Chapter 205: A Tree of Yellow Pears
Qin Mu finished organizing the medicinal herbs, prepared the prescriptions, and applied the medicinal concoctions to nourish Horse Grandpa's arm and Cripple's leg. He then went to the Imperial Academy's treasury to purchase some Southern Frontier Gu powder.
This Gu powder was called Vermilion Beauty Gu, a type of incredibly tiny insect. A single one placed before the eyes was invisible to the naked eye and could only be seen with a Heavenly Eye.
After the insects were dried in the sun, they turned into a powder. When they came into contact with blood, they would revive.
He asked Horse Grandpa and Cripple for a bit of their blood each, using the blood to dissolve the Gu powder. The Vermilion Beauty Gu, nourished by the fresh blood, came alive, making the two cups of blood seem as if they had a life of their own.
Horse Grandpa and Cripple looked into the teacups. Their eyesight was extraordinary, so they could naturally see the insects in the blood. In the two teacups, there were tens of thousands of Gu insects, densely packed, a truly frightening sight.
Cripple smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Boy, are you planning to use these insects to treat our hand and leg? What kind of insect is this? Is it harmful?"
Among the villagers, if you were talking about someone fierce enough to scare little girls into crying, the Butcher could only rank second. Ranking first was the Apothecary, who liked to raise flowers, grass, and little insects.
The Apothecary's face was scary, but his insects were even scarier. Cripple was in the habit of stealing things; he had visited everyone's room in the village, even tricking Qin Mu out of his sugar-coated hawthorn sticks several times. But he wouldn't touch a single thing in the Apothecary's room.
Qin Mu had studied medicine under the Apothecary and had considerable knowledge of these insects. Seeing the insects in the two teacups, Cripple couldn't help but feel a creeping dread, a feeling that some villain was trying to harm him.
"Cripple Grandpa, rest assured. The Vermilion Beauty Gu is a type of Gu art from the Five Miao tribes of the Southern Frontier. It poses little harm to the body."
Qin Mu infused the two cups of blood into the blood vessels of Horse Grandpa's arm and Cripple's leg respectively, planting the Vermilion Beauty Gu there. He said, "This Gu is called Vermilion Beauty Gu because women from some sects in the Southern Frontier use it to preserve their beauty, maintaining eternal youth. Even after death, they look lifelike."
"Lifelike after death..." Cripple shuddered, feeling that this Vermilion Beauty Gu was definitely not a good thing.
Qin Mu placed Cripple's leg and Horse Grandpa's arm into a medicinal cauldron, which already contained a cauldron of medicinal soup he had prepared. He said, "This Gu insect can eat dead blood in the bloodstream, dead skin on the surface, damaged mucosal membranes and muscle fibers, broken bone fragments in the bones, and dead marrow fluid in the bone marrow. That's why people who use Vermilion Beauty Gu can maintain their youthful appearance until the moment they die of old age. Grandpa Apothecary said that back in the day, he had several female admirers who cultivated this Gu in their bodies. They still looked like sixteen or seventeen-year-olds, very firm and tight. Grandpa Apothecary said he really liked tight girls..."
The young man looked up with a thoughtful expression. "What does 'tight girls' mean?"
Cripple said, "You're still young. Don't think about such messy things. Can I use it?"
Qin Mu took a seed from the imperial palace's spiritual medicines, lifted a brick in the main hall, revealing jade-like soil beneath. "Of course you can. But this Gu has a drawback. If the Gu insects get hungry, they will eat healthy flesh and blood. Therefore, people who use this Gu need to consume fresh blood daily to feed them. Moreover, as time passes, the number of Vermilion Beauty Gu inside the body increases, and the amount of fresh blood needed daily also increases."
He opened his Gluttonous Beast Bag, took out some water from Jade Dragon Lake, and poured it onto the soil. "Grandpa Apothecary said that in the lands of the Five Miao, there are often beautiful women who seduce strong young men. After a night of passion, the man is left as nothing but an empty husk, a romantic ghost, drained of all his vital essence and blood. These women harvest all their blood to feed their Vermilion Beauty Gu."
Cripple shuddered again.
After Qin Mu watered the soil, a small mound bulged, and a tender sprout pushed its way out of the earth, growing taller and taller at a visible rate.
The young man activated the Tyrant Body Three Elixir Technique, circling the small sapling in the main hall. He unleashed the Creation Earth Origin Technique from the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, his hand seals changing unpredictably as he pressed them towards the sapling. His palm and dancing fingers would bounce off the leaves the moment they touched them.
The branches and leaves of the sapling, touched by his palm or fingertips, emitted a tinkling sound, like the notes of a zither. A beautiful melody echoed through the main hall.
Qin Mu's steps were erratic as he used the Creation Earth Origin Technique to stimulate the sapling's growth. The sapling grew to the height of a man and began to sprout, tender green leaves unfolding one after another.
Then, flower buds appeared, and the flowers bloomed, covering the tree in snow-white pear blossoms.
"The reputation of the Vermilion Beauty Gu isn't good. When I went to the Imperial Academy's treasury to buy this stuff, the Director there asked me what I planned to use it for. That Director said that some noble ladies in the capital like this kind of thing, and even some imperial consorts in the palace use it. So the Imperial Medical Institute improved the Gu, making these Vermilion Beauty Gu unable to reproduce on their own."
Qin Mu didn't stop moving or his hands. His hand seals changed, like Guanyin flicking her fingers. Each flick of his finger produced a *dong* sound, like a pebble falling into a calm lake.
The pear blossoms on the tree withered, and the tree was covered in small, green pears, only the size of a fingertip.
But under the influence of his changing hand seals, the green pears slowly grew larger.
"Imperial Physician You also developed an Insecticide Pill to kill the Gu. When the Vermilion Beauty Gu threatens the body, you can take the Insecticide Pill to kill the Gu and expel them from the body."
Qin Mu changed his Creation Technique, continuing to ripen the green pears. The pears on the tree had grown to the size of a fist. He said, "Just now, I asked the Director at the treasury to get me an Insecticide Pill to examine. This pill uses only ordinary medicinal herbs, but it sells for an exorbitant price. Even a month's salary of the Yan Kang National Teacher isn't enough to buy one. That Director said Imperial Physician You became the wealthiest of all imperial physicians by relying on this pill, filthy rich!"
Cripple's eyes lit up. "Imperial Physician You? Filthy rich?"
The pears on the tree turned yellow, emitting a fruity fragrance.
Qin Mu picked a few and tossed them to Horse Grandpa and Cripple. The two old men each took a bite, their mouths filled with fragrance, and couldn't help but praise it.
"Little Divine Healer, what kind of spell is this, conjuring up these pears?" Horse Grandpa asked.
Qin Mu looked embarrassed and said, "Horse Grandpa, don't tease me. This is the Creation Earth Origin Technique from the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra that Granny passed down to me."
"The Creation Earth Origin Technique?"
Horse Grandpa and Cripple exchanged glances. Cripple muttered, "I've seen Granny Si use the Creation Earth Origin Technique. Old Lady Si used this technique to refine her Yang Spirit. At high noon, with her five hearts facing the sky, she would absorb the essence of the sun's fire. Billowing clouds of fire would surge towards her, a truly frightening sight. It was clearly a top-tier demonic technique. Old Lady Si used this technique to burn quite a few people to death. It doesn't seem to be the way you're using it..."
Qin Mu was stunned. "Did I learn it wrong?"
Horse Grandpa said, "You didn't learn it wrong. Your technique is very pure. I suspect Old Lady Si took a more aggressive path. The Yang Spirit nourishes all things; logically, it should be used this way."
Qin Mu picked a few more yellow pears, broke them in half, and put them into the medicinal soup. He said, "I'm using the Vermilion Beauty Gu to remove the already necrotic parts of the arm and leg. After they are removed, I will use medicine to force the Gu out of the body. The Gu won't harm your limbs. These yellow pears are also a medicinal ingredient, an enhancer, to stimulate the potency of the other medicines. But if you eat them plain, they taste good and have no medicinal properties."
His skill in the medical arts surpassed even Imperial Physician You's. Physician You used the Insecticide Pill to poison the Vermilion Beauty Gu. After the Gu died, they would remain inside the user's body and be slowly expelled.
Qin Mu, on the other hand, used medicine to make the Gu insects crawl out of the body on their own, leaving no trace behind.
The medicinal soup he brewed also contained ingredients to invigorate blood circulation, stimulating the vitality of Horse Grandpa's arm and Cripple's leg. Once the conditioning was complete, he could reattach their limbs.
Qin Mu picked the remaining pears from the tree, filling a whole basket with yellow pears. Then he uprooted the pear tree and placed it in the courtyard.
He called Fox Ling'er and Dragon Qilin over and distributed the pears to them. Fox Ling'er tasted one and praised it endlessly. Dragon Qilin also ate a lot. Even though it wasn't a Crimson Fire Spirit Pill, this Dragon Qilin devoured them with great relish.
"This guy needs to go on a diet."
Qin Mu stared at the Dragon Qilin, thinking to himself, "If he keeps eating like this, I doubt he'll be able to step on fire clouds and fly anymore."
Cripple couldn't sit still. After staying at Qin Mu's place for half a day, he started clamoring to go out for a walk. Horse Grandpa, worried he might run into the Yan Kang National Teacher, went out with him.
Cripple had always respected Horse Grandpa the most, holding him in a mix of awe and fear, so he couldn't refuse. The two of them went out again. Qin Mu wasn't too worried about their safety.
The Yan Kang National Teacher was also quite seriously injured. If he ran into Cripple, it might not necessarily be Cripple who came out worse.
Besides, Horse Grandpa was the most level-headed person in the village. With Horse Grandpa around, Cripple wouldn't do anything reckless.
A few days later, the Imperial Academy students who had gone to the front lines returned. During this trial, they had faced the Hongshan Sect's demon summoning, the Nine Nether Gate's soul recall, and the Corpse Immortal Sect's corpse control in Lizhou's Yongjiang River and Lu County.
Afterwards, they encountered General Filial Piety and Righteousness leading a rebel army in a surprise attack. This battle caused the loss of thirty percent of the Imperial Academy students who had gone for the trial. These were the elite of the elite, a heavy loss.
The Imperial Academy students on the trial were almost completely wiped out in the darkness. Fortunately, the subsequent army of the Yan Kang Kingdom, led by the National Teacher, pushed across the Yongjiang River. General Yu Yuan Chu Yun, combining the power of all the generals, killed the summoned demon god and pushed back the gate to the underworld in the river.
The Vice Prefect of Lizhou, Yu Yuan Chu Yu, led his army across the river, fiercely resisting General Filial Piety and Righteousness. The two armies engaged in a bloody battle on the river surface. Yu Yuan Chu Yu and Yu Yuan Chu Yun combined their swords, and the sun set over the Yongjiang River. At that moment, a sword sun half-sank into the river in the middle of the current. Countless sword lights burst forth from the setting sun in the river's heart, killing countless rebels. Warships fell from the sky, and corpses rained down like rain.
General Filial Piety and Righteousness was forced to retreat and flee.
Only after Yu Yuan Chu Yu and Yu Yuan Chu Yun's army crossed the river did the great chaos in Lizhou subside.
Later, when the Imperial Academy students were counted, it was discovered that the losses were severe. Even several Directors had died in the battle against the demon god while trying to save the students.
Afterwards, many students followed the Directors across the river to suppress the rebellion. It wasn't until the National Teacher returned to court that these students ended their trial and returned to the Imperial Academy, which was why they arrived a few days later than Qin Mu and the others.
The loss of so many Imperial Academy students was a fault that Gu Li Nuan could not escape. He therefore submitted a memorial to the Emperor, confessing his guilt. The Emperor docked his salary for six months and demoted him to the fourth rank, but he still retained control of the Imperial Academy and was not dismissed from his post.
Gu Li Nuan ordered the compilation of the list of fallen soldiers, hoping to see Qin Mu's name on it. Unfortunately, it wasn't there.
After compiling the list of fallen students, he immediately went to the palace to see the Emperor. On the way, he met an imperial eunuch heading towards the Imperial Academy with an edict. Gu Li Nuan quickly asked, "Eunuch, are you going to the Imperial Academy to deliver an edict?"
The eunuch laughed and said, "Congratulations, Lord Gu. The Imperial Academy's Doctor of the Imperial Academy has rendered meritorious service in quelling this rebellion and protected the students under his command. His Majesty has ordered me to deliver the decree, promoting him in rank!"
Gu Li Nuan's face stiffened, and he said awkwardly, "This is merely his duty. Why reward him for it?"
The eunuch said, "His Majesty said that some people can't even do their duty properly. This time, he plans to kill a few chickens to scare the monkeys."