The oppressive power of heaven and earth inspired Ge Yong and Banan, who are now in seclusion. Only Alina and Ruan Lingling are active alongside them. Lin Yao, with nothing to do, helps the children practice their skills while waiting for Xiao Cao to painstakingly clean out the medicinal herbs hidden on her body.
Three days later, the grass sprouted its first tender leaf. Lin Yao couldn't understand what it was, as it was clearly a young fern. The pinnae on the rachis were still symmetrical, which was the same as the characteristics of fern leaves, but the shape and posture of the pinnae were completely different. What should have been thin, flat pinnae of varying widths had turned into filamentous tendrils.
The true tunica albuginea on the back of the fern's pinnae have disappeared, replaced by dense pores on the filamentous tendrils. These are definitely not spore-producing sites for the plant's reproduction; they have now become "storage rooms" for medicinal and poisonous gases. Just thinking about the dense medicinal and poisonous gases on each of the tendrils on the leaf axis sends chills down Lin Yao's spine. If these "pinnae" could extend out of the body, treating illnesses and saving lives would be a piece of cake. How much medicinal and poisonous gas must be hidden in those miniature Sumeru spaces?
The only thing that made Lin Yao feel gratified was that the leaves of the grass were very beautiful, like many whisks tied together, and the soft emerald green tendrils were like filamentous green algae swaying in the water. It was indescribably beautiful, and Lin Yao was mesmerized by it.
"Little grass, can your leaves stick out of your body? I think they can store a lot of medicinal energy there." Lin Yao was in a great mood and asked questions without hesitation.
“Call me Sister Pearl!” Little Grass corrected Lin Yao’s address indignantly. “I’ve remembered, my name is ‘A Pearl on My Head,’ so you have to call me Sister Pearl from now on!”
Ah! Lin Yao was shocked. A bead on his head—could the little grass be a magical creature transformed from the elixir bestowed by the Queen Mother of the West in the legend of Shennong?
"Sister Pearl, what was your former master's name?" Lin Yao was eager to know Xiao Cao's background, so he immediately changed how he addressed her.
"Let me think." The little grass tilted its head as if it were thinking, even the tendrils on its leaves were all folded to one side. "It's called Shi Nian, hmm, it should be called Shi Nian."
"Ah!" Lin Yao was truly shocked this time. "Shennong! You used to be with Shennong? Then you are the elixir of immortality bestowed upon the mortal world by the Queen Mother of the West!"
"How would I know? Anyway, I used to live inside Shi Nian's body. Shennong had never heard of me, so I called myself 'A Pearl on the Head'." Xiao Cao didn't investigate Lin Yao's statement; she was trying hard to recall the past, which was very difficult.
Lin Yao immediately realized Xiao Cao's identity. She was the legendary elixir that Shennong ate. He had searched for this information online when he was memorizing the Pharmacopoeia, and the legend of "longevity herb" was particularly memorable to him.
Once, Shennong was gathering herbs deep in the mountains when he was surrounded by a group of venomous snakes. The snakes pounced on him, some coiling around his waist, some his legs, and some his neck, determined to kill him. Outnumbered, Shennong was bitten and fell to the ground, bleeding profusely and his body swelling. He cried out in pain, "Queen Mother of the West, come quickly and save me!" Hearing his cries, the Queen Mother immediately sent a bluebird carrying one of her life-saving antidotes to circle and search the sky. Finally, the bluebird found Shennong in a forest. Upon seeing the Queen Mother's messenger, the bluebird, the snakes scattered in fear.
The bluebird fed the elixir to Shennong, who gradually awoke from his coma. Having completed its mission, the bluebird gracefully returned on a cloud. Shennong was overwhelmed with gratitude and loudly thanked the bluebird. However, when he opened his mouth, the elixir fell to the ground and immediately sprouted into a green herb, with a red pearl at its tip. Shennong examined it closely and saw that it was exactly like the elixir. He tasted it, and all the pain in his body vanished. He happily exclaimed to himself, "I have a cure for snake bites!" Thus, he named this herb "A Pearl on Its Head." Later, pharmacologists named it "Tall-Leaning Grass."
The titles of Shennong and Yandi were likely bestowed by later generations to commemorate Lieshan Shi Nian, who made great contributions to leading people to create agriculture. The "pearl on the head" that the elixir of immortality transformed into is obviously a small herb. Perhaps because the herb could not reproduce, later generations named another herb "pearl on the head," which is "longevity herb."
“Sister Pearl, I think it’s better to call you Little Grass.” Lin Yao immediately found an excuse not to use an ambiguous term of address. “There’s another herb called ‘A Pearl on the Head,’ which is a common herb. If you have the same name as it, you’ll be in a good position.”
After much deliberation, Xiaocao finally agreed to Lin Yao's suggestion and chose the name "Xiaocao" again, which made Lin Yao feel relieved and that he had taken a gratifying step in resisting the temptation of Xiaocao's voice.
Good heavens! Legend has it that Shennong died after eating "Heartbreak Grass." Could it be that there are medicinal herbs that Xiaocao (a character in the novel) can't eat? I'll have to be careful from now on. Lin Yao felt a sudden pang of fear, realizing his life was in danger. He immediately consulted someone about this life-or-death matter, "Xiaocao, did Shi Nian eat a medicine called 'Heartbreak Grass' and then die from poisoning?"
“No, Shi Nian encountered the ‘Dai’ in the mountains by chance. Upon seeing the ‘Dai’, he developed basic intelligence and wanted to possess it, so he ate it. However, he didn’t expect the ‘Dai’ to be so poisonous that even Timu and I couldn’t resist it. In the end, Shi Nian used his great power to drive us out of his body. I don’t know what happened after that, but I guess he must have died. The ‘Dai’ is not something that just anyone can subdue; it’s very poisonous.” Xiao Cao spoke in a storyteller’s tone, but her slightly trembling voice showed that she was still shaken, indicating that the being called “Dai” was extremely powerful.
"What if the 'hawk' also parasitizes someone? Will it cause us trouble?" Lin Yao's first reaction was one of fear of death.
“No, no one can withstand the parasitism of ‘Dai’, not even Chi You. ‘Dai’ is too poisonous. It can only survive alone in dark corners, where no other living creature can survive.” Xiao Cao gave a clear answer, which put Lin Yao’s mind at ease.
Having asked all the questions he needed to, Lin Yao fell silent. He needed time to process this news. Little Grass was actually Shennong's partner. What was he then? Could he be compared to Emperor Yan?
Shennong, also known as Emperor Yan, led humanity into a new era alongside Emperor Huang, which is why Chinese people now refer to themselves as descendants of Yan and Huang. I never imagined I'd receive the same treatment as my ancestor, having a small plant parasitizing my body. By that logic, calling the plant "elder sister" wouldn't be appropriate, let alone "ancestor."
The thought that suddenly arose was deliberately suppressed by Lin Yao. He should still call her Xiaocao. Who told her to have such a seductive voice? His sisters might accidentally get into trouble. Did he really want to fall in love with a vague and ethereal supreme being? The thought was too tragic. Lin Yao was not willing to live his life like that.
Just as they were thinking about this, a sudden, heart-stopping aura came, and the grass instantly spread its roots all over Lin Yao's body. A flurry of noise came from the room. It was Yi Potian who released a Heaven-level aura, which startled everyone. Although this aura was much weaker than it had been a few days ago, it still caused Xiao Guli and Nannan to cry.
"Stop! What are you showing off for? Trying to scare people here?" Lin Yao shouted and rushed towards the outer room.
The astonishing momentum came to an abrupt halt when Lin Yao's voice rang out...
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Chapter 132 Mass Advancement
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The Heavenly Realm expert, having awkwardly withdrawn his imposing aura, could no longer show off. Instead, he had to apologize to the two frightened children and two women. Although this apology consisted of only a nod and a few words, it completely erased the face of the former head of the Yi family, a master among masters.
There was nothing he could do. He had acted impulsively and did something childish, showing off. He couldn't afford to offend the family of Doctor Lin, so he had no choice but to accept the loss of face for a Heavenly-level expert.
Yi Potian was very self-aware, but he also felt a little resentful. After being a living dead person who couldn't even take care of his own bodily functions for more than five years, how could he not have the mentality of a child after being liberated?
"Congratulations, Elder." Lin Yao cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, like a martial arts master offering his congratulations. He was secretly envious; this guy could actually fly! Soaring freely in the sky was something to be envied.
"Mr. Lin, all of this is thanks to you. The Yi family would like to invite you to become a Supreme Guest Elder, so that you can freely mobilize the Yi family's manpower and resources from the Elders down." After apologizing, Yi Potian went straight to the point, eager to win over Lin Yao.
They had already investigated Lin Yao's background, and the fact that he had no connections put the elders at ease. They figured that giving him the power to freely mobilize the Yi family's resources and manpower would not be a problem at all.
"This..." Lin Yao hesitated slightly. He knew nothing about the affairs of aristocratic families, and he had no idea what this identity and responsibility would bring him. "Elder, let's talk about this later. Congratulations on your advancement to the Heavenly Rank."
"This is all thanks to Mr. Lin. I know that after advancing, I was completely ruined, even more severely than when I went into a qi deviation last time. If it weren't for Mr. Lin's intervention, the Yi family would never have produced another Heaven-level expert." Yi Potian was an unpretentious person, and Lin Yao liked his style of doing things. "Please don't blame me, sir. I couldn't help but choose to advance ahead of schedule."
“It’s alright, sir. You’ve suffered for many years.” Lin Yao nodded in understanding. After witnessing the Yi family’s training, he was deeply impressed by their perseverance. He vividly remembered the scene of those seven or eight-year-old children with tears streaming down their faces, gritting their teeth and persisting.
"Sir, is there any way to save the lives of the Yi family elders? Two of them will be turning fifty this year." Yi Potian bowed solemnly. After advancing to the Heavenly Realm, his entire appearance and spirit underwent a complete transformation. Now he looks like a middle-aged man of about forty, with an extraordinary demeanor. He should be able to cross the fifty-year limit and reach the age of sixty-six. However, the rest of the Yi family, especially the two elders, have already begun to spend their final days on their sickbeds.
"Elder, barring any unforeseen circumstances, you can live past the age of sixty-six. Your exact lifespan will depend on your future cultivation progress. I can assist with the treatment of the other elders, but we need to prepare more medicinal herbs. In addition, I need the Yi family's support to do a few things." Lin Yao didn't stand on ceremony and directly stated his conditions.
However, he was somewhat annoyed. The grass was now absorbing the medicinal energy at a slower rate than the other party was providing it. The holes on the filamentous leaves were filled with medicinal and poisonous energy. This medicinal energy came from ordinary medicinal materials. Of course, "ordinary" was relative to the medicinal materials supplied by the Yi family. The effect of stored medicinal energy on the grass was worse than that of direct absorption. Therefore, the best medicines were to be absorbed and digested by the grass as soon as possible, while the lower quality ones were stored, like snacks that were always on hand.
The poison gas also originated from these medicinal herbs. As the saying goes, every medicine has some toxicity. Almost all medicinal herbs are poisonous. This incidental toxicity was absorbed and stored by the grass, laying the foundation for Lin Yao to become a qualified "assassin." In fact, it was a preparation for self-defense.
"It seems I'll have to stay in Changbai Mountain for a while," Lin Yao thought to himself. He was so reluctant to leave behind the endless medicinal herbs here. This place was simply a paradise for the little grass. As long as he could see her talking and sleeping happily every day, he couldn't leave easily.
"Please make a move, sir!" Yi Potian, who was shocked by Lin Yao's words, came back to his senses. He knew what it meant to be over sixty-six years old. It meant that he would have more time to break through to a higher realm. The Yi family could then restore its former glory, return to the ranks of the four great families, and even regain its status as the number one family.
Thinking of this, even Yi Potian, who was usually calm and composed, trembled all over. The fate of the Yi family members was in Lin Yao's hands. How could he not be eager and excited? "Zong Shen will do whatever Mr. Lin asks, even if it means sacrificing his life."
Lin Yao was taken aback. Yi Potian's words were far too weighty. Not only did he use a courtesy name to refer to himself, but he also made such a promise. Lin Yao knew the weight of a promise from a Heavenly-level expert. This was already the highest honor he could receive.
After pondering for a moment, Lin Yao looked into Yi Potian's eyes and said, word by word, "Elder, you flatter me. I will do my best. However, I need to study the 'Yi Jin Jue' technique."