Chapter 5

In the early morning, the Medicine Valley was particularly quiet.

The morning mist, like a thin veil, drifted over the lake, sometimes spreading and sometimes curling.

Fakong practiced a set of Small Arhat Fist by the lake, feeling warm all over. As he walked around the lake, he saw a small yellow flower poking out of the grass and stopped to admire it.

The small yellow flower was pure and delicate, with a drop of dew on it, making him inexplicably feel refreshed and moved.

He bent down and leaned in to sniff it.

There was no fragrance, only the fresh scent of dew.

Faning, carrying a lunch box, came over reluctantly and said, "Senior Brother, I'm fine."

Fakong straightened up, formed a hand seal with his slender fingers, and closed his eyes to recite the Clear Mind Mantra.

The void seemed to pour out a cold liquid from a jade bottle, which fell on him and was directed toward Faning by the hand seal.

Faning was about to speak when a clear spring poured over his head.

It felt like waking up on a crisp autumn morning.

A strange coolness continuously flowed into his mind, accumulating like a pool of autumn water, bright and clear.

Fakong recited the Clear Mind Mantra twice and then stopped: "Go."

"Senior Brother, I'll go then." Faning left absentmindedly, immersed in the coolness and unable to tear himself away.

---

After breakfast, while Fakong was taking a walk by the lake to aid digestion, a handsome young novice monk arrived at the valley.

Fakong went straight to meet him.

"Senior Brother, the Patriarch has summoned you."

"How is the Patriarch feeling?"

"Senior Brother, don't worry, it's good news." Faning, with his handsome appearance and gentle voice, looked obedient and respectful.

Fakong followed him out of the valley to the Prajna Temple, into Huinan's courtyard, and saw him practicing boxing in the yard.

In the bright morning sunlight, Huinan, wearing a gray short jacket, was slender and agile.

His punches were slow and steady, like Tai Chi from his previous life, and the green bamboo in the courtyard swayed with his movements.

Fakong watched the bamboo closely, wondering why he didn't feel the wind, yet the bamboo seemed to be blown by it.

Huinan, while practicing, said slowly, "Bright Moon Nunnery has come to ask for help. They have a tree with a problem."

"Is it the Great Yin Treasure Tree?"

Fakong immediately thought of the unique treasure of Bright Moon Nunnery, the Great Yin Treasure Tree.

Anyone skilled in herbs would know the Great Yin Treasure Tree, as it was too famous and too mysterious.

"He didn't say, but it should be that tree." Huinan spoke calmly, without his usual irritability, as if his temperament had merged with his boxing style, gentle like a light breeze. "Among all the monks, you are the most skilled in herbs."

"Grandmaster, didn't Bright Moon Nunnery come to invite Senior Brother Yuanfang?"

Yuanfang was the head of the Medicine King Temple, and anyone in the temple who was sick or injured would seek his treatment, as his medical skills were extremely high.

"He is not as skilled in herbs as you."

"Disciple is ashamed, I don't know much about the Great Yin Treasure Tree, and I'm afraid..."

"Are you going or not?!" Huinan looked at him coldly.

Fakong solemnly clasped his hands in a prayer gesture: "Grandmaster's command, I will naturally comply."

In the few moments of conversation, his mind, which worked ten times faster than an ordinary person's, had already considered dozens of thoughts and made a decision.

When under someone's roof, one must bow, and it's important to be practical.

Moreover, there were benefits to going.

The Great Yin Treasure Tree was crucial to Bright Moon Nunnery, involving their cultivation of the Lesser Yin Body Refinement.

It was said that without the Great Yin Fruit, one could not cultivate the Lesser Yin Body Refinement.

The Lesser Yin Body Refinement not only had the effect of preserving youth but also transformed one's temperament. The disciples of Bright Moon Nunnery had ice-like skin and snow-like bones because they had cultivated the Lesser Yin Body Refinement, which was the foundation of their cultivation.

If he could cure the Great Yin Treasure Tree, could he ask them for the Lesser Yin Body Refinement and receive it?

His constitution was weak, and practicing the Small Arhat Fist was twice the effort for half the result. He should be suitable for the Lesser Yin Body Refinement.

More importantly, Bright Moon Nunnery had the Sakyamuni Beleaf Sutra!

If he could read another Sakyamuni Beleaf Sutra, his lotus seat would rise another level, and the sweet dew would increase by one drop. How wonderful would that be?

"Hmm." Huinan grunted.

Grandmaster's command, naturally comply?

He didn't believe a word of it!

Fakong said, "Grandmaster, let Junior Brother Faning go with me."

Faning, being a Fifth Rank, had condensed his qi, and he was honest and simple, so he wouldn't abandon Fakong in danger.

"Are you afraid of danger on the way?"

"Yes."

"The one who came is Ning Zhenzhen, a talented disciple of Bright Moon Nunnery, whose martial arts are not inferior to Faning's."

"Still, let Faning go."

"Fine!" Huinan suddenly moved his hand.

Suddenly, a powerful force appeared out of nowhere.

Fakong felt himself swept by a wave of anger, flying over the walls of the Prajna Temple, passing through one courtyard after another, and finally landing outside the temple gate, crashing into an ancient tree.

The ancient tree, a thousand years old, had a canopy like a giant umbrella, and its twisted trunk required two people to embrace.

"Bang" He felt his internal organs churn, and his chest felt stuffy, making him want to vomit.

Fakong took a deep breath to suppress the urge to vomit and looked at the white-clad woman standing quietly two zhang away.

Her white clothes were like snow, and she looked like a jade statue, as if a fairy from the Moon Palace had descended to earth.

Her loose white clothes could not hide her graceful figure, and her beauty was unparalleled, with a unique purity.

The moment he saw her, Fakong inexplicably thought of the school beauty he had secretly loved in his previous life.

Pure, beautiful, and perfect.

She covered her mouth with one hand, smiling charmingly.

Her phoenix eyes curved with laughter, like shimmering autumn water.

Fakong, as if nothing had happened, clasped his hands in a prayer gesture: "Are you Miss Ning?"

His thick skin allowed him to ignore the embarrassment, and he remained composed in front of the pure and beautiful Ning Zhenzhen, who was a paragon of beauty.

Indeed, in his previous life, he had seen many beauties, passing through a sea of flowers without a single leaf sticking to him.

The existence of the Medicine Buddha also made his mind hard to sway.

"Fakong Senior Brother, greetings." Ning Zhenzhen smiled and clasped her hands in a prayer gesture: "Thank you for coming."

She found Fakong's awkward yet serious appearance hilarious, and the more serious he was, the funnier she found it.

Fakong smiled: "I'm afraid I won't be much help. Why don't we sit in my Medicine Valley for a while? We'll wait for Junior Brother Faning to return before we set off. How about that?"

"Sure." Ning Zhenzhen smiled.

The two walked side by side.

Fakong, though still frail, had precise control over his body, walking steadily on the ice-covered stone steps.

His feet were flat, the soles slightly suspended, the outer edges slightly inward, and he used the extension and contraction of his toes to maximize friction with the smooth steps.

Ning Zhenzhen moved as if her feet didn't touch the ground, light as a feather.

Fakong walked steadily but not quickly, with a graceful and composed demeanor, smiling and talking as he walked: "I'm sure you must be disappointed, Miss Ning?"

"Disappointed about what?"

"My master is no longer here."

"I heard that Fakong Senior Brother has inherited the herbal knowledge of Senior Uncle Yuanzhi, and even surpassed him."

"Flattery." Fakong smiled and shook his head: "Who else did you invite to help?"

"… Senior Uncle Chenshen from Great Thunder Sound Temple, and Uncle Xufeng from Pure Virtue Temple."

"All famous figures, I'm just filling in the numbers."

"Senior Brother is too modest."

As soon as they stepped onto the lush green grass, the warmth and fragrance made Ning Zhenzhen marvel.

She looked at the clear lake reflecting the blue sky and white clouds and couldn't help but exclaim, "What a beautiful place!"

She had no idea that Vajra Temple had such a beautiful spot.

Fakong smiled and came to a pine-wood table by the lake, lighting a small red clay stove.

Ning Zhenzhen didn't feel out of place and walked around the lake first.

As she approached, the fish in the lake gathered, already accustomed to being fed by Fakong.

Ning Zhenzhen smiled and played for a while, then casually looked at the herb beds.

The herb beds were neatly maintained, and she recognized a few herbs, all rare and precious.

"Fakong Senior Brother, a few of these herbs are not doing well." Ning Zhenzhen suddenly called out, waving her white hand.

Fakong came over.

This herb bed was like a small wheat field, with herbs resembling wheat, called Cold Wheat.

"Fakong Senior Brother, they're not doing well?"

"Cold Wheat likes moisture but fears waterlogging. If watered too much, they will wither like this. If watered too little, they will also wither."

"What can we do?"

Fakong closed his eyes, formed a hand seal, and his lips moved, exuding a sacred and solemn aura.

Ning Zhenzhen blinked her phoenix eyes, her gaze falling on his slender fingers, finding the hand seal familiar.

She then realized it was the hand seal for the Spring Revival Mantra.

Bright Moon Nunnery also had this mantra.

Her delicate, white lips curled into a smile, wondering if he was using the Spring Revival Mantra to save the Cold Wheat.

Fakong recited the Spring Revival Mantra three times.

A jade bottle in the void tilted, pouring a liquid that fell on him and was directed to three Cold Wheat plants through the hand seal.

To Ning Zhenzhen's amazement, the withered yellow of the three Cold Wheat plants quickly turned green.

Fakong released the hand seal and opened his eyes.

Ning Zhenzhen looked at him, then at the three green Cold Wheat plants, which looked more vigorous than the others.

Fakong smiled: "Let's have a cup of tea. Junior Brother Faning should be back soon."

"Fakong Senior Brother, you used the Spring Revival Mantra, right?"

"Yes." Fakong turned and walked back.

Ning Zhenzhen followed: "The Spring Revival Mantra has such power? I don't think so."

"I have no talent in martial arts but have some talent in Buddhist mantras."

"Aren't Buddhist mantras for self-blessing?" Ning Zhenzhen felt her understanding challenged.

Fakong sat down, brewed two cups of tea, and handed one to her.

Ning Zhenzhen took the snow-white porcelain cup, her bright eyes still on Fakong.

Fakong, under her gaze, sipped the tea and nodded in satisfaction.

The water temperature was just right, not too high or too low, perfectly bringing out the tea's fragrance.

If the water was a degree too hot, the fragrance would be lost; if a degree too cold, the fragrance wouldn't be brought out. The right temperature required skill.

Now, his senses were far more acute than an ordinary person's, making his experience more profound.

Others might find the tea's fragrance faint, but he found it refreshing, making his whole body feel warm and comfortable, a supreme enjoyment.

But his taste was also more discerning, and any slight difference in flavor would be magnified several times in his presence.

Ning Zhenzhen smiled, her beauty radiant: "Is there some secret to it? Never mind."

Fakong put down the tea cup and smiled: "It's just a matter of talent, hard to explain, even to myself."

"Alright, I won't ask." Ning Zhenzhen waved her hand.

Talent determines the speed of martial arts progress; good talent means fast progress, bad talent means slow progress.

But this was a different matter. Fakong was just confusing the issue.

"Ah…" Fakong sighed, seemingly troubled by his inability to explain.

"This tea is truly excellent." Ning Zhenzhen smiled, her heart cold.

She was wise and perceptive, sensing that Fakong was not telling the truth.

Fakong didn't expect her to believe him completely.

In the short time they had spent together, he had determined that she was an outwardly warm but inwardly cold person, smiling like a flower but with no ripples in her heart.

"Fangirl, I've heard that your nunnery has a copy of the 'Moonlight Bodhisattva Wisdom Sutra' recorded on Sakyamuni Beleaf."

"Yes." Ning Zhenzhen nodded.

"It must be a treasure, kept secret."

"Yes, it is enshrined in the inner courtyard."

"Can I have a look?" Fakong probed.

He had no confidence in curing the Great Yin Treasure Tree, as it was a famous and mysterious tree, and he didn't know what the problem was.

If he could avoid it, he would, to prevent making things worse and getting into trouble.

"If Fakong Senior Brother can cure the treasure tree, it shouldn't be a problem." Ning Zhenzhen smiled playfully, her beauty captivating.

"That's good." Fakong smiled.

He inwardly cursed her cunning.

From her words, he deduced that even if he didn't cure the Great Yin Treasure Tree and simply requested to see the 'Moonlight Bodhisattva Wisdom Sutra,' Bright Moon Nunnery would agree, contrary to what Grandmaster Huinan had said.

But now, with the issue of the Great Yin Treasure Tree, Ning Zhenzhen had added this condition: see the sutra only after curing the tree.

His probing had given her leverage.