Chapter Forty-Three: Purging Toxins

For reasons unknown, after raising a flock of chickens, Yunhe Temple inexplicably acquired a gluttonous deer as well.

…

“Don’t eat that! Unless you want to get a stomachache again?”

The next morning, Chen Yu sat in the courtyard, holding a handful of jade silkworm shoots that exuded a sweet and sour fragrance. A head poked over beside him, its mane brushing against his arm and making it itch.

He pushed the deer’s head away by its forehead and gave its dumb head a couple of exasperated pats, pointing toward the wide-open gate and nudging its rear.

“Go on, shoo, stop loitering here. If you’re hungry, go outside—there’s fresh grass everywhere, more than enough to eat!”

Since getting up, he’d seen the deer hopping about the courtyard, full of energy. After giving it a thorough check when he held it in his arms, he found nothing wrong; it was quite healthy.

A night had passed, and not only had it suffered no ill effects, it was even more lively and spirited than the last time he saw it. Apparently, the jade silkworm shoots not only aided digestion but also had a detoxifying and invigorating effect.

With firsthand evidence, Chen Yu opened the gate and let it go.

The deer left happily, bleating as it went.

He thought that was the end of it, but as soon as he brought out the jade silkworm shoots to study them, the creature—having caught the scent from who knows where—came bounding back. Forgetting yesterday’s ordeal, it gazed longingly at the fresh shoots in his hand, its nose snuffling loudly, hooves pawing the ground in anticipation.

Chen Yu was not about to indulge it. This dumb deer had already eaten more than half of the plants he’d transplanted, and he hadn’t settled that score yet. He’d been kind enough to release it, but since it came back on its own, it might as well stay in the temple!

With all the spirit-infused crops he’d be cultivating in the future, and with this greedy fawn around, it seemed fitting.

Shifting his gaze away, Chen Yu ignored the deer and instead examined the milky white sprout pinched between his fingers.

Even after lying idle for half a day, it hadn't shriveled or yellowed; its color remained lustrous, as if dusted with fine jade powder.

He peeled back the skin.

A burst of intense sweet and sour aroma hit him.

Having witnessed what happened to both the rooster and the deer, he didn’t dare swallow it all at once. He cut off a piece the size of a fingernail and put it in his mouth.

The moment the fruit touched his tongue, his taste buds erupted with an indescribable freshness and a tang that made his stomach churn with hunger.

Staring at the remainder, he was suddenly seized by the urge to devour it all, consequences be damned.

He steadied himself with a breathing technique, calming his mind, and soon suppressed the impulse, instead focusing on the subtle changes as the fruit settled into his stomach.

A quarter of an hour passed, with no noticeable effects.

Apparently, it worked slowly.

Just then, he recalled the experience of soaking in the White Cloud Medicinal Bath, so he quietly began circulating his Spirit Invigoration Technique.

Sure enough, faint wisps of warmth, barely perceptible, began to flow in his stomach.

One cycle, then another.

The warmth steadily grew, and soon his stomach began to cramp with an odd sensation.

At this, Chen Yu stopped.

He had no intention of losing control like the deer and the rooster; he had to prepare for this detoxification.

He made his way to the outhouse, fetched a length of cleaning hemp, two handfuls of bamboo sticks, and a basin of clean water.

He braced himself.

There were no soft, comfortable toilet papers on the mountain. Even in the villages below, few could afford to use paper for such needs. The few blank yellow sheets in the temple had all been used as experiment logs, and as for the rest—well, he certainly couldn’t tear up a scripture for this.

He resumed his breathing exercise, fully digesting the piece of fruit. This time, a surge of heat rushed through him, followed by a storm in his stomach.

The pain was sharp—he couldn’t imagine how the dumb deer had made it through yesterday. Thankfully, he hadn’t eaten much, so the discomfort was tolerable and didn’t interfere with his cultivation.

Then, at a certain moment, his expression tightened.

It was coming!

…

In the courtyard, the fawn paced around the wooden bench, its little head lifted, stretching its neck to sniff the lingering sweet and sour scent in the air.

Suddenly, it sneezed and hurriedly scampered away, as if the corner of the temple harbored some primordial beast.

As for the chicken coop, which was closer to the outhouse, chaos reigned—hens gathered their chicks and huddled beneath the farthest fence, clucking anxiously.

…

Chen Yu felt unwell too, though not in his stomach. His entire body relaxed, suffused with a refreshing sensation.

But—the stench in the outhouse was simply unbearable!

After washing up, he wasted no time leaving, pulling the door open and stepping outside.

By midday, the foul smell in the courtyard had mostly dissipated.

During that time, Chen Yu had gone up the mountain to dig some fragrant herbs, which he crushed and scattered throughout the temple, paying special attention to the outhouse, which he scrubbed inside and out.

Next, he stretched his body, focusing on the internal changes.

“It really does have a detoxifying effect.”

And quite potent, too!

It felt as if every part of him had been unshackled; he bounced on his feet, feeling excellent.

Especially his liver—it had already been pushed to its limits earlier, but now it seemed ready for several more rounds of cultivation.

However, the process was rather... intense. Once or twice was fine, but if every dose produced such an ordeal, it wasn’t himself he was worried about—it was the risk of fumigating the revered immortals in the Hall of Offerings.

“I shouldn’t have to go through this every time,” he mused.

After repeated use, the effects would likely diminish, and his body would grow ‘cleaner’ with each detoxification. A few more times, and it should become much more bearable.

“Cleanses the intestines and detoxifies—let’s call you ‘Cleansing Herb’ from now on!”

With his notebook for recording the results of spirit catalysis in hand, Chen Yu wrote: Cleansing Herb (Jade Silkworm Shoots), cleanses the intestines, detoxifies.

After a moment’s thought, he added two more words after ‘intestinal cleansing.’

Closing the notebook, he drew a satisfied breath.

Though he hadn’t managed to cultivate a spiritual energy source, a plant that could purify the organs was a reward in itself.

With growing proficiency in the Spirit Invigoration Technique and further absorption of spiritual dew, Chen Yu was making rapid progress toward mastery of the physical arts. Soon, he would be ready to advance to the internal methods.

Internal training required the refinement of the organs.

Eating more Cleansing Herb would certainly help.

At the very least, after his liver had been cleansed and detoxified, its ability to absorb spiritual dew had improved—a benefit in itself.

At this stage, his expectations for the vegetable sprouts in the basket and the Lanting Fruit in the medicinal field were even higher.

In the courtyard, the little deer rested quietly beneath the dwarf pines, uncharacteristically calm.

Chen Yu glanced at it but left it alone, instead picking up the hoe and earth basket by the wall and heading up to the fields.

In the past few days, he’d been lucky not to encounter another torrential downpour like the first day. With the weather clearing, it was time to pick up the work in the fields again; it could not be delayed any longer.

He looked up—the sky was a flawless blue.

He set the hoe to the earth, which was still slightly soft underfoot.

“First, turn the soil. After two days of sun, it’ll be ready for sowing!”

Come to think of it, aside from the spring millet, the other grains he’d brought back had remained untouched. He’d have to find time to cultivate the remaining three types properly.

This experiment with the Cleansing Herb had deepened his understanding of spirit catalysis.

It was clearly a positive transformation; as long as the right method was found, the outcome was likely to be beneficial.

Of course, if the sprouts in the basket responded the same way, that would confirm his theory.

What intrigued him now was what remarkable effects the spirit-catalyzed grains would yield...