Chapter 205: Conferring the Medicine (Part 2)
Luo Tan and Shen Miao took two steps forward and discovered that what appeared in front was a large valley. This valley was filled with the fragrance of flowers. Currently it was the sixth month, the middle of stumble, but the flowers were full bloom and the sunset made the land filled with golden glow. It was as if one have arrived to an immortal land on earth as there was a sense of unreality.
“It is so beautiful here.” Luo Tan exclaimed.
Chi Yan Taoist Priest looked towards Shen Miao, “What does Furen discover?”
Shen Miao only felt that there was a some medicinal scent in the air and looking at the flowers that were all around, even though they were bright, they did not look the same as normal flowers. She hesitated for a while before saying, “These are all herbs?”
Chi Yan Taoist Priest laughed out, “Exactly so. Although I cannot save your husband and cannot change his fate, my Teacher has a medicine valley. There is a herb in it that can detoxify hundreds of poisons and this particular herb can save your husband’s life.”
Shen Miao did not tell Chi Yan Taoist Priest of Xie Jing Xing’s injuries but Chi Yan Taoist Priest’s woulds had indicated that Xie Jing Xing was poisoned. Luo Tan looked at that strange Taoist Priest admiringly but Shen Miao was not surprised as she had known earlier that this strange Taoist Priest had some skills. This was not surprising at all.
She said, “Would beg Taoist Priest to give me that herb that can detoxify hundreds of poisons and save my husband’s life.”
Chi Yan smiled, “This particular medical herb was left behind by my Great Great Great Great Grand Teacher and had been place in this medicine valley all the time. Till now, there is only one of it in this world. If ordinary people eat it, it would prolong one’s life. If those poison eat it, naturally the poison would be removed… This particular herb is so precious, so how would I give you in vain?”
“You are a benevolent and compassionate Taoist Priest.” Luo Tan said, “If you want gold and silver, my Youngest Biao Sister can afford it. What do you want in exchange?”
Shen Miao continued, “As long as it is within my abilities, I would definitely do it for Taoist Priest.”
“If I want Furen to exchange with your life?” Chi Yan Taoist Priest said craftily.
Shen Miao was startled and before she spoke, Luo Tan said, “You are really a bully. How could one use that as a condition?”
Chi Yan waved his hands, “One who leave the secular world is benevolent and compassionate but I am a Taoist priest so naturally one who would not do things like murdering and arson. It is just a joke only. I have a question that one have to ask Furen.” He looked at the stunned Shen Miao, “Could Furen explain it to this poor priest?”
It was only now that Shen Miao recovered to her senses. Her heart was in shock as when Chi Yan asked if she was willing to use her life to exchange, a thought quickly flew into her mind. She was willing to do so.
How was this possible? She still had Shen Qiu, Shen Xin and Luo Xue Yan behind her, she had an entire family of loved ones so why would her heart be willing to give up her life for Xie Jing Xing? Shen Miao’s heart suddenly became somewhat fearful.
By putting too much emotion to it, one would only be hurt even deeper in the future and her previous lifetime was a living example. She could try to love again but she dared not have a deep and strong love and also could not afford to gamble.
“Youngest Biao Sister?” Luo Tan shooed her arm.
Shen Miao settled her mind down and looked towards the Taoist Priest, “May Taoist Priest speak.”
“Look at this.” The Taoist Priest knelt down and pointed to a small flower between the grass, “This is Hong Xiu Cao that can be use to treat cough. However these days it does not flower much. From Furen’s view, what is the reason?”
What did this mean? Shen Miao was not a doctor and could not distinguish herbs apart so how could she be able to see the reason? But she still squatted down and took a careful look. She saw that there were some moving black spots on the flower stalks and her heart moved, “Most likely there are worms growing.”
“This is also what this poor priest thought.” Chi Yan looks worried, “But these Hong Xiu Cao is the most delicate. One cannot use pesticide to drive the worms away and if one wants to get ride of those worms, one could only take it out by hands with a gentle movements else it would hurt the petals.”
Luo Tan said, “Since it is so, what does it have to do with us?”
Chi Yan Taoist Priest stood up and Shen Miao also stood up before he smiled, “But this poor priest is a male and have coarse movements. Normally one is careless and one fear that one would not be able to pick carefully and accidentally hurt the petals. These are all precious rare medicine and is very valuable, thus one would like to invite Furen to pick the worms cleanly off for me.”
Luo Tan’s eyes widen. This Taoist Priest let Shen Miao come over but use Shen Miao as a farmer?
Shen Miao asked, “After picking the worms cleanly off, Taoist Priest will give me the medical herb that can detoxify hundreds of poisons?
Chi Yan nodded his head.
“Alright. I will do it.” Shen Miao intend to immediately start.
Luo Tan did not speak anymore as she treated it as effort to earn a medical herb thus it was not a loss.
However Chi Yan shook his head and led Shen Miao and Luo Tan a few steps forward, “It is the Hong Xiu Cao here.”
When both of them took a look, they were somewhat stunned.
That was a large field of medical herbs that was almost as big as a few fields from big families. Moreover the medical herbs that was planted on the entire field was not done neatly. Some were Hong Xiu Cao, some were others but were all grown together. Just finding those Hong Xiu Cao would require a lot of effort, much less cleaning the Hong Xiu Cao from worms. One did not know how long it would take.
“Are you deliberately playing tricks with us?” Luo Tan jumped up in anger, “How could one person be able to complete all these?”
Chi Yan only smiled and looked at Shen Miao, “Furen also feel that one person is unable to complete it?”
Shen Miao looked at him deeply and said, “After finishing this, will Taoist Priest really give me the herbs?”
“Youngest Biao Sister.” Luo Tan became anxious, “It is clear that he is deliberately playing a fool of you. If one is willing to save a person, why would one come out such an impossible task? How does he look like a compassionate person?”
Chi Yan said, “Young Lady’s words are wrong. There is no free meal under Heavens. In this world, there will be losses, there will be gains. If one wants something, one have to pay the corresponding price. This Furen want my medical herbs then one has to pick the worms off the other medical plants. This is a fair matter. Isn’t it decided by this Furen whether it can be completed or not?”
He said, “After picking the worms off these Hong Xiu Cao, then apply the fertiliser to my mountain of medicinal plants. I will then give you the medical herbs.” He then raise another dust storm, “One cannot do it anyhow as this priest would inspect it. If there is any mistakes then that medical herbs will not be given to you. And also…” He then looked at Lu Tan, “However this Young Lady cannot help. Furen, can you do it?”
“I can do it and also hope that Taoist Priest will keep one’s promise.” After finishing these words, Shen Miao jumped to that medicine field and bend down to begin picking the worms out seriously.
She was magnificent WangFei that was also raised up delicately and spoilt as a daughter of an official but was here being a farmer for a wild doctor. Even those farmers would not do so much work alone. Picking worms off and also… Apply fertiliser… Luo Tan could not imagine how Shen Miao’s weak body was able to carry the fertiliser. She only felt that if Shen Xin and Shen Qiu in Ding capital know of it, they would be furious.
But when had Shen Miao renege her decision before? Luo Tan gritted her teeth and wanted to go over to help but was stopped by Shen Miao’s stern voice, “Stop there. If you don’t wish for me to hate you then don’t come down.”
She spoke sternly but Luo Tan’s eyes became red and her heart became stuck in frustration. If she had known that it was as such, that Shen Miao would be led by others by the nose, she would not tell Shen Miao of Ben Yue’s matter. Now she had implicated Shen Miao to be deceived and suffer, she really felt sinful. She shouted out, “This strange Taoist priest is clearly playing with you. Is it worth it?”
“I did not do anything for him.” Shen Miao did not raise her head at all as she continued to take care of the plants seriously, “There is a chance so one will do it.” She then said, “If you really think about me then help me to find or make a lantern. It would be dark later and one will not be able to see, it is better to have a light.”
Luo Tan took a deep breath but in a blink of an eye she saw Chi Yan Taoist Priest turning around and leaving from the other side. She quickly ran over, “Weird Taoist Priest, listen to me…”
Shen Miao squatted at the flowers. She had not done this for a long time and was somewhat not used to it. She did not think that it was unbearable to pick worms out and feed fertiliser. In this lifetime, self-esteem was not use at such an occasion. When it was time to bend down and bow to others, one will bend and bow to others. If the time came that schemes were not workable then one would put in effort obediently and not do anything in vain. This was the rationale she had relied on in her entire previous lifetime and only understood it in the Cold Palace.
If she gave up fighting with Mei Furen earlier and willing to be weaker, perhaps Mei Furen would not target Fu Ming and Wan Yu so much. Why did she be disadvantaged for the sake of being strong? Revenge? These things would be thought of later. The present was the most important.
If Chi Yan Taoist Priest at the end kept his promise then her suffering would be worth it. It was somewhat difficult to do such work in such a desolate place but compared to the position of the Empress she sat in her previous lifetime, she was previously ridiculed even more then.
It was just that in the entire field of Hong Xiu Cao, one did not know how long it would take. There was no extra time to waste. Shen Miao could not help but smiled bitterly.
When Luo Tan brought over a lantern, the skies had already turned dark. There was a light breeze in the valley at night and dazzling stars and moon but Shen Miao had no mood to appreciate them. She use the lantern light and touched every single leaf and stumbled along with a heavy load. There were mosquitos by the side that her delicate skin was filled with red bumps and her hands were swollen but she did not take a rest for the entire night.
As Luo Tan watched on, her tears fell but she could not help at all and could only scold Chi Yan Taoist Priest in her heart.
It was after all on the afternoon of the next day.
Shen Miao wiped the sweat on her forehead and placed the empty load and let Chi Yan Taoist Priest take a look.
Chi Yan Taoist Priest however smiled, “There is no need to look. You did well.” Finishing she took a small box from his pocket and handed it to Shen Miao. Shen Miao opened it up and saw that there was indeed a herb lying in it.
“It is this herb.” Chi Yan Taoist Priest smiled, “You have cured the entire mountain of Hong Xiu Cao for me, I will use this to treat your Husband’s injuries. One adhere strictly to one’s promise.”
Luo Tan said angrily, “You have profited.”
“Furen’s insistence mad this poor priest have a whole new level of respect. One hope that no matter what happen in the future, Furen would remember today’s sincere heart. If Furen have any little fluke emotion, the worms would not be extinguished and this herb would not be in Furen’s hands.”
“Many thanks for Priest’s confer.” Shen Miao was eager to rush back but after she received the herbs, the bottom half of her body became weak and powerless. She had not slept for an entire night and these days was unable to rest well. It was as if she was a fully strung bow and now as it was relaxed, she only felt that her head was heavy and her feet light.
“Many thanks for Priest’s confer.” Luo Tan was already very dissatisfied with the bizarre demands of this Taoist Priest and was extremely uncomfortable when she saw the poor condition Shen Miao was in. Shen Miao was the calmest of all in the Luo and Shen family and would not be shocked by anyone. Now she was being played a fool till she had no energy left and that made her very unhappy, “One hope that the Hong Xiu Cao would not have worms for a long time. There would not be anyone who is as nice as my Youngest Biao Sister, that would do the chores for the entire mountain. Even it were the farmers, they would not do it to their best efforts in the entire night.”
Chi Yan Taoist Priest laughed out loud, “That cannot be said for sure. Furen and I have the fate of three meetings, this is only the second one. There will always be one more.”
Luo Tan mumbled to herself, “Who wants to see.” She then pulled Shen Miao, “I will support you. Let us go down the mountain.” Afterwards she said to Chi Yan Taoist Priest, “May Taoist Priest also hurry up, one is waiting for the thing to save a life.”
Chi Yan Taoist Priest followed behind. As he watch the back figure of the two people, his eyes landed on Shen Miao’s staggering footsteps, his smiling expression slowly reduced and there was a trace of pity in his eyes.
After a long while, he shook his head and said one words.
“Futile.”