Chapter 11: The Ruyi Space
In the botanical garden, besides the plants, there was a river and three wells. The water in the river was still and exceptionally clear. Although it appeared to be stagnant dead water, Zhu Yanyi clearly sensed that the water quality was excellent. Cupping a mouthful of water to drink, she tasted a faint sweetness, far superior to the old well water found in the modern world.
Zhu Yanyi did not dwell too much on the stillness of the river. After all, this was a spatial realm, not the outside world. In her view, the seemingly stagnant river water was not truly dead; it was merely frozen at a specific point in time.
Next, her attention turned to the three wells nearby. Zhu Yanyi walked over to inspect them and noticed two characters inscribed on the rim of each well. The first was labeled Spirit Spring, the second Medicine Spring, and the third Poison Spring. These labels seemed to indicate their respective natures. As Zhu Yanyi approached the first well, the Spirit Spring, she felt a wave of comfort wash over her entire body without even tasting the water, sensing its extraordinary nature immediately. The second well, the Medicine Spring, emitted a faint herbal fragrance. Surprisingly, the third well, the Poison Spring, exuded the scent of roses. The ancients said that the most toxic things are the most beautiful; Zhu Yanyi guessed that in this space, the most toxic things were the most fragrant.
Beside the three wells stood a small bamboo pavilion, roughly two stories high. Zhu Yanyi stepped inside.
The layout of the bamboo pavilion was clear and orderly. The ground floor served as a practice area, which could be considered an meditation chamber. The upper floor was a study. Inside the study, aside from a reclining couch, there was a set of tables and chairs made of thousand-year-old agarwood. The surrounding bookshelves were also crafted from agarwood. One could only wonder how much the supreme being who created this space must have loved agarwood.
The bookshelves were filled with numerous books covering a wide range of knowledge. There were texts on music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as agricultural manuals and martial arts secrets. Most importantly, the majority of the books were medical texts. However, most of the books here were written in traditional Chinese characters. Fortunately, in her previous life, Zhu Yanyi had learned traditional characters for writing novels, so she faced no difficulties in reading them.
A letter lay on the desk. After Zhu Yanyi opened and read the letter, she finally understood everything about the space and realized its true value.
The space was indeed called the Ruyi Space. Originally, the supreme being who forged this space intended to pass down all knowledge useful to humanity. More importantly, Azure Sovereign Qingdi, the peerless Medical God Venerable, was about to return to the chaos. Reluctant to let his life’s work be destroyed, he entrusted this supreme being to preserve all his efforts within this space. Whoever obtained this space, if they had the heart to learn medicine, needed to perform the master-disciple ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows before the only portrait of Azure Sovereign Qingdi on the adjacent wall. Furthermore, they had to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao that their medical skills would only be used to benefit humanity. If they violated this vow, they would be annihilated, turning to ash and smoke. The letter also provided an introduction to the botanical garden, the river, and the three wells outside.
The plants in the botanical garden were seeds casually discarded by that supreme being. Because the soil in this space was Xirang (Self-Expanding Earth), the medicinal herbs, vegetables, and fruits grown here all possessed spiritual energy. Consuming them could improve one’s constitution. However, such items should not be consumed in excess, even by oneself. If one wished to share them with others, it was best to extract the juice and dilute it before giving it to them. The empty plots of land had already been modified by the supreme being. Although they still retained some characteristics of Xirang, the effects were significantly diminished. If one insisted on giving fruits to others, they could plant fruits, vegetables, and crops in these areas, as the produce grown here was suitable for ordinary people to consume.