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They continued collecting herbs and studying in the following year. At night, they would practice the Qi Cultivation Technique.
Every time they practiced, Chen Xun would feel enriched and exclaim, “Ai. Life is truly wonderful…”
He had always thought of how cultivating immortality would feel. Perhaps, it would be about staying detached from the world and watching it change from above. Witnessing the rise and fall of dynasties, and the shifting of history. One would leave their loved one’s behind and press on in their path. And years later, come back to a graveyard filled with the tombs of loved ones.
But now, he decided to forget about this entirely. Thinking, ‘This stuff is too profound. I am still very inexperienced to be thinking about the lives of immortals…..”
…..
After a bout of continuous rainy days, the holes the duo had dug were filled with mud and slowly fell apart. However, it was okay since the ox had managed to save their cooking utensils and their other belongings. They quickly found a new spot, a cave this time.
"Old ox, hahaha!" Chen Xun was thoroughly soaked, but he laughed heartily. He didn’t seem to care about losing their home. He playfully hammered the big black ox. "You are really something, old ox! Since I first laid my eyes on you, I knew you had it in you."
"Moo moo moo!" The big black ox happily lept. At that critical moment when Chen Xun was clearing the entrance of the cave, it had saved all their belongings.
"Let’s put a point in The Essence of All Things and see what it's all about." Chen Xun grinned. He started a fire and watched the heavy rainfall outside the cave, soaking the earthen soil. The sound of the rain’s pitter-patter on the ground filled him with comfort.
"Moo!"
The big black ox responded and lent a hand. From time to time, it would run outside to get wet in the rain and then shake the rainwater on Chen Xun.
This made the man furious, and he used his strength to lift the animal high into the air, causing it to flail its legs around like a subdued chicken.
They had their fun before sitting down by the fire and enjoying its heat.
With a thought, Chen Xun directed this year’s point into the Essence of All Things stat. In an instant, his face changed dramatically, and a burst of green light surged from his body.
"Moo moo moo!!" The ox jumped to its feet, frightened. It circled around Chen Xun and let out a few cries of worry.
"I'm fine." Chen Xun took a deep breath and hugged the big black ox, saying, "It's the Essence of All Things. I added a point to it."
"Moo~" The big black ox mooed faintly, still scared. If something were to happen to Chen Xun, it wouldn’t want to live anymore.
"Let’s see…." Chen Xun's expression turned serious, and he opened his hands. His body emitted a fluctuating green light that burst out, turning into rays that shot to his hands, condensing a drop of green liquid in his palm. The drop shone like a gem, emitting a dazzling green light.
He suddenly felt weak all over and started sweating profusely. He felt as though he had been training for hours. He shakly said, “This thing…. This thing can’t be sucking my essence dry, right?"
"Moo?"
"Old ox, you try it."
"Moo."
He added a point to the ox, and after a while, a drop of green liquid also condensed on the ox's hoof. They both fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
The ox finally understood what Chen Xun meant…. It started hallucinating. It saw a bunch of little cows shaking their hoofs at him and giggling.
“We have been tricked,” Chen Xun blurted, breathless. He was a man known for his chiseled abs and great stamina, and yet here he was, banting for breath like a dog.
"Moo~"
The big black ox's eyes lost their shine, feeling disheartened. It had thought it was a chosen among bulls, a leader. Yet now….
An hour later, they were fully recovered. Chen Xun's eyes flickered with fear. If they had encountered some wild beast just now, they would have been in grave danger.
"Don't use the Essence of All Things casually. At the very least, we need to use it in turns," he said.
Thankfully, he was a doctor. So, he checked his body and was relieved when he found that he didn’t have a deficiency in his essence.
"I'll brew medicinal soup to nourish our bodies tomorrow. Be careful from now on."
"Moo moo~" The big black ox happily nodded. I was convinced that learning medical skills was the right choice. It really came in handy.
"Still, what is this good for? It's like a green gemstone…." Chen Xun frowned, looking at the drop of green liquid in his palm.
It was very strange. It didn’t spread over his hand like a water droplet would. With a thought, he grabbed the axe at his waist and placed the green drop on it. However, nothing happened.
He tried putting it on the cooking utensils next… still nothing. He then grabbed a rock, no response. And finally, he placed it on the bandit’s headscarf, in a last desperate attempt, and then… nothing.
"Moo~!!" Suddenly, the big ox exclaimed, startling Chen Xun. He looked at where the ox was looking and immediately crouched. He noticed that a blade of grass was acting a little strange.
"Awesome," Chen Xun said in astonishment. He glanced at the ox before putting his drop on the blade of grass as well. It instantly merged with it and started undergoing signs of growth.
"Moo?"
"This is an earth-shattering discovery, old ox! This green liquid can actually accelerate growth." He slammed his fists into the soil in excitement, sending a few splashing into the air. "But we need to observe further. If it's true, we're going to take off."
"Moo moo moo!"
The big black ox opened its mouth wide and carefully protected the wild grass.
Chen Xun stretched out his palm and, without hesitation, shouted, "I am a medicine master! Here, have your fill!"
…Silence
The sound of the rain hitting the soil outside the cave was especially noticeable at this moment….
The ox stared at Chen Xun and chose to stay silent, a little embarrassed for him.
Chen Xun had his arm stretched out, lingering in the air with his palm right open without inciting any reaction from the green drop. Feeling ashamed, he cleared his throat and said to the ox, “You try.”
"Moo." The big black ox spread its hoof on the ground, exerting its full strength, but it also got no reaction.
"Don’t worry.... Let's take it easy. We have a lot of time."
"Moo moo~"
...
Time continued to march, pushing people forward in life and into another year. Within this year, rumors started to circulate around the outskirts of the range, revolving around a terrifying wild man who lived along the outskirts.
It was said that this man would often appear deep in the woods of the mountains. He was accompanied by a scary wild ox who enjoyed feasting on human bones.
During the night, there would be eerie sounds of suona echoing in the mountains, accompanied by strange ringing of bells. The sounds sent shivers down one’s spine. It felt as though the Grim Reaper was on patrol that night.
If you encountered this man, you better dig a hole and bury yourself to get it over with.
Just the thought of encountering this man got people drenched in cold sweat. Many didn't dare venture into the depths of the Ningyun Mountains anymore. But how could they continue living this way?
Nowadays, the people who entered the mountains went in groups. They carried weapons and remained vigilant, keeping their eyes out for any sneak attacks from the man. If they managed to get his head, they could claim a hefty bounty from the authorities. So, many bounty hunters secretly joined in, mixing in with the groups.
At the foot of a mountain peak, Chen Xun and the big black ox were picking up human bones.
"Old ox, although we don't know these people, our profession has its rules, right?" Chen Xun said.
He picked up another human bone from the pile in the grass and continued, "We should give them a burial mound; it could be considered accumulating merit. It wasn’t easy for them, these people."
"Moo moo~!" The big black ox nodded continuously. By now, they had done quite a good amount of good deeds and should have accumulated their fair share of merits. The heavens should be blessing them, according to what Old Sun had said.
"Hey, I think you just lost ten years worth of merits.”
"Moo moo moo!!!" The ox felt a crunch under its feet. Startled, it raised one of its hoofs, yelling. It had accidentally stepped on some bones! It looked at Chen Xun with pleading eyes.
"Alright, here's the deal. Today, I'll eat the meat, and you’ll have the broth. This way, Buddha would surely forgive you."
"Moo! Moo~" The big black ox struggled with its decision, but for the sake of merit, it eventually nodded. It could give up a day’s worth of meat….
They then found a nearby pit, buried the skeletal remains, and proceeded to perform Buddhist rituals.
The big black ox put all its effort into it, ringing the bell vigorously. It had accidentally stepped on the bones of the deceased, so it wanted to make amends.
During this year, they finally understood the function of the Essence of All Things. And turns out, they could only condense one drop per day. When the stat was only at ‘1’ it could only accelerate the growth of the plant by a single month. Now, they had raised it to ‘2’, and as expected, one drop could accelerate growth by two months.
They were delighted because this meant they could cultivate many valuable medicinal herbs.
They had also made progress with the Qi Cultivation Technique, reaching the second level. Their senses were now sharper, and the world appeared much more distinct to them.
Chen Xun could now feel a type of magical power, or energy of sorts, inside him. However, he couldn’t tap into it and use it. It was simply useless at this point in time. He might need to learn a skill or a technique in order to drive this power.
He stopped thinking about this and chuckled, beckoning the ox. He cleared his mind and enjoyed their post-meal stroll.
"Moo moo~" The big black ox nudged Chen Xun, hoping some of his merits might rub off on it.
They walked side-by-side, heading to their cave.
On the way, they passed by a patch of tall grass, and suddenly, their ears twitched. They both instantly dove to the side, dodging.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Three arrows were shot through their original spots, whistling in the air. They curved down and got impaled half into the ground. They carried immense force. If these were to have touched their bodies, they would have been pierced through without a doubt.