premium
The journey back was much easier now that the truth had come out, but the four of them were still filled with questions about the person in Burial Valley.
Ao Ming broke the silence first, his brows still furrowed: "Tell me, what exactly did we encounter? If it's a demon, the aura left on the three merchants and on it are extremely faint, and it doesn't seem like a malevolent or bloodthirsty creature. If it's a spirit, its methods are truly bizarre and domineering."
Da Qiangzi pulled a piece of dried meat from Qian Jin's snack bag and mumbled, "Hmm... I do have a tiny bit of a clue about this. When I got caught in those vines, I was panicked, but the medicinal properties around me were really soothing. Warm and tingling, even my golden scales felt brighter!"
It swished its tail smugly, "I think it might be a spirit that has attained enlightenment, an incredibly powerful and peerless elixir! It must be older than my great-great-grandfather!"
As Qian Jin watched with a pang of heartache as Da Qiangzi crunched on her expensive spirit beast jerky, she nodded thoughtfully, "I feel that this senior is quite a good... and quite well-behaved person."
"Good?" Ao Ming's voice rose, almost choking on his saliva. "Da Qiangzi was almost sacrificed to it! Is that good?"
“But think about it,” Qian Jin counted on her fingers, “First, it genuinely saved those three lives, albeit in a strange way, but it was honest and fair, an equal exchange. Second, wasn’t it quite easy to talk to in the end? With just a little persuasion… uh, a little communication, it returned Daqiangzi to us. Third, it didn’t make things difficult for us and actually let us go. It wasn’t even worried that we wouldn’t go back and pay the premium I promised. I think, maybe, it doesn’t actually care that much about those gold and silver coins.”
Tu Shanlan listened to their discussion and nodded slightly: "Regardless of its origins, its strength is unfathomable and its intentions are unpredictable. It's fortunate that it's not an evil being. Let's put this matter aside for now and go back to report to the God of Wealth of the Northern Road."
---
Inside the God of Wealth Palace on the North Road.
After listening to the four people's thrilling and unbelievable account, the wrinkles on the face of the God of Wealth of the North Road seemed to smooth out a bit, but he was soon enveloped in anger again.
He immediately ordered his men to bring Master Wang, Manager Li, and Boss Zhao back up.
Upon learning the truth—that they had traded all their possessions for three lives—the three men turned deathly pale, collapsed to their knees with a thud, and kowtowed repeatedly, crying out, "We're innocent!" "We were terrified at the time, our memories are muddled, and we absolutely did not intend to deceive the Immortal Master!"
The God of Wealth of the North Road was so angry that his beard trembled: "Memory confusion? Then the attack on the Celestial Palace, the false accusation against the Celestial Official, and the resulting project shutdown were also caused by memory confusion?!"
However, when Tu Shanlan subtly suggested that since the truth had come to light, according to the "agreement" with the person in the valley, the three of them needed to personally return the "premium" generated from this "inquiry," the three who had just been wailing instantly seemed to have their necks grabbed, their faces drained of color, their eyes filled with extreme fear, and they shook their heads like rattles.
"No, no, no! Immortal Master, spare us! That place...we would rather die than go back there again!"
"If we go again, I'm afraid we'll lose the rest of our lifespan there!"
"We're willing to compensate you double! Just please don't make us see that...that person again!"
Ao Ming crossed his arms and sneered, "Now you're scared? How could you have believed a baseless legend and followed the guide into the forbidden area? At least that person in the valley saved your lives!"
Qian Jin stood aside, silently complaining to himself: These three and the one in the valley are quite in sync, all wishing they would never see each other again for all eternity.
In the end, the three men wept bitterly, expressing their willingness to do everything in their power to make amends. They promised not only to double their investment to compensate for the overpayment of this "inquiry," but also to mobilize all their connections and resources to fully cooperate with the Northern Road God of Wealth Temple in restarting and promoting the "Northern Icefield Trade Route Revitalization Prayer" project, thus atoneing for their mistakes.
The matter has finally found a reasonably satisfactory solution.
At this moment, Qian Jin took a small step forward and said crisply, "God of Wealth, Sister Lan, since they dare not go, then I will go to deliver the 'premium'."
All eyes immediately turned to her.
Qian Jin looked calm and clear-eyed: "I set the rules, and I agreed to the premium, so it's my job to fulfill them. I get along quite well with that senior. I can go by myself and I'll be back soon."
---
The next day, Qian Jin indeed set off alone.
Without using magic, she somehow managed to lead a docile little donkey, which carried on its back a chest filled with spirit stones and rare materials—a sum of money pooled together by three wealthy merchants. She personally verified the value to ensure it was no less than what was expected.
She carried two jars of wine that were said to have been aged for a hundred years in the Northern Territory, humming a light tune as she strolled leisurely toward Burial Valley, as if she were truly going on a picnic to visit friends.
As they neared the misty valley entrance, she stopped, patted the donkey's neck to reassure it, and then, without turning around, spoke to the empty snow-covered forest behind her: "You've been following me all this way, come out. What? Worried about me?"
After a moment of silence behind the snowdrift, Ao Ming awkwardly revealed himself, looking somewhat embarrassed, but forcing an arrogant tone: "Who, who was worried about you! I was just... I was afraid you'd steal the premium spirit stones and run away! I had to keep an eye on you!"
Qian Jin turned around, looked at his slightly reddened ears, and suddenly broke into an extremely bright and beautiful smile, which seemed to make even ice and snow pale in comparison: "Oh? Is that so..." She dragged out the words, her eyes flashing with a sly light, "Then you'd better watch me."
After saying that, she picked up the wine jar and walked briskly towards the entrance of the valley.
Ao Ming stood there stunned, his heart skipping a beat at her sudden, radiant smile. He then cursed under his breath in annoyance and quickly followed after her.
This time, entering the valley was without any obstruction or pressure. The thick fog obediently parted to make way for them as they approached, and the valley remained as vibrant as spring, tranquil and peaceful.
Not long after they stepped into the valley, the aged voice, tinged with obvious surprise, rang out: "...It's you? You actually came back?"
Qian Jin put down what he had brought and smiled sincerely: "Senior, integrity is the foundation! How can we not do what we promised? This is the 'inquiry fee' and 'premium' that the three beneficiaries paid."
She pointed to the box, then picked up two jars of wine and began taking various oil paper packages out of her storage bag. "And this is the wine I'm personally treating you to, along with these snacks to go with it. It's just a small token of my appreciation."
As she spoke, she magically produced one item after another from her seemingly small storage bag—some wrapped in oil paper, some in small porcelain jars, and some sealed in jade boxes—and deftly laid them out on a flat, smooth rock next to her.
The first thing they took out was a large bag of shiny, dark red jerky with distinct textures, exuding a salty aroma from a blend of various spices and a faint, ethereal fragrance.
"This is a five-spice spirit beast meat jerky that I figured out myself. It uses free-range spirit horn sheep from the West Mountain. The meat is firm and becomes more fragrant the more you chew it."
Next came two small white jade jars. As soon as they were opened, a sweet aroma mixed with a faint fragrance of wine and osmanthus honey wafted out, revealing amber-colored, translucent candied fruit inside.
"These are snow lotus seeds and osmanthus plums preserved with honey from the southern Xinjiang region. They are sweet but not cloying, and refreshing to cut through any greasiness."
Then came several oil paper packages, which, when unfolded, revealed all sorts of snacks and treats: golden-brown, crispy fried anchovies sprinkled with sesame seeds; a nut platter coated in icing sugar, looking incredibly crispy, with golden pine nuts and pale purple kiwifruit visible inside; thinly sliced, braised to a deep brown color with cloud-like patterns of dried mushrooms; and even a small dish of bright red, drizzled chili oil... cold-dressed bamboo shoots?
Ao Ming's eyes twitched again. When did she prepare this thing?
Finally, she pulled out several steaming white steamed buns! They were clearly being kept warm using magic.
"Eating vegetables alone won't fill you up. It's only when paired with these freshly steamed buns, dipped in sauce or filled with meat, that's truly wonderful!"
A wide variety of dishes, including sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and other flavors, quickly filled the large rock, creating the impression of a luxurious outdoor banquet.
The various aromas blended together, making one's mouth water.
Ao Ming watched in utter disbelief, his mind racing: "Aside from not properly storing magical treasures, you can pull anything out of this storage bag! Even the steamed buns are warm?! Just how much random stuff did you stuff in there?!"
The aged voice fell silent for a moment, seemingly startled by the spectacle, or perhaps... drawn in by the rich and complex aroma of the food.
After a long while, the flowers and plants in the valley swayed gently without any wind...
The soft light gathered in the center of the valley, gradually coalescing into a figure.
He was an elderly man with white hair and beard and a kind face.
His eyebrows were long, reaching past his shoulders, and his beard hung down to his waist. He wore a simple white linen robe and exuded a gentle yet powerful aura of life.
Most remarkably, a vibrant green plant with a small, bright red fruit at the top was growing playfully among his snow-white hair, much like a ginseng flower spike.
The old man looked at the pile of food and the two jars of wine that Qian Jin had brought out, his nostrils twitched slightly, and a childlike joy flashed in his eyes. He then burst into laughter, his loud voice causing the flower petals to fall in a flurry: "Hahaha! Good! Good! It's been so many years... no one has come to drink and chat with this old man! Little girl, interesting!"
Upon seeing the old man appear, Qian Jin's eyes curved into crescents. While deftly setting out bowls and plates and pouring wine, she said, "Senior saved a life, yet you didn't receive the gratitude you deserved. Instead, you were treated as a terrifying evil spirit. I feel this is too unfair. Please have a drink to thank you for showing mercy last time, and also to thank you for keeping your promise."
The old man took the wine bowl, took a deep sniff of the aroma, and looked completely intoxicated. Hearing this, he simply waved his hand nonchalantly: "Fame is nothing. I've been sleeping here for too long and don't care about such things anymore. But you, little girl, are quite perceptive and suit my taste perfectly! Come, have a bowl with me!"
Ao Ming stood aside, watching the old man and the young man enjoy their braised snacks and dried fruits together. The atmosphere was incredibly harmonious, and he completely forgot the tension from before.
He looked up at the small red flower swaying in the wind atop the old man's head and finally believed Da Qiangzi's guess. This mysterious and unpredictable guardian of the valley was probably truly a peerless ginseng that had come to life.
Qian Jin, using two jars of wine and a variety of delicious foods, successfully built a closer relationship with this ancient elder.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the valley roof, illuminating the amber liquid swirling in the wine glass, as well as the joyful smile on Ginseng Elder's face and the sincere expression on Qian Jin's face.
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