Chapter 35: Chapter 33: Ginseng Town! The Nine Thieves
of Meng Mountain’._l
Translator: 549690339
Three days after returning to Black Iron Manor, Su Changkong set off for Clearwater City, inquiring with the owner of the herbal shop there about where he might be able to purchase the primary ingredients for Vital Qi Spread.
The herbal shop owner pondered for a moment before speaking, “You can go to Ginseng Town and take a look. Ginseng Town is near Longevity Mountain, where many ginseng harvesters and herbalists gather. You should be able to buy the medicinal ingredients you need there. However, the journey is long; it is about three to four hundred miles from Clearwater City.”
“Ginseng Town?”
Su Changkong’s eyes lit up slightly.
The White Jade Gang had channels that allowed them to purchase the necessary medicinal ingredients for Vital Qi Spread with ease. Now, Su Changkong had to take matters into his own hands!
Having learned from the Elder of the herbal shop that Ginseng Town might have the main ingredients needed for Vital Qi Spread, he had to go there and see for himself, no matter what.
Su Changkong set out for Ginseng Town. A journey of three to four hundred miles was indeed quite distant; an ordinary person would need several days of travel to arrive.
But with Su Changkong’s endurance and speed, he could run almost a hundred miles without stopping. After pausing to rest and recover his breath along the way, if he departed in the morning, he could reach Ginseng Town by the afternoon.
As dusk approached and the sun cast its final golden rays, a figure in black, who had altered his stature and appearance using Turtle Breath Shrinkage, appeared outside Ginseng Town.
Su Changkong, with a blade at his waist, appeared to be an average traveller from the martial world.
The medicinal ingredients Su Changkong wished to purchase for Vital Qi Spread were quite valuable; to prevent being targeted by the unscrupulous, he naturally had to proceed with caution!
“Is this Ginseng Town?”
Su Changkong saw a series of connected mountains in the distance, which were Longevity Mountain.
Within Longevity Mountain, many precious herbs grew, such as the aged wild ginseng. If one were lucky enough to harvest an aged ginseng, it could make a person rich overnight, providing worry-free sustenance for the rest of their life.
Many ginseng harvesters flocked to Longevity Mountain and gathered outside it. Over time, a small town formed at the foot of Longevity Mountain, which became Ginseng Town.
In Ginseng Town, there was a constant flow of people, bustling with activity, roadside stalls, and shops lined up on both sides, very lively. Su Changkong saw many people from the martial world, with weapons at their waists, walking about.
Ginseng Town, although small, was quite prosperous due to its uniqueness, filled with a mix of characters. There were ginseng harvesters who hoped to try their luck in Longevity Mountain, and merchants looking to buy precious medicinal ingredients.
“First, I’ll find an inn to stay at, have a meal, rest, and then inquire about any news, to see where in the town medicine is sold and if I can buy the ingredients I need,” Su Changkong thought to himself as he stepped into Ginseng Town.
In the center of Ginseng Town, Su Changkong found an inn called the Welcoming Pine Inn and checked in.
After paying a deposit at the counter, the innkeeper gave Su Changkong a room.
After taking a bath, Su Changkong went downstairs to eat.
The first floor of the inn was a dining area with tables and chairs set up, surrounded by guests drinking, eating meat, and chatting.
“Hehe! It’s said that just a few days ago, Li Laosan in Longevity Mountain found a year-old wild ginseng. But before he could even warm up to his luck, he was chased by another group of ginseng harvesters, insisting that they had discovered the ginseng first. As a result, not only did Li Laosan not manage to keep the ginseng, but he also lost an arm-the ginseng harvesters were really ruthless!”
“What’s that compared to what happened in Prosperous Village a few days ago? There was a massacre that wiped out the entire family of Officer Liu, plus the servants—more than thirty people killed overnight. They say it was the work of some vicious bandit out for money and murder, truly horrific!
The guests discussed various interesting events and news they knew about. Su Changkong waited for his food and drink to be served, casually listening to the conversations of the guests in the inn.
“Hmm?”
Su Changkong paused slightly at this moment, for he saw a familiar figure on
the first floor of the inn.
In a corner of the inn beside a table, there sat a lean and vigorous man, alone, drinking and eating meat, silently and wordlessly. The man was around thirty or forty years of age, and he emitted a faint, sharp aura that made others reluctant to approach casually.
“Yan Song?”
This man Su Changkong remembered—he was none other than Yan Song!
Over a year ago, Su Changkong had participated in an auction held by the Zhao Family for an inner strength secret manual, where Yan Song had made a high bid for the Red Fire Skill, only to be outbid by someone else.
Yan Song had a not insignificant reputation in Clearwater City’s martial world as the “Flying Sand Blade,” a Blade Catcher who earned his living by collecting the bounties offered by the authorities for various criminals, renowned for his martial prowess.
At that time, Yan Song was dissatisfied that the man in the mask had purchased the Red Fire Skill and had unhesitatingly followed him. Su Changkong, not wanting to attract trouble, did not intervene.
Now, Yan Song appeared here unscathed, but it was unknown whether he had snatched the secret manual from the man with the fox mask or had come to some other agreement. He personally had not encountered any mishaps.
Being a martial artist with a keen sense of awareness, Yan Song seemed to notice the gaze upon him. He turned his head from his meal and drink to look toward Su Changkong, sizing him up with his eyes.
Not wanting to cause any trouble, Su Changkong shifted his gaze away, and Yan Song just frowned slightly then turned his head back, continuing to eat.
The inn’s first floor remained lively, but suddenly, the hall quieted down a notch.
At the entrance of the inn, a group of five people stepped inside, all dressed in the attire of martial artists with weapons at their waists, a fierce light in their eyes, giving the impression they were not men to be trifled with.
As these five people who looked like denizens of the martial world entered the inn, they surveyed the room and their gaze fixed on the corner wooden table, or more precisely, on Yan Song dining at the table. They walked straight toward him!
“Yan Song, it’s a narrow road for enemies, I didn’t expect to encounter you here!”
Among the five, a man with short hair and a muscular build stared coldly at Yan Song and spoke in a deep voice.
The bustling hall became quiet, all the patrons turned their eyes toward this place, a barely concealed excitement in their gaze, knowing that they might witness a martial conflict or vendetta unfold today.
As a Blade Catcher, Yan Song had clearly been through many storms, and the arrival of the five brawny men hadn’t thrown him into a panic.
Yan Song set down the wine jug, wiped the corner of his mouth, then lifted his head to look at the men, saying, “I don’t know who you are. Have I had a quarrel with you gentlemen?”
The short-haired muscular man sneered, “My last name is Sun, I’m called Sun Buwen; Sun Buwu is my older brother.”
“So you’re related to Sun Buwu, the leader of the Nine Thieves of Meng Mountain. Indeed, I took his head to collect the bounty. Are you here for revenge?”
Upon hearing this, Yan Song exclaimed in realization.
As a Blade Catcher who collected bounties offered by the authorities, Yan Song had executed many bandits wanted by the officials, inevitably making countless enemies.
There was once a gang of marauders called the Nine Thieves of Meng Mountain, who were quite rampant. Their leader, Sun Buwu, was wanted by the authorities, and when Yan Song took on the bounty, he discovered the whereabouts of Sun Buwu and a couple of his compatriots. He then acted and chopped them down.
Now, here in Ginseng Town, Yan Song had encountered the remaining members of the Nine Thieves of Meng Mountain, with the short-haired and muscular Sun Buwen leading the group of five coming together to seek revenge for the past!
“Good that you know it, today I’m going to take your head to pay homage to my older brother!”
Sun Buwen licked his lips, his face savage, the other four also looked cold and
stern.
