Chapter 127 - 125: Flowing Gold Ginseng
The matter of Song Changming slaying the military general was locked down due to its negative impact, and the news was not widely spread, allowing few people to know about it.
Gao Qiu died silently on the very night he chose for himself, with no one remembering such a miscellaneous general, and from then on, the "Bloodthorn Spear" vanished from Jianghu.
In contrast, Song Changming being removed from his Patrol Guard position attracted much discussion among Jianghu individuals and ordinary citizens.
Over the years, since Song Changming gained fame in County City, his rise has been closely tied to his Official Family position as a Patrol Guard.
If anyone were to mention a young and promising Patrol Guard with outstanding martial prowess in County City, most knowledgeable people would inevitably speak of the name "Dragon Saber."
Many have even likened Song Changming to a nemesis of evil in County City.
Due to Song Changming’s impressive past achievements in capturing criminals, those wanted fugitives became terrified, cautious, and did not dare to flaunt themselves publicly.
It was precisely because of Song Changming’s high reputation as a Patrol Guard that, upon his removal, many more people discussed him.
Various rumors circulated within the city.
Some said Song Changming was too outstanding and was suppressed by higher-ups, while others said he was young and impulsive, offending a big figure, leading to his end on the Official Road.
There were even rumors that this big figure was the Fifth Prince, who, unable to stand Song Changming’s handsome and extraordinary appearance, removed him out of jealousy...
In the market, storytellers seized this hot news, weaving Song Changming’s various deeds into stories, narrating them vividly.
Some listened and spread these stories, believing them to be true.
Thus, the more people talked, the more exaggerated and fantastical the stories became...
Some strange sayings reached Song Changming’s ears, and he only found them amusing, not bothering to clarify anything.
Until the year passed, winter gave way to spring.
On this day, Brocade Street, Liu Residence.
"The function of Mist gold indeed goes beyond summoning Fog Beasts; in fact, expending Mist gold’s Spiritual Energy solely for summoning Fog Beasts seems like a waste, as its true value does not lie in this."
Liu Dingsheng listened to Song Changming’s inquiry and answered.
"The greatest value of Mist gold is for cultivation above the Ninth Realm. For you, it is still early, but when you reach the Extreme Realm, you will naturally understand."
Song Changming mused, "So, Mist gold is indeed an excellent cultivation resource."
"That’s the meaning." Liu Dingsheng said as he brought out a chess board, placing it on the stone table in the courtyard.
Now that winter has passed and the warmth of spring is emerging, it is the perfect time to sunbathe outside.
Without playing a few games of chess, it truly feels incomplete.
"Is it easy to acquire this Mist gold? The government does not allow individuals to privately hoard Mist gold, as it is deemed a serious crime." Song Changming asked again.
Liu Dingsheng heard this and smiled, "It is a serious crime, but at the level above the Extreme Realm, as long as you don’t use Mist gold to create a large number of Fog Beasts to harm a place, the government cannot control you.
A Martial Artist of that strength is freer than you think, possessing some special privileges.
As for the difficulty in obtaining Mist gold, it is both difficult to acquire and easy.
The hard part is that the primary source of Mist gold comes from the Outer Domain, where the dangers are such that anyone who goes there faces the possibility of not returning, and the mining of Mist gold largely involves luck, possibly risking life for nothing.
Yet, it is simple if you have money—no need to personally venture to the Outer Domain to mine; money can make the supernatural happen, and you can purchase it for a hefty price, as long as there is a channel to source it."
"So, Mist gold is quite valuable?" Song Changming asked.
"Of course, it’s valuable, but since privately hoarding Mist gold nominally violates the law, it doesn’t have a clear market price," Liu Dingsheng nodded.
Song Changming thought for a moment and straightforwardly asked, "Do you have any connections for buying and selling Mist gold, elder?"
"Oh?" Liu Dingsheng was a bit surprised, then suddenly thought of something, and smiled meaningfully.
"I heard that earlier in the year, you handed over a piece of Mist gold to the government. Asking about this today, could it be..."
The event that night is perhaps not well-known to outsiders, but Liu Dingsheng, being who he is, is quite well-informed, even if Song Changming hadn’t mentioned that night, he could still know quite a bit.
Song Changming smiled, tacitly acknowledging it.
"Good kid, being out of official uniform does make a difference." Liu Dingsheng found it amusing.
At this point in the conversation, Song Changming no longer hid anything, directly taking out a small box, in which Mist gold was placed.
Previously, he had searched Gao Qiu’s body for two pieces of Mist gold, handing over one to the government and keeping the other till now.
Once the storm has passed, he brought it to Liu Dingsheng.
Privately hoarding Mist gold is a serious crime, and keeping it in hand is useless for Song Changming now.
He couldn’t casually use it to summon Fog Beasts, as it requires a substantial amount of Essence Blood, and once discovered, he’d become a wanted man, and his peaceful days would be over.
Moreover, although the combat power of Fog Beasts might be formidable to others, they are not so useful to Song Changming.
If he encounters an enemy he can’t handle in the future, even summoning another Fog Beast would likely fail to change the outcome of the battle.
Therefore, instead of keeping it, why not ask Liu Dingsheng about its market value? If he can exchange it for some money and silver, it would be worthwhile for him.
Liu Dingsheng picked up the golden Mist Gold that had yet to be stained by blood. After carefully examining it, he nodded and said.
"Not bad, its spiritual energy hasn’t been heavily consumed; this is precisely when it can sell for a high price.
If kept for too long, even unused, the spiritual energy of this Mist Gold will gradually be eroded over time. By then it will not be worth anything, just a piece of hot metal."
After Liu Dingsheng finished inspecting it, he put it back in the box for safekeeping, which in a way can prevent the spirit energy inside from dissipating.
"Helping you sell it isn’t difficult; I can guarantee that selling such a piece for fifty Han Gold won’t be a problem. If the market is good and meets a buyer in urgent need, it could sell for significantly higher." Liu Dingsheng spoke straightforwardly.
This matter, Song Changming sought him out for help, which was sufficient to demonstrate his trust in him.
And he too was willing to help with this.
Though Song Changming is now without an official position, what he values in Song Changming was never his status as Chief Patrol Guard.
But rather, Song Changming’s personal Martial Tao prowess.
Building good relations now and maintaining these connections might come in handy for seeking Song Changming’s assistance in the future.
"This small piece is so expensive." Song Changming said, somewhat surprised.
The Han Gold mentioned by Liu Dingsheng is a more precious currency than Da Han Silver Coins, with a fairly stable exchange rate.
Usually, it only circulates among the upper-class noble families, hence it’s also referred to as noble currency.
Essentially, one piece of Han Gold is equivalent to one hundred silver coins.
Fifty Han Gold amounts to five thousand silver.
The price of a hundred-year-old Wild Mountain Ginseng would not even reach a thousand silver, Song Changming felt it was already exorbitant.
Yet this tiny piece of Mist Gold could sell for five thousand silver, equating to the value of five hundred-year-old mountain ginsengs.
This Mist Gold is essentially the most precious item Song Changming has seen so far.
"Not really expensive, this thing is inherently a scarce resource, those who want it are typically truly powerful, and they don’t lack this bit of Han Gold.
Moreover, its price mainly depends on the spiritual energy within the Mist Gold. If the spiritual energy is thin, it won’t sell at this price." Liu Dingsheng said, long accustomed to it.
"Then I’ll have to trouble you, senior." Song Changming thanked him, agreeing to the transaction.
"Haha, if you wish to thank me, then just accompany this old man with a few chess games today." Liu Dingsheng laughed.
"I will certainly let senior enjoy to the fullest."
...
About half a month later.
Liu Dingsheng sent someone to the Song Residence, handing over a medicine box and a money bag.
"This is what Lord Liu ordered me to deliver to Brother Song." Liu Ziwen said.
When Song Changming saw the medicine box, his eyes lit up immediately, and he hastily asked, "Is it that three-hundred-year-old Mountain Ginseng!"
"Lord Liu has already had it verified by someone, more accurately, it’s a three hundred fifty-year-old Flowing Gold Ginseng!
Mountain ginseng of this quality is rare even in the North." Liu Ziwen said, gazing at the medicine box with a touch of envy.
He too focuses primarily on bone forging cultivation, and such treasure medicine also holds great benefits for his body refinement, making him covetous.
This cannot simply be bought with money; even for Liu Dingsheng, it was fortunate chance that led him to hear about such a plant.
"Flowing Gold Ginseng! It’s actually Flowing Gold Ginseng!" Song Changming sounded utterly excited upon hearing this.
As he opened a crack of the medicine box, a fragrance of herbs and trees immediately wafted out.
Simply getting closer and taking a sniff made one feel refreshed and delighted.
Upon fully opening the box, a golden mountain ginseng lay quietly inside, about three fingers thick and the length of chopsticks, its roots densely intertwined.
In the sunlight, the golden surface of the ginseng appeared like fluid plating, shimmering with brilliance; it was this exceptional trait that earned it the name Flowing Gold Ginseng.
He had consumed mountain ginseng for many years for practice and had specifically studied it.
He knew among various types of mountain ginseng, the Flowing Gold Ginseng was an extremely renowned one, regarded as the King Can.
And this three hundred fifty-year-old Flowing Gold Ginseng was even more precious.
At this moment, Song Changming felt like someone accustomed to eating simple and coarse food suddenly encountering rare delicacies, overwhelmed with excitement.
This kind of treasure medicine, he had never seen before...