Chapter 156: Southern Red Fire Spiritual Qi Immortal Lingzhi

"Lingzhi?" Hu Jinhua and Huang Pipo's eyes went straight, for Lingzhi is an Immortal herb.

Of course, this "Immortal" must be in quotation marks; in herbal classification, medicines are divided into Immortal Grade, Superior Grade, Middle Grade, and Inferior Grade.

The *Classic of Mountains and Seas* records three hundred and fifty-six types of medicine, and besides distinguishing their medicinal properties, it also divides them into the three grades of Superior, Middle, and Inferior.

Beyond these three grades, later generations listed several types that can lead to immortality if consumed for a long time as Immortal Grade; in many myths and legends, the Immortal medicine consumed by Immortals is derived from this.

For example, Ginseng, Lingzhi, Poria, Polygonatum, and Fleeceflower Root were all once listed among the Immortal Grade.

It is believed that they are Immortal roots that grew by inheriting the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon.

In rumors, the Undying Medicine of Xi Wangmu is shaped like a Lingzhi, and the soul-returning Immortal herb stolen by the White Snake from the Old Immortal of the South Pole is also a Lingzhi.

However, the quality of Lingzhi is certainly not as exaggerated as that, nor is it rare or uncommon, and there is no such thing as a hundred-year Lingzhi or thousand-year Lingzhi; one can only say that the underground mycelium of a Lingzhi might have a lifespan of a hundred, thousand, or even ten thousand years, but what grows above ground lasts at most one year.

But in this world, things cannot be explained by science; I am already cultivating the Dao, so why should I care how many years old it is? Whether it is wild or artificially cultivated?

However, there are many types of Lingzhi; those growing on wood are the worst, and those growing on cliff rocks are better. Among the various Taoist scriptures, there is one called *Supreme Lingbao Scripture on Lingzhi Grass*, which specifically records the category of Lingzhi and its many effects, but it frequently says things like "consuming it can allow one to live for eighty thousand or one hundred and twenty thousand years," which is quite frightening.

Xu Jia asked Lao Zhupo: "Hai Sanniang, what is the situation with the Lingzhi here? Tell me in detail."

"This Lingzhi is a small piece, with a curved stalk, and the cap is roughly umbrella-shaped or auspicious-cloud-shaped; or if it hasn't grown up yet, it's just a little ball, yellow or red in color."

Hai Sanniang recalled: "Every spring and summer, it occasionally pops out of the ground. My children don't like to eat it, feeling like they are chewing on wood. I recognized it as the Lingzhi Immortal herb, so I often consume it. This Lingzhi Immortal herb can dispel miasma poison, help with Qi, increase Dharma Power, and invigorate the spirit."

"That would be the Red Lingzhi, a type of Five-Colored Lingzhi, growing on the earth like grass; it is also called Lingzhi Grass or Grass Lingzhi." Xu Jia nodded and said: "It is indeed a fine medicinal herb."

Xu Jia was not overly superstitious about Lingzhi, but he remembered that Lingzhi could "herald auspicious signs," and multiple Lingzhi growing together could merge into a super-sized Lingzhi.

Why Xu Jia knew this was because in his past life, a "Lingzhi Tree" was planted in the American Daoist Field. The Lingzhi looked like a pagoda, layer upon layer, like auspicious clouds, but it was actually just a piece of dead wood; the Lingzhi powder was gone, and it had even been painted with lacquer.

"So, this is also the season for producing Lingzhi," Xu Jia asked.

"It should be, but it will probably take until the full arrival of summer to see more. If you want to find them now, I can only have my descendants sniff them out and root them out from the soil layer."

"No need for such trouble!"

Xu Jia casually performed a Small Liuren calculation: "Zhen position! It governs the East."

Hu Jinhua listened to Xu Jia and immediately headed east; after a while, she came back holding a Lingzhi that had been bitten by insects.

This Lingzhi was not large, about the size of two baby palms, looking like a small ruyi, with one spot clearly bitten by insects.

"Great Immortal, you are truly accurate!"

Xu Jia laughed, tore off a piece of the Lingzhi, and put it into his mouth to taste its medicinal properties.

Red Ganoderma governs knots in the chest, benefits heart Qi, supplements the center, and increases wisdom without forgetting. Long-term consumption lightens the body, prevents aging, and prolongs life to become a God Immortal.

After Xu Jia ate it, he indeed felt the effect of strengthening his soul, supplementing heart fire, and boosting his vital energy.

"If I could have the other Five Elements Lingzhi to make the Five-Element Lingzhi Pill, it would be much better than the Small Five Elements Pill."

Hu Jinhua said: "To have even one such Lingzhi is already a blessing from heaven. If you want to collect all the Five Elements Lingzhi, I fear you would have to run across the Three Mountains and Five Peaks."

"That is true." Xu Jia put down the Lingzhi: "You two should try some too. As for this Lingzhi, chewing it directly has little effect; it needs to be decocted with other ingredients, refined into pills, or soaked in wine."

Xu Jia said: "It seems this Lingzhi is more valuable than persimmons. It's just a pity the yield is too low."

The Golden Toad in the Treasure Basin said: "Master, you can enlighten me, so why can't you enlighten a Lingzhi?"

Xu Jia laughed and said: "I enlightened you because of that Yin Earth Evil Suppressing Money, which is related to my own life. You were able to come to life because you shared a breath with me. How could I share a breath with this Lingzhi?"

"When I become an Earth Immortal, I will be able to enlighten five or eight hundred monster-creatures like you in one breath. When I become a Heavenly Master, I can enlighten hundreds of Earth Immortals in one breath, but I am currently only a Human Immortal."

Hu Jinhua and Huang Pipo carefully tore off pieces of the Lingzhi and put them into their mouths, smacking their lips. They didn't feel any particular taste, and after eating it, they felt a faint churning in their stomachs.

Speaking of foxes eating Lingzhi grass, there is a story behind it. Back when Daji fell in love with King Zhou, she climbed cliffs to collect nine types of Immortal herbs, wanting to take on a human form. The first eight types of Immortal herbs caused her to die eight times, and it wasn't until the ninth time, when she collected the Lingzhi Immortal herb, that she became a true woman.

Xu Jia felt nothing after eating the Lingzhi, but Hu Jinhua had a significant change. First, in the Dharma Realm, her whole body erupted with red light, and then in the real world, the golden-red mark that Xu Jia had previously pointed onto her brow turned into something like a flame or a spark. The Fox Fire that Hu Jinhua cultivated was also automatically released from her tail, immediately wrapping around her entire body, dyeing her variegated fur with the color of flames and turning her into a "Red Fox."

Huang Pipo did not have such a violent reaction, only saying: "So hot, so hot!"

It seems she had over-supplemented.

After Hu Jinhua turned into a Red Fox, her appearance was countless times more beautiful than her original variegated look, and the gold mark on her brow made her look even more mysterious and noble.

After turning around again and transforming into human form, Hu Jinhua was no longer the appearance of an old woman, but a young man in red, with eyebrows and eyes five parts similar to Xu Jia.

"Master Xu, I have a hundred years of Daoist Practice now, and I can transform at will without needing a skull cap! Look at the appearance I've transformed into, is it good-looking!"

Xu Jia nodded: "It is good-looking, but why did Lao Zhupo eat so much of this Lingzhi with no effect, and I only got a slight boost, while you had such a big effect?"

Hu Jinhua said: "Master Xu, I was originally a Red Fox, but when my parents gave birth to me, I was the last one, so there wasn't enough color to go around, and I became a variegated fox."

"The most precious thing in the Red Ganoderma is a bit of Southern Red Fire spiritual Qi. Combined with the Zhurong Fire Qi Incantation I cultivate, it burned away my variegated colors and turned me back into my original Red Fox color."

"Lao Zhupo ate a lot; firstly, she has a large frame, and secondly, she is old with decaying bones and flesh, so I fear the effect was mostly used for life-extension and detoxification. Master Xu, you felt nothing after eating it; perhaps humans are the most spiritual of all things, or perhaps Master Xu's cultivation is higher, and the Dharma Power and Daoist Practice you cultivate must be balanced by the Five Elements as you said, unlike me who was originally Wild Fox Zen."

"That also makes sense." Xu Jia nodded: "When I encountered injured animals before, I didn't need to treat them like this; I just gave them a bowl of water, and they often recovered on their own. After getting better, they even thought of repaying the kindness, which also doesn't make sense. You spirits, demons, and monsters inhale the essence of the sun and moon, drink dew and eat wind, and if you can survive, you can enjoy Incense Fire. For us cultivators, unless we die, or if we have great Merit while alive, we will only be crushed."

Huang Pipo was shouting that she was hot, which was likely felt from the fire Qi of the Red Ganoderma. She tried to fart several times but held it back, enduring it with difficulty. It took a long while for her to calm down, making Xu Jia worry if she was going to explode.

"It's okay, it's okay now." Huang Pipo said, somewhat shyly.

Xu Jia asked: "What is okay?"

"The old one guided this fire Qi into my fart sac. The sac contains oil, which would explode upon touching fire, so I guided it back to intersect with the water vapor in my bladder. With Water Fire Already Balanced, I now have an extra bit of transformation."

Hu Jinhua pinched her nose: "It's either urine or farts; I suppose it's just your urine or farts that have gained some kind of change!"

"Hehe, you'll know when we face an enemy; it's not easy to demonstrate now."

Hearing this, Xu Jia hesitated for a moment: "This Lingzhi clearly grew by borrowing the fire Qi and nutrients contained in the rotting persimmons. If the rotting persimmons are cleared away, I fear the Lingzhi might not have this effect anymore?"

"Master Xu, that's simple; just pile up a field specifically for Lingzhi."

Xu Jia thought that was true: "Once this Lingzhi grows powder, we can sow it specifically, and when it reaches a suitable place to land, it will naturally grow without us having to manage it."

Xu Jia then instructed Hai Sanniang: "I will leave this matter to you as well; I promise you will pass your Calamity."

Hai Sanniang replied: "True Person, please rest assured. I have been here for a hundred or eighty years, and I know a thing or two about the habits of Lingzhi."

Xu Jia then performed another divination and picked two small Lingzhi, both the thickness of a finger with caps the size of eggs, and brought them home to see how to process them into pills to strengthen heart fire. Strengthening fire requires simultaneously strengthening water; only when heart and kidney water and fire exert force together can it aid in cultivation.

After picking the Lingzhi, he arrived at the site of the former Xieshenmiao. This temple was not large, standing on a large rock, and the surroundings were all pitch black, having been struck by lightning and turned into scorched earth. The Thunder Sha and thunder magnetism did not dissipate for a long time, so no weeds grew or sprouted.

The temple had already been destroyed, the statue had turned into charcoal, and even the two trees that had covered the surroundings had been struck down. It was a pity; they were not sun-facing wood, and there was no vitality to sprout again, so they could not be considered Lightning-Struck Wood.

Xu Jia swept it clear, picked up some stones, and simply built a Shrine, then placed the Treasure Basin inside: "Although it is a bit crude, it will suffice for you to stay in. Once I achieve Earth Immortal and establish a lineage on Sanqing Mountain, I will move you there."

The Golden Toad said: "The cruder, the better, Great Immortal. Just watch me work my magic!"

"Simple though it may be, I must still perform the Purifying Heaven and Earth, Pacifying the Earth, arrange the Five Spirits to guard the residence, set up the altar, and open the Dharma Realm."

Immediately, Xu Jia tore off a tree branch and dipped it in clear water to draw talismans; Hu Jinhua used a leaf to catch dew to serve as sprayed water, recited the Eight Great Divine Incantations several times, and added the Five Roads Wealth God Incantation.

Only then did he ask: "How is it?"

The Golden Toad cried out with joy: "The Fajie Daochang is open, and it is shimmering with golden light! I no longer have to carry my wealth Qi on my back; I can store it in the Dharma Realm as a Wealth Treasury. This is truly convenient!"

Xu Jia nodded and said: "According to the Wealth Scripture, there should be nine Wealth Treasuries, one in each of the eight directions, plus one in the center. Manage them well; with every additional Wealth Treasury you accumulate, you will be one step closer to becoming a True Wealth God."

"Most importantly, use the money in the Wealth Treasuries to pay off my debts!" Xu Jia did not want to become a deadbeat.

(End of chapter)