Chapter 10 (3)
Chapter 10 (3)
The Flame Emperor, Shennong.
He is one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors from Chinese mythology, the god of agriculture, and the deity who laid the foundation for traditional medicine by personally consuming plants to distinguish between edible ones and poisonous herbs.
Although Shennong eventually died after failing to drink the antidote in time after consuming Heart-breaking Grass, a toxic herb that tears the intestines apart, his spirit of sacrifice allowed future generations to benefit from the knowledge of distinguishing between countless medicinal and poisonous herbs.
The history of Shennong begins in 3218 BC.
In other words, based on the Ming Dynasty, he is a figure from roughly 4,000 years ago.
Of course, myths are just myths.
To begin with, there are many hard-to-believe details about Shennong, such as his body being transparent so he could see which plant had what effect, or that he detoxified countless poisons by drinking tea brewed in hot water.
They say he lived to be 120 years old because drinking brewed tea detoxified most poisons and kept him healthy. If that were true, shouldn't the only diseases in the world be life-threatening critical illnesses, and shouldn't tea shops be replacing pharmacies?
No, even before that, if the myths were true, tea leaves should be one of the most important strategic resources, right alongside salt and sugar.
The general academic consensus is that Shennong is actually the crystallization of knowledge accumulated by countless people who started from zero, sacrificing their lives to distinguish between poisonous herbs, medicinal herbs, and food.
But this world of Pungun Murim chose the setting where Shennong actually existed.
In other words, most of those absurd stories from mythology are real here.
Why am I suddenly talking about Shennong, you ask?
"Found it!"
Because the second fortuitous encounter, the internal energy encounter, is located right here in Shennong's Field.
After crossing the Yangtze River and entering the mountain range located to the southeast of Dongting Lake—which, like West Lake in Hangzhou, is famous for its elegance—I wandered for several weeks to find Shennong's Field.
I checked the shapes of the mountains on the left and right, and even moved a large boulder blocking a cave, but all that was inside was an ordinary, empty space.
Right, the memory is coming back.
Shennong's Field is accessed by passing through a passage beyond the wall in front.
Based on the vivid memory that surfaced, I headed straight for the wall in front of me to touch it... wait, why would I do that?
Just turn back... Ugh! Why am I thinking this... It's hard and annoying, so why bother going to such a place.......
"Uryaaaaagh!"
Kwaang!
Having lost even the concentration to channel my internal energy, I blindly struck the front with a fist poured with raw force.
Fsssss--
At the same time, the wall located in front of me turned to ash and disappeared.
To be precise, the illusion that looked like a wall had been broken.
The reason I was acting like a madman, with my mind going back and forth just a moment ago, is also the reason why this place hasn't been discovered for a long time.
"Wow, I really thought I was going crazy. The feeling of my brain not thinking according to my own will is seriously fucking annoying."
Shennong had installed an illusion to hide the entrance to the field, and a formation that made those who came without permission naturally turn back.
That power exerted a faint influence even outside the entrance blocked by the boulder, so ordinary hunters or herb gatherers wouldn't have felt even the slightest interest even if they passed by this place.
Honestly, if I hadn't known there was a fortuitous encounter here, I would have unknowingly gone somewhere else.
The fact that my brain was thinking thoughts different from my will was creepy in the first place.
But since it's roughly the Ming Dynasty now, doesn't it make no sense that a human from at least 4,000 years ago used illusions and formations?
Well, the bastard who made this probably didn't think too deeply about it anyway.
The proof is that there isn't a single event related to this place.
Perhaps it was designed so that if the illusion blocking the entrance disappears, the formation disappears along with it; the situation where my left and right brains were grabbing each other by the collar like before didn't happen.
As I entered the wall that had disappeared, a pitch-black passage revealed itself, but since I just had to go straight here, there was no reason to light a fire.
As soon as I passed through the passage, what I saw was a wide space large enough for 20 to 30 households to live in, and countless plants growing haphazardly.
This place is Shennong's temporary residence, a warehouse, and a field.
Shennong, who traveled here and there consuming various medicinal and poisonous herbs, realized that different medicinal herbs and plants grow in different climates, so he created a field for medicinal herbs suitable for the humid southern region.
Naturally, it wasn't just Shennong doing it alone; there were others who managed this place.
And once the cultivation method was confirmed, they spread it widely.
The proof of that is the few buildings for residents that are now covered in plants and almost collapsed, which catch the eye.
The managers probably continued to manage this place even after Shennong died, and then died themselves.
"No, wait."
As I looked around, I realized an important fact.
This place, it's perfect for living quietly, isn't it?
Since 4,000 years have passed, the fields would need to be replowed, but even to me, who is ignorant of farming, this land is overflowing with immense vitality.
Whatever I grow here, it will turn out to be top-quality.
There is a stream on one side, and with countless medicinal herbs growing naturally, the energy is incredibly rich.
If I circulate my internal energy cultivation method, I could gain even more energy than usual, right?
First, after tearing down and discarding all the houses, I'll bring wood myself and.......
Ah, making a bath using the stream would be nice, too.
It would be fine to make the toilet so that the stream flows through it to wash everything away.
Besides, the stream is incredibly clean and there are plenty of fish.
The space is enough as well.
Above all, this space itself is protected by a formation, so the only way to enter this place from the outside is the passage I broke through.
Alright, I've decided.
I'll destroy the Heaven-Breaking Association and live here with the females I've obtained.
Unfortunately, since this world is dominated by Confucian ideology, if I have wild sex in broad daylight, they treat me like a dog.
Besides, given my personality, I'll probably make quite a few enemies, so there's a high possibility I'll be branded a lecher and become a Public Enemy of the Murim.
Well, the fact that I'm a lecher isn't a false accusation, honestly.
It might be a little inconvenient, but if I live here, there would be no problem having sex 365 days a year.
As expected, seeing information and feeling the scene are different.
When I only saw the information, I just thought about grabbing the fortuitous encounter and leaving, but once I came and felt it, I'm even thinking about settling down here entirely.
For now, I have to act in the Murim, so let's just confirm that I have such a base.
And just in case, I should check if there are any other habitable areas besides this one.
Having planted my flag on this place as my future 'my home', I pulled out the haphazardly grown grass until I found the shape of the leaves I remembered.
While pulling out the dense grass like that, I found the leaves I wanted.
"Okay, acquired Shennong's Tea Leaves."
In the myth of Shennong described above, it was said that he detoxified and lived a long life by brewing tea.
That is not because the tea itself is superior, but because of the excellent efficacy of the tea that Shennong discovered.
If you brew and drink these tea leaves, all the waste in your body is expelled, your bones and muscles become sturdy, your internal organs themselves are strengthened, and your blocked meridians are opened, leaving you with meridians as clean as a newborn baby's.
On top of that, even if you are poisoned, this alone detoxifies most poisons, and your resistance to poison increases as well.
In other words, it means that the marrow cleansing, which is only possible for high-level masters, is solved by brewing and drinking these tea leaves, clearing blocked meridians and making blood vessels clean.
Detoxification and poison resistance are just a bonus.
However, you must have high tea ceremony skills to see all these effects, and if your tea ceremony skills are low, you will only receive some of the effects just described.
And this is one of the biggest reasons why I raised my tea ceremony skill to 100.
"Heu-heung-heung-heung~ Heung-heung-heung~"
I plucked plenty of Shennong's Tea Leaves, whose appearance I had already grasped.
Since tea leaves are scattered all over the place here anyway, I can pluck as much as I want.
Instead, if I take them as they are, they will rot, so I have to dry them sufficiently before taking them.
Fortunately, this cheat item doesn't lose even a bit of its efficacy even when dried.
I placed Shennong's Tea Leaves on a basket I had prepared in advance and left them in a place where sunlight shines well.
Is this all?
Well, even just these tea leaves are a treasure that Murim people would foam at the mouth to get, but if this were all, there would be no reason to specifically come here.
The real deal is separate.
After jumping high near the stream and checking the surroundings, I found the only patch of land where nothing grows.
The soil in this land is very fertile and good, so it should be normal for things to grow lushly everywhere.
However, the place I found didn't even show signs of weeds with strong vitality.
Only one plant is settled there, and within a radius of 5m around the plant, nothing is able to grow.
That's right.
This guy is hogging the nutrients within a 5m radius, making it impossible for even weeds to grow.
The identity of this guy is the Humanoid Child Ginseng.
The Humanoid Child Ginseng is a rare item that falls under the category of spiritual herbs that increase internal energy in the martial arts world.
Furthermore, this guy is a Humanoid Child Ginseng that has absorbed plenty of nutrients from the fertile soil in Shennong's Field for at least 3,000 years.
If you eat an ordinary Humanoid Child Ginseng, it is a spiritual herb that increases internal energy by half a cycle, or more than one cycle if the compatibility is good.
If even an ordinary one is to that extent, how much internal energy enhancement effect will this guy, who has all sorts of luxurious conditions, give?
The problem is that it has Extreme Yang energy, so there is a risk that even an ordinary master would die if they ate this guy because the harmony of Yin and Yang would be broken.
In fact, some players complained that they ate this guy and couldn't handle it, so their bodies exploded and died, or they became unable to use martial arts that utilize Yin energy.
However, it's different for me.
The Fire Artisan's martial arts and internal energy cultivation method, which have Extreme Yang attributes, are the most compatible with the Humanoid Child Ginseng.
On top of that, if I drink tea brewed with Shennong's Tea Leaves before eating this guy, and consume it with a clean body without a single bit of waste that would interfere?
I, who hoped that there wouldn't be a tragedy where it doesn't exist due to reality correction or someone else takes it, let out a sigh of relief.
Honestly, if I don't have that, I'm truly at a loss.
Of course, even if I train by the book, I have the Peerless Prodigy trait, so if I'm given 8 to 10 years, I can chew up most guys, but to fuck that damn cow-titted bitch, the Sword Empress, I need to get stronger right now.
It's common knowledge that such spiritual herbs lose their power the moment they are pulled out, so having only grasped the location, I drew water from the stream to brew and drink Shennong's Tea Leaves and took a sip.
If it were usual, I would have thought, 'Water is just water, why be picky about the taste?', but now that I have a tea ceremony skill of 100, I could tell that this water is hard water rich in minerals.
It's the water that goes best with black tea, but I'm not sure about Shennong's Tea Leaves.
But if it's water and tea leaves that came from the same land, they have no choice but to be highly compatible.
I immediately took out a small pot and started preparing to brew the tea.
As the water started to boil, I took an appropriate amount of Shennong's Tea Leaves from the surroundings and put them in the cup I was going to drink from.
I poured the hot water all at once, causing a jumping phenomenon where the tea leaves go up and come down.
With the ability of tea ceremony 100, I instinctively feel how much jumping I should cause and how hot the water should be to feel the best taste.
After letting the tea leaves brew a bit more like that, I carefully took a sip.
Slurp-
"Oh? Wow? Huh?"
Having taken a sip of the tea brewed with Shennong's Tea Leaves, I was shocked without realizing it.
I only took a sip of tea, but my head is clearing, my whole body is feeling refreshed, and an illusion... no, a phenomenon where strength is welling up is happening.
Plus, it's delicious!
I can taste a deep and indescribable flavor that is slightly bitter!
With tea like this, I could drink it for the rest of my life without getting tired of it!
There are 10 famous teas in China, which usually refer to teas including Longjing tea that appear in martial arts novels.
Honestly, I don't have a history of having tasted the 10 famous teas, but one thing is certain.
These tea leaves have the power and dignity to make the '10 famous teas' look like 'trash'.
Otherwise, I couldn't have instantly changed my thought that enjoying good tea is 'one of the vanity parades of rich guys'.
There is nowhere else where these Shennong's Tea Leaves exist.
For now, I have work to do, so I will stay for a while and leave, but once the work is finished, I will definitely live here.
And I must cultivate Shennong's Tea Leaves in all the fields.
Bu-geu-reu-reu-reuk!
"Ugh!"
Argh! Suddenly, there's a signal from my stomach!
Is this what it means to discharge waste!
Damn it! Looking at other novels, they just glossed over it with sweat or urine!
I had to squat down until all the waste in my body disappeared while seeing the foul-smelling feces and urine.
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