Chapter 491: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 491: Almost Spiritual Ginseng (Part 1)
After the excitement settled, with the tacit approval of the Black Cloud Leopard, Mo Yan carefully examined this patch of ginseng plants, covering an area roughly the size of an acre. She discovered that most of these ginsengs were relatively young, with the most common being around thirty years old. There were only about a hundred or so that were over a hundred years old, and very few that were over two to three hundred years old.
What surprised Mo Yan was that ginsengs of different ages were almost all growing together, as if intentionally planted in clusters. Unbeknownst to her, these ginsengs were seeds collected by the Black Cloud Leopard and planted here. The reason why ginsengs over a hundred years old were so rare was because the leopard had consumed them—either to satisfy hunger or absorb their spiritual energy. Even a spiritual beast like it could not survive for hundreds of years without this energy supply.
In the eyes of local villagers, even a ginseng that was only thirty years old could fetch enough money to build a decent house and provide worry-free living for several years. However, what Mo Yan lacked was not money but a thousand-year-old ginseng that could save lives and help the person she cared about escape the fate of being exploited.
Mo Yan stubbornly searched again and finally found the two oldest ginsengs near the base of a large tree. She couldn't see the conditions beneath the plants, so she could only estimate their age based on their characteristics, which she guessed wouldn't exceed five hundred years.
Ginsengs over three hundred years old were already very good. If transplanted into her space, they would grow into thousand-year-old ginsengs in just two years. However, the prince who urgently needed a thousand-year-old ginseng would turn twenty-five in less than a year—he simply couldn't wait that long...
Mo Yan pondered for a moment and couldn't help asking the lazy 'Big Black Cat' lying beside her, "Do you have any older ginsengs here? I really need it. Can you help?"
At these words, the Black Cloud Leopard's deep blue eyes flashed with something, then it leisurely sat up, looking at Mo Yan with an inscrutable gaze, as if weighing something.
If it were a human, Mo Yan might have been able to discern something from their expression, but faced with a wild beast whose slick fur obscured its body, even if she had X-ray vision, she wouldn't necessarily understand! Seeing the leopard standing there without responding, Mo Yan couldn't help feeling anxious. This was the core area of Yu Hua Mountain, where humans rarely ventured. Since this mountain could grow ginsengs hundreds of years old, it was highly likely that even older ginsengs existed.
If the 'Big Black Cat' hadn't found older ginsengs, she was confident she could persuade it to allow her to search. There might still be a chance of finding them. However, if the leopard found them but refused to exchange them with her, she would be helpless. After all, even the Four Beasts might not be able to defeat it, let alone forcibly take something from it. Moreover, if this intelligent beast hid the ginsengs, even if she defeated it, she might not be able to find them. As for outright robbery, she couldn't bring herself to do it until the very last moment.
Just as Mo Yan was about to ask again, the Black Cloud Leopard glanced at her, then gracefully stood up and walked past her side with elegant steps, its furry tail lightly brushing against her skirt.
Mo Yan wasn't sure what the leopard meant, but she cautiously signaled the Four Beasts to follow. Seeing that the leopard didn't drive them away, she couldn't help but feel relieved and quickened her pace.
After about half an hour, they reached the other side of the mountain, where the Black Cloud Leopard stopped, turned around, and waited for Mo Yan and the others.
This side of the mountain was even harder to traverse than before. Mo Yan didn't want to ask the Python for help, so they proceeded more slowly. Seeing the leopard waiting, she dared not delay and hurried up. However, in a moment of carelessness, she stumbled on a grass stem and fell to the ground, cutting a deep gash on the back of her left hand on a long, sharp thorn.
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