novelapdf Chapter 8 Lingsangzi
Chapter 8 Lingsangzi
Having earned a little money and bought the necessary supplies, the two brothers each carried a heavy basket filled with dried cured meat and salted fish. Behind them, the donkey, though still somewhat sickly, diligently carried rice, flour, salt, and oil.
After all, life on the mountain is tough and things don't keep well, so we can only buy food that can be stored for a while.
The two of them were leisurely enjoying themselves, holding glistening braised ducks in their hands and tearing them apart with relish.
Of course, they wouldn't forget the donkey. As they walked, they would grab a handful of plump soybeans and place them in front of the donkey so it could have some nourishment.
A gentle breeze blew along the way, and it was already evening when they returned to the temple. The two greasy-mouthed and greasy-handed people had carelessly failed to clean themselves properly, and were stopped by a little black cat that kept meowing and scratching at its trouser legs.
The second senior sister sighed softly, picked up Little Black Charcoal, and said, "Those two are heartless. They eat alone outside and forget about Little Black Charcoal in our temple."
Song Quyou and his fourth senior brother exchanged a glance, shook their heads and smiled bitterly. Song Quyou took out a duck from the basket behind him, tore off a leg and handed it to Xiao Heitan.
……
The mountain fog had not yet dissipated by the next morning.
Taking advantage of the cool morning air, Song Quyou carried a basket and went into the mountains and forests, intending to find some wild fruits to change his diet.
However, fruit trees are hard to find in the mountains and forests, and those that bear fruit are even rarer.
After going around in circles, they only found two peach trees, and only three peaches turned red and could be picked. Two of those peaches had already been taken by ants.
Song Quyou stepped on the bluestone slightly higher than the stream. He gently picked an unclaimed wild peach in front of him; its bright red color and sweet aroma were incredibly enticing.
"Young man, would you like to eat some wild mountain fruit?"
Song Quyou turned around and looked in the direction of the sound. It turned out to be the old stone statue leaning on his cane, walking over unsteadily.
Song Quyou stepped back to the shore on the bluestone and chuckled, "I did come out today to pick wild fruit."
"Most of the wild fruits in these mountains are eaten by birds and insects, or they fall off the branches and turn to dust before they are fully ripe, and very few are left behind."
"As you said, senior, I searched for a long time in the mountains before I found this one."
The old stone figure stroked his beard and said mysteriously, "I do know a place where wild fruits grow, and judging by the days, they should be ripe by now."
Song Quyou took a sip of the sweet peach and asked curiously, "Where is the place you mentioned, senior?"
"This place cannot be discussed, but since I have nothing better to do, I can take you there."
"Then I'll trouble you, senior."
Following behind the old man, we walked up the stream, climbed over the low but moss-covered mountain wall, waded in the cool stream water, until we left the forest and arrived at a mountain valley we had never been before.
This mountain valley is quite unique; the surrounding forests seem to deliberately avoid this place, making it stand out conspicuously.
The valley was very spacious, without the crowds of the forest. The lush grass on the ground concealed the winding stream, and a short mulberry tree stood alone in the center of the valley, the only tree there.
"It's that spirit mulberry tree over there. It looks like the spirit mulberry fruits on the tree are ripe."
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, carrying a sweet fragrance that made Song Quyou's mouth water.
Song Quyou walked to the mulberry tree and looked at the tree full of purplish-black mulberry fruits, which were crystal clear and looked like glass in the sunlight.
Pick one and put it in your mouth; it's sweet and sour, leaving a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth. What's even more delightful is that this fruit can nourish the kidney essence, making the dark and abyss-like kidneys even more vibrant and expansive.
The old stone figure had a somber expression, his left hand behind his back, clutching a golden needle. He said coldly, "How is it? Is this spirit mulberry delicious?"
Song Quyou picked a few and handed them to the old man, completely unaware of the old man's grim expression.
"Senior, these mulberry fruits are incredibly delicious, sweet and sour, please try them."
The senior disciple said, "We shouldn't gather everything in the mountains. Let's pick some and leave the rest for the birds and beasts."
The old stone figure was filled with mixed emotions. Looking at the glistening mulberry fruit in his hand, he recalled the difficulty of his birth, the fruits offered to him, and the blessing of peace in the first incense he received.
For an inanimate object to become a spirit, it needs two things: divine intervention and the offering of incense from the masses.
Once they become spirits, their intelligence is weaker than that of ordinary spirits, so these spirits spend most of their time in deep sleep, slowly accumulating power. If they become even slightly more awake now, they will have to make up for it through even longer periods of deep sleep.
Although these kinds of spirits live long lives, most of them eventually lose their intelligence in a deep sleep.
They were born in silence, and they died in silence.
When the old man with the stone statue first met Song Quyou, he realized that Song was a person who had awakened his innate wisdom by consuming the Crimson Sun Elixir. He believed that if he consumed Song, his spiritual wisdom would deepen, his cultivation would advance further, and he would be completely free from the torment of dormancy.
The old stone figure sighed softly, putting away the golden needles from his back. He placed the spirit mulberry seeds in his basket on the ground and said magnanimously:
"I am just a stone statue that has become a spirit. It would be a waste for me to eat this spirit mulberry."
Song Quyou looked down at the old man and held a spirit mulberry fruit to his lips. "Fruit is meant to be eaten. There's no such thing as wasting food. Senior, try this fruit. It's so delicious you'll want to swallow your tongue."
The old man took a bite; it had no taste, only a feeling of water flowing in his mouth.
"Not bad, this stuff tastes much better than rocks and dirt."
"After you finish eating, take the ones from the basket. I'll pick a few more and then we'll leave."
"It's alright, pick them all. This place was left by the old mountain demon next door. He died a few years ago, and his sons are fighting for the position of mountain king. They can't take care of this place, and no birds or beasts can get in. It's a real pity to let it rot in the ground."
"In that case, I will pick them all."
"Pick them all, pick them all, what's left to leave?"
The clusters of ripe mulberry berries on the mulberry tree were put into the basket, leaving only a few shriveled green fruits.
After all the mulberry seeds were picked, the old man and the young man, their mouths purplish-black, disappeared into the mountains.
"Senior, it's getting late, I'll take my leave now."
The stone statue of the old man waved his hand, watched Song Quyou's departing figure, shook his head and chuckled, then turned to find a dry spot and transformed back into a stone statue. However, compared to his previous serious expression, he now looked more kind.
Back at the temple, Song Quyou distributed the Ling Sangzi to everyone, went back to his room, touched the broken teapot on the table, and entered the Emerald Pine Teapot Heaven.
"What brings you here today?"
Song Quyou held a tray full of glistening spirit mulberry fruits. "I know you were born of nature and can live on qi every day, but today I picked some fruits in the mountains. They are very delicious. I brought them here to see if you would like to eat them."
The lark leaped down from the tree, its silver bells jingling. Barefoot, it walked to Song Quyou, picked up a bell, and popped it into its mouth. Its misty eyes gleamed with slyness as it said, "This is too sour. You should eat it."
Song Quyou saw through Yun Que's thoughts and knew that she wanted to keep the fruit for herself.
A gentle smile appeared on his lips. He didn't try to persuade her any further. He picked up a coin, put it in his mouth, sat cross-legged under the tree, cleared his mind of distractions, and calmed his spirit, allowing the vital energy of his internal organs to gradually emerge.
Having consumed too many mulberry seeds today, compared to the other five internal organs' energies which are only the size of beans, the kidney water energy has become much stronger, filling most of the kidneys, and the energy of the five internal organs in the body has become unbalanced.
However, this is actually very good for cultivation. As long as the excess kidney water is transformed in time, one's cultivation can advance by leaps and bounds without any burden on the body.