Chapter 164: The Qi Family Apothecary

"I need to head to the Qi Family Pharmacy on Qianmen Street to collect some herbs. Take me there now, and be quick about it," Lin Le said to Ji Xiaorui.

"You got it, leave it to me!" Ji Xiaorui replied, tapping her chest confidently.

She quickly handed her father, Ji Ronghao, over to her younger brother, Ji Xiaohai, and followed Lin Le to the parking lot. Ji Ronghao hadn't been exaggerating; the Ji family had no shortage of things, and cars were certainly among them. The parking lot was filled with an endless array of luxury vehicles.

Ji Xiaorui chose a Porsche sports coupe. With a stomp on the accelerator, the engine let out a beastly roar, and the car shot forward, racing toward Qianmen Street. As a dedicated speed enthusiast, her driving skills were remarkably polished for her age; she navigated the route with fluid, seamless precision, never once hesitating.

Midway through the journey, Lin Le's phone rang. It was Liang Qiuyang. Having arrived in Shangjing a few days ahead of Lin Le to scout for information on herbs, the call was likely related to his search.

"Hello, Master Liang," Lin Le answered.

"Mr. Lin, where are you right now?" Liang Qiuyang asked.

"I’m on my way to the Qi Family Pharmacy on Qianmen Street to pick up a thousand-year-old lingzhi. Is something the matter?"

"Qianmen Street?" Liang Qiuyang paused, then said, "I'm not far from there. I’ll head over as well; we can talk when we meet."

The Ji residence was not far from Qianmen Street, and they arrived in less than twenty minutes. The Qi Family Pharmacy was a century-old establishment, having stood there since the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing. As one of China’s four major medicinal merchants, the Qi family had a vast business with branches across the country. In recent years, they had also ventured into the health supplement market, carving out a significant niche for themselves.

When Lin Le and Ji Xiaorui arrived, they saw that the pharmacy’s facade was preserved in an ancient, rustic style. As they were about to enter, a voice called out from behind.

"Mr. Lin." It was Liang Qiuyang, who had just arrived.

"Let’s go in first," Lin Le said. Time was tight, and he didn't want to delay; securing the thousand-year-old lingzhi was the priority.

Inside, Lin Le went straight to the counter and asked, "Excuse me, is Boss Qi Sheng in?"

Before the staff could answer, a man in his thirties with an energetic appearance emerged from a room behind the counter. "Who are you?" the young man asked, sounding a bit guarded.

"My name is Lin Le. I was referred by Dean Jia Shimiao. He said he mentioned me to you over the phone," Lin Le replied honestly.

"So you're Mr. Lin!" the young man said with pleasant surprise. He seemed a bit taken aback; Dean Jia hadn't mentioned the visitor's age on the phone, and he had assumed a friend of his teacher would be someone older. He never expected a high school student of seventeen or eighteen. If Lin Le hadn't stated his name and his teacher’s title so confidently, he would have found it hard to believe.

"I am Qi Sheng," the young man said.

"We are here to—"

Before Lin Le could finish, Qi Sheng held up a hand to stop him, looking toward the door with a guarded expression as if afraid someone might overhear. Lin Le and Ji Xiaorui were puzzled; they were just here to buy herbs, so why all the cloak-and-dagger behavior?

"I have the item ready for you, Mr. Lin. Follow me."

Qi Sheng led them into the room behind the counter. In the center of the room sat a wooden box about half a meter square.

"This is the thousand-year-old lingzhi."

Qi Sheng walked over and opened it. Inside lay a massive, rust-colored lingzhi that took up nearly the entire space of the box. One look told you it was ancient.

Both Ji Xiaorui and Liang Qiuyang were stunned. They had seen lingzhi before, but never one of this magnitude. In their minds, a thousand-year-old lingzhi was something that existed only in films or legends, not in reality. In truth, most items sold as "thousand-year-old" on the market were either only a century or two old or outright fakes. A genuine one was rare and elusive. Given its potent medicinal properties—rumored to be effective in fighting cancer—it was practically priceless, with values easily reaching tens or hundreds of millions.

The moment the box was opened, Lin Le knew it was authentic. He could clearly feel the rich spiritual energy radiating from it, accumulated over a thousand years of absorbing the essence of nature. While not enough for high-level foundation establishment pills, it was more than sufficient to refine a good number of basic ones.

"Excellent, this is indeed a top-tier thousand-year-old lingzhi," Lin Le praised.

Qi Sheng was startled. "Oh? Mr. Lin can tell it's authentic with just a glance?"

"I am quite familiar with herbs, so I can distinguish the good from the bad," Lin Le said with a smile.

To Qi Sheng, this was incredible. Even though he grew up in a medicinal family, he usually needed time to carefully inspect the quality and age of such a rare item. For Lin Le to identify it instantly without even getting close was remarkably impressive. He recalled the reverence with which his teacher, Jia Shimiao, had spoken of Mr. Lin on the phone. Knowing his teacher’s high standards and integrity, Qi Sheng realized this young man was far from ordinary.

"I will take this lingzhi, Boss Qi. Name your price," Lin Le said.

"Since you are a friend of Teacher Jia, I won't hide anything. I acquired this by chance from a farmer in the Changbai Mountains. That farmer is sharp and had already contacted several buyers online, so I had to pay a higher price to secure it."

Qi Sheng explained that a decade or so ago, a businessman with his eloquence could have acquired it for a pittance, but with modern communication and smarter sellers, business had become harder.

"So, what is your price, Boss Qi?" Lin Le asked.

"My base cost was five million. Since you are Teacher Jia’s friend, I won't add much—just an extra 500,000 for my trouble," Qi Sheng said honestly.

Lin Le found Qi Sheng to be very sincere, and the price was far lower than his own valuation. If not for Jia Shimiao’s reputation, Qi Sheng could have easily sold it for over ten million to the elite circles where such tonics were highly sought after.

"Very well, Boss Qi. You are sincere, so I will be generous. I’ll pay ten million. Consider the extra money a gesture of friendship from me," Lin Le said with a smile.