"Hehuan Sect."
A young man holding a snow ferret looked up at the white jade archway at the mountain gate and read out the three large characters on it with a complex tone.
Chu Xuan already knew that the sect he was about to join wouldn't be a good one, but he never expected it to be this legendary "super sect" known throughout the heavens and myriad worlds.
It is well known that cultivation sects are as numerous as grains of sand in the Ganges, but there is only one whose name immediately reveals its purpose; its presence is so strong that even the "Beast Master Gate," which has considerable influence in the myriad worlds, must bow in submission.
That's right, it's the renowned Hehuan Sect.
The term "Hehuan" has a long history. According to online enthusiasts' research, the original Hehuan Sect typically belonged to a branch of Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism.
This sect didn't have young sisters; only all kinds of burly bald monks who liked to forcibly take young sisters as sex slaves, tormenting them endlessly, with the young sisters washing their faces with tears every day.
The second generation of the Hehuan Sect gradually became more worldly. The bald monks slowly decreased, turning into various pretty boys who trained young sisters and kept them as concubines; these sisters were usually brainwashed, turning into lustful animals fighting over favors.
In the third generation of the Hehuan Sect, young sisters gradually became the dominant figures, turning into various female buddhas and welfare girls; the sect was full of handsome men and beautiful women, dedicated to practicing the path of yin and yang, but overall still leaning towards something like a cult.
Starting from the fourth generation, Hehuan Sect began to have some tendency for rehabilitation, where the male disciples remained as various demon-like figures, but the young sisters started to become purer.
Now it's the era of the fifth generation Hehuan Sect, which is more like a girl group than a sect. It's full of various charming virgin sisters, no matter how seductive they look, they're still virgins!
This fifth generation Hehuan Sect does exist in male-focused stories, but seems more common in female-focused ones, which leads to hilarious scenarios like "The little junior sister creates a rumor about a senior sister from the Hehuan Sect and then despises her."
Chu Xuan thought to himself: I wonder which version this world has developed to?
Regardless of the version, none of them match the ethereal cultivation journey I imagined!
Chu Xuan wanted to escape, but couldn't because standing next to him was a young sister from the Hehuan Sect.
Right now, this young sister, wearing a pink dress with alluring beauty and a curvy figure, was smiling at Chu Xuan, saying, "Let's go, once you enter this mountain gate, you belong to me."
This matter had to start from seven days ago...
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"Shopkeeper Mo, take a look at this, it's a good item."
A young boy around thirteen or fourteen years old, dressed in coarse cloth and holding a white ferret, was looking hopefully at the opposite side.
The "Shopkeeper Mo" being addressed was a middle-aged man wearing a long robe, his face indifferent while carefully inspecting the item's quality.
This was a piece of fresh wild ginseng, about palm-sized with excellent quality. Including the ginseng root, its length even exceeded the man's elbow.
Moreover, it was clear that the herbalist was very careful; the ginseng had all its roots intact, not even the thinnest root was broken.
The middle-aged shopkeeper felt secretly excited but showed no expression, intending to lower the price, when suddenly someone approached and exclaimed:
"A hundred-year-old wild ginseng, this is a treasure!"
Shopkeeper Mo's brow furrowed immediately, unceremoniously waving his hand and scolding, "Get lost, who are you?"
The young boy turned in surprise to see the newcomer was an old Daoist with a somewhat otherworldly aura.
Though his blue robe was washed until it looked whitish, and he appeared rather weathered, his kindly face made people feel good at first glance.
The old Daoist smiled without anger, "Just a passer-by, continue, continue."
Shopkeeper Mo deliberately pulled the boy to the other side of the village, quietly asking, "Where did you dig this from?"
The ferret-holding boy turned and pointed towards the mountain behind the village, "Just there."
"Only one?"
"Only one."
Shopkeeper Mo pondered for a moment, just about to try offering a price when the shameless old Daoist squeezed over again, shamelessly smiling:
"May I touch it?"
"Touch what! What if you damage it? Go away." Shopkeeper Mo was increasingly impatient, almost ready to attack.
"Old grandfather, are you buying too?" The boy asked expectantly.
"Not buying, but I can help you evaluate its worth." The old Daoist stroked his goatee, confidently showing the demeanor of "a Daoist who knows much."
"Then let him take a look." The boy looked eagerly at Shopkeeper Mo.
Shopkeeper Mo sneered, "Let's agree first, if this wanderer damages it even a little, I won't buy this item."
The boy hesitated for a moment but nodded in agreement.
The old Daoist then leisurely reached out his hand, and Shopkeeper Mo furrowed his brows in reluctance, handing over the wild ginseng as if giving away his lifeline.
Upon taking the ginseng, the old Daoist immediately brightened with excitement, exclaiming:
"As the saying goes, 'Seven liang is ginseng, eight liang is treasure.' Seven or eight liang of ginseng is something you rarely encounter in a hundred years."
"This wild ginseng that the young brother dug up, if my strength is not mistaken, should weigh nine liang and one qian two fen, making it a top quality!"
"If taken to the big city for sale, I don't know how many prestigious pharmacies would fight over it."
Shopkeeper Mo's face grew more anxious, and his greed intensified. He snatched the ginseng back, cursing, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
After muttering a few curses, he took out a small brass scale he carried, and it indeed weighed nine liang and one qian two fen, exactly as the Daoist said.
Even Shopkeeper Mo himself was taken aback.
The old Daoist was not angered, instead, he stroked his beard and boasted, "As written in the 'Ginseng Chart' by our predecessors: Ginseng valued ten times gold, one hundred and fifty-sixty times silver."
"Just this top-notch wild ginseng alone is worth at least a hundred liang of gold."
"Nonsense!" Shopkeeper Mo jumped in rage, his face flushed red:
"What ginseng chart, never heard of it, you swindling Daoist with your deceiving talk, you, you... Oh! I understand."
He turned with false bravado towards the boy, "You brought this man to act as a decoy, well, playing such dirty tricks in front of my Cixin Hall."
The boy hastily denied, while the mink merely yawned in boredom.
The old Daoist coughed, "No need to slander, how about this? I advise this young brother not to sell, lest this Master Mo suffers loss from a scam."
"Put the treasure away first, I'll take you to the city tomorrow, such a good thing won't worry about finding a buyer~"
"Wait!"
Before the boy could agree, Shopkeeper Mo suddenly calmed down, ignoring the damned Daoist and focusing solely on the seller, "Name your price."
The boy looked a bit nervous, "I, I've never sold such herbal medicine, I know Shopkeeper Mo is kind-hearted, just give me what you think is fair."
"Alright, then I won't cheat you." Shopkeeper Mo hardened his heart, first pulling out two large strings of Copper Coins from his coat, handing them to the boy, then undoing the money pouch from his belt, gifting even that to him.
The boy accepted the two strings of Copper Coins threaded with hemp string, then the heavy money pouch, his little heart pounding as this was the biggest sum of money he'd ever received in his life.
"I didn't count exactly what's inside the pouch, probably more than thirteen liang, plus the two strings of Copper Coins, my entire wealth is here." Shopkeeper Mo looked heartbroken, as if he'd suffered a great loss.
"Where did you dig up that ginseng? Next time take me with you to see, I'm busy now, so I'll be off."
"Hey, wait!" The old Daoist was displeased now, blocking Shopkeeper Mo, glaring and blowing his beard: "You, a shopkeeper in a pharmacy, only carry this much money?"
Shopkeeper Mo showed an embarrassed look, "Have you ever seen a shopkeeper personally come to such a shabby place to acquire medicine?"
"I'm a manager, just managing at Cixin Hall."
"Then this hundred-year wild ginseng is worth more than this." The old Daoist insisted, as if he had dug out the ginseng himself.
"About what it's worth, besides I really don't have any more money, if you don't believe it, check." Manager Mo shamelessly played it off, but guarded the wild ginseng fiercely, not letting anyone snatch it away.
"No money, can't you write an IOU?" The old Daoist said, then gestured to the mink-holding boy, encouraging him to speak up.
Unexpectedly, the boy shook his head, "Enough, and Shopkeeper Mo has always taken care of me, the medicines I dig are usually sold to him, without him I'd fear selling in the city to strangers getting anything at all as a mere child."
The old Daoist showed a surprised expression, while Manager Mo laughed heartily, "I told you, this kid has been smart since young, come to Cixin Hall in future if you need anything."
The old Daoist felt embarrassed to stop them further.
Unexpectedly, as Manager Mo took a few steps away, he turned back, his small eyes fixating on the boy's arms at the snow-white mink without a trace of colored fur, his eyes showing a tinge of greed.
"This little mink's fur is quite nice, would you sell it? I'll bring more money next time."
This time the boy was very firm, shaking his head like a rattle, "Not selling, not selling."
The little mink also raised its head, baring its teeth, making a "hiss-hiss" intimidating sound, seemingly quite intelligent, catching Manager Mo by surprise.
"Alright then, I'm off."
Until the middle-aged manager of Cixin Hall happily rode away on a skinny horse, the boy finally opened the money pouch, took out a piece of silver weighing one liang, handing it to the old Daoist, "Thank you, sir, for helping me raise the price earlier."
The old Daoist merely waved, "I can't accept, once I do, I really become your decoy."
Then they exchanged smiles.