Qi-boosting spiritual objects can be roughly divided into two categories. One is the qi-boosting elixirs that are cultivated in furnaces. However, at this time, Taoists all practiced qi training through the inner elixir method, and few people smelted and took the outer elixirs, like Tianqizi. The kind of elixir given to him that day is already very rare. Even if it exists, it was left behind many years ago. There are very few in existence and it is extremely difficult to obtain.
There is also a category of qi-tonifying herbs, such as wild ginseng, astragalus, atractylodes, aconite, rehmannia glutinosa and other herbs that all have qi-tonifying effects. The older they are, the stronger the medicinal power. However, the older they are, the rarer they are. Rare ones are naturally more expensive.
Nanfeng was looking for the latter, and posted a notice in the name of paying tribute, calling on herbal farmers to go into the mountains to search. Those who found Qi-tonifying herbs for more than fifty years would be exempted from paying for three years, and those who found for a hundred years would be exempted from paying for ten years. Those who find five hundred years of qi-tonifying herbs will be exempted from the tax for the rest of their lives. If you find it for more than a thousand years, you will not only be exempted from taxes for life, but also exempted from military labor.
It is now the time of autumn and winter, and as soon as the notice goes out, the streets are empty. This is a huge reward, and everyone wants to try their luck.
However, the first ones to send Qi-enhancing herbs were wealthy merchants. Many of these people were wealthy and good at calculation. After calculation, they found that it was very cost-effective to buy them from outside and present them, so they sent people out to buy them.
In just three days, I got dozens of doses of Qi-tonifying herbs, and after five days, I got hundreds of doses.
If used as ordinary medicine, the herbs must be boiled, but when used to replenish qi and practice Qigong, they cannot be boiled. The boiled decoction has a strong fire property. Taking too much will cause both qi and blood to be strong, causing dryness and heat. .
Qi-tonifying herbs used for Qi training can only be ground into powder and taken with rootless water. The so-called rootless water is rainwater. Rainwater does not touch the Yin Qi of the earth's veins and can catalyze the power of medicine.
The fat man has already begun to practice the Eight-part Golden Body. Although the Eight-part Golden Body is a foreign skill, it also requires Qi training. If you want to practice Qi, you have to cross your legs and breathe. Foreign monks use meditation, which includes both meditation and breathing. The effect of absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is that the former is passive, while the latter is intentional. The effect of breathing is better than that of meditation.
Both of them need to practice qi, and they both need to drink medicine. The two of them took it together. Most of the qi-tonifying herbs were bitter. They drank the bitter green water and swallowed the medicinal powder that was like grass chaff every day. It was really miserable.
Plants and trees grow between the sky and the earth, soaking in the rain, drinking dew, reflecting the sun and facing the wind. They absorb and store the spiritual energy of heaven and earth at dusk and morning. Taking Qi-tonifying herbs can gain spiritual energy much faster than sitting cross-legged and meditating.
However, there is also a big disadvantage in taking Qi-tonifying herbs, that is, the spiritual energy gained by breathing in and out can be directly incorporated into the Qihai Dantian, while the spiritual energy obtained by taking Qi-tonifying elixirs must be extracted from the spleen and stomach through digestion. Once the spiritual energy is dispersed, it must be introduced into the Dantian. If If there is stagnation, the transformed spiritual energy will wander freely from the meridians. If it can be discharged downward, it will be fine. At worst, some medicinal power will be lost. If you wander around randomly, it may cause the breath to be disordered. In more serious cases, it may lead to obsession, damaging the five internal organs and destroying the foundation.
Nanfeng has a high level of spiritual cultivation, and he is very proficient in practicing Qi guidance. He can take medicine three times a day. The spiritual energy contained in herbs is beneficial to the plants themselves, not to benefit others. The essence of taking medicine is to plunder other people's things for one's own use. If medicinal herbs There is a lot of hidden spiritual energy, and people can only get one or two of it. The rest is mostly wasted, and it is difficult to make full use of it.
After taking the medicine three times, it only takes half an hour each time to refine and absorb it. The gain is very little, but it is much faster than breathing.
Nanfeng took the medicine three times a day, and Fatty took the medicine once a day. Nanfeng took the medicine three times because it was bitter and difficult to swallow, not because he couldn't take more. But the fat man did not dare to eat too much. He was unfamiliar with Qi training and had no ability to guide it. Even if he took it once a day, he could hardly absorb it all. He would rush up and down, burp and fart.
When taking medicine, you should avoid eating anything spicy. When taking Qi-tonifying herbs, avoid spicy food. You can only eat some rice, flour and snacks every day. You should not touch meat or wine. Salt is a fire substance, so you should not eat it.
"How long do you have to drink this?" The fat man held a large wide-mouthed bowl with thick green medicinal soup in it.
"Drink until you can't bear it anymore." Nanfeng said, Qi-tonifying herbs are tonics. Many wealthy people have wives and concubines, and their Qi and blood are often depleted, so they take them to replenish Qi and blood. Because they are used too much, the price is expensive. The two of them drank medicine that was more than fifty years old and had strong potency. A bowl of medicine was worth more than ten taels of silver. Fortunately, they were officials and were greedy for money, otherwise they would not be able to afford it.
"I have practiced martial arts a lot, but I have never seen people drink this stuff like we drink cows every day." The fat man never had the courage to take a bite.
Nanfeng drank his own bowl first, wiped his mouth and said, "Our talents are not as good as others, and we started late. If we want to achieve success early, we can only fill in the gaps and work hard to make progress."
The fat man sighed helplessly, drank the bowl of soup with his eyes closed, and then grabbed the dry and thick powder to eat. It was very difficult to swallow.
After finally finishing the meal, the fat man rinsed his mouth with water, "Master once said that haste makes waste. If we do this by taking advantage of one side, won't it last long?"
"No, just suffer more." Nanfeng shook his head and said. At present, all the cultivation methods are based on the inner alchemy path, and the inner alchemy path requires very high talent. The two of them are not talented enough, and they will never be able to do it through hard training alone. In the early days, you can only rely on external help.
Just as the fat man was about to speak, he suddenly hiccupped.
When Nan Feng saw the fat man hiccupping, he stood up and left in a hurry. The guy stopped breathing again and would soon fart.
Just as he was about to go back to his room to meditate and guide, the county magistrate Cui Zhen quickly came in and went to the fat man's room. When he saw Nan Feng, he made a gesture to him, telling Nan Feng not to go back to the room because he had something to report.
Cui Zhen knows the rules very well. Although he sees that Fatty doesn't care about anything, he still reports it to Fatty first every time he encounters something. In fact, he also knows that Fatty always says, "This is a small matter, and it is up to the master to decide." But he still won't miss the steps that need to be taken.
The fat man was farting when Cui Zhen came in. In embarrassment, he kicked him out without waiting for Cui Zhen to speak.
After Cui Zhen went out, he quickly walked up to Nanfeng and said, "Sir, something happened."
"Huh?" Nanfeng frowned.
"Please go to the front hall to speak." Cui Zhen said. It is cold today and there are still snowflakes in the sky.
Nanfeng could only follow him to the middle courtyard. The two of them were currently borrowing the power of Yu County to help them practice. In order to benefit for a long time, they could not slack off in their official duties.
The two sat down in the front hall, and a yamen servant moved a brazier for them. Cui Zhen warmed his hands by the fire and whispered, "Just now, Qinghuai Township sent someone to deliver a message. A dozen villagers died there."
"Are there any bandits?" Nanfeng asked. He ignored the king's laws and engaged in logging and selling stone and wood. Not only did he pay the taxes set by the county, but he also distributed the grain, rice and cloth requested by each township, starving people to death. It should not happen that people freeze to death.
"Not a bandit." Cui Zhen shook his head.
"What is that?" Nanfeng looked at him suspiciously.
Cui Zhen frowned and whispered, "It's a monster."
"What monster?" Nanfeng asked.
"Didn't your Excellency previously issue a notice to look for the medicinal materials that were offered as tribute? After the notice was issued, many villagers in the county went into the mountains to search for medicines. The dozen or so villagers who died were hunters and farmers who went into the mountains to collect medicines," Cui Zhen stood up and walked to the desk, took back a letter and handed it to Nanfeng, "This is a letter sent by someone from Qinghuai. Please read it."
Nanfeng took the letter, took out the paper and started to read it. The letter was written by Qinghuai Xiangzheng. The people who died were from the same village. Yesterday morning, a group of people went into the mountains together to dig up medicinal materials. They just returned at midnight, but After more than a dozen people left, only one came back. The young man was frightened and lost his mind. When he came back, he was incoherent and just kept repeating, "The big ginseng, the big monster, they are all dead, Black Rock Gou".
Qinghuai Township is located in the northwest of Yu County, and the Black Rock Valley that the young man mentioned is a dangerous place in the mountains. Villagers all know that good medicinal materials grow there, but because of the dangerous terrain, few people go to dig it.
The young man was frightened, and the villagers were frightened by the young man. They were afraid of monsters and did not dare to go to confirm the search. They had to ask the county government for help, hoping that the government could send officers and soldiers to look for him.
"Could it be that wild ginseng turned into essence?" Cui Zhen asked in a low voice.
Nanfeng shook his head. It is not uncommon for aliens to become sperms at this time, but those who kill are usually animals, snakes and insects. Plants and trees can become sperms, and they are not too ferocious. There must be some ginseng, but it kills the villagers. It should not be human, but some ferocious alien that protects ginseng.
"How to deal with it?" Cui Zhen asked again.
Nanfeng didn't answer. This was his negligence. The villagers didn't understand, but he understood that all treasures of nature, materials and earth are usually surrounded by aliens who will devour them as soon as they mature.
"How about I reply to him and let them take care of themselves?" Cui Zhen saw Nan Feng frowning and said nothing, so he guessed that he didn't want to interfere.
Nanfeng waved his hand, "This happened because of me. You can't just sit back and watch. You go and inform Zhang Zhong and ask him to take someone to accompany me to Qinghuai Township..."