The JinChan herb has the efficacy of healing damaged meridians, and Chen Mo remembered that the JinChan herb in this crack was specially prepared for Empress Tian Long.
Empress Tian Long, due to her damaged meridians, gradually became pale and weak, lying bedridden; the court was filled with unease, and Zhen Wu Si was also affected. Rebellions were launched by various princes across the lands under the pretext of cleansing the palace side, causing the entire Tian Long Empire to crumble.
Subsequently, Ye Liangchen returned, plucked the Jinchan herb, and healed Empress Tianlong's injuries; with her strong influence and the power of the former, she completely quelled the rebellion and stabilized the court...
Then for the next three hundred years, the Tianlong Empire flourished under the rule of Empress Tianlong, becoming one of the strongest empires in the land, second only to itself.
"Master Zhang, have you made a wrong prediction?"
The rise of the Tianlong Empire is a trend of the times, not solely due to this tiny Jinchan herb. Therefore, Chen Mo believes that what Zhang Huanzhi said about affecting the fortune of the nine provinces is mere fantasy.
Zhang Huanzhi shook his head, "Although I am a newly-minted monk, I am very confident in my ability to divination..."
Despite his initial confidence, Zhang Huanzhi's self-assurance wavered somewhat due to Chen Mo's words.
Chen Mo smiled slightly and said, "It seems that you, Master Zhang, don't have much faith in your own abilities. Have you not ever made a wrong divination before?"
This sentence directly stunned Zhang Huanzhi, who opened his mouth to argue, but could not utter a word.
"I have already plucked the Jinchan herb. Now, what should I do next?"
Long Xiaotian descended from the sky, glanced at Zhang Huanzhi, and wore a vigilant expression. She didn't want to hand over her hard-earned treasure, even if the other party was from Tian Shifu.
"Let's discuss it when we get back."
Turning his head back, Chen Mo looked at the already lifeless Earth Dragon and said, "Please, Brother Xiaotian, help me split open the Earth Dragon's body and take its heart."
Long Xiaotian nodded slightly, and with a slash of his sword, he split the Earth Dragon in two. He then reached in with his bare hands and pulled out its heart.
The blood-red heart was still oozing blood; it was over ten feet long. Long Xiaotian exerted himself to pull it out, and his white robes were stained with a large patch of red.
"Cut it open, and extract its essence."
Chen Mo continued to order.
Long Xiaotian gently swung his sword, cutting the massive heart into smaller pieces until the innermost part shimmered with golden light. Then she stopped, forcefully tearing it apart to reveal a golden light ball the size of a fist.
"This is..."
Long Xiaotian was startled and slowly pulled out the golden light ball, placing it in front of Chen Mo. The latter took the light ball, as if it were a treasure, "This is indeed the Earth Dragon Essence".
"What?"
Long Xiaotian widened her eyes in surprise and looked at Chen Mo with amazement. She realized that this guy didn't come here just to ensure her safety.
"Brother Xiaotian, this will be a burden on you to keep. When we return, please send over the blood-dried grass and the qiunian fruit as well."
Chen Mo smiled, and Long Xiaotian's expression was not pleasant. She felt like she had been manipulated, but since she hadn't suffered any loss, there was no need to count the details too much.
"Master Zhang, our mission has been accomplished, and we will bid you farewell here. We may meet again in the future..."
Chen Mo pondered for a moment and said.
"Opportunity..."
Zhang Huanzhi muttered to himself, staring at Chen Mo for a moment, and his eyes were full of complex emotions. "Chen Mo, we may meet again in the future."
"Good"
Chen Mo nodded slightly and signaled for Long Xiaotian to leave the crevice on her sword.
As they walked along, Chen Mo suddenly stopped and thought to himself, "When did I ever tell him my name?"
Zhang Huanzhi emerged from the crevice at noon. He had waited there for several hours, and as the sky gradually darkened, a man also wearing a blue robe flew towards them on his sword.
"Brother, are you alive?"
The man stared at Zhang Huanzhi in surprise and said, "Before leaving the mountain, our master said that you would definitely have a life-threatening encounter down below. I was worried that something might happen to you."
"I appreciate your concern, Brother. I did indeed encounter a fatal crisis on my journey, but it has been resolved by someone who is destined to save me."
Zhang Huanzhi's expression was not good, and he shook his head slightly as he spoke, occasionally sighing.
"Since you have already passed the life-threatening encounter, what is causing you to act like this?"
The Daoist brother was puzzled.
"I am alive, but my benefactor... Brother, I don't understand. When I left the mountain, I divined for that person, and it was a deathly omen. He was doomed to die within two months."
"How could this be?"
The Daoist brother was surprised and said with astonishment, "When we left the mountain, our master said that if you could pass the life-threatening encounter, you would have a hundred-year connection with your destined benefactor. But if he died...
"So that's why I divined for him before I left the mountain, with a full of sixty-four hexagrams, and not one of them was a favorable omen."
Meanwhile, Chen Mo and Long Xiaotian had already returned to the four-courtyard house.
"Brother, you are finally back. Little Beanstalk has missed you so much."
As soon as he stepped in, Little Beanstalk rushed excitedly towards Chen Mo, clutching his waist with his small hands and clinging to him like a koala bear.
Liu Wu Xin followed behind and called out "Brother" softly. She stood there with a face full of envy, staring at Little Beanstalk longingly. She actually wanted to approach Chen Mo like Little Beanstalk did, without worrying about anything, but because of her thin skin, she couldn't bring herself to take that step.
"Wu Xin, have you missed me?"
Chen Mo stepped forward and gently stroked the little girl's head. She was caught off guard, and the envy in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a blush. She quickly dropped her head, silent for a moment before answering softly, "Yes, I miss you."
Chen Mo laughed and was about to greet others when Long Xiaotian couldn't wait any longer. She urgently requested Chen Mo to repair her damaged meridians.
"Brother Xiaotian, money for goods... Well, it's basically that. Bring me everything I need, and then I'll tell you."
Hearing this, Long Xiaotian looked slightly angry but felt helpless. After saying, 'Just wait a moment,' she flew away on her sword.
When Long Xiaotian returned, she had three things in her hand, which were indeed the Blood-dried Grass, Earth Dragon Essence, and Qianyuan Fruit that Chen Mo needed.
"Though these three items are rare and precious, according to my knowledge, they don't have much help with cultivation... What's your rush in getting these three things?"
Long Xiaotian placed the Blood-dried Grass, Earth Dragon Essence, and Qianyuan Fruit one by one in front of Chen Mo, her face showing a hint of curiosity.
"Who said these things are useless for cultivation? They may not be of much help to your cultivation, but for me, they're very useful indeed."
Chen Mo smiled and explained, but this only piqued Long Xiaotian's curiosity even more. "Are these three items for your use? As far as I know, you have a worthless spirit vein. You're born with a vast spirit vein that cannot conceal qi within you. Even cultivating your spirit veins is impossible for you. How can you cultivate?"
"A defective spirit vein only prevents me from refining my qi, but what if I were to train my body instead?"
"Cultivating the body?"
Long Xiaotian looked as if she had heard a joke, "Cultivating the body is not a righteous path. It requires depleting blood and qi to enhance one's own strength, which is essentially playing with your life to improve yourself. Even so, it can only increase your strength slightly. Throughout history, how many people have tried to cultivate their bodies? And how many have reached the level of cultivating their spirit veins?"
"Not a single one. To this day, no one who has tried to cultivate their body has ever reached the level of a qi-refining cultivator's spirit vein cultivation. Therefore, this path is blocked. Not only is it blocked, but it will also result in reverse effects. The loss of blood and qi will drastically reduce lifespan, half of a century's life can be taken away..."
Liu Wu Xin followed behind Chen Mo, listening to their conversation. Her hands were clenched into fists, and she stared at Long Xiaotian with a serious expression. She wanted to become a warrior and could potentially live for hundreds or even thousands of years. But if Chen Mo only had a few decades left to live, then all her efforts would be meaningless.
Without Chen Mo, even if she could live forever, what's the point?
