Chapter 116: Blood Mulberry
Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Blood Mulberry
"Spiritual Spring? Spirit Soil?"
Liu Jianjian paused. "Can you eat them? I don’t really eat soil, but I could drink from a Spiritual Spring."
"They aren’t for us to eat."
Zhu Ge shook his head.
He could tell from Liu Jianjian’s reaction that she had never heard of them.
That was to be expected, though. Zhu Ge had never heard of them either.
If not for that old man’s legacy, Zhu Ge wouldn’t have known that things like Spiritual Springs and Spirit Soil even existed.
Just like how no one in the three villages at Mengla Slope knew about them.
Otherwise, after they’d obtained that single grain of so-called "Spirit-level Red Rice," they should have planted it in Spirit Soil. They might have been able to mass-produce it that way.
"If you hear anything about them in the future, just keep an ear out." Zhu Ge was only asking Liu Jianjian to be aware; there was no need to go out of her way to search.
There was nothing to be done if Zhu Sisi couldn’t get any good mulberry leaves. For now, she would just have to eat sparingly.
However, the thought of Spiritual Springs and Spirit Soil did make Zhu Ge think of fertilizer.
They had slaughtered so many Demon Beasts. They would typically eat all the meat, store the hides, and toss the bones to the Bone Monster Avatar.
But all the blood was going to waste!
’Can blood be used to directly water plants and trees?’ Zhu Ge hadn’t studied agriculture, so he had no idea.
But he could always experiment.
So, while Liu Jianjian and the others were cultivating, Zhu Ge went out, hunted a Spirit Realm Demon Beast, and then dug a small pit next to one of the mulberry trees to let it bleed out.
He was going to run an experiment!
He’d once heard an old-timer say you shouldn’t urinate directly on the roots of crops, or you’ll "burn" the seedlings.
To be used as fertilizer, it first had to be broken down in a biogas digester or a septic tank.
He had no idea, however, if these somewhat spiritual mulberry trees could directly absorb the Demon Beast Blood.
Since Zhu Sisi was on the mulberry tree anyway, Zhu Ge had her keep an eye on it.
Unexpectedly, after a few days, Zhu Sisi actually noticed something.
...
"It’s... absorbing it?"
Zhu Ge stared in surprise at the dried-up pit before him.
The fist-sized pit had been filled with Demon Beast Blood, but now, only three days later, it was dry.
Three thin rootlets from the mulberry tree were now exposed in the dry soil.
The valley was humid but not stuffy, so the blood shouldn’t have evaporated that quickly.
Zhu Ge had been prepared for the pit of blood to just rot and go to waste.
But this mulberry tree had actually extended its roots all the way over here?
Didn’t this mean the Demon Beast Blood was actually working?
"But Master, I sense that something is wrong with two of the mulberry trees."
Zhu Sisi’s voice was cool and clear, but exceptionally grave. "They’re dying!"
Her food supply was on the line, so Zhu Sisi was taking this very seriously.
"So only one is fine, and the other two might have been ’burned’?" Zhu Ge frowned.
He wasn’t sure what to make of the situation either.
Fortunately, however, he could run more experiments.
This time, he wouldn’t use these three special trees. The ordinary mulberry trees would be fine for his tests.
"I understand. I’ll run some more tests on the other trees. As for you..."
Zhu Ge looked at Zhu Sisi. "How much longer until you form a cocoon?"
"I... I don’t know..." There was a hint of confusion in Zhu Sisi’s voice. "It seems... I’m growing very slowly."
By imitating and learning from Zhu Ge, Zhu Sisi had transformed from an ordinary creature into a Spirit Realm Demon Beast.
She had even received a gift from the True Monarch of the Lantern when he and True Monarch Minmian had visited.
The Nine Heavens Cocoon-Breaking Dragon-Swallowing Technique!
Just from its name alone, you could tell this Cultivation Technique of unknown grade was terrifyingly powerful.
Logically, Zhu Sisi should have already been a fourth or fifth-instar silkworm.
But after starting the Cultivation Technique, not only had she not grown larger, she had actually shrunk.
As a result, Zhu Sisi currently had almost zero combat strength.
Zhu Ge wasn’t worried, though.
"Don’t be anxious, and don’t be confused," Zhu Ge said, comforting her with a smile. "If you only form a cocoon when you reach the Second Realm, imagine how powerful you’ll be when you emerge. What if you wait until the Third Realm?"
Zhu Ge was actually quite excited himself.
’Will she be able to swallow dragons after emerging from her cocoon? Or maybe she won’t turn into a moth at all, but a celestial dragon?’
In any case, since Zhu Sisi was developing slowly and Zhu Ge wasn’t desperate for another fighter at the moment, the best course of action was to let her continue growing at her own pace.
"I understand, Master."
Zhu Sisi nodded, her voice filled with a strange and earnest resolve. "I will eat my mulberry leaves diligently and practice my Cultivation Technique well."
"I look forward to your future."
Zhu Ge smiled, then immediately went to experiment on the other mulberry trees.
Another three days passed. Finally, after seven or eight mulberry trees had died, Zhu Ge reached a conclusion.
Demon Beast Blood could, in fact, be absorbed by the mulberry trees!
However, the trees could die from being unable to withstand the Spiritual Qi within the blood—similar to a cultivator’s body exploding from an overload of energy.
Fortunately, after nearly ten mulberry trees had died, Zhu Ge gradually figured out the proper dosage.
Basically, a small pit of blood from a First Realm Demon Beast every five days was enough to sustain one mulberry tree.
With this knowledge, Zhu Ge was able to preserve the original three special mulberry trees.
The two that had been on the verge of death, in particular, made a full recovery.
Furthermore, Zhu Ge nurtured three more mulberry trees, causing wisps of Spiritual Qi to gradually form within them.
That made six in total!
Now, Zhu Sisi would no longer be short on food.
During their growth, however, Zhu Ge noticed faint red patterns appearing on the branches of the three newly cultivated trees.
The veins of the leaves also took on a reddish, blood-vessel-like appearance. If you tore a leaf, it might even bleed.
And it wasn’t Demon Beast Blood; it was more like the tree’s own blood.
This gave the three mulberry trees a rather demonic appearance.
Of course, their demonic appearance didn’t bother Zhu Ge. He wasn’t afraid of cultivating some kind of Demon or Ghost—it was nothing a single punch couldn’t solve.
It didn’t bother Zhu Sisi, either. She now happily alternated between the two types of trees, as if switching between spicy and non-spicy food.
Until one night, Zhu Ge, who had been hiding in the valley for many days, closed his eyes inside his coffin.
’A new simulation...’
As Zhu Ge thought about the simulator, a sliver of anticipation bloomed within him.
The time had come!
Many days had passed since he acquired his last trait, [Spider].
Tonight was the night he would undergo his third simulation.
The Survival of the Fittest Assistant was incredibly useful to Zhu Ge, but the backlash was also severe, giving him a love-hate relationship with it.
Still, both [Kunpeng] and [Spider] had allowed him to defeat powerful enemies in seemingly impossible ways.
Of course, the interval between the assistant’s activations was also getting longer.
Zhu Ge had no doubt that in the near future, it might take years or even decades to acquire another trait.
But it was worth it!
As long as Zhu Ge could survive the trials of this year, his lifespan would naturally increase in the future.
A longer life and a higher realm meant he could use his traits more often.
This meant he could defeat more powerful enemies, acquire more resources, and use those resources to become even stronger—granting him a longer life and even more traits.
It was a virtuous cycle!
’So, what will the third simulation be?’
Zhu Ge eagerly awaited to see what trait this third simulation would bring him.