Water-Refined Huangjing

Zhuangzhi, you'll see more greenery.

Although from a distance, these houses all appear as a hazy expanse of yellow earth.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that many of the walls are constructed using fired square bricks, which have a bluish-black hue, and are supported by wooden pillars.

Each house is surrounded by a fence, where vegetables are grown, and most houses also have one or two trees planted in the corners.

Chu Tianshu paid attention along the way and found that most of the trees resembled loquat, peach, jujube, and soapberry trees.

There are also quite a few that look like walnut trees.

But it can only be said that in a place like the Spirit Realm, even if plants from the real world could survive there, things would definitely change.

The leaves were all wilted and looked dry, and the vegetable leaves were drooping on the ground, almost covered by dust.

The villagers' clothes are so varied that it's hard to pinpoint which dynasty they belong to. Some wear cross-collared wraps, some have slanted buttons, and a few wear round-necked shirts.

Regardless of the style, the fabric is mostly only available in dark blue and white, and the white parts are often yellowed and patched.

If it was a man, he would generally wear loose clothing and have his upper body exposed, while the woman would also listlessly hide in the shade.

They saw the crowd of people praying for rain returning from afar, and were slightly excited, but soon they noticed the three strangers floating beside them with golden flames.

What is that?

"God, God's Child! Could there really be a God's Child?"

Some were bewildered and fearful, but there were also those who were eager to get closer to the crowd and see what the divine child, who had only existed in stories before, was really like.

Find out how this divine child came to be.

The old clan chief noticed the group, cursed inwardly, and gave them a wink.

A dozen or so able-bodied young men nearby immediately rushed towards those people and blocked them all.

These nearly one thousand households each contributed one person when they prayed to the gods for rain.

Only the old clan chief and his granddaughter Lu Yuling went together; one was to lead the ceremony, and the other was to guard the temple and clean it during the ceremony.

At this moment, a dozen or so young men went to block the people, but the crowd behind them misunderstood, thinking that the clan chief was telling them to go back to their homes.

Most of the people dispersed with great interest. Judging from their expressions, once they got home, feeling a bit safer, they would definitely discuss the events of the day at length.

The old clan chief swallowed hard, his expression turning even more unpleasant.

The villagers had absolutely no idea what kind of strange thing the Divine Child was!

But you can't blame them; these people might not even have a single piece of paper with writing on it left in their homes.

In stories passed down orally, too many distorted elements have been mixed in.

Even if they feel a certain reverence for the story, it also gives them a sense of self-importance and a greater degree of recklessness.

Especially seeing Chu Tianshu, a divine son who arrived alone, chatting and laughing all the way, without any fangs or aggression, and not devouring people.

The wariness in their minds is like salt crystals on clothes; it may solidify after the first layer of sweat dries.

It disappeared again after the second application of sweat.

Chu Tianshu witnessed all of this, but felt much more at ease.

These people look so much like the people in my hometown village.

Although they are inhabitants of the Spirit Realm, they share many similarities in accent and customs.

Especially the temperament he just revealed.

People back home are like that too; aside from the necessities of making a living, they easily become lazy in other matters, which then becomes a topic of conversation.

"That's good."

Chu Tianshu thought to himself, a smile appearing on his face.

Besides the familiar atmosphere that made him feel a little warm, it was also for safety reasons.

If he were a newcomer, the indigenous people he encountered would be a large group of neurotic, constantly vigilant, sensitive, and violent individuals.

Or it could be a vast expanse of fortresses, where orders are strictly enforced and rugged terrain prevails.

It would definitely be much more difficult for him to make effective contact then.

After making a decision in his mind, Chu Tianshu no longer lingered on the bamboo chair.

He moved swiftly, floating forward about ten meters before landing on the ground.

In that instant, the four men lifting the pole tensed up simultaneously.

Lu Touqiu suddenly looked up, Lu Yuling, who had been silent the whole way, also gripped a wooden hairpin in her hand.

But the divine child did not attack any household.

His gaze, as he turned his head, seemed to see through everything, yet he merely smiled.

"I've never been to a place like yours before."

Chu Tianshu said, "These things, though simple, are quite novel. I'd like to touch them myself."

The place where he was standing was considered a crossroads in the village.

There is a well here, with piles driven into both sides, supporting a horizontal axle with a hemp rope hanging from it, and wooden wheels like ship rudders at both ends.

By turning the wooden wheel, the hemp rope can be wound up in circles, allowing the large bucket at the end of the rope to be hoisted up to the wellhead.

However, these hemp ropes were so dry that they had developed burrs.

Chu Tianshu touched the horizontal axis and peered into the well; the water level was also very low.

Lu Touqiu stepped forward and continued to lead the way for him.

Chu Tianshu walked along the road, his palm gently pressing against the wall beside him.

Although it is the Spirit Realm, everything here feels like a physical entity, and there is no unusual aura inside, making it seem no different from reality.

However, Chu Tianshu felt that the burden on his lungs was significantly different from when he was in reality.

It's harder to find the breath of life here than in the real world.

It's not because the breath is thin, but because its breath is more diverse and changeable.

As the air flowed into his body, he vaguely felt that what was being absorbed was not oxygen.

Rather, it is a unique component that changes upon contact with the body of a living being, and is beneficial to the survival of that living being.

As the desire to "breathe" intensifies, the efficiency of this special transformation will increase slightly.

When he was in the real world, Chu Tianshu could immediately recognize the aura of the Spirit Realm as soon as it appeared.

Once you actually enter the Spirit Realm, there are subtle differences everywhere, but they are far less concentrated and intense than when the Spirit Realm invades reality.

If someone with even slightly less developed perception were to fall into this situation, they would at most feel that survival was difficult, but they wouldn't be able to discern the underlying cause.

After turning past an old tree planted on the side of the street, the old clan chief's house becomes clearly visible.

A gatehouse built of blue bricks, with high walls extending to both sides.

Within this walled enclosure, there are at least dozens of large houses, three courtyards along the central axis, and houses in the courtyards on both sides, each with its own arrangement.

Lu Touqiu led him into the main hall, where a large mahogany table was already set up.

Perhaps because of the hot weather, the food consisted mostly of pastries and cold dishes, which already filled most of the table.

The original plan was that if the rainmaking prayer was successful today, people would be invited to celebrate; if it failed, the clan elders would need to be summoned to discuss the matter.

Therefore, the clan chief's family had prepared a feast in advance, consisting of the finest grains.

Lu Touqiu glanced at it, his heart filled with unease.

He did want to arrange a better feast, but this was already the limit of his family's resources.

Please have the divine child sit alone in the main seat, while everyone else merely stands in attendance. I wonder if this will satisfy them even slightly.

If all else fails, then there's only one option...

Chu Tianshu's gaze suddenly fell on Lu Touqiu.

After returning home, the man felt a vague sense of harmony about him.

Just like when Flowing Cloud Manor Master tried to play the flute to create a grand atmosphere.

However, Flowing Cloud Manor Master wanted to create was to involve everyone who was watching the battle.

However, this clan leader's aura seemed to be limited to the scope of his own family.

"Please take a seat, Divine Child."

Lu Touqiu deftly pulled out a chair and then walked around to the side of the table.

Chu Tianshu didn't stand on ceremony. As soon as he sat down, he saw Lu Yuling pour him a cup of tea.

Lu Touqiu picked up a pair of ebony chopsticks that were noticeably an inch longer than the others, and used them to pick up a meatball from the very center of the table and place it in the small bowl in front of him.

The dish of meatballs was arranged in three layers, with a total of nine meatballs.

Each one is only the size of a longan, and appears to be some kind of pasta dish, with a tender yellow color and a soft, glutinous texture.

Chu Tianshu smelled the unique fragrance, picked it up and took a bite.

He appeared to be chewing directly, but in reality, his mouth was filled with a thick and resilient layer of internal force.

If this pill contains any ingredients that could harm his bodily functions, then this layer of internal energy would be damaged first.

This is also a little trick for navigating the martial arts world, learned from the classic texts of the Southern Shaolin Temple.

However, even though the monks of Southern Shaolin Temple cultivate a pure heart and a light diet, focusing solely on internal energy cultivation, the internal strength they develop cannot represent the full range of their bodily functions.

Therefore, sometimes, even if they cannot detect something harmful with their internal energy, it may still cause poisoning if they actually ingest it.

Chu Tianshu's internal energy was transformed from Yellow Sprout True Qi, and the Sky-Spanning Divine Art was a first-class internal martial arts technique. The characteristics of his internal energy symbolized all bodily mechanisms.

He can definitely tell if something is harmful to him.

Then I'll spit out this internal energy along with everything else inside.

"Ugh!"

Chu Tianshu took a bite and felt that the surface of his oral cavity was not only unharmed, but also seemed to receive a little nourishment.

He chewed a few more times, and to make sure it was harmless, he withdrew his internal energy. The delicate, slightly sweet fragrance of the grain instantly bloomed in his mouth.

A single meatball made him feel mentally clear.

"This is Solomon's seal extracted from deer bamboo rice. It's prepared according to an ancestral method, washed three times, and then steamed and sun-dried nine times."

Lu Touqiu said, "We, the People of Deer Wilderness, have for generations relied on cultivating deer bamboo rice and rabbit bamboo rice as our staple food."

"Although other families in the Thin Night Continent also grow these things, none of them are as proficient in their properties as we are. And this ' Water Refining Method ' is the one that consumes the most grain and has the most complicated steps."

"We dare not compare with others, but among the five-colored fine grains, our Deer Wilds's Water-Refined Solomon's Seal is definitely among the top tribute items."

Chu Tianshu remained calm, but a sudden realization dawned on him.

So it's Polygonatum!

In the real world, Polygonatum is a plant belonging to the class Magnoliaceae, and it is also a medicinal herb.

Chu Tianshu had tried quite a few when he was a child, but the effects were only so-so.

Even in the commentaries of shamans, Polygonatum is referred to as the "leftover food of Immortal."

It's not about the leftover food of Immortal, but rather that in the process of becoming an immortal from a human, one becomes uninterested in most grains, food, and medicinal herbs.

Polygonatum is the last remaining type of food that even Immortal would appreciate.

The shaman's annotations further mention that there are different types of Polygonatum, such as Deer Bamboo, Tu Bamboo, and Jade Bamboo, and the methods of refining them are complicated and have long been lost.

It turns out that this thing is also a product of the Spirit Realm.

No, it's possible that these things existed in the ancient Human World, but now only the Spirit Realm has produced them on a large scale.

Oh, right, there are quite a few medicinal herbs. If they could be grown in the Spirit Realm and refined for use in reality... Phew!

Chu Tianshu quietly exhaled, calming his emotions, and then picked up another meatball.

This stuff is really comfortable to eat, and it's digested with almost no impurities.

If people could eat this kind of food for all three meals, then they wouldn't need to use the toilet at all.

Minor impurities can be eliminated through sweating.

But this stuff only provides basic nutrition to the body to fill its stomach.

The real benefit lies in its nourishing effect on the spirit.

Lu Touqiu had been observing secretly, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The People of Deer Wilderness are notoriously bad at eating.

According to ancient records, Ghost God once commented that the People of Deer Wilderness were thin and emaciated, and their souls even had a rustic quality.

It tastes like eating grass that has just been pulled from the ground.

Not to mention comparing it to the delicacies of the Human World, even among the species in the Spirit Realm, there are more than 1,300 kinds whose taste and flavor surpass those of the People of Deer Wilderness.

But the divine child is not Ghost God after all, and Lu Touqiu was still worried that his tastes were too broad and he was not picky about food.

Now, they've introduced a delicacy like Water-Refined Solomon's Seal, and pointed out that the People of Deer Wilderness are most skilled at cultivating raw materials using the Water Refining Method.

Presumably, the divine child will spare the village out of consideration for this matter.

Chu Tianshu then tried several other dishes, which were of average taste, and some even contained yin energy.

He didn't eat any more, but just looked out the door.

This place is absolutely a treasure!

The outdoor sunlight grew increasingly intense, and the light and shadow in front of the door became more distinct, with the shadows becoming strikingly dark.

Chu Tianshu frowned slightly, got up and took a few steps, then looked up.

The sun was blazing!

It turns out that there is a sun in the Spirit Realm too.

It turns out that when they came down the hillside, the bright sunshine and scorching temperature were only considered "partly cloudy" weather.

It's sunny now.

The cracks in the parched earth resemble human wounds.

Laugh!!

The villager's sturdy back was grazed by a sharp stone knife.

A huge wound opened up, severing the entire torso diagonally.

On the main road outside the village, on the yellow earth, were splattered patches of blood and mutilated corpses.

Dozens of villagers who had returned from the mountains fled for their lives, screaming for help at the top of their lungs.

(End of this chapter)