The aged ginseng was sold for twenty million yuan, acquired by Luan Jiping.
When the attendant approached with the box containing the aged ginseng, Luan Jiping did not take it. After settling the payment, she gestured towards Long Xiao and said, "Entrust it to him."
Upon receiving the aged ginseng, Long Xiao sensed its vitality and generally confirmed its age to be around eight hundred years.
With the aged ginseng secured, there was no need to observe the rest of the auction. The trio rose to leave, followed by the elder behind the beautiful woman and the two elders behind the young man.
"Brother Long, someone's following us," Luo Tianshui whispered as they exited the Longdu Grand Hotel.
"There are many people here, let them follow for now."
The three left the hotel and hailed a taxi.
Once inside, Long Xiao said, "Head to Huayi Tang Pharmacy."
Huayi Tang Pharmacy was the largest traditional Chinese medicine store in the capital, boasting the most extensive selection and highest quality of medicines.
The streets were bustling with traffic, and the taxi moved at a moderate pace. Long Xiao glanced behind them and quickly identified two cars tailing them.
Long Xiao looked at Luo Tianshui, who was also checking the two following cars in the rearview mirror.
"Stop looking at them, Tianshui. Take a look at this sword," Long Xiao said, handing the iron sword to Luo Tianshui.
Luo Tianshui drew the iron sword and examined it for a while, finding nothing particularly remarkable.
"Brother Long, don't tease me. What's so special about this iron sword? Just tell me directly."
Long Xiao chuckled, "This iron sword is a sword within a sword."
Luo Tianshui understood the meaning of "a sword within a sword." He gripped the iron sword with two fingers and tried to pull it out forcefully, but it wouldn't budge.
"Why can't I pull it out? There shouldn't be anything inside, right?" Luo Tianshui asked, perplexed.
As Long Xiao and Luo Tianshui pondered the iron sword, Luan Jiping was also curious. She came over to observe for a while, still finding nothing out of the ordinary.
"This iron sword possesses a strong aura of killing and bloodlust. It must have been used to kill many people before," Long Xiao said, taking the iron sword back from Luo Tianshui.
Long Xiao gripped the hilt of the iron sword with his right hand, channeling a powerful, metallic aura into it. Suddenly, the iron sword emitted a buzzing sound and began to vibrate violently.
Long Xiao held the iron sword with two fingers on his left hand and pulled. With a tearing sound, a short sword, gleaming white with a red luminescence, was drawn out by Long Xiao.
The sword, white with a red glow, filled the entire car with the sounds of clashing metal and horses as it was unsheathed.
The taxi driver, startled by the sound of the sword being drawn, trembled and slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a halt by the roadside.
"You two, what kind of treasure is this? I feel so uncomfortable, as if I'm being cut by knives."
Long Xiao quickly reinserted the short sword back into the rusty iron sword. The killing aura vanished instantly, and the taxi driver breathed a sigh of relief, his composure returning.
Luo Tianshui stood stunned, gradually recovering only after Long Xiao sheathed the sword.
"It's incredible, 'Blood Blade' actually exists."
"'Blood Blade,' this sword is called Blood Blade?" Long Xiao asked.
Luo Tianshui nodded and replied, "No doubt about it. This sword is 'Blood Blade.' 'When Blood Blade is drawn, ghosts chant, and all living things wither.' "
"I did hear strange chanting just now, but I didn't see any wilting plants," Luan Jiping said, looking at the 'Blood Blade' in Long Xiao's hand.
Long Xiao examined the 'Blood Blade' again and said, "We didn't see any wilting plants because there were no plants nearby. This short sword can absorb life force. If the user's strength is sufficient, taking a life with blood is as easy as flipping a hand."
The moment Long Xiao drew out the 'Blood Blade,' he felt a restlessness in his own life force. Since it wasn't draining, he didn't pay much attention.
Now, after hearing Luo Tianshui's words, Long Xiao understood that the 'Blood Blade' had been competing with him for life force.
This short sword was too overbearing. Long Xiao had initially intended to give it to Luo Tianshui, but now he hesitated.
"Tianshui, try pulling it out again. If you can draw this sword, I'll give it to you."
Luo Tianshui took the 'Blood Blade' and tried, but was unsuccessful.
Luo Tianshui attempted to return the 'Blood Blade' to Long Xiao. Long Xiao said, "Keep it for now. You don't have a suitable weapon yet. When we have time, we'll study it thoroughly together."
Seeing Long Xiao's genuine intention to give him the 'Blood Blade,' Luo Tianshui no longer stood on ceremony and tucked it away.
The taxi driver started driving again, glancing at the three of them as he moved forward. These three were too peculiar, and he was filled with curiosity.
The taxi stopped in front of Huayi Tang Pharmacy, and Long Xiao and his companions entered directly. The two cars that had been following also stopped.
The thin elder looked at the elder who had emerged from another car and asked, "Are you after the aged ginseng, or that iron sword?"
The gazes of the two elders sharpened as they looked at the thin elder. One of them said, "The aged ginseng, we are determined to obtain it."
The short elder snorted coldly and replied, "If that's the case, there's nothing more to say. We shall rely on our own abilities."
The three elders walked side-by-side into Huayi Tang Pharmacy, no longer concealing their intentions as they vied for the aged ginseng.
The small elder moved the fastest. He approached Long Xiao, looked at the box in his hand, and said, "Young man, do you know the saying 'possessing jade invites trouble'?"
Long Xiao looked at the small elder and asked, "Do we know each other?"
The small elder shook his head and said, "Is there a need to know each other? I am offering good advice. If you pretend to be foolish, you will be the one to suffer."
Long Xiao sneered dismissively and turned his attention to the attendant at Huayi Tang Pharmacy, "Hello, I would like to purchase some medicinal herbs."
The attendant glanced at the small elder and said, "Young sir, if you are purchasing a large quantity, please proceed to the VIP room to rest, and we will make preparations for you."
With this aged ginseng as the main ingredient, at least ten 'Longevity Pills' could be refined, necessitating a substantial amount of auxiliary herbs.
"Alright," Long Xiao nodded, preparing to follow the attendant to the VIP room.
The two elders standing behind Long Xiao and his group stepped forward, blocking their path, and said, "Hand over the aged ginseng, and we will let you leave."
"Are you trying to rob us?"
As Luo Tianshui prepared to act, Long Xiao raised his hand to stop him, "Tianshui, this is Huayi Tang Pharmacy. We should show the owner some respect and not fight here."
Huayi Tang Pharmacy's largest shareholder was the Long family, making it a place where few people dared to cause trouble in the capital, or even throughout China.
The small elder let out a cold chuckle and said, "Show respect to the owner? Huayi Tang belongs to the Long family, and we Long family don't need you to show us respect."
Long Xiao handed the aged ginseng to Luan Jiping and said, "Sister, please go to the VIP room and rest. I will handle these three old nuisances."
Luan Jiping took the aged ginseng and was about to leave when the small elder stepped forward and reached for the box in her hand.
Long Xiao suddenly moved, his right middle finger aimed directly at the small elder's throat.
Long Xiao used only fifty percent of his strength for this strike, as he could not gauge the small elder's abilities and wanted to test him first.
The small elder felt Long Xiao's finger strike to be incredibly sharp and quickly retreated to dodge it.
The other two elders also moved to attack, but Luo Tianshui stepped forward, blocking their path.