Chapter 3258 Exclamation
Zhou Man sat down, and the young monk next to him poured freshly brewed tea for the two of them.
Master Naro picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. "When I was in India, I often heard that the eastern state of Jin produced fine tea. Merchants from the eastern state of Jin would bring tea and sell a single box for a fortune. It wasn't until I arrived in Jin that I realized that the tea I used to drink in India, which was said to be excellent, is nothing here."
Zhou Man smiled and said, "When a product has gone through risks to reach its destination, its value naturally increases. Besides, rarity makes things valuable. If Master Luo Er enjoys tea, I have some Mengding Shihua at home. They're fresh and tender, with a rich, lingering sweetness. Whether you add scallions and ginger to make tea, or brew them plain, they're delicious."
Master Naro: "I heard that this tea is a tribute and is not available on the market."
Zhou Man nodded, "My family's property was a gift from His Majesty."
Master Na Luoer smiled slightly, "Your Excellency is indeed extremely favored by the Emperor."
"No, no, I'm far inferior to the Master," Zhou Man said with a smile. "I heard that since entering the Imperial City, the Master has been able to often accompany the Emperor and discuss the art of immortality with His Majesty. Even our Dean cannot match him in this regard, let alone me."
Master Na Luoer didn't want to discuss this with Zhou Man, but Zhou Man quickly said, "Master, I still have many questions about elixirs and the art of immortality in the palace yesterday. I came here today to discuss this matter."
Master Na Luoer said calmly, "Regarding the refining of the elixir, since it involves the secrets of our Indian Buddhist sect, I'm sorry I can't answer."
"I'm not asking about the refining method, only the ingredients," Zhou Man said. "Master, you know that your Majesty's health is a matter of great concern to the entire nation. Normally, all medicines your Majesty imports must be approved by our Imperial Hospital."
Zhou Man raised his eyelids, stared at Master Na Luoer and said, "Master, please cooperate and fill in all the missing information."
Master Na Luoer smiled slightly and said, "The Changsheng Temple is not under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Hospital."
"But the elixirs sent into the palace belong to the category," Zhou Man insisted, "Not only will the elixirs sent into the palace in the future be examined and approved by our Imperial Hospital, but any missing information from the past must also be supplemented."
Master Luo Er was displeased, "Master Zhou, are you targeting me on purpose?"
"No," Zhou Man said, his expression softening. "Master, although I don't know the difference between the Indian Buddha and the Buddha of my Jin Kingdom, I believe they share the same origin and have many similarities. Many masters of my Jin Kingdom have always wanted to travel to the source of Buddhism to obtain the true scriptures and bring them back for study. I am a good friend of Master Zhiren of the Huguo Temple. I have a connection with Buddhism."
Master Na Luoer: ...This change is a bit sudden.
"So I really trust the Master," Zhou Man said, changing the subject. "But rules are rules. It's useless for me to just believe in them. We follow the rules. If something goes wrong, we have documents to check. It also prevents others from framing us. It's actually a form of protection for us."
Master Na Luoer frowned: "What's the difference between giving a prescription and giving a prescription?"
"Of course there is a difference. I only need the prescription. I don't need the specific ratios, let alone the refining techniques. I absolutely don't want to know." Zhou Man said, "I just want to know whether the medicine used is poisonous and whether the combination will produce poison. Only then can I file it."
Zhou Man smiled and said, "Master, there's no need to suspect that we covet your recipe. Although I haven't refined elixirs like your Buddhist or Taoist counterparts, I've made a lot of pills. I've also seen others refine elixirs and read many recipes. A true recipe has precise instructions for when to add which herbs and how to add them. I can't figure out your recipe just by giving you the list of ingredients."
Master Na Luoer was silent for a moment and then said, "Okay."
He got up and left, went back to the Zen room and took out a piece of paper for Zhou Man. There were words on it that she didn't understand. She smiled slightly and turned her head to look at Daji who was not far behind her.
Daji immediately brought up the medicine box. Zhou Man took out a pen and paper from it. He copied the words on the prescription and asked, "Master, how do you say the name of this first medicine in our Central Plains dialect?"
Master Nara: "...water."
Zhou Man stared at the string of characters for a long time, a look of doubt on his face. "Are your Indian characters really that difficult? The character for 'water' is so long."
"This water is not ordinary water."
Zhou Man sat up straight, staring at Na Luo Er with shining eyes, "Is this what Your Majesty meant by adding tea to the water?"
Master Nara nodded: "Yes."
Zhou Man was very interested. "Your Majesty only mentioned it once yesterday, as the time was short. I wonder what's so special about this water?"
Master Na Luoer glanced at Zhou Man. After lunch yesterday, they left the palace, but the emperor kept Zhou Man. It was said that Zhou Man did not leave the palace until almost sunset. Such a long time was still considered too short?
Master Naluoer, remembering the attitude of the emperor and the courtiers who had always picked on him yesterday, became more cautious and explained succinctly, "This water is only found in India. It's extremely rare and can only be found in a stone mortar in a large mountain. It can melt metal and plants."
"Wow——" It sounds magical, but if it can melt metal, can't it melt the human body?
Zhou Man asked curiously, "Won't it corrode the human body?"
Narashava paused for a moment and then said, "It can dissolve the impurities in the human body, allowing the body to slowly return to its purest state, just as if it had just been born from the mother's womb."
Zhou Man: ...
Then Master Luo Er said seriously, "When Your Majesty can eliminate all the impurities in your body and strengthen your foundation, you will be able to achieve immortality."
Zhou Man swallowed hard, memorized all these words after the string of medicine names, and asked, "Okay, then what is the name of the second medicine?"
"I don't know how to say it in Jin dialect, but Master Zhou, you can call it Ju Lai Luo for now. This medicine is a miracle drug."
Zhou Man got excited when he heard this and asked Keke in his mind, "Have you heard of this?"
Koko: “No.”
Zhou Man asked: "Is there anything magical about this medicine?"
Master Na Luoer said, "Of course, otherwise how could it be called a miracle medicine? It is a medicine that can strengthen the foundation, and it is very rare and difficult to pick."
He said, "It grows in a snake den, guarded by a large poisonous snake, and there are countless small snakes circling under the tree."
Zhou Man shuddered. She was most afraid of snakes.
"Every time you pick leaves, you must shoot them down with an arrow. There are crows waiting on the tree. When they see a large leaf fall, they will fly away with the leaf in their beaks. When the crow flies up, you only need to shoot the crow to get the leaf from the sacred tree. This leaf is the magic medicine."
Zhou Man looked puzzled. "Why would a crow fly away with the fallen leaves in its beak?"
"Even animals benefit greatly from taking the magic medicine. Long-term consumption can lead to longevity."
"Doesn't it live in a tree? You can just stretch out your mouth and take a bite."
Master Na Luoer said seriously, "That is a sacred tree. How dare the beasts offend it? They can only guard it, not steal its leaves."
Zhou Man opened his mouth for a long moment, speechless. Finally, he gave a thumbs-up and said, "Impressive! Master Luo Er must have paid a huge price to obtain these leaves—oh no, these magical medicines."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
