Chapter 77 The Stone of Revival

Hearing She Meier’s words, Yan Chixia couldn’t help but lift his hand to slap his forehead, laughing sheepishly.

“Heh heh… She Meier, you’re right, the moment I set foot in ‘Death Valley’ today, I really turned into a complete simpleton! Since that’s the case, I’ll say nothing more and leave everything to your arrangements.”

“Good!” She Meier replied happily, “Yan Chixia, today we’ll pick just ten ‘Heart Elixirs’: once we’re back at Pure Void Temple, I’ll take five, and you all can keep the other five.” As she spoke, she noticed that the ‘Ruyi Divine Ark’ had suddenly stopped and begun to descend slowly. She stood up and called out, “Yan Chixia, get up, we’ve arrived!”

Yan Chixia looked down and, sure enough, saw a stretch of golden sand below, bordered by a lush, emerald thicket of ‘Heart Elixir’ shrubs.

In no time, the ‘Ruyi Divine Ark’ landed gently upon a bare patch of golden sand. When the hatch opened automatically, Yan Chixia, gripping the Crimson Hero Sword, stepped out energetically with She Meier. The moment his feet touched the ground, he rushed eagerly toward the ‘Heart Elixir’ bushes.

She Meier understood his excitement perfectly. When she had first come here, she herself had dashed to the thicket even less composed than Yan Chixia was now. Without a word, she hurried after him.

In the blink of an eye, the two stood before the dense cluster of ‘Heart Elixir’ shrubs.

Yan Chixia halted, taking a careful look. The thicket’s branches reached about waist height, each as thick as a finger, growing side by side, glowing with a jade-green luster. Most of the branches were bare and leafless, but a few bore ‘Heart Elixirs’ at varying heights—these fruits resembled hearts, each about the size of a chicken egg, gleaming red and dazzling against the green.

Yet, what surprised Yan Chixia even more was that, scattered throughout the sandy soil among the bushes, many small hollows like bird nests could be seen, each cradling a single grayish-white bird egg...

Yan Chixia had no interest in the bird eggs; on the slopes of Great Lonely Mountain back home, such eggs were a common sight in summer. At this moment, what fascinated him most were the ‘Heart Elixirs.’

“Ah! ‘Heart Elixirs’—how utterly delightful!” Yan Chixia exclaimed, admiring the fruits. “She Meier, may I ask, how does one pick these ‘Heart Elixirs’ that flower and bear fruit once every five centuries?”

“With your hands, nothing more,” She Meier replied with a gentle smile. “Yan Chixia, would you like to try?”

“Of course! But... these ‘Heart Elixirs’ are so precious—I’m afraid I might damage them if I’m not careful!”

“Hee hee… You won’t! Yan Chixia, if you want to pick them, just do it—just as you’d pick sour dates on Great Lonely Mountain…”

“Heh heh… She Meier, why does that sound like you’re teasing me?”

“Oh! Yan Chixia, do you finally know a guilty conscience? Hee hee… Don’t take it to heart, I’m not mocking you, just telling the truth. Though ‘Heart Elixirs’ are rare, they aren’t delicate, and aren’t easily damaged… Go ahead and pick to your heart’s content.”

“All right!” Yan Chixia agreed cheerfully. He picked the nearest ‘Heart Elixir’ with one hand, twisting it off gently. “Wow, it’s heavy—about the weight of a gold ingot…” he blurted out, bringing the fruit to his nose. He wrinkled his brow. “Good heavens, what’s this smell? So bitter and astringent?”

“Good medicine tastes bitter,” She Meier laughed. “Yan Chixia, give me that ‘Heart Elixir’ and go pick another.”

Yan Chixia handed the fruit to her and turned to pick a second ‘Heart Elixir’...

Before long, he had gathered ten ‘Heart Elixirs,’ all of which She Meier stored in her ‘Storage Ring.’ Yan Chixia, elated, said,

“Haha… I never expected picking ‘Heart Elixirs’ would be as easy as reaching into a sack! She Meier, now that we’ve got the ‘Heart Elixirs,’ let’s not waste a moment—shall we go search for the ‘Revival Stones’?”

Yan Chixia had thought She Meier would agree readily, but instead she shot him a glance and said,

“What, Yan Chixia? The ‘Revival Stones’ are right before your eyes, and you want to ignore them and search elsewhere? Brother, are you addicted to treasure hunting?”

“Huh?” Yan Chixia blinked. “She Meier, what are you saying? The ‘Revival Stones’ are right here?” He looked around in confusion. “But… I only see the ‘Heart Elixir’ thicket, sand, and those bird eggs—where else could… Oh?” Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “She Meier, could it be that those bird eggs are the ‘Revival Stones’?”

“Yan Chixia, you’re clever!” She Meier smiled, her gaze drifting to the eggs nestled in the sandy hollows among the shrubs. “Yes, those eggs are the ‘Revival Stones.’”

“Really?” Yan Chixia was still doubtful. “That can’t be right, She Meier. The ‘Revival Stones’ are meant to be stones—how could they be bird eggs? If they’re eggs, they should be called ‘Revival Eggs!’ How could…”

“Why not?” She Meier interrupted. “Yan Chixia, isn’t it true that in your village, Chen Xiaobao’s father—clearly a man—goes by the name ‘Chen Wunya,’ which is a woman’s name? If a man can bear a woman’s name, why can’t a bird egg be called a stone?”

“Hm, She Meier, you have a point!” Yan Chixia exclaimed in delight. “Truly, ‘search high and low, only to find it with no effort at all.’ I never imagined that the ‘Heart Elixirs’ and the ‘Revival Stones’ would be together… Hahaha, ‘Revival Stones,’ here I come!”

With that, he approached the sandy hollows beaming, reached out to pick up a ‘Revival Stone’ with his right hand, placed it in his left palm, and examined it closely, laughing as he did so:

“So, you’re the ‘Revival Stone,’ little bird egg!”

“Yan Chixia, you’re mistaken again!” She Meier stepped to his side, watching the ‘Revival Stone’ with him as she corrected him, “It’s not that the bird egg is the ‘Revival Stone,’ but that the ‘Revival Stone’ is actually a bird egg. Well? Now that you have both the ‘Heart Elixirs’ and the ‘Revival Stones,’ are you satisfied?”

“Yes, I’m overjoyed!” Yan Chixia could barely contain his happiness. “She Meier, now that I have one ‘Revival Stone,’ I’ll just collect four more, you’ll keep them all in the ‘Storage Ring,’ and then we’ll hurry back so my master can refine the ‘Soul-Calming Elixir’…”

“What?” Before Yan Chixia could finish, She Meier cried out in alarm, “Yan Chixia, you want to take five ‘Revival Stones’ back for your master to refine the ‘Soul-Calming Elixir’? What are you thinking? Truly, ignorance is fearless—do you mean to kill your master?”