Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 468 The Bark Book

"Master, what are we doing up the mountain? Are we here to cultivate?"

Excitedly, Chenxiang followed Jinlingzi, who was carrying a bamboo basket and holding a wooden staff, as they continued to walk towards the mountaintop.

Jin Lingzi chuckled and said:
"We're going up the mountain to gather herbs, of course. Not to mention that your Uncle Xu's youngest son caught a cold a few days ago, and Aunt Hu just gave birth to her third son and needs to replenish her energy and blood."

"Even including the medicinal herbs left in the school yesterday, there aren't many."

Upon hearing this, Chenxiang let out a disappointed "oh," as if he had lost all his energy in an instant.

"Chenxiang, take this book."

Upon hearing this, Chenxiang saw a thick book with a cover resembling dark green tree bark suddenly appear before him in a burst of green light.

Chenxiang reached out and took the book with a mixture of curiosity and caution. The bark book felt cold and heavy to him as soon as he touched it, and for some reason, it seemed to be 'very old'.
Jin Lingzi laughed:
“Agarwood, don’t underestimate this book. It contains the medicinal herbs of the world and the rare treasures of nature.”

"Go try standing next to the red flowers under that tree over there."

Upon hearing this, Chenxiang, holding the bark book in his arms, obediently walked to the big tree and looked at the few small red flowers hidden in the weeds under the tree.

Suddenly, the bark book in Chenxiang's arms began to turn rapidly on its own, landing on the page where Little Red Flower was recorded.

"Huh!!!"

Chenxiang stared wide-eyed at the scene and exclaimed in surprise.

On the pristine white pages before him, a small red flower swayed gently in the breeze, and below the image were lines of text.

Safflower: A very common mountain herb, it is a widely used ingredient in the preparation of blood-tonifying medicines.

[Appendix: Safflower Dandan Formula, Safflower Powder]

Jin Lingzi watched this scene with a smile.

When he transmigrated to the Three Realms, his soul underwent a mutation, giving him the Heaven-Seizing Hand talent and this system, which helped him countless times.

But ever since he became the Divine Physician Dao Lord and ascended to heaven to serve as an official, he has rarely used the system. After all, with his current level of knowledge and even his understanding of the secrets of the Three Realms, he is no less than a being who knows everything.

However, a few years ago, he created this book, which is similar to his system, based on his talent. If you see something recorded in the book, the book will automatically turn to the page that records that thing, just like now.

This seemed to open up a whole new world for Chenxiang. Clutching the bark book in his arms, he excitedly ran around the mountain.

Jin Lingzi did not stop this scene. He simply followed behind Chen Xiang and dug out the ground to handle the details of each medicinal herb that Chen Xiang found in front of him.

Meanwhile, Chenxiang would hold the book and watch attentively beside him, comparing each harvesting method with the instructions in the book, looking very happy.

Before I knew it, the morning had passed.

The master and disciple descended the mountain. Although Chenxiang did not learn any magic or cultivation techniques from his master, he was still very happy.

Jin Lingzi knew that the most important thing in teaching a child was to first arouse his interest. This would make the process much more efficient and save him a lot of effort.

Chenxiang, after all, has the mind of a young man. It would be absolutely impossible for him to be taught and instructed in cultivation like Liu Yanchang. In Niu Yi's view, the way of Tao is to follow nature and to comprehend Tao from nature.

Otherwise, it would be cruel to make these curious children learn meditation and quiet cultivation, and Chenxiang is not that kind of person. Jinlingzi, upon returning to the school, did not let Chenxiang be idle, but instead called Chenxiang to his room where he brewed medicine.

"Chenxiang, what I'm going to brew is the safflower powder for Aunt Hu. Watch carefully, I'll only demonstrate once, and from now on you'll be the one brewing it."

"How is Aunt Hu's recovery going? That's something that will fall on your shoulders now."

Baihua Village is only so big, and everyone knows each other. If something happens, everyone will know about it in less than a day.

Aunt Hu just gave birth to her third child. It is said that if the doctor hadn't been giving her medicine to prevent miscarriage, it would have been uncertain whether this last child could have been born. Even now that the child has been born, Aunt Hu, who is already quite old, has been bedridden for many days.

Aunt Hu was very kind to the children in the village, and Chenxiang naturally didn't want to see her lying down all the time.

Chenxiang patted his chest and said earnestly:
"Master, don't worry, leave the task of brewing the safflower powder to me!"

After a while.
"Bang!!!"

Upon hearing the loud noise, the children still in the classroom and Liu Yanchang, who was teaching, quickly came out of the room and looked in astonishment at the room that was constantly billowing black smoke.
"This"

Liu Yanchang was also a little confused. Fortunately, at this moment, the somewhat disheveled Taoist priest Jin Lingzi was helplessly pulling Chen Xiang, whose face had also turned into a little flower, out of the room.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I just made a mistake while I was refining medicine and the furnace suddenly exploded. Everyone, go back to your work."

Liu Yanchang took two steps forward, looked at Chenxiang and then at Jin Lingzi, and tentatively asked:

"Master, is everything really alright?"

"It's okay, don't worry."

Jin Lingzi patted Chen Xiang on the shoulder, and Chen Xiang raised his head, looking at him with a pair of big, dark eyes that seemed somewhat innocent.

"Continue?"

Chenxiang nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice. Although the furnace had just exploded and he would have been injured if his master hadn't protected him, Chenxiang wasn't afraid at all; instead, he was full of interest.

With his master around, what is he afraid of?
Jin Lingzi nodded. He did not stop the furnace from exploding and the black ash. Even if it was Chenxiang, he would have to learn a 'lesson' because of this. Many times, experience is accumulated from these constant 'lessons'.

Jin Lingzi was also pleased with Chenxiang's resilience.

Liu Yanchang was speechless as he watched the two figures, one tall and one short, carrying a pile of medicinal herbs and walking out of the school.

Is this how immortals teach their disciples magic?
A moment later, Liu Yanchang shook his head and shooed the noisy, chattering children behind him back into the school.

"Everyone, go back to your studies. The teacher said that the children who read the loudest today will get candied fruit."

"Yes!!!"

Regardless of how the immortal taught Chenxiang, he could clearly see the happy and energetic smile on his son's face, and he was also infected by it.

That smile was something even his own father rarely saw, but after being taught by this immortal, his son had already shown some changes in just one day.

(End of this chapter)