The Divine Beast Record of The Dragon Sons: Yaizhen - 2

Chapter Two

Ginseng, the king of hundreds of tonics, has the effects of tonifying vitality, replenishing spleen and qi, promoting body fluids, calming the mind and improving intelligence. Every ginseng that is about to take a human form is protected by a fierce beast. To harvest the ginseng, you must fight a fierce beast and the winner can get the ginseng - but first you must ensure that the ginseng cannot outrun you.

There are many kinds of ginseng, the "spiritual ginseng" is the most precious and rare. Spiritual ginseng can listen to people's words, recognize people's thoughts, and moves as quickly as a mouse. To harvest it, you don't have to dig in the soil to get it.

What the stingray doctor said rang in the ears of the second dragon son, Yaizhen.

Legend has it that this kind of spiritual ginseng loves admiring the moon, smelling flowers, singing and dancing, and its whereabouts are elusive. If it senses someone approaching, it will quickly escape. If it's uprooted from the soil, it will let out a shrill scream——

They hate blood, swords, and murderous intent. Just smelling one of them will make them run very fast. Unfortunately, as a dragon, he has all of them. Yaizhen looked around and considered exchanging sea jade branches with other dragon sons and find another ingredient.

It would be best if one of the other dragon sons, who is heartless and has no brotherly love, would want to exchange with him!

Humph, it’s just a ginseng plant. Is he, the mighty second dragon son, afraid of it?

Yaizhen is carrying a dragon-shaped steel sword, and the blade is in the lifelike posture of a soaring dragon, as if there's a small dragon behind him, glaring at everyone with its teeth and claws.

His short hair on his temples stood straight up, and his two thick black eyebrows were wild and unrestrained, reflecting the unruly arrogance of their owner. His long black hair on the back of his head was gathered and tied up with several gold rings. At first glance, they looked like ordinary gold ring ornaments, but if you remove them, they turn into sharp, round blades.

A thin armor of dragon scales emits a cold blue light, docilely wrapping his strong body, faithfully showing the tension and firmness of every inch of his silhouette. His slender tiger eyes are slightly narrowed and at the same time clouds are forming under his feet. His destination is the mountains he heard about from Judge Wen.

Who in the world knows better than Gui Cha, the man in charge of life and death, whether there really is a "spiritual ginseng" in the world?

Gui Cha said that there are indeed some, and their number is not a single digit. In the book of life and death, it is clearly recorded where they were born and when they died.

"Then the cause of death of one of them must be that I, Yaizhen, dug it up and took it home to make soup." At that time, he grinned at Gui Cha, who smiled warmly in return. He then asked: "Where are most of those ginseng found?”

"There are some in Tianshan Mountain, some in Luoyang Mountain, some in Yuxing Mountain, some in Xiong Mountain, some in Wushan, and some in Akaishi Mountain." Gui Cha told him the truth and listed them one by one.

"There are so many." He thought there was only one spiritual ginseng, and it was unique. How could he know that it was not rare at all?

"Spiritual Ginsengs are not easy to pick. They have lived for a hundred years."

"Because you haven't met me yet," Yaizhen said proudly, waving his hand and leaving the cold underworld.

Yaizhen left in a hurry that he didn't hear the handsome and elegant Gui Cha who finished sipping the tea softly said with a deep smile: "In the book of life and death, there is not a single ginseng that died from becoming a soup."

Unfortunately, Yaizhen has long since disappeared.

He recalled the names of the mountains mentioned by Gui Cha and considered them one by one. There are some ferocious beasts in Tianshan Mountain. It is said that she protects every plant and tree in Tianshan Mountain as if she's protecting her beloved. Yaizhen is not afraid of ferocious beasts, but he is afraid of women - afraid of crying when a woman tells him to cry; afraid of falling out with a woman if she tells him to fall; afraid of women’s constant chatter—so Tianshan is not the first choice. He went to Luoyang Mountain first. He turned over the whole mountain to look for the spiritual ginseng. He did find a lot of ginseng, the size of a palm, one of them lying peacefully between his fingers. How could it scream when he dug it out?

He went to Yuxing Mountain next, and met several ginseng pickers on the way. He listened to them describe like storytellers that they had heard the ginseng singing under the moon. Some people said that they had seen the ginseng transform into a human form, and they took the ginseng. It was so unbelievable that if they knew that the man standing in front of them was a dragon, they would probably be scared to death.

He searched the Yuxing Mountain for five days while raining, apart from hearing a lot of stories, the mountain yielded no real results. Going to Xiong Mountain and then Wushan Mountain was his plan. He thought it would only take a day or two to complete the task, but now it has been delayed for more than half a month with no trace of the spiritual ginseng.

He really doesn't want to target Tianshan Mountain, because in addition to the ferocious beast Qiongqi, there is also Tsukuyomi, a mountain god, there. However, the ginseng pickers said that Tianshan Mountain is full of ginseng. In fact, there are more ginseng than weeds. No matter how unwilling he is, he has no choice but to take a trip to explore the mountain. Compared with meeting Qiongqi and Tsukuyomi, he did not want to waste time blindly searching for ginseng. He was determined to be the first dragon to bring back a medicinal ingredient. He would come out on top and never lose to his brothers.

So, Yaizhen stepped into the Tianshan territory.

Tianshan Mountain, which used to be one of the pillars supporting the sky, is no longer out of reach, no longer sacred and impenetrable. It has green shades, birds singing and flowers fragrant. Every scene is poetic and picturesque. Every flower, grass, and tree are so beautiful, but Yaizhen has no sense of beauty and does not know how to appreciate it. The only thing on his mind is where to find the spiritual ginseng.

Ginseng Picker A mentioned that a spiritual ginseng is as naughty and playful as a child. It is said that if someone tells a story in the forest, it will come and eavesdrop.

Spiritual ginsengs become most enraged when someone says bad things about them. If someone offends them, they will be cruel to that person and stretch out their ginseng tentacles from the bottom of the soil and trip the person. Ginseng Picker B described the spiritual ginsengs as if they were childish boys.

Spiritual ginsengs hate people whistling and think it's a frivolous provocation, Ginseng Picker C immediately added.

Before entering the mountains, ginseng collectors should pray for God's blessings, fast and bathe, be vegetarians for three months, and avoid k*lling animals and having s*x. Spiritual ginsengs don't like to be approached by people with dirty bodies, Ginseng Picker D said.

It is said that a spiritual ginseng will turn into human form, either male or female, approach the ginseng pickers, and deceive the ginseng pickers into taking the entire basket of ginseng. Wu Sha, a ginseng collector, has his own story.

Yaizhen was silent and pondered over the various opinions of the ginseng pickers. No matter how true or false they were, they all had reference value, so he first put away the dragon sword on his back.

"Dian Shu, you should stay safe and hide first." Dian Shu is the name of the dragon-shaped sword. Giving orders to a cold steel sword seemed ridiculous, but the sword actually slowly trembled. A dragon made of steel moved flexibly, clinging to the back of Yaizhen's neck, and sneaking into his collar. The thin armor raised a dragon shape, and slowly disappeared under the armor, submerged into Yaizhen's back, blending in.

After putting away his murderous weapon, he took a deep breath and began to whistle loudly and leisurely.

"Ginseng boiled in chicken soup is oily and fragrant. One mouthful can keep you warm and two mouthfuls strengthen your body; ginseng flowers are brewed into tea to strengthen the heart and mind; the ginseng fruit is delicious and red; ginseng leaves are stir-fried with meat, which is slightly bitter but nourishes the spleen and stomach. Ginseng.. ginseng, eat the whole plant. You can be cured if you're sick, and you can keep fit even if you're not sick." After the whistle, there was a provocative jingle, with a mocking tone, and he repeated this action all the way to the mountainside of Tianshan Mountain.

Come and punish him, bring him to your doorstep, let him catch you obediently, and show him how many ginseng tendons it will take to punish this dragon child.

Each jingle contains the nourishing benefits of ginseng. Being eaten one by one, from flowers to fruits, leaves to roots, how could a child with the temperament of Lingshen tolerate it?

Yaizhen turned himself into a conspicuous fishing bait and wandered through the mountains and forests, making it easier for Lingshen to attack him.

Yaizhen waited all night, but no one took the bait. The next day, he came back again and performed the same thing as before. His voice was slightly louder and his provocation was slightly more intense. He explained the cooking methods and nourishing effects of ginseng.

On the fourth day, he finally saw signs of the spiritual ginseng.

The child-like silvery laughter seemed to come from far away, a little vague and ethereal. The sound followed him for a long time, and Lingshen was very confident that he would not notice it, so it let out an unbridled laugh.

Yaizhen's reaction was fast and sharp. As soon as the sound came close to him, he realized that the spiritual ginseng he was searching for was here.

He remained calm. He continued walking and reciting the "Poetry of Ginseng Food" without thinking about life and death. The voice was laughing from afar and whispering with dissatisfaction. 

In the grass, two thin tendrils like tree roots sprouted out and formed a small circle. They tried to trip Yaizhen. How could he, who has been practicing martial arts for many years, be assassinated by such a clumsy trick? Without missing a beat, he cleverly lifted his feet to sidestep the trap. There was a dissatisfied tsk, and the second knotted roots were immediately tangled up again. Yaizhen's brisk steps were not affected at all. It seemed that good luck was on his side, but in fact he was calculating his moves step by step. The tsk became louder and louder. Every time it tsked, one more knot appears in the ground.

Dodging one is called luck, dodging two can also be considered as luck, but dodging seven, eight or ninety in a row is a dirty trick!

"D*mn it!" The whine turned into a low cry, coming from the grass beneath his feet.

"Who is it?" Yaizhen pretended to be ignorant, pretending to look around, looking at the trees, the mountains, the sky, but not the ground, and stepped on a ginseng beard with each step.

"It hurts!" The root twitched under his feet, and it tried pulling back. Yaizhen stood still, pretending to be serious and searching for the source of the sound. He exerted a little force on the soles of his feet, and it was as heavy as a huge mountain. The root was unable to move. .

This was the best time to make a move. All he had to do was pull out his dragon sword and thrust it into the soil, and the spiritual ginseng would be easily obtained. But if he missed, he knew all too well that there would be no second chance and the spiritual ginseng would escape. If the dragon sword is misaligned and cuts the spiritual ginseng in half, its freshness will be difficult to preserve.

Yaizhen can't be too hasty. He has to make sure that the whole plant is healthy and most of the main roots must be intact.

He remained motionless and did not summon the dragon sword. He raised his foot and let go of the ginseng root, letting it escape.

Everything can go wrong in haste, so why not take his time? Anyway, the ginseng plant under his feet can no longer escape from his palm.

His patience will be rewarded.

He should work slowly but surely.

"Ah."

"That's weird. I heard someone talking, could it be that I met a ghost?" He teased, pretending to be confused, scratched his forehead, and moved forward.

"Snort."

Someone was behind him, a few inches away from him, grunting and chasing.

With a smile on his lips, Yaizhen lured the ignorant spiritual ginseng into the trap he had set. The final destination was the boiling cauldron in the kitchen of Dragon Bone City.

He toyed with it, deliberately making it think that he's weak and can be b*llied; irritating it, making it take the initiative to pester him; waiting for it to poke its head out from the depths of the earth.

As expected, the ginseng plant underground was tightly entangled, and it seemed to be confronting him. From time to time, he wanted to tease it, but he always pretended to be lucky and avoided it. Every time he heard angry and frustrated spits coming from the bottom of the soil, he has the urge to laugh.

A few days of confrontation and simple play made him feel novel and relaxed. In such a fight, no blood is seen, no life is taken. There's no need to use any weapon. The winner is obvious. He doesn't have to try so hard. He only had to be careful of it slipping away.

His patience is not very strong. Among other dragons, he stayed at the bottom until the countdown reached the top. Fortunately, there were people who were even less patient than him. Just as he was thinking that tomorrow would be the last day he could tolerate, someone made their first move.

That night, the moon and stars were sparse, with a faint dark blue night sky, and no clouds could be seen. The colorful halo of the moon softly surrounded the warm yellow moon. The wind was slightly cold, but not bone-chilling. Yaizhen laid on his back among the thick branches of the trees, with his eyes closed. Resting his mind, the insects in the forest chirp loudly, and the nightingale sings its natural tune.

Rustling, rustling...

He don’t have to stretch his ears to hear noises other than the chirping of insects and the night calls.

It's time to pick the ginseng.

Yaizhen suppressed the urge to laugh wildly, opened the slits in his eyes, and glanced at the roots that jumped out of the soil in his peripheral vision.

The unique fragrance of ginseng permeates the surrounding area. Just smelling it makes him feel nourished.

He crossed his arms across his chest, crossed his strong long legs, and appeared to be sleeping deeply.

The fragrance of ginseng approached him. The ginseng tendrils were like vines. They climbed up the tree and entwined between the branches. It hummed and laughed a few times, feeling proud. "Ginseng boiled in chicken soup, oily and fragrant? Ginseng flower tea for strong heart and mind? Ginseng fruit in the mouth, delicious and bright red? Ginseng leaves stir-fried with meat, slightly bitter to nourish the spleen and stomach? Let's see if you can swallow it! I'll give you two slaps , as a small lesson——"

The green leaves the size of the baby's palm rise and fall.

His cheek felt like it was being brushed by falling leaves. It didn't hurt at all. Yaizhen continued to pretend to sleep.

"D*mn it, using the ginseng form is too weak for you!"

The ginseng plant under the tree was very busy. After shaking off the soil on its body, it spun around in circles several times. The ginseng model gradually became blurred, replaced by a human form. The ginseng fragrance did not decrease but increased. Yaizhen looked at the ginseng plant more carefully—— Ginseng? No, it is no longer in the shape of a ginseng plant, but a girl... or a boy?

It's difficult to distinguish between male and female.

Does ginseng have a gender? Yaizhen thought for a while and couldn't remember whether the ginseng he had eaten was male or female. However, he had never seen any ginseng with round breasts or a small ginseng root between the legs.

It's petite and slender. Even in human form, it's still small, about the size of a human girl of fourteen or fifteen years old. The face was faintly glowing under the moonlight, and the two eyebrows were delicate yet heroic. They were not exaggeratedly thick and dark, but light and green, like two delicate daggers embedded there. The eyes under the eyebrows are suitable for men and women. They are not full of star or tiger eyes like torches. They are like two bright black pearls, intelligent, shrewd and spiritual. The eyelashes resemble butterflies, fluttering in the blink of an eye. The bridge of the nose is straight and graceful. The two plump lips are probably the most girlish part of the face. A man's lips will not be so tender and bright, with prominent pink lips.

The facial features of a boy and a girl are blended so well that it's difficult to tell. If it's a male, it's a handsome boy with delicate features; if it's a female, it's a majestic and pretty girl.

Her black hair is neatly tied into a high bun, decorated with dozens of small bright red round jade and a few pieces of emerald green five-leaf jade. Her earthy yellow shirt, trousers and flowing skirt are similar to the color of a ginseng. There's nothing special about it. For the residents of Dragon Bone City, no matter how beautiful the clothes are, they can't match the beauty of their own scales. The only thing that makes him laugh is that it has several ribbons of the same color wrapped around the long sleeves, just like a ginseng.

No, it should be said that it's still a ginseng from head to toe. The bright red round jade is a ginseng fruit, and the five-leaf jade shaped like a baby's hand is a ginseng leaf. Yaizhen is also looking for the existence of the ginseng flower in its bun. It seems that the flower has already grown. It's a pity that it can't be seen with his own eyes.

You can't say that the spiritual ginseng's human form is gorgeous and elegant. At best, it can only be described as delicate and smart. Compared with the handsome men and beauties in Dragon Bone City, it's still a little short of "beautiful". It has sweet features with lively eyebrows and has a coquettish look of a little girl.

He glanced at its chest, which was flat without even the slightest undulation. He couldn't decide whether it was a boy or a girl.

While he was secretly looking at it, it was not idle under the tree. It was testing checking the hardness of the tree using its hands. It was satisfied with the different strength between the human form and the ginseng form. It waved its hands and was moving its muscles diligently. The light khaki ribbon followed. After dancing wildly, it had enough exercise. It was ready to climb the tree and teach this "weak guy" a lesson.

Everything went as Yaizhen hoped. As long as the ginseng leaves the ground, he can pick the intact spiritual ginseng.

It climbed into the tree, shortening the distance from Yaizhen, and also shortening the time of its death when it joins the phoenix saliva, golden ear, unicorn, cloud water, dragon pear, fairy wine and red date elixir.

Yaizhen patiently waits for it

He's planning to tie it up with his strong diamond ropes made of giant dragon whiskers.

He's looking forward to the day when the game is over.

All of a sudden it stopped climbing the tree.

Could it be that it sensed his intention, or that his murderous intention surged out, making it wary?

That won't change anything. It can no longer escape his grasp. Even if it turns around and wants to escape, it can't run as fast as him.

Yaizhen suppressed his impatience, and the ready-to-go diamond rope was pulled between his knuckles. He only had to spread his five fingers and whip out the diamond rope, and the spiritual ginseng would be captured.

It neither came nor escaped. It stayed where it was, not knowing what to do.

Yaizhen took a closer look. Its back was turned away, sitting on one of the branches of the tree, with its head raised high, as if it was attracted by something magical. It made everything else around it feel insignificant, including him.

The soft golden light of the moon beams down on the delicate profile of its face, highlighting the pretty nose and the plump arc of its two lips. The moonlight fell under its eyes, reflecting the gorgeous brilliance.

It was actually admiring the moon!?!

He had heard about the love and reverence of a ginseng for the moon. The stingray doctor mentioned it, and the ginseng collectors said the same, but he didn't know that they worship the moon with such eyes that turned a blind eye to everything around them.

"So round... such a comfortable light." It's very much like a deer drinking cold spring water, content with a little joy, closing its eyes, sighing happily, and enjoying the moonlight. Only then did he realize that its voice was more girlish, thin, soft, and delicate.

No wonder the ginseng pickers said that the best time to pick ginseng is when the moon is full. This should be the only time to catch a stup*d ginseng.

Yaizhen easily pried the ginseng tentacles from the tree. He even bit a piece of it to taste it. The spiritual ginseng finally noticed and was surprised to realize that Yaizhen was still there, but it was too late.

It met Yaizhen's eyes and realized that it was wrong, this man was not to be messed with—

It went back to its original form. It quickly wanted to hide under the soil, but Yaizhen moved even faster. The diamond rope swooped towards it like a snake. The ginseng exclaimed, and the rope was wrapped around its waist, raising it up in the air. It immediately returned to its human form. There are many small ginseng-like shapes on it, escaping from the gaps in the diamond rope. As long as its back on the ground, no one can move faster than it.

Yaizhen stretched out his arms to catch it, and the spiritual ginseng, which was no bigger than his arm, fell into his hands. While they were falling to the ground, he grinned provocatively at it.

The ginseng smiled sweeter than him.

According to the landing position of the two people, the man will press it against the ground. Who will be able to laugh at that time?

It will catch him off guard and it will disappear into the ground without even leaving a leaf for him, hehehehe.

"Ice crystals." Yaizhen suddenly said the two words, and the ginseng heard the faint sound of thin pieces of ice condensing on the water during the morning mist. It was a crisp sound that could be compared to the sound of jade, but it didn't understand where the sound came from. Its confusion didn't last long. When it was pressed on a large piece of ice, with its back feeling the bone-chilling cold, its confusion turned into astonishment.

This... this man created a thick layer of ice on the ground, thwarting its plan to burrow and escape as soon as it encountered soil!

Yaizhen picked the ginseng up and turned it left and right to check whether the ginseng was damaged.

"Let me go! Let me go - d*mn, don't touch me!"

"Is this the shrill scream they've been talking about?" It is indeed a bit harsh.

"Why are you catching me?!" It waved its ginseng tentacles and hit him.

"The only reason for catching spiritual ginseng is to eat it." Nonsense, even a three-year-old child knows that the ginseng is the number one sacred product in the world for replenishing the body, especially if its a "spiritual" one.

"I don't want to be eaten! I don't want to be eaten!" Its struggle intensified, and its ginseng tentacles trembled.

"If you don't want to be eaten, when you're reincarnated as a ginseng in your next life, be smart and don't forget to take care of your life while admiring the moon." He took out the red cotton rope given to him by the ginseng pickers and tied the ginseng. According to the ginseng pickers, if a red rope is tied to it, the ginseng cant escape through the ground. Whether or not this is true, he has doubts. Will this kind of soft rope be more effective than his diamond rope made from the dragon's tail?

"Stop!" Screaming was useless, it was already tied like dried leg meat.

"It suits you very well." He praised it.

"Ugh, shut up!" Lingshen, the ginseng, struggled and then stopped.

"Does a red rope really stop you from running away?" Yaizhen said playfully.

"Untie it——"

"Why are you afraid of a red rope?"

"It's not that I'm afraid! It's -- why should I tell you?!" Lingshen didn't want to tell him that it couldn't escape with the red rope because when it dived into the soil, the red rope that was not part of the ginseng's body would be entangled with rocks or tree roots hidden in the soil, and its current inability to move was because he tied it too tightly, too firmly, and didn't understand how painful it was! It yelled and screeched: "Let me go, let me go, let me go!"

"You're a small one, but you have a lot of courage." Yaizhen rubbed his chin and said, "I'm starting to wonder how nourishing and delicious a soup made of you is."

"Eating other people to increase your power is the most useless and obscene way in the world!! We rely entirely on our own cultivation, absorbing the essence of the sun, moon, wind, and rain. How can you swallow all our hard work so casually?!" It yelled, pouring out her dissatisfaction.

"Are you asking me? Well..." Yaizhen thought seriously. "Because you're a ginseng and your destiny is that whoever digs you can eat you." There's no point in arguing about the fate of medicinal materials, otherwise the whole world will blame everyone for the angelica*, astragalus*, and goji berry*.

"You..." It wanted to scold him, but couldn't find a valid reason. A spiritual ginseng is highly coveted. Humans want it for minor illnesses and pains and even vicious beasts want it for health and energy. But how can it be so willing to become a delicacy on a plate and be eaten by others?

"So how about it? Do you wanna go back with me to make soup?" Yaizhen held the red rope higher, raising her to make eye contact with him. He saw the pout with all kinds of anger, resentment, and stubbornness. Looking both delicate and pretty, making him confused so he asked: "Are you a male or a female? Just... just curious."

"Are you blind?! What kind of stup*d question is that?! Are you trying to humiliate a spiritual ginseng?!"

"Ginseng has no gender!" It stands proudly and feels superior to others. Only lower creatures can differentiate between men and women.

"But... you look a bit like a woman." A very young woman who hasn't had time to develop.

"Who looks like a woman?! I am Lingshen! Spiritual Ginseng!" It's a pity that Lingshen can't move, otherwise he would have been beaten to death by now.

"It doesn't matter. It's not like a soup made of male ginseng would be more nourishing." He also felt a little bit disgusted with himself for asking such a stup*d question. There was no point in caring about the gender of this ginseng. "Let's go, we have to go to Dragon Bone City."

"Are you from Dragon Bone City? Are you... a Diren*?"

*Chinese version of mermaids

"Yes and no."

What kind of weird answer is that? 

"Just because I'm from Dragon Bone City doesn't necessarily mean I'm a Diren." He added. There are fish, shrimps, crabs, turtles, eels, and sharks on the bottom of the sea. There are countless species, not just Diren.

"Anyway, you must be some kind of an underwater creature. Fish-men are often caught and used as supplements like ginseng. We're in the same boat. Let me go. I'll owe you a favor. I'll help you in the future but it depends on the situation... or if you want I can give you a few ginseng roots to make wine?" It tried to establish a relationship with Yaizhen, hoping that he would take the view that the two of them are both "nourishing holy products" and let it escape.

"Unfortunately, I'm not a fishman, and I've never been regarded as a tonic by anyone. I can't empathize with your feelings. Besides, why should I give up a whole spiritual ginseng and only use a few ginseng tendrils to make wine?" 

"You... you... you don't think that just because you caught a spiritual ginseng, you'll be able to replenish your qi and maintain your health by simply eating it! The reason why we're called spiritual ginseng is——"

"So you can live longer and grow bigger?" He lazily raised his eyebrows.

"No!" Don't interrupt me! Shut up and let me finish! 

"It's us who have spirituality! We can be the best tonic in the world, or we can be the the worst. Only when we're willing to give it to you will we release the medicinal properties and let you reap the benefits. On the contrary, if we suffer a lot of grievances and dissatisfactions like if we're thrown into a pot and boiled by you. We can also make the final revenge by releasing poison instead."

"Hum hum hum, I'll reward you with a pot of poisonous ginseng soup, let's walk hand in hand on the road to h*ll!" 

This was the first time that Yaizhen had heard about this troublesome ability of a spiritual ginseng. This was never mentioned by the ginseng collectors. "The implication is that if I take you back to make the ginseng, phoenix saliva, golden ear, unicorn, cloud water, dragon pear, fairy wine and red date soup, it will be ruined."

He doesn't care if he poisons his brothers, but poisoning his father is an unjustifiable crime. He has no interest in repeating the torture of removing scales, muscles, and bones.

"What should I do so that you'd be willing to let us eat you?" Yaizhen asked shamelessly.

"Who the h*ll would be willing to do that?! Don't think so!" It barked back.

"If I knock you unconscious before you had time to release the poison, wouldn't that solve my problem?" Yaizhen suddenly thought.

"..." It gasped, speechless, its eyes drifted away, the ginseng leaves were trembling, and it didn't dare to look at him.

Its mind is so simple, so easy to read. It can't even come up with a lie.

"Is that it? A spiritual ginseng is just a plant, with a bigger heart than an ant." He laughed at it, not maliciously, but just stating the truth. Seeing that it pouted and was about to cry, he couldn't help but blurt out a promise: "I'll knock you unconscious before you feel the pain that way you won't have to suffer."

"What kind of comforting words are those?! Do you think that just by saying that, I won't be afraid and will happily say to you, 'Thank you, you are such a good person, I'll leave everything to you'?!"

"Would you rather be cut and cooked while you're awake?"

"I don't want to be cooked or cut at all!" 

"So I'll help you, don't worry."

"The only way to help me is by letting me go!"

"Impossible. Who told you to become a spiritual ginseng?" He directly rejected its extravagant wish. As he was saying this, he plucked a bright red ginseng fruit on its head and threw it into his mouth.

"It hurts, it hurts! Why are you eating my fruit?!"

"These fruits are not used when making medicinal soup. So if you don't eat them, they'll just go to waste. The taste is not bad." The sweet and sour taste has a green and astringent aftertaste, and it rolls on the tip of the tongue with a faint fragrance.

"I'll spread the poison to the fruit and poison you to death!"

"You better not do that, otherwise I'll knock you unconscious, and when you wake up, you'll find that your head is completely bald." He meant every word.

It pursed its lips again, and there was nothing it could do except pout.

Glancing at the man holding it, the spiritual ginseng knew that it wouldn't be able to escape this time. The tricks it used to fool the ginseng collectors in the past were useless to this man.

Who is he? He was so domineering that he hid his intentions very well, leaving no trace behind, causing it to mistakenly think that he and the ginseng pickers were the same weak men. It had been following him for quite some time, but it failed to detect his true nature. If it had known that the aura on his body was so fierce, it would have fled thousands of miles away from him, and would never have been stup*d enough to deliver itself at his doorstep...

Yaizhen was about to stuff the ginseng into a cloth bag and not talk to it any more, lest the more he talked, the more he would feel that it was immoral to cook and eat it. If you don't develop a relationship with food, it won't affect your appetite.

Apart from shouting "No...no... no... no!" it can't do anything.

Suddenly, the sound of a bell ringing can be heard. It was loud and clear, and it was even clearer in the silent night.

Somebody is coming.

With long wavy curly hair, her fire-colored red dress fluttered and danced, and a soft red silk ribbon surrounded her thick and slender figure. In the night sky, a charming woman with unparalleled beauty came flying down towards them. Gorgeous and wild, her eyes are tinged with rich red, and her forehead is round with pearls shining like stars, setting off the woman's stunning beauty. She frowns and stares coldly at the spiritual ginseng exposed in the corner of the cloth bag.

"Sister Qiongqi - help! I'm going to be eaten!" When it saw its savior, it happily burst into tears.

The last thing Yaizhen wants is to meet a ferocious beast. However, seeing it in person is better than just hearing legends about it. In fact, he feels lucky to see the peerless beauty who's the second best in the world of monsters.

The name is well-deserved. Even if the ferocious beast Qiongqi* frowns slightly, it's still so beautiful that people can't take their eyes away.

Qiongqi(窮奇) means “Distressingly Strange" - One of the Four Perils (most malevolent beings) in Chinese Mythology. True form below:

"Let go of the spiritual ginseng in your hand and leave Tianshan as soon as possible." In the past, Qiongqi would not have taken the trouble to give a warning. She would act first before speaking. She has improved a lot in her cultivation and patience. She had the mountain god Tsukuyomi beside her, who always taught and reasoned with her, which actually changed her.

"I can't do that."

Qiongqi’s cultivation ends here.

"Then, you won't have any complaints when you die." Qiongqi's slender fingers moved like flowers blooming, and drew red light. Her right hand slid in front of Yaizhen's slender face, and several strands of red silk attacked him.

Yaizhen touched his spine and flicked his palm. His dragon sword that was hidden in his body was already in his hand. The sword let out a dragon roar and cut off the red silk in one move.

"You're not an ordinary ginseng picker." Qiongqi said bluntly.

"Strictly speaking, I am. I just want to collect ginseng. I don't want to antagonize one of the Four Perils."

"You can't just take whatever plants and trees you want in the Tianshan Mountain." She hummed softly.

"My father is ill and needs ginseng as medicine."

"Go and collect it elsewhere. No one is allowed to touch the ginseng from Tianshan Mountain."

Yaizhen smiled bitterly, feeling that women are unreasonable.

"Sister Qiongqi, this barbarian wants to make soup out of me!!" the ginseng in the cloth bag screamed so loudly.

Qiongqi's beautiful eyes flashed, her dark aura erupted, and her body turned into fire. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of Yaizhen and a fierce light burst out from both of them. She controlled the wind as much as the fire, and he countered with his Qi. After several moves, the light between each other turned into smoke.

"Beat him! Hit him! Kick him! Kick him! Punch! Punch!" Lingshen shouted passionately, as if it was the one fighting Yaizhen. Unfortunately, it couldn't move, otherwise it would have loved to help hold Yaizhen back and let Qiongqi flatten him happily.

Yaizhen will not hold back just because Qiongqi is a female. The reason why the Four Perils is so difficult to deal with is because of their extraordinary abilities. Although she's not the strongest among them, she's definitely not the the weakest either. She's agile and quick. If he doesn't fight with all his strength and makes the slightest mistake, he would fail to bring the spiritual ginseng back home. He would probably ended becoming one of the fertilizers that nourishes the spiritual ginseng.

It’s no wonder that Tianshan’s fruits are big and sumptuous. If you want to take away any grass and trees of Tianshan, you'll hate to go through the ferocious beast Qiongqi first. Everything can grow here safely, and all external threats are eliminated.

Yaizhen waved his dragon sword. He wanted to return the favor with 100% seriousness, but the sword failed

Before he could try to do another move, a line of white smoke condensed in front of his eyes. Long slender fingers that were lightly touching the tip of his sword gradually took shape. After the smoke disappeared, only the elegant immortal was left.

"Tsukuyomi! This guy wants to take away the spiritual ginseng!" Qiongqi pointed at Yaizhen and complained.

"Long time no see, Dragon Child." Tsukuyomi smiled faintly, very lightly, with a calm expression.

"Heavenly Lord." Yaizhen put away his sword and cupped his fists.

Tsukuyomi slowly shook his head and his smile became wider. "I don't dare take the name of Heavenly Lord. I'm just a little mountain god. Please call me Tsukuyomi."

Yaizhen met Tsukuyomi when he was still a young dragon. He was trained and tamed in Tianchi, where a goddess took care of him, who was Tsukuyomi's sister. Tsukuyomi occasionally went to Tianchi to visit his sister. Yaizhen had spoken with Tsukuyomi a few times. He was not very familiar with him.

"Do you know him?" Qiongqi was surprised.

"He's the second dragon son of Ao Yong, the God of Dragon Bone City, Yaizhen."

"So he's a dragon." No wonder she couldn't defeat him within ten moves. She thought it was because she had lived a comfortable life for too long and her skills were dull and rusty.

"Did you come here to get some ginseng?" Although Tsukuyomi asked, he knew it in his heart.

"My father has been severely depressed recently, and his body has taken the toll. Doctor Sting wants to make a ginseng, phoenix saliva, golden ear, unicorn, cloud water, dragon pear, fairy wine and red date soup for him. I don't want to cause trouble in Tianshan Mountain. I hope you consider it for my father's sake." He might be able to win against Qiongqi but with Tsukuyomi, he might as well turn over the ginseng and start all over again.

When he heard the name of the soup, Tsukuyomi's eyebrows raised.

"No way!" Qiongqi sternly refused. Spiritual ginsengs are not only found in Tianshan, so why must he choose Tianshan's spiritual ginseng?

"That's right! No way!" Lingshen was definitely against it.

"Please give my regards to the Dragon God and advise him to be more open-minded, so that he'll not be disturbed by the accumulated depression and become sick." Tsukuyomi's statement shows that he knows why the Dragon God is sick.

"So the spiritual ginseng..." Can I take it or not?

"Just take it, you're welcome."

As soon as Tsukuyomi said these words, two exclamations broke out.

"How is that possible?! You want to give him the spiritual ginseng to make soup?!" Qiongqi shouted hysterically, pulling on Tsukuyomi's sleeves and shaking them violently.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" This is Lingshen's desperate scream.

"Tsukuyomi is so generous!" Yaizhen raised his brows in joy, clasped his fists and bowed his hands, happily packed the spiritual ginseng, tied it up, and threw it over his shoulder. "I can't thank you enough. I'll return another day and express my gratitude properly." He ran so fast that he didn't give Qiongqi a chance to stop him.

Tsukuyomi chuckled and waived Yaizhen away.

"How can you giveaway a spiritual ginseng with both hands?! It has lived in Tianshan for hundreds of years, just like your own child——"

"Don't be anxious."

"How can I not be anxious?! We're sending it to death!" Even now, she seemed to still be able to hear the lingering sound of Lingshen crying, which made her nose tingle and her eyes water.

"Not necessarily." Tsukuyomi smiled, and pulled the arms that Qiongqi was anxiously twisting and gently squeezed her soft little hands with his to calm her down. She would always jump up and down when she got anxious, unable to standstill.

"Not necessarily? That dragon clearly said that he wanted to..." She was surprised when she saw his eyes twinkle. He then chuckled with a reassuring and wise expression. She suddenly understood: "Did you foresee something? Could it be that Lingshen and that savage dragon—"

"Shh." He put his long finger on his slightly raised lips. "The secret must not be revealed."

"Don't you always keep saying that your ability to predict things often goes wrong?" Tsukuyomi's calm expression finally made her relax enough to tease him. He was not embarrassed at all and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yes, I miscalculated a lot of things. After all, I'm old. I was better when I was young." These words were spoken by the immortal Tsukuyomi, making Qiongqi chuckle.

"How are you getting older? The longer you live, the younger you become. Others grow old and gray, but your hair turns darker, rejuvenating you?"

"My appearance has not aged, but my ability to predict has deteriorated." He joked about himself.

"You must not have expected that one day you'll become my partner." If you had asked him this question a few years earlier, you would have only received a disdainful response from the cold heavenly being. It's never easy to have an encounter with a ferocious beast.

"Indeed not."

"I ignore a lot of 'cause and effect' and underestimate everyone's obsession. It turns out that destiny can be changed, it depends on whether you have the fortitude to do it or not."

"I only know that if you want something, you have to earn it by yourself. You can never give up and expect to have it just because you're destined."

"I'm only worried now whether your prediction about the spiritual ginseng will be accurate? What if..." Although Qiongqi was easily reassured by his smile, he was still a little worried.

"If it's not accurate, there will be another result." Tsukuyomi's expression was indifferent.

"Is there another outcome?"

"A cup of ginseng soup."

"Quick! Chase that dragon back quickly - and bring back the spiritual ginseng!"