Chapter 111: Turning Danger into Safety

  The bandit's machete left a deep wound on Hu Qiang's back, and blood immediately gushed out. Seeing Hu Qiang being stabbed, Xiao Ping was finally satisfied and rushed towards the bandit, knocking him down with one punch. The bandit, who had been hot-headed, only then reacted and realized that the balance of power between the two sides had reversed, let out a loud cry and dropped his machete before running away.

  In fact, Xiao Ping never really wanted to chase after that guy, he was just pretending to scare him off. In his opinion, the guy who had heavily retaliated against Hu Qiang was quite lovable, and had helped him vent his anger, so why bother to drive others away? Under Xiao Ping's "escort", the bandit also performed exceptionally well, quickly disappearing into the woods after darting around in all directions.

  Xiao Ping was also afraid of getting lost in the mountains, so he quickly returned to find Mao Wengui and the others. Everyone stayed where they were waiting for Xiao Ping, and when they saw him return, even Mao Wengui couldn't help but cheer quietly. Xiao Ping's act of returning to rescue people despite facing enemies with guns earned him everyone's respect.

  The only thing that made Xiao Ping a bit unhappy was that Hu Qiang's luck wasn't bad either. Although the knife cut deep, as long as he stopped bleeding in time, it wouldn't be fatal. Mao Wengui's two accomplices were helping Hu Qiang bandage his wound, and this guy was crying out in pain, which also made him suffer a lot.

  Xiao Ping just wanted to use the bandit's hand to teach Hu Qiang a lesson, as punishment for his collusion with Tang Jiaqiang to harm Song Lei. Seeing that Hu Qiang was still so energetic after being stabbed, Xiao Ping couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "Good people don't live long, while troublemakers live for a thousand years!"

  But Hu Qiang was also slashed, and it can be said that he got what he deserved. Xiao Ping would not waste the spiritual liquid on a guy like Hu Qiang, so he just waited for him to finish bandaging himself, then slowly descended the mountain with everyone else to seek help by the roadside. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long before a long-distance bus arrived.

  Everyone had already discussed it, anyway, reporting the case wouldn't catch those people, to avoid unnecessary trouble, it's better not to make this thing public. So everyone just told the driver that they were donkey friends, got lost on the mountain and finally came to the highway, all equipment was lost and someone was injured, please ask the driver to send them to Mengkan County and that's it.

  Anyway, Xiao Ping had the money to buy a ticket, so the driver didn't bother to ask too many questions, treating them as passengers who got on halfway and letting everyone get on the bus.

  When everyone arrived at Mengquan County, it was already dark. Ma Wengqing, who was anxious and impatient, didn't even have time to eat dinner before contacting Shan Hu and others who had set out ahead of them that noon. Fortunately, Shan Hu and the others had a very smooth journey all along the way and were waiting for them in the hotel.

  This good news made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. As long as half of the original stone is here, this trip to Dian Nan will not only not lose money but also make a profit, which can be considered a great blessing in misfortune.

  Having had a lesson, Mao Wengui felt unsafe in Mengkuan County and left for Chun City early the next morning. Xiao Ping naturally didn't have any opinions on this, but Hu Qiang, who was injured, suffered all the way, almost groaning in pain. Xiao Ping wouldn't have any sympathy for this guy at all, instead appreciating Mao Wengui's arrangement even more.

  After a group of people arrived in Spring City, Mao Wengqing finally put down some of his worries. After all, this was the provincial capital of Yunnan Province, and he didn't have to worry about armed robbery on the streets. Mao Wengqing quickly arranged for a vehicle to send the original stone back, but Xiao Ping planned to stay in Spring City for a few more days to see if he could find any saplings of small-leaf purple sandalwood. Since learning that the price of small-leaf purple sandalwood was so expensive, he had wanted to plant some in the Alchemy Cauldron. The newly appeared hillside was empty, and it would be a waste not to make use of it.

  Although Mao Wenqing was also anxious to hurry back, after learning that Xiao Ping planned to stay and find Xiao Yezi Tan, he decided to stay and help Xiao Ping search together. This trip to Dian Nan has made Mao Wenqing owe Xiao Ping a favor, and since Xiao Ping doesn't have anything to ask of him at the moment, Mao Lao Ban, who usually dislikes owing people favors, can only use this method to repay him.

  Xiao Ping did not decline Mao Wenqing's kindness. He knew he was a complete outsider in this regard and had never seen a small-leaf purple sandalwood tree before. If there wasn't someone knowledgeable to help him, it was very likely that he would be deceived and perhaps buy several messy trees as small-leaf purple sandalwood and plant them in the Lian Yao Hu, which would really be a big loss.

  After the cars of others and Yunyuan Stone left, Xiao Ping and Mao Wenqing looked for small leaf sandalwood seedlings all over Chun City. However, this kind of seedling was harder to find than Xiao Ping had imagined, and the two found nothing after searching several nurseries around Chun City.

  Among them, two nurseries claimed to have small-leaf purple sandalwood saplings, but Mao Wengqing saw at a glance that these were just ordinary purple sandalwood and not small-leaf purple sandalwood. The value difference between the two is as big as that between gold-plated and pure gold. If Xiao Ping blindly buys large-leaf purple sandalwood and plants it in the Lian Yao Hu, the loss will be huge.

  For several days in a row, they couldn't find a small-leafed purple sandalwood, which also made Xiao Ping feel somewhat disheartened. On this day, the two went to the most remote nursery but still didn't make any discoveries, finally exhausting Xiao Ping's last bit of patience. He couldn't help but say to Mao Wengqing on the way back to the hotel: "Boss Mao, thank you for accompanying me on this wild goose chase these past few days. I think it's unlikely we'll find that small-leafed purple sandalwood anytime soon, so why don't we just forget about it for now and talk about it again when there's another opportunity?"

  Mao Wenqing had been thinking about the jade rough stones that were transported back, and he had wanted to return for a long time. Xiao Ping's words hit Mao Wenqing's weakness, and he smiled and comforted him, saying: "Everything must be done with fate, and it can't be forced. Maybe next time you come to Dian Nan, you'll easily find the small leaf sandalwood saplings."

  The taxi driver who was driving overheard the conversation between the two and suddenly spoke up, "You two want to buy small leaf sandalwood? I know where there is some, do you want me to take you there?"

  The driver's words made Xiao Ping extremely delighted, and he quickly nodded: "This is great, thank you!"

  The driver's relative had a small nursery on the outskirts of the city. His relatives were the bosses here, but due to municipal construction, the nursery would soon cease to exist. The driver's relatives had sold most of the seedlings, but more than 20 small-leaf purple sandalwood trees were unwanted - this tree takes too long to mature and has no ornamental value, but is much more expensive than ordinary seedlings, making it difficult to find a buyer.

  When Xiao Ping arrived, he found that the small nursery was surrounded by construction sites and there were not many plants left inside, looking a bit desolate. This situation made Xiao Ping's heart sink, feeling that this trip might be in vain again.

  However, things often turn out to be unexpected, and there is indeed a legendary small-leafed purple sandalwood in this inconspicuous seedling bed. As soon as Mao Wenqing saw the dozen or so small trees that were about half the height of a person, he immediately confirmed that these were the tree seedlings that Xiao Ping had been searching for over the past few days.

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  PS: A friendly book recommendation, link as follows:

  The Master of Fragrance Hunting