Chapter 297: All the white snakes died and Changshou Village will never live long again
Xiaomei's heart skipped a beat. The photo had clearly been developed, and she had lied, so she started to feel a little uneasy:
"It may be a personal preference. Actually, I don't like taking photos either."
Tang Buyi wiped his mouth elegantly and looked at Ye Xiaomei calmly:
“It’s not a preference.”
"..." Is it so obvious that you are going to say something? Ye Xiaomei pulled the corner of her mouth awkwardly:
"This non-spicy beef brisket hotpot base is pretty good, right? These vegetables and meat are already cooked. I was afraid that the vegetables would wilt, so I put the vegetables in at the end before leaving."
Tang Bushi had a sly look in his eyes and smiled indifferently. His clear eyes seemed to penetrate Ye Xiaomei's body, mind and soul.
Ye Xiaomei's heart shuddered, as if a fine needle was piercing through her heart.
She subconsciously touched her chest and quickly put her hand down.
Tang Bu Ci then retracted his gaze and said, "Let me tell you a little story, a story about the Black Toad Stone."
Ye Xiaomei was startled again. This was the main thing Ye Xiaomei used to cure his leg disease.
"There used to be a longevity village where the average life expectancy was over 100 years old. There was an ancient red maple tree that was over a thousand years old. There was a black toad that was not poisonous when it was alive. After being petrified, it produced toxins in its body to protect itself. It then slept in a cave at the root of the tree, waiting for the day of resurrection."
Ye Xiaomei swallowed a mouthful of saliva. The sudden change in the situation caught her off guard.
He wouldn't have discovered my medicine and wanted to bargain for the 150,000 yuan I took.
If she were asked to pay him back 150,000, Ye Xiaomei didn't have that much money. She had already spent 40,000 to 50,000 on opening the hot pot restaurant, designing the hot pot, purchasing the goods, and all the other things.
Tang Bushi was making tea slowly as he spoke. An indescribable fragrance wafted out. Ye Xiaomei had never smelled such a fragrance before.
It smells like jasmine, but it's not jasmine because it's mixed with the fresh scent of roses and grass.
"This black toad has become extremely poisonous after it was petrified, or faked its death. However, this poison can cure diseases and save lives. Moreover, snakes have always eaten toads, but this black toad stone will not be eaten by snakes and can even cure snakes."
Ye Xiaomei's pupils shrank. "Can you cure snakes?" Ye Xiaomei regretted it after saying it. Can't you cure people too? Ye Xiaomei thought of the scene in the photo and simply shut up.
"That's right. So, the black toad stone, the white snake, and the red maple tree have formed an ecological cycle that helps each other. The white snake lives on the red maple tree and protects the black toad at all times. Even after the black toad turns into black toad stone, it also needs to be protected to prevent it from being dug up and stolen. After being petrified, the black toad stone will stay nourished by the liquid from the roots of the red maple tree, and emit a toxic gas to drive away poisonous insects to ensure that the red maple tree is not eaten, and it can also treat the white snake's own toxins."
When Ye Xiaomei listened to Heizi's story, it was not as detailed as he said. He just mentioned that the black toad stone had a high medicinal value in Changshou Village, so it could cure common bone diseases, so the people there were very long-lived, that's all.
Later, Ye Xiaomei also learned from Mr. Xie that there is a saying among the older generation that people’s legs age first, but the kidneys are responsible for the production of energy in the bone marrow, and black color enters the kidneys. Black toad stone enters the kidneys to produce marrow and treat bone diseases, so the average life expectancy is longer than that of people in ordinary places.
Seeing his indifferent expression, Ye Xiaomei also relaxed her guard: "And then?"
Ye Xiaomei was in no hurry to drink tea. Instead, Tang Buci finished a cup of tea and filled it up again for himself:
"Later, many people knew about this natural law: to dig up the Black Toad Stone, one must kill all the white snakes on the tree. So later, some people in Changshou Village began to collude with outsiders for profit, and the maple tree was burned by some unscrupulous merchants who resold herbal medicine.
The white snake died, and later, without the white snake to protect the Black Toad Stone, it was dug up and cleaned up in just a few years. Without the protection of the black toad, the roots of the red maple tree quickly rotted.
Ye Xiaomei looked at Tang Buci with a dull look: "Have you finished killing them?"
"Well, there was a rumor among the people that where a white snake is found, a black toad stone will appear. So some people started looking for white snakes after failing to find obsidian."
Tang Bushi put down the teacup, and Ye Xiaomei could even smell the aroma of his tea from his breath.
Ye Xiaomei picked up the teacup and took a sip thoughtfully.
This fragrance is really hard to describe. If it is jasmine, it does not have the rich fragrance of jasmine, but only its fresh fragrance. If it is rose, it will have that kind of fragrant aftertaste after entering the throat.
"What kind of tea is this?" Ye Xiaomei was curious. The tea he had always offered her was all this or that expensive tea. This was obviously some kind of scented tea.
"Thousand-year-old red maple leaf."
"..." Ye Xiaomei took a breath of cold air. What on earth did he want to say?
"Yes, it's true that I used the Black Toad Stone to cure your leg disease. I think you should have known this a long time ago." Ye Xiaomei didn't want to be dodgy and make herself feel uneasy, so she might as well say it directly.
At worst, I can tell you about developing the photos later.
"Everyone knows that wherever the white snake appears, there must be a black toad stone."
He repeated what he had just said.
Ye Xiaomei frowned and looked at him. She didn't understand why he said the same thing twice.
Suddenly Ye Xiaomei remembered that she had developed the photos.
I cursed in my heart with gritted teeth, knowing that this girl was a cunning person. She must be testing me in this way. Yes, it must be like this.
Ye Xiaomei lowered her head and almost bit her back teeth to pieces. She suddenly raised her head and looked directly at Tang Buci:
"What's the point of you telling me so much? I did use the Black Toad Stone to cure your illness, but I don't know what it has to do with the fact that the Black Toad Stone can be found when the White Snake appears."
She had to be tough. Ye Xiaomei now had a new respect for Tang Buci. The mystery surrounding him was even more intense than when they first met.
If he were to be exposed, would he kill people to silence them? Yes, he would never admit it.
Tang Buci looked at Ye Xiaomei sharply, and the two of them seemed to be fighting a war without the smoke of gunpowder.
After at least two minutes, Ye Xiaomei realized that her back was sweating and she blinked to pretend to calm down:
"Why aren't you talking?"
Tang Buci then retracted his gaze and said, "The hot pot is delicious."
"Haha, of course." Ye Xiaomei laughed loudly twice. She thought that this would resolve the conflict, but who would have thought that Tang Buci didn't even say a word to cooperate. He just looked at Ye Xiaomei indifferently. The look in his eyes was as if he was looking at a fool.
Tang Buci patted the armrest of the wheelchair, and the wheelchair automatically turned around and slid towards his study:
"I believe your hot pot can dominate the city, but it's just the hot pot market. Please remember this in the future. I have never been in the limelight since I was a child. If it weren't for the beautiful way you dressed up yesterday, I would never have attended your opening ceremony in public."
"Huh..." Ye Xiaomei let out a long breath, feeling as if she had survived a disaster. She quickly picked up the teacup, drank it in one gulp, and poured herself another cup.
He opened the lid of the teapot and peered inside with one eye narrowed.
I found that the brewed tea actually contained maple leaves, but after being soaked in boiling water, the leaves turned deep red.
Ye Xiaomei suddenly felt a chill on her back.
——The rhizome juice of the red maple tree can provide nutrients for the black toad after it is petrified. The black toad stone can repel insects and protect the red maple tree. The white snake lives on the red maple tree and relies on the black toad to dilute its own venom.
However, the business model made the Black Toad Stone disappear.
“So, Changshou Village is no longer Changshou Village.”
Ye Xiaomei cried out in surprise, but it was too late when she wanted to cover her mouth.
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