This was the second time Wang Xiaoqiang felt an inexplicable fatigue and hunger, which he quickly associated with the Five Elements Spirit Spring. He did not know what the Five Elements Spirit Spring was absorbing in the Shibalih River, but he knew that inside his body, it was meant to absorb the essence of the five grains.

Clearly, the essence of grains could not satisfy its needs, whereas the essence of Wild Mountain Ginseng was different. Last time at the Xia Family's place, a piece of Wild Mountain Ginseng as long as a middle finger and as thick as a thumb not only made the Spiritual Energy of the Five Elements Spirit Spring abundant and rich but also seemed to have increased its size somewhat.

It looked like it was time again to absorb the essence of Wild Mountain Ginseng.

However, Wild Mountain Ginseng was an extremely rare medicinal material. Although the local area had mountains and waters, and botanical herbs on the mountains, Wild Mountain Ginseng had never been found there. As a result, Wang Xiaoqiang had to look elsewhere.

He knew that Changbai Mountain in the Northeast had it, but it would take a lot of time to find, and he had to take care of the Yam Field, which naturally left him no time for such a search. Eventually, he decided to take a look in the market, and since Huagui County Town, being a county-level market, had no Ginseng Market, he only had the choice of going to the Provincial Capital's market.

The next day, Wang Xiaoqiang asked his father to help look after the Yam Field, and then he took off alone by car to the Provincial Capital.

After half a day's journey, Wang Xiaoqiang arrived at River City in the Provincial Capital. River City is one of the top metropolitan cities in the country, with high-rise buildings standing tall everywhere, a constant flow of traffic on the roads, and luxurious villa districts extending one after another.

As Wang Xiaoqiang looked from the bus at those exquisitely unique villas, an idea sparked in his mind. What if he built such a villa in the village, no, it would be better on the mountain, away from the worldly noise, serene and peaceful... if his parents could move in and enjoy their old age there, how wonderful that would be!

With this vision in mind, Wang Xiaoqiang felt a strong urge to become wealthy. Currently, he had less than two hundred thousand yuan in capital—hardly enough to build a villa, let alone an ordinary building. It seemed he ought to plan well. The Five Elements Spirit Spring had so many wonderful uses; it must not be allowed to be like a bright pearl covered in dust.

Soon the bus arrived at the Provincial Capital's bus station. After getting off, Wang Xiaoqiang took a public bus directly to the River City Ginseng Market.

The River City Ginseng Market was adjacent to the Flower and Wood Market, yet it was several times busier.

Of course, there were more sellers than buyers. Apart from some small traders and stalls, there were a myriad of Ginseng Shops, which were too many to take in all at once.

"Our shop offers 70% off on all ginseng"; "Get $2000 worth of American Ginseng for only $400"; "Korean Ginseng starting from 55% off"...

As he walked around, Wang Xiaoqiang looked at the aggressively competitive discount promotions at the entrance of the pharmacies. Despite not knowing much about the Ginseng Market, he had heard some stories, and he had also done some research online before coming.

As the saying goes, 'no one gets up early without a reason.' Despite the steep discounts, the merchants still made at least several times the profit. Some ginseng sold for just a few yuan per stick, while others went for as much as hundreds of thousands of yuan.

In fact, it was indeed the case. The ginseng supplement industry was like the jewelry and jade industry, with fine goods, genuine products, counterfeits, and fakes. Their values could range from a few yuan to hundreds of thousands of yuan, making for a staggering price disparity.

Ginseng supplements are broadly categorized into three types: mountain ginseng, which includes Wild Ginseng, transplanted mountain ginseng, and pond bottom ginseng; imported Korean Red Ginseng, also known as Korean Ginseng or straight ginseng; and American Ginseng, which is divided into imported American Ginseng and Domestic American Ginseng.

Most of what is called Korean Ginseng and American Ginseng is actually Domestic Red Ginseng.

Korean Ginseng has not entered the Mainland market for about a dozen years. Currently, the Yangde Korean Ginseng on the market is essentially made from counterfeited Domestic Red Ginseng, with the price of the mimic Domestic Red Ginseng used for counterfeiting at 800 yuan per kilogram.

Authentic Korean "Yangde Red" Ginseng costs between 15,000 and 18,000 yuan per kilogram, and it's not even available for purchase.

South Korean "Heaven" Ginseng with 30 sticks weighing 75 grams, most of the Jeonggwanjang Korean Ginseng is also counterfeited from Domestic Red Ginseng. The original product is priced at 1200 yuan, while the cost of counterfeit goods is around 30 yuan.

So-called American Ginseng, for the most part, is either Domestic American Ginseng or Sun-Dried Ginseng counterfeited. The price of genuine imported American Ginseng per kilogram is between 1300 and 2000 yuan; for Domestic American Ginseng, it's around 500 yuan per kilogram, and Sun-Dried Ginseng is even cheaper at only 350 yuan per kilogram.

As for Wild Mountain Ginseng, its value is even harder to determine. A seemingly similar piece of Wild Mountain Ginseng can vary dramatically in price from several thousand to several hundred thousand yuan, depending on its quality, the location of its harvest, its age, its shape, and numerous other factors.

Selling 10,000 yuan worth of medicinal products doesn't compare to selling fake Wild Mountain Ginseng for 3000 yuan. This is a reflection of the huge profits in the Ginseng Market.

Nowadays, as profits from pharmaceutical offerings begin to decline, some drug distributors make less than 2000 yuan in gross profit on 10,000 yuan worth of medications. Counterfeited ginseng supplement products are a different story altogether, as a seemingly insignificant single box of Wild Mountain Ginseng contains much more complexity in terms of pricing.

For example, mountain ginseng that is not very old and of a lower grade is stitched together using the husk of a few roots and then soaked in potassium permanganate. This not only gives the ginseng clear texture but also ages the peel. Such ginseng is difficult for ordinary people to distinguish.

In the current market, there are qualified products that come through regular channels and also low-priced counterfeits packaged by underground factories. Some underground factory-packaged mountain ginseng costs as little as two to three yuan per gram and can still sell for 50 to 100 yuan, or even higher.

Boxed mountain ginseng, counterfeited and sold for over 1000 yuan, has a purchase price of less than 100 yuan.

Wang Xiaoqiang came to buy Wild Mountain Ginseng, to buy genuine Wild Mountain Ginseng. However, he did not realize that to purchase a top-quality piece of Wild Mountain Ginseng, all his savings would not have been enough.

Of course, he wasn't planning on buying top-quality Wild Mountain Ginseng; any Wild Mountain Ginseng would do. Although he couldn't distinguish the authenticity of Wild Mountain Ginseng, he had the Five Elements Spirit Spring as his "touchstone," which was even better than a seasoned Old Alchemist.

As expected, none of the small vendors outside had genuine articles. Wang Xiaoqiang walked around without any response from the Five Elements Spirit Spring within him, so he began browsing the ginseng shops.

He visited three shops in a row without anything unusual happening. It wasn't until he entered a larger ginseng shop that the dormant Five Elements Spirit Spring inside Wang Xiaoqiang began to show signs of movement, although it was not as evident as it had been at the Xia family's place. It was a slight tremor, like the quickening of a pregnant woman's fetus.

Wang Xiaoqiang felt a surge of excitement. Although the shop was large, he saw no other customers; only a store owner, a middle-aged chubby man, was half reclining in an armchair, holding a purple clay teapot and leisurely sipping tea.

The owner saw Wang Xiaoqiang was young and shabbily dressed, not looking like someone who could afford the ginseng, so after Wang Xiaoqiang had wandered around the shop for half a round, the owner still didn't bother to get up to greet him. He just looked at Wang Xiaoqiang with a slightly disdainful gaze.

After sensing the Wild Mountain Ginseng, Wang Xiaoqiang followed the sensation. The closer he got, the more intense the Five Elements Spirit Spring within him vibrated, until he approached a counter at the very back.

It was then that the Five Elements Spirit Spring inside him pulsed even more forcefully, and at that moment, the closest thing to Wang Xiaoqiang was a very luxurious brocade box on the counter.

Wang Xiaoqiang pointed to the brocade box and said, "Boss, I'd like to have a look at this ginseng."

As Wang Xiaoqiang raised his right arm to point at the brocade box, the Five Elements Spirit Spring in his heart swiftly traveled down his right arm to his palm, shaking violently. However, for some reason—perhaps because it was too far away—it didn't exhibit its sucking force.

The owner's gaze shifted to the brocade box, and he was inwardly surprised, thinking, Huh? How can this uncouth guy recognize genuine Wild Mountain Ginseng!

This thought was quickly dismissed because the ginseng was enclosed in a ginseng box, invisible. Even the most professional Old Alchemist couldn't identify it without seeing it, so it must be that this guy was just guessing wildly.

You see, although this was a legitimate ginseng shop, it didn't mean all the ginseng inside was genuine, with fakes making up a large part, and Wild Mountain Ginseng being even rarer, especially Superior Wild Ginseng. In the entire shop, there was only one root, and this Superior Wild Ginseng was concealed inside the brocade box that Wang Xiaoqiang was pointing at.

"Young man, you can't afford that ginseng, can you?"

The chubby owner said disdainfully, "If you really want one, I can recommend another one for you..."

"What do you mean, boss? Do you think I can't afford it?"

"That's a fifteen-year-old Wild Mountain Ginseng, worth over four hundred thousand!" After announcing the price, the owner squinted his small eyes, watching Wang Xiaoqiang with a playful look, "Still want it now?"

"Bring it over. As long as the ginseng isn't fake, I'll take it!" Wang Xiaoqiang said decisively.

The owner was somewhat shocked by Wang Xiaoqiang's words, thinking, Can you really afford it? But business is business; he couldn't just refuse to sell. You see, selling this box of ginseng would net him at least a hundred thousand.

With this in mind, the owner moved to the counter, took the brocade box off the counter, and placed it on the glass table in front of him. As the owner did this, Wang Xiaoqiang noticed that the spirit spring in his palm vibrated even more fiercely, and there seemed to be some movement within the brocade box itself, almost causing the box to tremble.

Wang Xiaoqiang, sweating nervously, pressed his right hand decisively on the brocade box before the owner noticed anything.

The next moment...

The Five Elements Spirit Spring in his palm trembled even more violently, giving off a strong suction force. Simultaneously, the Wild Mountain Ginseng inside the brocade box that was as long as a palm also began to shake. However, because it was in the box, and the box was firmly pressed down by Wang Xiaoqiang's hand, nothing unusual appeared to happen on the surface.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.