I Can See Through Everything - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Fresh Things, “Catalogue of Herbs” (Two Chapters in One)

“It’s in the river outside the village. Xiaoyan and I went fishing yesterday and were lucky to catch it.” Lu Qing replied.

“How could there be a green turtle of this age in that small river?” Old Doctor Chen was a little surprised.

The river outside the village is not very big, and it is really rare for a green turtle to grow to this size.

But he suddenly thought that several nearby villages did not seem to make a living by fishing.

Perhaps this is why the green turtle was able to grow to this size.

“No wonder you said before that you felt you had a talent for fishing. You can produce fish stones of this quality. The size of the green turtle must be quite large. How could you catch it?”

Old Doctor Chen looked at Lu Qing’s somewhat thin body and couldn’t help but look at him with admiration.

“This is all thanks to the thread you gave me, Grandpa Chen,” Lu Qing said modestly. “Grandpa Chen, that thread is incredibly strong. Without it, I really wouldn’t have been able to reel in this giant fish.” “

It’s good that it’s useful. It

‘s useless to me anyway,” Doctor Chen waved his hand, unconcerned.

Instead, he was intrigued by the wooden barrel Lu Qing had been carrying.

“What’s in that barrel? It looks quite heavy.”

Because Lu Qing had placed some branches in the barrel before leaving to prevent the fish from being too frightened, Doctor Chen couldn’t see clearly what was inside.

“This is something I want to give to you, Grandpa Chen,” Lu Qing began to remove the branches from the barrel. “Yesterday, Xiaoyan and I went fishing and caught two big fish. We ate the big green turtle, and I wanted to give you this smaller one to try.”

“Yes, Grandpa Chen, this fish is so beautiful! Grandpa Zhang and the others couldn’t tell what it was,” Xiaoyan added.

“Oh, you’re so thoughtful! I’d like to see what kind of fish it is.”

Doctor Chen’s interest intensified upon hearing this.

“That’s it.”

Lu Qing cleared the bucket of branches and leaves and handed it to the old doctor.

The old doctor peered into the bucket and saw the flaming fish. His expression was startled at first, then moved.

He blurted out, “This, this is a Red Moon Carp?”

The old doctor recognized the fish.

Lu Qing’s mind raced, but a look of confusion crossed his face.

“Grandpa Chen, do you know what kind of fish this is?”

The old doctor put Xiaoyan down and stepped forward. He reached into the bucket, teased the fish, and carefully examined it.

Finally, he confirmed, “It’s definitely a Red Moon Carp!”

The old doctor looked at Lu Qing with genuine amazement. “How could you even catch such a rare fish like the Red Moon Carp?”

“Grandpa Chen, what is a Red Moon Carp?” Xiaoyan asked, bewildered.

“This Red Moon Carp is quite remarkable.”

Seeing Lu Qing’s bewilderment, Doctor Chen launched into an explanation.

“Red Moon Carp is a rare species of fish. Any fish that can be called a rare fish has its own unique characteristics.”

“This Red Moon Carp is renowned for its deliciousness.”

“Legend has it that its taste is incredibly delicious, so delicious that once you’ve tasted it, you’ll never forget it. Therefore, some gossipers call it one of the ten most delicious fish in the world.”

“One of the ten most delicious fish in the world?”

This time, it was Lu Qing’s turn to be surprised.

He hadn’t expected the Red Moon Carp to have such a reputation.

It truly was a rare fish that could be considered exceptionally delicious by the supernatural.

“Big Red Carp is so remarkable!” Xiaoyan was also a little stunned. “Grandpa Chen, have you ever tasted Big Red Carp?”

“Grandpa, I once had the privilege of tasting this Red Moon Carp at a banquet hosted by a distinguished guest. The flavor…”

Doctor Chen didn’t finish his words, but even Xiaoyan could see the look of nostalgia on his face.

“Then this Red Moon Carp is most fitting for you, Grandpa Chen,” Lu Qing said.

“I dare not accept your gift.” Old Doctor Chen came to his senses. “Do you know how much this Red Moon Carp would fetch if sold in the city?”

Lu Qing shook his head.

“One hundred taels of silver,” Old Doctor Chen held up a finger. Seeing the shock on Lu Qing’s face, he continued, “The best quality Red Moon Carp would fetch at least a hundred taels of silver.”

“A single fish worth a hundred taels of silver?” Lu Qing gasped.

He knew the purchasing power of silver in this world was strong.

One tael of silver could provide a family of three with enough food and clothing for a month.

And as far as he could remember, at the height of the Lu family’s wealth, they probably didn’t even have ten taels of cash.

For a single fish to be worth a hundred taels now was truly beyond his imagination.

Crucially, this was just a strange fish, a white light with a hint of red. If it were a true Red Light-level spiritual fish, how much more precious would it be?

“This world is vast, Lu Qing,” Old Doctor Chen sighed. “The daily expenses of those nobles are beyond imagination. Do you know how much a banquet for some nobles costs?”

Lu Qing shook his head again.

“At least a thousand taels of silver. If it’s for a distinguished guest, the cost is unimaginable.”

“This Red Moon Carp is a rare and exquisite delicacy. For those wealthy nobles, a mere hundred taels of silver is nothing to them for a taste of this delicacy.”

Lu Qing’s mouth dropped open slightly.

His expression was half feigned, half genuine surprise.

As expected, no matter which world, the extravagance of the rich is always this exaggerated.

“So, do you still want to give this Red Moon Carp to me, an old man?”

Old Doctor Chen quipped, observing the look of disbelief on Lu Qing’s face.

Lu Qing came to his senses, hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly. “Of course I will. Compared to your life-saving grace, Grandpa Chen, a hundred taels of silver is nothing. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be standing here, let alone catching this Red Moon Carp!”

“Hahahaha…”

Old Doctor Chen suddenly burst into laughter.

After a while, he stopped laughing, his face filled with relief. “I’m very happy that you’re so kind, but I really can’t accept this Red Moon Carp. It’s such a precious fish, it would be a waste to give it to me.”

“But Grandpa Chen…”

Lu Qing was about to say something, but Old Doctor Chen raised his hand, interrupting him.

“Okay, it’s a deal. You leave the fish with me. In two days, I’ll take it to the city and sell it for you. The money will be exchanged for silver, and you can take it back for your household expenses.”

Lu Qing opened his mouth, but finally gave up and said, “Okay, but Grandpa Chen, the money from the fish sale must first pay for your previous medical expenses.”

“Okay!” Old Doctor Chen nodded.

However, he didn’t tell Lu Qing that the precious herbs in the decoction he had prescribed were worth as much as this red moon carp.

Because the old doctor could see that Lu Qing was a young man with great self-esteem.

If he knew the value of the decoction, he would probably never accept the money from the sale of the red moon carp.

Old Doctor Chen looked at the red moon carp in the bucket again.

Then he frowned. “Unfortunately, your Red Moon Carp, while beautiful, is a bit large. I’m afraid it won’t be worth a hundred taels of silver, so its value will be slightly lower.”

“Why, Grandpa Chen? Aren’t bigger fish the better?” Xiaoyan asked, confused.

“Generally speaking, that’s true, but this Red Moon Carp is different,” Doctor Chen explained.

“The most valuable thing about Red Moon Carp is its flavor. Generally, it’s at its most tender and delicious when it reaches around two kilograms. Above that weight, while the flavor remains, the meat becomes slightly tougher, and its value naturally decreases.”

Lu Qing could understand this.

It’s like some seafood in his past life: it wasn’t the larger the fish, the more expensive it was. Instead, the smaller the fish, the higher the price per piece.

“Whatever the value, I’ll have to trouble you, Grandpa Chen,” Lu Qing said.

No matter how valuable the Red Moon Carp was, Lu Qing couldn’t sell it.

He believed that if he dared to show up in the city with such a rare fish, even if he could sell it for money, he wouldn’t be able to leave.

Perhaps only a cultivator like Old Doctor Chen was qualified to engage in such a transaction.

“By the way, this Red Moon Carp is rare and its habits are difficult to identify. It prefers to be solitary and elusive. How did you catch it?” Old Doctor Chen asked curiously.

“Perhaps it was luck. After I caught that Green Soft-shelled Turtle yesterday, I fished for a while longer and happened to hook this Red Moon Carp,” Lu Qing replied.

A thought struck Lu Qing. Their

habits were difficult to identify. So, even Old Doctor Chen didn’t know that Red Moon Carp liked to eat blood apricots?

“So, that’s truly your luck,” Old Doctor Chen sighed. “Perhaps the heavens saw that you and your sister had suffered so much, and so bestowed these blessings upon you.”

The old doctor thought of Lu Qing’s sudden improvement.

Perhaps this was the reason for Lu Qing’s sudden recovery?

After sighing for a moment, Old Doctor Chen placed the Red Moon Carp in a water tank in the house for the time being, and then began to give Lu Qing acupuncture.

After the acupuncture this time, Lu Qing slept for a shorter time than the last time.

After waking up, he saw the old doctor still chatting and laughing with Xiaoyan in the yard, and there was still a plate of yam cake on the stone table.

“You’re awake, come, eat something first.”

Old Doctor Chen saw Lu Qing coming out and pushed the cakes on the table towards him.

This time, Lu Qing did not refuse, and picked up a piece of cake and ate it slowly.

Old Doctor Chen observed the complexion on Lu Qing’s face and nodded.

“Not bad, it seems that you have listened to my advice these days and have not treated yourself badly in terms of food and drink.”

“Grandpa Chen, my brother and I have been eating delicious food every day these days. The food my brother cooks is delicious!” Xiaoyan boasted on the side.

“Yeah, Grandpa noticed it.” The old doctor touched the little guy’s head with pity.

With his medical skills, how could he not see that the complexions of the brother and sister were much better than a few days ago.

After Lu Qing finished eating a few pieces of pastry, the old doctor slowly said, “I told you before that after this acupuncture session, I’ll allow you to study medicinal herbs with me for half an hour. Do you remember?”

Lu Qing immediately sat up straight and said solemnly, “Of course I remember.”

“So, do you still have the desire to learn about medicinal herbs?”

“Of course I do. Lu Qing’s interest in herbs has never waned.”

“That’s good,” Doctor Chen laughed. “I thought you’d stop collecting herbs after you caught a red moon carp and became wealthy.”

“Lu Qing wants to learn about medicinal herbs, not just for a living, but out of genuine curiosity about all these amazing herbs. I want to know how they can cure diseases and save lives,” Lu Qing said seriously.

“In that case, follow me.”

Doctor Chen stood up and walked into the house.

Lu Qing hurriedly followed.

Inside, Doctor Chen took out a book and placed it in Lu Qing’s hand.

“Here’s a copy of ‘Bai Cao Jing’ (A Classic of Materia Medica) that records the names, diagrams, and growth habits of various medicinal herbs. Take it and study it carefully, comparing it to the herbs drying outside in the yard. If you have any questions, come and ask me.”

Lu Qing was stunned by the book. “Grandpa Chen, didn’t you ask me to help you dry the herbs while I studied?”

Now, he was handing him a copy of the Classic of Materia Medica directly.

Lu Qing knew that books were precious in this world.

Firstly, paper was expensive, and secondly, writing brushes and ink were also expensive.

The original owner’s grandfather, when he fled, took nothing but a few books.

Unfortunately, they were lost during the escape.

As a child, the original owner often heard his grandfather sigh, feeling guilty about the loss of those ancient family books.

Later, due to poverty, the family couldn’t afford paper and ink, so Grandpa Lu was never able to revise those ancient family books.

As a result, the original owner only knew a few characters, and his calligraphy skills were very superficial.

“Why, aren’t you happy?” asked the old doctor.

“Of course I am,” Lu Qing said quickly.

He knew the value of knowledge in this world.

“That’s fine, then you can start learning now.”

Seeing that the old doctor had said so, Lu Qing could only take the book and return to the courtyard.

After giving Xiaoyan a few words of advice, he walked to a quiet place and opened the book.

However, after glancing at a few pages, Lu Qing couldn’t help but frown.

Because the names of many medicinal herbs in the “Bai Cao Jing” were quite strange, and the characters were very rare.

The original owner didn’t know many words.

Although he had memories of his past life, the writing systems of the two worlds were different.

There were some characters that even he couldn’t recognize.

This made the “Hundred Herbal Classic” very difficult to read.

At this rate, he didn’t know how long it would take him to master the knowledge in it.

Lu Qing knew that he wasn’t one of those extremely smart people. He

didn’t have the ability to read ten lines at a glance and understand everything.

In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person with a normal IQ. He studied hard but barely got into an ordinary university.

Therefore, if he wanted to learn the “Hundred Herbal Classic” as soon as possible, he would have to use the same hard work he had in the college entrance examination.

Encouraging himself, Lu Qing continued reading.

Then, as he read, the “Medicine Classic” in front of him suddenly emitted a hazy white light.

[Hundred Herbal Classic: A book that records a lot of knowledge about medicinal herbs.]

[After learning this book, you may have a rough understanding of all the herbs in the world.]

[Do you want to download it? The first two notes were fine, but

when the third note appeared, Lu Qing was completely stunned.

(End of this chapter)