Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Treasure Gourd?
This small, orange-red sapling has a strange yet beautiful appearance, especially its thick, winding branches, which inexplicably resemble the graceful dance of a celestial being. Fingernail-sized flower buds float leisurely at the tips of the branches, seemingly fleeing in disapproval when approached.
"What a nice smell!" Lin Xinghuo took a step back and supported Master Fang who was about to be intoxicated by the rich aroma.
At the same time, the spirit beasts that had originally paid little attention to this gourd vine also changed their previous habit of avoiding strangers, and actually showed up one after another while Fang Tongjian was still there. The white medicine beast, not much bigger than a cat, was leading the way with its medicine pestle in hand.
Fortunately, the entire West Garden was shrouded in heavy restrictions, and the tree fragrance that was so rich that it intoxicated monks and spirits was tightly locked in the courtyard.
Fang Tongjian was intoxicated, his eyes slightly closed, his expression peaceful, as if he had no idea what day it was.
The same thing happened with the spirits and beasts. In the brief moment that Lin Xinghuo helped Master Fang sit down in the corridor, a large area of the water jade jars surrounding the treasure gourd vines had collapsed. Most of them were furry, a scene even more spectacular than the cats Lin Xinghuo had seen gathering to inhale catnip. Especially since the spirits all had their mouths curled up, looking intoxicated with enjoyment.
The spirits born and raised by nature are in most cases more in tune with the laws of nature than monks. Just by looking at their reactions, you can tell that this little seedling is a good thing.
But the sapling with blue buds and orange branches was not very friendly. If Wu Nian had not been alert and not been deceived by the strange fragrance, he would have escaped from the tree: when the fragrance was extremely strong, the buds of the sapling suddenly half opened, like waving bird wings, and instantly took off with the wind!
Lin Xinghuo looked at the saplings that were tightly wrapped by Wu Nian's water dragons. The scales and hair of the two water dragons were all sharp, and purple light occasionally flowed on their bodies, causing thunder to roar.
"It doesn't seem afraid of your thunder?" This was surprising. Ever since Wu Nian transformed, his bloodline inheritance had been greatly enhanced, and his thunder magic abilities had advanced even further. The divine thunder path he cultivated focused on killing and destruction, imbuing him with a touch of divine might. Now, when he used thunder magic, spirits like Qingji no longer dared to approach, let alone steal a sip from it like this little sapling. Its greedy expression was similar to that of Fox Er, who used to like Ah Nian adding a little lightning pattern to his water to make it numbing and numb.
But now Fox Two can hardly withstand the power of Wu Nian's thunder pattern. The little thing has fallen in love with real sparkling syrup - foreign imported cola soda.
The medicine beast, resembling a small white bull, bashed its head several times with its pestle, finally sobering up a bit from its euphoric trance. It staggered twice on its front hooves, flung the storage box hanging from its neck, and pulled out a two-handled green jade cauldron. This was a companion spirit object condensed after the small medicine beast advanced. It had used up half a room's worth of fine jade as a primer, nearly forcing the family to go mining for stone in the Kunshan Gobi Desert.
Strangely enough, since the appearance of the green jade cauldron, the sapling has become visibly quieter, and it seems to have even shaken a few times?
The medicine beast mooed, and Lin Xinghuo took out some spiritual soil from the treasure bag and poured it into the jade cauldron. The medicine beast pressed her hand with its hoof, and the mooing sound became more and more urgent. Unfortunately, the cow was not very sober yet, and the sound was staggering.
The best spiritual soil? Lin Xinghuo and the Medicine Beast were alchemy partners. Among the spirits that didn't speak human language, Lin Xinghuo understood its cries best. However, Lin Xinghuo possessed very little Xuan-grade, top-grade spiritual soil. This kind of soil could only be accumulated by burning a similarly top-grade spiritual plant with a candle dragon's gallbladder: and that was a top-grade spiritual plant! Even in the ancient times when spiritual energy was abundant, the average Golden Elixir Master wouldn't have many top-grade spiritual soils in their storage bags. They usually saved them to create recipes for alchemists to refine into useful elixirs, and few would be so generous as to burn them to ashes. After all, one more level would elevate them to the rank of "Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures."
The little bit of spiritual soil that had been accumulated over the years was used to help Jinglian produce lotus buds and the treasure gourd vine bear fruit. Now the little medicine beast stood upright and used its two ox hooves to hold down Lin Xinghuo, holding the butterfly pupa bag to prevent her from taking it back. The spiritual soil was poured into the green jade cauldron, and Lin Xinghuo's heart was twitching: if this was added to the nursery, the one-acre yellow-grade top-quality spiritual field in the backyard could be upgraded to the mysterious grade.
Many spirit companion treasures possess spatial properties. A small jade cauldron swallowed Lin Xinghuo's entire bag of spiritual earth, barely reaching five-tenths of its capacity. After Wu Nian, under the command of the medicine beast, planted the bound sapling into the cauldron, the thickest, most intensely colored roots sunk into the soil, reducing the Xuan-grade spiritual earth by another two-tenths. The knotty, bent root was once again half exposed, looking rather pitiful.
But Lin Xinghuo just thought: "It eats so much!" Can he afford to raise it?
The orange-blue sapling had no conscious intelligence, but it was incredibly intelligent. Having taken root in the jade cauldron, it seemed to sense its safety. Its plump, graceful branches swayed twice, and the dark blue buds made a strikingly anthropomorphic "sucking" motion. The buds puffed up, and then, sniffing! In an instant, the intoxicating fragrance vanished. The half-open buds sluggishly closed.
The medicine beast circled the jade cauldron several times, then suddenly swung its tender little horns and knocked against the tree trunk, "Moo!"
In this small world wrapped in the formation restriction, a group of cattle suddenly roared, and the fallen monsters and beasts were all awakened and became a mess.
The moment the sound rang out, Wu Nian blocked both his and Lin Xinghuo's ears with two thick clouds. Lin Xinghuo's head was enveloped by the cloud, revealing only his eyes, a pair of distinct black and white. Lin Xinghuo's first reaction upon regaining consciousness was to look back at Master Fang in the hallway, wondering if the old man, a mortal, would be startled by the terrifying, earth-shattering noise. However, he discovered that the old man was completely engulfed in a cloud the size of a recliner, with not even his eyes visible.
"Master Fang smelled the Soul-Returning Incense, and it'll take him at least a few days to digest it before he wakes up." Beside Fang Tongjian, the fox cubs were also protected by Wu Nian and did not wake up. The eldest fox had regained its fox form upon smelling the fragrance and was now soundly asleep with the second and third foxes.
"Returning Soul Incense? Returning Souls?" Lin Xinghuo repeated, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "This is the Returning Soul Tree! The sacred tree whose 'fragrance of its flowers and leaves can be smelled for hundreds of miles...knocking on the tree produces a sound like the roar of a herd of cattle...collecting its roots and boiling them in a cauldron makes pills called Resurrection Incense...those who have died of plague within three days will be revived by fumigating them'?"
Wu Nian nodded and looked at Lin Xinghuo with a complicated look: in his increasingly clear and complete inherited memory, the Soul-Returning Tree was a treasure that was not in the "Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Illusion" grades, but it was planted by Xinghuo in this Dharma-Ending Year. It was really hard to predict whether such luck would bring good or bad fortune.
There was no physical memory of the Soul-Returning Tree in his inheritance, but a certain ancestor seemed to have traveled all over China to search for this treasure, but until the spirit that was needed to use this treasure dissipated, the ancestor still had not found it... The ancestor was angry and hunted down several dragons, and then his soul was torn apart and his spirit was scattered and buried together in the Ruins Sea.
Wu Nian hadn't recognized it at first, but the strange withering of the Soul-Returning Tree after the medicine beast took out the jade cauldron aroused his suspicion. This strange-looking little sapling was not even afraid of his thunder, so why was it afraid of the jade cauldron used by the medicine beast to boil medicine?
Compared to ordinary natural treasures, those spiritual treasures born from the providence of heaven and earth often possess unique properties that can nemesis. For example, the Soul-Returning Tree can not only intoxicate living beings with its fragrance, but also clasp its leaves against its trunk, awe-inspiring the living... Taking advantage of this moment of intoxication and awe, it can escape without a trace, its flower buds opening like bird wings. Yet, this tiny creature is surprisingly afraid of humans' jade cauldrons. Once the cauldron is brought out, it cannot escape.
The so-called cauldron, a cooking vessel with a flat mouth, a straight belly, and a round bottom, has been used to this day due to its practicality, much like a modern soup pot, and has remained largely unchanged. The jade cauldron, on the other hand, was often used by monks to brew medicinal soups and was also a talisman for the Soul-Returning Tree.
The Medicine Beast, with its extraordinary innate abilities, was the first to recognize the creature as a spirit. Furthermore, Little White Ox's inherited knowledge of the Soul-Returning Tree was even more comprehensive than Wu Nian's. It told Lin Xinghuo that this young Soul-Returning Tree must have just awakened from its slumber and was still a sapling, otherwise it wouldn't have been so easily captured. The tree's rich fragrance could render a spirit cultivator unconscious for forty-nine days, and its resonant sound could damage their spirit, soul, and spirit... Only a green cauldron crafted from the jade essence of the Ruins Sea could refine its roots.
The phrase Lin Xinghuo had just recited, "Those who have died of plague within three days will be revived by fumigation," likely refers to an incense pill made from a still-mature Soul-Returning Tree. It can only bring back to life those who have died within three days. The Medicine Beast pushed its jade cauldron toward Lin Xinghuo, "The Soul-Returning Tree's greatest benefit is to gather the seven spirits, condense the three souls, and reunite the soul."
Lin Xinghuo was shocked and clenched the wooden sign on her chest. On that day, her father sacrificed his seven souls to help the inner elixir absorb all the cultivation of the fox tail. Then the fox elixir and the three souls of human cultivation escaped from the victory coffin... The demon elixir protected in the bones by the fox skull not only protected the spiritual fetus that day, but also took away her father's three souls. The fate of the black fox's top-grade purple elixir to be divided into three parts should be related to the three souls having different destinations.
The celestial soul returns to heaven, the earthly soul reaches the netherworld, and the human soul wanders alone until reincarnation again, at which point the three souls can reunite. However, upon reunion, the seven spirits are no longer the same as before; they are reborn. Therefore, past and present lives cannot be conflated.
So what about the so-called "gathering of seven souls" of the Soul-Returning Tree?
Wu Nian patted her shoulder gently, half-wrapped his arm around Lin Xinghuo, pointed at her brows, and passed on to her the memory that had just been unearthed by the Soul-Returning Tree.
In a moment, a few drops of water splashed on the front of Lin Xinghuo's clothes, leaving a few mottled marks.
The Soul-Returning Tree blooms only once every thousand years. If a living being is lucky enough to absorb the last wisp of fragrance when the flower falls, it can bind together the three souls and seven spirits and gain a new life... and the fragrance that the Soul-Returning Tree usually emits has the ability to gather the seven spirits. As long as the remaining essence is placed in the flower bud of the Soul-Returning Tree, it can slowly gather other fragments scattered between heaven and earth.
Although the time required may be extremely long, it will eventually come to an end.
As long as the person who returns is still the same person as before, it will be fine.
*
Ever since the orange-blue gourd cracked that day, the remaining three small gourds had been silent again, and it seemed like it would take some time. However, the Soul-Returning Tree had already drawn most of Lin Xinghuo's attention. The young monk spent her days either worrying that the Soul-Returning Tree had run away with her parents, or peeking through the slits of the flower buds to see the fox skull inside.
That look is indeed a bit vulgar.
The fragrance of the Soul-Returning Tree has the power to cure illness and prolong life. After Fang Tongjian woke up from the intoxication, his face looked even younger. He must have had some suspicions, but the old man rarely came to the West Garden. He simply borrowed Fang Hui from Lin Xinghuo and exchanged the "painting money" Zhu Yuye given to him by Chou Lan for Fang Hui, and let it carry his senior brother around the courtyard twice.
Rong Bocen was neither amused nor annoyed as he sat on the musk deer. He had never even ridden a donkey in his life and had no idea how to ride. Besides, the musk deer was much smaller than the donkey, and it was wearing a flowery headband, a trendy sight in the countryside. It was obvious that Xinghuo had made it to coax Guoguo. His large and heavy frame was too heavy for a child to crush the mount.
But when Fang Tongjian got angry, Old Rong could only join in the fun. The old man sat on the musk deer's back, his toes touching the ground. After finally walking around the garden, he almost sprained his ankle when he jumped down.
Fang Hui, who was forced to wear a flowery headscarf to cover up his hairpins and rings, also breathed a sigh of relief. The so-called "seeing it can prolong life" means that Fang Hui can give his life span to anyone who sees it. It has already given some life span to that person. There is really no need to ride on its back, it is not a yellow horse!
Again, who could have helped Fang Tongjian? He had the Zhuyu leaves, the rarest of the spirits. While Choulan could be considered a spirit, it had never been picked up by the Feather People, never lived in the Spirit Village, and yet, content with only its little Linglian, it was a stingy creature, never moving or interacting. Indeed, ever since it discovered the many uses of its leaves, Choulan hadn't been as generous as before. Besides its usual offerings to Lin Xinghuo, Fang Tongjian could only trade paintings for some Zhuyu leaves.
When the second yellow gourd was about to mature, Fang Tongjian did not come to the West Garden to watch. Only Lin Xinghuo and Wu Nian's family were beside the treasure gourd vine.
This time all the spirits and beasts who could come were here. It was because they missed the chance to see the Soul-Returning Tree spread its fragrance last time, and wasted an opportunity in vain: the Soul-Returning Tree seedling was still young, and they had to wait for its fragrance to automatically spread, and it was not known how long that would take. The medicine beast said that it would take three thousand years for the Soul-Returning Tree to produce one branch, and a Soul-Returning Tree with nine branches would be considered a big tree.
The small yellow gourd did not split into two halves like the orange gourd. After Lin Xinghuo picked it, the gourd stem at the top actually fell off by itself, revealing the hollow interior of the gourd.
Lin Xinghuo shook the small gourd, and there was a gurgling sound inside the gourd. It didn't sound like gourd seeds, but more like beads or something like that?
"Is this golden moss?" Lin Xinghuo moved closer and asked, staring at the golden moss beads in Wu Nian's palm.
Why would a gourd contain such unrelated ancient spiritual plants as the Soul-Returning Tree and the Creeping Golden Moss? What's the logic behind this? Furthermore, the difference in rank between the Heavenly-rank Soul-Returning Tree and the lower-rank Yellow-rank Creeping Golden Moss is simply too great.
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The author has something to say: Happy New Year! Come on in the new year~
Note:
Soul-Returning Tree: A legendary sacred tree. Similar to the maple tree, striking its branches makes a whistling sound like a drum. It can be made into an elixir of immortality, called the Resurrection Incense.
"Compendium of Materia Medica" states: "According to internal legend, in Juku Prefecture, West Sea, there is a tree called the Soul-Returning Tree. It resembles maple or cypress, and its flowers and leaves have a fragrance that can be smelled a hundred miles away. The roots are collected and boiled in a cauldron to extract the juice, which is refined until it becomes like lacquer, and this is the fragrance that is created." ... Sick people in the palace would recover upon smelling it, and the fragrance would spread a hundred miles away, lasting for several days. Those who had died of plague within three days would be revived by fumigating it, claiming it to be a miraculous elixir that could bring people back to life."
"Records of the Ten Continents" states: "There are many large trees on the mountain, similar to maple, with a fragrance that can be smelled for hundreds of miles. It is called the Soul-Reversing Tree. Knocking on the tree makes a sound like the roar of a herd of cattle, which terrifies everyone who hears it. Cut the heart of the tree's roots, boil it in a jade cauldron, extract the juice, and simmer it over a low fire until it becomes black dough, which can then be made into pills. This is called the Spirit-Shocking Incense, or the Spirit-Shocking Pills, or the Life-Reversing Incense, or the Sandalwood, or the Human-Bird Spirit, or the Death-Repelling Incense. One species, six names for this spiritual creature."
The celestial soul returns to the heavenly path, reaching the spatial heavenly path. The earthly soul returns to the underworld, reaching hell. The human soul wanders among the cemeteries, as the human soul is the flesh and blood that has been passed down through the generations of the "ancestors". Only after reincarnation will the three souls reunite. - Encyclopedia
Cheng Huang: "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Overseas Western Classic" records: In the country of Baimin there is a creature called Cheng Huang, who looks like a fox, has horns on his back and has yellow fur. Anyone who rides it will have his life increased by 2,000 years.
Creeping Golden Moss: According to Youyang Zazu, during the Jin Dynasty, a neighboring kingdom presented a moss plant called Creeping Golden Moss to the imperial court. Its color was golden, resembling countless fireflies gathered together, its body shaped like an egg. If dropped into water, it would spread across the ripples, emitting a dazzling light.
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