Beast Taming: I gained the talent of a spirit pet

Chapter 7: Jade Cauldron Pavilion! (Seeking readership! ~)

“Alas, I was ultimately a bit too hasty.”

Leaving the Ji’an Dispensary, Gu Yuan sighed softly.

In truth, his coming to the county town to exchange the Polygonatum for money today was somewhat impulsive.

Although the Polygonatum he dug up weren't spiritual herbs, they were of considerable age and value, especially since his attire didn't suggest he was someone with any background, making him an easy target for those with ill intentions.

The reason that Manager Xu was malicious just now was clearly because he had seen through some of Gu Yuan's situation, certain that even if Gu Yuan suffered a loss, he wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble. He was practically a fat sheep.

“The Ji’an Dispensary is unreliable. Now, should I switch to another apothecary? It can't be that all the apothecaries in the county are black shops, right?”

Gu Yuan pondered as he walked along the road, when suddenly his nose twitched, as if he had smelled something.

“Hmm? This scent, could it be…”

“Young brother, are you looking to sell medicinal herbs?”

A voice sounded next to Gu Yuan, so abrupt that he seemed to jump in surprise.

Turning his head, he discovered that the speaker was none other than the burly middle-aged man who had just been called “Mister Cheng.”

“Regarding what happened just now, I must thank you, old brother, for helping me out.”

Gu Yuan first cupped his hands in thanks, then revealed a wry smile, saying, “That's right, I am a simple man from the mountains. I was lucky enough to dig up these Polygonatum today, intending to sell them and exchange them for rice to get through the winter. Who would have thought that Manager Xu would see me as easy to bully and have malicious intentions?”

“Young brother, you don't need to be so polite. I'm called Cheng Gang, just an ordinary herb gatherer. I also can't stand seeing that Xu fellow bullying people. That old guy is a doctor, but he's always doing shady and harmful things, which is truly despicable.”

Cheng Gang laughed heartily and pointed to the street ahead: “If you want to sell medicinal herbs, you can go take a look at the Jade Cauldron Pavilion. Although the requirements there are a bit higher, and they generally only buy herbs from herb gatherers, the prices are fair, and they treat everyone equally.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Brother Cheng!”

Gu Yuan thanked him earnestly, also seeing that Cheng Gang before him was forthright and straightforward. Thus, he asked with some curiosity: “I see that you, old brother, are no ordinary person, and should be a martial artist. Why do you call yourself an herb gatherer?”

He understood the literal meaning of herb gatherer, but he had seen many herb gatherers along the way, and almost all of them possessed martial arts. They weren't ordinary people, which made him puzzled.

“Herb gathering is my livelihood for supporting my family and cultivating martial arts, while martial arts are my means of strengthening my body and protecting my life. The two don't conflict.”

Cheng Gang also felt that Gu Yuan's words and actions were subtly different from ordinary mountain villagers, but he was a hearty person and didn't think much of it, nor did he hide anything:

“You may not know, but there are many wild beasts in the mountains, and even mountain spirits and demons. As an herb gatherer, if you rashly enter the mountains to gather herbs without knowing martial arts, it's no different from seeking death.”

“I see…”

Gu Yuan, however, thought of a deeper level:

“I'm afraid it's not just that. The Yunmeng Mountains are rich in resources and also nurture many spiritual herbs and rare treasures. If herb gatherers encounter demon beasts and spirits guarding spiritual herbs and rare treasures, they definitely won't be able to suppress them without some strength and means.”

For example, the iron-cyan demon centipede that Gu Yuan encountered this morning would kill anyone who came, and kill a pair if a pair came.

“In that case, it's only natural that most herb gatherers are martial artists.”

Immediately, Gu Yuan bid farewell to Cheng Gang and, following his directions, arrived at the Jade Cauldron Pavilion.

The Jade Cauldron Pavilion was a five-story wooden building, with an antique appearance. It used Phoebe zhennan wood as pillars, with cloud patterns and beast images carved on them, lifelike and vivid. The entire building was imposing and looked quite grand.

Especially the plaque in front of the door, with the three characters “Jade Cauldron Pavilion” written with iron hooks and silver strokes, carrying a sharp intent. Gu Yuan only glanced at it a few times, but surprisingly felt a stinging sensation in his eyes.

Anyone with a bit of brains would probably understand that this Jade Cauldron Pavilion was not to be trifled with!

Gu Yuan entered the hall with his bag on his back, and no one stopped him. However, a shop assistant came up to him and greeted him:

“This guest, may I ask what you need?”

Gu Yuan took off the bag and went straight to the point: “I have some freshly dug Polygonatum here, and I plan to sell them to your store.”

The shop assistant wasn't surprised. He took the bag, checked it, and nodded, acknowledging that the Polygonatum were worth buying: “Please wait a moment, guest. I will go and invite the pavilion's appraiser to come and evaluate them.”

“Then I'll trouble you, brother.”

Gu Yuan responded, nodding secretly in his heart.

“This Jade Cauldron Pavilion is indeed professional.”

According to Cheng Gang, this Jade Cauldron Pavilion had a very big background. It had branches in various large and small states, prefectures, and county towns throughout the six states of Southern Border, with a special status. It was in the business of medicinal herbs, mainly buying various medicinal herbs and even mountain treasures at high prices.

Being able to do business in the entire six states of Southern Border, one could imagine that its background must be heaven-reaching!

Judging from this, even a mere greeter in this Jade Cauldron Pavilion had the ability to identify herbs and was very polite in his dealings with people, showing that the Jade Cauldron Pavilion had a deep foundation and a grand vision!

Before long, an old man with white hair and beard was invited over. After identifying all the Polygonatum that Gu Yuan had brought, he gave a high price of three taels and six qian.

The largest Polygonatum alone was identified as being thirty years old, and its price was a full two taels of silver.

In total, the price given by the Jade Cauldron Pavilion was more than a dozen times that of the Ji’an Dispensary!

From this, it could be seen just how black-hearted that Manager Xu was!

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Faced with the purchase price offered by the appraiser, Gu Yuan readily agreed.

“I'll sell these Polygonatum!”

“Very well, guest, please help yourself. I won't disturb you any further.”

The old appraiser wasn't surprised. He greeted him and turned to leave.

Before long, the shop assistant returned with the silver and handed it to Gu Yuan.

After Gu Yuan confirmed that it was correct and was about to leave, he called out to him:

“Please wait, brother.”

This shop assistant had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes had a bit of cleverness. Hearing this, he said, “Is there anything else you need, guest?”

“Nothing else, just something I want to inquire about from you.”

Gu Yuan took out one qian of silver and stuffed it into the shop assistant's hand. Seeing the other party reveal a hint of vigilance, he explained, “Don't worry, it has nothing to do with your pavilion, just some trivial matters.”

The shop assistant pinched the corner of silver in his hand, a smile appearing on his face, and nodded:

“You can ask directly, guest.”

Gu Yuan wasn't polite and asked directly, “I admire martial arts and want to know how I can learn martial arts in this Northern Liang County Town.”

This Jade Cauldron Pavilion had a considerable background, and these shop assistants who welcomed and saw off guests must know a lot of information. It was necessary to spend some money to inquire.

“So you're planning to learn martial arts, guest. I actually know something about that.”

The shop assistant looked enlightened, seemingly unsurprised, and began to tell him what he knew.

“You're saying that that kid went to the Jade Cauldron Pavilion?”

Inside the Ji’an Dispensary, Manager Xu stared at the shop assistant in the store with an ugly expression.

The shop assistant felt uneasy under his gaze and lowered his eyebrows and eyes, saying, “Returning to the manager, I personally saw him enter the Jade Cauldron Pavilion.”