In a seat by the window in the back row, an old man stared blankly out, his face a tapestry of age lines, seemingly lost in some distant memory as he gazed outside.

His lips trembled slightly, though no sound could be discerned by those nearby.

If Zhang Yang had been present, he might have caught the faint murmurs escaping the old man’s mouth.

“You little brat, running fast enough, wait till I catch you then we’ll talk…”

The old man mumbled, soon falling asleep slumped against the chair. To any observer, he was just an ordinary elder on the cusp of seventy, yet no one suspected the terrifying strength hidden within his frame.

Jingxiang City’s urban development surpassed even Xizhou City’s; it was the most prosperous city in Hubei Province outside the capital.

Only two cities in Hubei Province had airports: the provincial capital and Jingxiang. Furthermore, Jingxiang served as the heavy industry base for the province, with a population second only to the capital, E’kou.

After securing their rooms, Zhang Yang and the other two left the hotel and strolled casually along the city streets.

It was still afternoon, and the streets were teeming with people, a lively scene wherever they turned.

Lightning and Wuying were in high spirits. Lightning occasionally hopped onto one of their shoulders, chirping happily, while Wuying tried, but couldn't quite keep up.

With so many people around, Wuying couldn't leap about freely as Lightning did; a small mouse jumping several meters would surely startle passersby.

After walking a short distance, Long Feng steered them directly into a large shopping mall, with Zhang Yang and Long Cheng following suit.

Having been on the road for several days, Zhang Yang had already cycled through his clothes once; this was the perfect chance to buy a few more changes to have on hand for the journey ahead.

If they weren’t planning to push forward constantly, Zhang Yang wouldn’t have bothered bringing clothes at all—he could just buy what he needed on the spot, as lodging usually provided laundry services.

This mall was vast, spanning seven floors, with comprehensive goods on every level, much of it high-end brands. Zhang Yang stopped after purchasing a few items.

Long Feng, however, bought quite a bit more, including a hat and shoes in addition to clothes; he was clearly enjoying the shopping experience.

In this aspect, he had changed again from before; he wouldn’t have shopped like this previously, merely buying what was needed and paying immediately, never bothering to browse.

The current Long Feng was becoming increasingly like an ordinary person; he would soon blend seamlessly into secular life.

“Zhang Yang, half of the sixth floor is dedicated to health and wellness counters. I heard they have many valuable medicinal herbs there!”

After browsing on his own for a while, Long Cheng returned and immediately relayed this information to Zhang Yang.

“Health and wellness herbs?”

Zhang Yang paused briefly. People nowadays placed increasing importance on health preservation, and many items beneficial for wellness carried significant value. However, such items were usually displayed in the precious herbs section of a pharmacy.

Dedicated health and wellness counters were still rare; only supermarkets had some health supplement shelves, which didn't quite qualify as specialized counters.

“Let’s go up and take a look!”

Zhang Yang suggested. Long Feng had just acquired an exquisite wristwatch, priced at thirty-eight thousand—a considerably valuable item.

In just this short time, Long Feng had spent seventy or eighty thousand, all of which Long Cheng had provided.

Long Feng was a senior figure from the inner circle of the Long family; Long Cheng would provide any amount of money Long Feng requested, and do so willingly, as the outer circle existed primarily to serve the inner circle.

When Long Cheng mentioned the health counters, they were on the fourth floor. Reaching the sixth floor was simple enough via the escalator, just two levels up.

Upon arrival at the sixth floor, the space immediately felt more open. Half of it, just as Long Cheng described, was lined with health and wellness counters, displaying various supplements and medicinal herbs, including rare items like ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum, and Polygonum multiflorum, most of which were wild-grown.

This was a large mall, so half the space was considerable, housing at least a few dozen such specialized shops. Moreover, this floor was quite busy, with many people moving between the stalls, purchasing what they needed.

Zhang Yang casually entered one shop and quickly spotted wild ginseng displayed within.

After studying a few pieces closely, Zhang Yang nodded silently. The wild ginseng displayed here were genuine wild specimens, not fakes. Nowadays, many people used artificially cultivated roots or even dried radishes to mimic wild ginseng; such swindlers were common.

The ginseng in this particular shop, however, was authentic.

“What can I get for you gentlemen? Everything here is guaranteed genuine, ten times the price back for any fake. These are all hundred-year-old roots; not only are their nutritional values extremely high, but they also benefit the body significantly—they replenish wherever you are deficient!”

The shop owner, a man around forty, rushed out with a welcoming smile upon seeing the three enter. This owner clearly had a sharp eye; the trio’s attire suggested they were big spenders.

Especially since they were already carrying quite a few shopping bags, the owner, being astute, made a rough calculation that the items they had already purchased easily exceeded fifty thousand.

And that was just a rough estimate; there might be other things he hadn't seen.

“Hundred-year-old ginseng?”

Zhang Yang looked up at him, his eyes showing a flicker of surprise, then smiled faintly and shook his head.

The owner wasn't entirely honest. While the items were genuine, they were certainly not century-old. These wild ginseng roots were, at most, thirty years old; some were even less than twenty.

Finding hundred-year-old ginseng was already extremely difficult. Legends claimed that a ginseng root reached sentience after a hundred years and would flee unless tied with a red string—though that was just folklore, it underscored how rare such specimens were.

If this shop truly held several hundred-year-old wild ginseng roots, it would contain more than the stock of an entire major medicinal herb market.

Zhang Yang merely smiled and didn’t expose the exaggeration. Although the owner inflated the age, the prices weren't wildly inflated either; the asking price for these roots clearly wasn't that of century-old specimens.

Since the products were real and they weren't selling them at hundred-year-old prices, it was merely an instance of boasting. There was no need to make things difficult for him.

After a few more glances, Zhang Yang shook his head again.

Besides ginseng, there were other medicinal items, mostly genuine, though their prices were slightly higher than market rates.

A little extra cost was understandable, given the location. The overhead for shops in this mall was much higher than in a typical herb market. Ensuring authenticity alone was quite an achievement.

It was a pity these items were of little use to Zhang Yang. If they were truly century-old ginseng, he definitely would have bought some; hundred-year-old ginseng served as an excellent auxiliary medicine in many of the formulations he prepared.

After glancing around, Zhang Yang walked out of the shop.

The owner followed them out, offering a few more sales pitches, but seeing that Zhang Yang and the others were determined to leave, he finally gave up; he couldn't force a sale.

“Zhang Yang, how were the things in there?” Long Feng asked once they were outside. Long Feng was now more mindful of the setting, having refrained from asking such questions inside the shop. “The items are good, all genuine, and the prices are only a bit high. But the ages aren't that advanced!”

Zhang Yang stated quietly. It was a fair assessment; many items lacked the antiquity that would capture his attention. However, they were fine for personal consumption or as gifts.

The fact that they were all authentic was rare enough. These merchants knew how to do business; as long as their goods remained genuine, they wouldn't lack customers. A good reputation spoke louder than any advertisement.

“As long as they’re real, that’s good. Long Cheng, buy quite a few of the better ones later—the more valuable the better!”

Long Feng nodded, then turned to Long Cheng and instructed him. Long Cheng blinked in surprise.

Zhang Yang also turned to look at Long Feng, unsure why he wanted Long Cheng to purchase these items.

“The Long family has many dependents and people unable to cultivate, aside from the regular practitioners. The resources they enjoy are usually quite good; you can take some things back to give to them!” Long Feng explained calmly. Long Cheng’s eyes widened first, then he nodded delightedly.

Long Feng was guiding him on how to behave when they returned to headquarters. Some dependents at headquarters lacked inner strength, or perhaps their inner strength was too low to truly practice it.

Those with low inner strength usually didn't hold high status, but they still lived within the inner circle's main compound.

Such people were inconsequential to Long Feng, but to Long Cheng, they were people worth cultivating connections with. By fostering these relationships, he could leave a good impression on many of the inner circle seniors.

Long Cheng had no chance of entering the inner circle himself, but if the inner circle members remembered him favorably, he could attain a much better position in the outer circle. It was even possible he could be groomed as a key figure in the outer circle in the future, allowing him to govern a domain of his own.

Having received Long Feng’s guidance, Long Cheng stopped holding back. Upon entering the second shop, he immediately bought tens of thousands worth of high-quality goods—items that were valuable enough to be given as small gifts even within the Long family.

Watching Long Cheng shop extravagantly, Zhang Yang just smiled and even offered some pointers, helping him select items that were more suitable and precious.

After visiting fewer than ten shops, Long Cheng had already purchased hundreds of thousands worth of gifts. Every merchant loved a customer like this. One shop even requested mall staff to assign a dedicated attendant with a cart to accompany them while shopping.

Soon, this attendant would also help transport their purchases back.

The shops Zhang Yang’s group hadn’t yet visited watched longingly, praying these people would buy more and not finish their shopping too soon. Such large transactions were rare, and every shop hoped to get a piece of the action.

“Squeak squeak!”

Upon entering the thirteenth shop, Wuying, who was in the canvas bag, poked its head out, its little nose twitching rapidly as it sniffed the air.

After a moment of sniffing, it wriggled out on its own and hopped onto the shop’s glass counter.

“Welcome, esteemed proprietors! What might you be looking for? I happen to have a few specialty items that others don't!”

The shop owner found the white Wuying a bit strange but paid it no mind initially. He had been waiting for Zhang Yang’s group for quite some time, and now that they were finally in his shop, he prepared to lavish attention on these major customers.

If these people bought enough today, his living expenses for the month would be secured. Health and wellness herbs, much like antique jade, often followed a pattern of "three years without a customer, one customer feeds for three years" in terms of business flow.