Shennong nodded and said, "I would never forget!"
After Shennong ascended to the throne as the ruler of all under heaven, he always kept in mind the true teachings of caring for all people in the primordial world. Shennong governed the world with virtue and righteousness. He acted with integrity and selflessness, and was loved and respected by all people. Wherever he governed, the people were diligent without rewards and upright without punishments, and their lives were prosperous and happy.
After humans learned to cultivate grains, much of the surplus food spoiled due to improper storage. Shennong then taught people to capture young animals and birds in the mountains, feeding them with the surplus food, and then slaughtering them once they grew up. This was a win-win situation, both utilizing the surplus food and eliminating the danger of hunting in the mountains. Gradually, people discovered that pigs, cattle, horses, sheep, dogs, and chickens were the easiest to raise, and collectively referred to them as the "Six Domestic Animals."
The emergence of grains and livestock marked the beginning of a new stage in agricultural development for human civilization. By this time, the fruits of human labor were already plentiful.
Forty-seven Shennong ruled the world, and Yuanshi calculated...
When there was a surplus of the fruits of human labor, trade naturally arose, but it was often very complicated. Bartering was not very convenient. At Shennong's suggestion, the minting of coins and the use of coins for bartering led to the rapid development of the human race. However, other things also happened during this period.
Shennong often heard that some elderly and weak members of the tribe occasionally suffered from headaches and fevers that were incurable, and some even died. Even some able-bodied men and women were unable to work and could only lie in bed waiting for their condition to improve. Moreover, these cases were becoming increasingly common. Furthermore, more and more tribesmen were ingesting poisonous substances or being injured by venomous insects or snakes. Although there were records of Fuxi bringing back poisonous creatures from his previous expedition, the tribe's population was growing rapidly, requiring more land. The tribesmen had to burn mountains to create new forests, encountering many unfamiliar plants and trees. Every coin has two sides. While grains provided the tribesmen with more food, those who ate grains were not as healthy as those who ate meat. Therefore, some ailments that were previously harmless were now deadly.
Upon hearing these things, Shennong could no longer sit still. After arranging matters for the tribe, he set out and traveled deep into the mountains. Along the way, whenever he saw any plants or trees he had never seen before, he would use the divine whip given to him by Zhen to strike them and see if they were poisonous or not. He would then record their information. At night, he would ingest the poisonous plants to test their toxicity. Gradually, Shennong discovered that all kinds of poisons had the attributes of the Five Elements. Some powerful poisons even contained a mixture of several Five Elements powers, which was why they were so potent. Shennong observed their properties of cold, warm, neutral, and hot, and discerned their roles as the sovereign, minister, assistant, and envoy. Gradually, he was able to use them to detoxify and even cure diseases. One day, Shennong found a vine-like plant with small yellow flowers in a crevice. He struck it with his red whip and discovered it contained a potent poison. He ate the flower and stem, and soon after, he felt a piercing pain in his stomach, as if his intestines were ruptured. He quickly used his internal energy to neutralize the poison. A moment later, Shennong stood up, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said, "Fortunately, I have the protective magic passed down from my teacher, otherwise I would have died here. I must record this herb and tell my people, lest they mistakenly eat it and die. This herb causes a piercing pain in the stomach, as if the intestines are ruptured; let's call it 'Heartbreak Grass'." After decades of experimentation, he discovered that licorice could treat coughs, rhubarb could treat constipation, and coptis could reduce swelling, among other things.
After decades of experimentation, Shennong had tasted almost all the herbs and plants, and wrote a book called *Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica*. This book elucidates the three categories of medicinal herbs and their properties, the roles of herbs as principal, assistant, adjuvant, and guide herbs in prescriptions, the yin-yang balance, the harmony of the seven emotions, the four natures (cold, hot, warm, cool), the five flavors (pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, salty), and their toxicity. It also covers the harvesting and processing of herbs, methods of decoction, and the relationship between herbs and diseases. Finally, Shennong also included the alchemical techniques he had learned from Daoist masters. When he finished the book, Shennong suddenly felt a sense of emptiness and clarity, realizing that he had achieved the Great Dao, and all that remained was to pass on the art of alchemy and find the next successor to the human race.
Upon returning to Chen County, Shennong began teaching his people medicine. He discovered that some illnesses developed rapidly, and by the time the medicine was ready, the patient was already near death, rendering the medicine ineffective. Therefore, Shennong sought a way to preserve the essence of the herbs, allowing the patient to take them at the onset of symptoms and thus save their life. He pondered this for a long time without success. Then one day, Shennong remembered a pill his teacher had given him when he was poisoned, which cured him. He thought, "Immortal pills are made by immortals from immortal herbs and fruits, removing the dross. Humans should also be able to refine herbs into pills, but my teacher didn't teach me how. Hmm, I must go back and ask my teacher."
Upon arriving at Shennong's residence and meeting Liaozhen, Shennong explained his purpose. Liaozhen, caught off guard, took out a box, opened it, and found a yellow-covered book titled "Classic of Alchemy." Xuantian had foreseen Shennong's inquiry about alchemy and specially bestowed this book upon Liaozhen, instructing him to hand it over to Shennong when he came to ask. This book was meticulously compiled by Xuantian. Although other sages were inferior to Laozi in alchemy, Xuantian was not afraid. After all, Xuantian was from a later era and knew some of the principles of modern medicine. Besides, it was best that Laozi's methods of refining lead and mercury did not circulate among humans. While it might be harmless for a sage like Laozi to consume it, it didn't mean it was harmless for ordinary mortals. If some idiot wanted to become an immortal and concocted some lead and mercury to consume, it would be tantamount to suicide.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com