Seeing that Zhang Xuan really didn't understand, the elder shook his head and looked at him doubtfully. "Picking medicinal herbs is the simplest part of pill forging. Logically speaking, as long as one learns from it, one shouldn't make such a mistake. May I know who your teacher is? Why didn't he tell you about this? "
"Teacher?" Su Yin scratched his head. "He's just an insignificant figure!"
The lingering will who imparted the knowledge of herbology to him was called Li Shiyun, and the name on his tombstone was' Medicine Saint '. Back then, he was perplexed, so he asked his' cheap senior 'about it. He also did a lot of research, but there was no one in the entire continent by that name, not to mention the title and occupation of' Medicine Saint '... Thus, it was obvious that the person who erected the tombstone was just trying to flatter him.
Besides, if he was really a Medicine Saint, why didn't he impart pill forging to him? Why didn't he impart the method to cure illnesses and save lives, but only the method to treat sows? In his view, even if this fellow was well-versed in herbology, he was at most a veterinarian. Rather than embarrassing himself by saying it, he might as well not say it at all.
"That's right. Why wouldn't a reputable apothecary teach his junior the rules of picking medicinal herbs?"
Shaking his head, the elder placed his hands behind his back and said, "Since you don't understand, I'll explain it to you!"
"Yes!" Su Yin nodded his head humbly.
Seeing Zhang Xuan's reaction, the elder was satisfied. Stroking his beard, he said, "Frigid Sun Grass grows in a land of cold yin, but its flower lives amidst the scorching sun. This medicinal herb contains both yin and yang attributes. Thus, you have to pay attention when picking it. Otherwise, once the roots leave the soil, the source of cold energy will be lost, and the yang attribute will gain the upper hand. The two attributes will neutralize each other, causing the medicinal properties of the herb to plummet! "
Su Yin came to a realization. At the same time, he asked doubtfully, "Since when the roots leave the soil, the power of cold and heat will come into contact with each other, can't I just find a way to stop it when picking it?"
"Ignorant!"
Flinging his sleeves, the elder said in displeasure, "The medicinal properties of medicinal herbs are ever-changing. Age, sunlight, nutrition, water content... All of these can affect the medicinal properties of a medicinal herb. It's not a problem to stop the interaction between yin and yang, but let me ask you this. If the medicinal properties of a medicinal herb are hidden deep within it, if you don't pick it, how can you find the boundary between yin and yang and block it? You have to know that if you fail, it would be equivalent to destroying a medicinal herb, all of your efforts! "
"This..." Su Yin was there.
The Yin and Yang attributes were so obvious. Even if they were hidden within the medicinal herbs, it should be easy to distinguish them!
He had already been able to achieve a hundred percent accuracy in the first examination without the slightest mistake. So, why did the other party sound like it was going to be difficult?
"The correct method is to wait here until noon, when the Yang energy is the strongest and the Yin energy is the weakest. Then, use a red rope to tie it at the dividing line between the sunlight and the shadow of the herbs. Wait until midnight, when the Yang energy is the weakest, and cut it at the red rope!"
The old man said, "This way, the Yin and Yang attributes will not mix, and it will be better to preserve the two attributes!"
"How troublesome!" Su Yin didn't expect that he would have to wait for 12 hours just to pick a medicinal herb. Shaking his head, he asked, "If we can find the intersection of Yin and Yang and cut it off, it should be fine to pick it directly, right?"
"In theory, yes, but … it's too difficult!" The elder shook his head. "As a whole, the Yin and Yang attributes of a medicinal herb are interconnected. Without cutting it open, how could we possibly find it? Once it is cut open, the medicinal properties within will be destroyed, and all our efforts will be for naught … "
"Surely you aren't exaggerating!"
Shaking his head, Su Yin took in a deep breath and sniffed. "The intersection of Yin and Yang for this medicinal herb is right here …"
After which, he stretched out his finger, and with a light pinch, he plucked the Frigid Sun Grass.
"You …"
Not expecting the young man to pick the medicinal herb right after saying so much, the elder's face flushed red in anger. Just as he was about to berate the young man, his eyes suddenly narrowed in disbelief.
"This … How is this possible?"
Once the Yin and Yang of the Frigid Sun Grass intersects, the flower would immediately lose its vibrant color. The fiery-red parts would turn gray, and the white parts would dim slightly … This young man plucked it without even taking a look. He thought that the flower would wither immediately, but never in his dreams did he expect it to remain as vibrant as before, as if it was growing on the ground!
In other words … Not only did he find the intersection of Yin and Yang, he even cut it off!
How did he do it?
Even he, who had immersed himself in pill forging for several hundred years, was unable to do so!
"It's simple …" Seeing the other party making a fuss, Su Yin shook his head.
"Simple?"
Veins popped on the elder's forehead. Recalling something, he hurriedly put down the basket on his back, rummaged through it, and took out a jade-green medicinal herb. "There's a part of this medicinal herb that can soothe one's nerves. Are you able to find it?"
"This is the Spirit Calming Grass, right? It's on this leaf. If you were to cut it off from here, you would be able to retain seventy percent of its medicinal properties!"
Su Yin casually drew an area on the leaf.
Doubtful, the elder took out a blade and cut off the leaf according to the other party's instructions. After which, he placed it in his mouth and chewed on it. In an instant, his face turned ghastly pale.
Not the slightest bit off!
As the plant grew, the medicinal properties of medicinal herbs weren't distributed evenly. It was just like how the amount of fat and muscle in the human body was unequal.
This was precisely the reason why, when forging pills, even if one knew that the slightest deviation in the ratio of medicinal properties would affect the quality of the pill … No one could be sure which part of the medicinal properties of a medicinal herb was more concentrated, and how much of it there was.
It was impossible to be a hundred percent accurate.
But … the young man before him was able to casually pinpoint the location where the medicinal properties of the Spirit Calming Grass were concentrated, and even the quantity was accurate …
This was a little frightening! Seeing it with his own eyes, the elder found it hard to believe.
"What about this one?"
Suppressing his agitation, Su Yin took out a few more medicinal herbs. Taking a light sniff, he swiftly explained the distribution of the medicinal properties of the medicinal herbs to the elder.
Chopping up the medicinal herbs that the other party spoke of and chewing them carefully … the elder soon realized that the other party's description was identical to the other party's!
In other words, with just a single glance, the young man was able to discern the quantity and distribution of the medicinal properties of the medicinal herbs!
"You …" Unable to take it any longer, the elder looked at Zhang Xuan with a trembling gaze. "Do you have an innate affinity with medicinal herbs? You are able to sense the distribution of medicinal properties? "
Legend had it that some people were born with an innate affinity for medicinal herbs. While others were unable to discern the medicinal properties of medicinal herbs, they were able to do so easily. Could it be that the young man before him possessed such talent?
"Of course not …"
Not expecting the other party to think in such a manner, Su Yin shook his head. "There's no such thing as a free lunch in the world. How can there be an ability that comes without hard work? I wasn't able to discern it at the start either. It took me a lot of hard work before I was able to do so. "
"Hard work? That's right! No matter how talented you are, you still have to learn. "
The elder nodded. With a curious look in his eyes, he asked, "Judging from your young age, how long did it take for you to discern the distribution of the medicinal properties of the medicinal herbs?"
"My talent is only average …" Su Yin recalled for a moment before a bitter smile surfaced on his face. "Around ten days!"
"Ten days?"
The elder froze on the spot.
Are you sure that you didn't say it wrongly?
PS: Continue to seek recommendation tickets! You need to tip your way up to the top of the Contract Signing Board. If there are any beauties and handsome men who are coveting my looks, please tip your character. I'm willing to sell my body to you …
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