The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

Upon entering Pigeon City, a small county in Northeast China, Li Kaixin immediately felt an atmosphere completely different from that of Beijing.

Here, the scrutinizing gazes of the pigeon markets of old Beijing are absent; the shadowy figures here are mostly genuine ordinary people coming to buy and sell.

The air was filled with a unique aroma that was a mixture of hay, soil, and a few medicinal herbs.

Looking around, the products displayed on the stalls also showcased the local characteristics.

Rare and expensive grains were scarce; instead, there were piles of coarse corn grits and potatoes, priced at less than half the price of pigeons in Beijing's pigeon market, yet few people inquired about them.

It seems that this was the first year the northern region had suffered a disaster, so it had a strong foundation. In addition, the land was vast and sparsely populated, so every household still had some stored grain to support them.

What truly attracts attention are the mountain products that are rarely seen in Beijing.

What Li Kaixin found most surprising were the wild ginseng, deer antler, and the dark-colored Ganoderma lucidum.

Li Kaixin then slowed down, the experience of the national-level doctor clearly emerging in his mind.

Carefully examining the quality and age of the medicinal herbs at the stall, Li Kaixin was cautious in his purchases, still shaken by his previous experience of being targeted at the pigeon market and the black market.

Even so, these good things from Northeast China were still very expensive, and I quickly spent more than 300 yuan.

Seeing that he had bought enough, Li Kaixin found a secluded corner where no one would notice him. On a whim, he planted several young ginseng roots in the black soil of the secret realm, intending to observe over the next few days whether the ginseng could survive in the secret realm.

The remaining older ginseng was placed together with deer antler and lingzhi.

Just as he was about to leave, Li Kai's heart skipped a beat when he caught a glimpse of an unremarkable ginseng with a slightly grayish skin on an inconspicuous stall in the corner!

It was a wild ginseng that was at least a hundred years old! It just didn't look impressive and didn't have any special characteristics. If he hadn't had the experience of a national-level doctor, he would have missed it.

Li Kaixin suppressed his excitement, slowly walked to the stall, picked up the ginseng and examined it.

Then, in as casual a tone as possible, he asked, "Fellow villager, what's the price of this ginseng?"

The stall owner was a dark-skinned man with large hands, wearing a tattered sheepskin coat, and speaking with a heavy local accent.

He rubbed his hands together, a little embarrassed, and said with a simple smile, "Brother, I'm not really sure how old this ginseng is. You give me a price, and I'll sell it if it's right."

Li Kaixin's heart stirred; this man was indeed simple and honest.

After a moment's hesitation, he offered a price: "Two hundred yuan, is that alright?"

This price is not low for ginseng of unknown age, but it's a bargain for a century-old ginseng.

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes widened instantly, and an incredulous look of surprise appeared on his face.

But he immediately waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Oh! No, no! Brother, this is too much, it's not worth that much money."

Seeing his straightforwardness, Li Kaixin felt much more favorably disposed towards him and stopped hiding anything.

He said in a low voice, "Fellow villager, to be honest, this ginseng of yours, judging from its root head and shape, is probably quite old. It's worth the price, and I can't take such a big advantage of you."

The man was stunned. Looking into Li Kaixin's sincere eyes, a simple blush rose on his dark face.

He stammered, "Brother, you're an honest man, I trust you."

The transaction was successfully completed.

They both thought the other was a good person, so they started chatting.

During the conversation, Li Kaixin also learned about the man.

The man claimed his surname was Zhao, he was the fourth child in his family, and he was a villager from Kaoshantun at the foot of Changbai Mountain. During the off-season, he would go up the mountain to try his luck and dig up some mountain products to supplement his family's income.

Li Kaixin's eyes lit up immediately when he heard about Changbai Mountain.

He tentatively asked, "Brother Zhao, to be honest, I really admire Changbai Mountain. Do you think there's any way you could take me there to broaden my horizons?"

Seeing that Zhao Laosi didn't react, he continued, "I won't let you work for nothing, I'll give you ten yuan."

After listening, Zhao Laosi still looked troubled and shook his head vigorously.

"No, no! Brother, it's not that I don't want to take you, but that old forest is too dangerous."

"If you didn't grow up in these mountains, you'll easily get lost. If you encounter bears or wild boars, it's no joke; it's too dangerous."

Seeing Zhao Laosi hesitate, Li Kaixin knew that he was worried about his safety, so he felt more at ease and took out the hunting certificate with the red stamp of the transportation station from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Laosi.

"Brother Zhao, you see, I'm not one of those city kids. I often go into the mountains too, and I know a bit about the rules there. I stay on the outskirts and never go too deep in, so as not to cause you any trouble."

Using the dim light, Zhao Laosi squinted at the paper stamped with the official seal. Although he couldn't recognize many words, he could recognize the words "hunting permit" and knew that the red stamp couldn't be faked.

Finally, he stamped his foot and said, "Alright, I see you're a straightforward guy, brother, and you have guts."

"I'll be waiting for you at the back street corner of the guesthouse first thing tomorrow morning! And it's a promise, we'll only wander around the area I know well, no wandering off!"

"Of course, thank you very much, Brother Zhao," Li Kaixin quickly replied.

He then quickly told Zhao Laosi the name of the guesthouse where he was staying and his room number.

After the agreement is made.

Li Kaixin bid farewell to the honest Zhao Laosi and carefully stored the century-old ginseng in his secret space, placing it together with the deer antler.

Having explored enough of Pigeon City, I decided to return to the agreed-upon location.

Time flies.

Li Kaixin arrived at the old locust tree where they had agreed to meet beforehand. He pretended to take out several ginseng roots and a small bag of deer antlers that he had bought earlier from his pocket, but actually from the secret realm.

Before long, Master Chen and Director Zhou walked over from different directions, one after the other.

Master Chen was carrying a rather large cloth bag on his shoulder, and judging from its heavy appearance, it was mostly filled with grain.

Director Zhou arrived empty-handed, clearly indicating that his trip was primarily to accompany his old friend.

The two were somewhat surprised to see that Li Kaixin only had so few medicinal herbs in his hand.

Director Zhou spoke first, with the concern of an elder: "How happy you are! Why did you only buy this little bit? The grain here is much cheaper than where you are. Why not take this opportunity to buy some more?"

Master Chen also cast an inquiring glance his way.

Li Kaixin explained with a smile, "Director Zhou, Master, we're not too short of food at home for the time being. I saw that the medicinal herbs here are quite good, so I bought some of these."

As he spoke, Li Kaixin stepped forward and took the bag from Master Chen's shoulder without saying a word. "Master, this is heavy. I'm young and strong. I'll carry it so we can walk faster."

Looking at his apprentice's sensible demeanor, Master Chen's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible hint of approval. He didn't refuse, but simply hummed in agreement.

Director Zhou chuckled and said to Chen Dabing, "Old Chen, you made a good choice in taking him on as an apprentice! He knows how to cherish his master!"

After parting ways with Director Zhou, Li Kaixin and Master Chen quietly returned to the guesthouse under the cover of night. Li Kaixin handed the bag back to Master Chen, and then they each slipped back to their rooms.

Lying in bed, Li Kaixin thought about the money she had, and with the 200 yuan activity fund given by Director Xie, it was almost all gone. She sighed at how quickly the money went by.

Then he realized that a large part of the secret realm was still empty, so making money became an urgent problem.

Li Kaixin fell asleep with these thoughts on her mind.