Chapter 80

In fact, the most significant characteristic of the Eight Treasures Merit Mud is not its ability to blend with everything, but its capacity to extract and absorb the essence of all things.

For example, the set of teapot and cups that Water Moon Hermit often used had, after decades of continuous tea brewing, absorbed the essence of the tea. Therefore, even if water was poured into an empty cup, the aroma of tea would still be present.

In the cave, Qi Xiang only found three such cups but no teapot.

He suspected that the teapot might have been washed away by the lake water and accidentally picked up by someone who then discovered the secret of the teapot, leading to the folk legend of the tea mud pot.

There was also that pot...

Qi Xiang pondered. The pot used by Water Moon Hermit was not just for cooking but more often for decocting medicine. As a practitioner with considerable attainments, when the city of Bianliang fell and he was preparing to leave the imperial palace, he inevitably took many things with him, including the Eight Treasures Merit Mud and many precious herbs.

These precious herbs, when decocted by Water Moon Hermit, turned into nourishing soups.

Of course, these nourishing soups had all been consumed by Water Moon Hermit, becoming part of his cultivation. However, some of the soup had also been absorbed by the pot.

Using such a pot to cook, the medicinal properties would be transferred to the food, providing significant benefits. Hai Gongzi and Tian Shi probably wanted to borrow the pot for this very reason.

After some thought, Qi Xiang was not entirely sure that the pot in Zhu Shen's home was definitely a relic of Water Moon Hermit. However, he believed the possibility was high...

After a moment of contemplation, Qi Xiang returned to the living room and continued to inventory his gains. He sighed, reflecting on the saying that when one person attains enlightenment, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. It was indeed not just a saying.

If one person became a deity, their relatives and friends would surely benefit greatly. Even a toothpick used by a deity would not be an ordinary object.

With a complex heart, Qi Xiang finally organized and properly stored these miscellaneous items. By then, it was already noon, and after a day and night without sleep, he felt somewhat tired. He went back to his room to rest.

He slept for a whole day.

It wasn't until the next day, when the sun was high, that Qi Xiang finally got out of bed.

A normal person would feel various discomforts, such as back pain and limb fatigue, after sleeping for so long, but he was different. After getting up, he was energetic, his eyes bright and clear.

This was mainly because, during his sleep, he was not just deeply asleep but was also sorting through the inherited memories of Water Moon Hermit and comprehending his lifetime of cultivation experience...

Of course, this comprehension was like watching a movie, where he knew every move the protagonist made on the screen, but there was always a barrier. To truly make Water Moon Hermit's lifetime of experience his own, Qi Xiang still needed to put in his own effort.

However, this was still very beneficial. With this inheritance, it was like having a master teacher by his side, guiding him on a smooth path forward.

"Unfortunately..."

Qi Xiang frowned and sighed, "It has been proven that Water Moon Hermit's path is fine in the early stages, but there is no way forward at the end. In other words, if one follows his path and fails to break through, it means certain death..."

"It's also difficult!"

After a moment of deep thought, Qi Xiang suddenly laughed bitterly, realizing he was overthinking.

As Hai Gongzi said, it was now truly the end of the Dharma era, with the earth's spiritual energy almost completely dissipated. Compared to the Northern Song Dynasty, there must be a significant difference.

In such a situation, even if one wanted to replicate Water Moon Hermit's cultivation path, whether it would succeed was still uncertain.

Moreover, his current situation did not give him the luxury of being picky.

"Take one step at a time; being able to enter the path is already a victory," Qi Xiang muttered to himself. "As for the future, there will always be a way when the time comes. We'll see about that later."

Perhaps he wouldn't even reach that point and would die before then. All his current worries and concerns would then be nothing but a joke.

Having thought this through, Qi Xiang made a decision.

He was never short of action. After making his decision, he immediately went out.

Soon, he arrived at the largest Chinese herbal medicine market in Huzhou City. On this street, dozens of pharmacies lined up, and various stalls were piled with all kinds of herbs, creating a grand scene.

Walking down the street, the mixed aroma of various herbs was invigorating and refreshing. Even if one didn't come to buy medicine, just coming to smell the herbs could probably strengthen the body and extend life.

This was true. Qi Xiang saw many elderly men and women strolling down the street, not buying anything, just wandering around.

The shopkeepers and vendors did not drive them away. After all, more people meant more activity, and activity meant popularity. With popularity, there would be no lack of business.

Qi Xiang could see that each shop was not short of customers, with many people entering empty-handed but leaving with large and small bags.

Despite the many people in society who criticized traditional Chinese medicine, the vast majority of the Chinese people still trusted the nourishing and tonifying effects of traditional Chinese medicine.

For acute and serious illnesses, they would go to regular hospitals and receive Western medical treatment. But once they needed to adjust their health, they would turn to traditional Chinese medicine without hesitation.

With the improved living conditions of modern people, health preservation and maintenance had become a trend. The once declining traditional Chinese medicine had quickly reversed its situation, revived, and become even more popular, occupying a significant place in the market.

Why had the debate between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine never ceased over the years? The mutual defamation and denigration were almost a daily occurrence. Every so often, there would be another heated argument.

Was it because they had nothing better to do?

No, at the root of it all was the issue of interests.

With more people seeking traditional Chinese medicine, Western medicine would inevitably be affected. If the entire society became fully Westernized and everyone only sought Western medical treatment, traditional Chinese medicine would lose its space for survival.

Therefore, as long as there were patients, the conflict between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine would continue, with no end in sight.

Of course, for ordinary people, whether it was traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine, as long as it could cure their illness or benefit them, they would trust it. After all, ordinary people were very practical and wouldn't think too much...

Qi Xiang was the same. In the past, when he was sick, he found Western medicine to be effective and often sought Western medical treatment. But now, with a need for Chinese herbs, he came here without hesitation.

He looked around the street and then entered the largest shop, walking in lightly.

The pharmacy was large, over a hundred square meters, with rows of medicine cabinets and shelves. On the shelves were bamboo baskets.

In the baskets were various herbs.

As soon as Qi Xiang entered, he smelled a strong medicinal aroma, which felt very good. As he looked around at the herbs, a clerk ran over and asked with a smile, "Brother, what would you like to buy?"

"Your shop..." Qi Xiang looked around, "Do you have cinnabar?"

"Cinnabar?" The clerk was taken aback, quite surprised. "Do you mean realgar?"

"Yes, realgar," Qi Xiang nodded.

Realgar, also known as cinnabar, vermilion, and mercury sulfide, was considered a wondrous substance in ancient times when alchemy was prevalent.

First, cinnabar is red, and natural red cinnabar is believed to be the blood of heaven and earth, a symbol of eternal life. Second, cinnabar itself has medicinal value and was used by ancient people to treat diseases.

Finally, and most crucially, when natural cinnabar is heated, it can be decomposed into mercury and sulfur. When mercury and sulfur are mixed and heated again, red cinnabar crystals can be obtained.

This decomposition and synthesis can be repeated indefinitely.

This characteristic led the ancients to believe that cinnabar was the mother of elixirs and the most primitive form of alchemy.

In alchemy, the term "elixir" refers to cinnabar.

Above is cinnabar, below is gold. In China's two to three thousand years of alchemy history, cinnabar and gold have always been the main ingredients in the creation of "elixirs." The saying "cinnabar essence turns into gold, and consuming gold leads to immortality" has been passed down through the ages.

Therefore, in ancient times, many people had the habit of consuming cinnabar. The problem was that cinnabar is toxic. While it can be used in small amounts for medicinal purposes, long-term consumption would certainly be fatal.

With so many people dying, the ancients were not foolish and naturally learned from their mistakes, knowing that this substance should not be consumed in large quantities. However, they were unwilling to give up such a wonderful substance and instead worked hard to develop more uses for cinnabar.

For example, cinnabar can be used as a pigment. As early as the prehistoric era, the ancients used cinnabar to paint on oracle bones, grinding it into a red powder and embedding it in the inscriptions to make them stand out.

Further, the ancients used cinnabar to paint on cliff walls, and this practice has been passed down. Later, the term "danzheng" (丹青) was specifically used to refer to painting.

Even the emperors of successive dynasties were fond of cinnabar, using red ink made from cinnabar to approve the memorials of officials, which is the origin of the term "朱批" (zhubi, imperial approval).

To this day, Chinese teachers, influenced by this tradition, use red pens to grade students' assignments and exams.

In short, while cinnabar may seem unrelated to people's daily work, a closer look reveals that it has always influenced people's lives.

For a pharmacy, since cinnabar can be used in medicine, it would definitely have some in stock. So when the clerk heard that Qi Xiang wanted cinnabar, he immediately nodded and said, "We have it in the shop. How much do you want to buy, brother?"

"Let's start with one pound..." Qi Xiang said.

"One pound?" The clerk was taken aback and laughed in surprise. "Brother, did you make a mistake? Did you mean one ounce?"

"I want one pound, the best quality," Qi Xiang emphasized. "Preferably cinnabar from Chenzhou, Hunan Province!"

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Pushing hard, countdown to release, seeking collections and recommendations. Please support.

Also, recommending a friend's work, "Rebirth of a Cultural Giant,"

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