Chapter 205 — A Tree Full of Yellow Pears
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
Shen Mu took out a seed from among the imperial palace's spirit medicines, lifted a brick in the main hall, and revealed soil beneath it like jade. "Of course you can. But this gu has one drawback: if the gu worms grow hungry, they will eat healthy flesh and blood. So those who take the worms must feed them fresh blood every day. And as time passes, more and more Vermilion Countenance Gu accumulate within the body, and the fresh blood they must be fed each day grows greater and greater."
He opened the Taotie Bag and took out some water from Jade Dragon Lake, pouring it on. "Grandpa Alchemist said that in the land of the Five Miao there are often ravishing women who seduce strong young men. After the pleasure, the man is left with nothing but a husk, having died a romantic's death, every drop of his essence and blood drained dry — for those women had gathered all his blood to feed their Vermilion Countenance Gu."
The Lame Elder shuddered.
After Shen Mu watered it, the mound of soil swelled, and a tender sprout pushed up out of the earth, growing taller and taller, rising at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The youth circulated the Profound Body Three Cinnabar Art, walking ceaselessly around the little sapling in the main hall, unleashing the Creation Earth-Origin Art from the Great Nurturing Dark Demon Scripture. With a hand seal that shifted unpredictably, he pressed it toward the little sapling; his palm and his leaping fingers had scarcely touched the sapling's leaves before they sprang away again.
When the sapling's branches and leaves were touched by his palm or his fingers, they gave off a ding-dong sound, like the notes of a zither — a lovely melody rising through the main hall.
Shen Mu's steps wove in confusion as he used the Creation Earth-Origin Art to hasten the little tree. When it had grown to the height of a man and more, it began to put forth buds, tender green leaves one after another.
Then flower buds emerged one after another, and the flowers opened — a whole tree of snow-white pear blossoms.
"The Vermilion Countenance Gu has a poor reputation. When I went to the Academy storehouse to buy this just now, the Director there even asked me what I meant to use it for. That Director said that some of the wives and daughters of the princes and ministers in the capital are fond of this thing, and certain noble consorts in the palace as well. So the Imperial Medical Office improved the worms, so that these Vermilion Countenance Gu can no longer reproduce on their own."
Shen Mu's feet did not stop, nor did his hands; his hand seals shifted like Guanyin plucking at her fingers, and each pluck gave out a dong, like a pebble dropping into a still lake.
The pear blossoms on the tree withered, and a whole tree of green pears grew — dainty things, only the size of a finger.
But under the shifting of his hand seals, the green pears gradually swelled.
"Physician You also made an Insect-Expelling Pill to kill the gu worms. When the Vermilion Countenance Gu endangers the body, one can take the Insect-Expelling Pill to slay the gu and expel it from the body."
Shen Mu shifted the Creation Art and pressed on with ripening the green pears; the pears on the tree had already grown to the size of a fist. "Just now I had the Director of the storehouse fetch me one Insect-Expelling Pill, and I examined it. This Insect-Expelling Pill uses only ordinary medicinal materials, yet it sells for an exorbitant price — a single one costs more than Imperial Preceptor Jingping earns in a month. That Director said Physician You became the richest of all the imperial physicians by means of this miraculous pill, rolling in wealth!"
The Lame Elder's eyes lit up. "Physician You? Rolling in wealth?"
The pears on the tree turned yellow, giving off a fruity fragrance.
Shen Mu picked several and tossed them to Old Master Huo and the Lame Elder. The two elders each tasted one, their mouths full of fragrance, and could not help exclaiming in praise.