Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

Chapter 271 The Special Functions of the Medicine Cauldron

The intelligence obtained by Mo Yuming and his team indicated that these three groups of assassins had already disguised themselves and quietly infiltrated the Great Xia Empire. However, they had no idea about crucial information such as when these assassins would meet or when they would arrive at their designated target locations.

Even so, this situation did not cause the usually calm and collected Mo Yuming excessive worry. He knew that as long as his side possessed sufficient strength to contend with those Heaven-rank experts, then even if this group of assassins was numerous, they wouldn't be able to cause too much trouble. After all, the threat posed by a mere few dozen people with only Earth-rank cultivation was ultimately limited.

On the very day he received the news, the decisive Mo Yuming rushed to Zhongyuan City. Upon arrival, he immediately and methodically began making meticulous arrangements for the Falcon Guard stationed there. At the same time, National Pacification Commissioner Su Ce dared not be negligent in the slightest, and quickly issued a series of instructions to National Security agents throughout the country, making corresponding and appropriate arrangements.

Moreover, Su Ce meticulously selected and dispatched a large number of experienced National Security agents to disguise themselves as ordinary citizens and quietly infiltrate various social strata. In this way, a vast and inescapable net was silently laid out, like a hunter waiting for its prey to take the bait, quietly waiting for those "big fish" with ulterior motives to willingly fall into the trap.

The eighth floor of the Central Plains City Academy (formerly the Central Plains City Lord's Mansion) was designed as a library, where various valuable martial arts manuals and academic notes would be stored. Since the academy had not yet officially opened for enrollment, it was very quiet. Jiang Yuheng set up his temporary military command post here. Firstly, most of the passes currently under combat readiness were under the jurisdiction of the Central Plains Prefecture. Secondly, as a large city, Central Plains City had very convenient transportation channels, making it easier to control the situation.

Grandpa Electric and Grandpa Leopard have also arrived in Zhongyuan City. The two elders haven't been out and about for a long time, having been busy with intensive weapon forging. So, upon arriving in Zhongyuan City, they immediately hired a plainclothes officer from the National Security Bureau to lead the way, patrolling various parts of the city. The old man in the canyon is simple-minded and enthusiastic in everything he does. Having lived for over a hundred years before leaving the canyon and entering the human world, everything is still very new to him.

Mo Yuming and Jiang Yuheng were in the library, browsing through the books collected from various places while exchanging information about the recent military conflict in the Long Kingdom.

According to reports gathered from various sources, the most intense battle was between the Yin Zi Kingdom and the Yin Fu Kingdom. Although the Yin Fu Kingdom's army was less than a third the size of the forces dispatched by the Yin Zi Kingdom, they repeatedly repelled the Yin Zi Kingdom's attacks by utilizing their geographical advantages and their fearless fighting spirit. The two armies had been fighting for half a month, but the Yin Zi army still had not set foot inside the Yin Fu Kingdom.

Secondly, the Xianghuang army invaded Xijing and has now occupied two-thirds of Xijing's territory. To the west, it borders Chidi, but to the north, near Zhongdu, it was ambushed and suffered heavy losses. Furthermore, forces from Dongjing took the opportunity to launch a pincer attack, and the Xianghuang army was suppressed.

The army that advanced most smoothly was the Dai Lü army, which marched eastward and had already occupied more than 90% of Lido's territory. They only encountered sporadic small-scale resistance. Now, the army has crossed Lido and entered the wasteland.

The Yaohei Army also made relatively smooth progress. Although they fought a major battle with the Jiangling Army and suffered losses, they still managed to occupy Jiangling County and are now advancing directly towards the capital.

Taibai's main target was the Red Emperor. Although they had fought many battles, they had won every time, and now Taibai had conquered most of the Red Emperor's territory. However, despite their continuous victories, Taibai did not accelerate its advance but instead proceeded in an orderly manner.

As for Zheng Lan, who led the army to conquer the Great Xia Empire, after suffering a major defeat and losing Jingzhou, he remained in seclusion and did not make any significant moves.

"Wu Yi's attempt to steal a chicken backfired, and now he's holed up in the capital and no longer shows his face. Do you think he's truly given up, or is he up to something else?"

"The seven marquises of Longguo are roughly equal in strength. This time, Wuyi suffered a crushing defeat at our hands. Although she lost 300,000 troops, she still has strength. Just like Wuji of Dachi, although she also lost nearly 300,000 troops because of us, she still has the strength to fight against the five marquises' attempt to divide and devour her. Now, half a month has passed, and Zhongdu is still there. The major forces have not yet attacked Wuji's lair. It is estimated that Zhongdu will eventually be occupied, and Wuji will be destroyed in at least another month."

The reason why Marquis Wu Yi of Zhenglan stopped launching a strong military campaign was that he needed to weigh the gains and losses and preserve his strength for self-defense. He not only had to guard against the covetousness of his neighbor, Marquis Xianghuang, but also against the invasion of the State of Qin.

Therefore, Wu Yi needs to carefully consider sending hundreds of thousands more troops to participate in the operation. Otherwise, it would truly be a harbinger of his decline.

"During this internal strife in the Long state, has the neighboring Qin state taken no action?"

"Although the internal strife in the Long Kingdom has greatly weakened its national strength, it has not lost its ability to fight. Just like when Wu Yi sent 300,000 troops to invade our Great Xia, after the defeat, he dared not send troops to fight again. This was because he had to keep enough troops to resist foreign enemies and protect the Long Kingdom's position. Therefore, the Qin Kingdom also dared not act rashly. Unless it has an overwhelming military advantage, it can only give up."

"Of course, greed is human nature, so it is common for countries to fight for resources and invade cities. But these are usually small-scale local wars. Today you send a few thousand soldiers to plunder my villages. Tomorrow I will send tens of thousands of soldiers to occupy one of your towns. Such things happen frequently among the five countries."

"Those in power naturally benefit, while the weak and ordinary people suffer in the end. What is taken away are the resources they depend on for survival."

"Such a thing must never happen in the Great Xia Empire. Anyone who tries to take advantage of us will have to pay tenfold."

……

After a long conversation in the library, it was already night. After leaving the library, Mo Yuming returned to Fuyuan Restaurant to rest.

It was late at night when Mo Yuming finished his usual meditation practice of the Witch Clan's technique, 'Soul Wheel Guiding'. Since practicing 'Soul Wheel Guiding', he only needed to meditate for one or two hours each night to restore his mental state to its best. He could even go without sleep for several days without any problems.

Taking advantage of the quiet of the night, Mo Yuming brought out the 'Medicine King Cauldron' and began to study it. Mo Yuming rubbed the cauldron's legs with both hands and channeled wood-attribute spiritual power into it.

Immediately, a layer of greenish spiritual mist appeared from the medicine cauldron. A small girl, about a foot tall and formed from the condensed spiritual mist, floated out of the cauldron. Although somewhat ethereal and hazy, her general form was already present.

"Master, should we accelerate the growth of herbs to extract medicinal liquid or refine pills?" The spirit's voice rang in Mo Yuming's mind.

"What is herb cultivation stimulation?" Mo Yuming knew that some herbs needed to be processed beforehand after being harvested, while others needed to be sealed and stored in special containers. But he had never heard of herb cultivation stimulation.

"It involves nurturing and promoting the growth of herbs that are not old enough or have been damaged, in order to achieve the desired effect."

"Can herbs that are not old be allowed to mature? Can damaged herbs be repaired?"

Mo Yuming asked in surprise.

"Accelerating growth requires the master to channel spiritual energy. Generally, a level 9 Earth rank herb can accelerate growth by ten years every half hour, while a level 1 Heaven rank herb can accelerate growth by fifty years every half hour. Damaged herbs can recover 10% of their medicinal effects. However, the damaged herbs must be at least 60% intact."

"So, you're saying that any ordinary herb can be accelerated into a mature medicinal herb?"

"That's true in theory, but in practice, it only increases the original herb's efficacy by a maximum of 80%."

"Regardless of the type of herb? For example, some herbs that are hundreds of years old?"

"The higher the grade of the herb, the better its effect. However, some herbs have a limited lifespan. It's not necessarily true that the longer the herb is, the better its effect. Those herbs with a lifespan can only reach about 90% of their full potential, not the perfect one. The older the herb, the more spiritual energy is consumed when stimulating its growth. It's best to use spirit stones to avoid exhaustion and failing to achieve the desired effect. This is because each herb can only be stimulated once, and there can be no interruption. The old master always used spirit stones instead of spiritual energy when stimulating the growth of herbs."

"Spirit stones? Are they attribute minerals and gemstones?"

"Spirit stones are formed from the condensation of Yin and Yang energies, and are not yet differentiated into the Five Elements. They are born of Heaven and Earth, and can nourish all things and transform into the Five Elements. Cultivators of the Five Elements attributes can all use them. Spirit stones grow when they encounter wood, become thick when they encounter earth, become moist when they encounter water, become fiery when they encounter fire, and become sharp when they encounter metal. Therefore, they are used as substitutes for spiritual energy."

Mo Yuming had never seen a spirit stone before, so he asked Ji Xianlin through the Soul Jade. Ji Xianlin told him that spirit stones were extremely rare in the Tianxuan Continent. There used to be mines in Yingzhou, but they were quickly mined out by the powerful families. They could be used for cultivation to increase the speed of absorbing spiritual energy, and they could also be used to quickly restore the spiritual energy consumed in battle.

Scarcity drives up value. While auction houses might still sell spirit stones, they're generally used by wealthy individuals as a precaution. Nowadays, cultivators seeking high concentrations of spiritual energy typically use spirit-gathering arrays, achieving the same effect, though not as convenient as spirit stones. In reality, using spirit stones isn't significantly more effective than cultivating in the Valley of Heartbreak, and spirit stones have time limitations; the spiritual energy contained in a single spirit stone is finite, allowing even a first-level Heavenly Rank cultivator to cultivate for a maximum of one hour.

After Ji Xianlin's explanation, Mo Yuming finally understood the value of spirit stones. Spirit stones are indeed a good thing, but mineral resources are scarce in the Tianxuan Continent, so using them is somewhat not worthwhile. However, if one has a large number of spirit stones and does not care about their monetary value, spirit stones are indeed a convenient and easy-to-use item.

Since it was so rare, Mo Yuming didn't insist. He then took out a thousand-year-old Fire Meat Fungus and asked, "Can this Fire Meat Fungus be accelerated to a longer lifespan?"

"Put the herbs into the cauldron and use the wood elemental power to activate the cauldron's legs to test it out," said the little spirit.

Following Mo Yuming's instructions, he placed the meat fungus into the medicine cauldron and then activated the wood spirit power as before.

A layer of green mist immediately appeared inside the cauldron, covering the fleshy fungus. Not long after, the spirit's voice echoed in Mo Yuming's mind:

"This fleshy fungus is currently about 860 or 870 years old, with a maximum age of 1200 years. It can be accelerated to about 1100 years. However, its effects are not much stronger than those of a fungus over 800 years old, at most increasing by one percent. Would you like to continue accelerating its growth, Master?"

"Let's give it a try and see if my current spiritual power can support the growth of this herb."

Mo Yuming said.

As for the effect, that doesn't matter, as long as the effect of the medicine doesn't diminish.

So Mo Yuming calmed his mind and focused his energy, channeling wood-attribute spiritual power evenly into the base of the medicine cauldron. Mo Yuming's wood-attribute profound skill was currently less than level four, so the effect of stimulating it was naturally not ideal. However, fortunately, Mo Yuming knew how to use the five elements' generating cycle, and while stimulating it, he continuously used water-attribute spiritual power to help the wood-attribute spiritual power grow.

Originally, Mo Yuming's profound cultivation had become much more solid across all attributes after the Hua Chen incident. With the enhancement of water-attribute spiritual power, the depth of his wood-attribute spiritual power was almost comparable to that of an ordinary sixth-level Earth Rank cultivator. Therefore, after half an hour of intensive cultivation, the age of the herbs in the cauldron increased by eight to nine years. An hour later, the age of the Fire Meat Fungus had increased to nearly nine hundred years.

However, the medicinal properties of the Fire Meat Fungus had essentially reached their peak after eight hundred years, so after Mo Yuming had been cultivating it for an hour, the medicinal effects hadn't increased much. Once Mo Yuming discovered that he could maintain his output for an hour at this moderate intensity without much strain, he stopped cultivating the Fire Meat Fungus.

Upon examining the newly grown Fire Meat Fungus after it had been brought to maturity in the medicine cauldron, one could clearly feel that its freshness had increased, giving the impression that it had just been pulled from the ground.

After recovering for a while, Mo Yuming took out another Passion Fruit from his storage bag and placed it into the medicine cauldron to accelerate its growth. This time, the effect was better than that of the Fire Meat Mushroom. The Passion Fruit was only a little over three hundred years old, and among the many precious herbs, it was one of the lower-grade herbs.

After two hours of intensive cultivation by Mo Yuming, the passion fruit surpassed the three-hundred-year age threshold and entered the four-hundred-year age range, increasing its medicinal efficacy by ten percent. However, the highest medicinal efficacy of a top-grade passion fruit is only five hundred years old, so this intensively cultivated passion fruit reaching four hundred years of medicinal efficacy is already quite remarkable.

After Mo Yuming collected the passion fruit and recovered his strength, it was already broad daylight. When Mo Yuming stepped out of his room, the Falcon Guards were already waiting in the courtyard. Upon seeing Mo Yuming, they reported that they had tracked down the rebels who had infiltrated Zhongyuan City. However, after gathering at their hideout, these rebel members did not come out to cause trouble but remained hidden inside. It was estimated that some members had not yet arrived, or that they had other plans.

After hearing this, Mo Yuming went to the library, where Jiang Yuheng and Ji Jiahe were already waiting.

"I estimate that the rebels have already learned about what happened in Jingzhou. There are two reasons why they are lying low. First, after their companions were wiped out, these rebels felt the crisis and decided to hide for a while and wait for the situation to calm down before making a move. Second, Wu Yi has changed his plans and has other arrangements. So they are hiding temporarily and waiting for further instructions."

After Mo Yuming sat down, Jiang Yuheng got straight to the point.

"Since they're holed up in their hideout, let's wait and see what happens, and then wipe them all out in one fell swoop. I wonder what the situation is like in Uehara City?"

Mo Yuming asked.