With virtue

Lantern Banquet

Having received Zhao Yunshu's affirmative reply, the wealthy merchant, who was probably a slick person, likely assumed that anyone who could receive a thousand gold coins and enter this lantern festival was no ordinary person, and that the young Taoist priest didn't seem aloof. Therefore, he spoke to Zhao Yunshu very enthusiastically.

Without hesitation, he moved closer, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he and Zhao Yunshu had only exchanged a single sentence. He lowered his voice, his tone brimming with undisguised smugness, and said, "To be honest, Daoist Master, my surname is Shen, and I'm in the medicinal herb business. Last month, I went to great lengths to obtain this invitation! I offered a thousand-year-old flesh-like Ganoderma lucidum, entirely crimson, as large as an infant, capable of emitting its own radiance at night, and impervious to water and fire. The cost of finding this Ganoderma lucidum alone exceeded three thousand taels of silver, and I actually received far more than ten thousand taels in return. Moreover, I also contributed a pair of my treasured, priceless Han jade amulets. Only then could I offer the flesh-like Ganoderma lucidum, and thanks to the blessings of my ancestors, I barely managed to obtain the invitation!"

Zhao Yunshu stopped talking. Good heavens! A thousand-year-old flesh spirit mushroom?

Lingzhi has been revered as a "divine herb" and "auspicious herb" since ancient times, and is a symbol of good fortune and longevity.

Cao Cao, a Han Dynasty poet, wrote in his poem "Qi Chu Chang": "Drinking jade nectar, eating sesame seeds, may my life be as long as the Southern Mountain."

Because of the fact that the cap of the Ganoderma lucidum naturally has cloud-like patterns, which resemble auspicious clouds, and auspicious clouds are themselves transformed from celestial energy, there is a poem that says, "Ganoderma lucidum has no seeds or roots, it can be drunk and eaten and it can return the soul. It only needs the mist and clouds to sustain it through the years, and let birds and rabbits roam the world."

There are also people who have consumed this kind of Ganoderma lucidum. It is said that Hua Tuo, a physician at the end of the Han Dynasty, had a record of consuming Ganoderma lucidum: "A Zhe got lost in the mountains and was guided by an immortal. After consuming red Ganoderma lucidum, he enjoyed a long life and had extraordinary energy."

The red Ganoderma lucidum that Hua Tuo ate, also known as Danzhi, is a type of stone Ganoderma that can prolong life. Since metal and stone substances do not age, they can also give people the ability to possess the qualities of metal and stone.

The Inner Chapters of the Master Who Embraces Simplicity also record: "The five types of Ganoderma are stone Ganoderma, wood Ganoderma, grass Ganoderma, flesh Ganoderma, and fungus Ganoderma, each with about a hundred varieties."

But the meat fungus is different. It is shaped like meat, attached to a large rock, and has a head and a tail. It is a living organism. Its color is red like coral, white like fat, black like lacquer, blue like kingfisher feathers, and yellow like purple gold. All of them are bright and clear like solid ice. Its effect is "to make one light-body with prolonged consumption". It is a divine medicine that can make people have the skill of lightness.

If the young Taoist could eat a meat-shaped Ganoderma lucidum once, his lightness skill would gain at least ten years of experience and save him ten years of practice!

Why offer this medicine to some deity instead of taking it yourself?

Isn't that a pity?

So the young Taoist priest considered his words carefully and said, "Boss Shen is really generous. But if I may be so bold as to ask, is it worth it to offer such a precious treasure just to be seen on the ship? If it's just the lantern itself, can't we see it from outside?"

You don't seem like the type to suffer a loss. Do you think you can get your money's worth by offering these things?

Upon hearing this, Boss Shen chuckled, glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, and then leaned close to Zhao Yunshu's ear, saying, "Daoist, you're from out of town and don't know the rules of this ship. Do you really think this thousand-gold note is just for a seat at the lantern festival? That would be a gross underestimation of the deity."

"Don't say I'm ignorant of cultivation. It would be a terrible waste for me to eat that fleshy Ganoderma. If it could prolong life, that would be one thing, but it's just about lightness of body. What use would that be to me? To make me jump higher?"

"Lightness of body isn't just about jumping high; it's about your body becoming truly light and agile, which greatly benefits the art of guiding the qi."

"In old age, arthritis will be much less common. Once the body is lighter and healthier, without the pull of the Earth's magnetic field, although it won't prevent all diseases, it will definitely reduce the incidence of many illnesses," Zhao Yunshu explained.

For cultivators, lightness of body is an ability that can directly improve their overall cultivation speed, which means that you are getting further and further away from the mortal world and closer and closer to becoming an immortal.

Legend has it that when immortals fall from the heavens, their bodies become increasingly heavy. While in the sky, they can ride the wind, but once they land on the ground, they can only walk. Does Boss Shen really not know this difference? Or does he know and still give it away?

As expected, in response to Zhao Yunshu's words, Boss Shen laughed and said, "The dishes haven't been served yet, but once they are, you'll know that everything the Divine Lord has laid out is a treasure for prolonging life and increasing blessings. This meat spirit mushroom may not be of great use to me, but it can certainly prolong my life."

Before he could finish speaking, the waiter had already started serving the dishes.

The first thing served was a bowl of rice.

Zhao Yunshu recognized the bowl of rice without needing Boss Shen's introduction, and exclaimed in surprise, "Qingjing Rice?"

Boss Shen gave a thumbs up and praised, "Master, you have excellent eyesight!"

Using the leaves of the tung tree, as well as the leaves of the holly and the fine leaves, to dye rice, the color becomes blue and glossy. Eating this rice is said to nourish yang energy, and Taoists call it "Qingjing dry rice".

This is a very particular meal. Although the ingredients are not precious, the preparation method is complicated, and it is actually quite difficult to find.

However, this alone is probably not enough to prolong life. This stuff does have some benefits, but not to that extent.

That's not right, it's not springtime, so how could there be green rice? This stuff should be a spring seasonal item.

Then, the next plate was filled with a pot of wine.

Zhao Yunshu smelled it; it seemed familiar—but she couldn't quite place what it was.

At the opportune moment, Boss Shen said, "This is mulberry wine, as you should know, Daoist Master."

"So that's what it is. It's the same kind of food as Qingjing Rice." Zhao Yunshu stroked his chin thoughtfully.

After the full moon, it is advisable to drink mulberry wine, which can treat wind-heat diseases and can also be used to make ointments.

Extract three dou of mulberry juice, four liang of white honey, one liang of ghee, and two liang of ginger juice. First, put the mulberry juice in a jar, then boil it in a double boiler until the juice is reduced to three sheng. Then add the honey, ghee, and ginger juice, and three qian of salt. Boil it again until it becomes a paste. Store it in a porcelain container. Take one small cup each time with wine. It can cure a hundred kinds of wind-related diseases.

This thing—also produced around the full moon, is a seasonal product of summer.

Before he could think it over, another dish of side dishes was served. Zhao Yunshu looked at it and smelled it. It was pine nuts, but the very small kind.

This substance is only available after July. In July, collect the kernels from pine eggs, remove the bark, and pound them into a paste. Take one egg-sized ball three times a day.

If you take it for a long time, you will feel light and healthy. The little berries inside the pine nuts in the mountains will burst out after seven months and disappear without a trace. These are not ordinary large pine nuts from the north.

These aren't the pine nuts from northern pine trees that we usually eat; they're pine nuts. To get just one dish, you'd have to go through at least dozens of trees. These days, it would be impossible for just a few hundred people to collect pine nuts over several days. And—these things only grow after July; they're a seasonal autumn treat.

Then came another bowl of soup.

The soup was sweet, and when Zhao Yunshu took a sip, it wasn't very hot; instead, it felt refreshing.

He smacked his lips. He recognized the first three types, but he didn't quite understand what kind of approach the fourth one was.

Old Master Shen, who had been eating the whole time, said, "This is a sweet soup made with freshly melted snow and various fruits. If it weren't for the power of the Divine Lord, we could only eat it in winter! To be able to eat a bowl of this at this time, isn't it all thanks to the Divine Lord's blessing?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yunshu suddenly understood.

Just like the dew he collected from the Yin energy of water, this deity selects the part of the snow water that is imbued with the winter energy when it is sweet and cold. This water can relieve the heat and poison of epidemic diseases. Add walnuts, mushrooms, persimmons, chestnuts, japonica rice, white rice, walnut kernels, water chestnuts and the like to make soup, and add almonds, melon seeds, peanuts, hazelnuts, as well as white sugar, brown sugar, and raisins to make it more colorful. It is also a seasonal food of winter.

Logically speaking, winter snowmelt should be like dew, something that doesn't come around once it's gone.

Moreover, it's not just this dish; the other three dishes are the same—they're all seasonal and only available in their own time.

How did the other party manage to preserve these things until now?

Moreover—putting aside those things, although they are rare and require a lot of effort, do they really have any effect?

Zhao Yunshu tentatively ate some.

After he ate it, his eyes lit up.

Putting everything else aside, it's really delicious!

The young Taoist priest was a glutton, and he had eaten quite a bit at Young Master Wang's place. Now that he had encountered such delicious food, he was wary and used his inner vision to observe the food entering his stomach.

After confirming that the ingredients were non-toxic, harmless, and truly fresh, they immediately began to eat them in large bites.

Unexpectedly, the four things I ate caused some amazing changes in my stomach.

He observed his inner landscape and found that it had become even more "lush".

The seasonal foods we just ate were all hard-earned, but they weren't actually that rare. Even a wealthy mortal could get his hands on them by spending more money.

However, this "not uncommon" refers to the fact that it is not uncommon in the corresponding season.

But in the opposite season, finding these requires going against the natural order.

But if you actually manage to collect them all, wouldn't that be what's called a "defying the heavens"?

At this moment, having gathered all the ingredients of the four seasons and ingested them together, the energy of the four seasons permeated his inner vision. Thus, his inner vision seemed to create a scene of the four seasons blending together, and thus—it seemed to truly produce the effect of prolonging life.

After all, since ancient times, sages have emphasized the harmony between man and nature and the pulse in accordance with the four seasons. The human body's Qi and blood are affected by the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang in nature, and the pulse can reflect the changes in the Qi and blood of the internal organs, while also participating in the changes within the human body.

Humans live to be a hundred years old. One to thirty years old is the time of youth and strength, thirty to sixty years old is the time of adulthood, sixty to ninety years old is the time of old age, and ninety to one hundred or one hundred and twenty years old is the time of decline.

Therefore, it is said that the time in the body is one level. If we take the twelve earthly branches as one day, five days as one hou, three hou as one qi, three qi as one jie, and two jie as one shi, then there are only spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Just as there are four seasons in the sky, there are four limbs in humans. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter are the four directions of Qi, and the four limbs are connected to the torso. The four limbs correspond to the four seasons, and the temperature of the limbs can also reflect the invasion of evil Qi in the four seasons.

The 365 days of a year correspond to the 365 acupoints on the human body. The cycle of Qi in the universe throughout the year corresponds to the acupoints on the whole body. Acupoints are the nodes where Qi and blood enter and exit, just like the mountains, rivers and valleys between heaven and earth, receiving the Qi of the four seasons.

The twelve primary meridians correspond to the twelve months. The twelve meridians belong to the five internal organs and six bowels. They circulate qi and blood according to the month. Each month, a meridian is in charge, and the yin and yang wax and wane accordingly.

The five phases of the universe govern the year, and the six qi govern the time; the five internal organs of the human body—heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—and the six viscera—gallbladder, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, bladder, and triple burner—correspond to the qi of the universe, and climate change directly affects the state of the internal organs.

Yu Fan said: Qian represents heaven, Kun represents the earth, Zhen represents spring, Dui represents autumn, the three and four are in their proper order, Kan represents winter, Li represents summer, the four seasons are in their proper positions, and when the time comes, things proceed accordingly, hence "the world follows the times".

The significance of this is immense.

The significance of time is immense. Nothing in the world can be accomplished without time. Therefore, the sages harmonize with the order of the four seasons and adjust their inner world to be in harmony with the four seasons. This is the highest realm of understanding the essence of life.

These four dishes embody the principles of Yin and Yang in the four seasons, and are combined with the concepts of cold and heat, and the balance of Yin and Yang in the five internal organs. They are also guided by the effects of traditional Chinese medicine to harmonize the spirit, please the mind, keep diseases at bay, and prolong life!

Spring brings forth life, summer fosters growth, autumn brings harvest, and winter brings storage—this is the natural order of Qi (vital energy), and humans should also follow it. A day is divided into four seasons: morning is spring, midday is summer, sunset is autumn, and midnight is winter.

In the morning, human energy begins to rise and pathogenic energy declines, hence one is wise at dawn. At midday, human energy grows stronger and overcomes pathogenic factors, hence one is at peace. In the evening, human energy begins to decline and pathogenic factors begin to rise, hence one's condition worsens. At midnight, human energy enters the body and pathogenic factors reside alone, hence one's condition is severe. The energy of the four seasons is different in form, and all diseases arise from different causes.

Now, within his inner world, the four seasons correspond to the changes in the Qi of the four seasons he has just eaten: spring should be moderate, summer should be moderate, autumn should be moderate, and winter should be moderate, thus achieving the Doctrine of the Mean.

"This—" Zhao Yunshu felt the changes within her body and was somewhat incredulous.

A meal, a meal made with very ordinary ingredients, was transformed into something akin to a rare delicacy, thanks to some unknown preservation technique and the chef's astonishing culinary skills. It was as if the ordinary had been turned into something extraordinary.

Amazing.

"Right, Daoist Master? The Divine Lord has quite a few treasures here!" Boss Shen said.

Zhao Yunshu nodded.

I have to admit, they really do have some skills.

That's incredibly impressive. If future products reach this level, they might actually be better than Ganoderma lucidum (the fleshy fungus).

"Haha." Boss Shen laughed loudly, as if he had successfully shown off.

However, he suddenly stopped laughing, and the hall fell silent.

Zhao Yunshu also looked up and saw a group of dancers slowly emerging from behind the huge screen in the painted boat. There were about twelve or thirteen of them, with slender figures, their faces covered with thin veils, wearing plain white dance costumes, their waists cinched with silver threads to accentuate their wasp waists, and their feet were bare, stepping on the felt carpet as they walked out.

They lined up in a row, and the guests in the court bowed gracefully. Then, the sound of string and wind instruments began, the sound extremely delicate.

The dancers responded to the call and actually took to the air!

They danced in the air, like willow catkins drifting under the moon, or like ripples spreading out on the water.

Sometimes they gather in a cluster, sometimes they scatter across the sky, like pear blossoms falling and butterflies fluttering. The silver threads flicker under the lamplight, just like a galaxy falling to earth. They seem lighter than goose feathers and could be carried away by the wind at any moment.

The sight of the celestial figures filling the hall captivated everyone. Boss Shen tugged at Zhao Yunshu's sleeve and said in a low voice, "See that? This is the Celestial Maiden Dance, a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. Even a thousand pieces of gold couldn't buy it. I've heard these dancers were invited down from the heavens by the Divine Lord. It's said that watching them cures all ailments, and if you see them three times, it can extend your life by five years. That's why I said those little treasures are nothing! You should know how powerful the Divine Lord is. He only allowed us to offer gifts because he was willing! He loves watching lanterns. Otherwise, we wouldn't even have a way to get a gift!"

Then, as if nothing had happened, he added, "To be honest, this is the second time."