Chapter 163: The Millennium Lingzhi

Ji Ronghao said this and handed his phone to Lin Le.

Looking at the phone being thrust toward him, Lin Le was completely stunned, unsure whether he should take it or not.

"Dad, my brother, hurry up and answer it!" Ji Ronghao looked at Lin Le with an expectant expression.

Lin Le had no choice but to take the phone from Ji Ronghao's hand.

"Hello?" Lin Le said, feeling rather unsure of himself.

"Hello, this is Ji Rongguo. Who is this?" The voice on the other end was deep and sounded rather serious, betraying little emotion.

Ji Rongguo? Upon hearing this name, Lin Le couldn't help but startle, as the name was incredibly familiar; it felt as if he had heard it somewhere before.

Then, a flash of inspiration struck Lin Le’s mind, and he was suddenly shocked.

Damn it, Ji Rongguo? Could it be *that* Ji Rongguo?!

The name Ji Rongguo was likely known to everyone in China; he was a figure who truly stood at the very pinnacle of the power pyramid. Even in the daily news, his name appeared frequently. No wonder Lin Le felt the name was familiar!

Ji Ronghao, Ji Rongguo!

Only now did Lin Le belatedly realize everything.

So, Ji Ronghao was actually the younger brother of the esteemed Ji Rongguo!

Realizing this, Lin Le was shocked to the extreme, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Damn it, I’m going to be killed by Xiaorui’s father today. He actually dared to make Ji Rongguo call me "Dad." Is this going to be the end of me?!

Even as a Grandmaster of the Transformation Realm, Lin Le wasn't looking to commit suicide like this!

"Ji... Mr. Ji, my Uncle Ji is drunk, sorry to bother you." Lin Le didn't know how he should address the man.

"What, he's drunk?" Ji Rongguo was taken aback, seemingly surprised. "I have never seen Xiao Hao drunk before."

"Who are you?" Ji Rongguo suddenly asked again, appearing curious about the person who could get his younger brother drunk.

"My name is Lin Le, and I am a friend of Xiaorui," Lin Le replied.

"I see. Please take good care of Xiao Hao," Ji Rongguo’s voice sounded very composed.

After saying goodbye, Ji Rongguo hung up the phone.

If this had been three years ago, receiving such a call would have made Lin Le’s hands tremble with excitement. He would have risked getting his account banned just to post a status update, letting the whole world know he had just spoken with the esteemed Ji Rongguo.

But now, having inherited the memories of the Great Emperor Lingxiao, Lin Le’s mindset was already quite mature, and he naturally wouldn't act as he once did.

After hanging up, Lin Le silently took out his own phone, opened WeChat, and quickly posted to his Moments:

"Ji Rongguo’s voice in person sounds a bit different from how it does on TV... *manual smirk*"

No sooner had he posted it than his phone rang, startling him. He thought to himself that the authorities couldn't possibly be that fast, could they?

When Lin Le checked the caller ID, his heart settled; it was a call from Jia Shimiao.

It seemed that the medical seminar Jia Shimiao was attending had concluded, and he was ready to take Lin Le to the Qi family, the medicinal merchants.

"Hello, Dean Jia, how did the seminar go?" Lin Le asked.

"It was absolutely explosive!" Jia Shimiao shouted with excitement the moment he spoke.

"As soon as I unveiled the Qihuang Needle Manual you gave me, it caused a massive stir! Medical experts from both home and abroad were amazed by the effects of the manual. Several major domestic and international media outlets and medical journals all want to do feature reports on it!" Jia Shimiao was very agitated, recounting everything that had happened that morning in one breath.

"That's good." The Qihuang Needle Manual was written by Lin Le’s own hand, so it was no surprise that it could cause such a sensation.

Jia Shimiao’s greatest wish was to revitalize the glory of Chinese medicine through the charm of ancient medical arts. Now that the Qihuang Needle Manual had surfaced, Lin Le believed it would help him open many doors. Thinking of this, Lin Le also felt quite gratified.

"By the way, Mr. Lin, those domestic and foreign medical experts and journalists want to conduct an exclusive interview with you after hearing that you are the author of the Qihuang Needle Manual. Do you have any time?"

Lin Le smiled bitterly to himself; it seemed the influence of the Qihuang Needle Manual had far exceeded his expectations.

"Let’s forget about the interviews. Dean Jia, you can handle them on my behalf. Besides, I already explained everything regarding the manual to you in detail on the plane." Lin Le had no intention of stepping into the media spotlight; he wasn't interested in such things.

"Right, Dean Jia, what about the medicinal herbs? How are they coming along?" This was actually what Lin Le cared about most. He was worried that Jia Shimiao had been so busy with the manual and the seminar that he might have forgotten about his request.

"I was just about to tell you. My student, Xiao Qi, called me a moment ago. He said that a few days ago, they acquired a Ganoderma lucidum (lingzhi) over 1,200 years old from the deep mountains in the Northeast. I wonder if that meets your requirements?" Although Jia Shimiao had been busy with the seminar, he hadn't dared to forget Lin Le’s business.

"Oh? 1,200 years old?!" Hearing this, Lin Le’s heart filled with pleasant surprise.

For medicinal herbs, the longer they grew, the richer the essence of heaven and earth they absorbed. When used to refine pills, they would yield more potent spiritual energy, making them far more effective.

Especially herbs like Ganoderma, ginseng, cordyceps, cistanche, and dendrobium; they were inherently spiritual. At the same age, these herbs contained many times more spiritual energy than ordinary medicinal plants!

However, with the rapid development of modern society, the habitat for wild herbs had become scarce.

A wild Ganoderma that reached over 1,200 years of age was absolutely rare.

If he could obtain such a 1,200-year-old wild Ganoderma, it would definitely be worth a mountain of century-old herbs, which would be of immense help for Lin Le’s pill refinement.

"If that’s true, then that’s fantastic! That is exactly the kind of herb I need!" Lin Le said happily.

However, Jia Shimiao’s voice became urgent.

"If Mr. Lin is truly interested, then I’m afraid you need to hurry!" Jia Shimiao seemed worried about something.

"Oh? What’s going on?" Lin Le asked, puzzled.

"It seems that someone else here in the capital has their eyes on that thousand-year Ganoderma. I’ve already told Xiao Qi to keep it for you no matter what, but the people who want to buy it seem to be someone even the Qi family cannot afford to offend. So, he is in a difficult position regarding whether he can hold onto it for you," Jia Shimiao explained.

Lin Le found it strange. The Qi family was one of the four major medicinal merchants in China; how could they not even hold onto a single thousand-year-old Ganoderma?

Lin Le was curious to know who these people were that even the Qi family couldn't afford to offend.

"So, Mr. Lin, if you can get there and buy the Ganoderma before those people arrive, it will be much easier. First come, first served, after all, and it will save Xiao Qi from being caught in the middle," Jia Shimiao suggested.

"Alright, I understand. I’ll head over there right now!"

Lin Le immediately asked Jia Shimiao for the location of the Qi family’s pharmacy.

"Mr. Lin, I’m afraid I won't be able to make it over there in time. I’ve already discussed the details with Qi Sheng; he is a sensible person, so you can rest assured," Jia Shimiao said apologetically.

"No problem. Thank you, Dean Jia!"

After hanging up, Lin Le pulled Ji Xiaorui aside.

"Xiaorui, I need to go out for a while. You and your brother need to take good care of your father," Lin Le said.

At the dinner table, Ji Ronghao was already busy acting like brothers with Ji Xiaohai.

"Master, where are you going? I’ll drive you there," Ji Xiaorui asked.

Lin Le thought about it; he had been drinking, and drunk driving was an unethical thing to do. Moreover, as a local, Ji Xiaorui would definitely know the roads of the capital much better than he did. Taking her along might be better.