Chapter 46: Tai Sui
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"Plug-In No. 10287, your fourth mission is about to begin. Please keep in mind the rules of the plug-in: Rule one, if the protagonist is in danger, you must immediately take action to save them; Rule two…”
"Next stop: 'Tai Sui'. The plug-in delivery system will arrive at the station in two minutes. Please prepare yourself, Plug-in No. 10287…"
"'Tai Sui' is a riveting supernatural feng shui novel. It tells the story of how the male protagonist becomes a 'half-immortal' success story after acquiring Tai Sui.”
Cheng Xuyuan quietly listened to the system speaking. Suddenly, the environment around him began to shake violently, just like when he entered 'Shenwu Academy' before.
Amidst the turbulence, Cheng Xuyuan asked, "So… what form of plug-in am I this time?”
The system calmly replied, "You are Tai Sui."
"What exactly is Tai Sui?”
Before Cheng Xuyuan could finish his question, the shaking around him abruptly stopped. He felt a void under his feet, fell into a spatial rift, and entered his fourth world.
Upon arrival, he found himself confined in a small, stuffy box.
It was a sandalwood box. The confined space and heavy scent of sandalwood made Cheng Xuyuan gasp for breath.
"'Tai Sui', also known as lingzhi (Note: magical reishi mushroom?)." The system's voice followed. "If consumed over time, it can lighten the body, keep one youthful, and provide longevity."
Cheng Xuyuan responded with disdain, "That's all deception. Aren't lingzhi just fungi? There's no such thing as immortality. So to put it simply, I am a health supplement, right?"
The system sounded somewhat exasperated, "You are a plug-in. How can you compare yourself to an ordinary mushroom? You are a three-thousand-year-old lingzhi grown in front of an emperor's tomb, absorbing the essence of the sun, moon, earth, and sky. You're just covered in dust right now."
Just as the system finished speaking, suddenly a pair of hands took the box from a high place, causing a bump.
"I'm sorry, lingzhi," came a pleasing, attractive female voice, "You saved my father's life before. I should have taken good care of you. But the medical expenses have emptied our resources, and now we're penniless. I have to sell you…"
"This is the female protagonist, Zhao Xintong," the system interjected in time. "She sells Tai Sui to the male protagonist's family, and that's how their destinies intertwine."
Cheng Xuyuan quickly formulated a clear positioning for himself: a health supplement and matchmaker.
At the same time, he remained dubious about his Tai Sui identity. He wondered how superstitious the male protagonist was to consider buying lingzhi as a health supplement.
If he could converse with the male protagonist, he would certainly advise him: Go to a hospital if you're ill, don't rely on fungi.
Zhao Xintong, with the box in tow, boarded a bus, departing from the rural life she’d lived in for over a decade, bound for the capital city.
The one who agreed to purchase her lingzhi was a steward from the Tang family.
The Tang family was vast and deeply rooted in the capital. They had only one son, named Tang Yunxian, who was born with a handsome appearance and a graceful demeanor.
However, Tang Yunxian was unfortunately frail and prone to illness since childhood. When he was five years old, a fortune-teller had predicted that he wouldn't live past the age of 25.
This year, Tang Yunxian turned 25. Just as the fortune-teller said, his health had been deteriorating since the beginning of the year. He sought medical treatment everywhere but to no avail. Neither traditional Chinese medicine nor modern Western medicine could determine the root cause of his illness.
Out of desperation, the Tang family began to purchase various medicines, and lingzhi was on their shopping list.
Zhao Xintong glanced at the box in her hand, hoping that the lingzhi could truly save Tang Yunxian's life.
Some time ago, Zhao Xintong's father, Zhao Chao, was diagnosed with lung cancer. All the family's savings were spent over the past few months, and they owed a significant amount of debt. Just when the hospital was about to give up on Zhao Chao, Zhao Xintong's mother, Chen Min, found the lingzhi in the most obscure corner.
"Before your grandfather passed away, he told me this lingzhi was grown in front of an emperor's tomb," Chen Min said tearfully to Zhao Xintong. "Maybe if your father eats this, his illness can be cured?"
At first, Zhao Xintong thought her mother's idea was absurd and ridiculous. How could the mythical lingzhi, the supposed elixir of immortality, really cure any illness?
However, with no other options, she decided to give it a try. She cut a small piece of the lingzhi, made a soup with it, and fed it to her unconscious father.
A miracle happened.
Not only did the cut lingzhi quickly grow back, but her father also regained consciousness after drinking the lingzhi soup.
Two months later, Zhao Chao's lung cancer miraculously disappeared, leaving even the doctors in disbelief.
Chen Min was interviewed by the local newspaper due to this incident. She told the reporter that Zhao Chao's cancer was cured because of the lingzhi soup they made at home.
The reporter was skeptical about her claim, but in order to boost the sales of the newspaper, he still included the story in his report.
However, everyone treated the news as a joke during dinner.
Who would believe that lingzhi could cure cancer?
Lost in her thoughts, Zhao Xintong arrived at the Tang family's villa. The architecture was a medieval European style, built even before the Republic of China era, exuding an understated and luxurious atmosphere.
Zhao Xintong called the butler, Li Heng, to come out and collect the goods.
About ten minutes later, Li Heng led Zhao Xintong through the Tang family's front gate. He walked ahead and said to the person behind him, "The young master had another health issue this morning and had to be sent to the hospital, so he can't personally inspect the goods."
Zhao Xintong nodded timidly and whispered, "It's okay, I promise my lingzhi is real..."
"Whether it's real or not is not up to you," Li Heng smiled gently, reaching for the sandalwood box. "After all, no doctor in the entire capital has been able to treat the young master's illness."
Zhao Xintong had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Li Heng opened the box and saw a huge golden lingzhi placed in the center, emitting a faint glow. The surface of the lingzhi was very smooth, with dense patterns resembling human blood vessels.
At just one glance, he knew this was a top-quality lingzhi.
"Alright, I'll have someone transfer the money to your card later," Li Heng gave a slight nod. "Miss Zhao, there are excellent Biluochun and West Lake Longjing teas on the coffee table. Please rest for a while on your own. I have other matters to attend to and I'm afraid I won't be able to keep you company."
This was clearly a signal for her to leave. Zhao Xintong hurriedly said, "Then, I'll leave first..."
Li Heng watched Zhao Xintong's retreating figure, looked at the lingzhi in his hand, and sighed as he went upstairs. "The old man is too stubborn. We've already bought so many lingzhi, but none of them can cure the young master's illness."
Having said that, Li Heng closed the sandalwood box, entered Tang Yunxian's bedroom, and whispered to himself, "The young master's condition is getting worse, and he's becoming more and more stubborn. Even if I wear out my mouth, he'd never be willing to take this."
Li Heng finished speaking, placed the box in a corner of the bedroom with a bunch of other useless health products, and then closed the bedroom door, leaving Tang Yunxian's room.
Cheng Xuyuan asked the system in his mind, "Is he just going to leave me here like this?"
The system replied, "You will be needed later to save the protagonist. Don't worry."
"Actually, I'm not very keen on completing this task," Cheng Xuyuan thought of himself being consumed and shivered at the thought. "What if they slice me up and cook me..."
"Tai Sui doesn't have a sense of pain," the system comforted him, "Even if you're sliced, you'll grow back quickly."
"You say it so easily!" Cheng Xuyuan retorted angrily, "Let's see how you like being sliced!"
He decided that if he could see the protagonist, he must persuade him not to be superstitious.
Kyoto is a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons gather, with various auras overcoming it.
Among these auras, a golden one stands out especially, appearing in the First Hospital in the city center.
Tang Yunxian lay on the hospital bed, with a chilled, peeled apple held in his fingers. His long, cold eyes looked at his father, Tang Long, beside the bed and he said softly, "Dad, I'm fine. I just caught a little cold this morning, you don't need to worry so much."
"Don't talk anymore, just rest," Tang Long tenderly looked at his son's pale cheeks, handsome but always dealing with pain and illness.
"I see you're also busy with work. It's not right for you to take care of me here," Tang Yunxian sighed, "you might as well have Li Heng come here. You should go and get busy."
Tang Long was not bothered by the work, he kindly told his son, "We only have you as our child in our family. Your mother has been abroad for many years looking for a cure for you, if I don't care about you, then no one will."
A sense of guilt flashed in Tang Yunxian's eyes.
In the vast Tang family, he felt like a burden.
Two days later, Tang Yunxian could not bear the smell of disinfectants in the hospital any longer and demanded to be discharged.
Back home, Tang Long was busy dealing with company affairs and ordered Li Heng to take good care of his young master.
Tang Yunxian was used to it. Hospitalization was a minor thing, and it was commonplace for him to be admitted to the ICU.
He sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows in his bedroom, looking at the flowers in the garden.
It was summertime, and his favorite lotus flowers were in full bloom in the pond. The pink buds were exceptionally vibrant, displaying vigorous life under the sunlight.
Tang Yunxian picked up a paintbrush and palette from the side and began to dab on the paper.
In a short while, the entire beauty of the garden sprang to life on the paper. Each flower seemed as if it was blooming beautifully on the page.
Tang Yunxian's dream since he was a child was to become a successful businessman like his father. However, his physical condition did not allow this, so he had to choose an art major in university and got admitted to the best art school in the country.
Painting was almost his only means to alleviate his gloomy mood.
Due to his exceptional health condition, Tang Yunxian barely had any friends growing up. The reason was simple: as soon as a friend caught a little cold or fever, he would very quickly catch it too, and any virus would become much worse in his body.
Therefore, the statement "he can only live up to 25" was not a lie told by a fortune-teller.
Cheng Xuyuan hearing the protagonist's slight cough, asked the system, "What exactly is wrong with his health?"
"Tang Yunxian is the reincarnation of an emperor." The system's words shocked Cheng Xuyuan, "This is an extremely noble destiny, but his body cannot bear it, hence the saying 'What goes up must come down'."
Cheng Xuyuan was amazed: "The reincarnation of an emperor? That's impressive!"
However, thinking that because of this reason he had to endure 25 years of suffering, he felt that it was indeed a tragedy.
Tang Yunxian put away his painting and neatly arranged the paint boxes. As he passed by his desk, he suddenly smelled a refreshing fragrance.
But this hint of fragrance disappeared instantly, and it was gone before he could capture it.
… Was it an illusion?
Tang Yunxian's gaze swept over the pile of miscellaneous boxes on the desk, a trace of confusion flickering in his eyes.
Night fell.
Tang Yunxian finished washing early, let Li Heng routinely disinfect his bed, then put on silky pajamas, and quickly fell asleep.
Today was the Mid-July Ghost Festival.
The gates of hell were wide open, with ghosts walking in the night.
A very round moon hung in the night sky, with a faint reddish color, as if stained with fresh blood.
The aura of Tai Sui became particularly strong, not only near the Tang's mansion, but also filled several miles around with this tempting aroma.
Before Cheng Xuyuan crossed over, Tai Sui was just a herbaceous plant.
But when he inhabited Tai Sui's body, Tai Sui was no longer an ordinary lingzhi.
In other words, Tai Sui had "awakened."
Three thousand years of the essence of day and night were all concentrated in Tai Sui, a treasure that all cultivators in the six realms yearned for.
But there was an overpowering royal aura in the villa, and ordinary monsters didn't dare to approach.
Just when Cheng Xuyuan fell asleep, a rustling sound came from the door.
A shadow entered Tang Yunxian's room.
The One-Horned Mountain Demon was attracted by the scent of Tai Sui. For it, who had cultivated for hundreds of years but had not yet transformed, the aroma of Tai Sui was utterly irresistible.
"What royal aura..." The One-Horned Mountain Demon sneered, "This Tai Sui is obviously the best one grown near an emperor's tomb, so it's natural to have absorbed the royal aura."
The ugly monster walked into the bedroom and first saw the frail mortal lying on the bed.
For some reason, this mortal also had a golden aura.
"Perhaps it's because he has consumed Tai Sui?" A sly glint flashed through the eyes of the One-Horned Mountain Demon, "Then why not just eat him too, it will add a few years to my cultivation."
So saying, the One-Horned Mountain Demon quickly pounced on the person on the bed.
Tang Yunxian was a light sleeper; an odd presence in the room startled him awake. The moment he opened his eyes, he only saw a shadow appearing in front of his bed.
Just as he was about to scream out in surprise, a golden shadow blocked the black figure's attack.
A moment later, a young man emanating a faint golden light appeared in the room, standing opposite the black figure.
The youth was dressed in a white robe with golden patterns. He slightly curled up the corners of his mouth, looking at the One-Horned Mountain Demon.
"If you want to harm him, ask for my permission first."
Tang Yunxian, staring at the young man's slender figure, was completely engulfed in shock and confusion.
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