117 Ming Qingsong 4

"You want to ... buy Purple Blood Ginger from ... apothecaries in town?"

Qin Feng turned to face the doorway of the young girl's bedchamber, just as Elder Ming stepped through the same. He was wearing a frown on his scarred face, and it looked rather intimidating, to tell the truth. But Ming Qingsong merely smiled as she got up, and moved forward to give her father a hug.

Which seemed to be a signal to Qin Feng, to start selling his idea at once.

"Well, it would be difficult to hunt for the herb ourselves, since it is on the Heaven Sword School restricted list. But that doesn't prevent outsiders from dealing in it. In fact, I have heard that there are some organisations further East and in the North, which have actually tried to cultivate this Purple Blood Ginger.

"So it would make sense to try to get our hands on it, using these trading houses that specialize in medicines and the like. And we do have some rather rare herbs ourselves, so we could make a trade with them."

Ming Guanhe seemed a little more accepting, once he had heard Qin Feng's plan. But his frown returned after a short while, and he shook his head at the herb-grower. "We are bound by the School's rules and regulations, not to deal in those medicines that have been restricted. If anyone finds out that we are trying to buy the same ..."

"Ah! That would be a problem."

Qin Feng had not considered that. Someone would have to pay those medicine traders a visit, and make their interest clear, if they wished to get their hands on the herb. Wasn't that just giving themselves away? And the punishment for dealing in restricted herbs was rather draconian. He certainly did not wish to be caught with Purple Blood Ginger in his possession.

Nor did Elder Ming, it seemed.

But who else could the two of them rely on, to visit the nearby Cities, to purchase that restricted medicinal herb? He doubted that Elder Ming would be willing to pull in yet another person, and neither of them could leave the School without being noticed. So all that was needed was a single overzealous disciple on Guard duty to destroy the two of them!

What they needed now was someone who could travel all the way to one of those medicine dealers, buy the herb and come back with it. All without being noticed by the Heaven Sword School or its adherents. Unfortunately, they didn't have anyone else, did they?

Did they?

Qin Feng suddenly stood up, giving out a soft cry as he did so. How could he have forgotten about that? He did have someone who could do just that! And he could even do so in the bright light of day, without being worried that he would be recognized by the School!

Or rather, he was certain it wouldn't.

Both Ming Guanhe and Ming Qingsong were staring at him already, as he tore himself out of his thoughts to look at the father and daughter pair. And he grinned, as he started to explain what had caused him to behave in such an odd manner.

"I have ... contact, as you have guessed, with someone that my family had sent to look after me. And while he is not as powerful as the Elders of the Heaven Sword School, he does have some ability when it comes to Lightness-of-Body arts and can certainly defend himself against ordinary martial artists.

"So I was thinking that I might be able to ... get him to make the trade on ... our behalf. I doubt that the Heaven Sword School would take offence, if we are ... sufficiently careful when we receive the Purple Blood Ginger from him. When he gets back here, I mean."

Elder Ming had been sitting up straight the moment that Qin Feng had unveiled his plan. And he was more than a little agitated too, from the way that his fingers seemed to twitch. Qin Feng didn't bother to point that out, and simply waited for the older man to make a decision. After all, the one who stood to gain, and lose, was Elder Ming Guanhe himself.

All Qin Feng was doing was simply helping him out.

Ming Guanhe finally nodded, although he did seem to shoot his daughter a few glances before he did so. But Qin Feng ignored that. So long as he agreed ...

"In that case, I will head back, and send word to ... that retainer of mine at once. I will pass him the medicines that I had managed to get from the Southern Woods as soon as he gets here, so that he can make his way to the nearest City, and try to make the exchange."

Elder Ming smiled as though in agreement. "I'll be troubling you then. And I will pass you ... some of the herbs that I do not need, if you should run out. You might as well trade those away as well. Hopefully, you will be able to get your hands on more of the Purple Blood Ginger, if you do that."

Qin Feng bowed once more, and left Elder Ming's home quickly. And hid a smile as he walked away from the Elders' Court. The permission and the information that he had received from Elder Ming Guanhe should be sufficient for him to snatch away some resources for himself. So what if he had to trade some of his gains for that?

In the end, he was only there in the Heaven Sword School for a short while. Just two or three years, if he was not wrong. So that would hardly have an effect on the rest of his life, would it?

*

Ming Qingsong sighed as soon as Qin Feng left her father's yard, and sat down next to her father on the long bench in their front hall.

The young girl rested her head against her father's arm, and looked towards the front door, as if to recall the sight of the herb-grower who had just walked out the same. And her voice was soft, when she finally spoke again:

"I don't think he quite understands what you and Elder Xuan are doing, using the female disciples from the Rear Gardens to spread that false rumor like that. He still believes that it was all a mistake on the part of the girls there.

"I wonder what he would do, when he learns the truth. You might end up making his life very, very miserable, father. I hope you have a plan, as to how you are going to make it up to him."

* * *