[ You attempted Swift Walk, unlocking a new skill: Swift Walk (Entry Level 0/100) ]
[ Swift Walk proficiency +1 ]
As he walked, with every push off the ground, every swing of his arms, his body movements were constantly optimizing.
The twenty-plus li mountain path, they actually completed half an hour faster than last time.
When the familiar outline of Qingyang Town appeared before them, Xu Chengbo was so tired he was about to collapse.
"Big Brother, are we… still going to Yingxian Restaurant?" Xu Chengbo asked, gasping for breath.
"No," Xu Fan shook his head, looking towards the center of the town, "Today, we're going to a good place."
He led Xu Chengbo, skillfully bypassing the bustling market and heading directly to the largest pharmacy in town.
Huichuntang.
Huichuntang had a grand facade, a three-story building with carved beams and painted rafters; the three gilded characters on the signboard above the entrance, Dragon and Phoenix dancing, and a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out from within.
The attendant at the door saw the brothers' attire and initially wanted to stop them, but Xu Fan simply lifted a corner of the backpack's lid, revealing the herbs inside.
"Selling medicine."
He only spoke two words, and the attendant dared not neglect them, quickly inviting them inside.
Inside the pharmacy, an old shopkeeper with a goatee and a skullcap was calculating accounts.
He raised his eyelids, glanced at Xu Fan, and said faintly, "What medicine? Put it on the counter."
Xu Fan didn't say much, taking out the herbs from his backpack one by one.
"Hemostasis Grass, seven liang, still quite fresh."
"Dandelion, one jin two liang, a bit overcooked."
"Intestine Severing Vine, too young, not worth much."
The old shopkeeper shook his head as he looked, his tone full of nonchalance.
Xu Chengbo listened beside him, his heart sinking halfway; these were what Big Brother risked his life to gather, how could they be so worthless here?
Xu Fan's expression remained unchanged until he carefully brought out the last, and most important, Iron Bone Root, placing it gently on the counter.
A dull thump made the old shopkeeper's abacus-playing hand stop.
The old shopkeeper's half-closed eyes suddenly opened wide, staring at the dark red medicinal herb!
"This… this is… Iron Bone Root?!" His voice changed pitch.
He rushed to the counter, put on a pair of reading glasses, and leaned in to examine it repeatedly.
He pinched the root with his fingernail and then put it under his nose to sniff.
"The root is dark red like iron, with a pungent sweet and deep fragrance, that's right! It's Iron Bone Root!" He grew more excited the more he looked, then he raised his head to Xu Fan, his eyes burning, "Young man, where did you get this Iron Bone Root?"
"In the mountains." Xu Fan's answer was still concise.
"In the mountains… a good mountain indeed!" The old shopkeeper took a deep breath, stroking the Iron Bone Root as if it were a peerless treasure, "Looking at its quality and weight, it's at least fifteen years old!"
"And the harvesting technique is clean and neat, without damaging the main root, good! Excellent!"
Xu Chengbo, standing by, was already dumbfounded.
The old shopkeeper was excited for a long time before remembering the main business; he cleared his throat and resumed his shrewd merchant demeanor: "Young man, I, Huichuntang, will take this Iron Bone Root. I'll give you… fifty copper coins!"
As soon as he finished speaking, before Xu Fan could even open his mouth, Xu Chengbo almost jumped up: "Fifty copper coins?!"
This was even lower than the price of an entire rabbit last time!
Xu Fan held down his excited younger brother, looked at the old shopkeeper, and smiled.
"Shopkeeper, that's not very kind of you."
[ Bargaining proficiency +1 ]
"A fifteen-year-old Iron Bone Root strengthens bones and muscles, promotes blood circulation, and dispels stasis. It's a Saint Grade healing item favored by martial artists and wealthy families. After Huichuntang processes it, grinds it into powder, one qian probably sells for more than fifty copper coins, doesn't it?"
"This one of mine weighs at least one and a half jin. You want to buy it for fifty copper coins? Are you trying to bully us brothers from the mountains, thinking we don't know its value?"
The old shopkeeper's goatee trembled, and his face showed some embarrassment.
He hadn't expected this seemingly rustic young man to be a tough, knowledgeable customer.
"Then… then you name a price."
"Forty silver taels." Xu Fan held up four fingers, speaking calmly.
"What?!" This time even the old shopkeeper exclaimed, "Forty silver taels?! Why don't you just rob me! Young man, don't be so greedy!"
One silver tael is equivalent to one thousand copper coins.
For ordinary farmers, this was a huge sum they would never see in their lifetime.
"Shopkeeper, don't rush." Xu Fan said unhurriedly, "For this price, I'm not just selling you one Iron Bone Root."
He pointed to the other herbs on the counter: "These extras, I'll give them for free. Most importantly…"
He leaned forward, lowering his voice: "I can guarantee that from now on, every month, I can stably provide Huichuntang with a batch of high-quality herbs, and even… older ones."
Although Huichuntang was large, rare medicinal materials of high age were still hard to come by.
A stable source of high-quality goods was worth far more than forty silver taels.
The old shopkeeper looked at Xu Fan's calm eyes, still as water, and he knew that the young man was not lying.
He hesitated for a moment. Finally, he gritted his teeth and slapped his thigh: "Alright! Forty silver taels! Deal!"
He took out a gleaming silver ingot from under the counter and solemnly placed it in front of Xu Fan.
When the silver ingot landed in his hand, heavy and with a hint of cool touch, Xu Chengbo felt his breathing stop.
Walking out of Huichuntang, Xu Chengbo still felt like he was dreaming; he repeatedly squeezed the silver ingot, grinning foolishly.
"Big Brother, we… we're rich!"
"This is just the beginning." Xu Fan also had a smile on his face.
He didn't rush home but took his younger brother on a big shopping spree.
He first went to the grain store, this time not buying coarse rice, but directly half a dan of plump, round new rice, and also twenty jin of white flour.
Next, he went to the general store, buying two large jars of lard, a large bag of coarse salt, and even luxuriously bought a small bag of brown sugar, intending to nourish his mother.
Then, he pulled Xu Chengbo into the largest cloth shop in town.
"Boss, cut some cloth."
The cloth shop owner initially seemed indifferent when he saw them, but when Xu Fan placed a small piece of broken silver on the counter, the owner's face immediately broke into a brilliant smile.
"Two esteemed guests, what kind of cloth would you like? We have cotton, hemp, and silk, all kinds!"
"Make a new set of clothes for each of our family members," Xu Fan said, "We need sturdy, durable, and warm cotton cloth."
He chose dark colors for his parents, which were dirt-resistant.
He chose soft ones for his grandparents, comfortable to wear.
For his younger siblings, he picked several bright colors.
When the several bolts of brand new fabric were packed, Xu Chengbo's eyes turned red.
Having grown up, it was the first time he realized that fabric felt so soft, and colors could be so beautiful.
Their family was finally going to have new clothes to wear.
Finally, Xu Fan went to the seed shop again.
He carefully selected seeds, relying on his skilled appraisal ability.
He not only bought good varieties of rice but also some vegetable seeds.
When the two brothers, carrying large and small bags, walked out of Qingyang Town, the sun was already setting in the west.
On the way back, Xu Chengbo's steps became unprecedentedly light under Xu Fan's guidance.