 5 taels and 15 brass coins in total,” he proposed professionally. Judging by her age and appearance, she likely came from a poor family. Earning 5 taels wasn’t easy for a child like her, she would probably be satisfied with his offer. 

    Buying at this price, turning the herbs into pill medicines would allow him to make a significant profit. His small eyes narrowed in satisfaction. 

    “In that case, I cannot sell them to you. I want 2 herbs for a tael,” 

    Did this old man think she was so naive that he could easily underprice? Did he think she was foolish? If her mother hadn’t previously sold three spirit herbs for one tael, she might have been deceived by this grumpy old man. Moreover, these spirit herbs were purer than those collected from the mountain. 

    “Hmph, little girl, how could you expect such a price? These types of herbs are common. They don’t fetch such high prices,” 

    He feigned seriousness convincingly. 

    “In that case, I’ll try selling them at another shop,” she replied.

    She gathered the herbs into her basket, turning to leave the shop, but found herself blocked by two burly men standing at the entrance. When that master gave them a certain look, the two men immediately started to menace her. How could a small girl like her stand up to two large, intimidating men?

    Both men were tall and muscular, one with a scar slashing across his face, looking particularly fearsome.

    This was too much. Did they really think they could bully her just because she was a young girl, barely 8 years old?

    “You won’t get a better price selling elsewhere than at my shop, little lady. It would be better for you to sell the herbs to me,” the shopkeeper’s tone turned sour.

    Zhenzhu looked around the shop, a few customers were inside buying some medicines, and outside, a line of people waiting to sell herbs. Since when did that shopkeeper change his profession from pharmacy owner to thug?

    Alright then, let’s deal with this!

    “Huk! Huu-huu-huu...master, I really can't sell at the price you offered. I need the money to treat my sick father. My brother is still young, and my mother is not in good health. Are you going to bully a small child like me?”

    Tears streamed down her face, her loud crying drawing the attention of everyone in and outside the shop.

    The sight of the tiny, adorable girl sobbing uncontrollably, clutching her small basket, with that master glaring and the two muscular men looking awkward, sparked whispers among the onlookers.

    “Is the pharmacy owner bullying this child?”

    “Look, he even has his two thugs intimidating her.”

    “Poor little girl.”

    “Should we report this to the authorities?”

    “Go ahead, make the report.”

    The surrounding crowd began to focus their attention on the shop, the sound of her loud crying echoing from within.

    “No need to report anything! Where did I bully her? Go! Get out of my shop this instant, you wretched child!” His white mustache twitched repeatedly, his anger causing his body to shake.

    “You wretched child, ruining my shop’s reputation!”

    Without waiting to be chased out again, the little girl dashed out of the shop and disappeared quickly.

    Once she was far enough away, Zhenzhu stopped, panting heavily. That was close, she almost got kidnapped or worse. Was this a pharmacy or a den of thugs?

    But she didn’t realize that most pharmacies in Fengfu City wielded significant influence, thanks to Fengfu City being a major exporter of medicines and herbs. Many shops had to pay local nobles for protection and smooth operations. That shopkeeper’s pharmacy was among the influential ones in the city, she had unwittingly stepped on a tiger’s tail.

    Once far enough away, the tears that had been a ruse to deceive the crowd miraculously dried up, showcasing the advantage of being a child.

    Thinking of bullying a child like her? That old man was centuries too early.

    “Eh, sister, what are you doing here?” A voice called from behind her. Turning, Zhenzhu saw a ragged-looking beggar boy. Thin but with bright eyes, he appeared to be around 6-7 years old, perhaps her age. He wore tattered clothes.

    “I got lost, I guess. Are you from around here?”

    “No, I’m just passing through. And where are you heading?”

    “I’m going to sell herbs, but I can't seem to find a shop that would buy them,” she lied.

    “You want to sell herbs? Shall I take you there? I know this area the best,” he boasted proudly.

    “That would be great. If I get a good price, I’ll give you a commission,” she replied, thinking it couldn’t hurt to have a local guide.

    “Thank you, big sister!” His eyes sparkled with gratitude.

    “You can trust me. master Tiao Pi’s pharmacy might not be the biggest, but he offers fair prices. It’s a pity most people prefer to go to the bigger pharmacies,” the little beggar led her to a shop at the end of the street. It was neither too small nor too big, with a moderate flow of customers. She noticed villagers bringing herbs to sell there.

    “Just go in, big sister. I’ll wait here,” he invited her into the shop as if he owned it.

    Zhenzhu entered the pharmacy, refreshed by the aromatic scent of medicines mixing in the air.

    “Little lady, are you here to buy or to sell?” The shop assistant greeted her as she walked in.

    “I’m here to sell herbs,” she responded.

    “What do you have?” he leaned in to inspect the herbs in her basket. After seeing the common varieties usually brought in for sale, which could be used to make various tonic medicines, he swiftly picked them up to weigh and price them efficiently.

    “Eh, spirit herbs! This many!” His exclamation startled Zhenzhu, he was quite loud.

    “Why are you shouting, Mi Fan?” His voice caused the shop owner to come out and see what was happening.

    “Shopkeeper, this kid has spirit herbs to sell. Look,” he pointed out.

    “Oh, spirit herbs,” Master Tiao Pi was a middle-aged man, robust and straightforward, with honest eyes.

    “Are you interested in buying them, sir?”

    “Of course, spirit herbs like these aren't easy to come by. It’s rare to see more than two or three at a time,” he examined a plump herb that radiates pure energy.

    “Good! These are very pure. For the ordinary herbs, I’ll give 17 brass coins. For the spirit herbs, 2 for a tael, totaling 10 taels and 17 brass coins. What do you think, little lady?”

    “Thank you, sir,” Zhenzhu smiled. master Tiao Pi was as recommended by the beggar boy, fair and proper for doing business.

    “Will you buy more spirit herbs in the future? I will bring you more.”

    “You have more!” Tiao Pi was astonished.

    “To be honest, without hiding anything from you, my father grows these herbs himself. He has some ability to cultivate plants with spiritual energy,” she fabricated with innocent eyes.

    If her instinct in reading people wasn’t wrong, master Tiao Pi seemed genuinely honest. If she could build a relationship with him, she could bring more spirit herbs to sell to him in the future.

    “Really!” Tiao Pi asked excitedly.

    Spirit cultivators who took up farming were rare, mostly acquired by large noble families. But this little girl was saying her father is a spiritual cultivator who grew plants for sale, how could he not be thrilled?