Luo Ya had the same idea, so five months ago she approached Mark under a different identity. But Mark was too shrewd, too cautious, and too ruthless, making it difficult to truly obtain evidence against him.
After hesitating for a while, Luo Ya said, "I'm just a deputy team leader in the New York bureau. I don't actually have any operational authority. In the CIA, you could basically say that unless you have some extraordinary achievements, you can't immediately get a high position or a high bonus. Otherwise, it's all about seniority, connections, and having a strong backer. Of course, you can get promoted faster. This principle is the same everywhere. If I want to get promoted, I have to have amazing achievements. Otherwise, there's no other way."
Zhou Xuan thought that Luo Ya was now telling the truth, but there was definitely no way to undo Mark's actions. These people had done it, so there was nothing to regret. However, Luo Ya would definitely not benefit from this. The deaths of Mark and the others would likely cause unrest within the gang, which might be a good thing for the police, but it could also be a bad thing.
Arresting or killing the top leader has the benefit of serving as a warning, but it can also trigger a larger conflict, with subordinates vying for power and interests, and collateral damage being commonplace.
Zhou Xuan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Besides the Mark thing, what else could you possibly do to improve your chances?"
Luo Ya paused for a moment, then said, "Of course there are things like that, but they would be much more difficult and unimaginable than this. The difficulty is too great for me to even think about."
Before Zhou Xuan could even ask her what it was all about, Luo Ya blurted it out herself: "For example, capturing a few terrorist leaders from al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, or uncovering secret high-tech information from abroad—these would be even greater achievements than capturing Mark. But everyone knows that these are practically impossible tasks!"
Zhou Xuan was a little stunned. He didn't want to do any of these things. If it was just helping her catch a few drug lords in New York, that would be fine. But to do spying and steal foreign high-tech secrets, or to catch terrorists, he was just bored. Why would he work for Uncle Sam for free? There are plenty of other things to do.
This girl has dragged me into all this trouble, it's really a headache. If things get really difficult, I might just have to go back on my word and pretend I don't know anything. I'm not doing anything illegal, so what can she do to me? If she really pushes me too far, I'll wipe her off the face of the earth, leaving not a trace, and see if she still dares to cause trouble!
Luo Ya drove her car in a sullen mood. This Zhou Xuan was neither a threat nor controllable. For an ordinary person, it would be easy for her to take action against him if she wanted to. However, Zhou Xuan's identity was not ordinary. As the son-in-law of the Fu family, any problem he had would be a major event. Moreover, if she really wanted to deal with him, with his unpredictable abilities, it would be a headache for her to retaliate.
There's no deep-seated hatred between me and Zhou Xuan; we're not competitors or enemies. There's no need to fall out with him; it's far too dangerous. Unfortunately, Zhou Xuan is too difficult to befriend, so there's no way to deal with him.
That's why Luo Ya was worried. She had wanted to use Zhou Xuan's abilities to help her skip a grade, but unfortunately, getting Zhou Xuan under her control seemed even more difficult than those more challenging tasks.
At the fork in the road, Zhou Xuan waved and said, "This is it, I'm getting off!"
Luo Ya gritted her teeth, stopped the car, and wondered if she should just let him go. But Zhou Xuan ignored her and got out of the car. It was only one street away from Chinatown, so she should get out as soon as possible.
Luo Ya was helpless. She couldn't do anything about this person. If she tried to fight back, he would be even more ruthless than her. Before she could even move, he had already rendered her unable to move. What could she possibly do against him?
Watching Zhou Xuan get out of the car and walk away leisurely, Luo Ya was furious. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly gritted her teeth, got out of the car, and followed behind. Anyway, she had no ideas now. Her undercover operation had failed again, and she was almost raped and dumped dead.
Zhou Xuan didn't notice or use his special ability to detect or defend himself, because he hadn't thought of it at all. So he didn't notice Luo Ya following behind him. After arriving in Chinatown, he felt extremely comfortable looking at those familiar words. He looked around the street and when he saw a traditional Chinese medicine shop, he thought for a moment and then went inside.
The man tending the counter in the shop was an old man in his fifties, a Chinese man. Zhou Xuan was certain he was Chinese because he looked like an Asian. Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine is a national treasure, and not just anyone can understand it and practice medicine.
Seeing Zhou Xuan walk in, the old doctor immediately pushed up his reading glasses and asked in somewhat broken English, "Sir, are you feeling unwell?"
Zhou Xuan smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, I wanted to ask the old gentleman if he had any fresh ginseng, or perhaps he shou wu, poria cocos, lingzhi, or the like!"
The old doctor was taken aback. Zhou Xuan spoke authentic Chinese, and the medicinal herbs he mentioned were all the most famous. It would be difficult to get even one of them, let alone so many kinds.
"You... this is difficult, young man. There are finished products available, but they are all relatively young. Fresh ones are harder to find. However, as long as they are relatively young, it's not difficult. But if you want valuable, highly effective, and very old ones, that's something you can only come across by chance. You can't buy them even if you have money!"
Zhou Xuan naturally knew this. He never intended for hundreds or thousands of years; as long as it was that type, a year or two would be fine.
"Sir, I want any fresh plant, regardless of its age. I want to learn about cultivation. I have nothing else to do in New York, so I want to find something to do. I studied some medicine in China and have a bit of an interest in it!"
The old doctor was taken aback, then laughed and said, "Really? Young man, you've studied medicine too? Hehe, you like cultivation? You've found a kindred spirit, hehe..." As he spoke, he called inside, "He San, come out and watch the shop!"
As he called out, a man in his mid-twenties, presumably from China, came out. He stared at Zhou Xuan for a moment, seemingly unsure of what to do.
The old doctor waved to him, then beckoned to Zhou Xuan and said, "Come, come, come with me to the back and take a look!"
Zhou Xuan followed him with a grin, convinced that the old doctor certainly didn't have any ill intentions towards him.
As the old man led him along, he said, “My surname is He, and my name is He Bingkun. I’m from Changbai Mountain, so I guess you could call me a Northeasterner. My family has been practicing medicine for generations. I’ve been in New York for almost thirty years now. Chinese people in Chinatown all like to see traditional Chinese medicine doctors. There are three or four TCM clinics in Chinatown, and business is pretty good. I’m not saying we make a lot of money, but it’s a stable income.”
As they spoke, they arrived at the backyard. Stepping out of the inner room, Zhou Xuan felt a sense of openness. The backyard was a large courtyard covering more than an acre, filled with countless medicinal herbs. Zhou Xuan recognized some of them, but not others.
"Young man, what's your name?" Dr. He asked Zhou Xuan.
"My surname is Zhou, and my given name is Zhou Xuan. I'm from Hubei. I just arrived in New York a few days ago. My whole family came here and settled down in New York!"
As Zhou Xuan answered, he looked at the medicinal plants in the yard.
Old He was even more delighted and took Zhou Xuan to visit his medicinal herb garden. While pointing and gesturing, he said, "When you're abroad, don't be so formal. Little Zhou, look at these medicinal herbs. I grew them all myself. I also rented a piece of land in the suburbs specifically to grow medicinal herbs to meet the needs of my pharmacy. The area of the medicinal herb garden in the suburbs is much larger, but the most valuable medicinal herbs are in this garden."
As he spoke, Lao He led Zhou Xuan to the other side, where a small patch of land was growing some plants with thin leaves. Zhou Xuan couldn't recognize them and had never seen them before. However, when he smelled these plants, his supernatural abilities brought back the pleasant feeling he had when he smelled He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) before. However, the smell was much fainter, which indicated that these plants had a relatively short lifespan.
However, Zhou Xuan was still delighted. What he wanted was this plant, not how many years it had grown. Although he didn't know what kind of plant it was, it was definitely beneficial to him. There couldn't be many plants that could excite his supernatural abilities. He Shou Wu could be one of them, but the plants in front of him were definitely not He Shou Wu, because they were completely different from what he had seen in the Fu family's courtyard.
While smelling the aroma, Zhou Xuan also probed the other medicinal herbs in the yard to see if there were any that could excite him and grant him his special abilities.
This detection actually worked. In the courtyard, he also smelled two other scents that excited his supernatural abilities, but the concentration was weaker than the He Shou Wu that the Fu family had obtained, so he guessed that the medicinal material was less than ten years old.
One of them even tastes exactly like He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum), so it might be He Shou Wu.
Old He proudly introduced, "This is the Northeast Old Mountain Ginseng variety. It's extremely difficult to cultivate. I spent countless efforts to figure out the trick, and I've only managed to grow a few dozen plants."
It really is ginseng!
Zhou Xuan was thrilled; it was ginseng! Then, looking towards the other two scents, he pointed and said, "Old He, over there, is that He Shou Wu? And the other one... hehe, is it Lingzhi?"
Zhou Xuan saw one of them, and it tasted just like He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum). Moreover, the plant was exactly the same as the one he had seen in the Fu family's courtyard. Needless to say, it must be it. The other thing looked like some old tree fungus, with black patterns. He had seen it in the supermarket before. It was Ganoderma lucidum, but it was younger and a more common type.
Old He asked in surprise, "How do you know them?... Hehehe, it seems you really have studied medicine and have some knowledge. Those are indeed Ganoderma lucidum and Polygonum multiflorum!"
Young people today, let alone learning traditional Chinese medicine, even if they did, wouldn't have much foundation or patience. Chinese medicine is far more difficult to learn than Western medicine. Learning traditional Chinese medicine is difficult, but understanding and cultivating Chinese herbs is even more difficult. Many traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have never even seen a real Ganoderma lucidum, etc.
Zhou Xuan actually recognized Ganoderma lucidum and Polygonum multiflorum, which shows that he really has some knowledge. He might be able to guess Ganoderma lucidum just by looking at it, but Polygonum multiflorum is different. If you don't recognize it, you can't tell the difference. It's a plant, and if you don't know it, you can't guess it just by looking at the leaves and branches. Ganoderma lucidum is easier to guess, since it is a fungus.
Zhou Xuan genuinely didn't recognize it, but he had the advantage of his special ability. Because of this ability, he could sense this type of precious medicinal herb and would become excited when he smelled it, which was why he was able to recognize it.
When Zhou Xuan saw that Old He had planted several plants that he wanted, he thought for a moment before smiling and saying, "Old He, I'd like to make a trade with you, or you could sell me a few. I can offer a high price!"
Old He chuckled and said, "If you really want it, I can give you two. Although this stuff is considered a very precious medicinal herb, that refers to old ginseng that has grown for many years. The same goes for Ganoderma lucidum and Polygonum multiflorum. If it grows for a year or two, or even a few years, its medicinal value is far less. Besides, there are too many artificially cultivated ones in China now. These kinds don't actually cost much to cultivate; they're quite common!"
Old He did not try to extort Zhou Xuan. Instead, he told the truth: Zhou Xuan had just said he was willing to pay a high price to buy it. If Old He offered an outrageous price, Zhou Xuan might still accept it.