After being reborn, all I want to do is run away.

Chapter 591 The Atmosphere of Dan City

If the luxurious shops along Dingyuan Avenue are the dazzling crown and exquisite face of Danding City, then...

It is a well-ordered, luxurious, elegant, and ceremonial fashion show.

It's a brand, a synonym for authority.

That Dan City is like the robust root system and surging blood vessels of Dan Ding City.

It is chaotic and noisy, yet full of primal vitality.

Countless spiritual herbs and materials, low-grade pills, and various defective products rejected from above circulate here.

Here you can find any kind of spiritual medicine below the fifth grade, and it can be bought and sold on a large scale. It can be said that Dan City is the heart of the entire Ningzhou pill system.

Although they appear to be completely different, they are interdependent and together constitute the elixir system of Dan Ding City.

Without the foundation of Dan City, the prosperity of Dingyuan Avenue is just a castle in the air; without the prosperity of Dingyuan Avenue, the vitality of Dan City will be greatly diminished.

……

Before Shen Xu even got close to Dan City, he heard a huge commotion.

He felt as if he had plunged into a vortex of millions of scents.

The medicinal herbs had a strong, pungent smell of fresh soil from their roots and stems, a rich, earthy aroma of herbs, the pungent smell of animal hides and bones, and even a faint odor of blood and decay...

These scents are intense, primal, unmasked, and extremely impactful.

The streets here are much narrower and more winding than Dingyuan Avenue, with stalls and shops squeezed together wherever there is space, even extending into the depths of the alleys.

The goods were piled up, hung, and spread out nakedly.

Bundles of medicinal herbs, still covered in mud, were stacked like firewood. Colorful herbs were laid out on straw mats for people to choose from, while huge animal horns and tortoise shells leaned against the wall.

Buckets of viscous resin or animal blood emitted a foul odor, and various oddly shaped, unidentifiable ores were haphazardly piled in the corner...

Everything appeared primitive, rugged, and full of wild vitality.

If the people on Dingyuan Avenue are mostly well-dressed buyers and alchemists, then the Pill Market is a melting pot of all sorts of people.

Dark-skinned, strong-limbed herb gatherers; shrewd-eyed herb dealers speaking jargon; and laborers pushing heavy wheelbarrows.

The craftsmen processing medicinal herbs on site, along with alchemists and independent practitioners searching for cheap goods or specific materials, mingle among them.

The crowds were shoulder to shoulder, pushing and shoving, and the noise was deafening, but the vendors' desperate shouts could still be heard.

"Top-quality century-old purple-veined ginseng, just unearthed!"

"Lowest price ever! Clearance sale on Cold Light Vine!"

Transactions here are direct, naked, and even somewhat barbaric.

When someone asks for a price, the vendors spit and gesture wildly, haggling with customers with ferocious expressions.

Buyers would break open the medicinal herbs with their hands to examine the cross-section, scrape off the powder with a special knife to taste it, or burn it to observe the smoke color, arguing heatedly with the seller.

Thick stacks of banknotes were counted on the greasy table, and the air was filled with the smell of money.

……

However, none of this had anything to do with Shen Xu.

His destination today is the heart of Dan City, Baicaofang.

Baicao Fang is the final destination for all the medicinal herbs in Ningzhou, the most important shipping point for Ningzhou's herbal merchants, and the source of raw materials for all the major alchemy workshops and alchemy pavilions.

The area where Baicaofang is located is a huge plaza area, with shacks and open-air stalls interspersed.

From the most basic plantain and hemostatic vine to rare ambergris, salvia miltiorrhiza or their substitutes and defective products, everything is available.

Brother Ma's ability to own a stall there definitely puts him among the most successful low-level cultivators in Dan Ding City.

However, according to Brother Ma, his stall is a family heirloom. His family has been selling medicinal herbs there for hundreds of years and has to pay a considerable stall fee every year.

Following the location and landmarks indicated by Brother Ma, Shen Xu navigated through the crowded streets and found Brother Ma's stall—Old Ma's Pharmacy—near the southwest corner of Baicaofang.

Under the huge canopy, a stall of less than five square meters was inconspicuous among the many shops. Behind the stall, a woman with a furrowed brow was gently comforting a crying baby in swaddling clothes.

"Excuse me, ma'am, how much does this Blood Clotting Grass cost?" Shen Xu asked as he approached the stall, his appearance altered.

Seeing that a customer had arrived, the woman hurriedly stood up while holding the baby and said with a smile, "The Blood Clotting Grass costs ten Qi Nourishing Pills per plant. If you want a larger quantity, we can offer an even better discount."

"Sister, where is your husband? He was here when I came last time. Why did you bring your child here to suffer this time?"

"Well... he was delayed by some matters. Perhaps the guest had some kind of agreement with him? It would be the same if you told me." The woman's worried expression remained.

"I wonder if you recognize this, sister?" Shen Xu took out a gemstone ring.

"This is... How did you get my husband's ring!" The woman's voice immediately turned cold.

"Sister, don't worry. I think you should know where your husband went."

Since I was able to obtain this ring, I think you should have some guesses about my identity.

Moreover, this ring was given to me personally by your husband, as a testament to his trust in me.

Upon hearing Shen Xu's words, the woman knelt down in front of him with a thud. "Sir, my husband is truly innocent. He just wanted to earn more money and really didn't intend to disrupt the order of Dan City. I beg you, please let him go!"

The woman held her child and pleaded tearfully. The child in her arms seemed to sense his mother's emotions and began to wail loudly as well.

This scene immediately attracted a lot of attention.

Shen Xu felt helpless, as this was not his intention. So he said sternly, "If you want your husband to come out, then cooperate with my work properly, instead of messing up my mission here."

"Boss, that guy seems a bit suspicious! Should we go take a look?" A young man who was secretly keeping an eye on Old Ma's Pharmacy said.

"Do you have the ability?" The older man tapped the younger man on the head.

“However, that person is indeed a suspect. I will report to the two officials. You stay here and continue to keep an eye on him.”

Upon hearing Shen Xu's words, the woman hurriedly stood up and wiped away her tears. "I wonder how I can help you, sir?"

"It's simple. Find those who still have Firefly Grass and tell them someone wants to buy it from them, still at 30% above the market price. I want to buy all the Firefly Grass in Dan Ding City!"

"This..." The woman hesitated.

"Have you forgotten who I am? With me vouching for you, what are you afraid of?"

"And aren't you afraid that all the firefly grass your husband has hoarded will be ruined? Then you won't even be able to afford the stall fee this year!" Shen Xu said coldly.