Chapter 31: Female Demon Head

"Qilin Elixir." Lu Yang felt a jolt when he heard those five words. The Qilin vanished long ago, and the Qilin Elixir is also nearly extinct. From ancient times to the present, only a handful have existed, making it exceedingly rare. Throughout history, records concerning the Qilin Elixir are scarce, with some even claiming there is only one in existence.

The Qilin Elixir undergoes reincarnation.

An ancient sage once speculated that Qilin never truly existed, but were merely figments of imagination. The recorded sightings of Qilin were, in fact, instances of people witnessing the Qilin Elixir.

Without divine vision, people could easily mistake the Qilin Elixir for a Qilin, just as Lu Yang did.

"Grandpa Ba asked me to come here and loosen the soil."

"Oh, so you're here to loosen the soil. Do you know Five Elements magic?" The Little Medicine Kings were delighted to hear this.

Finally, someone was here to work.

Lu Yang's face was a picture of conflict: "I wouldn't say I'm very proficient. I learned it by accident, and I'm not sure if it counts as Five Elements magic, but I can definitely burrow through the ground."

Lu Yang believed he was performing spatial magic, though its characteristics closely resembled Five Elements magic.

"Whether it's Five Elements magic or not isn't important; as long as you can burrow," the Age's End Flower said nonchalantly.

Since the earthworm couple went on vacation, the herbs constantly complained. They'd say the soil was too hard, making growth uncomfortable, or that it lacked aeration, making them wish they could pull out their roots to breathe and sunbathe. These complaints greatly troubled the Little Medicine Kings.

Now this problem could be solved.

Few in the world knew about the existence of the Medicine Kings; Lu Yang himself hadn't recognized a single one before. The Little Medicine Kings possessed heaven-defying medicinal power, enough to drive powerful cultivators insane if they appeared in the outside world.

No, there was one he did recognize.

Lu Yang recognized the sunflower in the Age's End Flower's hand. Its petals opened and closed, black husks fell off, and the white, jade-like kernel became nourishment for the Medicine King—it was cracking sunflower seeds.

And sunflower seed husks were strewn all over the ground.

He wondered if this counted as cannibalism.

"Oh, this is called a sunflower," the Age's End Flower said, noticing Lu Yang's gaze.

Lu Yang thought, "I know that."

The Medicine Kings weren't very big. Rather than cracking seeds, they seemed to be clutching and gnawing on them. It was clear the Age's End Flower was enjoying its meal.

"Age's End King, you're littering again! How many times have I told you? We are plants; don't imitate humans by cracking sunflower seeds. The husks are edible too!" The Qilin Elixir was furious, chastising the Age's End Flower for carelessly imitating humans.

The Age's End Flower insisted defiantly: "I grew this sunflower myself. I'll eat it however I want; what business is it of yours? Bah!"

This infuriated the Qilin Elixir. It howled and pounced on the Age's End Flower. The two Little Medicine Kings began wrestling, pressing down on each other without any real harm.

The Ginseng Doll and the Three-Leaf Star Grass were unfazed and clamored for Lu Yang to demonstrate how to burrow.

"Don't mind them; they'll stop when they get tired of fighting."

Outside the wooden house, Lu Yang saw a towering tree. Its roots were as thick as two thighs, appearing vigorous, and its dense leaves rustled.

"An Enlightenment Tree?"

Lu Yang was quite surprised. Even if he returned to his normal size, this Enlightenment Tree would still be colossal, vast enough to blot out the sky, and dozens of people couldn't encircle its trunk, let alone now that he was only three inches tall.

Daoic essence flowed around the Enlightenment Tree. The rustling of its leaves sounded like Daoist chants, as if all forms of the Great Dao converged upon it, shaping its form. The Enlightenment Tree was mysterious, solemn, and inviolable.

"This is the Enlightenment Tree I told you about. We all call it the Tree King. Its talent in Daoist arts is undeniably supreme."

The leaves of the Enlightenment Tree could help people comprehend the Dao. If the Enlightenment Tree became a spirit, how immense would its talent in cultivation be? Lu Yang couldn't imagine.

The Medicine Kings appeared frail, but in reality, they all possessed their own divine abilities and methods, not to be underestimated.

If they didn't possess survival abilities and relied solely on human compassion, they wouldn't have survived until now.

The Tree King laughed and chided: "Ginseng King, you scoundrel, you're killing me with kindness again! If I'm supreme, then what kind of talent does that 'demoness' possess?"

"Who is this 'demoness'?" Judging by the tone of the Little Medicine Kings, she didn't sound like a good person.

"Besides Little Ba, only that demoness can come to the medicine garden. She's incredibly powerful; none of us can defeat her. She picks whatever she wants, and no medicine can stop her!"

"She broke off a few of my old ginseng whiskers, and it hurt so much I had to lie in bed for several days to recover!" The Ginseng Doll angrily denounced the demoness's unscrupulous behavior.

"She also picked several stars from my leaves! Look, aren't these stars dimmer than the others? I don't even know how long it'll take for them to grow back!"

In the Little Medicine Kings' descriptions, the demoness was laden with evil deeds, too numerous to count. Every medicine would want to see her executed.

"What's more infuriating is that she said she'd take these things back to bathe with! Can you imagine? She actually bathes with parts of our bodies! It's too grotesque!"

"Oh, by the way, I heard from Little Ba that the demoness holds a high position in your Dao Seeking Sect. Her name is Yun Zhi."

Lu Yang: "..."

He found himself completely unsurprised by this answer. Was it a problem with his Senior Sister, or with him?

Lu Yang gave a dry laugh, feeling awkward and unsure what to say. "Well, about that Senior Sister you mentioned... I think I know her. She's my Senior Sister."

The Enlightenment Tree King burst out laughing, dismissive. "That's nothing. Everyone knows disciples of your Dao Seeking Sect call her Senior Sister. Do you think we'd take our anger out on you just because you say you're her junior brother? You underestimate us Medicine Kings too much. We Medicine Kings have lived for countless years; why would we care about a mere human?"

Seeing the Enlightenment Tree King so understanding, Lu Yang breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great then. It seems it doesn't matter even if we both follow the same master."

The Enlightenment Tree King's laughter abruptly ceased. Even the gentle breeze that brushed past stopped, and the leaves no longer rustled.

The Ginseng Doll waved its ginseng whiskers, a sinister smile creeping onto its otherwise calm face.

The stars on the Three-Leaf Star Grass's leaves swirled, like a volcano about to erupt, ready to exact vengeance.

In an instant, killing intent filled the air.

Lu Yang calmly explained: "Don't act yet. Do you think that just because I'm the demoness's junior brother, I'd really stand on her side?"

The Ginseng Doll looked at Lu Yang suspiciously, its ginseng whiskers slowing their waving. "Is that not the case?"

The Enlightenment Tree King and the Three-Leaf Star Grass also refrained from attacking for the moment.

"Absolutely not!" Lu Yang stated emphatically, clenching his fists tightly, a pained expression on his face as if recalling unbearable memories.

"That demoness's actions are simply outrageous! Not only have you suffered her bullying, but I've also been deeply harmed by her!"

"On the surface, I appear prosperous and my future looks bright, but to whom can I tell of the torments I've endured!"