Chapter 19: Longevity Paste
"Demon Friends, I asked you all to stay because I have a request, which I hinted at specifically in the invitation. Now that it's just the few of us Demons, I won't beat around the bush."
The Old Weasel Demon confessed:
"I am over a hundred years old, approaching the limit of my race's Lifespan. To extend my life, I need to break through my current realm and fight for that sliver of survival.
However, I am old and frail. The twilight Qi in my body is growing stronger, and Death Qi is accumulating. Rushing the breakthrough rashly would only lead to failure.
Fortunately, there is no dead end for a Yao. I accidentally obtained a longevity prescription called Qianxiang Longevity Paste. It uses the feces of a thousand types of Demon race members as medicine, refined over nine days into a single batch. It can regulate the five viscera, supplement Yin and Yang, benefit Qi and blood, strengthen muscles and bones, and even extend one's Lifespan by one year."
Seeing the Demons listening intently, the Old Weasel Demon stroked his beard and said: "The Demons in this world that represent time either have extremely long Lifespans, like turtles, or short ones, like Mayflies.
Heaven and Earth are in balance; fortune and disaster are interdependent, gain and loss accompany each other. Yao born with a long Innate Lifespan find it harder to extend their life, and their blood is unsuitable for refining Acquired life-extending Spirit Pills and marvelous medicines. Yao with short lives, however, are the opposite.
This paste requires the blood of three short-lived Demons as a catalyst. If the Three Demons are willing to help, I, the Old Demon, am willing to share the Longevity Paste with you three, extending all our lives together."
Fu Shaoguang suddenly understood.
So that was the situation.
Besides resolving his confusion, he grasped a concept: what is Innate lacking is supplemented by the Acquired; one increase and one decrease, one positive and one negative—this is the Dao of Heaven and Earth, and the principle of Yin and Yang.
He also understood why the guests were asked to contribute feces.
Extending their life hit the nail on the head for the short-lived Insects.
Fu Shaoguang, the Musician Cicada Demon, and the other Firefly Demon considered it for a moment, then all agreed.
Seeing this, the Old Weasel Demon beamed with joy, his large tail wagging incessantly, repeating the word "good" three times. He then looked at Fu Shaoguang and continued:
"I am not skilled in refining, so this Longevity Paste requires the help of a trusted old friend. He has always enjoyed poetry and lyrics. I collected some and even found some well-known Yao talents to write poems and fill in lyrics, but none satisfied him. I heard Demon Friend Fu possesses considerable poetic talent; could you inscribe a poem to add a layer of assurance for the Longevity Paste?"
Fu Shaoguang was slightly stunned.
He hadn't expected to be involved personally.
He didn't refuse. Having agreed to contribute his precious heart blood, what was one poem?
"Senior, do you have any requirements for the poem?"
"None. Demon Friend may improvise, but it must be submitted to me within ten days."
Fu Shaoguang was certain of his decision: "In that case, there is no need to wait. The birthday gift Junior prepared for Senior is a poem. Senior might as well gift this poem, acting heartbroken in front of that Senior—preferably feigning regret."
Though the words were incomplete, the Old Weasel Demon understood his meaning and smiled knowingly. He immediately summoned other Weasels and the Pill-Rolling Master, ordering them to find the corresponding congratulatory gift.
Half a zhan of tea later, the Old Weasel Demon's mouth twitched slightly. The scroll was too small, only three inches long. He used his claws to unroll the scroll, and a poem came into view:
Grass and trees know spring is near, new sprouts appear everywhere.
From today, live eight thousand years, embracing the spirit object Chun.
The Old Weasel Demon unconsciously read it aloud, his eyes shining brightly and full of spirit, sincerely praising:
"Excellent poem! Wonderful literary talent!"
Few among their Demon race possess talent.
And even fewer good poems that are easy to recite.
Now, the Old Weasel Demon truly felt reluctant to part with it.
The Cicada Demon and the Firefly Demon were also full of praise, gathering around to look and read it.
But soon after, their expressions were complicated, just like the Old Weasel Demon's, and their feelings were hard to describe.
The poem was excellent.
It was just the handwriting—it was hideous!
A chick's scratching would probably look better than this.
Of course, the Three Demons weren't foolish enough to say it out loud.
Fu Shaoguang pretended not to notice.
An incense stick later, the three Insect Demons, all looking mentally exhausted, flew out of the Yellow Hide Cave, flapping their wings to bow and take their leave.
Fu Shaoguang weakly flew towards his home.
Insect Demons have small bodies and thin blood; a drop of heart blood is extremely precious. He needed a good period of rest.
He couldn't exert himself physically or mentally.
Fortunately, the Old Weasel Demon knew how to treat a Demon. He specially gifted some body-nourishing spirit objects and an extra jar of Spirit Wine to Fu Shaoguang, saying that poetry and wine complemented each other better.
A heavy snow whitened the mountaintop.
Ankang Alley, Ancient Pine Courtyard.
Silver Thread Wood burned, producing no smoke or dust. The firelight shone on the Insect, and the room was filled with warmth.
Fu Shaoguang carefully examined the Qianxiang Longevity Paste he received. Extremely excited, he bathed, burned incense, and, full of expectation, cautiously opened it. Then... he threw up!
A burst of foul stench rushed straight into his face.
So, the "thousand fragrances" really meant that kind of thousand fragrances.
The mixture of various foul smells made the Insect feel nauseous, his insides churning.
He had thought that things would reverse at the extreme, turning foulness into fragrance.
No fragrance appeared; he was still too young.
The stench permeated the air, and outside the window, the pine needles instantly withered and turned yellow, a suicidal decay. Fu Shaoguang: XD|
This is too much!
How can it be this smelly... Ugh!
He quickly closed the lid.
Fu Shaoguang spent a long time preparing himself mentally.
First, he ate two large spoonfuls of sweet spirit honey to numb himself. Then, he prepared half a bowl of hot spirit water, temporarily closed the pores on his body wall, poured out the Longevity Paste, mixed it with the spirit water, and stirred it into a semi-liquid food.
Hmm... the appearance resembled that even more; it was hard to describe.
Before the medicinal properties dissipated, he closed his eyes and downed the entire bowl.
Then, suppressing the psychological nausea, holding his throat, and clamping his mouth shut, he tried hard to self-convince:
【Calm down! Calm down. Which Insect hasn't eaten this in the world? I even rolled around in it before for self-preservation.】
【Only by eating the food among the feces can one become the Insect above Insects.】
【You are not eating feces, you are eating fragrant paste, you are eating life.】
...A stream of energy gradually circulated within his body.
Fu Shaoguang's attention was quickly diverted.
Carefully experiencing it, he felt like a long-weary traveler finally soaking in a hot spring.
His entire body opened up, and he felt relaxed and comfortable, both physically and mentally.
He had a feeling of floating and ascending.
He could clearly feel his vitality becoming stronger, his life force rapidly increasing, and his interior and exterior becoming smooth.
Fu Shaoguang unknowingly fell asleep.
Outside the window, the pine needles rustled down, half of them withered.
As dawn approached, Fu Shaoguang slowly awoke, stretching out all six legs. He had slept extremely soundly.
This Qianxiang Longevity Paste was indeed extraordinary.
If every type of longevity item could not only be used once in a lifetime, he would want to take it a few more times.
As for the taste... well, let's not mention it!
He rinsed his mouth.
He ignored the Ancient Pine that had become partially bald.
After drawing in the Morning Sun Purple Qi, Fu Shaoguang, in an excellent mood, took out the Dream Stream Essays and began reading.
This was the autobiography of a Dream-Guiding Insect Demon, who styled himself the Dream Stream Hermit. The book recorded his life's experiences.
This Demon lived by guiding dreams and eating dreams. It looked like a Firefly and was the color of colored glaze. Besides dream techniques, it also mentioned a technique called Mirage Technique, which, once activated, made the entire skin transparent, merging with the surrounding environment and concealing itself.
Relying on this technique, the Dream-Guiding Insect Demon avoided several crises and even escaped from right under the nose of its natural predator, the Dream Eater.
Fu Shaoguang was greatly moved by this technique.
His Insect body was semi-transparent. If he could learn this technique, his future travels would be much safer.
Although the Dream-Guiding Insect Demon emphasized in the essays that both the Mirage Technique and the Dream Guiding Art were extremely difficult to cultivate, requiring talent and harmony with the Insect body, Fu Shaoguang wanted to give it a try.
What if, by chance, he succeeded?
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