Chapter 7: Gathering Herbs
Chapter 7: Gathering Herbs
“Attending the Dragon Flower Gathering at the Peach Banquet, truly…”
Above the sea of clouds, a red-robed figure with fluttering feather garments seemed slightly lost in thought.
The Peach Banquet was a rare grand feast of the Heavenly Court. The Queen Mother of the West was a goddess born from a wisp of Primordial Heavenly King’s energy, she was the Heavenly King’s daughter. That Peach Banquet was extraordinary; those invited were either innate divine demons from various regions or innate great deities. Even the most ancient gods in heaven and earth had attended the Peach Banquet before.
Unless one was a Celestial Divine Demon of the Twelve Dutian realm, it was very difficult to qualify to enter the Peach Banquet.
As a cultivator born from a Human Race tribe, the Peach Banquet was merely a distant hope!
While lost in thought, the red-robed figure’s gaze turned towards the direction from which singing came within the mountain range.
On the mountain ridge, inside a fire pit, Lin Yuan spent a considerable amount of time using his formidable Evil-Warding Golden Thunder to barely forge an iron pot.
Beneath the stove fire, continuous tongues of flame surrounded the pot. An enticing aroma of meat wafted out from the pot, spreading through the mountain forest.
Lin Yuan’s figure moved through the mountain ridges. From within the sea of clouds, a figure watched this scene curiously, witnessing Lin Yuan gather many strange plants, dry them with magic power, and place them into the pot.
“Since you want to look, why not come forward and see for yourself!”
A faint voice echoed through the mountain ridge. Lin Yuan had long noticed Chisongzi’s arrival. His goal was precisely to attract this elder from the Human Race tribe below the mountain!
“Brother Daoist, you possess great talent. May I ask what these are?”
An aura, indifferent and profound, descended as a figure landed. Chisongzi couldn’t help but look at the plants Lin Yuan had gathered in his hands.
“Seasonings!” Lin Yuan casually washed the grass leaves and roots in his hands, used magic power to dry the water from them, and placed them into the iron pot.
“Of course, they are also medicinal herbs. They can solidify vitality, replenish qi, and regulate the body!”
“So that’s it. Are these spiritual objects?” Chisongzi’s gaze shone brightly.
Across the vast Primordial World, precious medicines grew in various Spiritual Mountain Blessed Lands, but the places where these spiritual herbs grew were mostly dangerous, often guarded by strange beasts!
“They are merely two common medicinal herbs!” Lin Yuan shook his head, his eyes fixed on the iron pot over the flames. After adding the two herbs, the aroma grew even richer!
Upon hearing this, Chisongzi’s heart instantly trembled.
In the Primordial World, there were countless tribes, filled with killing and conflict. Even ordinary hunting was incredibly dangerous; the mortality rate among tribal warriors had always remained high!
If a method to treat injuries could be found, it would be a great boon for the tribe and its warriors!
This fellow Daoist who listened to the Dao on Hidden Mist Mountain actually possessed such a remarkable skill.
This was a hidden sage cultivator!
“Brother Daoist, since we have met here, you can be considered a person of fortune. This method of mine for cooking medicinal cuisine is rare in the Primordial World!” Lin Yuan glanced at the somewhat excited Chisongzi, a faint smile inwardly.
Chisongzi was not polite either. He immediately stepped forward, imitating Lin Yuan’s posture, sat on the ground, grabbed a chicken leg, took a small bite. His eyes instantly lit up, and the speed of his hands quickened. The two of them almost devoured the food ravenously; a single young pheasant was completely insufficient for the two of them to share!
After enjoying the food, Chisongzi used magic power to clean the grease from his hands, stood up, walked before Lin Yuan, and formally bowed.
“Chisongzi is shameless, but I beg Brother Lin Yuan to teach me this art of identifying medicinal herbs!”
“Brother Daoist, what do you mean by this?” Lin Yuan raised his head, his gaze directly meeting this Human Race cultivator’s eyes.
“Chisongzi knows this request is presumptuous, but Brother Daoist’s remarkable art may save countless sons and daughters of my Human Race. I hope Brother Daoist will be compassionate and understanding. One day, our Human Race will never forget Brother Daoist’s great kindness and virtue!”
Chisongzi’s expression remained calm. He bowed once more, his demeanor incredibly sincere and moving.
Lin Yuan looked Chisongzi up and down, a trace of amusement rising within him.
This was part of his own plan. To promote the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, he naturally needed an opportunity.
In this era, nothing was better than directly demonstrating the power of medicinal herbs!
The growth of medicinal herbs and the cycle of the four seasons, the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, complemented each other!
Fortunately, he had been exposed to these in his previous life, otherwise it would have been truly difficult to handle!
“Since Brother Daoist has repeatedly requested, I cannot refuse to give you some face! Then let’s make a trip!”
As the words fell!
Boom!
A sudden change occurred overhead!
Two beams of golden light, each the size of a bowl’s mouth, instantly descended from above!
The vast golden light merged into Lin Yuan’s body. His vaguely turbid soul faintly emanated a pure golden light!
It exuded an aura impervious to all evils!
“There’s also Merit?”
Lin Yuan felt this change with astonishment. At this moment, a wisp of heavenly secret emerged from the depths of his soul, and a sliver of joy instantly surged in his heart.
This was the first time the Dao of Gathering and the Medical Dao appeared in the Primordial World. The heavenly secrets of the Primordial World changed, giving birth to corresponding Virtue Merit and Fortune/Luck accordingly.
Lin Yuan was greatly delighted in his heart; this was an unexpected surprise!
Virtue Merit actually descended?
Beside him, amidst his shock, a trace of uncontrollable envy flickered in Chisongzi’s expression!
Virtue Merit was exceptionally rare and always accompanied by Fortune/Luck. With Merit Golden Light protecting the body, whether for cultivation or transcending tribulations, the effort was halved while the results were doubled!
With the protection of Virtue Merit, even those formidable Innate Divine Demons would not dare to kill lightly, for fear of incurring Karmic Burden!
“Congratulations, Brother Daoist!”
A smile flickered on Chisongzi’s face. Originally, he had only intended to seek advice from this Brother Daoist about the Dao of medicinal herbs, but now other thoughts stirred in his heart!
The Human Race tribes were still weak. This person carried no scent of blood, no killing intent or malice. All around him was the pure spiritual light of virtue and morality.
He appeared blessed with deep fortune and extraordinary luck, destined for great achievements in the future. If they could win over a future Great Divine Power in advance, it would mean an extra layer of security for the Human Race tribes in the future!
As the golden light descended, Lin Yuan’s aura showed no fluctuations. This Merit Golden Light did not increase his cultivation realm, but it was a huge protective talisman.
Lin Yuan concealed his joy. The two descended the mountain and arrived at a river bend plain.
The Yunxiang Tribe where Chisongzi belonged looked extremely rudimentary. What provided shelter from wind and rain for these Human Race tribes were dome-shaped houses built from thick branches, which didn’t look very sturdy either.
Most of the men, women, young and old in the tribe wore animal hides, but their physiques looked exceptionally powerful, exuding the fierce aura unique to the wilderness.
Lin Yuan’s gaze was somewhat subtle. He could sense that within the Yunxiang Tribe, there were at least several individuals possessing magic power. However, according to his senses, these few were weaker than Chisongzi beside him, and much weaker than himself, an ancient great demon.
Lin Yuan sighed inwardly, just looking at this Human Race tribe with a somewhat strange expression.
Actually, calling himself a great demon now wasn’t quite appropriate either. He had always considered himself to be human!
Perhaps, terms like human-demon, or demon-human… would be more fitting!
“Elder Chisong is back!”
In the tribe, a strong guard on patrol watch was the first to spot Chisongzi and Lin Yuan’s figures descending from the sky!
Accompanied by a surprised shout, the entire Yunxiang Tribe instantly boiled over!
Young and old from the tribe poured out in a crowd. Soon, the crowd parted, and two elders with clearly special status hurriedly walked out from among the people.
One elder was tall and burly, wearing beast bone earrings. He also carried a bone knife, the symbol of the tribal chief. The other elder had a hunched figure, his face marked with a strange resin-like color. He held a staff, emanating a special, peculiar power.
Their gazes swept over Chisongzi, faces slightly smiling. In an instant, their eyes fell on Lin Yuan beside him. Sensing the vast, surging pressure emanating from Lin Yuan, the expressions of both elders changed slightly.
“Elder Chisong, who is this?”
Chisongzi said with a smile. “This is a Brother Daoist cultivating on Hidden Mist Mountain. Learning that our Human Race tribe suffers countless deaths and injuries every year, he is willing to lend a helping hand to our Yunxiang Tribe!”
Then he turned to Lin Yuan and introduced.
“This is the chief of our Yunxiang Tribe, Yunxiangshi!”
“And the other is our Shaman, Bone Blade!”
The expressions of Yunxiangshi and the other elder had already brightened!
“We welcome the Venerable Deity to become an elder of our Yunxiang Tribe!”
Yunxiangshi was overjoyed, looking at Lin Yuan with a tinge of respect. There were many cultivators on Hidden Mist Mountain. To be so highly regarded by Elder Chisong from the tribe, this was certainly no ordinary cultivator.
The other elder’s reaction was more direct. As the tribe’s shaman, communicating with heaven and earth, Lin Yuan gave him a more intuitive feeling. This was a cultivator whose strength far surpassed his own.
The Primordial World was filled with danger; only cultivators could ensure the tribe’s survival!
The Yunxiang Tribe’s resources were scarce. For such a powerful cultivator to be willing to lower himself to join them was a tremendous blessing!
They conversed happily. Yunxiangshi and the other elder were more than eager for a cultivator to join.
Lin Yuan was also quite satisfied. Although the Yunxiang Tribe was small, it was the perfect entry point to promote the Twenty-Four Solar Terms.
Within a thousand years, to perfect the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Dao Diagram, there was already a glimmer of hope!
Presumably, when he returned to the Main World, he would have another pleasant surprise!
…
Entering the Yunxiang Tribe was much more convenient than Lin Yuan had imagined. At least, gathering various spiritual essences and perfecting the Twenty-Four Solar Terms became much easier. With the help of the tribe’s cultivators, Lin Yuan only needed to absorb and refine.
However, Lin Yuan still somewhat underestimated the time required to promote the Twenty-Four Solar Terms cycle!
His plan wasn’t wrong. Using the cultivation of many medicinal herbs from the Medical Dao and the changes along the time cycle, the initial stage was very profitable. He used this to spread to tribes neighboring the Yunxiang Tribe. Most of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Dao Diagram progressed into the initial success, minor success, major success, and perfection stages, reaching minor success.
But after that, progress slowed considerably.
A thousand years later, standing in a huge stone hall, watching the rising sandalwood incense smoke within, deep within his soul, the faint Merit Golden Light had increased severalfold compared to before.
That dense Merit Golden Light was astounding; the accumulated Virtue Merit from an ordinary Immortal reincarnating three or four times might not even compare to his!
This was thanks to the continuous promotion of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms cycle over the millennium, and the gradual formation of the Dao of Gathering and the Medical Dao!
Lin Yuan’s thoughts shifted, suppressing the regret in his heart. A thousand years of quiet cultivation not only saw the promotion of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms spread widely, but the Reverse to Innate State method had also shown initial success. There should be no regrets.
He only needed to wait for the Twenty-Four Dao Charts to reach perfection, and the Reverse to Innate State method would be completely accomplished, achieving the state of an Innate Being!
Also, over the thousand years, using insights gained from several Dao-listening sessions, combined with the minor success of the Twenty-Four Dao Charts, he had preliminarily completed that “Taixiao Dao Ming Scripture.” His foundation in supreme thunder techniques was immensely solid, nearly perfect.
This was the most suitable Dao foundation for himself!
Just the step of Dao Attainment alone made this journey worthwhile for Lin Yuan.
“Second Elder!”
Upon seeing this figure appear, the tribal guards stationed near the ancestral temple showed looks of respect and fervor.
Over the thousand years, the Yunxiang Tribe managed to stand out among the many small tribes around Hidden Mist Mountain, becoming a fairly well-known major tribe in the area. Most of the credit belonged to the protection of this Second Elder before them. Now, none of the new generation in the tribe were unaware of this Second Elder’s divine powers and methods.
Lin Yuan’s expression remained unchanged. The moment he stepped into a stone chamber within the stone hall, a silver portal instantly appeared above his head. With a flash, his figure was sucked into it!