Chapter 8, The Heartbroken Poisonous Mother

But how could there be so many heartbroken grasses on this lonely island mountain? Could it be..." Shen Caihua said in astonishment

"No... I have searched everywhere, but there is nothing," Dudu said dejectedly

Elder Peng removed the bowl, and Daoist Jia sat cross-legged, placing his hands in a mudra on his abdomen, beginning to circulate his energy.

Shen Caihua and Dudu exited the temple and strolled along the way

Mount Xieshan, known in Han times as Gushi and referred to as Dagu Mountain during the Tang Dynasty, is entirely composed of limestone. The southern part is higher than the northern, and it slopes from east to west. The northern side resembles a Buddha's cap, the southern side looks like a giant ship, the eastern side is akin to an embroidered shoe, and the western side resembles a reclining lion. At this moment, it is early spring in March, with orioles flying and grass growing, and the mountains are adorned with a profusion of yellow and purple wildflowers, creating a truly beautiful scene

It is strange that so many poison hemlocks are growing here; there should be a mother plant.

Shen Caihua continued to explain: "The 'Compendium of Materia Medica' records that humans can die from mistakenly consuming the leaves of the 'breaking intestines grass', while sheep grow very fat from eating its seedlings. Han Sheng's father said that, in fact, if sheep were to eat the 'breaking intestines poisonous mother', they would also die."

Gazing at the green stems, yellow flowers, and small leaves in his hand, Shen Caihua said: "Father Hansheng told me that ancient texts record how Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs. He encountered a vine with leaves growing oppositely, adorned with pale yellow flowers. He plucked a few tender leaves and tasted them. As soon as he chewed and swallowed, the toxicity surged, and before he could take the antidote, Shennong's intestines had already broken into small segments. This vine, which caused Shennong's intestines to rupture and led to his death, is known as 'Duanchangcao' or 'Intestine-breaking Grass.' In fact, the ordinary Duanchangcao is not lethal enough to kill Shennong; the one he ingested was the 'Duanchang Dumu' or 'Intestine-breaking Poison Mother.'"

"Only then, talent, look, the gaps in this stone ground are quite... large, there might be caves below," Dudu suddenly said thoughtfully

"The heart-wrenching poison of a mother!" Shen Caihua replied

After a long time, Dudu flew back, drenched in sweat.

At this moment, Shen Caihua was already hovering close to the cave entrance when he suddenly felt the vine loosen. In an instant, he plummeted down... Before he could even cry out in surprise, he had already fallen onto a protruding rock in front of the cave, and then his body tilted back, falling again towards the cliff... At this critical moment, Dudu let out a loud shout and charged into Shen Caihua's back... At the age of seven or eight, Shen Caihua's body was relatively light, while Dudu was a large bird with considerable weight. Coupled with the force of the impact, it instantly shoved Caihua's body forcefully into the cave, shaking him a few times. Finally, he managed to steady himself.

That was close ... Shen Caihua was drenched in cold sweat, steadied himself, and then untied the vine wrapped around his waist, throwing it to the ground. Dudu, on the other hand, leaned against the cave wall, his heart pounding, breathing heavily with a "whoosh" sound.

Is this the "Poisonous Mother of Heartbreak"?" Dudu asked nervously, pressing against the stone wall

Dudu tilted his head and observed carefully for a while, and finally said dejectedly: "It, its roots are stuck in the crevices of the stone, I... we cannot pull it out"

Shen Caihua described the physical characteristics of the "Heartbreaking Poisonous Mother" to Dudu, who nodded in understanding and then took flight, searching the mountains and fields.

In the Song Dynasty, the "Cai Lan Magazine" recorded a story about a woman who longed for her beloved but could never meet him. She often cried under a wall, her tears dripping into the ground. At the spot where her tears fell, a plant grew, its flowers charming and beautiful, resembling the face of a woman. The leaves were green on the front and red on the back, and it was named "Heartbreak Grass". "Dudu explained.

***

"The Heartbreaking Poisonous Mother," listening... listening feels quite frightening. Dudu's expression changed slightly.

The mountain breeze is gentle, and a faint fragrance permeates the air. Shen Caihua squints his eyes and gazes towards the mountains, wondering where the "Broken Heart Poison Mother" might grow. He recalls what Han Sheng's father said: the Broken Heart Grass is an annual climbing plant, known in herbal medicine as "Gouwen." Its stem is only as thick as a pencil lead and over 20 centimeters tall, with green leaves the size of a fingernail. The root has a scent that is initially fragrant but later becomes foul; after a few sniffs, one may feel dizzy. The "Broken Heart Poison Mother," however, is a mother plant that has grown for a thousand years, with thick vines and leaves, and is extremely toxic throughout, especially the root, which has become tumor-like, hairless, odorless, and tasteless, yet extraordinarily poisonous. Just a touch in well water can poison an entire village, thus it is ranked as the most toxic of the ten ancient poisons in China. Despite its extreme toxicity, it has remarkable efficacy in treating conditions such as scabies, eczema, boils, and toxic sores when used externally. Perhaps it is a case of using poison to counteract poison, which is why it has been revered since ancient times as the "most dangerous traditional Chinese medicine." In the Jiangxi region, Broken Heart Grass occasionally grows in the wild, but the "Broken Heart Poison Mother" is exceedingly rare; even Han Sheng's father has only heard of it and has never seen it in person.

***

"Yes, that's it. I want to dig out the root tumor of the 'Heartbreak Poison Mother,'" Shen Caihua said excitedly. After all, he was still a child, completely forgetting that the vine on the cliff had already fallen and that he was trapped in the cave.

"How do you feel about the effects of the medicine?" Elder Peng asked from the side

Well, it would be even better if we added some thousand-year-old ginseng and human-shaped He Shou Wu" replied Daoist Jia, wiping his mouth

"Let us take a look," Shen Caihua said, and then he groped his way deeper into the dark cave

This plant is merely an ordinary "Heartbreak Grass," Shen Caihua muttered to himself, "I need to find the 'Heartbreak Poison Mother' to give to Han Sheng's father"

I... I am exploring ahead, paving the way. Dudu flapped its wings and bravely leaped forward to guide its little master

Hurry, throw away the 'Heartbreaking Poisonous Mother'! Dudu exclaimed.

Standing at the cliff's edge, with the spring breeze gently tousling a strand of Shen Caihua's hair, he gazes at the vast, misty lake, a faint sorrow creeping into his heart. At this moment, he is only seven or eight years old, still unaware of the world's warmth and coldness, yet in the young boy's heart, the memory of carrying a wrinkled-skinned infant girl, with their backs intertwined, lingers persistently. This feeling has deeply rooted itself in the recesses of his mind, ... he dreams of it almost every night ... He knows that the infant girl's name is Mo Mo, a person dear to him. Although he does not know where she has wandered, he firmly believes that Mo Mo is not dead; she is still somewhere, waiting for him with great longing ...

The heartbroken grass! Dudu opened its beak and pecked off a vine adorned with several small yellow flowers and a stem of a book, presenting it to Shen Caihua.

Little... be careful! Dudu flapped its wings, hovering in the air and urgently warned.

When in Nanshan Village, Hansheng once showed him this type of plant with dense leaves, a foul smell at the roots, and small yellow flowers, and warned: "Four-legged animals benefit from eating the plant for clearing heat and detoxifying, but two-legged ones will die if ingested. Children must remember to be extremely cautious."

Dudu stood on the shoulders of talent and whispered, "I, we can just go out for a walk... walk."

Shen Caihua bent down and crawled to the ground, squinting his eyes to look into the dark crevice. He felt a gust of cold wind rising, and Du Du was right; there must be more caves down here.

The medicine is ready, please drink it while it's hot, Daoist.

Without a word, Daoist Jia took the medicine bowl, unafraid of the heat, and gulped it down.

"Master Dao, " Shen Caihua's gaze was fixed on Daoist Jia's abdomen, and he asked with a sense of curiosity, "Are you about to give birth to a spiritual fetus?" He was utterly perplexed; how could this blind old man, being male, possibly give birth to a child?

"You... what are you saying?" Dudu asked

Then... over there, beneath the steep cliffs, there is a cave, inside it is shrouded in clouds and mist, and only that place has not been... not been visited. Dudu thought for a moment and told the young master.

This cave is not large, only about the height of a person. Looking into the entrance, the light dims significantly after just a few meters, with mist swirling around, obscuring the path ahead. Shen He * Tu * Shu reached out to touch the rock wall, which was rough and porous, covered in moss, as if the mist were emanating from those tiny holes. He was unaware that the rock formation of this cave was composed of a rare type of water-absorbing stone from Xieshan. Whenever the weather changed, this stone would emit white mist, which the monks on the mountain used to predict impending weather changes.

In the center of the cave, there grew a yellow-brown plant with a thickness comparable to that of a wrist, from which several vines extended outward, smooth and tinged with purple. It bore pairs of thick, dark green leaves; the surface of the leaves was smooth, while the underside was a dark red. Among them bloomed several small, trumpet-shaped yellow flowers. Shen Caihua knew that this was exactly what he was looking for—"Duan Chang Du Mu".

"It is the poison hemlock." Shen Caihua examined it closely and stated with certainty

On the cliffs of Xieshan, the cursive script "Mian Yun" written by the renowned calligrapher Mi Fu of the Northern Song Dynasty stands out vividly. The strokes are unique and elegant, with a sense of composure and vigor, truly deserving of the title "Mi Dian".

"Take me there," Shen Caihua said

Indeed, how can one pull it out from the crevice of the stone? Shen Caihua could not help but feel disheartened

The entire Shoe Mountain is composed of limestone, which is said to have originated from the Ice Age. Over millions of years, the interior of the mountain has eroded, creating numerous cavities that interlock like a labyrinth, and no one has ever explored their depths.

Shen Caihua had a vine wrapped around his waist, one end tied to a tree. He then grasped the vine and slowly began to climb down. However, he did not notice that he had not secured the vine properly, and the soft, slippery vine was gradually loosening...

"Hmph, if I, the poor Daoist, wish to be born, there will naturally be a way to do so," Daoist Jia said with a cold laugh.