63 In Hiding Again
“Elder Zhang, congratulations!”
Jiang Ming raised his mug and lifted it towards the old man who was full of joy.
“Many thanks, Chief Jiang. This pint of wine is on me too!”
Elder Zhang grinned.
“Heh, with these thirty taels of silver, Elder Zhang, you can open a small shop in the city.”
“I think you should build a big house in our town.”
In the warm atmosphere, a few old herb gatherers had dark eyes, as if they had thought of something.
Jiang Ming walked to the corner of the counter and clinked his mug with Old Jiang’s. He whispered, “Mr. Jiang, do you know what the reason for the frequent appearance of the fire cloud grass is?”
Old Jiang’s face did not show any joy either. He sighed and said, “When I was young, I heard my father say that when more fire cloud grass appeared, there would definitely be a King of Medicine in the mountain. It was rumored that it could prolong one’s life and cure all diseases. I don’t know anything more. But one thing is for sure. Once the King of Medicine appears, I’m afraid the herb gatherers in Peace Town will be in trouble again.” Old Jiang’s eyes flashed with a trace of worry.
“The King of Medicine?” Jiang Ming muttered internally. Others did not know how the fire cloud grass was born. However, he had seen it with his own eyes. It was created by the remnants of the fire mayfly’s failed transformation.
The King of Medicine… Could it be that the purple root grass that the fire mayfly had grown on would transform into this?
“I can’t go into the mountain anymore,” Jiang Ming thought to himself.
Although he suspected that the King of Medicine had something to do with the immortal encounter, he would not let greed get the better of him.
Even Old Jiang knew about this. Perhaps there were already well-informed people in the mountains who had begun to quietly search for the King of Medicine.
He had a lot of time. He would just wait and see. He could even wait a hundred years to find the next King of Medicine.
* * *
Jiang Ming stayed in the town for the next few days. He trained at home while teaching Zhou Wenxiu martial arts.
Occasionally, he would go to Old Jiang’s bar to sit for a while and listen to the news of the war in the south, as well as any news related to fire cloud grass.
“Jiangnan City is a tough nut to crack. I heard that the Green Mountain Army suffered a lot of casualties. They haven’t even touched the city wall!”
“I don’t think it’s good. It’s said that the aristocratic families in Jiangnan City that colluded with the Green Mountain Army have suddenly stopped moving.”
* * *
The news of the war came in waves.
However, for the next five to six days, he did not hear any news about fire cloud grass.
On the seventh day, when Jiang Ming walked into the bar, he saw that many customers’ faces were red, as if they were celebrating something.
His heart sank.
As expected, an herb gatherer whose cheeks were red from drinking shouted excitedly, “Hello, Chief Jiang. There’s more fire cloud grass today. Little Jiang picked it.”
“Hey, we herb gatherers are finally going to be rich.”
Many herb harvesters were happily surrounding a young man in the middle of the bar.
Many people waved their fists and were ready to go into the mountains to do something.
Three days later, there was another celebration.
“Two more stalks of fire cloud grass! Old Tang and Deaf Qian found them.”
In the bar, even the customers who were not herb gatherers were excited. Even Deaf Qian, who was a cripple and did not dare enter the mountains, had managed to get a stalk. What were they waiting for?
Although some of the older herb gatherers were also celebrating, the gloominess in their eyes became more and more intense, as if they already had a premonition of what was about to happen.
“Mr. Jiang, I’m preparing to return to the prefecture.” Jiang Ming sighed and slammed the money on the table.
Old Jiang nodded his head in understanding.
Jiang Ming was now a well-known and experienced herb gatherer in Peace Town. If powerful forces came to find the King of Medicine, he would probably be captured as a strong man.
Jiang Ming laughed awkwardly.
After returning home and giving Zhou Wenxiu a simple explanation, Jiang Ming carried his luggage and left without any hesitation.
Although he was from Tiger Hunting Village, if the Green Mountain Army came to capture him, or if the forces outside Great Cloud City that surpassed first-class martial artists came to capture him, he would be powerless.
“Greetings, Chief Jiang!”
“Chief Jiang, where are you going?”
” I’ve been cooped up in the mountains all this time. Now that the city has settled down, I’ve just saved some money. I’m going on a short holiday.”
In the town, Jiang Ming greeted people along the way and walked in the direction of Great Cloud City.
* * *
“Jiang Ming of Tiger Hunting Village!”
At the city gate, Jiang Ming met with the Shi family’s guards and swaggered in.
There were more soldiers on the streets than a few days ago. There were recruitment notices everywhere, attracting desperate refugees or hot-blooded young men who wanted to become nobles and generals.
Jiang Ming walked at a steady pace and unknowingly walked into a secluded narrow alley.
A moment later, an ordinary-looking young man walked out of the narrow alley and headed toward his small courtyard.
Under a large tree, a few old men were still playing chess.
“Hey, Asheng. What have you been doing these past few days?” An old man suddenly saw a figure and immediately shouted.
The other old men also looked over. Master Chen, who had a martial artist son, even shouted, “The Green Mountain Army is recruiting soldiers on a large scale, and the pay is very high. Asheng, have you signed up?”
The young man, Asheng, shook his head with a bitter smile. “Master Chen, don’t joke around. With my small body, I’ll just be cannon fodder. I’ve been hiding these days because I’m afraid of being caught. I saw that the city was getting more and more restless, so I thought of coming back to clean up and stay in the countryside for a while. I might be able to make a living by relying on carpentry.”
“You’re so young and have no drive,” Master Chen said with a look of regret.
An old man who was playing chess with him snorted and slapped his thigh. “I think Asheng is very smart. The Green Mountain Army might be finished at any time.”
“I’m not playing anymore!” Master Chen suddenly said angrily. He flipped the chessboard and left with a gloomy expression.
“I won’t brag about your martial artist son this time.” An old man looked at Master Chen’s back and laughed.
“Then we’ll meet again!” Asheng acted as if he did not see anything. He cupped his hands and turned to return to his own courtyard.
A moment later, Asheng changed his clothes, carried his bulging luggage and the large box containing his tools, and left.
At the city gate, a soldier saw the young man and immediately blocked his way, shouting, “Stop! What are you doing? Where are you going?”
“My name is Yu Asheng. I’ve taken up some work in the countryside,” the young man said respectfully.
The soldier stared at the young man for a moment before saying impatiently, “Get lost! Remember to come back!”
Jiang Ming walked out of the city, speechless. “You want me to come back and catch me to be cannon fodder?”
Fortunately, the Green Mountain Army had not been defeated, otherwise, Jiang Ming would not have dared come back.
* * *
“You can stay here!” The big-bellied Zhang Zhushi struggled to stuff a few taels of silver into his pocket and casually pointed to a dilapidated small courtyard in Peace Town.
“Alright, alright. Thank you, sir!” Jiang Ming bowed.
After sending off Zhang Zhushi, Jiang Ming sized up the small courtyard. He remembered the previous owner of this place. He was also an herb gatherer. After he was taken by the Imperial Army to the north to be a military doctor, he never returned.
Jiang Ming sighed softly, threw down his toolbox and luggage, and began to clean up the yard.
“From today onwards, I’m the carpenter, Yu Asheng.”