Hermit in the Mountains

As the sun set, Gu Changsheng sat on a wooden stool by the door, gazing westward at the towering Qinling Mountains. The evening glow formed a thin halo of afterglow on the peaks of the mountains.

His gaze was drawn to the beautiful sunset, and he remained so captivated that he couldn't look away until the sun disappeared behind the towering peaks. Only then did he reluctantly withdraw his gaze.

The rising and setting of the sun and moon are so similar to his cycle of prosperity and decline, symbolizing the passage of time.

After regaining his senses, Gu Changsheng picked up the Huawei phone and a business card from the floor. He held the business card in his left hand, glanced at the information on it, and read it aloud in a soft voice.

"Li Anlan, President of Qinyao Group".

He looked at the business card in his left hand and recalled Yang Dashan's hesitant expression when he came down the mountain after planting the saplings.

He casually asked a question and learned that someone wanted to see him. Yang Dashan introduced the person as the tenant of the old courtyard by the stream at the entrance of the village, a female boss from Chang'an.

I learned that an elderly man lived in the old courtyard, and the female owner was his granddaughter. The courtyard was rented out to the elderly man for a place to recuperate.

Gu Changsheng didn't want to have any interaction with the other party, but when he saw the company name on the other party's business card, he felt it was familiar. After checking, he found that it was the "Qin Medicine" Group that he had seen when searching for information about pharmacies before.

The Qin Medicine Group has been established for over forty years. Its founder, Li Jianguo, is 70 years old this year.

In just forty years, this person built a biopharmaceutical group worth hundreds of billions of yuan, becoming a leading pharmaceutical company in the country and holding the top position in Qin Province for many years, which shows that he is no ordinary person.

As an outstanding third-generation member of the Li family, Li Anlan's appointment as the group's president at the age of 29 demonstrates his extraordinary character.

Such a person should not have noticed someone as unknown as him. They should have been on the same level, but now they know of his existence and even want to befriend him. This is strange in every way.

Contracting a mountain might not even be enough to satisfy the other party.

Based on the news that Li Jianguo had allegedly undergone surgery and that he was recuperating in the village, Gu Changsheng wondered if Li Jianguo had bought the "wild ginseng" that had been sold to Fushoutang.

With the capabilities of the Qin Medicine Group, it would be easy for them to quietly investigate the information of a ginseng seller without even asking Zhang Yuanfu and his son.

Gu Changsheng did not call Zhang Yuanfu to ask if the ginseng he was selling had been sold.

Once the transaction is completed, the ginseng will have nothing to do with him anymore. It is the other party's right to collect or resell it.

Zhang Yuanfu and his son did not know his address, so how could they have leaked his information?

Gu Changsheng stopped thinking about it. He could just ask what the other party's purpose was. He was no longer the subservient slave he used to be. Now he had the strength to ensure that he wouldn't be manipulated by others.

He dialed the number on the business card.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

The phone rang a few times, and a pleasant, teasing voice came through, without any haughty attitude, as if calling an old friend for a casual chat.

"Hello Mr. Gu, this is Li Anlan. I didn't expect to receive your call. I'm so lucky."

Gu Changsheng remained calm and composed, neither servile nor arrogant, and got straight to the point, "May I ask what business President Li has with me?"

On the other side, in the top floor of a building in the center of Chang'an City with the four large characters "Qin Yao Group" hanging on it, a woman in her thirties was sitting in an office.

This person was Li Anlan, dressed in a well-fitting, handmade professional suit made of top-quality silk. Her long hair was neatly tied up, and her phoenix eyes exuded a noble temperament.

Li Anlan was taken aback by Gu Changsheng's bluntness and the unapproachable tone in his voice. She was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"My grandfather is recuperating in Xiahe Village, and I occasionally hear about Mr. Gu from the villagers. I've heard that you plan to cultivate Chinese medicinal herbs on the mountain, so we might have an opportunity to cooperate..."

Gu Changsheng listened to the phone caller chatter on and on without ever explaining their purpose, which was a complete waste of his time. He asked again, "Mr. Li, just say what's on your mind. I have other things to do."

On the other end of the phone, Li Anlan's smile froze when she heard Gu Changsheng interrupt her.

She's the president of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, speaking to you so politely. Do you think she has no temper?

She could have had her bodyguards invite Gu Changsheng to meet her directly, but she didn't. She had also learned from the villagers that Gu Changsheng was aloof and an orphan with no weaknesses. Taking coercive measures might alert him.

Moreover, given her status, she wouldn't stoop to doing something so degrading.

Given the size of her group and her status, Gu Changsheng should have been overjoyed to get to know the other party, but things are not going according to her plan.

Li Anlan could tell from Gu Changsheng's tone of voice that he was a person of character. She changed her tone and switched to a CEO demeanor, her face cold and aloof.

"Mr. Gu, I heard from the villagers of Xiahe Village that you shaved your head three months ago due to illness, but in just three months, your hair has grown back to be long enough to reach your shoulders."

She paused for a few moments, then asked, "Do you have any secret formulas for hair regrowth?"

"Our group is willing to buy out your secret formula at a high price; you name your price."

Li Anlan did not mention that she only investigated Gu Changsheng's information after buying ginseng from Fushoutang. Instead, she used the villagers of Xiahe Village as a breakthrough point to reduce Gu Changsheng's vigilance.

After listening to the contents of the phone call, Gu Changsheng knew why Li Anlan had contacted him. He didn't have any secret formula for hair regrowth; it was just a side effect of cultivation.

"Mr. Li, I don't have any hair regrowth secret formula as you mentioned. The villagers only saw a wig."

"I have things to do, I'll hang up now."

After speaking, Gu Changsheng pressed the hang-up button and turned on flight mode as he walked back into the house.

Inside the bedroom, Gu Changsheng casually placed his phone and business card on the bedside table, sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, and began to meditate, entering a state of cultivation.

On the other end of the phone, Li Anlan heard the dial tone and the phone hang up, a look of disbelief on her face.

She herself didn't know how long it had been since someone had hung up on her on the phone, especially not after less than five sentences.

What she considered social interactions, the Li family's illustrious background, and the group's hundreds of billions in size—all these things of power and money—were ranked behind cultivation in Gu Changsheng's eyes.

Even if the Heavenly King himself came, it wouldn't affect his cultivation.

Gu Changsheng's cultivation level is not high, but he has transcended that of ordinary people. The spiritual liquid he condenses with his "Gathering Spirit" spell is extremely rare, and a single drop of spiritual liquid could probably be exchanged for millions of coins.

The true power of the spiritual liquid lies in giving people the opportunity to step into the extraordinary realm; this is the most precious opportunity of the spiritual liquid.

Money is not a problem for Gu Changsheng;

Power—Gu Changsheng's fist is his power.

If pushed too far, Gu Changsheng will show them what it means for "a common man's anger to cause bloodshed within five steps";

He could also use gentler methods, sending them a trace of "withered power." He didn't know what the consequences would be after this power entered their bodies.

It may be like a tree whose vitality is cut off, slowly withering away and eventually becoming dead wood;

It could also be a sign of dead wood on the body.