For Su Chengyu to concoct the Heavenly Pill, aside from ginseng and Lingzhi, the most important ingredient was this hundred-year-old He Shou Wu. Other medicinal herbs were actually not that hard to find.
"It seems like Aunt Xu is blessing me. I encounter such good fortune right from the start."
Su Chengyu was overjoyed. With the numerous adversaries he was about to face, he urgently needed to increase his power. Only by concocting the Heavenly Pill could he achieve a breakthrough.
He quickly moved towards it, crouched down, and held this He Shou Wu in his hand to inspect. Upon holding it, he could detect a strong spiritual power contained within.
If it were artificially grown using chemical fertilizers, it would carry no spiritual power and such medicinal herbs would be completely useless.
This He Shou Wu was rich in spiritual power and its roots were purple. It was no ordinary He Shou Wu but one that had grown for at least a hundred years—the number of years it takes for a He Shou Wu to turn purple. This was called a Purple Wuteng and those growing for around fifty years would turn green—known as Green Wuteng.
"Sir, how much are you selling this He Shou Wu for?" Su Chengyu asked.
The truth is, the old man had no idea how much this Purple Wuteng was worth. He believed that such a large wild-grown He Shou Wu would certainly fetch a good price.
The old man patted his tobacco pipe on the ground, tucked it away, and intertwining two fingers, he said, "One hundred thousand."
Su Chengyu could tell that the old man had no confidence in his asking price and was just tentatively quoting it.
Sure enough, someone nearby immediately rebuked, "One hundred thousand? You old man, you’ve got some nerve to ask for that much."
"This He Shou Wu does look quite big indeed, but I suspect it must be artificially planted and used for scamming."
The bystanders shook their heads; no one was willing to pay one hundred thousand.
"This is truly wild-grown. I dug it out from the Bull Mountain. Young man, if you really want it, I can give you a discount—ninety thousand, how does that sound?" the old man said tentatively.
"Pal, don’t get duped! There are many scammers these days. If it were indeed wild-grown, he would have sold it directly to a Chinese Medicine pharmacy. Why bother setting up a roadside stall? He’s definitely scamming."
"I’m afraid of being cheated by the people at the Chinese medicine pharmacy, so I’m trying my luck here. If I meet a connoisseur, I might be able to sell it at a high price," the old man said.
Su Chengyu chuckled lightly, "Sir, I can see that you are an ordinary farmer, an honest man. To have unearthed such a treasure is truly not easy. I will not cheat you nor will I take advantage of you. I offer three million to purchase it."
Prices for such heavenly treasures are hard to assess at face value. If taken to an auction, it will certainly fetch a higher price. If someone is desperate to buy it, it may even sell for five to six million, perhaps even reaching ten million.
For instance, someone like Su Chengyu would definitely fork out the money, even if it comes to ten million.
But if no one has such an urgent need, for the common people, this is nonetheless a rather precious medicinal herb. Selling for several tens of millions is still a high price.
The spiritual power contained within the He Shou Wu—if one were to just consume it directly—less than one-tenth would be absorbed. Only by using Alchemy to merge the spiritual essence, refining it into an elixir would it exhibit its utmost effect.
However, the art of Alchemy is nearly lost. Those who know the art of Alchemy are rarer than phoenix feathers or unicorn horns!
It is said that gold has a price but jade is priceless, and this is exactly the case.
Such items do not have a fixed reference price; it depends entirely on the market.
Su Chengyu offering three million was already quite generous. Of course, five million or eight million—he could afford to pay that too. But giving too much money all at once may not necessarily be beneficial for this elderly man.
Su Chengyu could also tell that this old man had health issues. He planned to help him out with his medical treatment later, he definitely wasn’t making a loss.
"Three million?! Buddy, are you insane?"
"Shush! In my opinion, these two are in cahoots—they’re putting on a play! This young lad must be a shill!"
"Right, right, right! Look at him, does he seem like someone who can afford to shell out three million?"
As soon as Su Chengyu named his price, everyone around became abuzz. Some people immediately labeled Su Chengyu as a fool, while even more people considered him to be a shill.
The old man was also astonishingly shocked. He was perfectly content if he could sell his He Shou Wu for between one and eight hundred thousand.
"Young man, do you really mean it? Are you really gonna give me three million? You better not be cheating me, this old man," the old man asked.
"Of course it’s real! I can pay you with cash or by bank transfer. Every single penny of the three million will be yours," Su Chengyu assured him sincerely.
"Great, great! Young man, you know your stuff, you’re a good person, and I trust you! But... I don’t have a bank card," the old man said, visibly excited. Three million was, after all, no small sum for ordinary people.
Many people wouldn’t earn so much in their entire lifetime.
"Let’s do this, you come to the bank with me. I will get a card made for you and then I will transfer the money to your account. There’s a branch of Linjiang Commercial Bank not far from here. Let’s go together," Su Chengyu suggested.
"Alright, I’ll go with you."
The old man was extremely delighted and stood up from the ground, his face practically beaming with joy.
"Is this lad really going to spend three million to buy He Shou Wu? It doesn’t seem fake."
"Scammers these days are incredibly crafty—they’re excellent actors, so don’t believe them! Even if it’s true, this lad is an idiot! He’s paying three million for something he could get for one hundred thousand!"
Su Chengyu completely ignored their discussion. They knew absolutely nothing. The value of this Purple Wuteng to him was far more than three million could measure—even if it were thirty million, he wouldn’t bat an eyelid.
"Heh? A wild He Shou Wu, and it’s so large! Let me see," a stylishly-dressed, beautiful young girl walked over, seemingly a person with knowledge in this area.
"Sorry, I’ve sold it to this handsome gentleman. He offered me three million. Could you perhaps offer a higher price?" said the old man.
"Three million? So there really are people who know its value?"
The beautiful young girl, Hou Kexin, furrowed her eyebrows. She glanced at Su Chengyu and then picked up the Purple Wuteng to inspect it.
"Has he paid you yet?" Hou Kexin asked.
"Not yet, but we’re about to head to the bank," replied the old man.
"Since he hasn’t paid yet, it doesn’t count. I’ll offer an extra ten thousand—three million one hundred thousand. Sell it to me," Hou Kexin said.
The old man listened and laughed broadly—he could earn an additional ten thousand. He quickly replied, "Good, good, good! I’ll sell it to you."
Su Chengyu furrowed his eyebrows. He had not anticipated someone showing up halfway to cause a disturbance. As for the old man’s greed-driven attitude, he felt a sense of displeasure.
Looking at the elderly man, Su Chengyu saw that he was an ordinary farmer advanced in years, so he took the initiative to offer three million out of kindness. To his surprise, the elderly man didn’t show the slightest regard for his kind act.
"I bid three million two hundred thousand!" Su Chengyu calmly stated.
"Three million three hundred thousand!" Hou Kexin immediately responded.
Smiling broader than ever and clearly succumbing to greed, the old man quickly announced, "Let’s settle it this way—you two compete, and I’ll sell it to the highest bidder!"