A Long Grind to Daoist Monarch-Chapter 84 - 83: Dog Treasure, Favor

Xiaotou wailed while scrubbing his dirty and smelly lean body with a luffa sponge.

Outside the courtyard, Bai Qi smiled and instructed Ah Di to grind the pitch-black ripe Huangjing into powder, carefully wrapping it in oiled paper.

Every day, you can cook porridge or make soup, or mix it with clear water to swallow a dose; it's enough to replace three meals of meat.

This stuff is called "Immortal's Surplus Grain," allowing those cultivators who eat elixir and avoid grain to treat it as a meal.

It shows the mild drug properties and powerful effects.

"Brother, can you give Sparrow Immortal a good name?"

Bai Ming sat on a small stool, pushing the stone mill to grind medicine powder, remembering the promise he made to Huang Que'Er last night.

"How about Yun Jin?"

Bai Qi pondered seriously for a moment, and hearing Ah Di's description that the bird transformed into a girl draped in a colorful feather robe, it reminded him of a beautiful fabric he had seen in a past life.

"Is there any meaning behind it?"

Bai Ming widened his eyes.

"Uh, there's a poem—'The textile work is unparalleled, the peacock adorns the blooming Yun Jin brilliantly, the ice silkworm spins in the mist, creating new dragon patterns...' It describes Yun Jin's radiance and grandeur. You can tell Sparrow Immortal that once she achieves success in cultivation, you'll gift her splendid gold and colorful material for clothes."

Bai Qi struggled to recite from his scant knowledge, Bai Ming listened earnestly, truly admiring his brother's vast learning, wishing to write it down with a pen.

Once they finished grinding the ripe Huangjing, Xiaotou had also cleaned himself thoroughly, carefully feeling the warm flow of Qi Blood surging in his lower belly, as big as a palm:

"Ah Qi, what did you put in the porridge? Eating it felt like shedding my mortal form, far better than the Martial Arts Hall's Bone-Strengthening Powder by a hundredfold!"

Bai Qi clapped his hands, stood up, and replied:

"Tiger Bone Powder for great nourishment, got some from the ginseng picker yesterday. It's said to have strong yang-enhancing effects, most fitting for men practicing Iron Crotch Skill."

There was no need to broadcast Ah Di's night journey encounters with various "Immortal Families" on Longkang Mountain; discussing among many would not guarantee good words.

Besides, the ripe Huangjing after nine steams and nine suns for ample years is something only Daoist officials could enjoy, difficult for the young masters of Fishery and Chai Market to savor a bite; revealing it could easily cause unexpected troubles.

Xiaotou laughed cheerfully, swinging his fists and legs with vigor:

"This way, I can also stand out among the apprentices in Songshan Sect!"

Half a share of ripe Huangjing isn't enough to truly purify Xiaotou's body and mind, merely replenishing some vitality, Bai Qi lightly smiled, tidied up the courtyard, and led the two out to find the ginseng picker.

"Since Master Zhuang had sent word via Ah Di asking if I'm interested in being a Mountain Herder, I must give a response."

Bai Qi thought of the medicinal treasures hidden along the five hundred miles of mountain trails, its resources are undoubtedly as abundant as Black Water River.

Perhaps that's one reason why those heterodox loose cultivators can stubbornly resist the Dragon Court's discipline?

Unable to practice Qi cultivation and absorb spiritual essence, they strive with external objects?

Turning past a few mud-solidified simple streets, Bai Qi arrived at the entrance of the large house where the ginseng picker lived.

Facing south and sitting north, it occupied quite a large area, only slightly smaller than a temple scale.

The ginseng picker was a clan elder respected even by the Manor Master. When medicine gathering and hunting yields were poor annually, it relied on the ginseng picker to communicate with the mountain spirit and conduct sacrifices, praying for blessings.

"Brother Bai, you're here."

The ginseng picker sat in the front yard sunbathing, not surprised to see Bai Qi and the others:

"Yesterday, Master Zhuang gave us a dream, explaining the situation.

Master Zhuang doesn't understand human sentiments, only sees Brother Bai's abilities, ignoring your intentions.

Little does he know, how could a young prodigy like Brother Bai possibly stay at the Ginseng Collection Manor."

Bai Qi glanced over the thick wind-blocking curtain, seeing a boy around thirteen or fourteen peeking out, seemingly observing him.

"The ginseng picker's praise is too kind; it's all thanks to Master Zhuang's protection that my little brother wasn't in big trouble.

The Mountain Herder's work is passed down from generation to generation, I deem myself unworthy, moreover, outsiders would find it hard to lead.

However, the intricacies of herding the mountains are quite fascinating, I wish to learn a thing or two."

Upon hearing the first part, the face of the ginseng picker blossomed with a smile, making the previously taboo second part seem not so out of bounds. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Unexpected that a practitioner like Brother Bai would fancy the Mountain Herder's craftsmanship, haha, the trades secrets are never shared, those are the rules.

But since Brother Bai has caught Master Zhuang's favor and has some interest, we'll talk a bit more.

Mountain herding isn't considered a major skill; it's derived from heterodox teachings taught by the founding master, mainly divided into three types: 'treasure trapping,' 'sheep pulling,' and 'spirit matching.'"

Bai Qi listened intently as the ginseng picker spoke steadily:

"Vast mountains breed Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, referred to as 'fruits' in the lingo, classified based on rarity into sizes, within sixty years is a 'small fruit,' over a hundred years is a 'large fruit.'

Treasure trapping and sheep pulling, to put it plainly, are methods of fruit picking, each with its uniqueness.

As for spirit matching, it's more complex, surveying mountain and water, identifying patterns, reportedly the land and water have eight configurations, known as 'dignified, thick, pure, ancient, solitary, sparse, vicious, vulgar.'

The first four are called 'outstanding terrains,' and the last four are termed 'shoddy terrains,' also called 'red sheep' and 'black sheep.'

"Alas, the descendants are not striving, the best skills have been lost, and only the trivial ways of summoning mountain spirits remain."

Bai Qi clicked his tongue in wonder, discovering that Mountain Herders had a significant history, and those mysterious secret techniques might indeed be sorcery.

"Have you ever picked any miraculous herbs, Ginseng Picker?"

He asked with a smile.

"Brother Bai, you overestimate me. Heavenly and Earthly Treasures are so rare. In and out of these five hundred miles of mountain paths for decades, I've never seen the legendary 'Gold and Silver Boys', 'Ginseng Doll', 'Yu Jiaoniang', or 'Ugly Man'."

Ginseng Picker shook his head. He mostly picked moderately-aged kudzu root, huangjing, and wild mountain ginseng, or guided hunters to chase game and encircle animals.

Truly rare treasures labeled as "treasures" or "spiritual objects" have never been encountered.

Besides thousand-year ginseng, things like gold, silver, and burial artifacts are deeply buried underground.

Over time, absorbing essence, they might congeal into various mountain spirit forms.

A pound of gold or silver turns into boys, flawless white jade into a graceful lady, and heavy bronze and iron into an ugly man.

This is generally the pattern.

"That's really a pity."

Bai Qi thought to himself, no wonder the art of mountain herding is so hard to consolidate and reflect, there are too many complexities within it.

"I don't have anything much to offer Brother Bai, but I happen to have two dog treasures on hand. This item can ward off the poisonous miasma of deep mountains and forests; it will be a good precaution for when you enter the Fierce Evil Forest in the future."

Ginseng Picker was very courteous, as if he had prepared it long beforehand, taking out two egg-sized, tooth-white objects.

"I cannot accept without merit, how can I accept without any contribution?"

Bai Qi replied, thinking that dog treasure, along with cow gallstone and horse dung stone, have been known as the three great medicines since ancient times.

It has a slightly fishy smell, a slightly bitter taste, when chewed it feels like powder, when rubbed it feels like sand.

It can reduce counterflow, relieve depression, and detoxify humidity poison. In a past life, it once was worth its weight in gold.

"Brother Bai is a promising talent chosen by Master Zhuang, and also seems to have a connection with us Mountain Herders.

In this trade of ours, we value forming good ties, and achieving good results; Brother Bai, please accept it, and no more refusal."

Ginseng Picker was firm, forcefully placing the two valuable dog treasures, worth hundreds of taels of silver, into Bai Qi's hand.

Half an hour later, Bai Qi left Ginseng Picker's big house with his brother Bai Ming.

Walking further away, Xiaotou said enviously:

"Ah Qi, you really have a way with elders? Both Shui Brother's dad, Elder Liang, and even Ginseng Picker like you, gifting you good things when they see you."

Bai Qi laughed and replied:

"What nonsense, let's not mention Elder Liang, as for Ginseng Picker, it's not without reason. He's grateful I didn't accept Master Zhuang's kindness and didn't take over his role as a Mountain Herder."

Xiaotou looked puzzled:

"How do you know that?"

Bai Ming chimed in:

"Because he had been waiting for Brother to visit early on and had prepared the dog treasures. Brother said he couldn't accept Master Zhuang's kindness, and it made him smile more, meaning he didn't want Brother to agree at all.

If Brother had just demanded boldly, Ginseng Picker would have painfully agreed. He is respected by medicine gatherers because he can communicate with Master Zhuang and perform spirit-summoning rites.

These are the tools of his trade, surely he wants to pass them on to his own son and grandson, not let an outsider take over."

Xiaotou's small eyes widened in disbelief, could there be such a layer of meaning?

Why didn't he feel any of that?

He just thought Ginseng Picker was really nice!

"The child hiding inside must be Ginseng Picker's grandson.

His son was chased by a bear and killed, leaving only this single shoot. He must want to pass down the 'leader' position, so we should not interfere."

Exchanging a knowing smile with Bai Ming, Bai Qi said slowly:

"However, Ginseng Picker was right about one thing: the mountain spirit doesn't understand human feelings and doesn't know the complexity of the human heart."

Xiaotou remained puzzled, then sadness followed, realizing his mind wasn't as sharp as Ah Qi's, and now, even less so than his little brother.

"But my father taught me, if you're not smart yourself, you should follow smart people in doing things.

Ah Qi is so good, so if I just listen to him, wouldn't that be like being just as good as him!"

With the two dog treasures in his possession, Bai Qi thought to himself, this trip yielded quite a lot.

With these in hand, venturing deep into the forest as a Mountain Herder in the future, he need not fear the obstruction of miasma.

Just as he pondered, he saw He Tai, Song Qiying, and others riding down the mountain, their attendants carrying wild boars and tigers.

Such a plentiful bounty was enough to conclude this autumn hunt and it was time to return to Black River County for the Dragon King Temple fair.