"If it really doesn't work out, I can just continue to cultivate slowly like this, and over time I will definitely see some improvements," after pondering for quite a while without coming up with any good solutions, Ge Dongxu consoled himself.
"But after graduating from high school, I definitely have to go to university. After university, I will surely need to enter society to work and live, and it won't be possible to become a hermit secluded in the deep mountains, unconcerned with worldly matters. Given how it is now, the spiritual energy in the big cities will probably be even more diluted. Could it be that I should continue to cultivate at this snail's pace in the future?" Just as Ge Dongxu had begun to console himself, he suddenly remembered that this wasn't just a problem for the three years of high school, but an issue that pertained to the rest of his life's cultivation, and he couldn't help but start to worry again.
"I absolutely can't go on like this! My master taught me and placed great hopes in me, how can I allow myself to continue on carelessly and dispirited? Moreover, I was fortunate enough to inherit Ge Hong Ancestor's mantle; if I were to waste such a grand opportunity, that would simply be begging for a lightning strike."
"Since I don't have money, then I should work hard to earn it, to become a wealthy tycoon. When I have enough money, do I still need to worry about not being able to afford the materials for refining elixirs or setting up a Spirit Gathering Array?" In the darkness of the night, Ge Dongxu's gaze gradually became resolute.
That night, a sixteen-year-old boy made up his mind to become a tycoon while in his rented room!
After making his decision, Ge Dongxu closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Sleep is the most natural form of deep relaxation and rest, and even for cultivators, it's no exception. Of course, due to their cultivation and meditation, they can sleep fewer hours than ordinary people and still maintain robust energy and physical strength.
Waking up at about 4:30 in the morning, Ge Dongxu got out of bed because Mao Hour is when the sun rises in the east, all things thrive and vitality is at its peak, making it another optimal time for cultivation in the day.
After washing up, Ge Dongxu once again went to the balcony on the fifth floor, sat cross-legged facing the east, and closed his eyes.
In the east, the sky behind the park's mountains began to turn red, with the purple and red of the morning glow tumbling like turbulent seas.
Finally, a round of the red sun broke through the clouds, casting golden red rays onto the earth.
"Huff!" Ge Dongxu exhaled a breath of stale air, then opened his eyes, got up, and went downstairs for breakfast.
The cultivation during Mao Hour, just like during the previous Chinese Hour, made almost imperceptibly slight progress.
After breakfast, Ge Dongxu didn't return to his rented room but meandered aimlessly around the county, looking to see if there were any business opportunities for making money. However, as a boy who came from a mountain village without any experience in doing business, how could he spot any business opportunities just by wandering around? It was when he passed a small bridge on the riverfront road and saw a few fortune tellers that Ge Dongxu's eyes lit up, but he quickly laughed bitterly and dispelled the thought. Not to mention that his master had advised him before passing away not to casually reveal his cultivation or use it to make a living for profit, would anyone come to him given his young age, even if he was willing to swallow his pride and set up a stall to tell fortunes?
After wandering around aimlessly for quite a while, Ge Dongxu suddenly stopped in his tracks and stared at a traditional Chinese medicine shop in front of him, smacking his forehead and saying, "Look at my poor memory, I only thought about buying medicinal ingredients to refine medicinal cuisine and elixirs, and purchase jade to arrange the Spirit Gathering Array. Why didn't I think of that thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum? I don't need it right now anyway, so why not sell it and buy the materials I need instead?"
Ge Dongxu had been practicing cultivation in Baiyun Mountain for years, and last year, he came across a secluded cliff on the mountain where he inadvertently discovered a Polygonum multiflorum plant.
Having studied medicinal herbs and the healing arts with Ren Yao for six years and inheriting knowledge passed down from Ge Hong, he easily identified it as a thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum.
Polygonum multiflorum can nourish the blood and liver, solidify essence and benefit the kidneys, strengthen muscles and bones, and darken hair. It is a nourishing good medicine that is neither too cold nor too hot, and its benefits surpass those of rehmannia and asparagus root. It is indeed a precious medicinal material.
Not to mention that it has nourishing effects when consumed by ordinary people, even cultivators can benefit from it to some extent. However, nowadays most Polygonum multiflorum is cultivated artificially, with wild ones becoming scarce, especially a thousand-year-old wild Polygonum multiflorum which is extremely rare and precious. So when Ge Dongxu discovered a thousand-year-old wild Polygonum multiflorum on Baiyun Mountain last year, he was very excited, and wanted to dig it up right away. But then he remembered that the effects of consuming this wild thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum directly were far less than if it was combined with other herbs and brewed into a medicinal decoction or refined into an elixir. If he were to just dig it up and consume it directly, it would be a waste. It would be better to wait until he had gathered the other herbs, dig it up then, and brew it into a medicinal decoction or refine it into an elixir according to ancient methods.
However, among the several ancient methods Ge Dongxu knew that required thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum, the other herbs needed were also extremely precious, and there was no way he could collect them all in a short time. So after careful consideration, he let go of the idea of digging it up immediately. Instead, he concealed it further, making it more hidden, so that it could continue to grow in the crevices of the cliffs, to be dug up when needed in the future.
Because he always cherished the extreme preciousness and rarity of the thousand-year-old wild Polygonum multiflorum, something that was difficult to come by, he planned to save it for his own medicinal refining in the future. Thus, Ge Dongxu had never thought about selling it, nor did he consider the immense wealth it represented.
Today, as he passed by the traditional Chinese medicine shop and saw the price tags of some nourishing herbs hanging at the entrance, he suddenly remembered that he was not, in fact, a poor boy; if he sold that thousand-year-old wild Polygonum multiflorum, he could likely be considered a wealthy man.
Thinking about selling the Polygonum multiflorum to raise money, Ge Dongxu's heart suddenly came alive, and he wished he could return to Baiyun Mountain right now to dig up and sell that thousand-year-old wild Polygonum multiflorum.
"The thousand-year-old wild Polygonum multiflorum is the greatest wealth I possess, if sold, it would be gone, I must inquire thoroughly, haste makes waste. Otherwise, if I sell it for too low a price, wouldn't that be a great loss?" Although Ge Dongxu was only a sixteen-year-old boy, having lived with an elderly person for six years, he naturally picked up the elder's calmness. He quickly realized that his eagerness was misplaced and immediately took several deep breaths, letting his mind gradually calm down.
With a heart neither arrogant nor impulsive, Ge Dongxu looked at the medicine shop ahead without the previous excitement, and after thinking for a moment, calmly walked into the shop.
In this day and age, Western medicine is much more popular than traditional Chinese medicine. Even though it's called a Chinese medicine shop, there are still quite a few Western medicines on display. Perhaps it was because it was still early, or maybe the shop just didn't have much business. There were no customers in the store, only a middle-aged man attending it. Seeing Ge Dongxu come in, he didn't show much energy and just asked lazily, "Young man, what medicine do you need to buy?"
"Uncle, I'm not here to buy medicine, I'd like to consult you about something," Ge Dongxu said, bowing slightly to the middle-aged man.
"Come to consult about something? Young man, are you sure you haven't made a mistake? This is a pharmacy," the middle-aged man said with some curiosity as he looked at Ge Dongxu.
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