C15 A Ginseng in a Bamboo Basket

Concerned that the youth might not grasp the concept, Lee Yu pulled out a piece of rock candy and popped it into his mouth to show him how it's done.

The youth, seated behind the cloth, mimicked the action, tossing a piece into his mouth. Surprise flickered in his eyes, followed by excitement as he crunched away. Within seconds, he had devoured it and was gazing at Lee Yu with anticipation.

Lee Yu felt a touch of helplessness. "Can we trade this for something else?"

The retail merchant's dealings were less about money and more about bartering goods, a common practice between villages and cities.

The youth glanced at the cloth, then at the small half-bag in Lee Yu's hands, and eagerly nodded. "Trade, trade, trade. I'll take all of yours, and you can have all of mine."

Could business really be conducted this way?

Lee Yu was stunned. He knew that the bundle of ginseng on the cloth was part of the deal. But then he remembered that ginseng fetched a high price on Blue Star, whereas in the Otherworld, it wasn't even as valuable as meat.

And the rock candy, practically worthless on Blue Star, was a prized item in the Otherworld.

So, it wasn't clear who was getting the better end of the deal.

Just like that, with a swap of sugar for goods, the youth grabbed the candy and dashed off, leaving Lee Yu at a loss for words.

Was this how business was done here?

After making his way through all the stalls, Lee Yu found it cumbersome to carry his wrapped-up treasures. Ergou, who was also browsing, saw this and eagerly took them off his hands.

Ergou even assisted in carrying the items to Lee Yu's doorstep.

"These are all yours; I have no use for them," Lee Yu told Ergou.

He selected the ginseng, colorful stones, strangely shaped wood, and other odd items, pushing the rest toward Ergou.

"No, no, this is far too valuable!" Ergou protested.

But what Lee Yu had set aside was just a small, less valuable portion.

For Ergou, items like ginseng were of little worth; he could easily gather a basketful on a trip outside the mountain. It was the knives and farm tools that held value, and among the items on the cloth, there was even a half suit of armor!

For Ergou, the items in question might as well have been out of reach for an entire year without food or drink. Understandably, he hesitated to accept them.

"Take them, they're of no use to me," Lee Yu said with a furrowed brow.

Indeed, what use were these things to him? Was he supposed to haul them back to Blue Star to farm and hunt? He was clueless about such matters, and besides, there was no need. With his wealth on Blue Star, what couldn't he buy?

After a few more attempts at refusal, Ergou finally accepted the cloth with a grateful nod, promising, "Yu, I'll be back for you," before dashing off.

Shaking his head, Lee Yu murmured, "This kid..." and then turned to go back inside.

Unbeknownst to Lee Yu, he was seen as a veritable tycoon by the standards of Stone Village. Simple commodities like sugar and salt were considered luxuries. Unlike Lee Yu, when the other villagers shopped with the retail merchants, they couldn't just buy anything they fancied, let alone purchase an entire stall's worth of goods.

For many families, acquiring necessities involved a lengthy process of haggling and deliberation. Some would ponder for a whole day before deciding whether to make a purchase or walk away.

Having seen everything the street vendors had to offer, including spending a good deal of time observing the exotic beasts, Lee Yu's curiosity was sated. Checking the time, he saw he could make it back to Blue Star for dinner. With that thought, he teleported home.

"System, time to check in." As soon as he arrived, Lee Yu remembered the freebies he had yet to claim.

Ding! Check-in successful. You've earned double experience points for three hours.

Double experience points?

Curious, Lee Yu perused the accompanying explanation. Once he finished, his face lit up with surprise.

Double experience points meant that during the active period, his learning efficiency would be twice as effective.

The explanation was brief, yet the implications were significant. This feature, especially when paired with elementary level proficiency, was a game-changer.

Lee Yu had discovered that elementary level proficiency could deepen his understanding of skills he already possessed.

Take military boxing, for example. It wasn't that he lacked knowledge and then, by using proficiency, could conjure it from nothing. Instead, having studied it before, the application of elementary level proficiency allowed him to fully grasp the basics.

The purpose of doubling the experience points was to accelerate his learning process! With the same amount of time, using double experience points meant his learning effectiveness would be twice as high.

Crucially, this wasn't a conflicting effect! One aspect was literacy—doubling experience points took him from novice to knowledgeable. The other was expansion—elementary level proficiency transformed his basic understanding into complete mastery.

It took Lee Yu a moment to contain his excitement. He chose not to use the double experience points just yet; he had better plans for them.

After dining with Huang Xiu, Lee Yu had intended to help her with homework. However, recalling Ergou's words, he reconsidered. Feigning exhaustion, he bid Huang Xiu goodnight, locked his door, and slipped back to the Otherworld.

"Why are you here?" Lee Yu opened the door to find Ergou waiting outside. His eyes quickly fell on the three baskets on the ground. "What's this?"

"Ginseng. I know you're fond of it, Yu, so I asked around the village for some," Ergou said with a sheepish grin.

Is ginseng now given away by the basketful?

Lee Yu was at a loss for words but didn't dwell on it. Instead, he encouraged Ergou to go have his meal.

"Oh, Yu, I've already eaten. Don't worry about me," Ergou insisted, even feigning a satisfied burp.

"Do you think I'm blind?" Lee Yu pointed to the ginseng baskets. "See the dirt still on them? No one's been harvesting ginseng recently; what's left in the village is clean. You definitely haven't eaten!"

Caught in his lie, Ergou relented and agreed to go eat.

"Have you been waiting outside for me this whole time?" Lee Yu mused, observing Ergou's broad back. "The folks in Stone Village are truly down-to-earth."

With a sense of concern, Lee Yu hauled the baskets inside. A headache was brewing: what was he to do with all this ginseng?

Taking it all to Blue Star was an option, but if discovered by others, it would be difficult to explain. More importantly, if these items were to be revealed to the outside world, they could stir up a massive uproar.

"Ugh, this is the headache of having too much ginseng."

On the village streets, Mu Yinhua caught sight of Ergou dashing by and called out, "Ergou, where are you off to? Come have dinner at the main house."

"Ah? I was just going to whip up something at home," Ergou replied, scratching his head with a sheepish look, but Mu Yinhua was already tugging him along.

"Cooking for one is such a hassle. The retail merchant is coming to the main house too. There'll be plenty to eat," Mu Yinhua insisted.

Meanwhile, in the lodging of the retail merchant,

"What do you reckon a slave with the Thunder Bloodline could fetch on the market?" Lin Sanjin asked, patting his belly with a grin.