Chapter 15 You Just Stepped on It, Ten Years of Merit Gone

In the following year, they continued to gather herbs in the mountains, identify medicinal plants, study medicine daily, practice the "Qi Refining Technique," and Chen Xun felt increasingly fulfilled, constantly sighing that it was truly wonderful to be alive. He had once fantasized about what immortality would be like, sitting back and watching the world's changes, the ebb and flow of history, leaving behind countless tombstones, only a lonely figure in the world. But now, Chen Xun would say forget about your profundity, the joy of the wild immortals, how could you ordinary mortals understand. In a cave, Chen Xun and the big black cow moved again, the mountains were hit by continuous heavy rain, their several earthen caves were washed away by the mountain rain, but the pots and pans were tightly held by the big black cow, so things went smoothly. "Old cow, hahaha." Chen Xun was soaked through, laughing heartily, not caring at all that their home was gone, he pounded the big black cow hard, "You're really something, I've seen you in action since I was a child." "Moo moo moo!" The big black cow happily jumped around, while Chen Xun was clearing the entrance of the cave, their belongings were all saved by it. "Let's try it, see what this essence of all things really is." Chen Xun grinned and started a fire, watching the pouring rain outside the cave, feeling content, the sound of rain was truly pleasant to the ears. "Moo!" The big black cow responded, also pitching in to help, occasionally running out to get wet in the rain, then shaking the rainwater onto Chen Xun. Chen Xun was furious, using his strength to lift mountains and cover the world, drenching the cow like a drowned rat. The two of them huddled by the fire to keep warm, Chen Xun added the elixir of immortality to the essence of all things, and in an instant, his face changed drastically, a green light surging from his body. "Moo moo moo!!" The big black cow's eyes widened in fear, bouncing up anxiously, circling around Chen Xun and continuously calling out. "Old cow, I'm fine." Chen Xun took a deep breath, embracing the big black cow, "It's the essence of all things." "Moo~" The big black cow lowed softly, frightened to the core, not wanting to live if something happened to Chen Xun. "Let me try." Chen Xun's expression turned serious, palms open, a green light flickering on and off, gradually condensing into a drop of green liquid in his palm, like a gem, sparkling and translucent. His whole body went limp, covered in cold sweat, as if he had run eight hundred miles, exclaiming, "Is this thing draining my essence..." "Moo?" "Old cow, your turn." "Moo." After a while, a drop of green liquid also condensed on the cow's hoof, both of them collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. The big black cow finally understood what Chen Xun meant, as if it saw several female cows giggling. "Trap." Chen Xun trembled, his sixteen abdominal muscles, praised by the neighbors as the man with the strongest endurance, were almost at their limit. "Moo~" The big black cow's eyes were lifeless, despondent, it thought it was invincible among the cow clan, but it unexpectedly lost in just one round. An hour later, they had fully recovered, Chen Xun looked back with lingering fear, if they had encountered a wild beast just now, they would have been in danger. "Old cow, we mustn't use the essence of all things casually, at least we should use it separately." Chen Xun checked his body, feeling no depletion, but as a doctor, he said, "I'll make a medicinal soup tomorrow to replenish my body, we must not be careless." "Moo moo~" The big black cow nodded happily, learning medicine was indeed good. "What's the use, it's like a green gem." Chen Xun frowned, looking at the drop of green liquid in his palm, it was indeed peculiar, not dissipating like a water droplet. He picked up the mountain axe, placed the green liquid on it, no reaction. Placed it on the pots and pans, no reaction... even on a stone, no reaction... finally, in desperation, he placed it on the bandit's headscarf, still no reaction... "Moo~!!" The big black cow exclaimed, Chen Xun was startled, looking at where the cow was, he immediately prostrated on the ground, observing the patterns on a wild grass. "Incredible." Chen Xun exclaimed in shock, looking at the big black cow, he also placed the green liquid on it, instantly merging with the wild grass, undergoing a noticeable change. "Moo?" "Old cow, a shocking discovery, this green liquid can actually accelerate growth." Chen Xun sighed in amazement, spraying some dirt as he spoke, "But we still need to observe further, if it's true, we'll be on our way." "Moo moo moo!" The big black cow grinned, carefully protecting the wild grass. Chen Xun opened his palm, not hesitating, his features contorted, roaring, "I am a pharmacist, what harm can sucking me dry do!" The big black cow: "..." Silence, as quiet as death, only the sound of the rain outside the cave dripping. Chen Xun felt embarrassed, his palm had no reaction, unable to condense the green liquid anymore, he cleared his throat, "Old cow, your turn." "Moo." The big black cow spread its hoof, as if exerting all its strength, but still no reaction. "It's okay... let's take our time, we're not in a hurry." "Moo moo~" ... Time, like a traveler against the current, pushing people forward continuously, another year passed in a hurry, and rumors of wild people began to spread gradually from the outskirts of the Ningyun Mountains, terrifying beyond measure. This wild man often appeared in the deep mountains and old forests, with a wild cow by his side, feasting on human bones, many people's remains were taken by them. At night, a sinister suona sound echoed through the mountains, accompanied by eerie bell sounds, like soul-reaping messengers, if you encounter this wild man and can't kill him, just find a pit to bury yourself. Countless people were drenched in sweat, they dared not enter the depths of the Ningyun Mountains, and now there was a wild man on the outskirts, making life even more difficult. Nowadays, the people entering the mountains traveled in groups, armed with weapons, on guard against sudden attacks by the wild man, if they managed to kill him, they could even claim a reward from the government, many bounty hunters quietly joined in. At the foot of a mountain peak, Chen Xun and the big black cow were picking up human bones. "Old cow, although we don't know them, we also have our rules in this line of work." Chen Xun picked up a human bone from the pile of grass, "Let's give them a grave, it's also a way to accumulate merit, in this day and age, who has it easy." "Moo moo!" The big black cow nodded repeatedly, they had already accumulated quite a bit of merit, as Sun Lao said, heaven would bless them. "Look, you just stepped on it, ten years of merit gone." "Moo moo moo!!!" The big black cow suddenly lifted its leg and howled, it accidentally stepped on a bone, looking at Chen Xun imploringly. "Alright, today I'll eat meat, you drink soup, the Buddha will forgive you." "Moo! Moo~" The big black cow struggled, but for the sake of merit, it nodded, willing to skip a meal without starving. They found a nearby pit, buried the dry bones, and began to perform rituals. The big black cow worked hard, the bell clanging loudly, it had accidentally stepped on the remains of a person just now and wanted to make amends. In this year, they finally figured out the function of the essence of all things, but they could only condense one drop per day, at level 1, it could accelerate the growth of a plant by one month. Now they had raised the essence of all things to level 2, as Chen Xun expected, one drop could accelerate growth by two months. This made them ecstatic, as it meant they could cultivate many precious medicinal herbs. They also finally made some progress in the Qi Refining Technique, both reaching the second level, with clear perception, the world around them appeared much clearer. Chen Xun's body gradually began to show signs of so-called magical power, but it was useless, no skills... "Alright, let's go, old cow." Chen Xun smiled, they were not afraid of doing such things at all, feeling extremely at ease, this was their daily post-meal stroll. "Moo moo~" The big black cow rubbed against Chen Xun, trying to absorb some of his merit. "Hahaha..." Chen Xun hugged the cow's head and walked side by side with it back to their cave. Along the way, as they passed through a patch of jungle, Chen Xun and the big black cow's ears twitched simultaneously, they instantly separated and dodged to the side. Swish! Swish! Swish! Three sharp arrows shot towards them, burying halfway into the ground, the power was so great that if they hadn't dodged, their bodies would have been pierced through.