"Millennial ginseng is indeed a great tonic; I didn’t expect you, Old He, to have such excellent stock here." Dugu Tianke’s face showed a smile, just as he said, a healer viewing herbs is like a scholar finding ancient texts.
"Where does Master speak from? Mr. Ye is here with you, so I brought out these good items."
"Young friend, what do you think?"
"I’ll follow the Master’s lead." Ye Shikai nodded, it’s just about spending some money, after all, the Netherworld Palace has plenty, a few herbs wouldn’t make him flinch.
"Boss He, I’ll take this one." Ye Shikai said assertively which took the man by surprise; if he remembered correctly, he hadn’t quoted a price yet. Buying without asking the price, who exactly is this young man, and he’s also personally brought by Dugu Tianke; the man wasn’t foolish, and quickly guessed that Ye Shikai was a significant figure.
"Mr. Ye is so straightforward, then I’ll also be frank. This ginseng, originally 30 million, I’ll sell for 20 million, what do you think?"
"Deal." Ye Shikai glanced at Dugu Tianke and, seeing a nod, he quickly agreed.
"Haha, very well, let’s continue looking." The man waved his hand, and the attendants opened several more boxes, all containing rare herbs, and Dugu Tianke also acted as a high-level appraiser. Judging from his expression, he was quite satisfied; thus Boss He dared not trick him with inferior goods in front of the master, so the herbs on display were primarily sold to Ye Shikai.
"Hey, what is this?" Suddenly, a purple herb caught Ye Shikai’s eye; the box was small, so it had been placed in the corner.
"This? It’s Ma’er Mountain Aconite," Boss He said lightly after a glance.
Ma’er Mountain Aconite – Ye Shikai was not very familiar with this herb, but he knew Aconite and Aconitine – extremely toxic, mere milligrams could be fatal, so this Ma’er Mountain Aconite probably was a highly poisonous herb.
"Is it a poisonous herb?"
"Indeed." Boss He nodded, "Yun City area produces many herbs, naturally including many poisonous ones. However, the toxicity isn’t particularly strong and can be used in medicine. But this Ma’er Mountain Aconite, it is a highly poisonous herb."
"Highly poisonous herb." Ye Shikai exclaimed.
"Yes, the poison refined from this herb is three times more toxic than Aconitine itself; once poisoned, there wouldn’t even be time for an antidote injection," Boss He continued. "This Ma’er Mountain Aconite, I also got from an old friend in Yun City."
"Can this be sold?" Ye Shikai asked, curious that such a dangerous item could be traded; if it fell into the wrong hands, wouldn’t it make a perfect ’weapon’?
"Haha, young friend, do you know that a poison used correctly can also be a remedy," Dugu Tianke spoke at this moment, "The converse is also true, like that millennial ginseng, if someone consumes it all in one day, it’s enough to cause the body to overheat, bleeding from seven orifices to death."
"How much for this Ma’er Mountain Aconite?" Ye Shikai’s eyes gleamed, and he quickly asked.
"Mr. Ye, you want this?" Boss He was visibly shocked.
"Yes, I have my uses for it." Ye Shikai nodded, affirming his intent.
"Then, I’ll just gift this Ma’er Mountain Aconite to Mr. Ye," Boss He pushed the box forward, "I’ve enjoyed our meeting today, consider this a gift."
"Then I’ll accept it without courtesy." Ye Shikai didn’t refuse; he had a premonition that he would need this Ma’er Mountain Aconite eventually; spending three billion at Boss He’s, surely some gifts were warranted.
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In the blink of an eye, the morning had passed, and after purchasing the herbs, Ye Shikai and Dugu Tianke headed towards Worm Sect.
Ye Shikai knew that most of the herbs bought were likely gifts for meeting the Worm Sect, naturally, it was a big spend as anything to cure the Single Love Poisonous Insect would be worth it.
"Master, do you think Worm Sect can help me detoxify?" On the way, Ye Shikai felt a bit nervous.
"Haha, young friend, as I always say, the human proposes, heaven disposes. You’ve made the effort, but whether the detoxification will succeed, I can’t be sure, I can only do my best," Dugu Tianke said lightly.
"Alright then, thank you, Master."
"Don’t worry, I’ll try my best." Dugu Tianke turned his head, sighing lightly, his eyes showing a hint of conflict.
"Sir, we are expected to arrive in two more hours," the Netherworld Palace driver, following the route given by Dugu Tianke, drove up the mountain road; indeed, Worm Sect was a major sect, and its location was incredibly concealed. Without Dugu Tianke’s guidance, it might have been hard to find.
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The higher the car went, the narrower and more winding the road became, and after a bumpy journey, the car slowly halted.
"So this is Worm Sect," Ye Shikai remarked upon seeing the scene before him. Worm Sect was nestled in Jueyun Mountain’s valley. Looking far across from the mountain, with multicolored flora planted, stretching to the horizon with mist swirling around, it seemed like a paradise.
"How about it? Beautiful, isn’t it?" Dugu Tianke’s voice came from behind.
"Yes." Ye Shikai nodded, indeed, the mountain air was refreshingly crisp.
"Haha, the more beautiful the place, the more dangerous it is. Those wild flowers on the mountains, seem bright and pretty, but in reality, they are all highly poisonous," Dugu Tianke spoke thoughtfully; indeed, it was the same in the Underworld, the more beautiful a woman appeared, often the more deadly she was as an assassin – Ye Shikai had seen too many fall to the hands of such lethal female assassins.
"Young friend, let’s hurry inside," Dugu Tianke walked ahead to the front of Worm Sect’s large gates. The buildings resembled monks’ temples but with some local architectural styles.
Dugu Tianke knocked on the door handle; soon, a man came forward, dressed in a white long robe, looking very neat.
"Master Dugu, it’s you," the man saw the visitor, hurriedly opened the gate, only then noticing the following Ye Shikai, "May I ask who this gentleman is—"
"He’s my patient, also a friend," Dugu Tianke spoke first.
"If that’s the case, please come in; I’ll go inform the Sect Leader," the man bowed deeply to Dugu Tianke and then turned to walk inside.