Immortality and Cultivation: I can extract entries from all things.

When Fang He arrived at the pharmacy, Master Wu was staring blankly at a yellowed, unfinished scroll.

Seeing him enter, Master Wu raised his eyelids and beckoned, saying, "Come here, take a look at this."

As Fang He approached, he saw that the writing on the tattered scroll was mottled and blurred in many places, but the three characters "Peiyuan Dan" could still be vaguely seen.

"This is a fragment of an ancient elixir formula that I obtained when I was young," said Master Wu. "The Nourishing Essence Pill is a commonly used elixir for cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining. It can strengthen the foundation and cultivate the vital energy. Unfortunately, due to its age, some of the contents are unclear, and I have been unable to complete it even after many years of study."

Fang He took the tattered scroll and examined it carefully.

The fragment records seven or eight kinds of medicinal herbs, two of which are illegible and can only be vaguely discerned as outlines.

He focused his attention, and the panel appeared.

[Detection can extract historical data]

[Item: Fragment of an Ancient Elixir Formula]

[Historical Imprint: Reflections on Dan Formulas (Simplified Version)]

【Whether to extract? 】

Fang He confirmed the extraction.

Extraction successful

[Acquired entry: Insights into Alchemy (White)]

[Insights into Dan Formulas (Bai): Improved understanding of Dan formulas makes it easier to discover patterns in their compatibility]

At the same time, some vague fragments of memory suddenly surfaced in Fang He's mind.

That was the previous owner's understanding of the formula for the Peiyuan Pill, just like what he had learned before.

He opened his eyes and pointed to the first blurry writing: "This should be three qian of ginseng."

Master Wu frowned slightly: "Oh? Tell me about it."

Fang He said, "The main purpose of Peiyuan Pill is to nourish the original qi and strengthen the foundation. The formula already contains auxiliary medicines such as astragalus, angelica, and licorice, but it is missing one main medicine. Lingshen replenishes qi and nourishes the original qi, which is exactly what this formula is about. Looking at the outline of these blurry characters, the upper part of the character 'Ling' is still faintly discernible, and the strokes of the character 'Shen' are also vaguely visible."

He paused, then pointed to the second place: "As for this place, it should be two qian of Astragalus membranaceus. The dosage of Astragalus membranaceus is only recorded once on the fragment, but the prescription of Peiyuan Dan emphasizes the principle of monarch, minister, assistant and guide. Astragalus membranaceus replenishes qi and raises yang, complementing ginseng. If it is not Astragalus membranaceus here, the medicinal properties of the whole prescription cannot be balanced."

Master Wu didn't speak, but stared at the tattered scroll for a long time.

A moment later, he got up and walked to the medicine cabinet, took out a yellowed booklet, and flipped through it page by page.

"Found it."

Master Wu pointed to a passage in the booklet, "This is a collection of notes on the Peiyuan Dan left by an early senior alchemist. Although it is incomplete, it mentions the saying 'the chief ingredient is ginseng, and the assistant ingredient is astragalus'..."

He compared the fragments with the scroll, then looked at the two blurry characters Fang He pointed out, and a look of surprise gradually appeared in his eyes.

"Three qian of Ginseng, two qian of Astragalus..."

Master Wu murmured, "It matches, it matches perfectly."

He looked at Fang He, his gaze deep: "You've studied alchemy?"

Fang He shook his head: "I've only flipped through a few prescription books on weekdays, so I know a little bit about it."

Master Wu stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled:

"When I was young, I also spent a lot of effort studying this fragment, but unfortunately I was too dull-witted and never managed to decipher it. You are better than me at deducing the missing content from the remaining handwriting and the logic of the characters."

He paused, then handed the tattered scroll to Fang He:

"This pill formula is of little use to me now. My lifespan is running out, and there's no point in refining the Qi-Nourishing Pill. Since you have this understanding, you can take it."

Fang He accepted the tattered scroll, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you, Senior Wu."

He tucked the tattered scroll into his pocket and made a mental note of this favor.

The Qi Cultivation Pill is a commonly used pill for cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining, and one pill sells for about three spirit stones on the market.

With this recipe, if one can learn how to refine it in the future, it will provide another avenue for wealth.

-----------------

A few days later, Fang He wanted to find out the market price of rare medicinal herbs and, incidentally, inquire about the source of the fake ginseng.

He found Old Man Lin, who smiled upon hearing this: "You want to know about the market for spiritual herbs? Perfect timing, a few of us old spiritual herb growers are having a gathering today, come with me."

Old Man Lin led Fang He to a small tea stall in a corner of the market.

A few dilapidated wooden tables and bamboo chairs served as a private meeting place for the spiritual plant growers of Qing'ao Island.

The tea stall was bustling with noise. A dozen or so spiritual plant growers were either sitting or standing, some talking and laughing loudly, others exchanging information in hushed tones, creating a lively atmosphere.

"Come, let me introduce you to some senior colleagues."

Old Man Lin pulled Fang He along and introduced them one by one.

"This is Old Chen, who has been cultivating spirit grains for forty years; this is Old Zhao, who specializes in spirit tea gardens; this is Old Liu, who is proficient in all kinds of spirit herbs..."

Several veteran plant growers sized up Fang He. Seeing that he was a young man, they didn't pay much attention at first and just nodded politely.

Fang He didn't say much. He found a table, sat down, and quietly listened to the old people chatting.

Just then, I heard a commotion coming from the next table.

"This spiritual herb is strange. I've been cultivating spiritual ginseng for thirty years and have never seen it grow like this before..."

Fang He turned her head and saw an old spiritual plant grower with gray hair examining a spiritual herb from all angles, his brows furrowed.

He glanced at it.

A moment later, Fang He got up and walked over: "Old man, may I take a look?"

The old herbalist looked up and saw that it was the young man brought by Old Man Lin, so he handed over the herb: "Young man, you also know about herbal herbs?"

Fang He took the spirit herb, examined it carefully, and said:

"This is a fake ginseng, not a real one. Look at its rootstock; although it looks similar, the texture is slightly different. A real ginseng has a fine and even texture, while this one has a coarse texture and is slightly darker in color."

The old herb grower was taken aback. He took the herb and examined it carefully. After a moment, he exclaimed in surprise, "It really is a pseudo-spiritual ginseng! No wonder it looked so strange! Young man, you have a good eye!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention to Fang He and became more enthusiastic.

"Young man, you have quite the discerning eye for talent at such a young age."

"Yes, it's extremely difficult to distinguish between fake and real ginseng; even many experienced practitioners can be fooled."

Fang He then asked, "It seems there are a lot of fake ginseng products on the market lately?"

Old Lingzhi sighed, "That's right. Old Zhang's supply chain has run into problems recently. I heard he's in debt, and somehow, he's started adulterating products."

"Old Zhang?"

Fang He pretended not to know.

"It's that old Zhang who supplies Master Wu Dan," Old Lin explained from the side. "He's been in the medicinal herb business for over ten years and has always had a good reputation. I never expected..."

Fang He understood.

Old Zhang had been cooperating with them for many years when suddenly they started adulterating their products; it turned out that this was due to debts.

He then inquired about the market prices of rare and precious medicinal herbs, and the old people answered all his questions without reservation.

From then on, Fang He had another source of information about the market for medicinal herbs.

After leaving the tea stall, Fang He returned to the pharmacy and told Master Wu about the origin of the fake ginseng.

After hearing this, Master Wu Dan did not speak, but simply picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam.

After a moment, he said calmly, "Old Zhang has been in the medicinal herb business for over a decade. If he owes money, why didn't he come to me for a loan, instead of risking adulteration?"

Fang He said, "I don't know much about it either. I just heard the plant growers talking about it in their spare time."

Master Wu put down his teacup and looked at him: "Go and find out what kind of debt Old Zhang owes and to whom. If there is a problem, I will handle it myself."

Fang He nodded: "Yes."

Just as he was about to take his leave, a clear voice suddenly came from the doorway.

"Brother Fang!"

Fang He turned her head and saw Li standing at the door with a bamboo basket in her hand, a smile on her face.

"Sister-in-law, what's wrong...?"

"I'll deliver the fish that Hai Sheng caught."

Li handed the bamboo basket to the shop assistant next door, wiped her hands, and said, "By the way, I've identified those medicinal herbs several times, and I can recognize more than a dozen of them now."

Fang He nodded: "Sister-in-law learns quickly, she will definitely come in handy in the future."

As they were talking, Su Yun'er came out of the pharmacy, carrying an empty basket in her hand.

Fang He greeted her, "Miss Su."

Su Yun'er nodded slightly when she saw Fang He. Her gaze fell on Li Shi with some curiosity.

Fang He introduced, "This is our neighbor, Ms. Li, Brother Zhao's wife. Sister-in-law, this is Miss Su Yun'er from Master Wu's Pharmacy."

Li's eyes lit up, and she enthusiastically stepped forward to take Su Yun'er's hand:

"Miss Su! I've heard Brother Fang mention you several times; he says you're the most capable girl in the pharmacy."

Su Yun'er was a little embarrassed: "Sister Li, you flatter me..."

Madam Li looked Su Yun'er up and down, her gaze lingering on her hands. She frowned slightly. "How can a young lady's hands be so rough? Do you often sort medicinal herbs?"

Su Yun'er looked down at her hands and said softly, "Hmm, the herbs hurt my hands a bit..."

Li said with concern, "Young lady, you should take good care of your hands. I have some homemade hand cream; I'll bring you some another day."

Su Yun'er looked up, a hint of emotion flashing in her eyes.

She was taken in by Master Wu Dan when she was a child. Although she had no worries about food and clothing, few people cared about her like this.

"Thank you, Aunt Li..."

Su Yun'er's voice softened considerably.

Li smiled and said, "Come and talk to me more often when you have time. I live next door to Brother Fang. Feel free to come if you need anything."

Fang He watched from the side, secretly praising Li's ability to handle things.

After the two had finished chatting, Fang He took the opportunity to say, "Miss Su, is the pharmacy managing to keep up lately? If you need any help, Aunt Li knows about medicinal herbs and might be able to help sort them."

Su Yun'er glanced at Li Shi and nodded, saying, "I'll ask Grandpa Wu for you; he really has been quite busy lately."

Fang He cast a grateful glance at Su Yun'er. Su Yun'er smiled slightly and continued tidying up the basket.

As evening fell, Fang He left the pharmacy and walked along the path towards the spirit field.

As the sun sets in the west, it paints the horizon in a vibrant orange-red hue.

Fang He reviewed today's gains in his mind: ancient elixir formulas, elixir formula insights entries, connections in the spiritual plant circle, clues about fake spiritual ginseng, and the groundwork laid for the relationship between the Li family and Su Yun'er.

Everything is progressing steadily.

As I was walking, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of me.

The man walked hurriedly. The moment he saw Fang He, he froze, a hint of panic flashing across his face. He then lowered his head and turned to walk quickly down another path.

It's Lao Zhang.

Fang He stopped and watched his departing figure.

Old Zhang was wearing an old long gown, and the cloth bag tied around his waist was empty; he had become much thinner.

He also started walking evasively, glancing back frequently, as if afraid of being recognized.

Even more strangely, Fang He noticed that Old Zhang's right hand was wrapped in gauze, with dark red bloodstains faintly visible through it.

Debt, adulteration, hiding from people, injury...

Old Zhang's troubles are probably more than just debt.

Fang He withdrew his gaze and continued walking towards the spirit field.