Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 351 - 348: The Healer Cannot Heal Themselves, the Ferryman Struggles to Ferry Themselves

Chapter 351: Chapter 348: The Healer Cannot Heal Themselves, the Ferryman Struggles to Ferry Themselves

In the southern region of Great Yan, at the banks of the Heavenly Barrier River, on the southern shore.

In a not-so-small ferry port, where crowds used to bustle from north to south, people now stood in a wide circle, pointing and whispering at three figures in the center.

Everyone’s face bore an indescribable look of horror and fear.

In the oppressive air hung whispered fragments like "purple-black... spots... rat plague..."—words of terror.

For the common folk, it seemed that even uttering them aloud was a taboo that could invite disaster.

In the middle of the cleared space, which no one dared approach,

a frail-looking Scholar, whose body was covered in blotches due to a high fever that wouldn’t subside, had started uttering unintelligible delirium.

The situation was extremely dire.

Another young man, dressed in a scholar’s robe and bearing some resemblance to him, disregarded the dreadful contagiousness of the rat plague. He let the sick man lean on him, sweating profusely with anxiety:

"Little brother, don’t scare your big brother!

If I managed to bring you out in one piece to attend the special imperial examination opened by the New Emperor in Yunjing, then I must bring you back home safe and sound.

If something happens to you, how can I face our parents!"

Turning to an old man, who looked like an Unverified Doctor, beside him, he pleaded earnestly:

"Doctor, I beg you, you must save my brother’s life!"

The old Doctor, whose face was wrinkled and hair white as snow, and who had a ginseng stem with seven branches and five leaves tucked into his hair, calmly poured a bowl of clear river water.

He waved his hand over it, drawing an imaginary "Heat Reducing and Cooling Charm", while chanting:

"Disciple begs the Snow Immortal to personally descend, and also calls forth the Frost Immortal to come swiftly. Ancestor Snow, bring immediate relief; Master Frost, bring immediate coolness.

To the east, south, west, north, retreat; five directions five paths, retreat; teachings passed on, and master’s word, react—disciple commands one retreat for a thousand miles, two retreats for two thousand miles, to hide within the dragon water pits of the snow mountains amidst the billowing waves.

I invoke Emperor Bao Sheng, swiftly, swiftly like the imperial decree, command!"

Then he plucked one of his own snow-white whiskers and dropped it into the bowl.

A bowlful of water transformed with Divination Skill turned instantly into a luminous azure, emanating waves of medicinal fragrance.

The elder brother took the bowl of Dharma Water and, though he was slightly disgusted, could not afford to be choosy at that moment.

After taking a small sip himself and finding nothing amiss, he poured the entire contents down his seriously ill brother’s throat.

The effect was immediate!

In just a few breaths of time, the scholarly younger brother’s high fever had subsided.

Even the horrific patches on his skin quickly retreated before their eyes, and he gradually regained consciousness.

When the overjoyed elder brother turned around to thank the divine healer,

he had already vanished without a trace.

A small old man, by all appearance a gnarled and dry senior, looking much like an ancient ginseng,

vanished soundlessly, his movements swifter than those of a young man.

The onlookers also joined in the search for the man, but to no avail.

The two Scholars, recalling the mention of "Emperor Bao Sheng" in the spells, could only kneel and chant in reverence:

"We students thank the Doctor for saving a life, for the blessing of Emperor Bao Sheng!"

Little did they know, the figure they had just revered was indeed Emperor Bao Sheng, the Heavenly Immortal Official!

...

On the mountain path of the northern bank, across the river, Sage Wu, who appeared overly aged with only his eyes shining like bright stars, reappeared.

His aged face showed grave concern:

"This rat plague began to surface at the start of March.

After a month of covert spreading, it has crossed from the Desert North, over Red County Shenzhou’s second Water Dragon Vein, ’Heavenly Barrier River’.

This rat plague is truly formidable!

Although the report from the Myriad Phenomena Heavenly Net mentioned that the Thunder Department Immortal Official, who was in charge of pursuing the Yellow-Skinned Dharma King, confirmed his death at the hands of Star Lord Taibai from the Dou Department,

the plague that has already spread cannot be reversed like water. If left unchecked, it won’t simply disappear with the elimination of the Plague Demon.

Unfortunately, my Body is in a precarious situation right now.

Medicine King Dharma Body... Alas, reincarnation is hard to transcend!"

Sage Wu sighed softly and touched the ginseng stem growing from his head that closely resembled a human ginseng plant.

Clearly, this elderly-looking figure, much like an old ginseng, was not Sage Wu’s true Green Seal Body, but a separate incarnation created by Daoist Skill,

possessing only an ordinary Yellow Seal Realm.

The stem on his head wasn’t some fancy hairpin but a literal branch and leaf of ginseng growing from his scalp!

The true form of this incarnation, indeed, was an ancient mountain ginseng.

And it was at least a hundred years old, a top-grade "Seven-Limbed Ginseng."

Usually, the age of the domesticated ginseng grown in the Ginseng Garden is closely related to its appearance. One can discern its age just by looking at its branches and leaves, which is quite magical.

A one-year-old ginseng grows three small leaves, commonly known as "Three Flowers"; a two-year-old ginseng grows five leaves, commonly known as "Palm Leaves"

A three-year-old ginseng grows two prongs with five leaves, commonly known as "Double Ten"; a four-year-old ginseng grows three prongs with five leaves, commonly known as "Lampstand" or "Three-Limbed Ginseng."

By the same logic, those that have grown for seven years or more are called "Six-Limbed Ginseng."

Unlike the yearly changes of garden ginseng, wild mountain ginseng stays in each growth form for a few to a dozen years, and their upper limit is higher than that of garden ginseng.

Only in wild mountain ginseng can one find the at least a hundred-year-old "Seven-Limbed Ginseng," which is the limit of a ginseng’s growth.

As it ages, it will gradually become woody, and all its excellent medicinal properties will dissipate.

But there are always exceptions.

Some wild mountain ginseng at the "Seven-Limbed Ginseng" stage will undergo a miraculous phenomenon called "Reincarnation."

The branches and leaves will sequentially wither until only a prong with three leaves remains, starting its growth again from the "Three Flowers" of a one-year-old, gradually increasing its leaves and being reborn, gaining a new life!

Not only is the original medicinal power retained, but it also undergoes a qualitative change, achieving the most supreme [Nine-Leaf Ginseng King]!

Unfortunately, for Sage Wu, success by reincarnation also meant failure by reincarnation.

Heavenly Immortal Official [Emperor Bao Sheng] Sage Wu belonged to the "God of Good and Evil" department and also took on the Earth Department Divine Position [Spring Plague God] within the Plague Department.

He cultivated a rare and top-notch Earth Department Taoism [Holy Healing Herb Technique].

During cultivation, one chooses a spirit herb of excellent quality, such as ginseng, Yellow Essence, lingzhi, snow lotus, and so on.

With heart blood, talismans, and ritual refinement for forty-nine days, one can cultivate a Lifebound Immortal Grass.

By continuously nurturing it with Wishing Power and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism, as the Immortal Grass grows, one’s own Taoist ability would benefit greatly, leading to rapid advancement.

One could also merge with the Immortal Grass at the Yellow Seal Realm, forming the Medicine King Dharma Body, unparalleled in the art of healing!

Even a single whisker would be a top-grade treasure medicine for bringing the dying back to life and mending white bones.

Unfortunately, after achieving the [Dharma Body], the cultivator would also be bound by the precepts of the [Holy Healing Herb Technique] and the inherent nature of the immortal herbs.

Bound for life.

Sage Wu, as one of the few Green Seal Sages in the world, had lived through the Great Yong and Great Yan dynasties, incidentally outliving several dozen emperors who ruled the world.

To this day, his lifespan is rapidly diminishing.

The core taboo of this Earth Department Taoism:

[Four Precepts: Heal not thyself, knock not on doors, play not with Illness, kill not.

The latter three concern others and are thus irrelevant at the moment.

The most fatal one is the first: "Heal not thyself"!

After achieving the "Medicine King Dharma Body," all medicines and medical techniques proclaim their futility.

Whether it’s deadly poison or medicine that can cure diseases, none of it would work on him anymore.]

And so, even with his supreme medical skills, treasures like the life-extending Flat Peaches, and the Divine Position boost from the Emperor Bao Sheng, nothing could affect his lifespan.

Indeed, there are countless medicinal treasures in the world, but a healer cannot heal himself!

Now, his only option is to grasp at the slim chance of life during the ginseng’s growth—Reincarnation.

If he can successfully survive the reincarnation of the "Seven-Limbed Ginseng," he can start another cycle of life and live another two hundred or even three hundred years.

Breaking the existing limits, he may even compare longevity with a Green Seal Sage who has obtained the [Longevity Star] Divine Position.

There might even be a chance to vie for the opportunity to achieve [Corpse Dissection Immortal].

Of course, just like the countless wild mountain ginseng in the mountain, only a rare few can truly get through the reincarnation, and for him to get through it would certainly be a close shave with death.

His "reincarnation" could start at any moment now, and his body dares not move rashly.

He can only send out a strand of ginseng root transformed into an avatar to deal with the epidemic.

Raising his head, he saw the miasma of plague rising from the bodies of the sick on the north bank of the Heavenly Barrier River, soaring into the sky and condensing into a large patch of yellow clouds invisible to the naked eye.

He then clearly saw the raging "plague miasma" above, continuously surging towards the direction of Beimang Mountain.

"This is clearly the grand work of Plague Dao, as the ’Plague Formation’ built from the [Plague Treasure] is drawing plague miasma to enhance its own power," he analyzed with just a casual glance.

"The spread of the current plague is actually unrelated to Plague Dao and completely out of their control.

If this Rat Plague arose naturally, it would be a natural disaster. Even with the [Plague God] position, there would be nothing I could do but treating them one by one.

However, such a man-made Rat Plague caused by Taoist Skill has a shortcut.

If I can ’borrow’ the Plague Treasure that triggered all of this, I’ll be able to utilize [Divination Skill], use them as a medium, and curse kill all of the Rat Plague’s Fine Worms that originated from it!"

With that, he stepped forward, instantly burrowing into the ground, and in a flash, he headed north.