Yun Qi didn't have much knowledge about treating souls, but in fact, the Mingzhi Mountain was highly skilled in soul-related matters.
Yun Qi regretted not spending more time studying it earlier.
However, he had experienced soul travel before.
Although he didn't know how many herbs in this world could repair a soul or what they were, he knew that the green-leafed, purple-vined Polygonum multiflorum he had seen during his trials on Mingzhi Mountain would definitely be effective.
The old village chief was surprised and glanced at Yun Qi.
Yun Qi asked the chief if there was such an herb in the nearby mountains—one with heart-shaped green leaves, white veins, deep purple vines, and thick roots.
The chief looked puzzled.
He was old and had gradually stopped leaving the village, so he had no recollection of such an herb.
But he immediately relayed the description to the warriors by the bedside.
One of the warriors nodded excitedly upon hearing it and pointed in a certain direction.
Upon hearing that this herb might cure the child's illness, the warriors and the child's father immediately wanted to set out.
The chief stopped the child's father.
It was nighttime, and the father's yang energy was insufficient.
Without a rooster's comb, going out would be suicide.
Yun Qi also stopped the warriors.
He said to the chief, "Old Chief, as long as we know where it is, I won't have to waste time searching. Wait here for me. I'll be back soon."
The old chief grabbed Yun Qi tightly, saying he was an outsider and didn't know the strange things that happened in the forest at night.
Yun Qi smiled and said, "Old Chief, I didn't enter the forest during the day. Before coming to the village, I had already spent several nights in the forest."
The old chief hesitated, loosening his grip slightly, but quickly tightened it again.
He was worried that Yun Qi had just been lucky and hadn't encountered any evil spirits before.
Seeing the child's breathing grow faint, Yun Qi had no time to explain or hide anything.
He directly summoned the "Dragon Chariot."
A fiery cloud appeared in the room, rapidly heating the air.
Yun Qi stepped onto the cloud and asked the old chief to describe the mountain in detail.
The people in the room were startled by the sudden appearance of the fiery cloud.
The old chief also let go of Yun Qi, stammering as he asked the warrior to describe the mountain's location and appearance, then relayed it to Yun Qi.
Yun Qi nodded, walked out of the house, and flew off on the cloud.
The people by the bonfire were startled when they saw a streak of fire fly out of Donghuo's house, unsure of what had happened.
Yun Qi flew westward on the cloud, crossing the mountain with terraced fields and two more peaks.
Sure enough, he saw a pond to his left, with a hill behind it.
He quickly descended.
Mid-air, he retracted the cloud and landed on the hill.
At that moment, a cold mist suddenly rose from the pond.
Upon closer inspection, the mist vaguely resembled human features.
At the same time, an old willow stood by the pond, with a yellow fox and a white snake emerging from a hole beneath it.
A chilly night breeze blew, and the cold mist began to drift toward Yun Qi.
The yellow fox and white snake also stirred.
When Yun Qi first entered the forest, he had encountered some minor spirits and ghosts.
At that time, he thought it was difficult for such creatures to gain sentience, a natural occurrence, so he avoided them.
But he never expected these beasts to have a taste for human flesh!
As the cold mist approached his back, Yun Qi continued walking forward, twisting his waist slightly and turning his upper body backward.
With his left hand, he drew a semicircle in the air, pointed his index finger, and chanted:
"Burn!"
The cold mist let out a piercing screech and was instantly incinerated into nothingness.
The yellow fox and white snake turned to flee, but before they could get far, flames suddenly engulfed them.
In a few breaths, they turned to ash.
"Light!"
A brilliant light burst from his hand, illuminating the hill.
Yun Qi lowered his head to search.
Here!
Yun Qi indeed found the purple-vined Polygonum multiflorum, spreading in patches, about seventeen or eighteen plants in total.
He dug up five of them, cut off the roots, and flew away on the cloud.
Back in Lixi Village, the people by the bonfire were still discussing what the fiery cloud had been.
Then they saw the fiery cloud return.
A sharp-eyed child immediately recognized the figure in the flames as the new guest and shouted loudly, causing the crowd's chatter to grow louder.
Yun Qi landed the cloud on the roof of the house and entered the room.
Only then did he remember that the child was near death and couldn't eat.
Although Yun Qi wasn't skilled in alchemy, he knew some basic techniques.
He summoned fire and directly refined a piece of the root into a spiritual liquid, then pried open the child's mouth and poured it in.
He didn't know if it would work.
This was truly a case of trying anything to save a life.
Everyone stared intently at the child, not daring to breathe or even glance at Yun Qi.
After about half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the mother, who had been holding the child's hand, suddenly screamed.
She seemed to feel the child's pulse again.
The old chief hurried over, listening to the child's heart and checking his eyes, confirming that the child was slowly "coming back to life."
The child's father knelt before Yun Qi, kowtowing so hard the ground shook.
Yun Qi quickly helped him up.
The warriors with rooster combs who had been standing by the bed ran off, laughing, eager to be the first to spread the news to the rest of the village.
Donghuo's child had been saved! The new guest was a god!
After checking on the child, the old chief also tried to kneel before Yun Qi, but the young man couldn't accept it.
He held the old chief up, preventing him from kneeling.
"If the old chief wants to thank me, just pour me more of that 'White Blade' liquor," Yun Qi said with a smile.
In that short time, he had already grown fond of the fiery liquor.
Tears streamed down the old chief's dark face as he nodded repeatedly.
The herb from the mountains could heal souls.
Today, it had saved Donghuo's child, but in the future, who knew how many more it would save!
The news quickly spread to the bonfire, and cheers erupted like flames, dispelling the village's earlier silence and sorrow.
The next day, Yun Qi woke up in bed, his head still slightly dizzy.
He walked outside.
The sun was high, and the world was bathed in light.
People were working in the terraced fields across the way.
To his surprise, he noticed that the gentle slope north of the village had been planted with Polygonum multiflorum.
The soil was freshly turned, indicating that someone from the village had gone to dig up the vines at dawn.
Yun Qi went about his usual routine and practiced his breathing exercises.
Soon after, the old chief arrived with three people.
Yun Qi recognized them as Donghuo's family from the night before.
The child walked briskly, climbing the stairs without even panting, clearly fully recovered.
The old chief led the three before Yun Qi, and they all knelt.
Yun Qi moved to help them up, but the old chief stopped him.
"This is proper."
Yun Qi accepted their bow.
Donghuo then took out a small white puppy from his arms.
The puppy was curled up like a dumpling, with a pink nose and mouth, utterly adorable.
Donghuo held it out to Yun Qi with both hands.
"What's this?" Yun Qi asked, looking at the old chief.
The old chief smiled.
"Donghuo's White Dragon gave birth a few days ago. This is the eldest, with short fur, a red nose, and strong ears—a top-quality pup. In our Hongjiang Miao Village, we can't give away roosters, so gifting a White Dragon pup is the highest honor, expressing our deepest gratitude."
Yun Qi scratched his head.
Should he raise a dog?
Two chapters released together.
Chapter 2.
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(End of chapter)