Shengui Changsheng: Start from Zhenwuwei and add some points to cultivate immortality

When the first autumn frost fell at the Star Sword Sect, a new figure appeared in the herb garden of Puhui Hall.

It was a little girl of about seven or eight years old, with two pigtails and wearing a faded coarse cloth skirt. She was squatting by the Soul-Gathering Flower field, gently poking a half-open bud with her little finger. Her name was Ahe, and she was brought by Aying from Qingshi Town. It was said that her parents had died early and she had been taken in by the town's school. She always liked to follow Aying to look at the herbs.

"Does this flower bite?" Ahe tilted her head up, her eyes like two black grapes, staring at Wang Xiaohu who was weeding.

Wang Xiaohu put down his hoe, shook his head with a smile, and said, "It not only doesn't bite, but it can also cure diseases. If you can't sleep at night, smelling its fragrance will put your mind at ease."

Ahe nodded as if she understood, took a crumpled piece of candy from her pocket, and carefully placed it next to the flower bud: "If I give it candy, will it bloom faster?"

Su Qingwan, who was drying herbs, couldn't help but laugh. She walked over and squatted down beside her: "Flowers don't eat sugar, but they like to bask in the sun and drink water. If you come and water it every day, it might become your friend."

Ahe immediately clenched her little fist: "I'll come tomorrow!"

Aying returned to the Star Sword Sect on Li Gou Dan's behalf. The old doctor in Qing Shi Town had passed away, and the town needed someone skilled in medicine. He wanted to invite Su Qingwan to stay in town for a while to teach some young people how to identify and prepare medicines. "I'm good at teaching children to identify herbs, but I'm always afraid of making mistakes when preparing medicines," Aying scratched his head, his eyes filled with sincerity. "Sister Su's medical skills are excellent. With you here, everyone can rest assured."

"I was just thinking of taking a look at the town's school." Su Qingwan put the dried stimulant herbs into a ceramic jar. "I heard you turned the school's backyard into a small herb garden?"

"Yes, I planted some common herbs so the children can learn by recognizing them." A-Ying smiled a little embarrassedly. "They just don't grow as well as those from Puhuitang; they always attract bugs."

“Then I’ll teach you a method.” Wang Xiaohu walked over carrying a hoe. “Dry the mugwort and spread it on the soil. It can repel insects and also serve as fertilizer. It’s a win-win situation.”

Aying quickly wrote it down and then took out a thick booklet from her bag: "This is my herbal medicine notebook from the past few years. There are some parts I'm not sure about, so I'd like to ask Brother Hu and Sister Su for help."

The booklet's pages were somewhat rough, but the handwriting was neat and tidy. Each page featured illustrations of herbs, with their medicinal properties and usage listed alongside. There were even a few annotations written in red pen, reflecting his own questions. Wang Xiaohu turned to the last page and saw a drawing of a plant he had never seen before, with feather-like leaves and small yellow flowers.

"What is this?" he asked, pointing to the painting.

“It was found on the outskirts of Black Sand City,” Aying explained. “The local elders say it’s called ‘Forget-Me-Not’ and that drinking it as a tea can make you forget your worries. I tried it, and it doesn’t seem to be that miraculous, but it does have a calming effect.”

Su Qingwan leaned closer to take a look, her eyes lighting up: "This is actually 'daylily,' we have it here too, just a different name. It really can calm the nerves, and it can also be used in cooking."

Ah Ying suddenly realized and quickly wrote it down in red pen: "So that's how it is. I thought it was some rare herb."

As they were talking, Little Stone came running down the mountain path carrying a bulging bundle on his back, calling out from afar, "Brother Ying! I brought your medicine hoe!"

He was now a teenager, almost as tall as Wang Xiaohu, but his personality was still as impulsive as ever. In his bundle, besides the medicine hoe, there was also a cloth tiger doll, the very one he had given to Aying years ago, except that one of its ears was missing, which he had hastily sewed back on with red thread.

“My mother said this can ward off evil spirits. Take it with you to Qing Shi Town.” Little Stone stuffed the doll into A Ying’s hands, and then took out a ceramic whistle as if presenting a treasure. “I made this myself. It sounds like the call of a thrush when you blow it. Blow it when you miss us.”

Aying took the doll and the ceramic whistle, her fingertips gently stroking the worn stitches, her eyes slightly warm: "Thank you, Stone."

The night before they set off for Qing Shi Town, the moonlight was exceptionally bright. Wang Xiaohu and Su Qingwan sat on the veranda, watching A Ying explain the herbal medicine atlas to A He. The little girl listened attentively, occasionally pointing to the atlas with her little finger and asking questions, which A Ying patiently answered one by one, her voice as gentle as moonlight.

"Do you think Aying will settle down in Qing Shi Town?" Su Qingwan asked softly, sewing a new cloth doll, a little rabbit, which she planned to give to Ahe.

"Maybe." Wang Xiaohu looked at the herb garden under the moonlight. The buds of the Soul-Gathering Flower were slightly closed in the night, like sleeping children. "The Wang family in town has a daughter. I heard that she always goes to the school to help sweep the floor and is also close to Ahe."

Su Qingwan couldn't help but laugh: "You've really found out."

“Li Gou Dan said it,” Wang Xiaohu laughed, “He said that girl is skillful and made a pair of cloth shoes for A Ying. The stitches are even finer than the cloth dolls you sew.”

Su Qingwan gently punched him, her fingertips carrying a smile. Moonlight fell on the two of them, and the bamboo chairs under the eaves swayed gently, like a quiet song.

The next morning, the group set off for Qing Shi Town. A He sat on A Ying's donkey back, clutching a rabbit doll sewn by Su Qingwan in her arms, her little feet swinging, humming the herbal song A Ying had taught her. Little Stone followed beside her, occasionally telling her interesting stories about the Star Sword Sect, saying that the Soul-Gathering Flowers in the herb garden glowed at night, and that the divine swords on the Sword Tomb sang by themselves.

When they reached the fork in the road, Wang Xiaohu and Su Qingwan stopped. "Let us know when you get to town," Wang Xiaohu said, handing Aying a paper package containing some freshly roasted pumpkin seeds. "Give these to the children."

"Sister Su, here's the medicine grinder you requested. I had Uncle Li Gou Dan prepare it beforehand." A Ying took a stone medicine grinder off the donkey's back and handed it to Su Qingwan. "All the young people in town are waiting to learn how to prepare medicine."

"Don't worry," Su Qingwan said, taking the medicine grinder. "I'll come back after I've taught them how to use it."

Ahe poked her head out from the donkey's back, waving her little hand and shouting, "Uncle Little Tiger! Aunt Su! I'll water the Soul-Gathering Flower!"

"Okay, we'll wait for your good news." Wang Xiaohu waved with a smile. Watching the donkey caravan gradually disappear into the distance, Xiao Shitou suddenly sighed: "Brother Ying is gone, and I'm left to do all the work in the herb garden by myself."

"What are you afraid of?" Wang Xiaohu ruffled his hair. "I'll help you."

When Wang Xiaohu returned to the Star Sword Sect, the sun was past noon. The disciples of the Puhui Hall were practicing their swordsmanship, the wind from their swords sweeping through the courtyard, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees. Wang Xiaohu walked to the Sword Tomb and looked at the seven illusory figures flowing on the Demon-Suppressing Sword. He suddenly felt that the path he had walked and the people he had met over the years were like the light on this sword, seemingly scattered, yet always intertwined, illuminating each other's paths.

Su Qingwan walked over, holding Aying's herbal medicine notebook in her hand: "Look, he has completed the annotations on the forget-me-not and even drew a little yellow flower."

Wang Xiaohu leaned closer to look and saw a small daylily drawn in the blank space of the notebook, with the words "It can calm the nerves, can be used in cooking, and can also remind people of good days" written next to it.

He suddenly smiled. It turns out that forgetting worries doesn't mean forgetting the past, but remembering those warm moments, allowing life to blossom in memories.

The autumn wind swept through the herb garden, and the buds of the Soul-Gathering Flower trembled gently, as if in response to something. Wang Xiaohu knew that this story would continue. Aying would teach the children in Qingshi Town to recognize herbs, Ahe would grow up slowly, Xiaoshitou would take better and better care of the herb garden, and he and Su Qingwan would guard this land, waiting for them to return, to listen to their stories of the town, and those shining days hidden in the everyday life.

Like this soul-gathering flower, blooming and bearing seeds year after year, scattering its seeds to farther places, letting more people know that plants have hearts, and time has warmth; in ordinary days, the most touching legends are hidden. The autumn rain always carries a lingering coolness.

When Su Qingwan returned from Qingshi Town, she brought back a basket of newly harvested daylilies and a letter that Aying had asked her to deliver. The letter said that the young people in the town were already able to prepare some basic prescriptions, and Wang the tailor's daughter had made a new cotton-padded jacket for Ahe. The little girl looked like a round little dumpling in it, and every day after school she would go to water the herb garden behind the school, saying that she would pick a flower when the Soul-Gathering Flower bloomed and give it to Aunt Su.

“Aying also said that Uncle Li Gou Dan’s grandson is one month old and invited us to the celebration.” Su Qingwan spread daylilies out on a bamboo tray to dry, the golden petals glowing warmly in the rain and mist. “He said the baby’s cry was particularly loud, like a little tiger.”

Wang Xiaohu was sitting by the stove roasting chestnuts. The chestnuts in the iron pot crackled and popped, and the aroma, mixed with the sound of rain, filled Puhuitang. "I'll go after this rain stops," he said, picking up a cracked chestnut with tongs, blowing on it, and handing it over. "I'll bring some freshly roasted chestnuts for the children."

Little Stone was watching the rain from the window, twirling the ceramic whistle Ah Ying had given him. Suddenly, he called out, "Brother Tiger! Sister Su! Look who's here!"

In the rain, a familiar figure walked by holding an oil-paper umbrella, his raincoat splattered with mud, and a gray beard peeking out from under his straw hat—it was Master Xuanjizi! Behind him followed a young Taoist boy, carrying a huge cloth bag on his back, walking unsteadily.

"Master Xuanjizi!" Wang Xiaohu quickly stood up to greet him, taking the umbrella from his hand. "Why did you come in such heavy rain?"

Xuanjizi shook the water droplets off his raincoat and laughed, "I heard that Miss Su has returned from Qingshi Town, so I came here specifically to ask for a cup of daylily tea." He pointed to the cloth bag behind him, "This is dried 'Zhenyuan Fruit' that was recently harvested from Wanshou Mountain. It can be brewed and drunk to warm the body, so I brought some for you."

The young Taoist priest untied the cloth bag, which indeed contained some sliced ​​dried fruit, amber in color, with a faint medicinal fragrance. Su Qingwan quickly went to boil water, intending to brew a pot of warm tea with the newly harvested daylilies and dried Zhenyuan fruit.

"Daoist Master, how is Wanshou Mountain doing lately?" Wang Xiaohu moved a rattan chair for Xuanjizi and asked Xiaoshitou to get some roasted chestnuts.

“Very good,” Xuanjizi said slowly as he peeled a chestnut. “It’s just that the Zhenyuan Tree has produced fewer fruits this year, perhaps because there was too much rain last year. However, the Ganoderma lucidum on the back mountain is growing well. I’ll have Aying come and pick some in the spring to nourish the elderly in Qingshi Town.”

He changed the subject, looking at the rain outside the window: "Speaking of which, there's something else I'd like to ask you to do for me."

It turns out that a group of lost mountain people, about a dozen in total, recently arrived at Wanshou Mountain. They said they had escaped from "Broken Dragon Cliff" in the west, where a sudden landslide had buried their homes, and they had wandered all the way to Wanshou Mountain. Xuanjizi wanted them to stay at the Starry Sky Sword Sect for a while, and then find another place to stay in the spring.

“They are all honest people. The men know how to hunt, and the women know how to weave. They just have a few children with them and are afraid of causing you trouble,” Xuanjizi said somewhat embarrassedly.

"What are you saying, Daoist Master?" Wang Xiaohu immediately replied. "There are a few empty rooms next to Puhui Hall. We can tidy them up and they'll be ready to live in. We can have them help look after the herb garden, and we can also teach the children to identify herbs. It's a win-win situation."

Su Qingwan smiled and said, "I still have some fabric there, enough to make a few clothes for the children. If any of the mountain people are feeling unwell, I can also take a look."

Xuanjizi was finally relieved. He picked up the flower tea that Su Qingwan handed him, took a sip, and praised, "Good tea! The sweetness of daylily mixed with the mellowness of Zhenyuan fruit makes me feel at ease."

When the rain stopped, the mountain people arrived. Leading them was a strong, wiry man named Shi Yong, his face weathered but his eyes bright. Behind him followed several women, carrying children and some simple luggage. Upon seeing Wang Xiaohu and his group, they quickly bowed and said, "Thank you so much for taking us in! We won't cause you any trouble!"

The children timidly hid behind the adults; the oldest was no more than ten years old, and the youngest was still in swaddling clothes, their bright black eyes scanning their surroundings. Seeing this, Little Stone took a handful of roasted chestnuts from his pocket and offered them to them: "Here, have some, they're really sweet!"

A little boy with his hair in a topknot hesitated before taking the chestnut, peeling it, and tasting it. His eyes immediately lit up, and he tugged at his little sister's sleeve, whispering, "Delicious!"

Su Qingwan felt a warmth in her heart watching this scene. She led the women to tidy up the empty rooms, while Wang Xiaohu took Shi Yong to inspect the medicinal herb garden, discussing with them how to help turn the soil and water the plants. Xuanjizi and the young Taoist sat under the eaves, stroking their beards and laughing as they watched the lively scene.

At dinner time, the tables in Puhuitang were pushed together to fill a long row. Shi Yong brought a big pot of cured pork stew, Su Qingwan stir-fried daylily, and Wang Xiaohu also brought out roasted chestnuts. The children were initially reserved, but after being pulled by Xiao Shitou to grab a few chestnuts, they gradually opened up, and their laughter mixed with the clatter of bowls and chopsticks made it exceptionally lively.

Shi Yong took a sip of rice wine, his face flushed, and said, "We've lived in Duanlong Cliff our whole lives, and we've never seen such a wonderful place, nor have we met such kind people." He toasted Wang Xiaohu and Su Qingwan each, "If you need any work in the future, just let us know. We're strong enough!"

At night, Wang Xiaohu and Su Qingwan sat on the porch, listening to the laughter of children and the chatter of women coming from the next room, feeling exceptionally at ease. Moonlight shone through the clouds; although the Soul-Gathering Flowers in the herb garden had faded, new branches and leaves sprouted, tinged with a faint green in the night. (End of Chapter)