This time, the mountain expedition team found very little on the mountain. It was only after searching for two days that they finally made a harvest.
Looking at the dozen or so precious herbs ahead, the fat merchant said with a chuckle, “We'll stick to our usual rules and let Senior Brother Xue and Senior Brother Huang choose first. However, I have a small suggestion. Junior Brother Yan was the last to choose last time, so how about we let him go first this time?”
“No problem!”
“Of course. Otherwise, it would be quite unfair to always make Junior Brother Yan choose last.”
“I also think Junior Brother Yan should choose first this time.”
Everyone readily agreed.
Zhuang Xun said in surprise, “No, no, that won't do. How could I possibly go before my senior brothers and sisters?”
“Oh, Junior Brother Yan, don't be so polite! If we tell you to go first, just go first.”
“Exactly. What, are you going to ignore your senior sister's words?”
After declining a few more times, Zhuang Xun had no choice but to agree. He thanked his senior brothers and sisters for their kindness, then waited for Xue Shiyu and Huang Renyong to finish picking.
Xue Shiyu stepped forward and picked only a single, moderately priced precious herb. Huang Renyong, on the other hand, plucked two of the most expensive ones. After a moment of thought, he also pulled up a few unremarkable weeds nearby.
His actions caused quite a few disciples to frown inwardly; they had also been eyeing those weeds just now.
When it was Zhuang Xun's turn, he only took the cheapest precious herb among them—a piece of Fluorescent Grass—and walked back.
This act filled the disciples with admiration. Junior Brother Yan was truly a gentleman; even when allowed to choose early, he had gone out of his way to pick the cheapest one.
A few of the disciples feigned displeasure and insisted that Yan Pingsheng go back to take another. Seeing him still declining, they went over themselves, plucked another precious herb, and forcefully stuffed it into his arms.
“Oh, no, please, don't... This is so embarrassing...” While Zhuang Xun politely declined outwardly, he was practically splitting his sides laughing inside.
It really paid to be well-read.
What he had taken was not Fluorescent Grass, but another rare precious herb that looked incredibly similar to it—Blood-Tempering Grass.
Consuming Blood-Tempering Grass could purify one's blood qi, resolving the issue of bloated blood qi caused by eating too many precious herbs. It was worth about a thousand taels, making it one of the most expensive items among the precious herbs here.
Humming a little tune in his head, he watched the other disciples step up one by one to pluck a few weeds, feeling a bit bewildered.
Why were they ignoring the actual precious herbs and picking the weeds on the side instead?
...
“Fluorescent Grass? No, wait... this is Blood-Tempering Grass!”
Seeing the shocked expression on the face of the General Affairs Hall's old deacon, the members of the expedition team felt their hearts skip a beat.
No way. Did Junior Brother Yan stumble upon another treasure?
Zhuang Xun asked, “Deacon, what is this Blood-Tempering Grass?”
“This Blood-Tempering Grass...” The old deacon gave Yan Pingsheng a detailed explanation of the herb's effects and value.
Consequently, the way the expedition team members looked at Yan Pingsheng became even stranger.
Of course, they did not suspect him. Yan Pingsheng's character had been on full display throughout the journey, making him completely trustworthy. Besides, Junior Brother Yan himself looked just as astonished.
They were simply dumbfounded by his luck. The dusty lotus he had picked last was an Innate Creation Lotus worth over a hundred thousand taels. Now, the Fluorescent Grass he had deliberately chosen first because it was the cheapest turned out to be a Blood-Tempering Grass worth a thousand taels.
Just what kind of luck was this?
“Junior Brother Yan, your luck is...”
The fat merchant calculated silently in his head. A man of immense luck, a true gentleman, and with a formidable background... This is the ultimate friend to make!
The others realized this as well. Their gazes toward Yan Pingsheng grew increasingly fervent, and all kinds of flattery and praise flowed from their mouths.
Influenced by the atmosphere, the old deacon's attitude toward Yan Pingsheng softened considerably.
“Young disciple, do you have any intention of turning this Blood-Tempering Grass over to the academy? I can authorize a reward of one thousand Contribution points for you. It is definitely a better deal than selling it to the influential families.”
“Deacon, I plan to use this Blood-Tempering Grass myself. Could you take a look at these and see how much they are worth?”
Zhuang Xun shook his head and took out the other harvests they had gathered from the mountain over the past three days.
The old deacon sifted through them for a moment and bought them all back at the highest possible price.
Huang Renyong was next. He squeezed forward impatiently and placed his weeds on the counter.
“Deacon, could you also take a look at these and tell me how much they are worth?”
The old deacon glanced at them and snapped, “You rascal, why are you bringing me a few weeds? Are you trying to make a fool out of me?”
“Deacon, you aren't tricking me, are you?”
“Tricking you?” Furious, the old deacon unleashed a torrent of abuse on Huang Renyong.
Seeing this, the others silently put away the weeds they had picked.
...
A few days later, the expedition team set off once more.
They spent three days on the mountain and gathered a dozen more precious herbs.
This time, seeing that the only hidden gem had been taken by Huang Renyong, Zhuang Xun simply picked the cheapest herb at random to maintain his gentlemanly persona.
To his surprise, Huang Renyong approached him and asked to swap. With a strange feeling in his heart, Zhuang Xun agreed to the trade.
Upon returning to the General Affairs Hall, the old deacon valued Yan Pingsheng's precious herb at several hundred taels. Meanwhile, Huang Renyong's herb was valued at a measly few taels.
Instantly, Huang Renyong's face turned green, and the others looked at Yan Pingsheng with even greater disbelief.
...
Another few days passed.
The expedition team searched the mountain for three days with little to show for it.
On the fourth day, just as they were about to head back, they discovered the tracks of a fierce beast. Unfortunately, after cooperating to defeat it, they found no precious beast. However, inside the beast's cave, they discovered a pile of miscellaneous clutter.
The fat merchant leaned in close to Yan Pingsheng and whispered, “Junior Brother Yan, tell me secretly—do you have some sort of trick for finding treasures?”
He felt that after so many days, his relationship with Yan Pingsheng had grown close enough that he could ask a slightly personal question.
The others also pricked up their ears, listening intently.
Zhuang Xun shook his head and denied it, adding that he would not choose this time and letting the fat merchant pick for him instead.
After pondering for a moment, the fat merchant picked out a rusty broadsword and brought it back for Yan Pingsheng.
Zhuang Xun took it and glanced at it casually. When he caught a fleeting black gleam amidst the rust, he froze instantly.
Holy crap, profound iron?! Wait... is this going to shorten my lifespan?
Upon returning to the academy, the rest of the team watched as the old deacon wiped away the rust to reveal the dark gleam of profound iron. Surprisingly, they did not feel much shock; instead, they felt a sense of realization.
Junior Brother Yan was indeed a man of immense luck.
...
“Brother Xue, do you think Yan Pingsheng has some sort of treasure on him that can detect opportunities?”
After parting ways with the other members of the expedition team, Huang Renyong asked Xue Shiyu.
“Unlikely. I've tested him in secret, and Junior Brother Yan seems to simply have pure luck.”
“Can someone in this world really be lucky to this extent?” Huang Renyong frowned.
Xue Shiyu said, “Some people are born with immense wealth, while others are born with heaven-defying talent. Why can't someone be born with endless good fortune? Brother Huang, the world is vast, and there is no shortage of wonders. We have to believe it. Think about it—Yi Wangyou was personally handpicked by Yan Pingsheng from among tens of thousands of refugees. It's impossible for a treasure on him to detect people too, right? Furthermore, he is Bai Yujing's fellow townsman. On top of that, we haven't scouted any locations beforehand for our recent trips, yet our harvests have still been incredibly abundant. All of this evidence is more than enough to prove that Junior Brother Yan is simply lucky.”
“Then how should we treat Yan Pingsheng from now on?”
“Naturally, we must stay on his good side. It is best not to offend a man of immense luck if we can help it. I am even hesitating now on whether we should still make a move on Junior Brother Yan when the time comes.”
Huang Renyong said hastily, “Brother Xue, we've already invested so much into this. How can we give up now?”
Xue Shiyu did not reply. Looking at Hu He, who was walking toward him, a strange smile played at the corners of his lips.
Junior Brother Yan really brings me good fortune.
Rate on N.U.
