Chapter 553 - The Yarrow
Wupeng was not only a wizard, but he was also a highly skilled doctor who saved countless lives in Dongyi. Hence, a lot of people who could recognize him but it was indeed the first time that Feng was meeting Wupeng.
He was led by the young apprentice to Wupeng"s residence. He witnessed an old man watering a piece of land. The farmland was grown with gra.s.s which looked like wormwood. The fragrance emitted by the gra.s.s was refres.h.i.+ng and gladdening. The gra.s.s grew closer together. There were about ten to twenty stalks per root, and the most could go up to fifty stalks. Its difference from the wormwood was that they grew tall and straight. When the gra.s.s blossomed, there were reddish purple branches which looked like the shape of a chrysanthemum.
Feng could recognize this gra.s.s. It was named as the yarrow. The flowers of the yarrows should have already withered by then. However, in Wupeng"s land, they still blossomed. This indicated that Wupeng had used some techniques to change the season of the particular area, but Feng could not see any traces of Wupeng performing any technique.
Nonetheless, it was not something that Feng took to heart because he was never a person who was good at techniques and witchcraft. All he needed was a mystical bow which could counter all the techniques and crafts in this world.
When Wupeng saw Feng, he stopped whatever work he was doing. His entire body was hidden in a black long gown and he was wearing a mesh net hat. His cheeks were rosy. His eyes were bright and clear, full of expressions.
Feng paid obeisance by cupping one hand in the other before his chest and said, "Greetings, Sir Wupeng."
Sir was a term of address to the elderly for Dongyi. Wupeng was obviously older than Feng. Besides, Feng had a favor to ask him and that was also why he would address him as much.
Wupeng said, "Are you here to seek medical treatment? Are any of your family members ill?"
Feng could not help but to feel proud that even Wupeng recognized who Feng was. However, he did not show it on his face, he said, "I"m not here to seek for medical treatment from Sir Wupeng. There"s something that I can"t make a decision on, hence I"d like to have Sir Wupeng to perform augury for me."
Wupeng spoke with a low pitch, "I"ve not performed augury for quite some time. I"m afraid that I"m lacking of practice and skill and that I"ll not be able to predict it accurately."
Feng said, "No worries, I"m only seeking a peace of mind. I trust you."
Wupeng stopped rejecting, he said, "If that"s the case, then I shall give it a try. Coincidentally, I"ve recently studied about matters of heaven and earth and refreshed some some knowledge there. If you are not in a hurry, we can share our knowledge and Minister can also learn about how I perform augury from our discussion."
Although it was expected that Wupeng was a sage since he had saved the lives of many, Feng could not help but feel impressed at how Wupeng was so open and willing to share with the others about his knowledge on cultivation. It was no question that n.o.body tried to find fault with him all these years.
He spoke with a firm tone, "Then I"d have to trouble Sir Wupeng."
Wupeng then led Feng into his residence. Earlier on, a young apprentice brought a basin of clean water for him to wash up. Upon seeing this clean water, Feng was astonished because this was the Yangquan[1] Water. The Yin energy was especially strong in Netherworld and thus, the finest and purest Qi of Yang was extraordinarily precious. As for the Yangquan Water, it was one of the rarest water source which were rich in the finest and purest Qi of Yang. If one was to consume this water for a long time, the Yin and Yang within his body can be regulated that fostered longevity.
Soon after Wupeng had done was.h.i.+ng up, he sat opposite facing Feng.
Wupeng did not beat around the bush. He said directly, "Nowadays the augury methods in Dongyi develop more rapidly compared to the ancient times. A lot of wizards have started using copper coins, flat bamboo sticks, small stones and so on to perform augury. They were indeed efficacious. However, I coincidentally got my hands on an ancient literature, only then I"ve come to realise that the most efficacious augury item is the yarrow, which is the gra.s.s you"d seen grown on my land just now."
Feng spoke with astonishment, "I didn"t know that the yarrow could be used to perform augury. This is my first time hearing such a thing."
Wupeng sounded slightly proud and pleased with himself, "When I discovered this, I was also quite surprised. However, the yarrow was mostly used in performing augury in the ancient times. Hence, that"s the reason why the yarrow slowly became extinct and being replaced by other items. In the near hundreds of years, it wasn"t known when the seeds of the yarrow started appearing. Gradually, more and more yarrow can be seen in Dongyi but almost no one knows the actual use of the yarrow. They only think that it smells good and it can cure some illnesses. The yarrow"s fruits were almost similar to the ones from the mugwort."
Feng tried to flatter Wupeng, "If it wasn"t for Sir Wupeng, I"m afraid that this treasure would be unknown and its uses will be neglected." At the same time, he was thinking that the reason why this old man"s augury was so efficacious should be because of the fact that he had used the yarrow. When he thought of this, Feng thought of getting some yarrow from this old man so that he could bring it back and ask his tribe to plant it.
After all, although there could be yarrow elsewhere, it might not be as healthy as the ones that Wupeng had taken care of and nurtured with effort.
Wupeng grinned and said, "Actually it still won"t be efficient enough with only the yarrow. You"d need a corresponding augury dharma. You can see me demonstrate for one time. Since your cultivation experience is profound, perhaps you can help me to find out the flaws in it."
Feng nodded his head and said, "I"ll try my best."
When Wupeng"s young apprentice took out a bundle of the yarrow, Feng"s brilliant eyesight could instantly recognise that this bundle was exactly fifty, which was perfect for the Dayan number.
Feng did not understand those deep words at all but he figured that he understood a little. Wupeng must be talking about how he used the yarrow to perform augury and the deep justification within it.
Therefore, Feng believed in Wupeng"s augury without any doubt.
If Shen Lian was to listen to what Wupeng said, he would have gained more compared to Feng. His understanding about Lianshan and Taixu Strategy would further level up.
Using the method that he had mentioned earlier on, Wupeng used the yarrow to arrange a complicated and indescribable pattern using a total of forty nine blades of gra.s.s which included both long and short ones.
He looked like he was drowned in his contemplation for a moment. Then he told Feng, "The favour that you requested, there are calamities in the blessing, and blessing in the calamities. I don"t know how to interpret it."
Feng said, "Sir, do you mind explaining this further?"
Wupeng sighed, "Your birth chart is n.o.ble and thus, it"s beyond my ability to predict accurately. But I can gift you ten words "death and life have predetermined appointments; Dragon in the Sky".
Feng said, "I"ve heard of a sentence from Xia"s Guan Longzi, which was "death and life have predetermined appointments; riches and honour are from heaven", why is it "Dragon in the Sky" when it comes to me?"
Wupeng smiled and said, "If the dragon doesn"t act and doesn"t jump but "rests in the sky", what else should be done but by "being in flight"? It"s said that the flying dragon is like a fish that goes back to the sea, which means it can roam freely. If it"s to be applied on human affairs, it means the phenomenon is at its peak phase of the cycle. If it"s to be applied to building an empire, it suggests the person can be the Emperor."
In his heart, Feng felt the excitement because becoming the Emperor had always been his long-cherished wish. However, he was filled with some doubts and so he asked, "According to you sir, this is a good omen. How would there be calamities in the blessing, and blessing in the calamities?"