Divine Tang Era

"Ha, we've finally dug up another one."

Xu Dan put the jade dragon he dug up into his storage bag.

He couldn't bear to sell this one, which cost over two hundred spirit stones; he would just keep it. He was heartbroken when he sold two last time.

He secretly resolved that from now on, he would save any good spiritual herbs he encountered. He would never sell them unless absolutely necessary. This was because selling spiritual herbs yielded too few spirit stones; only by refining them into pills could their value be maximized.

Moreover, the price of medicinal herbs has been rising, so storing them yourself can fetch a good price.

Although there are artificially cultivated medicinal herbs, their medicinal effects are never as strong as those of naturally grown ones.

The medicinal herbs nurtured by nature will become increasingly scarce, and their prices will naturally rise.

Finding a Jade Dragon Seed means there are no other similar medicinal herbs nearby, and even the chance of finding Golden Insect Grass will decrease. Therefore, you can only go further away to find other medicinal herbs.

Compared to Kuang Kui, a seasoned veteran who frequently ventures into the wilderness, Xu Dan is a complete novice.

He thought he could make money by digging for spiritual herbs in the wilderness using his double pupils to observe qi, so he didn't buy any treasure-hunting talismans or even any treasure-hunting tools. Let alone learn any techniques like meridian point location, star observation, or smelling and listening to thunder.

Following the meridians: refers to the earth's veins and meridians nurtured by the energy of heaven and earth.

The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic contains the following passage: "The Yellow Emperor said: I have heard that when the stomach and intestines receive grain, the upper burner releases qi to warm the flesh, nourish the bones and joints, and open the pores. The middle burner releases qi like dew, which flows upward into the valleys and seeps into the superficial vessels. When the body fluids are harmonized, they transform into blood. When the blood is harmonious, the superficial vessels first become full and overflow, then flow into the collateral vessels. When they are full, they flow into the main meridians. Yin and Yang are in balance, and the flow continues as the body breathes. The flow has a regular pattern, the circulation has a principle, it is in harmony with Heaven, and it never stops."

This means that after the stomach and intestines receive food and drink, the resulting essence circulates throughout the body along different channels.

The defensive qi originating from the upper burner can warm the muscles and skin of the whole body, nourish the tendons, bones and joints, and reach the pores.

The nutritive qi originating from the middle jiao flows into the gaps between the muscles of the human body, much like rain and dew sprinkle the earth in nature. It also seeps into the superficial vessels. With the addition of body fluids and regulation, it transforms into red blood through the qi transformation function of the heart and lungs and circulates in the body's meridians.

Blood circulates smoothly and orderly, first filling the collateral vessels, then flowing into the main meridians, and finally flowing into the main channels.

In this way, the blood and qi of the yin and yang meridians are abundant and circulate throughout the body with respiration. The circulation of nutritive and defensive qi follows certain rules and cyclical pathways, just like the movement of celestial bodies, repeating endlessly.

The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic talks about the human body, but in essence, it is as vast as the universe.

The human body is a microcosm, and the universe is a macrocosm of the human body.

The abundant energy of heaven and earth transforms into rain and dew, sprinkling upon the land and seeping into the strata, mountains, rivers, and peaks. Within the strata, water veins, caves, and the gold and jade formed from the essence of energy are clearly visible.

This permeating energy in the earth's strata flows like the vital energy in the body's acupoints and meridians, following certain patterns and traceable paths.

Our predecessors used this as a basis for treasure hunting, and through the summarization of successive generations, the art of following the classics was developed.

Locating acupoints is similar to following meridians; both are techniques for observing the earth's veins to find treasures.

Stargazing involves observing the trajectories of stars to pinpoint the location of treasures. This method has been passed down for centuries and is not something ordinary people can master. Once mastered, one can sense the essence of treasures hidden underground soaring into the sky and reflected among the stars; such treasures are certainly no ordinary objects.

Finding just one of these treasures is worth more than a hundred treasure hunters painstakingly dig up in the wilderness.

His ability to observe qi is similar to that of Xu Dan.

Smelling is simply smelling. The earth's energy rises, each layer having its own unique aroma. The smell of soil with buried objects differs greatly from that of soil without buried objects. Some people have summarized and created a method, which led to the art of finding treasure by smelling.

Listening to thunder is a method of identifying the location of treasures by listening to the sound of thunder.

When lightning strikes, the earth's veins respond. The sounds of heaven and earth resonate, cleansing the strata and generating a variety of sounds.

Some people use this to find treasure, calling it the art of listening to thunder.

Xu Dan was a novice and hadn't consulted any veterans in the industry, so naturally he didn't know these things or the tricks of the trade. Treasure hunting, as an ancient industry that had existed in Jingning for over a thousand years, had long since developed a detailed set of treasure hunting methods and tools, but he simply didn't know them.

Even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care, since these things cost money, and right now, what Xu Dan lacks most is money.

After digging up the jade dragon stone, we walked for a while longer, and it was almost noon.

Xu Dan found a large rock, leaned against it, took out the big meat buns he had bought, and ate them heartily with the meat broth. He would eat something simple for lunch and something better for dinner; he had prepared a lot of delicious food for this trip to dig for medicinal herbs.

After eating, I rested for a while and took out a blanket to spread on the floor for a nap.

If treasure hunters lived as carefree as him, they'd probably be torn apart by their peers.

Xu Dan didn't care about any of that; he just did whatever made him happy. Even if it was about making money, he couldn't exhaust himself.

Otherwise, you might end up with little to no money and even lose your life, which is hardly worth it. Being single isn't a problem; the real danger lies with married men. Imagine your wife remarries, and your new husband takes your savings, lives in your house, sleeps with your wife, and beats your children. He might even call you a short-lived wretch.

Why suffer in life?

After a good night's sleep, feeling refreshed, Xu Dan packed his things, drank some water, and began digging for medicinal herbs.

The results were good; after a short while, they dug up a foxtail ginseng and a fire ruyi.

The foxtail ginseng has a flower at its tail that resembles a fox's tail, and its root is club-shaped; it is a potent tonic for replenishing qi. The fire-repelling scepter is specifically for treating internal or external heat, and is highly effective for burns and scalds.

Xu Dan calculated the value of the spiritual herbs he had unearthed, which was enough to sell for a large sum of spirit stones, and couldn't help but beam with joy.

It seems that I was right to specifically dig for herbs in secluded areas; you wouldn't find so many medicinal herbs in populated areas.

The place he went to was very desolate. Looking around, there wasn't a single person in sight, and no one knew where he had gone.

Just then, he heard a sound ahead. Xu Dan ran a few steps and climbed over a small hill. He could faintly hear people arguing ahead. He climbed another hill and saw two people arguing below. He quickly stopped, hid behind the hill, and secretly peeked down.

"He Shilie, how dare you hoard the treasure for yourself! I swear I will never let you get away with this!" Ge Zhong roared angrily.

"What do you mean by 'keeping it all to myself'? I discovered this treasure first, so it naturally belongs to me," He Shilie said, squinting.

"We went treasure hunting together and agreed to split the loot equally. There's no reason why you should get it just because you found it first, especially since I dug it up with you."

"Reason? What reason? I'm just stating the facts." He Shilie's face was cold.

"Fine, fine, I guess I was blind." Ge Zhong was furious. He glared at him, packed his things, and strode away. Suddenly, He Shilie pulled out a powerful crossbow from under his clothes and fired, hitting him squarely in the back.

"You...you...you..."

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth. Ge Zhong turned around, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at He Shilie. Even if the distribution of treasures was unfair, it didn't warrant killing him.

"How could I possibly let you go back and ruin my reputation?" He Shi Lie stepped forward, pulled out a crossbow bolt, and said calmly.

Ge Zhong fell to the ground, his eyes wide open in death.

Xu Dan shrank back, never expecting to encounter murder and robbery here. In movies, TV shows, and novels, everyone he encountered was killed to silence him. Xu Dan sensed something was wrong and planned to run away, but one last glance back sent shivers down his spine.

Because, at some point, He Shilie was already standing on the hill, pointing a crossbow at him.

"I didn't expect a little guy to dare to come to the wilderness to search for treasure. Meeting me is your bad luck. May you be reborn into a better family in your next life."

After saying that, he cruelly pulled the trigger.

To his surprise, Xu Dan was no longer in the same spot. Turning around, he was shocked to find Xu Dan wielding a long mallet, swinging it towards him. It was too late to dodge. The next moment, He Shilie's head exploded, white and red matter splattering into the sky.

"When I read books before, I always came across the phrase 'villains die from talking too much.' I didn't understand it then, but now I do."

Xu Dan landed and stood next to He Shilie's corpse, speaking coolly.