Since it was her first time here, Jing Yunzhao nodded hesitantly, unnerved at everyone's stares.
The old man laughed at her response. "Sorry to let you down, little girl, but we don't buy herbs. You could perhaps sell your herbs to privately owned traditional Chinese medicine stores, but I doubt they would buy in bulk…"
Jing Yunzhao was surprised and confused at the information.
"This is a traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy, so we do not take in raw herbs unless they are rare or have been processed into herbal drinks. Unfortunately, there are already plenty of herbal drink suppliers we are working with, so we will not be buying from you unless your products are better and cheaper than theirs," said the old man again.
Jing Yunzhao was smart and understood what the old man said right away.
Herbs could roughly be divided into three categories: unprocessed raw herbs, processed herbs that could be used as ingredients for herbal products, and finished goods made from herbs such as instant herbal medicines.
Jing Yunzhao's heart sank. She might have absorbed a lot of new knowledge from the Naling Jade, but not much of it was practical and she had made a mistake with this decision.
"Thank you for the information, sir, I know what to do next time. Would it be alright if I bring processed herbs here next time?" asked Jing Yunzhao politely.
Jing Yunzhao's soothing voice and lovely smile quickly made a favorable impression, and the old man looked at her contemplatively.
"We will consider it as long as the quality is good. By the way, little girl, I know a place if you want to sell those herbs fast," The old man offered kindly, wanting to give the nice little girl a little more help.
Jing Yunzhao's eyes lit up immediately and the old man chuckled.
"There is this weird old man in town who was a traditional Chinese medicine maniac. He would buy whatever herbs in whatever quantity so long as the herbs were of good quality, but at a price slightly lower than the market price. You could drop by to check it out, it is not far from here," the old man said and gave Jing Yunzhao an address.
Jing Yunzhao looked at the address and hesitated. It was already night time and while the place was not far away, it was in a remote area with many alleys and little people.
After thinking for a while, Jing Yunzhao decided to go to the place.
There was nothing to be worried about. She had her secret space and with the martial arts that she had recently picked up, there was a slim chance of her getting into trouble.
Jing Yunzhao left some dang shen for the old man in gratitude and went straight to the address of that traditional Chinese medicine maniac.
Jing Yunzhao walked through alley after alley in the dark, accompanied by the singing of nightingales. She would have been scared to death in her previous life, but she had become much braver now and wasn't afraid despite the creepy, unfamiliar surroundings.
Jing Yunzhao found the place after a good 30 to 40 minutes.
There was an unpleasant smell around the area-an odd mixture of herbs, fire, and something corrosive.
She came up to a house with a big yard, with a black main door that gave it a rather gloomy impression. Jing Yunzhao could hear someone moving about inside and decided to knock on the door.
The heavy door creaked open after around ten seconds and a young man who looked to be in his thirties appeared.
"Can I help you?" He asked, looking tired.
From 15 Feb 2020, Coins spent on books that aren't selected will be refunded within 30 days. However, Fast Passes will not be refunded. The selected book will have a mark on the corner of the book cover in 30 days to indicate continuation. Thank you for your understanding.
The man had a hoarse voice. Given the surroundings, Jing Yunzhao would not be surprised if the man scared everyone away.
"I came to sell these herbs," Jing Yunzhao said politely, gesturing at the woven basket in front of her.
"Come in," the man said and glanced at the basket, then pulled it into the yard effortlessly.
Jing Yunzhao entered the yard and was stunned at what she saw. In front of her were rows and rows of shelves full of jars and other things. Jing Yunzhao could tell that a lot more had been kept away, and that the unpleasant smell was actually coming from this yard. The smell didn't seem as bad as she got closer.
"My master is busy so I will take these on his behalf. The quality of your dang shen is decent and we will pay 30 bucks per catty. I will pay you now if you agree to this price, or you may leave now and never come again," said the man directly, his expressionless face intimidating.
Jing Yunzhao was not greedy and nodded in agreement, knowing that the price was reasonable for fresh dang shen.
The man started cleaning the dang shen and examining each one meticulously as soon as Jing Yunzhao nodded. Had Jing Yunzhao not been a patient person, she might have been annoyed with this man's attitude.
After checking it thoroughly, the man was impressed by the quality of Jing Yunzhao's dang shen.
"I will pay you an extra 2 bucks for each catty. Do send all your goods here," said the man finally. He entered the house and came out not long after to pass Jing Yunzhao her payment of over four thousand bucks.
"Any kind of goods? In any quantity?" asked Jing Yunzhao as she looked at the man.
"Yes," he answered tonelessly.
Jing Yunzhao felt relieved instantly. Even though the house and the people in it were weird, she wouldn't have to worry about money for the time being. Moreover, the owner of the house was probably rich judging by the types of herbs he had in the yard and their quantities, which meant that she also wouldn't have to be worried about making too many transactions with him.
Jing Yunzhao took the money and turned to walk out of the yard. Just as she was stepping out of the door, she heard someone coming out of the house and turned around curiously.
It was a rather frightening old man who had come out of the house. The man Jing Yunzhao had dealt with just now immediately smiled politely and said cautiously, "I just bought some dang shen, Master. Its quality was surprisingly good."
Jing Yunzhao couldn't help but study the old man. Despite his messy gray hair and sloppy clothes, he seemed somewhat elegant for his age. He was at most in his sixties, and his eyes were so dull and dreary that he looked almost pitiful.
The old man quickly noticed Jing Yunzhao standing there.
To everyone's surprise, the old man's eyes widened in shock and he quickly approached her.
Jing Yunzhao took a step back fearfully, about to run out of the house.
"Wait up!" The old man called out when Jing Yunzhao walked out of the door.
Jing Yunzhao turned her head when she heard the old man's shaky and desperate voice, feeling odd.
"What is your name?" The old man asked absentmindedly, his gaze distant as if reminiscing about the past. He looked both surprised and disappointed to see Jing Yunzhao, and it was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking from his complex facial expression.
"Jing Yunzhao," Jing Yunzhao replied warily.
From 15 Feb 2020, Coins spent on books that aren't selected will be refunded within 30 days. However, Fast Passes will not be refunded. The selected book will have a mark on the corner of the book cover in 30 days to indicate continuation. Thank you for your understanding.