The crowd dispersed along the dirt road, their laughter echoing in the distance.
"Tsk, this fourth young master from the city really has too much money to burn!" A middle-aged woman, after walking a distance from the house, muttered disdainfully, "Spending thirty copper coins on a basket of useless herbs! It's like throwing money into the river!"
"Hush, let him waste his money!" Uncle Chen sneered. "As long as he pays, whether he uses it for bathing or firewood, it's easy money for us!"
The ungrateful villagers gathered together, laughing and secretly mocking Bai Jing's foolishness, greedily calculating how to extract those thirty copper coins each day.
Back in the courtyard, Lan Zhu walked in from the roadside carrying a bundle of firewood. Seeing the villagers leave, he approached with a worried expression.
"Bai Jing, are you alright? I saw Aunt Wang and the others gathered around your door. Did they cause you trouble because of the mushroom business?"
Bai Jing turned around, his aloof expression instantly transforming into a warm smile: "I'm fine, everything's alright. They wanted something to do to earn money after hearing about my mushroom business, so I asked them to gather herbs. Thirty copper coins per basket should keep them busy for a while."
Lan Zhu looked at the remaining drawings on the table, and gasped after hearing the details: "Thirty copper coins for a basket? Jing, these are really just ordinary medicinal herbs! These plants are everywhere in the mountains!"
Bai Jing smiled faintly: "You're right, but I really need those herbs in large amounts. You also bring me a basket daily and I will pay you like the rest."
Lan Zhu thought about it and nodded: "Ok, see you later. I will gather a basket of herbs after I take the mushrooms to town."
...
As dust settled over Longxu Village; the sun's fading glow shifted from golden-yellow to deep orange, casting long shadows across the courtyard. A cool mountain breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying the crisp, distinct scent of autumn. Bai Jing sat quietly beneath the eaves, his back resting against the sturdy wooden doorframe; a small wooden basin sat on his lap as he sorted through a bundle of coarse hemp rope. Beside him, Scruffy lay on a woven mat, lazily batting at a stray piece of dried grass with its paw.
The quietness was once again shattered by a clamor of noise: heavy footsteps and boastful voices were approaching the wooden-fence gate. Auntie Wang was the first to push her way in, a large bamboo basket slung over her shoulder, overflowing with freshly harvested Silver-leaf Moss and Iron-leaf Grass. Close behind her came Uncle Chen and two other villagers, each carrying baskets similarly packed to the brim; their faces were flushed with a mix of exertion and greed.
"Jing Ger! Look here!" Auntie Wang called out loudly, dropping her basket onto the ground heavily: "These are fresh herbs we just gathered from the hillside! Not a single withered leaf among them. My son and I spent hours getting all this!"
Bai Jing slowly rose to his feet, one hand supporting his lower back to conceal the slight swell of his belly, and walked over to inspect the baskets. Crouching down, he carefully sifted through the tender green leaves with his fingers. The herbs were indeed of excellent quality; the leaves still held the evening dew, exuding a natural, vibrant vitality.
To the average villager, these were merely bothersome weeds that cluttered the mountainside; but to Bai Jing, who bought the manual from the System Shop, they were precious raw materials, rich in unrefined spiritual qi: "Excellent, it meets the specifications on the drawings perfectly. Thank you all for your hard work today, Auntie and Uncle." Bai Jing said with a gentle, polite smile.
He took a small cloth bag from his sleeve, counted out thirty gleaming copper coins, and handed them one by one to each of them. As Auntie Wang received the thirty coins, her eyes sparkled with immense satisfaction. She weighed the heavy string of coins in her palm and listened to the pleasant clinking sound of the metal; the corners of her mouth curled upward, revealing a smirk she could barely conceal.
"Thank you, Young Master Jing!" Uncle Chen said with a smile, clutching the coins tightly: "If you need more of this 'medicinal herb,' just say the word! We'll gather as much as you want."
"Exactly," Auntie Wang chimed in, shaking her head with feigned sympathy: "Young Master Jing, you really ought to take good care of your health. Someone with a delicate constitution like yours, coming from the city, certainly needs plenty of those expensive medicinal baths!"
"Thank you for your concerns, auntie and uncle."
As the villagers turned and walked out of the courtyard, their hushed, mocking laughter drifted through the cool air.
"What a fool," Uncle Chen muttered disdainfully to Auntie Wang the moment they stepped outside the gate: "Trading real silver for useless wild weeds! He actually thinks soaking in wild weeds will cure his sickly body."
"Let him be a fool!" Auntie Wang sneered in a low voice: "As long as he has silver, we can make easy money every day without doing any heavy labor. We need to head up the mountain early tomorrow so no one else beats us to the best spots!"
Bai Jing stood by the bamboo-fence gate, watching their figures disappear into the distance. A faint smile played upon his lips. Those thirty copper coins were insignificant compared to the value of the highly refined medicinal extract he could produce. By keeping the villagers occupied with such undemanding labor, he not only secured peace for his mushroom business but also established a cheap and reliable source of raw materials.
Upon returning to the courtyard, Bai Jing immediately set to work. Following the detailed instructions he had purchased from the System Store and studied, he sorted the harvested herbs into two batches. The larger portion, consisting of "Iron-Leaf Grass" and "Silver-Dew Moss" was carefully spread out on flat bamboo drying trays; they would be air-dried over the coming days to preserve their medicinal properties for future alchemy experiments.
As for the remaining fresh herbs, he intended to use them to prepare a special medicinal bath. Carrying his basket, he entered the shed attached to the side of the house, where there was a massive wooden tub. He filled a large iron pot with clear spring water and lit a fire beneath it, bringing the water to boil. Meanwhile, he pounded the fresh Silver-Dew Moss into a thick paste to extract its emerald-green juice and chopped the tough stems of the Iron-Leaf Grass into fine segments.
Once the water was boiling vigorously, he added both the pounded herbs and the extracted juice into the cauldron. Instantly, a soothing aroma rose with the steam, filling the small room with the fresh scent of vegetation. The medicinal liquid in the pot took on a clear, pale emerald color. According to the System manual's description, this formula possessed remarkable properties: relaxing the mind, soothing fatigued muscles, and calming spiritual energy.
Just as Bai Jing was pouring the scalding medicinal liquid into the large wooden tub and adding cold spring water to adjust the temperature, he heard the sound of the front door opening. He looked over and saw Ye Cheng had returned.
Ye Cheng walked in, carrying the bundle wrapped in black cloth. Tall and broad-shouldered, he appeared somewhat weary; traces of exhaustion from a full day of work. However, as he stepped into the courtyard and saw Bai Jing standing in the kitchen shed's light, the coldness in his deep eyes instantly melted away, replaced by a serene softness.
"You're back," Bai Jing greeted him softly, wiping his wet hands on his clothes.
"Mm." Ye Cheng nodded and placed his bundle on the wooden table: "How are you feeling today? Has the fever gone down?"
"I'm fine," Bai Jing replied, walking over with a cup of cold water: "The medicine worked wonders. How did things go at the Refining Guild?"
Ye Cheng took the cup and drained it in one gulp: "The Guild Master accepted the ore samples I processed. They offered a long-term contract for basic forging work, so we won't have to worry about making ends meet for the next few months. It's a bit unsettled in town, though, several large merchant caravans from the Capital have arrived. I'm not sure why."
Bai Jing listened, then gently linked his arm with Ye Cheng's: "You've been pushing yourself too hard these past few days, running back and forth and busy with forging. Come with me; I've prepared something for you."
Puzzled, Ye Cheng followed Bai Jing into the side room, where a steaming wooden tub was. The rich aroma of herbs instantly wafted toward him, easing the tightness in his chest.
"A medicinal bath?" Ye Cheng raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Where did you get these herbs?"
"The villagers brought them," Bai Jing explained, a subtle look flashing in his eyes. "I bought them for just a few copper coins. This combination of Silver-leaf Moss and Iron-leaf Grass is excellent for relieving muscle soreness and clearing blocked meridians. Hurry and take off your clothes to soak while it's hot, don't let my efforts go to waste."
Seeing the look of anticipation on Bai Jing's face, Ye Cheng did not refuse. He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the tall wooden tub. As his body soaked into the warm, pale jade-green water, a gentle, soothing energy instantly coursed through his entire being. The tense muscles across his shoulders and back relaxed completely, and the bone-deep fatigue seemed to dissipate along with the rising steam. Resting his head against the rim of the tub, he let out a long, deep breath, allowing himself to fully unwind.