"When I traveled through the Central Continent back in the day, I made quite a name for myself. If it weren't for someone spreading the word about my abilities to enhance vitality, forcing me to seek refuge at the Wendaozong, I would still be wandering around now."
"The person who traveled with me is also a notable figure among your human race, known as Gu Yue. When he brought me to the Wendaozong, he said he would write about me in his book so that everyone would remember me."
Gu Yue is a famous traveler in the Central Continent. He loves exploring and has left his mark in places like the Central Continent, the Demon Domain, and the Buddhist Kingdom, where many legends about him exist.
According to the stories, he once served as a historian in the Great Xia Dynasty, recording the Emperor's romantic escapades and the number of his illegitimate children. He was kidnapped by a dragon princess in the Demon Domain, tried to escape from a forced marriage, and was chased all the way to the Buddhist Kingdom.
In the Buddhist Kingdom, he pretended to be a monk and tricked people. Whenever someone pointed out a flaw in his logic or asked a question he couldn't answer, he would say, "The Buddha says it cannot be spoken." This phrase later became widely known in the Buddhist Kingdom.
Gu Yue wrote about his experiences, and his books became quite popular in the cultivation world. Although there are no records detailing his cultivation level, Lu Yang guessed it must be quite high—if it were any lower, he would have been killed long ago.
The ginseng doll is a great teacher. Many stories it tells are based on its own experiences. Some of the herbs in the medicinal garden were even discovered by it and the water moon master during their travels. Lu Yang listened eagerly as he followed behind, nodding along.
The ginseng doll and Lu Yang arrived at a small hut made of flowers and grass. The closer they got, the more they could feel a powerful life force emanating from within, making Lu Yang's heart race.
"Something's not right!" Lu Yang clutched his chest, trembling uncontrollably.
Thump, thump, thump… His heart was beating faster, as if countless tiny insects were buzzing around his ears.
Listening closely, Lu Yang's heart sank, and a chill ran down his spine. It wasn't the sound of insects; it was the voices of countless people speaking from within him!
Those voices were saying they were trapped inside and wanted to get out, wanted to get out…
The ginseng doll was the first to notice something was wrong with Lu Yang. It shouted, "Hey, hey, hey! There's an outsider here! You all, pay attention! Hide your life force quickly!"
Lu Yang focused his energy to calm his racing blood, and the voices gradually faded away.
He knelt on the ground, gasping for breath. What had just happened wasn’t an illusion; something was really inside him. What was it?!
The ginseng doll put down a crystal and bounced over to Lu Yang, sounding apologetic. "Sorry about that. I didn’t realize you hadn’t reached the Nascent Soul stage yet."
Unlike humans, the Medicine Kings don't judge cultivation by level but by age. The ginseng doll couldn't see Lu Yang's cultivation level; it just thought he looked nice.
"What was that just now?" Lu Yang asked, still shaken, as if he had just returned from the depths of hell.
"Little Ba and the female demon have too high a cultivation level among your human race, so I overlooked how our life force affects you."
"Our life force is so strong that it can make every organ in your body develop its own will and become a new individual. Once you reach the Nascent Soul stage and your energy points are complete, you won’t be affected by our life force anymore."
Hearing the ginseng doll, countless tiny herbs, each about three inches tall, hopped over to Lu Yang.
"Is this a person? Why is he so small?" one asked.
"What do you mean 'so small'? He’s the same height as us! Are you saying you’re small too?"
"It must be magic! Human magic is amazing; it can make things grow bigger or smaller. I’ve even seen spells that can change gender or turn people into demons."
"This person doesn’t seem to have a high cultivation level. Is he not even at the pregnancy stage?"
"What pregnancy stage? Lin Wang, your memory is getting worse! It’s called the Nascent Soul stage!"
"He looks like he can barely stand. Let’s carry him inside."
The little Medicine Kings chattered among themselves, buzzing in Lu Yang's ears. They lifted him over their heads and carried him into the hut made of flowers and grass.
The Wisdom Tree King stood outside, scratching its trunk. The leaves rustled loudly; it was too big to fit inside the small hut.
Once inside, Lu Yang realized the hut wasn’t made of flowers and grass but was built from ancient wood. Under the influence of the life force from the little Medicine Kings, the ancient wood had blossomed with new leaves and flowers, hiding its original appearance.
Lu Yang felt much better. He slowly got up and tried to identify the little Medicine Kings.
Coincidentally, he didn’t recognize any of them.
"Human, what’s your name?" asked a small grass plant with three tender leaves, its body shining silver with tiny star-like specks, resembling a miniature universe.
"I’m Lu Yang, a junior. May I ask who you are…?" Lu Yang politely inquired, realizing that, by age, the little Medicine Kings were not only his seniors but also seniors to everyone in the Wendaozong.
"It’s the Three-Leaf Star Herb. We all call it Star King," another little Medicine King chimed in. This one was a colorful flower with petals in five colors corresponding to the five elements. The center of the flower was divided into black and white, with a bit of black in the white and a bit of white in the black, forming a yin-yang shape, like a beautiful ink painting that drew people in.
"I’m the End of Time Flower. Just call me End King. Everyone says I’m the most beautiful flower, but I think that’s just jealousy trying to bring me down. As a humble Medicine King, I believe I’m only the second most beautiful flower in the world…" The End of Time Flower chattered non-stop.
Lu Yang stared at the End of Time Flower for two seconds, his pupils widening in disbelief. Although he didn’t know what it looked like, he had heard of its great name.
"The End of Time Flower is said to bloom only at the end of the world, when life is in despair, and it does so in the most beautiful form, freezing time itself?!"
It’s no wonder Lu Yang was so shocked. Ancient texts say the blooming of the End of Time Flower is equivalent to the end of the world, a complete reshuffling of everything.
But according to historical records, such a great event had never happened!
The End of Time Flower scratched its nectar-filled petals, looking troubled. "Some people say that, but I remember blooming during peaceful times, with everyone enjoying themselves. I didn’t see any disasters. Maybe the stories about my blooming are just rumors."
Just as Lu Yang was about to ask something else, another little Medicine King spoke up.
"Lu Yang, why are you here in the medicinal garden? Did Little Ba send you to gather herbs?" asked a small green qilin, looking like it was carved from jade, exceptionally delicate, unlike anything from the human world.
Lu Yang was startled again. "Qilin?!"
What is a qilin? It’s one of the most mysterious magical beasts, so rare that you might not find even one or two in the whole world. They are much rarer than those in the Tribulation Stage, and their traces can only be found in ancient texts. To think there’s one in the Wendaozong?
The depth of the Wendaozong's heritage was beyond Lu Yang's imagination.
The ginseng doll explained, "It’s the Qilin Immortal Medicine. The form you see now is its Dharma form. When your cultivation is high enough and you reach the Transformation Stage, you’ll be able to see its true form."
(End of Chapter)