When Lu Yang heard the words "Qilin Immortal Medicine," he suddenly felt a jolt. Qilin creatures had long disappeared, and the Qilin Immortal Medicine was nearly extinct as well. Throughout history, there had been very few records of it, and some even claimed that there was only one Qilin Immortal Medicine in existence.
The Qilin Immortal Medicine was in a cycle of reincarnation.
An ancient sage once speculated that Qilins never existed at all and were merely figments of people's imagination. He believed that all recorded sightings of Qilins were actually encounters with the Qilin Immortal Medicine.
Without the ability to see the truth, people easily mistook the Qilin Immortal Medicine for a Qilin, just like Lu Yang did now.
"Old Ba sent me here to loosen the soil," Lu Yang said.
"Oh, so you're here to loosen the soil. Can you use the Five Elements magic?" The little medicine kings looked happy upon hearing this. Finally, someone was here to help.
Lu Yang looked conflicted. "I wouldn't say I'm very skilled. I learned it by accident, so I don't know if it counts as Five Elements magic, but I can dig."
He thought what he was using was a space technique, but it just looked a lot like Five Elements magic.
"It doesn't matter if it counts as Five Elements magic. As long as you can dig, that's enough," said the flower of Time's End, carefree.
After the couple of earthworms returned from vacation, they often heard the herbs complaining about the hard soil, saying it was uncomfortable to grow in, that the soil was not breathable, and they wanted to pull their roots out to breathe and soak up some sun. This made things difficult for the little medicine kings.
Now, this problem could be solved.
Very few people knew about the existence of the medicine kings. Before, Lu Yang didn't recognize a single one. The little medicine kings had incredible medicinal properties, and if they appeared in the outside world, they would drive powerful cultivators crazy.
Well, he did recognize one.
Lu Yang identified the sunflower in the hands of the flower of Time's End. The petals opened and closed, the black skin fell off, and the white, jade-like core became nourishment for the medicine king—it was munching on sunflower seeds.
And the seed shells were scattered everywhere.
He wondered if this counted as eating one’s own kind.
"Oh, this is called a sunflower," the flower of Time's End noticed Lu Yang's gaze and introduced it.
Lu Yang thought to himself, I know that.
The medicine kings were all small. Rather than munching on sunflower seeds, it looked more like they were hugging the seeds and nibbling on them. It was clear that the flower of Time's End was enjoying its snack.
"Zhong Wang, you’re littering again! How many times have I told you? We are plants, not humans. Don’t imitate them by munching on sunflower seeds. The seed shells are edible too!" The Qilin Immortal Medicine was furious, scolding the flower of Time's End for mimicking humans.
The flower of Time's End replied defiantly, "I grew the sunflower, so I can eat it however I want. Who are you to tell me? Hmph."
This really angered the Qilin Immortal Medicine, which lunged at the flower of Time's End. The two little medicine kings began to wrestle, pushing each other around without any real harm.
The ginseng doll and the three-leaf star grass were unfazed and shouted for Lu Yang to show them how to burrow into the ground.
"Don't mind them; they’ll stop when they get tired."
Outside the wooden house, Lu Yang saw a towering tree. Its roots were thick like two big legs, and it looked very lively, with dense leaves rustling in the wind.
"Is that the Enlightenment Tree?"
Lu Yang was quite surprised. Even if he returned to his normal size, this tree would still be massive enough to block out the sun. It was so big that dozens of people couldn't wrap their arms around it, let alone him, who was only three inches tall.
The Enlightenment Tree radiated a mysterious aura, and the rustling of its leaves sounded like the voice of the Dao, as if all paths converged upon it, shaping its essence. The tree was majestic and sacred, not to be trifled with.
"This is the Enlightenment Tree I told you about. We all call it the Tree King. Its talent in Dao techniques is unparalleled."
The leaves of the Enlightenment Tree could help people understand the Dao. If the tree ever became sentient, how high would its talent in cultivation be? Lu Yang couldn't even imagine.
The medicine kings looked weak, but each had their own unique abilities that shouldn't be underestimated. If they didn't have skills to protect themselves, they wouldn't have survived this long, relying solely on the pity of humans.
The big tree scolded playfully, "Ginseng King, you fool, you're flattering me again. I may be exceptional, but what about that female demon? What kind of talent does she have?"
"Who is the female demon?" Judging by the tone of the little medicine kings, she didn't sound like a good person.
"Besides Little Ba, only the female demon can come to the medicine garden. She's incredibly powerful; we can't defeat her. She takes whatever she wants, and no medicine can stop her!"
"She took some of my old ginseng roots, and I was in so much pain that I had to rest in bed for several days," the ginseng doll angrily condemned the female demon's actions.
"She also took several stars from my leaves. Look, these stars are dimmer than the others. I don't know how long it will take for them to grow back!"
In the little medicine kings' descriptions, the female demon was a notorious figure, with countless misdeeds that could fill a book. She deserved to be punished.
"What's even more infuriating is that she said she would use these things to take a bath. Can you imagine? She bathes with parts of our bodies—how twisted is that!"
"By the way, I heard from Little Ba that the female demon has a high status in your Dao Sect. Her name is Yun Zhi."
Lu Yang: "..."
He realized he wasn't surprised by this answer at all. Was it a problem with the senior sister or with him?
Lu Yang laughed awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "Well, about that senior sister you mentioned, I think I know her. She's my senior sister."
The Enlightenment Tree King laughed heartily, not concerned. "That's nothing. Who doesn't know that all disciples of your Dao Sect call her senior sister? Do you think just because you say you're her junior brother, we would blame you? You underestimate us medicine kings. We've lived for countless years; how could we care about a mere human?"
Seeing the Enlightenment Tree King being so understanding, Lu Yang felt relieved. "That's great! It seems like it won't matter even if both she and I are under the same master."
But the laughter of the Enlightenment Tree King suddenly stopped, and even the gentle breeze froze at that moment. The leaves stopped rustling.
The ginseng doll waved its ginseng roots, a sinister smile creeping onto its calm face.
The three-leaf star grass had stars swirling on its leaves, like a volcano ready to erupt, seeking revenge.
In an instant, a murderous aura filled the air.
Lu Yang calmly explained, "Hold on! Do you really think I'm on the side of the female demon just because I'm her junior brother?"
The ginseng doll looked at Lu Yang suspiciously, its waving roots slowing down. "Aren't you?"
The Enlightenment Tree King and the three-leaf star grass also paused their attack.
"You are completely mistaken!" Lu Yang said firmly, clenching his fists and revealing a pained expression as if recalling something he wished to forget.
"The female demon's actions are simply outrageous. Don't just think about how you've suffered at her hands; I've been deeply affected too!"
"On the surface, I seem to be doing well, with a bright future ahead, but who can I tell about the torment I've endured?"
(End of Chapter)