Chapter 396: Making the An Family Bleed
Chapter 396: Chapter 396: Making the An Family Bleed
"Yes, there have been," Mr. Gong said with certainty. "One of my ancestors once found an eight-hundred-year-old Purple Danshen."
"Oh!" Su Qing was genuinely surprised.
"Speaking of which, our Gong Family can be considered a lineage of traditional Chinese medicine doctors," Mr. Gong continued. "An ancestor of ours was a Divine Doctor renowned throughout the land. His Qihuang Skill was superb, and he even emulated the legendary Shennong, tasting hundreds of herbs himself. He left behind a precious manuscript for his descendants. Unfortunately, by the time it reached my hands, the manuscript was already severely damaged. Still, I learned a great deal from it. For instance, the Scar Removal Ointment I prepared for you comes from an ancient formula left by that very ancestor."
"That’s truly amazing," Su Qing couldn’t help but remark. As a Wood Ability user with both Healing and Control System powers, she could sense that the ointment’s medicinal effects were indeed excellent.
Mr. Gong nodded. "This ancestor of mine was breathtakingly brilliant. Half of the formulas passed down were his own original creations. The eight-hundred-year-old Purple Danshen I told you about was also recorded in that manuscript. According to the description, the surface of an eight-hundred-year-old Purple Danshen will show faint, golden, crack-like patterns. If you slice it open, you’ll see faint golden specks on the cross-section. You can even see a few faint golden lines on its leaves and flowers. These features distinguish it from an ordinary Purple Danshen. My ancestor even gave it a special name: Tougu Ginseng."
After listening to Mr. Gong, Su Qing narrowed her eyes slightly. She thought of the forest deep within Taiyu Mountain. ’If there’s any place to find an eight-hundred-year-old Purple Danshen, that would be one of them. After all, few people ever venture into those deep, dense woods, and the Spiritual Energy there is much richer than in the outside world. I might actually find it. Besides,’ Su Qing admitted to herself, ’I’ve been wanting to go back to Taiyu Mountain anyway. The environment there is perfect for upgrading my superpower.’
"Alright, I’ll give it a try," Su Qing agreed with a nod.
Mr. Gong hadn’t expected Su Qing to agree so readily. He had only brought it up today as a tentative inquiry. He’d always felt that Su Qing was remarkably lucky. She went into the mountains and managed to find a Century-old Purple Danshen and a Chicken Blood Vine—precious herbs you couldn’t buy no matter how much money you had. Yet Su Qing had found them one after another, and more than one of each.
If Su Qing had refused, he wouldn’t have pushed her. After all, finding an eight-hundred-year-old Purple Danshen would likely require venturing into even deeper parts of the mountains, where the dangers would only multiply.
He felt that he was asking too much of her.
But Su Qing had actually agreed. He had been fully prepared to be turned down.
"Su, are you really willing to go look for it?" Mr. Gong said hastily. "Never mind whether an eight-hundred-year-old Purple Danshen even exists anymore. Even if one does, it’s bound to be growing in an extremely perilous location, likely with dangers beyond what any ordinary person could imagine."
Mr. Gong was starting to have second thoughts. He felt he was putting Su Qing in harm’s way for his grandnephew’s sake. He quickly emphasized the risks, hoping she would realize the difficulty and reconsider.
Su Qing smiled. "Don’t worry, I’m just going to give it a try. It’d be great if I find it, but rest assured, I value my life. I won’t put myself in a dangerous situation. If I run into any trouble I can’t handle, I’ll turn tail and run. I guarantee I’ll make it out of the mountains in one piece. I’m the one who found the Century-old Purple Danshen and the Chicken Blood Vine, remember? You should have some idea of what I’m capable of."
"Then it’s a deal. You must not be reckless. I’d rather you not find the Purple Danshen than fail to come out safely," Mr. Gong urged, seeing her determination.
"Alright, don’t you worry. I know what I’m doing." The deep mountains were Su Qing’s playground; nothing there could harm her. After all, her Domain wasn’t just for show.
"No. You’re taking a huge risk to find this herb. You can’t do it for nothing. The An Family must pay for this, and they can’t be stingy about it." Mr. Gong began to think about how to ensure Su Qing wasn’t taken advantage of. "And another thing, we need to have the An Family hire some mercenaries to go with you and protect you."
"Forget the mercenaries." Su Qing shook her head. ’Hiring mercenaries would just be a burden. If we actually ran into trouble, who’d be protecting whom is anyone’s guess. They’d just slow me down.’ "But," she added, "I’m all for making the An Family pay up."
’She had no love for the An Family. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. The one time that family of vipers produced a diamond in the rough, he ended up getting ruined by an even worse viper. Besides, she had a score to settle with them. That An Zhiwei hadn’t just provoked her, but had also played dirty tricks on Cheng Beilin. Even though the culprit was in jail, Su Qing held a grudge. They had to pay.’
"But mercenaries could offer some protection," Mr. Gong insisted. Fearing she didn’t understand how capable they could be, he added, "I’ll have the An Family hire one of the top three mercenary groups in the world. Their skills will be top-notch."
"I really don’t need mercenaries. I’m perfectly capable of handling this on my own," Su Qing said firmly. ’It wasn’t just that they’d be a burden. With her current status, being associated with mercenaries could bring trouble to the Li family, and she was very protective of them.’
"Alright, it’s settled. I’ll call the An Family right now." Seeing her insistence, Mr. Gong nodded. He was a man of action and immediately dialed the An family’s estate.
The An Family knew Mr. Gong had come to Xiangcheng. Old Mrs. An had wanted him to stay at the family estate, but Mr. Gong had completely ignored the offer and made no effort to contact her. So, she was quite surprised to receive his call.
"Cousin, have you decided to come visit?" Old Mrs. An asked, delighted.
"Hmph. Don’t get your hopes up," Mr. Gong said. "I’m calling about Zhi Han."
"Zhi Han?" Old Mrs. An’s heart skipped a beat. "What’s wrong with Zhi Han?"
Mr. Gong didn’t waste any time. He explained that An Zhihan’s condition required a rare medicinal herb. "A young friend of mine is willing to search for it," he said. "Your An Family had better not be stingy. She’ll be taking an enormous risk to help you."
"Of course, no problem." It was about An Zhihan, and Old Mrs. An felt a deep sense of guilt toward her grandson. Hearing Mr. Gong’s words, she agreed without a second thought. "If the young lady truly finds that herb, the An Family absolutely won’t be stingy. We will reward her handsomely."
"Heh!" Mr. Gong scoffed at her words. "That’s not nearly enough."