When Zhang Guodong arrived, Zheng's father was already waiting, with an elderly man dressed as a scholar beside him, staring intently at Zhang Guodong.

Zhang Guodong found the old man interesting. After greeting Zheng's father, Zheng's father immediately introduced the man next to him with a smile: "Professor Bai Zhongsheng, an academician of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, is my good friend!"

Before Zheng's father could introduce Zhang Guodong, Bai Zhongsheng warmly extended his hand: "You must be Xiao Zhang?"

"Hello, Professor Bai!" Zhang Guodong nodded and immediately greeted him. An academician of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences? Wow, a scientist! These people are worthy of respect.

"well!"

"Guodong, sit down. Come, have a cup of tea first. This tea was brought from the base by Lao Bai. Although it's not as precious as West Lake Longjing or Tieguanyin, it has some Chinese herbs added and is brewed with spring water. It has a unique flavor that most people can't get!" Zheng's father chuckled as he poured Zhang Guodong a small cup of tea.

It has a slightly yellow color and a slightly bitter smell. After drinking it, the bitterness lingers on the taste buds for a moment, and then the mouth is filled with fragrance. It is brewed with 100-degree mountain spring water, and drinking it makes the body feel warm.

Zhang Guodong knew little about tea, and even when he did drink it occasionally, he gulped it down, wasting it all. Looking at the cup of tea in his hand, Zhang Guodong couldn't help but think of the century-old camellia tree and the century-old Sichuan pepper tree in Peach Blossom Spring.

Since that time he dug a hole and planted it, he basically hasn't taken care of it anymore, only occasionally watering it with some space water.

Even so, those two century-old trees have changed dramatically. They have sprouted new branches, and many branches more than a meter long have extended from their thick trunks, spreading upwards in a fluffy, verdant display.

It's strange, really.

Most of the branches of the century-old camellia trees selectively extend towards the 'sky' of Peach Blossom Spring, as if welcoming something. But this relieved Zhang Guodong's worries that if they stretched out in all directions, they would take up a lot of space.

Every time you enter, you can smell a unique fragrance in Peach Blossom Spring, which makes you feel comfortable.

The branches of the century-old Sichuan pepper tree appear quite menacing. While its growth rate is much slower than that of the camellia tree, its branches are robust and covered in sharp thorns. Quite menacing!

The growth cycle of Sichuan pepper trees is very long, and even after growing in a paradise, they cannot compare with camellia trees.

However, similar to the camellia tree, the Sichuan pepper tree also grows small leaves, about the size of a fingernail, densely packed, but crystal clear and round, with plump leaf flesh and a flowing luster.

These leaves seem to never grow any bigger.

Zhang Guodong searched online for the characteristics of camellia trees and prickly ash trees, but none of them resembled them. Clearly, the two century-old wild trees had undergone an unknown mutation here.

But the growth should be healthy, I'm looking forward to it.

“Good tea. Although I can’t taste what good tea is, it feels like good tea,” Zhang Guodong said.

This remark made Mr. Zheng and Professor Bai burst into laughter.

Professor Bai laughed and said, "When it comes to tea, just drink it however you feel comfortable. As for tea tasting, leave that to the professionals!"

"That's right. Someone gave me Lion Peak Longjing tea back then. Although it was only a few ounces, apart from the fact that it tasted good, I didn't really notice anything special about it. I can't really say anything!" Father Zheng said with a smile.

Zhang Guodong could only force a smile.

He thought to himself, "Is this place just for talking about tea?" Zhang Guodong knew absolutely nothing about tea tasting or tea culture.

Sure enough, the conversation immediately got to the point.

Zheng's father said, "Guodong, the reason I asked you to come here today is that Lao Bai wants to ask about the two wild ginseng roots and the wild black fungus you gave me last time—"

Zhang Guodong pretended to be clueless and asked urgently, "Uncle Zheng, is it not wild?"

That's utter nonsense. How could he not know the origin of those two medicinal herbs? They're not just wild; they grew in a paradise!

Zhang Guodong dreads being asked about the "source" of his produce. He lies about the origin of his vegetables and seafood, claiming they were provided by friends in the countryside, but he actually just bought them from the market. As for medicinal herbs, he said he had been to Qinglang Mountain. However, the harvest from Qinglang Mountain was finite, and based on the initial quantity, it should be almost completely depleted by now.

I gave myself a warning: I can't easily take out ginseng or aconite next time, lest someone covet them!

Mr. Zheng glanced at Professor Bai.

Professor Bai then said seriously, "No, it is indeed wild, and it is growing very well. I wanted to ask Xiao Zhang, where was this wild species found?"

"Of course, it's a bit presumptuous of me to ask this—"

"A bit presumptuous?" Zhang Guodong rolled his eyes inwardly. "Presumptuous? And you still ask? Of course, even if you asked, I wouldn't tell you. It involves his deepest secret, and there's no room for negotiation."

"You know, wild ginseng is extremely rare nowadays. There are many cultivated ones, but many precious medicinal herbs are seasonal and have very high requirements for their living environment, such as temperature, water, and sunlight. That ginseng must have just been dug up, right? In the north, ginseng grows leaves in winter and spring, growing as vigorously as in summer and autumn. This phenomenon is very rare!"

So that's what happened. The medicinal herbs were growing abnormally?

Professor Bai and Zheng's father both looked at Zhang Guodong with a sense of anticipation.

Zhang Guodong felt more confident and scratched his head, saying, "Well, I'm not too sure about that either. Last time I went hunting with a friend, we were lucky enough to dig up a few ginseng and black fungus. When we got back, we didn't know where to put them, so we just put a flowerpot next to the radiator and planted them in it. We didn't care about them then, and I didn't expect them to actually grow leaves! Haha!"

"Where are we going hunting? When?" Professor Bai asked immediately.

"That place is called Qinglang Mountain, in the Qinling Mountains. It was around the New Year, when the mountains were snowbound—" Zhang Guodong said. In his heart, however, he thought, "This isn't exactly a lie, is it? As for the long-leaved ginseng there, that lie isn't a big deal, is it? Anyway, the area is so big, if I can't find it, it's not my problem."

"Qinling Mountains? Qinglang Mountain?" Professor Bai and Zheng's father looked puzzled, clearly having never heard of this place.

“It’s probably a name given to the mountain by the local villagers. You probably don’t know that, right?” Zhang Guodong said.

Professor Bai nodded: "That's possible. The Qinling Mountains are so vast that it's possible for some mountains to be inconspicuous or to have different names!"

"So, there might be wild ginseng in Qinglang Mountain?" Zheng's father asked, intrigued.

Since retiring, I've had a lot more free time. When Zhang Guodong mentioned that there were precious medicinal herbs like ginseng and aconite in that place, it would be strange if I wasn't curious.

Of course, people like Zheng's father are just curious, purely driven by a desire for novelty. They don't actually intend to dig up these rare and precious materials to sell for money.

Zhang Guodong chuckled and said, "Uncle Zheng, there are definitely some, but the quantity is uncertain. We searched nearly ten square kilometers before finding just a few plants, and they weren't very old. Maybe some bird carried the seeds down. However, there are plenty of wild boars, rabbits, and pheasants there, making it perfect for hunting. Besides, there are wolves in those mountains, and even local hunters rarely venture into the deep mountains because large wild animals are said to roam there, so it's quite dangerous!"

If people from outside the mountains encounter packs of wolves in the forest, air rifles are not very effective, and bows and arrows are even less so. That would indeed be very dangerous, Zhang Guodong said, which made Zheng's father sigh.

As people get older, their physical strength declines, making hunting in the mountains a very dangerous activity.

“That’s possible. Some birds like to eat seeds like ginseng, a phenomenon seen in the Changbai Mountains of Northeast China. According to Xiao Zhang, these medicinal herbs might exist deep in the Qinglang Mountains—” Professor Bai analyzed earnestly. “Or perhaps we could organize a field investigation or something—”

These words startled Zhang Guodong.

I've heard Lao Ying mention that place. It's densely forested and lush, but the geographical environment is terrible. There are cliffs, steep slopes, treacherous streams, and even some sinkholes and caves. If you go deep into the mountains, it's not only difficult to move forward, but if you get trapped, you'll be completely helpless.

Moreover, the forest is teeming with other dangers, such as bears, venomous snakes, poisonous insects like spiders, and poisonous plants. It's a natural trap, and even the most experienced hunters in the area, like Lao Ying and Lao Zhao, generally wouldn't dare venture into the deep forests alone.

“Professor Bai, even if we could find them, we might not be able to harvest them. You should know that the Qinling Mountains are very dangerous. Not to mention that many places are inaccessible to people, even if they do get in, it's very difficult to get out. Even the most experienced hunters in the area are unwilling to venture into the deep mountains!” Zhang Guodong advised.

Today, the economy is developing, but large areas of some precious medicinal herbs on Earth have become extinct. It's not that no one wants to find new medicinal herb producing areas, but that they are simply impossible to harvest. Otherwise, some places in the Qinling Mountains would have been explored long ago.

Just like the Hengduan Mountains in the southwest, which are desolate and have a harsher environment than the Qinling Mountains, people who go in and come out alive are considered extremely lucky.

Zhang Guodong certainly didn't want his half-truthful words to cost someone their life.

Professor Bai laughed and said, "Haha, it's just a joke. If we really find anything, and it gets leaked, some businessmen will probably destroy this precious land again. But—"

"Xiao Zhang, I have a request for you! I wonder if you can grant it?"

What is Old Bai trying to do?

"Could you take me to where you live? The flowerpot should still be there, right?" Professor Bai continued.

“No way!” Zhang Guodong immediately refused.

How could this be? This story was made up, and it might give itself away. His mind raced, and he quickly explained, "You don't know, last time I dug up a few medicinal herbs, but I gave them to my elders and used them myself. Now they're all used up. The two I gave to Uncle Zheng were the last ones. The flowerpots were in the way, so I threw them away. That's why you can't see them even if you wanted to!"

Is this really the result? It's lost?

"Oh, I see. Then forget it!" Professor Bai said with regret.

Thinking about it, as long as the basic conditions such as temperature are suitable, it might be possible for plants to grow indoors, but that's not the key point. His main concern is whether new wild ginseng producing areas can be discovered, such as Qinling ginseng, which would be an extremely important discovery.

P.S.: Second update! Just to clarify, the "release date prediction" I uploaded was just an idea. After talking with my editor today, we confirmed that the release will be postponed by a few days. That is to say, it is not planned to be released on February 1st, but probably around the 3rd. Hehe, I also mentioned this at the end of the chapter. Sorry, I will try to be less verbose in the future.

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