"It's not exactly a case of theft, but it's pretty much the same."
Beichen took a deep breath, his expression exceedingly complex, "A ginseng has run away, but that's not the main issue. It… it took the elixir from the Pill Furnace."
"Wait, did I hear that wrong? What do you mean... a ginseng has run away?" I scratched my head, not understanding what Beichen was talking about.
Xiao Li suddenly piped up, having overheard Beichen and me, "How can you not understand that? I get it. The ginseng has turned into a spirit! I've heard old folks say that a ginseng that becomes a spirit turns into a child, so Ginseng Harvesters tie a red thread around the young ginsengs, right, Brother Chenn?"
"Yeah." When confronted with the lively and pretty Xiao Li, Beichen's cold gaze softened, and he gently patted her head.
Just as I was about to revel in the sweetness of this couple, I suddenly realized something earth-shattering, "Wait a minute, in Yu Longting's Pill Room, there seems to be only one elixir made so far, right?"
It truly is a world where wonders never cease, even a ginseng can become a spirit…
What is this all about?
"The elixir that the ginseng took with it is the one that Snake Lord crafted for you, and the ingredients were very precious. Crafting a new one would take two hundred years."
Beichen nodded gravely, sharing another piece of bad news with me, "What's more troublesome is that, according to the Compass, it has hidden itself in Barbarian Village."
My heart skipped a beat. That elixir was my only chance to get Love Soul back. No matter what, I had to find a way to retrieve it. "What is Barbarian Village?"
"It's a Living Miao Village in Western Hunan, extremely hostile to outsiders. If I go there to look for the ginseng, there will be no one to protect you," Beichen expressed his concern.
All I could think about was getting back the elixir that Yu Longting crafted for me, and without a second thought, I said, "That's not a problem; we can go to Barbarian Village together."
Beichen said the ginseng that had turned into a spirit was exceptionally clever.
It was only second in intelligence to a zombie demon, likely hiding in remote mountains to avoid capture.
Having fled from Snake Mountain, it had incredibly managed to hide itself in Barbarian Village in Western Hunan. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel✦fire.net
Xiao Li didn't want to part with Beichen any longer, so she cajoled and pleaded until we both agreed to accompany her.
Barbarian Village was located in a particularly unique place, on a small island in a large river.
Year-round isolation from the world; since it's a Living Miao Village, only a geographic location appears on maps, with the island's details remaining a blank.
In the past, Miao Villages were divided into 'raw' and 'ripe,' the former having minimal contact with the outside world, reflecting a primitive lifestyle.
On the other hand, those who had embraced Han culture and had less primitive lifestyles were considered 'ripe.'
Typically, primitive tribes are very exclusive and not easily accessible.
We didn't cross the river to Barbarian Village hastily but decided to stay in a small town closest to the village.
There was no airport, no high-speed train here.
There was only a crude train station, and as soon as we got there, it began to drizzle relentlessly.
"No, I won't go with you, and I never want to go back to Barbarian Village again... Help..." As soon as we arrived at the homestay Beichen had booked, we encountered a girl being dragged out of the homestay.
In the dead of winter, she was wearing just a thin floral dress, nearly clinging to her body as she was soaked by the rain.
Drenched and shivering cold, she kept crying for help.
Three burly men were dragging her along the street as if she were a dead dog, and the few passersby quickly avoided them.
Xiao Li's face darkened, tugging at the corner of Beichen's clothes, "Why are they kidnapping a girl in broad daylight, and why isn't anyone doing anything about it?"
"This girl is originally from Barbarian Village. Perhaps she was going to be sent to Lord Dragon King as a consort, got scared, and ran away from the village. And now, she's being dragged back by the villagers,"
the middle-aged woman laundering under the leaking eaves of the inn spoke cheerfully, showing no pity for the girl's plight.