Chapter 99

Among the five senses, touch is the foundation. Cultivating the five senses, the first step is to cultivate touch. The other senses—taste, smell, sight, and hearing—are, strictly speaking, all forms of touch, just different types of touch.

Once touch is cultivated, it becomes much easier to cultivate the other four senses. However, among these four, there are still differences in importance and priority.

First, the easiest to cultivate is taste, followed by smell, then sight, and finally hearing.

Human taste is the sensation produced by the tongue coming into contact with flavors, while smell is the sensation produced by the nose coming into contact with odors. The carriers of flavors and odors are solid substances and gases, respectively. Compared to solid substances, gases are more abstract. Sight is the contact between the eyes and light, and hearing is the contact between the ears and sound. Both light and sound, compared to gases, are even more abstract.

As for the comparison between light and sound, it is generally difficult to say which is more abstract. However, the eyes' perception of the world is more direct compared to the ears. Therefore, cultivating sight is easier than cultivating hearing.

Logically, after Xu Mo's touch became spiritually attuned, if he continued to cultivate, the next sense to become attuned should be taste.

However, nothing is absolute. This time, by chance, it was smell that became attuned first.

Even the relationship between sight and hearing is the same. If someone is born with sensitive ears, they might cultivate hearing before sight.

Once his sense of smell became attuned, the smell of the herbs in the room became immediately clear. Each herb's smell was distinctly separate from the others, with clear layers and no confusion. Even the location and direction of each smell were clearly perceived.

He searched for the smells he needed according to his requirements and quickly found several herbs. He combined them, and they perfectly met his needs. The combination of touch and smell made the herbs he found the most intuitive, the most attuned, and the most accurate, leading to the best therapeutic effects. Truly, the medicine cured the disease, and his hands brought back spring.

He was overjoyed and only then had the time to stop his nosebleed, wash his face, and return. He took a bit of each herb he needed and cooked them in the kitchen, tasting the medicine himself first.

As the medicine entered his stomach and took effect, he immediately felt something moving in his dantian. It seemed unable to withstand the damage from the medicine and moved upward from the dantian to his navel, wriggling and struggling to escape through the navel.

However, the movement of this thing inside his body was very slight. If not for his strong sense of touch, he might not have noticed it.

The thing inside his body had no specific form, could be large or small, and could even be a liquid or a solid. When it moved to his navel and struggled to escape, the sensation became much stronger, and he could clearly feel a tingling and itching.

He lifted his shirt and looked at his navel. After a short while, he saw something squeezing out from his navel. At first, it was very small and almost invisible, but as it squeezed out, it gradually grew larger, eventually reaching the size of a soybean.

The thing was completely transparent and looked like a silkworm, but it was not alive. Its skin and outer layer were made of substances secreted by the human body. It had no limbs, just a head-like structure and a large belly.

Inside the belly, there were no intestines or esophagus. The outer transparent layer was very thin, like an empty bubble.

Xu Mo held it in his hand and felt surprised. When he looked at his navel again, he saw no damage. The thing that resembled a worm had come out like sweat, seeping through the pores.

As soon as this thing came out of his body, his condition immediately returned to normal. His dizziness disappeared, his energy was restored, and the red spots on his skin, caused by blood coagulation, faded at a visible speed.

Xu Mo lightly pinched the thing, and it was immediately crushed, leaving only a thin, transparent, oily skin.

He was even more surprised but had no time to think about it. He poured the medicine into a bowl, held it in one hand, and walked to Han Ying's room.

Han Ying was still in a deep sleep, and the putrid smell from her body had become even stronger. She looked older, as if she had aged by five or six years.

At first, the aging was slow, but as it progressed, her life force began to drain faster, and the aging accelerated.

Xu Mo was shocked but also secretly relieved, thinking: Fortunately, my sense of smell became attuned by chance. Otherwise, Han Ying might really have died here.

He put the bowl of medicine aside, sat on the edge of the bed, and helped Han Ying sit up, using a pillow to support her back. He called out, "Han Ying, it's time to take the medicine."

Han Ying was in a deep sleep, and he had to call her several times before she woke up. She struggled to open her eyes, barely recognizing him, and softly said, "It's no use, Xu. I'm about to die of old age."

Her voice was hoarse and very weak, almost inaudible if not listened to carefully.

"What are you saying?" Xu Mo lightly scolded her, sat beside her, and wrapped his arm around her thin shoulders, bringing the bowl of medicine to her mouth. "Drink it!"

Han Ying did not resist but smiled helplessly. The smile was difficult, and she drank the medicine with his help.

After she finished the medicine, Xu Mo wiped the medicine residue from her lips with a tissue and asked, "How do you feel?"

Han Ying shook her head, still drowsy, and felt nothing at the moment.

Xu Mo muttered to himself, thinking: Once the medicine takes effect, it will be better.

He estimated that it would take at least ten minutes for the medicine to take effect, so he helped Han Ying lie down and waited beside her.

He calculated the time and, when it was about right, lifted the blanket and looked at Han Ying's navel. Just like his, a worm-like thing was emerging from her navel.

However, strangely, when the worm emerged from Han Ying's body, it felt different from when it emerged from his. Han Ying felt pain and couldn't help but moan. She was drowsy and fell back into a coma amidst the moans.

Xu Mo was alarmed and quickly checked her navel, but saw no damage. It seemed the pain was not related to the worm emerging from her navel. He couldn't figure out the reason.

With no other choice, he waited. A few minutes later, the worm finally emerged completely. Xu Mo took it in his hand and examined it closely, only to be stunned. Inside the worm's belly was a small, transparent droplet.

He thought for a moment and looked at Han Ying again. The decay on her body had stopped, but the damage already done had not disappeared.

Recalling the pain the worm caused when it emerged from her navel, he guessed it was related to the small droplet.

Curious, he brought the worm closer to examine the droplet inside. However, the worm, though transparent, had a layer of skin, making it difficult to see the droplet clearly.

Xu Mo thought for a moment and gently pinched the worm. The outer skin broke, and the droplet immediately came out, sticking to his finger, not dispersing. It rolled on his fingertip, not mixing with any other substance.

He looked at the droplet again and was suddenly shocked. The droplet was crystal clear and pure, and he had never seen such a pure, clear, and light liquid in his life.

He sniffed it with his attuned sense of smell. Even air had a smell, but this droplet had no scent at all.

Moreover, it was even stranger that looking at the droplet made him feel as if it were alive, full of vitality, like the return of spring, bringing life and energy.

He suddenly thought of something, turned to Han Ying, and gently shook her shoulder, "Han Ying, wake up, wake up!"

This time, Han Ying woke up easily, but her eyes were still tired. Although she still looked weak, her condition was much better than before.

She opened her eyes, saw Xu Mo, and was startled. Then she asked, "Xu, am I dead?"

"Nonsense! With me here, how could you die?" Xu Mo lightly scolded her and asked, "How do you feel?"

"Feel?" Han Ying finally reacted, focused, and then exclaimed, "How is this possible? I feel... I feel so much better, as if... as if I'm much better."

Hearing this, Xu Mo was slightly relieved. He looked at her face and felt guilty, thinking: Unfortunately, I prepared the medicine too late, and she still aged by five or six years. When we return, I will prepare some anti-aging medicine for her. Although her appearance can be restored, the lost years cannot be regained.

Han Ying suddenly remembered something and asked, "Xu, did you cure me?"

Xu Mo nodded.

Han Ying's expression was indescribably surprised, clearly not expecting that Xu Mo could actually cure her.

Just as she was about to say something, Xu Mo suddenly put a finger to her mouth and said softly, "Swallow it."

Han Ying saw the droplet and asked, "What is this?"

Xu Mo said, "Swallow it first, then we'll talk." He himself was not sure, but he felt it must be something good.

Han Ying, hearing this, did not ask more questions, extended her tongue, and licked the droplet, then swallowed it.

In an instant, as soon as the droplet entered her stomach, her appearance changed. She had aged by five or six years, but after swallowing the droplet, she almost instantly returned to her original state.

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**End of Chapter**