I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 609 The deal is concluded
Although he was scolded, Zhou Qiucheng had to endure it because he thought of his own son.

Along with the shouting and cursing, the vermilion door creaked open, and a cute little girl in coarse linen clothes poked her head out from the door: "You are the ones knocking on the door at night?"

"Little girl, we want to meet Master Zhang. Please forgive us for disturbing you so late at night." Wang Chong on the side bowed hastily.

If he doesn't show his respect, is he waiting for Zhou Qiucheng to apologize?
Zhang Taowei opened the door and said lazily, "Come with me."

The two followed Zhang Taowei into the courtyard and saw that the whole courtyard was pitch black and quiet. There was no lively atmosphere of a wealthy family, which made the two stunned. They followed Zhang Taowei to Zhang Chen's study without making a sound, pointed to the lighted study and said, "My eldest brother is in there, just go in."

Zhang Taowei finished his words and left with the lantern. Wang Chong and Zhou Qiucheng looked at each other, and then Wang Chong came forward and knocked on the door: "Sir, I am Wang Chong, and I am here to visit you with the dean of Chongzheng Academy."

Hearing this, Zhang Chen stood up and opened the door. He glanced past Wang Chong and landed on Zhou Qiucheng: "So you are a distinguished guest. Please come in."

Zhang Chen invited the two into the house and poured them some tea. Then he asked, "What brings you here so late at night?"

At this time, Zhou Qiucheng took over the conversation: "I am Zhou Qiucheng from Chongzheng Academy. The ginseng that you sold that day is of great use to me. I wonder if there is any left. I am willing to buy it at a high price."

"I still have some ginseng, but I'm not short of money now, so I won't sell it anymore." Zhang Chen said.

After hearing Zhang Chen's words, Zhou Qiucheng said sincerely, "As long as you are willing to offer, I will never bargain. Even if it is 100,000 or 1 million taels, I will accept it."

Hearing Zhou Qiucheng's words, Zhang Chen shook his head: "No matter how much money you offer, I won't sell it! If you two are here to buy ginseng, please go back."

At this time, Wang Chong said, "Sir, Dean Zhou's son is waiting for ginseng to save his life. His injuries can only be cured by your ginseng. Please be merciful and sell us a ginseng. As long as you are willing to sell it, you can tell us any conditions. With Dean Zhou's power, we can do it for you. Please be merciful because he has only one son, and he is old and weak, and he has to run around for his son's life."

Zhou Qiucheng also looked sincere at this time, his eyes were red as he said: "My dear, I only have this one son. If you are willing to rescue him and sell the ginseng to me, I will not bargain. You can make any conditions. Please!"

Zhou Qiucheng stood up directly and bowed deeply to Zhang Chen, his words full of sincerity.

Zhang Chen looked at Zhou Qiucheng after hearing this, then put down the teacup and said, "Well, well, since you are so sincere, I will make a condition. If you agree, I will sell you the ginseng. If you cannot agree, you two can go back to where you came from."

Zhou Qiucheng heard this and said quickly: "You go ahead."

"I heard that the imperial court is going to open an inner courtyard in Chongzheng Academy. I am quite interested in mysteries. I wonder if I would be lucky enough to become a disciple of the academy?" Zhang Chen asked, "I only have this one request. If you can satisfy me, I will give you the ginseng directly."

Zhou Qiucheng was stunned when he heard this: "Is that all you want?"

"That's the request." Zhang Chen said.

Zhou Qiucheng smiled when he heard this: "I promise you, there is a place for you in the inner courtyard."

Zhang Chen was stunned when he heard this, and looked at Zhou Qiucheng in astonishment. He didn't expect that the other party would agree so easily: "I heard that the places to enter the inner courtyard of Chongzheng Academy are very scarce. Even the Shen family only got one place."

Zhou Qiucheng was a straightforward person, so he didn't hide anything. He explained, "It's true that the quota is scarce, but who can join the inner courtyard and how the resources are allocated are all up to me, aren't they?"

"The inner courtyard wants to open a school. Whether it recruits fifty or sixty disciples, it has no impact on me." Zhou Qiucheng explained.

Zhang Chen was speechless when he heard this. It turned out that Zhou Qiu was taking advantage of this guy's hunger marketing and was actually plotting against him.

Zhang Chen did not hesitate to hear this. He took out a jade box that he had prepared long ago from a cabinet beside him. The jade box was about a meter long and twenty centimeters wide. He handed it to Zhou Qiucheng: "This ginseng is what you want."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qiucheng opened the jade box. The next moment, his pupils couldn't help but shrink. The ginseng had already taken on a human form. It must have been a thousand years old.

"This is an 8,000-year-old ginseng, and its fingers have evolved." Wang Chong, who was standing by, was a connoisseur. He looked at the palm of the ginseng, and the five fingers were clearly visible. Even the toes on the sole of the foot were clearly visible. The ginseng's facial features were clear and lifelike, like a sleeping baby.

Unfortunately, this ginseng has not yet awakened its consciousness. It is a "deformed product" that Zhang Chen has matured over time and absorbed innate energy to produce. It does not have the conditions to awaken its spiritual intelligence.

"This is too expensive. How can one college quota be enough? Please propose another condition, otherwise I will not feel at ease holding this ginseng." Zhou Qiucheng took a look at the ginseng and quickly closed the box, with a cautious look in his eyes. Zhang Chen looked at Zhou Qiucheng in surprise. This man is a sincere gentleman, an honest man.

If it were someone else, they would be eager to take advantage, but Zhou Qiucheng actually felt that the conditions he offered were not enough, which shows that he is indeed honest and worthy of Zhang Chen's close friendship.

"If you can take care of me in the academy in the future, I will be very grateful." Zhang Chen said.

Zhou Qiucheng held the ginseng in his hand, frowning, and looked Zhang Chen up and down. After a moment, he asked, "Do you have a master?"

Zhang Chen heard this and replied, "I have already become your disciple."

Zhou Qiucheng scratched his chin and said, "You don't have to worship only one teacher. Why don't you worship me as your teacher? I will teach you everything I know without holding back anything. Only this way can I feel at ease. This ginseng is beyond the reach of ordinary things. Only the great path and knowledge I have studied throughout my life can compensate for this treasure."

Zhang Chen's eyes lit up when he heard this. After hearing Zhou Qiucheng's words, he suddenly thought of a brilliant idea: "Sir, if you really feel bad, I have a younger brother, a younger sister, and a junior sister. Why don't you ask them to become your disciples and learn from you?"

Zhang Chen had been a little worried for a long time, thinking that his younger brothers and sisters and Cheng Yu had not received systematic teaching. Although they had acquired supernatural powers, they had not been influenced by culture after all, and their accumulation of foundation for the future was insufficient. Now that Zhou Qiucheng suddenly spoke, Zhang Chen began to have thoughts.

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Zhou Qiucheng showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, and then nodded: "That's fine."

"Then I'll leave it to you, sir." Zhang Chen bowed respectfully to Zhou Qiucheng.

Zhou Qiucheng held the ginseng in his arms, but he still felt uneasy. This was an eight thousand year old ginseng with incredible effects. He always felt it was too hot to hold, so he asked again: "Do you really have no other requirements? You can ask for gold or silver, I will never bargain."

Zhang Chen shook his head when he heard this: "It's just some stuff."

"In that case, send your younger brothers and sisters to the academy tomorrow and let them become your disciples directly." Zhou Qiucheng said.

Zhang Chen nodded, and Zhou Qiucheng took out a jade token from his sleeve and handed it to Zhang Chen: "Go to the academy to find me tomorrow."

Then Zhou Qiucheng said goodbye with the ginseng in his arms. He was concerned about his son's injury and did not dare to delay for even a moment.

Zhang Chen sent the two out of the yard, turned around and walked towards the room where the three children were meditating and practicing. He still had to tell them about the apprenticeship tomorrow. It was just that Cheng Yu's identity was a bit troublesome, but Zhang Chen also had a countermeasure in mind. He now had the power of reincarnation, which could shield Cheng Yu from the Qi.

When Zhou Qiucheng and Wang Chong walked out of the yard, they saw Zhou Qiucheng sitting in a carriage. He said to Wang Chong, "What do you think of this boy?"

Wang Chong didn't even think twice before he said, "You have an extraordinary bearing and great courage."

“This eight thousand year old ginseng is enough to treat a ninth-rank Yang God expert like a beast of burden. Even a tenth-rank expert would fight for it, but he doesn’t care at all. It shows that he is a man of courage.” Wang Chong said.

Zhou Qiucheng nodded when he heard this, agreeing with the other party's words, and then sighed quietly: "I just hope this ginseng can save my life, otherwise it will be too late to save my life."

The two quickly returned to the academy, and then Wang Chong personally boiled the ginseng into soup and gave it to Zhou Qiucheng's son. This was an eight thousand year old ginseng, and Wang Chong was worried about others handling it, fearing that they might accidentally fail to control the heat and ruin the good stuff.

As the ginseng soup was poured into the young man's mouth, the next moment the young man's Qi became stronger at a speed visible to the naked eye. His vitality began to become vigorous, and his spirit continued to grow stronger. Soon, the young man actually opened his eyes.

"It's okay! He's actually okay!" Zhou Qiucheng watched his son wake up, and his breathing became disordered with excitement.

“Dad, I seem to have slept for a long time. In my dream, someone was pulling me and trying to chase me to a dark place. I have been struggling. I am so tired.” The young man on the bed spoke. Although his voice was still weak, his words were clear.

"There is still half a bowl of ginseng soup here. You will definitely recover after drinking it. Come on, open your mouth quickly." Zhou Qiucheng held the ginseng soup and poured it into his son's mouth, with excitement in his eyes.

"Dad, you seem to be much more haggard." The young man looked at Zhou Qiucheng and said with some heartache: "I have made you worry. I am unfilial."

"What nonsense are you talking about, kid? You are also being attacked by the mystery. You don't want this to happen, right?" Zhou Qiucheng comforted with a smile.

(End of this chapter)