The Legendary Herb Gatherer
Ryeon glanced at their faces and smoothly changed the subject.
"Then, can I buy some herbs today?"
"Of course. Since it's your first time visiting our herb shop, consider them a gift. Just tell me what you need, and I'll have them delivered to your estate..."
"No, we're here by carriage, so I'll take them all with me."
The physician from Hoseon Medical Pavilion nodded with a smile. She must just want to show off her knowledge of herb names to the kid, he'd thought.
But moments later, he sensed something extraordinary about this girl.
As Danmok Ryeon examined the herbs and ingredients on the shelves, she precisely selected what she wanted to buy. When they were all gathered together, they turned out to be nothing less than the finest items in the entire shop—hidden gems of exceptional quality.
He marveled at how such superior goods had been tucked away. Piled into a single basket, they gleamed in his eyes like a heap of gold bars.
How did she pick out only the best ones? By chance?
It didn't seem like Danmok Hyeon-u had helped her. In fact, even he didn't seem fully aware of the condition or quality of the herbs Ryeon had chosen.
"Thank you, physician."
"N-No, no... Our pavilion has plenty more. Wouldn't you like to look around elsewhere...?"
"No, I'm good."
As she prepared to leave, Danmok Seong's eyes lit up; she'd been growing visibly bored beside them. The physician fidgeted restlessly, hovering around Ryeon as he packaged the herbs. He'd already offered them for free, so he couldn't very well ask her to choose something else now.
After the Danmok family departed, he tore through the herb shop—but nothing as fine as what he'd personally wrapped and sent off remained.
After leaving Hoseon Medical Pavilion, Ryeon toured every notable herb shop in Hangzhou.
But she only confirmed that the physician there hadn't lied—their herb shop truly was the best in Hangzhou.
Is my Divine Eye standard set too high?
Ryeon fanned herself with her white jade fan, lost in thought. Scanning the shelves and activating her Divine Eye, she'd seen only a handful labeled as superior grade; most were mid-to-low.
More than that, I thought wandering these shops might let me run into Yeo-cheong.
Yak Yeo-cheong was the herb gatherer Ryeon had met in her previous life. She knew every mountain like the back of her hand and could unearth rare herbs others never glimpsed in a lifetime.
In Hangzhou's herb-gathering circles, Yak Yeo-cheong was a living legend.
Of course, she'd forged a bond with Ryeon because of Ryeon's condition. Many had labored to save the girl wasting away despite no illness. Even the Tang Clan of Sichuan, who had long broken off the engagement, sent physicians multiple times—and Elder Dang Yu-byeok had visited personally. Yak Yeo-cheong was the one who'd sourced the herbs for the secret formulas he prescribed.
It had started as a mere employment arrangement, but...
"What are you planning to do with all that platycodon?"
In a tea house, Danmok Hyeon-u bought three bowls of Bingdangho—dividing two among his young nieces and nibbling one himself—as he asked Ryeon.
Danmok Seong took a delicate bite of her Bingdangho, eyes squeezed shut in delight at the sweet-tart flavor.
Ryeon nodded, picturing the basket brimming with platycodon roots.
"I'm going to make platycodon syrup."
"Platycodon syrup?"
"It seems our pharmacy has a talent for making and selling medicines."
"Baekyakcheong wasn't exactly made by our pharmacy..."
Danmok Hyeon-u trailed off, unsure how to explain that his young niece had created it alone, swallowing his words with another bite of Bingdangho.
Maybe Ryeon really was taken by an immortal and returned.
Danmok Hyeon-u didn't believe in immortals, Buddhas, or the Jade Emperor. But Ryeon shook his convictions. Perhaps he wanted to believe—for the sake of convincing himself her lost childhood hadn't been in vain.
"I'll make the platycodon syrup and send some to Grandfather and to Mount Hua in Shaanxi."
Mount Hua housed her maternal uncle who'd aided her Balsa Sesu—her mother's sworn brother.
As she spoke, Ryeon mentally calculated how many people she could share today's haul with. Truthfully, though, the biggest issue was that the platycodon's quality didn't quite satisfy her.
That was when Jeong Yeong, who'd been standing guard at a distance, approached.
"Pharmacy Lord, young miss. There's a place deeper in that handles high-quality herbs, though they're pricey."
"Who told you?"
"Well..."
Jeong Yeong hesitated before speaking carefully.
"Someone from the Mansong Merchant Group recognized the young miss. They asked if you were unhappy with the essential oils they supplied and seeking alternatives elsewhere. I said no, we were just looking for other herbs, and they told me about this place."
The merchant's face had looked like a man freshly escaped from hellfire, relief washing over it.
"Then let's go!"
Ryeon's eyes sparkled at Jeong Yeong's words. If even the Mansong Merchant Group vouched for it, Yak Yeo-cheong might be there.
"Shall we?"
Jeong Yeong, having gotten detailed directions, led them smoothly without hesitation. Deeper in, a proper herb shop came into view—recently expanded, by the looks of it. Plenty of customers filled the interior: physicians, servants fetching urgent herbs for secret remedies ordered by their masters, pharmacy aides...
"Oh my! Aren't these the young masters and miss from the Danmok estate!"
As Ryeon picked up a piece of dried herb to inspect, a middle-aged man burst from the back with a low but boisterous welcome.
Danmok Hyeon-u shifted his nieces behind him and gave the man a sidelong glance.
"You know us?"
"How could I not? That dignified bearing is unmistakable! But what brings you all the way here...?"
"Just browsing herbs."
Danmok Hyeon-u seemed faintly pleased to be recognized but kept his nieces shielded from the fawning merchant.
From behind her uncle, Ryeon eyed the merchant.
Did word spread in half a day?
With the estate's pharmacy lord personally visiting shops, rumors might be flying that the Danmok family was regaining momentum, expanding their pharmacy. The Mansong folks had recognized them too, after all.
"I'd like to see some platycodon."
"Pla... tyco-don?"
The merchant paused—platycodon wasn't particularly rare or expensive—but quickly fetched a basket.
"These are our finest platycodon roots. Just like all the herbs in our shop."
Ryeon tilted her head as she examined them. They were indeed good. Freshly harvested, even the gatherer must have been stunned to find such quality.
Similar to the top-grade ones at Hoseon Medical Pavilion's shop.
Among the shops they'd seen, this had the best so far. Not perfectly managed—they were starting to wilt a bit—but the top few were exceptional. Peeking underneath, though, the rest were merely passable, dressed up to look the part.
The merchant, buzzing with excitement, tried pushing various wares, but Ryeon shook her head at each, selecting only the truly superior ones.
"Isn't it not time for Yeo-cheong to work yet...?"
Danmok Seong, with no interest in browsing, slipped out of the shop early. While Danmok Hyeon-u sent a servant to pay and package, one of the shop boys sidled up to Ryeon stealthily.
Alone, Ryeon cocked her head as she scanned the interior.
The boy servant approaching her looked extremely tense.
"Um... are you... looking for Yeo-cheong? Yak Yeo-cheong...?"
His whisper was so faint, she had to strain to hear.
Ryeon's eyes widened as she stared at him.
"You know Yeo-cheong?"
"Her grandfather passed away last year... She's been selling herbs here."
Ryeon recalled the standout herbs in the shop—the ones leagues above the rest. But did this need to be so secretive? The boy acted like he wasn't even addressing her directly, half-turning away as if tidying up.
"The house at the end of the west street, with the broken fence..."
West street end, broken fence—Ryeon repeated it silently to herself.
"Our priciest herbs are all dug up by Yeo-cheong, but the master..."
But the boy servant's words cut off there.
"Dana! Fetch that silk cloth for embroidery from the bottom drawer."
"Yes, master!"
Even as Danmok Hyeon-u politely declined, the merchant bowed low with a smile and had the silk brought out. The boy servant bowed his head deeply and wrapped the herb bundles in it.