Chapter 269: Chapter 268: Encountering the Thousand-Year-Old Ginseng Again
"Hurry! If we’re any later, someone else will get there first!"
"Is the news reliable? Did it really appear in Luoying Creek?"
"It’s absolutely true! The Gang Leader of the Seven Stars Gang saw it with his own eyes. That golden light, that medicinal fragrance... it’s definitely the thousand-year-old Ginseng King!"
"I heard people from the Jinghong Gang and the Iron Palm Association have already rushed over. If we’re late, we won’t even get the leftovers!"
The broken conversation drifted into Fang Han’s ears on the wind.
"Luoying Creek... a thousand-year-old ginseng..."
A sharp glint flashed in Fang Han’s eyes. The thousand-year-old ginseng had appeared again!
’An opportunity!’
Fang Han’s mind raced.
The map didn’t mark Luoying Creek. It must be a local name for a certain place.
He tailed them from a distance, neither too close nor too far, planning to use them as guides to Luoying Creek.
Along the way, he encountered several more groups of Martial Artists, all hurrying in the same direction. Their destination was undoubtedly Luoying Creek.
The closer he got, the more Martial Artists he encountered, and the more tense the atmosphere became. He could even faintly smell a trace of blood in the air.
Fang Han pushed his Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique to the Realm of Perfection. His figure seemed to merge with the mountain wind and forest shadows, reducing his presence to a minimum and deftly avoiding unnecessary conflicts.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a mountain peak appeared before him. It was shaped like a giant eagle swooping down, with treacherous slopes, a deep ravine, and a dense forest.
This was Luoying Creek!
Fang Han broke away from the people he was following, slipped into Luoying Creek, and activated his Spirit Nose Technique to its fullest, sensing the scents in the mountain forest.
BUZZ—
In an instant, the world around him seemed to transform into an ocean of smells.
The earthy smell of soil, the fresh fragrance of plants, the sweet tang of blood, the stench of sweat from Martial Artists, the rusty smell of various weapons, and...
...countless medicinal aromas—some strong, some faint, some common, some rare—all mixed together, rushing toward him.
The sheer volume of information was overwhelming, crashing against his senses like a tidal wave.
His mind acted like the finest sieve, rapidly filtering and distinguishing between the complex scent information, searching for the aroma of the thousand-year-old ginseng.
His entire focus was immersed in capturing and identifying the scent of the thousand-year-old ginseng.
One hour... two hours...
The blazing sun gradually dipped westward, and the light in the forest grew dim.
Suddenly!
An irrepressible look of joyful surprise burst forth from Fang Han’s eyes.
’I’ve found it!’
To the southeast, he keenly detected a unique medicinal fragrance. It was extremely faint yet exceptionally pure, containing a vast, surging life essence—like a firefly in the night.
It was the scent of the thousand-year-old ginseng!
Though it was incredibly faint, there was no mistaking that unique spiritual aura.
’This time... I definitely won’t let you escape again!’
Fang Han suppressed the excitement in his heart, his gaze instantly becoming as sharp as an eagle’s.
His Perfection Level Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique operated at its peak. His aura completely retracted, as if he had become a lifeless rock, his body temperature even seeming to synchronize with the surroundings.
He silently executed the Wind and Cloud Escape with his feet. His body moved like a puff of incorporeal green smoke, using the shadows of trees and rocks to stealthily advance toward the source of the fragrance.
His speed wasn’t particularly fast, but each step was as light as a feather, kicking up no dust. Even the slight breeze his movement created blended perfectly into the natural airflow of the mountains.
The closer he got, the clearer the medicinal fragrance became.
Fang Han’s heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster, yet his gaze grew colder and calmer, like that of a patient hunter.
Fifty zhang... forty zhang...
Finally, after passing through a thick patch of vines, his eyes locked onto his target.
Thirty zhang ahead, in a backlit crevice between some rocks, a plant stood silently rooted in the damp moss. It was entirely golden, about a foot tall, and shaped like a miniature child.
It was the thousand-year-old ginseng!
Fang Han held his breath, even softening his gaze, not daring to reveal the slightest hint of killing intent or greed.
Like the craftiest of predators, he used the terrain and shadows to inch closer.
Twenty-nine zhang... twenty-eight zhang... twenty-seven zhang...
The distance closed with excruciating slowness.
The thousand-year-old ginseng seemed unaware of the approaching danger, still swaying gently as it absorbed the Earth Vein Qi.
’Twenty zhang...’
When he was about twenty zhang away, Fang Han dared not get any closer.
Any closer, and even with his Perfection Breath Concealment Technique, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t be detected by the thousand-year-old ginseng’s extraordinary Spiritual Sense.
A cold light suddenly erupted in his eyes. He held back no longer.
BOOM!
His Fifth Grade Middle Stage Internal Qi erupted like a volcano, and he pushed his Wind and Cloud Escape to its absolute limit.
His figure instantly shifted from extreme stillness to extreme motion, transforming into a pale cyan flash of lightning that tore through the air. His speed surpassed the limits of the naked eye as he shot toward the thousand-year-old ginseng in the rock crevice.
With this lunge, he had pushed his speed and explosive power to their peak.
WHOOSH—!
At almost the exact same moment Fang Han moved, the thousand-year-old ginseng reacted like a startled rabbit.
Its golden body trembled, its roots instantly retracting as it prepared to burrow back into the ground.
Its reaction was astonishingly fast!
But Fang Han, unleashing his Wind and Cloud Escape with all his might, was even faster.
SHLIIICK—!
The instant his Flowing Wind Sword left its sheath, a highly condensed streak of cyan Sword Qi shot out, cutting toward the rocky ground beneath the thousand-year-old ginseng as easily as slicing through tofu.
The Sword Qi wasn’t meant to harm, but to intercept.
To force the thousand-year-old ginseng out from underground!
BOOM!
Shattered rocks flew as a deep gash was cut into the ground.
The thousand-year-old ginseng’s downward escape was forcefully interrupted by the sharp sword strike, and its body paused for a fraction of a second.
In that split-second pause, Fang Han’s figure appeared like a phantom.
His left hand shot out like lightning, fingers forming a claw. Wielding a grappling Power that was both gentle and firm, he swiftly grabbed at the golden ginseng body.
PUFF!
It was cool to the touch and had a peculiar resilience, as if he hadn’t grabbed a plant but a piece of warm, golden jade.
The thousand-year-old ginseng struggled violently like a living creature. A considerable force transmitted through it, actually making Fang Han’s palm go slightly numb.
At the same time, a rich, refreshing medicinal fragrance exploded outward, suffusing the surroundings.
"Still trying to run?"
Fang Han’s eyes turned cold. His five fingers suddenly tightened, clamping the thousand-year-old ginseng firmly in his palm.
At the same time, his mind raced, and he unhesitatingly called up the system panel.
[Host: Fang Han]
[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 64x (Level 7 Amplification requires 10,000,000 silver)]
[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]
[Stepping Talent Amplification: 32x (Level 6 Amplification requires 1,000,000 silver)]
[Secret Technique Talent Amplification: 32x (Level 6 Amplification requires 1,000,000 silver)]
[Owned Wealth: 3,200,000 silver]
’Recharge!’
The moment the thought formed, the struggling, highly spiritual thousand-year-old ginseng in his hand vanished instantly.
However, Fang Han had no time to check how much his wealth had increased, let alone rejoice.
The commotion from his full-power burst must have already alerted the other Martial Artists in the mountains.
He needed to leave this place as quickly as possible.
"There’s movement over there!"
"What a strong medicinal fragrance! It must be the thousand-year-old ginseng!"
"Did someone get it? Let’s go!"
Greedy and urgent shouts echoed from all directions as the sound of rushing air rapidly approached.
Just as Fang Han began to move, several figures shot out from the woods ahead, blocking his path.
There were five of them in total, all dressed differently. The one with the strongest aura was a brawny man with a fleshy face, wielding a Ghost Head Saber. Judging by his aura, the fleshy-faced man was likely a Fifth Grade Martial Artist, while the others were all Sixth Grade Martial Artists.
Every one of them was a Martial Artist rarely seen in a small place like Liangshui City, but they had all been drawn here by the thousand-year-old ginseng.
The five had clearly been attracted by the recent commotion and the lingering medicinal fragrance.
Their gazes first swept doubtfully over the deep gash carved into the ground by Sword Qi and the traces left behind in the rock crevice where something had been forcibly taken.
Then, five pairs of eyes landed squarely on Fang Han, who had just steadied himself and was about to leave.
Fang Han’s conspicuous Silver-Striped Cyan Robe made the five men’s pupils shrink slightly, a trace of apprehension flashing across their faces.
But the next moment, when their gazes fell upon the satchel on Fang Han’s back, that apprehension was swiftly replaced by an irrepressible, burning greed.
The fleshy-faced man took a step forward. His eyes burned as he stared at Fang Han, and he spoke in a raspy voice laced with both probing caution and unconcealed covetousness:
"You there... a distinguished disciple of the Qingxuan Sect? Regarding the disturbance and fragrance just now, did you perhaps find a trace of the thousand-year-old ginseng?"
Fang Han stopped, his calm gaze sweeping over the five men before him, taking in their expressions.
’Denial is useless,’ he thought. ’The marks on the ground and the rich medicinal fragrance still lingering in the air are the best evidence.’
’A forceful denial would only make me look guilty and arouse more suspicion.’
His expression remained unchanged as he spoke in a regretful tone, his voice carrying clearly to everyone present.
"That’s right. I did indeed discover the thousand-year-old ginseng."
He paused, then continued under the five men’s instantly brightening gazes:
"However, the creature is highly spiritual and its Escape Technique is astonishing. I just tried to capture it, but it broke free and escaped into the ground."
As his words fell, the scene became completely silent.
The greed on the five Martial Artists’ faces instantly froze, replaced by thick suspicion and disbelief.
’Escaped into the ground?’
’The medicinal fragrance that erupted was so strong, and with that sharp sword mark and the signs of a struggle on the ground... it clearly looked like a successful capture.’
’This brat from the Qingxuan Sect is obviously trying to take the treasure for himself!’
The brawny man’s eyes flickered. He stared at Fang Han’s pack and said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"Oh? It escaped?"
His tone was clearly laced with disbelief.
Just then, more sounds of rushing air echoed one after another.
Figures darted out from all over the mountain forest. In just a few short minutes, fifty or sixty Martial Artists had gathered around Fang Han, with more still on the way.
None of these people had weak auras. They quickly learned the situation from the first five arrivals, and their gazes, like those of hungry wolves, all focused on Fang Han—especially the satchel on his back.
Despite the pressure from the Qingxuan Sect True Inheritance Robe Fang Han was wearing, no one dared to make the first move.
But the greed, suspicion, and restless urges flashing in their eyes were almost tangible, locking onto Fang Han with an iron grip.
The atmosphere instantly became suffocating.
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