Chapter 338 The Divine Art of Plant Cultivation

In the courtyard house, Ning Tao narrated at length all that had happened to him over the past few days, from breast augmentation using a plucking talisman, to treasure-hunting in Florence. He also talked about treating Professor Jade in Stockholm, Ruitian. Finally, he told them about how he had unearthed a USB drive from Lucy's grave, and how he escaped from Joseph Talman's pursuit.

He did not mention one experience, which was the incident when he nearly lost himself to Shalim Talman. Even now, thinking back, he felt ashamed. His cultivation of over 20 years and his virgin body were nearly ruined by a foreign princess. Of course he could not tell this to Jiang Hao, or she would have flared up in jealousy.

The loveliest moment of his life ought to be reserved for his most beloved woman, either Qing Zhui or Jiang Hao. But which between them, he had not yet decided…

“You gave that princess a breast augmentation… was she topless when you did that?” After Ning Tao concluded his tale, Jiang Hao asked meaningfully.

“Um… of course she was. How could I do it when she was dressed? By the way, I did it with a plucking talisman. What I touched was the talisman, not her body,” Ning Tao explained awkwardly. He even took out a plucking talisman to prove his innocence.

Jiang Hao took the plucking talisman and studied it from left and from right. “This thing can augment b.r.e.a.s.t.s? Try it on me and convince me.”

Ning Tao's heart shook and his eyes glittered. “Do it for who?”

“For you,” Jiang Hao answered.

Ning Tao was speechless.

Jiang Hao returned the plucking talisman to Ning Tao. “I don't care about this darn talisman. Mine are large enough.”

“Yes, yes, yours are large enough. You don't need a b.o.o.b job.” Ning Tao said these soothingly to placate her.

Jiang Hao rolled her eyes at Ning Tao and gave a sigh. “I didn't expect Lin Qinghua to have changed so much. My condition now is no different from his. Will I end up like him?”

Ning Tao said, “You shouldn't worry about this. Although I don't know what had happened to him, I won't let any mishap befall you.”

A faint smile hovered on Jiang Hao's lips. Even a woman like her would yearn for a man's protection.

“By the way, I nearly forgot. Since I have found another skull fragment, I will refine a new Ancestor-seeking Elixir. Hao, I'll let you have this.” Ning Tao took out the porcelain vial with the incomplete Ancestor-seeking Elixir from his small medicine chest. He put the vial into Jiang Hao's hands.

Jiang Hao took the porcelain vial and asked, perplexed, “Why are you giving me this?”

Before Ning Tao could explain, Qing Zhui interrupted with the answer. “Sister Hao, this is an Ancestor-seeking Elixir, a top-grade elixir of immortality. Although it is incomplete, it can increase your demon power. You're a new demon. Once you take this pill, it will greatly boost your demon power.”

“Greatly boost my demon power?” Jiang Hao cast her eyes on her own b.r.e.a.s.t.s and asked curiously, “Where's my demon power?”

After all, she was a very new demon. She had not understood many basic concepts.

Ning Tao smiled. “Would you like to leap up to the third floor?”

Jiang Hao thought for a while. “Of course I do. Is it so awesome?”

“It's just the basics,” Qing Zhui said.

“Then I'll take it.” With these words, Jiang Hao unstoppered the vial and prepared to swallow that incomplete Ancestor-seeking Elixir.

Ning Tao frantically held down her hand. “Tonight, I'll take you to some place where you can take it. If you take it here, you will wreck the entire house.”

Jiang Hao stared at Ning Tao. “To Florence?”

Ning Tao thought for a while. “Let's have beer in Florence first, then take this elixir in Shennongjia. You can do whatever you like there.”

Jiang Hao gave a delighted smile. “Good. Then let's have beer in Florence and take the elixir in Shennongjia.”

He could tell that she really wanted to visit Florence, which was why Ning Tao suggested visiting the city before leaving for Shennongjia to take the elixir.

Qing Zhui said, “You two can go. I will stay back and look after the kid.”

Ning Tao said, “The Howling Celestial Dog is here, isn't it…?”

Before Ning Tao could finish, Jiang Hao had spoken. “Alright, thanks for your trouble.”

Qing Zhui said with a smile, “No trouble, no trouble at all.”

Ning Tao felt a warmth surge up his heart. He was sure she had wanted to go, but had kept away in order to fulfill them. She had volunteered to stay home and look after the kid. What else would a husband want from such a concubine?

Jiang Hao stared at Qing Zhui and her lips quivered. She seemed about to utter some words of thanks, but her character made her say something else instead. “Tao, on that day you left, I received an order from the bureau.”

“From the Special Events Bureau?” Ning Tao frowned slightly. “What mission did they give you?”

Jiang Hao said, “Not to me, but to you.”

Ning Tao immediately started. “To me?”

Jiang Hao said, “Didn't you tell Zhang Zeshan that you would like to take charge of the project of ancestor seeking? The authorities have approved. They told me to ask you to prepare a proposal and select your members.”

Ning Tao smiled wryly. “I only said that in order to save you. I didn't expect them to take me at my word. Proposal? I have no proposal, and I won't prepare one. But I can select the members. I choose you and Jia Yinhong. I think that man's not too bad.”

Jiang Hao said, “He's trustworthy enough, but you can't tell him everything.”

Ning Tao nodded. He must indeed listen to his future wife.

“Only me and Jia Yinhong?” Jiang Hao asked.

Ning Tao said, “I had initially wanted you alone, but that Zhang Zeshan knows about our relations.h.i.+p. I'm afraid he may get suspicious, so we might as well pick one more person. You can let Jia Yinhong work and you do the commanding. You shouldn't get yourself too involved.”

“What is our relations.h.i.+p…” For some strange reason, Jiang Hao's voice had softened into a whisper.

Ning Tao said in a thick-skinned way, “Fiancée!”

Jiang Hao spat lightly and blushed. “Not me.”

Ning Tao chuckled delightedly. He felt that if this continued, he would no longer be a virgin.Read more chapter on our vi pnovel

Qing Zhui said, “Sister Hao, I think you'd better be a full-time housewife. Brother Ning will support you.”

Jiang Hao said, “I can't just quit my job like that. The whole procedure is very troublesome and will take time.”

But she did not reject Qing Zhui's proposal of being a “full-time housewife”.

At this moment, the Howling Celestial Dog dashed in through the door. Hu Xiaoji was sitting on its back, her little face caked with dirt. The Howling Celestial Dog had entered, and yet she was still barking orders. “Giddy-up! Giddy-up!”

“I'm a dog, not a horse.” The Howling Celestial Dog's face showed grievance. Then, it said very exaggeratedly, “h.e.l.lo! Dad's back! Xiaoji, go after your mom!”

Ning Tao glared. The Howling Celestial Dog had long known that he was back. He was only doing this because he wanted out and not look after the kid. But Ning Tao was not upset over this, but over the fact that this creature was asking Hu Xiaoji to call him mom. Would a man with a d.i.c.k be a mom?

The Howling Celestial Dog lowered its beastly head, looking quite guilty.

Hu Xiaoji stretched out her little hands and yelled, “Carry me, mom. Carry me.”

Ning Tao gave a wry smile and stretched out his hands, taking her from the dog's back. “Was Xiaoji a good girl these few days?”

“Yes.” Hu Xiaoji's dirty face drew close and she pecked on Ning Tao's face. “Mom, give Xiaoji a kiss.”

Ning Tao was quite speechless, but finally gave her small face a kiss.

Jiang Hao touched her forehead, looking as if she had a headache. “What kind of a family is this? A talking dog, and a kid calling a man her mom…”

He was home, chatting with his family and having a small gathering. It felt so good.

After playing with her for a while, Ning Tao put Hu Xiaoji back on the Howling Celestial Dog's back. He let it take care of her. Qing Zhui and Bai Jing had left to prepare lunch. He, on the other hand, was bringing the laptop back to Sky Clinic.

After inserting the flash drive into his laptop's USB port, the screen displayed a files folder. Professor Jade did not encrypt his files with a pa.s.sword. He did not know why, but this mitigated Ning Tao's need to decode them.

Ning Tao opened the folder and found two more folders in it. He opened them, one after the other. One was a folder for photos, the other for a video.

The photos were of a very ancient book bound in leather. Judging from the first photo, it must be at least 30 centimeters thick. The rest of the photos were on the book's contents, one photo for every page. The images were very clear.

Quite evidently, these photos must be of that “symbol book” the Cagu clan found in ancient Rome. Professor Jade had spent his whole life studying it. Of course, he would have taken photos and kept a copy. With these photos, Ning Tao no longer needed the actual book from the Cagu family. Having these photos was as good as owning the book.

Other than the photos, there was a Word doc.u.ment in the folder.

Ning Tao opened it and was overcome by excitement. Professor Jade had edited all the decoded portions into this Word doc.u.ment. Every symbol or rune had been translated into two languages: the Ruitian language, and English.

Although they were in English, Ning Tao still found it difficult to read, because there were too many academic terms. It appeared that he must improve his English before he could completely understand the doc.u.ment.

Suddenly, Ning Tao's eyes stopped at a symbol in the Word doc.u.ment. He experienced a sense of familiar. He remembered something, went to his drawer to take out the photos of stone eggs he took in Feminine-moon City, and compared them.

After comparing over one dozen photos, Ning Tao found a matching one.

The rune in the photo was exactly the same as that in the Word doc.u.ment. Ning Tao did not know what it meant in the past, or how it was p.r.o.nounced. With Professor Jade's translation, he now knew both its meaning and p.r.o.nunciation.

“Ji… ji? It must be read as 'ji'.” Everything was so simple. Now, Ning Tao could understand a rune in the Feminine-moon City's formation.

It was not just about mastering a rune. It also meant that if he completely mastered the contents of that leather-bound book, he would very likely unravel that strange formation left behind by Feminine-moon people, and unlock their secrets!

Ning Tao did not hasten to learn the symbols in the Word doc.u.ment. This could not be hurried and would take time. He curbed his agitated emotions and opened the video file.

Professor Jade appeared in the video. He had lost almost all his hair and was shriveled and emaciated. One glance, and one could tell he was undergoing chemotherapy when recording this video.

There was a spiritual field of several square meters in the video. Crops were growing on it— wheat, corn, and some unknown flower. They all looked like they were growing well.

Perhaps he had wanted to pa.s.s down the art, which was why Professor Jade spoke in English. “I know I don't have much time. In this final period of my life, I am recording this video. Not to prove anything, but in order that my life efforts would not descend to h.e.l.l with me.” “I don't know when or who will open this video. Maybe it will be lost forever. I leave it to G.o.d…”

“I have been studying semiotics all my life. I have mastered Egyptian hieroglyphs, ancient Roman symbols as well as Mayan writings, and ancient symbols in the Far East. This was why the Cagu family looked for me. They gave me a book to read. I still remember the scene that day. I was immediately intrigued. I had never seen such symbols before, and did not know what era they were from. Or what they meant…”

“I started to study them, and spent my next 30 years on them. I watched the prince and the two princesses grow into adulthood, while I aged. But my efforts were not in vain. After consulting countless doc.u.ments and references, and many colleagues from around the world, I managed to decode part of it. I understand it to be a plant cultivation art of G.o.d…”

“After decoding it and experimenting, I finally found the necessary green soil at the bottom of the ocean. I reared different plants using the methods recorded in the book, and met with some success. The plants reared in this greenish soil were all outstanding. Some of their fruits had medicinal or tonic properties. The royalty valued my project greatly and gave me generous support. But in the end, I still came short of something. I could not achieve the results as recorded in the book…”

End of video.

A faint smile appeared on Ning Tao's lips. “You lacked spiritual power, but I don't. Don't worry, I will develop and bring your life efforts into fruition. I will make rearing these spiritual materials my subsidiary job!”