Finally Meeting Someone

In the next few days, Ling Fan would either go outside to collect various valuable herbs or stay inside a cave to practice his skills. He would start by practicing the "Black Tortoise Technique" several times and then move on to other martial arts techniques.

It's important to note that besides practicing the "Yijin Jing" and the "Dragon Eight Steps," Ling Fan also added two new martial art techniques: the "Iron Cloth Shirt" and the "Scared Finger Flick."

The "Iron Cloth Shirt" helps Ling Fan withstand attacks, which is important for self-defense. The other technique gives Ling Fan offensive abilities since he is not one to back down.

Under Ling Fan's exceptional talent, these two martial arts skills have reached a high level of proficiency. With his current ability to withstand attacks, it's estimated that even bullets would have a hard time harming him. His finger strike is particularly powerful, capable of piercing through metal from a distance of 10 meters away.

Though Ling Fan has already mastered all four techniques in just a few days, he doesn't plan on practicing other techniques for now. Instead, he focused on refining and understanding the hidden secrets within these four martial arts techniques, aiming to achieve an extraordinary level of mastery. After years of studying martial arts, Ling Fan has concluded that the path of martial arts is not inferior to the arts of immortal cultivation. In fact, it might even surpass them.

One day, while Ling Fan was outside collecting herbs as usual, he suddenly heard people speaking in Mandarin language nearby. This greatly excited him because he had been worried about the language barrier in this world. But now, hearing them speak his native language was a wonderful news for Ling Fan.

(A/N: Mandarin is part of chinese language)

With excitement in his heart, Ling Fan set aside his herb-gathering work and cautiously followed the voices. He didn't have any ulterior motives; he was simply curious to see if the people in this world resembled him.

As he got closer, Ling Fan realized that these people were just ordinary hunters, and they didn't seem particularly powerful. Ling Fan continued to follow them and eventually understood their purpose. They were in this area to make a living by hunting wild animals and selling herbs. However, what puzzled Ling Fan was their preference for collecting is what he considered to be worthless weeds rather than valuable herbs.

This behavior puzzled Ling Fan, and after following them for the whole day, he finally understood why. It turned out that the hunters only recognized a few herbs while they considered the rest to be poisonous. This made sense because the valuable herbs were incredibly potent and could be fatal to ordinary people if not used properly.

Understanding the situation, Ling Fan couldn't help but chuckle. He hadn't expected this world to be so primitive, but at least it meant no one could compete with him. Furthermore, Ling Fan gained valuable information: the currency used in this world was called "coins."

Seeing the hunters putting so much effort into collecting a small amount of herbs amused Ling Fan. The herbs they collected were the very ones he had been using as firewood for the past few days.

Fate had played a trick on him. If Ling Fan had known they could be sold for money, he wouldn't have burned them! Ling Fan thought to himself.

At that moment, Ling Fan's mood improved, and he no longer felt frustrated about being transported to this world.

The hunters didn't seem discouraged by their meager harvest. On the contrary, they appeared satisfied. From this, Ling Fan deduced that the herbs they gathered could fetch a decent price, enough to sustain them for a while.

When the hunters left the forest, Ling Fan continued to follow them. His intention was to discover where the human settlement was located so he could sell some herbs for money and buy essential items. At the very least, he needed to purchase some clothes. Ling Fan didn't want to continue looking like a beggar and compromise his dignity.

Time passed, and the sky gradually darkened. The moon in this world appeared exceptionally bright, so even in the late night, it didn't hinder the hunters' journey back home.

After walking for an unknown period, Ling Fan finally saw a massive city gate as dawn approached.

The city gate stood open, unguarded by soldiers. Following the hunters, Ling Fan entered the city. After crossing several streets, he finally saw the hunters enter a shop.

It seemed that this shop was where they sold the herbs. Ling Fan made a note of it in his memory and entered the shop as well. As the hunters exited the shop, they glanced at Ling Fan but didn't pay much attention before leaving.

The shop wasn't large, but it displayed various herbs, both finished products and raw materials. Surprisingly, Ling Fan also noticed several cages in a corner of the shop containing live snakes.

A friendly, fat old man with a large belly approached Ling Fan and asked, "Hello, young friend, can I help you with something?"

Though a bit frustrated by being called "young friend," Ling Fan didn't bother correcting him.

"Do you buy herbs here?" Ling Fan asked knowingly.

"Hehe, so you're also selling herbs, young friend. What kind of herbs do you have?" the fat shopkeeper asked cheerfully.

"It's these. Do you accept them?" Ling Fan quickly took out a worn-out bag he had been carrying and displayed the same herbs the hunters had.

To be honest, he found these herbs boring as he followed the hunters, so he collected them absentmindedly just to see if they could be sold for money.

Since Ling Fan wasn't familiar with the names and uses of these weeds in this world, he felt somewhat uncertain.

The shopkeeper seemed slightly surprised by the sudden appearance of so many herbs. After a moment of astonishment, he hurriedly asked, "Are you planning to sell all of them?"

"If you're interested, I'll sell them all!" Ling Fan hastily replied. These herbs were nothing more than firewood to him, with little value.

"Please wait a moment, and I'll get your money right away." The shopkeeper said happily.

He couldn't help but be delighted because the quantity and quality of the herbs Ling Fan brought were impressive. It was a big deal for his small shop, and it would undoubtedly bring him substantial profits. There was no way he wouldn't be happy about it. Didn't you notice he changed his address for Ling Fan to "you"?

In no time, the shopkeeper returned with a small bag of money from under the counter, meticulously counted it, and respectfully handed it to Ling Fan.

Taking the money bag, Ling Fan pulled out a silver coin from it and examined it carefully. This was the currency they had mentioned! But how could such a small amount be worth much?

Ling Fan underestimated the weight of the thirty-odd silver coins in his hand. Even this small bag alone would be enough for an average family of four for half a year.

Ling Fan played with the silver coin for a while and suddenly brought it to the shopkeeper, saying, "Boss, can you sell me a few bags for storing herbs?"

Ling Fan had been using the same bag he found in the garbage dump, so he felt it was time for a change.

The chubby shopkeeper was initially taken aback but soon smiled. He turned around and took out a bundle of bags, totaling more than twenty, and respectfully handed them to Ling Fan without accepting the silver coin Ling Fan offered.

"You're a valued customer here, so consider these bags as a gift," the shopkeeper said. Could there be anything better? They were even giving them away for free.

"Thank you!" Ling Fan didn't bother to be polite either. He put away the silver coin, accepted the bundle of bags, and then continued, "Will you be accepting these types of herbs in the future?"

"We will accept as many as you bring!" the fat shopkeeper hastily replied. Each of those bags cost only three copper coins, so if they could win over a big customer like Ling Fan, it would be a worthwhile investment.

"In that case, I'll bring more next time." Ling Fan said, intending to leave. However, he suddenly stopped, pointing at the snakes in the iron cages in the corner, and asked, "Boss, do you buy snakes here too?"