My mother's love song

"It's a medicine for people who want to become immortals."

"Immortal?"

"Yes, become an immortal."

Luo De introduced that becoming an immortal means achieving immortality and traveling in the heavens, which is the crystallization of dreams from ancient Chinese culture.

The thoughts of the Taoists on the mainland are greatly influenced by the teachings of Huangdi and Laozi, so they regard the state of living forever on earth and never dying as the highest state of life, along with the state of becoming an immortal and ascending to space.

"Oh...that's amazing." Sei Shonagon blinked in a silly way.

"It is said that since ancient times, people have had various ways to become immortals," said Rhodes.

There are many different methods. Most advocate achieving it through spiritual practice. Legend has it that some people become immortals by breathing and absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into their bodies. Some people become immortals through behavior, such as fasting and other methods of adjusting their food.

Of course, there are also ways to achieve enlightenment and become immortal.

Each method is not simple. Some may take years or decades, or even a lifetime to achieve the goal.

The easiest way to become an immortal without practicing is to take external elixirs.

Thus the theory of alchemy was born.

The theoretical basis of alchemy is the alchemists' thinking on the nature of the five parts of life: birth, growth, maturity, decline, and death. Human death is caused by the exhaustion of internal Qi and the dispersion of the spirit, and the exhaustion of external blood and the decay of the body. Therefore, the benefit of taking elixirs is that they can prevent the body from aging and disability.

Rhodes suddenly said: "Nuozi, do you know what the Chinese character "Dan" means?"

Nuozi tilted her head: "Well... don't treat me like a fool. Have you forgotten that my Chinese is much better than Guang Zhiqin's? Dan means pill, right?"

"No, the correct meaning of 'Dan' is mercury.

When it is solid, it is called "cinnabar" or "cinnabar", and when it is liquid, it is called mercury."

"Huh? Is that so?!"

"Yes, alchemy is actually refining mercury."

Although mercury is a metal, it is in liquid form. In ancient times, it was a necessary substance for gilding.

“I’ve said before that for immortal cultivators, [Ascension] is one of the two ultimate immortal paths that is equally important as [Eternal Life].

Therefore, Taoists believe that mercury, which sublimates and becomes lighter when exposed to fire, is a magical thing. People who take it for medicinal purposes can be imbued with spiritual energy, become lighter, travel the universe, and achieve immortality.

Coincidentally, in Europe, which is completely different from the cultural circle of the mainland, mercury, sulfur and salt are collectively known as the three sacred elements in alchemy.

It can be seen that cinnabar is considered to be a very spiritual substance no matter where it is.

"Okay, so awesome..."

Sei Shonagon opened her mouth wide with a look of admiration, while Yaobikuni next to her covered her mouth with her hands and was laughing secretly.

"In other words, if we just give Her Highness Shikata mercury, her illness can be cured?"

Rhodes said: "As expected of Nuozi, that's it."

"In that case then"

"but."

Rhodes's "but" interrupted Sei Shonagon's excitement.

"Ordinary mercury is poisonous. Although it won't kill you if you take it directly, just smelling it will cause poisoning... Mercury is so highly toxic."

“…Wow, the human body is so amazing.”

Obviously, the chemical theory that Rod talked about was beyond Sei Shonagon's understanding.

Rhodes said: “In short, what I want to say is that directly taking mercury cannot make you immortal, and it doesn’t even have the effect of prolonging your life.

Otherwise, the average human lifespan would have doubled, wouldn't it?"

"Well, that makes sense."

"That's why we need to make pills."

Luo De said that the best elixir that can prolong human life is the magical medicine known as the "Golden Elixir" on the mainland.

It is said that anyone who takes the golden elixir can become an immortal immediately, but the preparation of the golden elixir is not simple.

There are many types of golden elixirs.

There are nine kinds of elixirs, namely Danhua, Shenfu, Shendan, Huandan, Erdan, Liandan, Roudan, Fudan and Saidan, which are called the Nine Elixirs by alchemists.

Among them, when making "Danhua", it is said that Xuanhuang must be prepared first.

Add dozens of pounds of realgar water, alum, Rong salt, brine salt, arsenic stone, oyster, red ochre, talc, and Hu powder to the Xuanhuang and cook them together to make "61 mud". Burn it in fire for 36 days and it will be refined into elixir.

"Thirty-six days!?" Sei Shonagon's face turned pale. How could Fujiwara Sadako's physical condition allow her to wait for more than a month?

“Not only that, there are still many unknowns about what the ingredients for alchemy are.

First of all, the most important thing is what exactly Xuanhuang is, and the alchemists argued about it endlessly.

In addition, there are many materials that I don’t understand, and I don’t know where to find them, let alone the amount of each material to be used.

In short, make the "Dan" and add the Xuan Gao to make a ball, then place it in a fierce fire to obtain the golden elixir called "Dan Hua".

If you don't succeed, then something went wrong and you have to keep trying. In fact, you probably won't succeed even if you spend your whole life trying.

If it were so easy to refine the golden elixir, everyone would have become an immortal."

Rhodes calmly spoke of the common sense of the world, and Sei Shonagon had already lowered his head.

The atmosphere in the room was in complete mourning mode.

After a long silence, Sei Shonagon said, "That is to say, normally it is impossible... Is that right?"

"Yeah, it's impossible to make an elixir at the last minute... generally speaking."

Rhode smiled slightly and changed the subject: "But I'm here."

"!!!"

Sei Shonagon opened his eyes wide.

"Light's dear, what you mean is..."

"Why do you think I came here?"

"Woo..."

Two lines of excited tears slid down the girl's fair cheeks.

Rhodes said: “Although time and materials are limited, it is impossible to refine the elixir of immortality.

But if we can just refine an inferior product that can temporarily save Fujiwara Sadako's life, it is still possible."

"Oh oh oh oh oh!"

"If you're lucky, you might be able to extend your life by ten or twenty years, but if you're unlucky, you can only last two or three years at most.

And even if I survive, I will have to take elixirs every once in a while from now on... Nuozi, do you think this is okay?"

"As long as I can survive, it's fine! Please, Hikari no Kisara! Please save Lady Teiko!"

"I see." said Rhodes.

Sei Shonagon clenched his hands excitedly: "Are you going to do it, Hikari no Kiss? Now? Right here!?"

The young man nodded deeply, stood up from the bed, took a teacup from the table, and led the eight hundred nuns to the corner of the bedroom.

There is an elegant and luxurious Tang-style screen.

"Next, I will go behind this screen and work with eight hundred nuns to make the elixir on the spot. It may take a little time."

Rhodes held the screen and spoke to Sei Shonagon who was kneeling on the ground.

"Nuozi, I think you should also know that alchemy is a very precise and difficult job. Any negligence may lead to a complete failure and all previous efforts will be wasted.

While I am working with Eight Hundred Bhikkhunis, you must guard the room and not let anyone approach it."

"Don't worry, Master Guangzhiqin! Please leave it to me!"

"Of course, you are not allowed to come and peek by yourself," Rhodes added.

"Can't I peek?"

"Of course not."

Rodway threatened: "Fujiwara Sadako's time is running out. We only have one chance."

"Okay, okay! ...I got it."

Frightened, Nuozi nodded reluctantly.

Sei Shonagon, the embodiment of curiosity, really wanted to witness the process of making the elixir with his own eyes.

“Isn’t it allowed to peek while the alchemy is being made? It’s just like weaving with Miss Crane.

Miss He always locked herself in the room when she was making clothes for us and didn't allow anyone to peek.

Although it's mysterious, Miss He can always make the best clothes... Is it the same with alchemy?"

It's the same principle. She plucks the hair from her body, and I...

Rhode said, "That's right. The fewer people know about it, the more effective it is. That's what the so-called 'mystery' is."

Sei Shonagon said, "I understand. I will never peek. No matter what happens, I will never peek."

Rhodes said, "Very good, see you later, Nuozi."

"Well, come on, Light's dear!"

There were faint tears in the corners of the girl's eyes and a look of reluctance on her face, just like a wife sending her husband to the battlefield.

Sei Shonagon looked at Yaobikuni again, placed the fingertips of both hands on the floor, and bowed deeply to the miko: "Yabikuni-sama, although this is only the first time we meet today, I am very grateful for your help."

"Please stand up, Lord Sei Shonagon!"

Nuozi still lowered his head: "Your Highness Dingzi, I'll leave it to you.

I am also leaving my husband, Genji-sama, in your care."

Yaobikuni said nothing more, and nodded, "Well...please leave it to me, Master Sei Shonagon.

I will definitely try my best to squeeze out the freshest... ahem, nothing much."

Sei Shonagon watched nervously as Rod and Yaobikuni walked side by side behind the landscape painting screen.

After a while, she heard the low voice of the beautiful priestess of the Eight Hundred Bhikkhunis coming from inside.

"... Mouth... Is it okay..."

"No, hand. We agreed on this before." Rhodes said.

"Hey... why is this happening?"

"If you don't want to do it, I'll find someone else."

"I'll do it...I'll do it...please leave it to me."

The girl replied in a panic, her tone very humble.

"What on earth are Hikari no Kiyoshi and Yaobikuni-sama talking about?"

Sei Shonagon felt very confused as he listened to the intermittent conversation.

Tang-style screens are different from Japanese-style shoji screens in that you can't see what's going on inside them at all.

Sei Shonagon, who was standing on the other side, could only prick up his ears and listen silently.

Hmm? It seems to be the sound of clothes rubbing against each other?

Time passed by minute by minute, and Sei Shonagon felt very uneasy.

"Tsk, eight hundred bhikkhunis... your method is too clumsy, are you planning to do this for 49 days?"

Rhodes seemed quite dissatisfied with his assistant's clumsiness.

Yaobikuni replied: "I'm sorry... this is the first time I do this kind of thing."

Sei Shonagon was surprised, so that miko was also making elixirs for the first time?

"There's nothing I can do. Today... this won't happen again."

"Okay... okay... thank you."

The voices of the eight hundred bhikkhunis sounded very excited.