Solving Middle Age Crisis by Intelligence System

A night passed without a word.

Early the next morning, the three of them walked into the slope.

Old Zhao lowered his head and began searching for traces of ginseng nearby, but Qi Yun pulled him and said with a smile, "Sir, we're not there yet. We need to go two kilometers further north."

Old Zhao looked a bit puzzled but didn't say much, nodding his head and continuing on the road.

After walking for another half an hour, Qi Yun estimated that they were close enough, so he said to Old Zhao, "Sir, it's up to your skills now."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhao tucked his tobacco pipe into his waistband and snorted, "Let me make it clear first, if there is really ginseng here, I will definitely find it for you. But if I can't find it, it can only mean that someone lied to you."

Qi Yun nodded with a smile, "I naturally trust your skills. If we can't find it, I won't blame you."

Hearing this, Old Zhao showed a satisfied expression, took a sip from his water bottle, bent over, and began looking carefully.

As he walked, he said, "You shouldn't be idle, either. Look for places where the leaves are uniquely shaped, deep green, and the surrounding soil appears fertile and moist. Ginseng likes to grow in such environments."

Qi Yun responded and began to search as well.

Chen Wei stood in a higher place, cautiously observing the surroundings.

A few minutes later, Old Zhao suddenly let out a cry from the forest, "Wow! Sixth Grade Leaves!"

Hearing the commotion, Qi Yun quickly went over, "Did you find it?"

Old Zhao's expression was somewhat excited. He squatted down and took out tools from his backpack one by one, setting them up.

"Wild ginseng takes at least ten years to grow Sixth Grade Leaves. As for the specific age, we'll have to dig it up and see."

After hearing this, Qi Yun didn't inquire further, afraid of interrupting him, and quietly squatted beside Old Zhao to watch him work.

Old Zhao carefully used his tools to scrape away the soil around, moving gently for fear of damaging the ginseng.

As the soil was gently removed, the dense root systems of the ginseng gradually revealed themselves.

Gathering medicinal herbs is indeed a skilled job. To dig up ginseng with its complete appearance, you need a steady hand, an attentive mind, and plenty of patience.

Old Zhao held a very thin wooden stick as he continuously cleared the soil around the roots. This took him more than half an hour, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

"This plant has to be at least a hundred years old! You've truly found the right place, lad!" Old Zhao carefully extracted the ginseng from the soil, his voice carrying unmistakable excitement.

Hearing this, Qi Yun had a quiet smile on his lips. After days of hard work, this trip was not in vain.

"Take out that wooden box from my bag," Old Zhao instructed.

Qi Yun quickly complied, finding a wooden box in the bag, opening it, and placing it on the ground.

Old Zhao placed the ginseng in the box, then took out a red string and tied it around the top of the ginseng, covered the box, and showed a satisfied expression.

Next came the second, the second...

Until the sun was about to set, the three of them packed up and returned to the pit they brought out last night.

After lighting a fire, Old Zhao took out the wooden box from his bag and counted. His excitement hadn't faded.

A total of 18 ginseng plants, with 8 over a hundred years old, and the remaining 10 over fifty years.

There were some with four or five leaves, but their age wasn't enough to meet medicinal standards, so Qi Yun didn't let Old Zhao dig them, leaving them for future generations.

"Here, make sure to keep it safe!" Old Zhao handed over the wooden box.

Qi Yun nodded, carefully placing it in the middle layer of his backpack.

This box of ginseng could easily be worth millions if sold.

More importantly, he wouldn't have to worry about these medicinal materials for a long time in the future.

"Thanks, sir. When we get back, I'll transfer you a hundred thousand yuan as a token of appreciation for your hard work today."

Old Zhao waved his hand, "No need, you've already paid. If I ask for more money, what kind of person would I be?"

Qi Yun chuckled and didn't insist, knowing he had the account of Old Zhao's grandson and that he could transfer the money directly once they left.

...

That night, Cao Yufei, Tiger, and Big Pillar sat around the stove, all with knitted brows.

"It's already the ninth day since they went into the mountains. Could something have happened?" Tiger sighed.

Cao Yufei smoked in silence for a long time before making a decision. He looked up and said to Big Pillar, "Brother Pillar, please contact Captain Fu tomorrow and ask him to send people into the mountains to look for them."

Although doing this might cause some trouble for Qi Yun and the others later on, it's better than losing their lives in the mountains, isn't it?

Big Pillar sighed and nodded in agreement, "Alright, I'll go first thing in the morning."

Just as the words were spoken, a sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside.

Hearing the noise, the three immediately perked up their ears, and once they confirmed they hadn't misheard, delight filled their faces as they quickly ran to the door.

When they opened the door and saw three figures walking toward them from not far away, their faces were filled with joy.

"They're back!"

Cao Yufei responded, patting Qi Yun on the shoulder, "You guys are finally back. You had me worried."

Tiger also said excitedly, "Yeah, we were planning to have Big Pillar ask Captain Fu for help tomorrow."

Qi Yun smiled at them, "Haha, there was a snowstorm on the way back, delayed us by two days."

As they entered the house, Big Pillar quickly poured a few bowls of hot water and then busied himself preparing food for the three of them.