Torsten Hewson
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v6c12: Enlightenment
🕑 Added 2025-03-21 04:48:30 +0000 UTC“So these are your notes on the operation?” Shou asked as Meiling handed over a scroll containing her previous work on Bowu’s leg and what she planned to do for Miantiao’s back. Her belly was full of lunch, but right now she wished she hadn’t eaten quite so much as she squirmed with nerves. After all, this was her pride and joy, mixed with the work of millennia of her ancestors… and it was probably about as interesting as a child’s first observations on the world to this man.
She still couldn’t believe that Shou had offered to just teach her how to fix Miantiao’s back. In fact, the man looked quite happy to begin now that they were all here.
Ri Zu, in human form, was beside her, Bowu on the other side, as her previous patient, and Miantiao on the table, waiting for the Spiritual Doctor’s verdict.
Perhaps two minutes later of silence, Shou nodded and rolled up the scroll.
“This is very thorough for being so far away from the city,” Elder Shou decreed. Meiling felt a swell of pride. She had been working on that one for nearly a year, but was still worried about her skills being good enough to operate on a spine, let alone a snake’s.
“The Hong Family does its best, Master Shou,” Meiling replied, trying to keep the pride out of her voice. She had impressed an actual Spiritual Doctor! A good one. The Hongs of Hong Yaowu had impressed a cultivator! Ri Zu looked similarly pleased, and Meiling saw Jin give her a thumbs up from behind Shou. She nearly blushed.
“Your operation on the young man here was especially intriguing. Most cultivators like to be awake for such operations, but this method of paralyzing the limb and keeping him unconscious is a good way to treat mortals,” Shou continued, his expression open.
“I cannot take full credit for that; it was a team effort,” Meiling demurred. “My husband provided a lot of these ideas, like rendering the patient unconscious and paralysing the limb with acupuncture. Ri Zu monitored his vitals, making sure we didn’t kill him while we kept him asleep, and Wa Shi kept the wound clear of blood.”
“All good doctors make the most of what they have.” Shou turned to Ri Zu. “And you… it's hard to believe that you are a Spirit Beast. I can see your skill in the medical arts.”
“Ri Zu learned from two teachers; her Master and Master Lishu of the Shrouded Mountain Sect,” the young woman replied.
Meiling remembered Lishu from Ri Zu’s story; a stern but fair man who Ri Zu clearly respected.
“He wasn’t bad, Shou,” Shen Yu piped up from where he was sitting beside Lady Minyan. “You might actually be meeting him at some point.”
Shou raised a brow. “Hmm, perhaps we shall cross paths then.” He again sounded intrigued, before he turned his eyes to Bowu. “You did very well on his knee. I can tell it was injured, but the injury is long past and the reconstruction is nearly perfect. There is a slight misalignment of the kneecap, but something that could be explained by birth and nothing that will cause any additional injury.”
“It’s misaligned?” Meiling demanded, her eyes widening. Had she messed up? Was she hurting him? She turned to Bowu, who obligingly lifted his leg so she could pull up his pant leg and examine it. She poked and prodded, her eyes searching for something.
Shou chuckled. “A perfectionist? Good. But it is nothing either of you need worry about. In breaking and realigning the kneecap, it is now three hair’s breadths too wide and not convex enough, but again it's not something that will be an impediment,” Shou explained. Meiling let out a breath of relief. “You are quite lucky to have had her attend to you.”
His tone was a lecturing grandfather reminding a child what to be thankful for—but Meiling was never in any doubt about how much Bowu appreciated them. She had had to tell him to stop working several times. He tried too hard to repay them.
“I know. Auntie Meimei is the best,” Bowu replied with a smile. Shou nodded, accepting the answer, before turning his eyes to Miantiao.
“I understand you are the patient?”
‘Yessss. Thisss one is Miantiao, Masster cultivator,’ the snake answered, bowing.
“You were the one who crafted the glass and the pots?”
‘That isss I. This one is glassssworker and potter, following my Masster’s legacy.’
“All wise men honour their Masters for showing them the path. You do fine work,” Shou told him, before turning to Meiling. “It is good that you held off. Your hypothesis on fixing his spine, especially for one so small, is flawed, but easily corrected. You have done a fine job for only having access to a few scrolls and being self-taught, but nothing you have was thorough enough.”
Again, a relief. Her gut had kept telling her she was missing something, and she had listened.
“Now firstly, when doing an assessment on the spine one must consider the amount of resources one is willing to spend. Skill can reduce this load, but for an injury as old as this it would be costly in terms of medicinal reagents,” Shou explained.
Mei frowned at the mention of cost. It was something all doctors had to think of. Cost. But right now? Now, they were blessed that cost was no object.
“I promised him I would fix him,” Meiling said simply.
Shou chuckled. “Indeed. Seven Fragrance Jewel Herbs are a fine start, but to repair the nerve damage… Well, there is a selection of reagents, each with their pros and cons. At the end of our time together, I expect you to select one of these and give me an explanation on why you will be using it.”
Meiling sat up straighter.
There was a flash and ten different Spiritual Herbs, five pieces of what looked like insect keratin, and seven pieces of metal dropped onto the table from Shou’s storage ring.
Meiling’s eyes widened. “…I’ve never even heard of any of these before,” she whispered, stunned. Schooling her face to neutrality and remembering her lessons with Lady Wu, she bowed. “Thank you for your generosity, Master Shou.”
Shou smiled. “Generosity? No, this is repayment. But first, I wonder what your instincts say? The first herb one reaches for is quite fascinating.”
Meiling nodded, returning her attention to the probably extremely rare things on her table. She reached out a hand and looked up at Shou, who nodded, allowing her to examine them. Her fingers touched one and then she blinked, hard.
Something whispered in the back of her mind. Wait, no, she knew this. She had been taught what it was by… somebody? “No, wait… that one is… Starlight Pathway Leaf?”
Shou smiled. “Indeed it is! The most common of the Spiritual Herbs we shall be examining today. That is not to say it is not effective, for it is most efficacious in healing low-level nerve damage…”
Meiling listened intently, but she was a bit distracted. She was sure she had never heard of any of these before. But for some reason, they were all kind of familiar. When she concentrated on that feeling of familiarity, she could almost hear what sounded like an old man’s voice.
She put it out of her mind. She would talk to Jin about it later. For now, she was here to learn.
Miantiao would have his back fixed.
===========================================
I took a sip of my tea and leaned back on my bench in the greenhouse.
It was always interesting watching the doctors of this world at work. It was fascinating to see the ancient methods like Qi flow and humors that the Before would have turned its nose up at not only actually work, but work better than the things the modern world had sometimes.
So it was always fun to listen in and learn, as Meimei and Shou went over the various things he had.
Man, Xianxia plants were so cool!
I was quite thoroughly enjoying the discussion when I noticed Elder Ge approaching.
He had a pensive look on his face.
“Jin,” he greeted.
“Elder Ge,” I replied, nodding my head. “Finish your game with Xiulan?”
“She's an interesting opponent!” he declared. “She needs to refine her theory, but she's quite good at drawing one into a dance. An instinctive player. She just needs more practice.”
I glanced past himto where Xiulan was sitting prim and proper. But I could practically see the smoke coming out of her ears with how hard she had to think. “Yeah, she's certainly good at giving me the run around.”
“Indeed. She is interesting. We also had an… enlightening conversation before lunch,” he said. “It was about the past of this province, mostly. I must admit I was quite intrigued.”
I nodded. Xiulan had told me she had told Ge a bit about the past of the province over lunch… but hadn’t spoken much on it, because to her it was my choice how much I wanted to reveal.
Ge had been nothing but polite so far. He had made amends. I think… I think I could show him at least some of the past. Mostly the parts without Tianlan. He was an Imperial Realm cultivator. Gramps had shared that he thought the Wastes were dead and consumed Earth Spirits. Maybe if I showed him part of the Breaking he could figure out some way to help the Wastes?
Maybe I was a bit too optimistic about this. But, well, it couldn’t hurt, could it?
“Hey Gramps, can you help me show Elder Ge something?”
=========================
A Spirit spasmed awake. A new visitor. Powerful! Noble! Perfect!
Shenguashi, the Spirit within the memory crystal, stirred. It landed in front of the newcomer. Conditions met, conditions met, conditions met! This one could be it!
Its good eye locked on to the new man. He truly even looked the part! The bold lines, the fine clothes!
“Will you be the Emperor?” the Spirit asked, hoping against hope.
The dark haired man raised an eyebrow. “I must decline,” he said. “Another is already Emperor.”
The Spirit slumped.
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Poor Shenguashi. He cant catch a break.
Editors: BargleNawdleZouss, Aaron “Pastafarian” Sofaer, Massgamer,
Comments
taukid
From context, I think he's bottlenecked at high sky, but that's a guestimate
G
I mean there a chapter that explicitly states that Jin AND Mei were receiving lessons from Shennong while they were dreaming.
G
I would enjoy a plot line where the crystal enlightens him to everything he's doing wrong lol.
G
Isn't the Emperor already in the imperial realm?
Ian Burns
Wait wait... heavenly peaches... We've got a cure for cancer from mushrooms. Know what we can do with this? BANISH DEMENTIA. Peach liquor to just flat stop dementia from being a thing, and people are able to live and die gracefully. Now that's a major step in creating heaven on earth, yes!
Precentor Van Zandt, Matthew King
As much as I love all the interaction between the Elders and Fa Ram, I hope we get to see more of the very good boy, Shaggy Two soon!
NameGame
I'm going with another theory, but it's a real stretch lol. Remember how, when Jin let loose with Break the Rocks, the sutras that were chanted on the wind? Now Mei is hearing whispers in the back of her mind, and "she could almost hear what sounded like an old man’s voice". Perhaps Shennong had such an impact on the world that the sound of his words is still being carried on the wind. We know there are earth spirits and an immortal turtle that carries the world, why not wind spirits? See, I told you it was a real stretch haha.
Often Irrelephant
Okay, the bottle neck talk now has my brain stuck on, "Jin's Bed & Breakfast with full spa! Sign up today for our ancient crystal bottleneck removal treatment."
Often Irrelephant
Yeah - but now the new CSS crew is rolling in 100% Jin aligned. If he hasn't peaced out already, seeing what Rizzo's master has set into motion will probably tempt him to stay. If only for the tea spilling.
Jimn
I would love to see Shenguashi meet emperor and help him break through to the imperial realm. "I AM the emperor" "Not yet. But you will be"
Truedragon5374
I disagree. I believe it's purpose is to 1. Find a worth successor to the Azure Emperor. 2. Raise his to the position of Emperor. 3. Teach the successor so he doesn't make the same mistakes as his predecessor and to be a good ruler. If the spirit meets the Phoenix Emperor (who seems like a decent guy) it's first two tasks are already done. Then Fengyan just has to watch the memory crystal and it's all done. The spirit can rest. And hey, maybe Fenyan will learn something that will help him overcome his cultivation bottleneck.
Michael Larsen
Clearly Gramps heartily approves of Lishu’s emotional respose and actions after one of his patients was attacked. “…and I am NOT calm.” And then cutting off medical care for anyone who is even remotely connected to the offenders. I suspected that the letter that Gramps gave Lishu was a letter of introduction to the CSS. It’s nice to see it confirmed.
Michael Larsen
“I’m already the Emperor of the Phoenix Empire. Do you think I have time to be Emperor of the Azure Mountains, too?!?”
Michael Larsen
I don’t think it would give the spirit any rest. When asked if he “wants” to be Emperor, Fengyan might say no.
taukid
Oh, that would be a great resolution. Would really fit with the optimistic themes of this story
Alan McBrayer
Might be easier to just introduce him to the current emperor. Fengyan has hit a bottle neck in his cultivation and needs to use artifacts to appear to be mighty. Perhaps Shenguashi could fulfill his programming.
Daniel Gesualdi
That honestly sounds like a joke Gramps would pull on the emperor from their interactions.
Johan Hardi
"Sure, I am THE Emperor" 🤣
Gray Code
@Victor Segura - In v4c50.1 "The Lost and the Broken, Part 2", Xiulan explained Tianlan as a (presumably platonic) Dao Companion to Xiaoshi in the crystal memories.
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Gopard
I actually think its a connection between that and her bloodline? I honestly cannot see it as a coincidence that the FIRST Herb she touched was the "Starlight Pathway Leaf" and she has a divination bloodline based on the stars and constellations! Maybe bc of this bloodline she is able to access the Bond somehow on a level that SHOULD normally be exclusive to Jin as the Premier Bond??
Net
:))
Rake1810
Love all of the chapters with Shou. New favorite member of the CSS.
Logrus
The latter for sure.
ABTelford
Ha! They need to take this poor Crystal to the real emporor so it can be happy. 😸
Auralia
Poor Spirit
taukid
I hope one of the elders helps repair Shenguashi and free him from his programming. I feel so bad for him :/
Old Dog
CF will need to put out a BoC miscellany.
Old Dog
Hopefully he'll think to do so for Miantiao's surgery.
Old Dog
He can make a new one.
Old Dog
As always, thank you for the chapter. Hopefully Shenguashi will be brought to the lair of the phoenix and finally complete his task.
The butler did it
I thought cultivators weren't very fertile? Or maybe that's another story I was reading...
Duke of Coffee
I see Mount Tai. 😉
Fullmetal
Why you be so mean to the spirit?/jk
Ligeia
It's all Shennong. He was the first teacher of everything important, I think.
tyler clifton
That would be hilarious!
Seth
My guess is the latter.
Ian Burns
So the question, is she getting insights by doing something... or is she remembering dream lessons from Shennong?
Ian Burns
Here I am, brain the size of a planet...
Ian Burns
I mean, if he doesn't want to be the Emperor it does speak well of his character and why he should be.
forest tate
I hate snakes! But how can you not love noodle?
D J Meigs
We haven’t seen Shenguashi in so long. One day he’ll meet the actual emperor… and still be disappointed because he’ll have no need to make plans to make him emperor 😅
forest tate
I think it's more jins side of the farming/medicine stuff. Personally, I think it's one of the giant trees from the Unbroken AU
Faiir
The only way to make it worth anything. Same with Monopoly
Matt Grayson
I have never before been so invested in the health of a snake's spine!
mag28
Very good theory. And him realizing that yes he wants to be emperor as oppose to being forced into would be something that caused an awakening.
mag28
Out loud you mean. The spirit would be the perfect person to be whiny with.
Kt-x
Thanks for the chapter! 😁
mag28
I still hope there's a chance the emperor sneaks by undercover at some point. Not anytime soon and I don't think it's likely but a man can hope.
forest tate
So many things have started! I'm curious about CSS going to the SMS, when xiulan will think to contact the blaze bears (the only other group of spirit animals that might join/interact with the alliance), Yukon glimpsing the grand formation, and mostly noodle being healed!
mag28
I do too. But they threw the game into the fire.
Andrew Carter
I want shenguashi to meet the emperor so bad
matthew gilley
I am actually looking forward to closer this spirit gets when he finally asks the emperor and he replies with someone like "I already am." I want to think the spirit will finally be at peace.
Guber
Great chapter! I still have no idea if that spirit is malicious or not. Very intriguing!
WarStrider72
Shenguashi: Would you become the Emperor? Everyone: Nobody wants that job! It's too stressful!
Carl Dooley
The way things are going, it has a decent chance of meeting the actual emperor.
Geoffrey Sullivan
By this point, the spirit's getting refused is *almost* as funny a running gag as the "A *chicken?!*" one.
Lincoln Toms
i really want Jin to play RISK with all elders
Matt Grayson
Meiling ... talk to the weird root! It is time.
Alex Ingraham
I like this idea!
Daniel Gesualdi
Poor spirit he has one job and will never get to do it
Rockinalice
Man there is now going to be an Entire section of the Cloudy Sword section that just studies Dragon veins & Earth spirits with a focus on how to Heal them because of Jin since they will now know that the Strength of the Earth is the best Deterrent from Demons
StarBat
"The job takes far too much of my time." "I can't travel on a whim anymore!" "The security is stifling!" "I miss my wife!" "Shen Yu keeps teasing me!" "Everybody expects me to solve their problem!" "Everybody keeps having problems!" "I want a vacation!" "The nobles are trying another power grab!" Alas. He would not be Emperor if he was this whiny.
David Murphy
This would be such a good response from the actual emperor.
Nemoboi
poor spirit really can't catch a break
swishmcfish
Shennong is a God of Medicine and Farming. Meiling and Jin are both fulfilling different halves/branches of the Path.
Arnon Parenti
Shenguashi meets the Emperor Will you be the Emperor? Gramps what are you doing haunting this poor crystal?
Justin
Thanks for the chapter. Meiling is gonna get use of her dream lessons.
Carlos Torres
Poor Shenguashi is going to get to the Emperor and "Do you want to be the Emperor?", "HELL NO!"
Burkholt
You know this is something I often wonder. However, I think the answer is not yet. I hypothesize that only once the dragon veins are connected to the other providences will he be able to travel with Tianlan and retain his power because they are the land spirit roadways. I believe this is the answer because Tianlan first had to create/fix the veins to travel to Twin Peaks to aid Jin. And we know that all the other dragon veins were cut off by the connecting providences to prevent a power sink into an empty void. Plus we also know that the adjoining northern providence's spirit knew Tianlan and was happy to know that she was still alive. So that leads me to suppose that once the dragon veins are reconstructed and reconnected the spirits will be able to travel anywhere they are. But we also know that they knew each other previously and were students together, though they couldn't interact with each other during the breaking/great divide/misty wall/cut off thingy (I can't remember what it's called). Does this mean she can't travel to another providence, I'm not sure, but we do know that era has passed, so theoretically the spirits should be able to at least interact with each other once the dragon veins are repaired. So it'll be interesting to find out the answer.
Marcin
-Will You be the Emperor ? -Yes ! -Hurrraaaayyy !!
BelligerentGnu
That's a really good idea. He might even be helpful!
devil
The spirit of the crystal Big D found
Daniel Mountain
Hard to know who the heir is just yet, though. The emperor's still in his prime, and cultivator lives mean lots of children, especially if Chinese court practices are observed.
Jonathan V
This is Imperial China. There's more than a few sons. Probably in the dozens, if not more
The GrandMage
I get the feeling he'd earnestly ask the Emperor to be Emperor, and the Emperor would stop, recognize he met all the requirements to be Emperor, and yet is being asked, fully with the ability to say no. And through realizing he's going to say yes anyway, break through. In that way, through his answer, both will get everything they want.
The GrandMage
One day, Shenguashi will meet the Emperor. It will be SO happy.
Eddy G
Or the emperor's son. Making an emperor an emperor sounds like a recursive error waiting to happen.
Patrick Hoke
Yes, he can, as can the Emperor, but he will be noticeably less powerful as he wanders further. Too far out and he's essentially reliant solely on the bits of Tianlan that are permanently a part of him and the goodwill of any awake and observant earth spirits that are nearby (as was the case with Big D getting aid from both the Howling Fang Mountains and the Sea of Snows' spirits). He'd hardly be a mortal on the opposite end of the empire, but he's certainly not taking a sky realm cultivator. And to my understanding it would be a bit physically uncomfortable for Jin, Meiling (don't forget she's a proper full contractor too), and Tianlan.
Daniel Mountain
Need to give that poor guy to the actual emperor already, he's half-mad trying to fulfill that program.
BargleNawdleZouss
I wish Jin had video recorded Bowu's surgery on his crystal so they could play it back for Shou.
Melanie Me
I was wondering, since the Emporer can't leave the palace cause of the formations that make him more powerful, can Jin leave the Azure Hills cause his tie to Tianlan?
Llainway
Cheers!
WonderBread459
The emperor will probably say something like “No thanks, sounds like too much work.”
Kirivina
She's now his Dao companion instead of the earth spirit.
kenod
The main crystal does not have her edited out, only the sect crystals. And those only have parts of the information anyway, mostly just the things relevant to their sect, which makes the editing a lot easier. Edit: I can't read, only just noticed they're censoring this one too. That said, in the Discord CF said that Shen Yu is actively controlling the experience and sectioning parts off.
Hound
Poor spirit. Hopefully he gets to the emporer and can become happy. Maybe something to fix his rut and let him keep climbing.
Victor Segura
You know, i dont remember how they edited tianlan from the memories, since she is so essential to the story. So important to everything. How do they explain the woman who was helping Xiolang during the fight against the Azure tyrant? Shen even got new techniques out of it
Kasinki
HAHAHAHAH the spirit automaton never could stop. Thanks for the chapter CF!
acg
At some point this guy will meet phoenix emps and his pain will end....hopefully
Sacchito22
I think it's a combination of her radially following the Path of Shennong, since I think that technically starts when a cultivator wholeheartedly turns away from "challenging the heavens." I don't think she ever had tried to, technically. I think it's a combination of her radial involvement with Jin, who is, and her own Celestial Emperor heritage. I think that's also how she was able to refine that blue anti-demon poison before the big farm brawl.
N0m_N0m
I don't think that she is contracted to Tianlan the way Jin is, her cultivation is another facet of the evil dudes constellation stuff.
mag28
I can't remember the guys name. But I'm pretty sure she's forming a connect to medical God. Something like master on 10000 medical plants if I'm remembering it right
Grant Daniel
Now we must learn what Ge thinks about it all and that perhaps he might also be interested in the formation that was supposed to lift the province.
mag28
Spirit in the crystal that wants bi de/everyone whose seen the crystal to become emperor of the azure hills.
NameGame
I kind of feel like someone should deliver Shenguashi to the actual Emperor. Thanks for the chapter.
Zeromaru2
Poor Shenguashi. Always running into the people who want the job the least. I almost want him to ask the emperor himself only to get "But I'm already the Emperor" as a response
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Llainway
Cheers mate! Also who’s Shenguashi again?
Michael Fannon
Ok, can someone please take the crystal to the emperor already? Poor spirit is getting increasingly depressed.
Aki_Iokua18
I can’t wait for the moment when THE Emperor to be asked if he would like to be Emperor. The thing with Meiling; I have to wonder if it’s her lessons with Shennong, her Celestial Bloodline, or a combo of both that’s giving her insight into the herbs. And I have to agree with Jin, the fantastical being mixed in with the mundane is awesome.
MARK MACKNET
Shenguashi has to be given to the real emperor so he can finally rest.
Angela Roberts
Meiling has advanced enough to get a skill similar to Jin's only for medicinal plants? That poor spirit, he awoke in the wrong era.
Synova Vitale
Yay for learning!!!An Jin being like.. yea let’s show him the memory. Let him deal with the other lands. All mighty delegation ! And the poor crystal spirit all he wants is a emperor of his own
Katharine Gould
Ge is learning the history! Oh i am so hyped for this volume!
Nick
Yep. Jin and her are going down the path together
Zharina
Thanks for the chapter!
Kendra
Thats funny every time! Thank you!
Lanter
Hahaha, rejected again! 😂 Thanks for the chapter!
Ford-Thomas Frank Loveland
Love that poor spirit
LazyF0x02
Is Meiling also going down the Path of Shennong?
Katharine Gould
Thanks for the chapter boss!
tien
Tftc
Truedragon5374
The True Emperor needs to see this crystal. If only to give that poor spirit a break.
