Upon arriving at the market cottage, Cheng Zongyang found Ma San still processing the latest haul.
One Exotic Beast Spider King.
A tiger, a pig, and a wolf—three beasts suspected of being Exotic Beasts.
One ginseng.
"Sir." Ma San immediately stood, cupped his hands, and greeted him.
"It's fine. Go on with your work; I'll take over here. Oh, and the ginseng is in this lump of soil. Be careful when cleaning it, and try to minimize any damage."
Ma San glanced at the clump of soil, which was nearly a meter wide, and nodded. He then asked, "Can I soak it in water to clean it? It would be much easier to clean that way, and it shouldn't damage the ginseng."
Cheng Zongyang considered this. 'I've never heard that you can't soak it, and freshly dug ginseng needs to be washed anyway.' He immediately said, "You can."
"Yes, sir. I'll get right on it."
With that, Ma San brought over an empty water vat and carefully placed the clump of soil inside.
