People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 19, A Third-Rank Opportunity

They would look at one stall and then another, mostly selecting medicinal herbs from the officials. Only when the crowd couldn't handle the herbs would they ask Physician Wang to step in.

As they walked, everyone explained to Xu Qing how to distinguish medicinal herbs, and Xu Qing completely transformed into what her teachers in her previous life called an absorbent sponge, constantly learning from everyone's experience.

"Sigh, things are getting worse every year. I remember last year, the Imperial Physician found a century-old ginseng, but this year, after traveling for so long, we haven't found any good medicinal herbs."

"A century-old ginseng is a rare find, and it can't be available every year."

The group discussed amongst themselves, essentially lamenting that they hadn't found any medicinal herbs worth buying this time.
During their conversation, the group came to a fork in the road and stopped.

"Should we go to the West Ward or the East Ward next? The medicinal herbs in the East Ward are generally of better quality, while the West Ward is a mixed bag with nothing of good quality," someone said.

Then everyone looked at Physician Wang and Xu Qing, waiting for them to make a decision.

"Then let's go to the East Ward," said Physician Wang.

An hour had passed, and he hadn't encountered any medicinal herbs that caught his eye, leaving Physician Wang somewhat disappointed. His original intention for this trip was to privately purchase some good herbs to enrich his family's resources.

A physician's foundation, besides medical books, rests solely on medicinal herbs. Good herbs possess astonishing potency, capable of saving a life in a critical moment, and can also be sold for profit during times of family hardship.

Everyone agreed, and Xu Qing, seeing that they were planning to head to the East Market, spoke up.

"Gentlemen, I think it's better to go to the West Ward. Although it's a mixed bag of people, you never know if there might be anything rare there."

Seeing that Xu Qing had a different opinion, everyone stopped and looked at Physician Wang.

Physician Wang assumed Xu Qing was trying to get something for nothing by luck, so he explained to him...
“Xiao Xu, you’re still too young. Top-quality medicinal herbs aren’t something ordinary people can get their hands on. Most of the merchants in Dongfang are well-known, and only they have the ability to obtain rare items. Even if an ordinary person is incredibly lucky enough to get a precious medicine, most of it will be bought up in advance by these merchants who travel around the world.”

"yes."

Everyone urged Xu Qing to go to Dongfang with them.

Seeing that everyone was determined, Xu Qing couldn't say anything more, as he couldn't force them to go to the West Warehouse with him.

"I just heard you all explain to me how to distinguish medicinal herbs, and I'd like to put it into practice. The West Ward is a mixed community, so it's a good place to test my skills," Xu Qing said. "Since everyone wants to go to the East Ward, I'll go to the West Ward myself."

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled knowingly. Xu Qing was, after all, still a young man who had not yet come of age, so it was inevitable that he would be eager to show off his skills.

They've all been Xu Qing's age, so they naturally understand.

"In that case, Xiao Xu, you can try it yourself. But be careful and don't rush. Just return to the pharmacy on time before the market closes." Doctor Wang didn't refuse again. How can a young person grow if they don't learn from their mistakes?
"Yes," Xu Qing said.

So Xu Qing parted ways with the others and walked alone into the west ward, while the others followed Physician Wang into the east ward.

As Xu Qing walked into the West Ward, he looked back and forth between the stalls, identifying medicinal herbs based on what he had just learned from the many medical officers.

He wasn't lying just now; he genuinely wanted to test his eyesight, and his main purpose was still that third-grade opportunity. A second-grade opportunity had given him the Evergreen Skill and a needle technique, so a third-grade opportunity couldn't possibly be bad.

As Xu Qing strolled around, he tested his eyesight. Just after leaving one stall, he noticed a peculiar stall ahead.

What's unusual is that the stall owner wasn't from the Central Plains or the Xiongnu; he looked like someone from the Western Regions.

In this era of clear distinction between Chinese and barbarians, the various states of the Central Plains, all belonging to the same lineage of the Chinese, were looked down upon by the Chu state, which had been reduced to the status of southern barbarians, let alone the people of the Western Regions. Therefore, no one patronized the other's stall, and the other sat there looking sullen.

Seeing the dozen or so small bags displayed in front of the other person, Xu Qing became interested and walked over to their stall.

When the man from the Western Regions saw someone arrive at his stall, he quickly stood up and said with a broad smile.
"Hey friend, you found my spot in the bazaar right away, so you must be a connoisseur. All the goods on my carpet are top-quality, transported all the way from my hometown. Even the rafters of the Han King's palace would bow down and exclaim 'Yakshi!' upon seeing them!"

Xu Qing looked at the Western Region people in front of him with surprise and doubt. The familiar smell of naan bread meant that the naan language existed in ancient times.

"Hey friend, don't be surprised. This isn't a tandoor oven like the one used for Hetian jade. These are all medicinal herbs and seeds from the Western Regions," the Western Regions man said warmly.

He had been sitting here for half a day, but when the people in the market saw that he was from the Western Regions, they not only refused to buy anything, but even avoided him.

He spent a lot of money to buy this spot, and if he couldn't sell anything, he would lose a lot of money. Now that someone has finally shown interest, he naturally wants to promote it enthusiastically.

Xu Qing recovered from her shock and scanned the contents of the blanket. Some of the items were durable crops such as spinach, alfalfa, walnuts, pomegranates, and peppers, while others were some unidentified seeds.

"Did you bring all these things from the Western Regions?" Xu Qing asked suspiciously.

Putting aside the distance between the Western Regions and Xinzheng, and the fact that the Xiongnu were causing trouble in between, it seems rather strange that they would transport goods to Xinzheng to sell.

"These things were naturally transported from the Western Regions by a man as eagle-like as himself, along with his donkeys and caravan."

As Xu Qing listened to the Western Regions man's explanation, he finally understood why a Western Regions person would appear in Xinzheng.

The other party was a merchant caravan from a small country in the Western Regions. They had been doing business with the Xiongnu and Yuezhi for many years. Later, they learned that there was a rich land to the east of the Xiongnu, so they decided to try their luck there. Thus, they cooperated with a merchant caravan composed of mixed-race people from the Xiongnu and the Central Plains to do business in the Central Plains.

They were originally heading to the State of Qin, but under the guidance of their leader, they took the wrong turn and ended up in the State of Zhao.

After selling a batch of horses and precious gems in the State of Zhao, he continued south with the caravan, arriving in Xinzheng, the capital of the State of Han. He learned the Central Plains dialect from these caravans.

The caravan they were working with had told them that it was impossible to sell anything in Xinzheng and that they planned to resupply before heading to Qin. But this man didn't believe his goods couldn't be sold, so he took advantage of the others resting at the inn and bought a stall to set up his own.

Xu Qing's gaze lingered on the contents of each bag, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.

The bag was filled with round, white-skinned crops, and he knew in his heart that this must be the third-grade opportunity he was looking for.

Sorry I'm late, I was busy today.
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(End of this chapter)