Was he afraid that they would dig up nothing and waste time? Or was he afraid that they would actually dig up something from this spirit field, making him lose face?
Yuan Shu's words were completely merciless, just short of bluntly saying, "If you don't understand, shut up."
Mo Shoudan's expression shifted continuously. The emotions he had just managed to calm flared up again as he pointed at Yuan Shu, "How presumptuous!"
"Sir, the spirit soil down here is really quite different!" A young disciple's exclamation suddenly echoed from the deep pit.
Everyone immediately leaned over the deep pit to take a closer look. The spirit soil the young disciple had just dug up was piled on one side of the pit's bottom.
At a glance, it was obvious that the color of this spirit soil was significantly different from the rest.
Ordinary spirit soil was brown, but this soil had an eerie crimson hue, and in some places, unusual red stones were even mixed in.
The manager quickly ordered someone to go down and bring up samples of both types of spirit soil.
"What, what is going on? I have been in the medicinal herb garden for decades, and I never knew the soil beneath the spirit fields was this color!"
"The soil is so deep that ordinary tilling would never reach it, so how could you know?"
"But, what kind of thing could dye the spirit soil red?"
Everyone looked at each other in dismay, discussing animatedly.
"Could... could this be Crimson Flame Soil!" Mo Shoudan poked his head out from the crowd to take a look, his expression changing as he cried out in alarm.
Just then, the manager reached out, wanting to touch the red spirit soil.
Mo Shoudan suddenly spoke up again, "Don't move, this soil is poisonous!"
Startled, the manager reflexively withdrew his hand, his expression filled with doubt and fear.
Crimson Flame Soil was a type of soil from deep within the earth's core, containing a lethal poison.
In the past, there were miners who dug up Crimson Flame Soil and accidentally touched it with their bare hands, dying on the spot.
As soon as Mo Shoudan said this, the faces of everyone present instantly changed.
If it really was Crimson Flame Soil, they were in huge trouble!
But right at that moment, Yuan Shu, who was in the crowd, suddenly reached out. She gently rubbed a bit of the red spirit soil between her fingertips and then spoke slowly, "This is not Crimson Flame Soil."
"On what basis are you saying that? If you have a death wish, don't drag the rest of us down with you!"
Seeing that Yuan Shu dared to contradict him, Mo Shoudan's freshly suppressed temper flared up again, and he pointed at her as he spoke.
"It is recorded in the books that red spirit soil can be dug up deep underground, known as Crimson Flame. Obviously, this is Crimson Flame Soil!"
Yuan Shu glanced at him with an indifferent expression. She casually wiped the red soil off her fingertips with a handkerchief before nonchalantly gesturing toward the deep pit with her chin.
"It's true that Crimson Flame Soil is poisonous, but if this were really Crimson Flame Soil, the young disciples who were just digging the pit would have already met with an accident."
"Besides, I just touched this soil too. If it were really poisonous, wouldn't I be in trouble as well?"
As Yuan Shu's voice fell, she also displayed the fingers that had just rubbed the spirit soil, allowing everyone to see clearly.
Her pale fingertips showed no signs of poisoning whatsoever.
The surrounding crowd nodded in agreement.
The toxicity of Crimson Flame Soil was intense; even a slight touch would cause a severe reaction. It indeed shouldn't be like this.
Mo Shoudan's expression suddenly became very colorful, shifting between red and blue.
He prided himself on having read extensively through medicinal texts, believing his knowledge was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
He never expected that both points he raised today would be immediately refuted and opposed on the spot.
He wanted to retort, but every word Yuan Shu said was reasonable, leaving him absolutely no ground to argue.
Facing the suspicious gazes cast by the crowd, Mo Shoudan secretly ground his teeth and glared fiercely at Yuan Shu.
He dejectedly stepped back two paces, trying to lower his presence.
"Then... Guest Elder Yuan, what exactly is this soil? And what in the world is going on with these Profound Frost Purple Brilliance Herbs?"
The manager stepped forward and respectfully inquired.
He had no time to care about Mo Shoudan's embarrassment; right now, he only wanted to figure out the cause as soon as possible.
Off to the side, Ji Qingyan also turned his head to look at Yuan Shu.
He had just examined this red spirit soil. It wasn't Crimson Flame Soil, but as for what it actually was, he didn't know either.
Yuan Shu didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "It is spirit soil mixed with Crimson Sun Sand."
"Crimson Sun Sand? What kind of joke are you making? This place doesn't even have a single underground river of fire, so how could there be Crimson Sun Sand?"
Mo Shoudan, who had just shrunk back to the side, immediately sneered upon hearing this.
Crimson Sun Sand required the fire element of an underground river of fire to reach a certain density before it could possibly form.
Medicine Cloud Peak was situated on high terrain; it was absolutely impossible for a river of fire to appear here. This went against the laws of nature!
And to think he actually believed Yuan Shu would give some special reason, only to find out she was just talking nonsense and babbling blindly!
The mockery on Mo Shoudan's face was too obvious, and the others also revealed expressions of hesitation.
Saying that Medicine Cloud Peak had Crimson Sun Sand was indeed quite unreasonable.
But Yuan Shu was very certain. "The conditions for Crimson Sun Sand to form are indeed harsh, but there doesn't necessarily have to be an underground river of fire."
"If the fire elements condense underground to a certain degree, it will also cause the soil quality to change."
"If you don't believe me, dig down another ten zhang, and you will probably see a massive layer of Crimson Sun Sand."
Everyone looked at each other, their tones somewhat doubtful. "Will this work? Is there really Crimson Sun Sand?"
"I have been in the medicinal herb garden for so long, and I have never seen Crimson Sun Sand underneath it!"
"That thing needs a river of fire and takes a period of time to form. How could it appear so suddenly and even affect the growth of the spirit plants?"
The fire elements in Crimson Sun Sand were too intense. If it really was Crimson Sun Sand, it was indeed highly likely to cause the Profound Frost Purple Brilliance Herbs to wither.
But this was a very long process. Unless this Crimson Sun Sand had suddenly accumulated in large quantities, it couldn't cause such a drastic change in the soil quality!
"Guest Elder Yuan, how sure are you?" The manager on the side couldn't help but look at Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu reached up to stroke her chin and spoke a bit conservatively, "About ninety percent."
In truth, she was already certain of the existence of the Crimson Sun Sand.
"That high?" Hearing this, the manager was startled.
He knew that Yuan Shu was young and lacked experience, but she was a guest elder personally appointed by the Peak Master. He felt that listening to her opinion was still very necessary.
"Ninety percent? It really costs nothing to spout nonsense. If this is truly Crimson Sun Sand, I might as well yield my title of Alchemy Grandmaster to her!"
Hearing this, Mo Shoudan on the side let out a cold laugh and spoke mockingly, clearly not believing her.
Yuan Shu ignored him and simply turned her head to look at Ji Qingyan. "If you believe me, dig."
"Dig!" Ji Qingyan gave a soft shout, calling people over to get to work, taking turns digging further down.
"Deacon Ji, you actually believe her? What does she know?"
Seeing this, Mo Shoudan became unhappy again and continued to speak.
"You should go check the spirit liquid. Perhaps there is a problem with the spirit liquid used to water the Profound Frost Purple Brilliance Herbs..."
No one paid him any attention.
Mo Shoudan's face was filled with anger. Just as he was about to blow his top, Ji Qingyan suddenly spoke slowly.
"Grandmaster Mo, the Peak Master has asked me to temporarily manage the affairs of the medicinal herb garden. I will make my own decisions on what to do. If you have no other business, you can go back and rest early."
Mo Shoudan was so angry he could hardly breathe. Was he being accused of being a busybody?
"Let's go. Once I find out the true cause, I will definitely make him regret this!" With those words, Mo Shoudan gave a heavy, cold snort and led two disciples away to inspect the spirit liquid.
He was going to personally find the true reason why the Profound Frost Purple Brilliance Herbs were withering, so he could reclaim the face he had just lost.
In any case, he absolutely refused to believe that there would be Crimson Sun Sand on this peak!
