Chapter 460: Chapter 460: Magical Herbs
He took a deep breath, looked at the old man before him, and smiled, "Elder, look, there are a few herbs here. If we can find them, I’d like to sell them and make some money."
Upon hearing this, the old man smiled, "Young man, don’t worry. Since I’ve promised to help you, I will certainly bring them to the town. Let’s head off now!"
After saying that, he hoisted a basket onto his back and walked alongside Liu Zheng out of the village, the two men walking shoulder to shoulder at a leisurely pace.
The mountain path was rather difficult, and even though Liu Zheng hadn’t walked for too long, he felt a bit tired. He stopped and turned to the old man, "Elder, I feel a bit tired. How about we rest for a moment?"
He saw the old man also stopped, realizing he must be feeling somewhat weary too, since he too had just come down from the mountains after gathering herbs, his basket filled with several good medicinal plants. The journey indeed had been tough, and if it weren’t for the fear of delay, he truly would have liked to take a proper rest to recuperate.
"Wait here, I’ll pick some fruit for you to eat!"
With that, the old man turned, reached into his basket, and handed him several bright red fruits.
"Is this... an apple?"
After taking the bright red apple, a flash of surprise crossed Liu Zheng’s face, for he had never seen such a thing before.
"Yes, it’s an apple. There’s no place around here that sells apples, so we have to make do with what grows on the trees instead. But don’t worry, they are absolutely fresh and pollution-free!"
The old man said cheerfully and then turned and walked a few steps ahead.
Liu Zheng hesitated for a long time with the bright red apple in his hand. Eventually, he stuffed it into his mouth.
"Hey, eat slowly, don’t choke..."
The old man hurried over when he saw this.
Liu Zheng swallowed the apple in his mouth and looked at him, nodding with a smile.
"This apple is quite sweet, I haven’t really eaten many since I was young. It seems to be quite good."
"Hahaha..."
The old man chuckled, turned around, and continued walking ahead.
Liu Zheng kept staring at his retreating figure, feeling somewhat puzzled inside.
According to his memory, this person should be from his village. But why did he recognize him? He had absolutely no recollection of such a person in his memory!
Moreover, judging from his attire, he seemed to be dressed like a farmer. But how did he know him? Could it be that something had happened in their village that led to this man being brought here?
At this thought, Liu Zheng furrowed his brows, feeling a bit uneasy inside.
For some reason, at this moment, he suddenly felt nervous, as if he was afraid someone would harm him.
Liu Yang, watching his expression from the side, couldn’t help but laugh and patted his shoulder, "Alright, no need to worry too much. Let’s go. I reckon the villagers will be coming over soon!"
"Right," Liu Zheng replied, nodding, then followed Liu Yang as they walked up the mountain path.
...
Liu Zheng and Liu Yang walked one after the other on the mountain path. Although they were not fast, they appeared very steady.
After walking some distance, Liu Yang suddenly remembered something, turned his head towards Liu Zheng, and said with a smile, "What’s your name, by the way? It’s our first time meeting, and I don’t know your name yet."
Upon hearing Liu Yang’s question, Liu Zheng was startled, but then quickly responded, "I’m Liu Yang, and he is Liu Jian!"
"Liu Jian?"
Liu Yang nodded, "So you’re Liu Jian!"
"Right!" Liu Jian responded, feeling a bit puzzled inside, "Old man, why did you ask for my name just now? Does my name have any special significance?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng smiled, "You really are naive, kid!"
Liu Jian felt quite aggrieved upon hearing Liu Zheng’s comment.
He was just a ten-year-old child, how could he be that naive?
However, he looked at the old man in front of him and didn’t dare to say anything, because he knew that the old man was definitely not simple, and if he dared to speak carelessly, he would surely anger the respected person in front of him.
"By the way, old man, where did you get those medicinal herbs you mentioned just now? If we could take those things back, we should be able to exchange them for more money, right?"
"Yes!" The old man nodded upon hearing this.
"Then can we transport these things to the city to sell? Or maybe go to the town to sell them?"
"No!"
Hearing Liu Zheng’s words, the old man shook his head, "The towns have special places for purchasing medicinal materials. If you go there, you’ll definitely be inspected, and besides, the herbs from our village have all gone through strict selection, you’re not suited to go there!"
Liu Zheng’s face became somewhat embarrassed upon hearing the old man’s words because he had just casually mentioned it without having much hope.
However, after hearing the old man’s explanation, a bit of embarrassment showed on his face; after all, his words just now were indeed a bit overconfident.
"I see..."
"That’s right, young man, if you’re thinking of going to the city, I advise you not to, as you’ll surely be deceived by the people there," the old man said, laughing as he looked at Liu Zheng.
After hearing this, Liu Zheng showed a hint of surprise on his face, "Old man, what do you mean by that?"
"Sigh," the old man sighed, "Young man, I won’t deceive you, I’ll tell you the truth. There used to be a city here, but now, that city has been destroyed, and this place has become a desolate wilderness, which is why I suggested you not go to the city."
"I see!" Liu Zheng nodded, feeling a wave of emotion inside.
He never imagined that the old man before him would know so much, and he didn’t seem like a bad person, so he felt somewhat relieved about him.
"Do you know how to get out?" Liu Zheng looked up towards the distance. His gaze fell upon a rugged mountain path, flanked by bushes that concealed many venomous insects and fierce beasts; thus, he needed to find a safe way out.
"Young man, the mountain I mentioned before actually hides a very secluded path; if you want to go there, you just need to follow this mountain road straight ahead until you see the river at the base of the mountain. Across that water is the city!" the old man pointed towards the distance.
"Oh? So where is this mountain road’s end?"
Liu Zheng, hearing this, looked into the distance, but his gaze did not fall on the lush green rice paddies opposite, instead, he looked further beyond.
"Why are you looking at the distant rice fields? There’s no vegetation there; it’s impossible to see it clearly!"
"No, I can’t see it," Liu Zheng said, smiling faintly before closing his eyes.
This action left both Liu Yang and Liu Zheng stunned.
"What are you doing, young man?"
"Nothing much, I just want to take a clear look at the surrounding scenery," Liu Zheng slowly opened his eyes, glanced into the distance, and then said to Liu Yang and Liu Jian beside him, "You both sit tight, I’m going to speed up."
After speaking, Liu Zheng took a deep breath, and once again accelerated to his fastest, then dashed out.
"This kid, he’s really interesting!" Watching Liu Zheng moving away, the old man muttered to himself.
.......
