Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 779 The Ghostly Immortal (Part 1)

The city of Chang'an was deserted as everyone flocked to the city. In the latter half of March, the Feather Scale Trial was just around the corner, and the capital city was indeed becoming more and more lively every day.

The news of the Tianshan Sword Banquet was still circulating in the martial arts world when invitations to the wedding of the Prince of Yan's heir were delivered to various households.

The infamous reputation of Pei Yezhi for his outrageous behavior towards Yun Lang was still reverberating in the capital, and news of the arrival of the Sword Master Ming was already spreading like wildfire.

Rumor has it that five days ago, disciples from Taihang Mountain saw the white-clad swordsman at the Taishan Medicine Pavilion. He entered the pavilion and emerged shortly afterward with some illustrated books. As always, the swordsman arrived in the capital quietly and, as always, did not participate in any martial arts gatherings.

Countless people longed to catch a glimpse of this swordsman, and many guessed he had already arrived in the capital. However, aside from this news, no other trace could be found. Yun Lang's residence also showed no signs of having been renovated and occupied.

Clearly different from her arrival in the capital three years ago, the woman was no longer so easy to find this time. She hadn't leaked any information, nor did she visit the swordsman as before. She had completed her challenge to the world of swords and knew how to avoid unnecessary disturbances.

This is inevitably both disappointing and intriguing.

While various sword reports and the martial arts world of Shenjing were still discussing the whereabouts of the Glazed Sword Master, the wedding of the Prince of Yan's heir had already taken place, not to mention that the Great Tang Bloodline Test would be held in a few days.

Throughout the latter half of March, everyone in the capital was busy with their own affairs. The print run of the "Chang'an Sword News" had clearly doubled several times this month. When Pei Ye came out of the East Eight Quarters, he was even given a free copy.

Pei Ye glanced at it twice, and as he walked past the Imperial Palace, he handed it to a child who was looking at him curiously.

As soon as noon passed, the rain started to fall. Pei Ye adjusted his straw hat, went to the Immortal Terrace to speak with Li Jian, and then led his horse to the south gate of the capital city.

Upon arriving at the edge of the neighborhood, one could see a woman in white robes and a veil sitting under a willow tree, holding a sword and looking down at a picture book.

"Miss Ming."

Ming Qitian looked up: "Ready?"

"Ah."

The woman showed him the booklet in her hand: "Look, Senior Yu from Taishan Pharmacy has recorded many exotic plants around the capital over the years, and the fungi are in these few chapters."

Pei Ye took it, and Ming Qitian held the horse in one hand and pointed to the booklet with the other: "Nine out of ten are on Zhongnan Mountain. If we follow the order I've drawn, we can finish the journey in a day and a night."

Pei Ye nodded: "Alright, I'll listen to Miss Ming."

In fact, the two of them sat together and looked at the book carefully on the day the woman obtained it from the Taishan Medicine House. As a result, Pei Ye did not recognize any of them, and Ming Qitian recognized only a few.

The medicinal and edible effects of the fungi are clearly described, but the distribution and which species grows like "earthly immortals" are not so clear to the elders of the herbal medicine shop. However, it does point to a common strain called "ground aconite," saying that it fits the description quite well and is found around Shenjing.

Ming Qitian had a good memory and asked Pei Ye if the little medicine master she had met in Kongtong was in Shenjing and if she could ask her to lead the way to identify medicine. Pei Ye replied "yes" and "absolutely not".

So today, only the two of them were leading their horses out of the city in the rain.

"I think this senior swordsmith was just capturing the essence of swordsmanship. It doesn't necessarily have to be some strange fungus to make things difficult for later generations. We just need to understand his original intention." Pei Ye was optimistic.

"Ah."

The two mounted their horses and left the city through Qixia Gate, riding south through a light breeze and drizzle.

In just over half an hour, the verdant mountains stood before them.

Following the route drawn by the woman, the two could not take the main road up the mountain, so they circled eastward for a while until they reached a desolate and uninhabited place, where they stopped their horses and dismounted.

A light drizzle fell, and the waters were shrouded in mist. In the distance, the majestic gray silhouette of the capital city could be seen, while the fishing boats, as small as grains of rice, could be seen hauling in their nets in the distance.

The rain intensified slightly, pattering against the treetops overhead. Pei Ye found a patch of grass and water to tether the horse. Ming Qitian looked down at the map and pointed, saying, "We should be able to find the first place marked on the map soon if we head northwest."

"Row."

Pei Ye chopped two straight wooden strips, smoothed them, and handed them to the woman. Ming Qitian looked up from the picture book, smiled, and took them before heading up the mountain.

Naturally, one doesn't need to use true qi to surge; only an ordinary person can experience the charm of the mountains. Truly, with a straw hat and long staff, the mountain rain pattering down, the mountains are filled with birdsong when it rains, and the insects are in their prime, their breath long and abundant.

"So many stream sounds." The two were half a zhang apart, sometimes together and sometimes apart. Before Pei Ye's eyes could find the creature in the picture book, his ears heard the mountain spring in the rain.

"All four rivers originate from or pass through Zhongnan Mountain, so there is no shortage of water in the mountains."

"Miss Ming, do you think my performance of 'Yu Meets Tushan' yesterday was pleasing to the ear?"

"We need to practice for another two or three days."

"There are six types of swordsmanship for summer. Tomorrow we should learn the third one, which is 'The Prosperity of Things,' right? Did Miss Ming read about this sword technique last night?"

"Finished reading? What about you?"

"I finished reading it last night as well."

Ming Qitian nodded: "Summer is the peak of the year, and Grain in Ear marks the beginning of summer's peak. At this time, the sun is high and the water is plentiful, and all things enter a period of flourishing. This sword is the transitional sword among the Summer Swords."

"So the next one is 'Leiqin'."

"Yes, everything is ready, just waiting for a thunderous roar, and then the summer downpour."

Pei Ye climbed onto a steep rock, turned around to wait for the woman, and said with a smile, "Miss Ming said that Xia Jian Liu is a sword of fierce power. I thought it would be very powerful from the beginning, but I have learned two swords, 'Huai Shi' and 'He Xin', in the past two days. Although they are also very new and powerful, I think they are not so bad."

Ming Qitian spoke calmly, taking one step at a time, and said, "Because we are considering the sword form of 'Quiet Guard,' learning these two techniques is just right. If we were to learn from 'Thunder Harp' onwards, it might provoke too much of your anger."

Pei Ye thought for a moment: "That night when I chatted with Cui Zhao, she actually said that she couldn't see any 'quietness' in me."

Ming Qitian said, "You do."

Pei Ye smiled: "Those who know me say I have it in my heart, those who don't know me say I don't."

"However, Miss Cui still told us a lot that day."

“Well, Cui Zhaoye doesn’t know how to cultivate the sword stance, but she knows a lot about the sword stance itself—actually, I didn’t understand much of what you two were talking about that day, Miss Ming.”

"It's alright, this sword form has always been in your heart, I will help you find it."

"Ah."

“However,” the woman under the veil glanced at the young man beside her, “before Miss Cui left, she asked me if I wanted to go in what that thing was, and I saw you hurriedly cover her mouth.”

"...Something that will affect my state of mind." Pei Ye said earnestly, "Miss Ming, you mustn't talk to her—hey, Miss Ming, look, isn't there one here?"

Pei Ye leaned his cane against a tree, squatted down, and Ming Qitian's white boots came into view, followed by her bent knees. "Look."

Pei Ye parted the soft, bouncy grass stems, revealing a small, withered fungus that was just peeking out from the grass roots.

"Is this the 'herbal aconite'?"

Ming Qitian did not answer. He took out a picture book from his bosom, covered it under the brim of his hat, and opened the page to carefully compare it.

Pei Ye tilted her head and leaned closer, looking for a while: "Isn't that right? It looks light in color, and the stem is straight."

"Maybe it's because they're still young."

"rational."

"Where's the little shovel? Go and dig it up and take a look," Ming Qitian ordered.

Pei Ye took out a small shovel from his pouch and carefully cut the soil from all sides, pulling the entire plant out of the ground, roots and all.

Indeed, as the book says, it is attached to the roots and stems of plants. Pei Ye gently shook off the soil and saw that the fine, net-like mycelium covered the white and brittle roots and stems of this plant, and the finer ends seemed to have invaded inside.

"Is this what the book means by 'life is like a silk stocking'?"

"It is 'life is like a net'."

"Oh right, the Net."

Ming Qitian watched quietly: "Do you remember the person who lost to you in the martial arts competition in Bowang? How did he learn this sword style?"

“How can I speak of grass and trees? I am all myself; the spirit is ethereal, life is fire.” Pei Ye recited, “I remember when I first left Bowang, Miss Ming explained these sixteen characters to me. Shang Huaitong interpreted them with domineering principles, using life to ignite fire, burning away grass and trees, in order to achieve a state of ‘all myself’.”

“Yes, back then we all said he was wrong. ‘Youxian’ is not a domineering sword, but you don’t quite understand how it can reach the state of ‘all is me’ if it doesn’t burn everything.” Ming Qitian said, “I replied that the answer may lie in ‘life and death’. You can go to the mountains and forests to find it in the future.”

Pei Ye nodded: "Miss Ming also explained the ancient meaning of the word 'life' to me back then."

“Look, isn’t this it?” Ming Qitian picked up the grass. “It’s been caught in this ‘net,’ but it’s still thriving. Its stems are brittle and its leaves are lush. It shows no sign of dying.”

Pei Ye thought for a while: "If such a fungus hadn't grown, no one would have noticed that its underside was already entangled with mycelium."

“Therefore, fungi do not kill plants, and most of them do not,” Ming Qitian said. “Only a small number will. That Lord Shang may have gone to great lengths to find such a fungus, and took it as the true meaning.”

Pei Ye examined the root carefully. The mycelium was thinner than a hair, as if it would turn into dust with the slightest touch. It was clear that the mycelium had penetrated the root, but the plant did not wilt at all.

Pei Ye paused for a moment: "So this is also a kind of 'all is self'."

Ming Qitian looked at him.

“What Shang Huaitong pursues is the ‘realm of solitude,’ which is the mark of a solitary man. In stark contrast, the Youxian is like a gentle rain nourishing all things silently.” Pei Ye carefully placed the herb back into the pit and covered it up. “The plants mixed in will not feel like foreign objects; everything that should flourish will flourish, and everything that should wither will wither. It becomes part of nature in the flow of nature, and its existence is unknown to anyone, only in the deep, dark underground.”

Pei Ye placed his hand on the damp, muddy ground covered with fallen leaves: "This is 'You' (幽). Miss Ming said that its essence is tranquility and beauty. I think that's exactly right."

He stood up, as if he could see the figure of the swordsmith from hundreds of years ago, also plucking a blade of grass in a daze, and asked with some curiosity, "Then what is the meaning of the word 'immortal'?"

"The Fairy in the Secluded Earth" - these underground mycelia are indeed serene and beautiful, deserving the name "secluded," but how can they be considered "fairies"?

During the Jin Dynasty, the pursuit of immortality was prevalent, and the word "immortal" in the mind of this swordsmith was certainly emphasized; it was not a word that could be used casually.

Perhaps it was during his quest for immortality that he encountered these creatures buried underground.

Ming Qitian stood up: "Let's search further up."

Pei Ye's clothes and boots were already quite damp. There weren't actually many raindrops falling from the sky, as they were all blocked by the tree canopy; most of the rain came from brushing against the grass and trees. There were also some small insects clinging to his clothes.

Once a person enters the mountains, they gradually become a part of the mountains.

Pei Ye turned to look at the woman's clothes, which were actually the same, but she had removed the ice and snow from her body and seemed not to care about the grass, mud, insects, and rain.

After walking for a short while, we turned around a rocky bend and a lush green bamboo forest appeared before us.

“This is it.” Ming Qitian leaned on his long cane and adjusted his straw hat. “Senior Yu said that if you go uphill for half an hour from Shanyin, you will find a bamboo forest with many aconite plants. This is the place.”

Looking up, one sees emerald green bamboo poles shrouded in fine rain; looking down, one sees decaying leaves and withered branches. Pei Ye strokes the smooth, slender bamboo pole: "It's really beautiful. Let's cut one down."

Why cut off a stalk?

Pei Ye didn't know what to do with it either. The idea of ​​cutting off a piece of wood popped into his head faster than "what to do with it." He thought for a moment and said, "Make a fishing rod?"

Ming Qitian didn't speak again, and lowered his head to search through the grass with his cane.

He pointed out each of the found strains to the boy.

Indeed, as the senior herbalist said, there were many aconite roots in this bamboo forest. Pei Ye was puzzled at this point: "Mushrooms mostly grow on dead wood and decaying leaves. The ground in the bamboo forest is cleaner than other places, so why are there so many aconite roots?"

Ming Qitian shook her head: "I don't know."

The two walked through the entire bamboo forest and saw quite a few medicinal fungi, but the few they dug up were no different from the ones they had just obtained the first time.

Pei Ye also collected a few of these fragile creatures and even tasted one. They were soft and easily perishable, born quickly and dying just as suddenly, born in the rain and dried in the wind. Pei Ye truly did not know of anything that could be called "immortal".

However, Pei Ye wasn't in a hurry, just like Ming Qitian, who always took his time. He even dug up two bamboo shoots that looked very crisp and tender, intending to take them back and stir-fry them.

The two walked along the marked route, identifying the wild mushrooms recorded in the book. Pei Ye picked a few of the ones that were described as "edible and delicious".

Gradually, he stopped worrying about his original purpose. He had already grasped half of the true meaning of "Youxian". Even if he couldn't grasp the other half, the trip would still be worthwhile. Moreover, since arriving in Shenjing half a year ago, this was the first time Pei Ye had felt the mountain air again. Even though it was more than two thousand miles away, the smell of spring in Xincang Mountain was still exactly the same.

Ming Qitian looked at the relaxed look on the boy and seemed somewhat satisfied. She raised her head and said, "It's getting late, and the rain seems to be stopping soon."

"Did Miss Ming say last night that she wanted to stay in the mountains for a day?"

"Okay. Shall we spend the night in Zhongnan Mountain tonight?"

“Of course, since we know Miss Ming is here, we’d rather spend the night in the wilderness than in the city,” Pei Ye said with a smile. “It’ll just be a bit of a hassle for the horses to spend another night at the foot of the mountain.”

Ming Qitian smiled slightly: "Then let them wait one more night."

(End of this chapter)