Hearing Elder Duan’s words, Wang Guan felt a flicker of curiosity stir within him.

"A wonderful thing."

This time, Elder Yan smiled broadly, hastily gesturing, "Come over here, look there..."

As he spoke, Elder Yan led the group to the base of a nearby cliff face. It was a towering wall of stone, incredibly steep, shaped as if the peak had been cleaved diagonally, resulting in its present form.

Of course, the cliff was sheer, but it was covered with an abundance of lush, thriving vegetation.

"Look, right in the middle spot..." Elder Yan said with a timely smile, "I hadn't noticed before, but the wind just shifted a patch of leaves, and that's how I spotted it."

Wang Guan narrowed his eyes to look closer, but with so much plant life, he couldn't discern what Elder Yan was referring to. He was certain, however, that it must be a rather precious plant, definitely not common weeds.

"Where is it?"

Elder Duan hadn't seen it either and frowned slightly. "It really is wild ginseng. Don't tell me you were mistaken."

"How could I be mistaken?" Elder Yan put on a stern face. "You know my eyesight. I can see a mosquito clearly a hundred meters away, let alone a clump of ginseng leaves."

Wang Guan also noticed that perhaps due to frequently painting in the mountains, Elder Yan’s eyes were exceptionally bright. While one couldn't say they were purely the black of a child’s eyes, they certainly lacked the murky yellow common with age; they were clearly clearer than those of younger men.

"That is true."

Evidently, Elder Duan trusted Elder Yan's eyesight more, nodding before becoming eager himself. "Wild ginseng! Now that's a rare treasure... though it won't be easy to dig up."

"Someone’s climbing up now."

At the same time, Elder Yan chuckled, "When I called you earlier, I brought rope along. And I asked two young men from the village to circle around to the top of the other mountain and slowly lower the rope down. That should make digging easier."

As they spoke, two heads poked over the edge of the precipice, grinning and waving their hands down.

"Be careful!"

Elder Duan immediately called out a reminder.

"Don't worry," Elder Yan explained. "They’ve been following their fathers to gather herbs since they were small; they have seven or eight years of experience. I only asked them because I know they are the most reliable."

Facts proved Elder Yan correct. After the two on the cliff lowered the rope, one stood guard at the top while the other descended slowly. The ease with which he moved showed his deep experience.

Wang Guan and the others below watched with some anxiety, but the climbers managed without incident. In just ten minutes or so, the man reached the spot Elder Yan had indicated and carefully began to dig with a small hoe.

After just a few scrapes, the man turned back, his face a mixture of surprise and joy, shouting something out. It was in a local dialect, which Wang Guan didn't understand, but Elder Yan laughed happily and said boastfully, "See? I wasn't wrong, it must be ginseng."

"I know you're skilled," Elder Duan said sincerely. "Why don't you quit painting and become a herb farmer? Dig up one wild ginseng a year, and you won't have to worry about money for the rest of your life."

"Nonsense," Elder Yan shook his head. "I’ve been painting here for several years, and only today did I stumble upon a ginseng root by chance. It was pure luck; how could I find one every year?"

"That's true..." Elder Duan nodded slightly.

Just then, the man on the cliff had unearthed the ginseng. He waved to those below, grinned, stuffed the root into a medicine basket, and slowly began climbing back up.

Only when the man safely reached the summit did everyone finally relax.

Elder Duan loudly told the two men to return the way they came, then turned back with a smile. "Wait up. By the way, have you finished your painting? You haven't been touching your brush, only looking for wild ginseng, have you?"

"It has been somewhat delayed," Elder Yan admitted without evasion, looking a little embarrassed. "I had just started the outline when I suddenly spotted the ginseng, and then my inspiration vanished."

"Let's see..."

At Elder Duan’s beckoning, Wang Guan stepped closer too. Near the water pool, there happened to be a relatively flat, large stone, perfect for setting up a painting board, laying down Xuan paper, and freely applying ink.

Wang Guan leaned in to look and saw that the paper certainly held an incomplete drawing. It was a landscape painting—lofty peaks and murmuring streams, possessing a certain atmosphere. However, it was a pity that the painting was truly only half-finished; perhaps not even half, as the mountains and streams were merely simple outlines, not fully formed.

Yet, with those few sparse strokes, the essence of green mountains and clear waters was expressed vividly, allowing Wang Guan to feel the profound depth of Elder Yan’s foundational painting skill. He was indeed a great painter overlooked by the world.

But this obscurity wasn't due to others' ignorance; rather, Elder Yan was too low-key, never promoting himself. In an age where even good wine fears the back alley, it was only natural that he remained unknown. No wonder Elder Qian had described Elder Yan as a true hermit—one who could hide away in the wilderness, and just as easily, hide in the city.

"Can you finish it?" Elder Duan admired it for a moment, showing some fondness. "It’s painted so well. If you can complete it, please do. Don't waste it."

"I don't feel it right now," Elder Yan smiled. "We'll see about it tomorrow."

For painters, slow, meticulous work is often prioritized. Whether Chinese painters or Western oil painters, they generally arrive at their work through a process of gradual refinement, stroke by stroke. Fast painting might not be bad, but a truly good painting cannot be rushed; it requires diligent effort, the result of painstaking cultivation.

"Don't drag it out too long," Elder Duan reminded him kindly. "The Treasure Exhibition is about to open; don't miss it."

"No worries," Elder Yan smiled brightly. "If this were before, I might have worried about delays, but now that he is here, I am at ease."

"What do you mean?" Elder Duan seemed puzzled.

At the same time, Wang Guan’s mind began to turn thoughtfully. It seemed Elder Yan’s relationship with Elder Qian was much closer than he had imagined; otherwise, Elder Yan wouldn't know that the treasures being exhibited were related to him.

"It means nothing,"

Elder Yan smiled now. "In any case, we won't miss it. Even if we do, it doesn't matter; I can finish it later."

"Finish it?" Elder Duan shook his head. "You certainly can finish it, but who knows when that will be. If you have the patience, you can wait slowly."

Elder Yan smiled, not taking up the topic, and turned to Wang Guan. "When did you arrive in Lu Province?"

"This morning," Wang Guan replied truthfully. "Elder Qian called me around noon and asked me to visit Elder Yan. It just so happened you weren't at the shop, so I came with Elder Duan."

"The young man has good connections,"

Elder Duan explained. "When I got your call, I knew you were free, so I just brought him along..."

As the three chatted, the two herb gatherers returned briskly.

"Liang Zi!"

Elder Duan was also joyful and quickly called out, "Where is the ginseng? Let me see it quickly."

As he spoke, the two gatherers wasted no time, handing over the small medicine basket with beaming smiles and saying a couple of words, seemingly reporting their success.

"I know, I'll take you out for a big meal in the city later," Elder Duan promised, then took the ginseng out of the basket.

Wang Guan leaned in to look. The ginseng was still clinging to fresh soil, looking somewhat strange. It didn't resemble the adult-shaped turnip he had imagined, but was more like the root system of a vine.

"This is ginseng?" Wang Guan felt a bit surprised.

"This is wild ginseng."

Sensing Wang Guan's doubt, Elder Duan chuckled. "Don't compare this to cultivated ginseng. Remember, wild ginseng grows in remote mountains and fields, without artificial interference; its appearance will naturally be varied and without pattern. If they all looked like carrots, it wouldn't be wild ginseng."

"Oh."

Wang Guan nodded in sudden understanding. Looking again, the ginseng root was only half the size of his thumb, with a few small fibrous roots attached, making it look small overall. However, considering the high price of wild ginseng, this small item was certainly worth over a hundred thousand.

"Old Yan, you're really lucky," Elder Duan praised after weighing the ginseng slightly. "After this harvest, your wandering around here for the past few years hasn't been in vain."

"It was just a lucky break; there's nothing to be proud of," Elder Yan smiled, though without much visible joy; instead, there was a touch of melancholy. "I didn't find what I wanted, but something I didn't intend to find turned up unexpectedly."

"Being difficult," Elder Duan snorted. "If you really didn't want it, why have Liang Zi dig it up?"

"I never intended to keep it," Elder Yan said casually. "The village is planning to contract the barren mountainside to grow wild vegetables. Selling the wild ginseng should be enough money for that."

"That makes sense,"

Elder Duan thought for a moment, then handed the wild ginseng back to the young gatherer, telling him to handle it according to Elder Yan's wishes. The young man was clearly surprised and hesitated, but after being persuaded by Elder Duan, he happily accepted the ginseng, repeatedly expressing his thanks.

Then, following Elder Yan's gesture, the youth happily took the wild ginseng back to the village, preparing to share the joy with everyone else.

"Let's go too,"

Elder Duan looked up at the sky and called out, "If we don't go back soon, the sun will set. Walking on mountain paths at night isn't good."

No one objected. They helped Elder Yan pack up his scrolls and paint box, and then headed toward the mountain village. Along the way, Wang Guan couldn't suppress his curiosity and quietly inquired, "Elder Duan, what was Elder Yan saying he was looking for? Was it a medicinal herb?"

"Not a medicine, but a grass."

Glancing at Elder Yan, Elder Duan shook his head. "A very rare type of grass, probably extinct already. But Old Yan hasn't given up hope and goes into the mountains whenever he has time, hoping for a miracle, hoping to find something."

"What grass?" Wang Guan sounded surprised.

"Rainbow Grass."

Noticing Elder Yan didn't object, Elder Duan held nothing back and stated frankly, "The sap of this grass is said to resemble a rainbow, emitting multicolored light. Old Yan wants to find this grass and mix it into his ink for painting. The whole thing sounds very mystical; I certainly don't believe it, but you can listen to it as a joke..."

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