Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

Wu Xiaoshuan fell to the ground, the bluish-black veins on his chest bulging and writhing like living venomous snakes, and the dark red lines that were faintly emerging under his skin became clearer and clearer.

That cloying, rotten smell permeated the air with his heavy, labored breathing.

"Burning Vein Yin Sha".

A hoarse voice, as if it hadn't spoken seriously in a long time, came from outside the crowd.

Everyone turned their heads.

An old man with disheveled hair and tattered clothes somehow managed to squeeze to the front.

His hair and beard were a mess of tangled mess, and his face was covered in grime. Only his eyes shone with an alarming intensity as he stared intently at Wu Xiaoshuan's chest on the ground, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air.

"The Medicine Maniac Guhe?!" someone in the crowd exclaimed in a low voice, instinctively taking a half step back.

Gu He was somewhat "famous" in Medicine Valley and even the shantytown—he was eccentric, always holed up by the waste fields, and always had a strange smell about him. It was said that he used to be a genius of Danxia Palace, but for some unknown reason, he was demoted and ended up in this ghastly state. Ordinary people didn't want to get close to him.

At this moment, he acted like a cat smelling fish, squatting down next to Wu Xiaoshuan as if no one else was around, and stretching out his dark fingers to touch the bulging veins.

"Stop!" Jiang Tian shouted coldly, taking a step forward, his hand already on the hilt of his sword. "Who are you? How dare you interfere with the Enforcement Hall's investigation!"

Gu He paused, slowly raised his head, glanced at Jiang Tian, ​​then looked down at Wu Xiaoshuan, muttering, "Enforcement Hall... handling cases... heh heh... handling my ass... can't even distinguish between Burning Meridian Yin Sha and Qi Deviation..."

"What did you say?!" Jiang Tian's face darkened.

"I'll tell you," Gu He said, extending his filthy index finger and pointing it lightly at Wu Xiaoshuan's chest, "this is 'Burning Meridian Yin Sha,' a kind of insidious poison commonly used by the outer disciples of the Blood Fiend Sect in the Western Demon Realm for controlling people, extracting confessions, and silencing witnesses. During its refinement, it is mixed with the remnants of at least three Yin-attribute demonic beasts, along with the juices of Corrupting Heart Grass and Blood-Destroying Vine. In the early stages, those poisoned experience dull pain in their meridians and stagnation of Qi and blood, which can easily be mistaken for a mishap during cultivation or a recurrence of old injuries."

His speech quickened, his eyes grew brighter, as if he were reciting some scripture that captivated him:

"Once a specific drug is used to induce it—for example, 'Blood Burning Powder' mixed with a wisp of pure blood-fiend energy—the Yin energy will erupt completely. The fiendish poison will run rampant with the blood and qi, burning the meridians and damaging the foundation. Judging from the color of these patterns and the degree of protrusion... hmm, he's been poisoned for at least two months. This inducing dose is quite large; the intention is to sever all his meridians on the spot, cripple his cultivation, and ideally, make him spit out a few mouthfuls of black blood, so he dies a gruesome death, right?"

His last "Right?" was spoken when he looked up at Liu San Niang and Li Xiong, a wide grin revealing his yellow teeth.

Liu San Niang's charming smile froze.

Li Xiong's eyes were sinister, and his fists clenched tightly.

The crowd erupted in uproar!

"The Blood Fiend Sect? The poison of the Demon Realm?"

"You've been poisoned for two months? What does that have to do with the grass ring?"

"The medicinal ingredient...did someone poison him?"

Jiang Tian frowned, staring at Gu He: "What evidence do you have?"

"Evidence? Haha!" Gu He pointed at Wu Xiaoshuan as if he had heard a joke. "This body covered in Yin Sha patterns, this rotten, sweet, and fishy smell of rust, this reversed Qi and blood without any signs of spiritual power going berserk... what's the difference between being possessed by a demon? What's the difference between being induced by a mild spiritual herb? Is your Enforcement Hall's 'Record of Different Poison Diagnosis' just a table leg? Oh, I forgot, the part on page eighty-seven about 'Burning Meridian Yin Sha' was torn up by that old guy Chi Yang fifty years ago because he thought it was 'useless and unorthodox.' No wonder you don't recognize it."

His tone was undisguised, revealing both sarcasm and a deeper resentment.

Jiang Tian's face flushed red and then turned pale.

The disciples of the Enforcement Hall did indeed specialize in combat, arrest, and criminal law, and their knowledge of unorthodox poisons was limited. He had vaguely heard of the "Record of Different Poison Diagnosis" that Gu He had mentioned, but had never read it.

"Even so," Jiang Tianqiang suppressed his anger, "it's true that this person was poisoned, and it's also true that he fell ill in public. He came into contact with the herb ring from Yuancaotang before he fell ill, and the two may be connected. He needs to be brought back to the Enforcement Hall for a thorough investigation! Chen Yuan, and this Wu Xiaoshuan, as well as the relevant evidence, all need to..."

"Take him away?" Gu He interrupted him, tilting his head, his eyes turning dangerous. "Young Jiang, if you take him away, will it cure this Burning Meridian Yin Sha, or will it help you find out who poisoned him? His qi and blood are currently in reverse, and his heart meridian is being corroded by the evil poison. He can only hold on for half an hour at most. What you'll take away is just a corpse with shattered meridians and the evil poison exploding. In that case, there will be no way to prove anything, wouldn't that be just what some people want?"

His gaze then drifted towards Liu San Niang.

Liu San Niang forced a smile: "Old man, you're joking. We were also tricked by Wu Xiaoshuan. We only did it because we felt sorry for him..."

"Pitiful?" Gu He scoffed, ignoring her and turning to Jiang Tian. "You want to handle the case? Fine. But right now, the person has to be saved first. Only if they're alive can we question them. If they're not... hehe, your Enforcement Hall will be branded as 'disregarding human life and condoning the real culprit,' and that kid Ye Feng won't look too good either."

Jiang Tian's eyes darted around in a fierce struggle. Although Gu He was insane, his past reputation and his current unwavering judgment made him unable to ignore him. More importantly, if Wu Xiaoshuan really died at his hands, and the real culprit was someone else... he couldn't bear that responsibility.

Chen Yuan watched in silence.

The old man's knowledge of poisons far exceeded expectations. More importantly, he seemed to have an almost obsessive interest in uncovering the truth.

"Old Gu," Chen Yuan finally spoke, his voice calm, "if you can save him, what do you need?"

Gu He turned his head and looked at Chen Yuan properly for the first time. His gaze lingered on the jade pendant at Chen Yuan's waist, then swept over his entire body. Gu He's nose twitched a few times, and a deeper, indescribable interest flashed in his eyes.

"You're...interesting." He mumbled vaguely, then pointed at Wu Xiaoshuan. "Saving him? Simple, yet difficult. The root of the Burning Meridian Yin Sha lies in 'Yin Sha' and 'Blood Poison.' First, we need to use golden needles to cut off the meridians, sealing the heart meridian and major acupoints to prevent the evil poison from continuing to burn the meridians. Then, we need to use the purest and most yang spiritual power to slowly dissolve the Yin Sha and clear the accumulated blood poison. Finally, we need lotus seeds from 'Pure Heart Lotus' as the main medicine to strengthen the foundation, nourish the vital energy, and repair the damage to the meridians."

He counted on his filthy fingers: "I have golden needles. As for pure yang spiritual energy... don't you have some readily available in your grass field? Although it's a bit weak, the purity is sufficient. The troublesome thing is the lotus seeds of 'Pure Heart Lotus'. Although that thing is only a first-tier spiritual herb, it prefers cleanliness and dislikes filth, and its growing conditions are harsh. It is occasionally sold in the market, but the price is high, and it may not be fresh."

Pure and clean lotus.

Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He simply asked, "How much do you need?"

"At least three. Fresh, with their spiritual energy still intact." Gu He stared at him. "You have connections?"

"We can give it a try," Chen Yuan said. He thought of Su Wanqing; perhaps Xinglin Garden had some in stock. Even if they didn't, with Su Wanqing's connections, getting some wouldn't be difficult. But that meant owing an even bigger favor.

"Senior Brother Jiang," Chen Yuan turned to Jiang Tian, ​​"you have seen the situation. Wu Xiaoshuan is poisoned by the Demonic Domain, and someone used a drug to lure him into a trap to harm my Yuancao Hall. The Elder has a way to save him, but it requires time and medicine. If we take him away now, he will surely die, and the real culprit will go unpunished. I, Chen Yuan, am willing to use my status as a disciple of the Flying Feather Sect and this jade token as proof to guarantee that I will fully cooperate in treating Wu Xiaoshuan and assist the Enforcement Hall in finding out the truth. Is it possible to leave him here for treatment for the time being? The Elder can be our witness, and everyone can be our witness."

Jiang Tian's expression shifted as his gaze swept over Chen Yuan, Gu He, the unconscious Wu Xiaoshuan, and Liu Sanniang and the others in the distance, whose expressions were uncertain.

"Half an hour." He finally spoke through gritted teeth, his voice cold and hard. "I'll give you half an hour. If this person can be revived, tells the truth, and has nothing to do with your Yuancao Hall, the Enforcement Hall will investigate the real culprit. If he can't be revived, or if it's related to you..." He stared at Chen Yuan, "You know the consequences."

"Half an hour is enough to insert needles to cut off his pulse and temporarily keep his heart from dying." Gu He chuckled. "As for dispelling evil and detoxifying, lotus seeds are indispensable."

"I'll find a way to get Lianzi," Chen Yuan said. "Zhou Ming, maintain order and take good care of Sister Li and Ping An. Old Gu, please administer the acupuncture first."

Without further ado, Gu He pulled out a greasy, tattered cloth bag from his pocket, unfolded it, and inside were gold needles of varying lengths and a dull color. He picked up a long needle, his eyes instantly becoming incredibly focused, his hand as steady as iron, and gently inserted it into a vital acupoint on Wu Xiaoshuan's chest.

The crowd watched, holding their breath.

Liu San Niang and Li Xiong exchanged a glance and quietly shrank back into the crowd.

Wang Mo, standing under the eaves, had a gloomy face. He snorted coldly, turned around, and disappeared.

Jiang Tian, ​​accompanied by two law enforcement disciples, stepped aside, arms crossed, and observed coldly, but his gaze remained fixed on the few people present.

Through the cracks of that dilapidated thatched hut by the eastern edge of the field, a pair of clear, faintly glowing eyes peered out at the chaotic scene outside with fear and worry.

When the four words "Pure Heart, Pure Lotus" were uttered from Guhekou, the breathing in the thatched hut suddenly stopped for a moment.

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