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soc_puppetFandom: The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System
Summary: Shang Qinghua is in a meeting with Mu Qingfang about the innovative new peak first aid centers when they're interrupted by a disciple from the beast peak: Shen Yuan, an otherwise ordinary young man, has discovered yet another treatment for sex pollen that involves neither sex nor involvement with heavenly demons.
Mirrors: AO3 link
Wordcount: Not quite 2k words
Ships: None
Notes: Inspired by this post on Tumblr:![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
ceramicrambles:
Medical mystery Shen Yuan who literally every checkup has a new thing that should have killed him and Mu Qingfang is incredibly concerned
MQF: Shixiong, why is your blood purple?
SY: Oh right! it’s okay I was hit with the misty eyed-transfusion-curse-of-papapa pollen but I took the antidote so now I sprout a daisy every time I pee. It’s basically the closest thing to a cure haha and the only other treatment is heavenly demon blood so what are you gonna do, amirite?
MQF: what.
mikkeneko: mind you. I'm not saying Mu Qingfang is NOT concerned. But I also think that Known Mad Scientist Mu Qingfang would see an absolute golden opportunity in just following SQQ around with a notebook at this point Thanks to ceramicrambles for both the inspiration and beta reading!
Fic: There's No Hippocratic Oath in Xianxia China
Shang Qinghua was discussing the recently introduced peak first aid centers with Mu Qingfang when there was a knock at the office door. Shang Qinghua turned in his chair and Mu Qingfang leaned over to see around him when the door cracked open.
"Begging Shizun's pardon," the medical peak's head disciple said, bowing first to his master and then to the visiting peak lord. "But you said you wanted to be alerted when Shen-shidi visited for treatment?"
Shang Qinghua was interested to note his martial sibling visibly perking up. "Ah, yes! Thank you, Hong-er, please send him in." Hong-shizhi bowed again and slipped away from the door. "I hope you don't mind, Shixiong?" Mu Qingfang said belatedly. "Shen-shizhi is the individual who inspired me to ask you about having peak first aid centers installed; he has a rather... interesting way of dealing with medical matters."
"Not at all," Shang Qinghua replied, curious to meet the disciple that had prompted a change in infrastructure that had never appeared in canon. Usually it was him doing that, inasmuch as the System allowed him to make changes in the first place.
In slipped a short young man of about sixteen, by Shang Qinghua's estimation. His long hair was tied low, just past his shoulders, and he wore a pair of round-lensed spectacles, having not yet cultivated beyond needing them. There was also a faint purple hue to his skin. "Greeting Mu-shibo," the young man said, bowing.
"Good afternoon, Shen-shizhi," Mu Qingfang said. He gestured politely to Shang Qinghua. "Shang-shixiong, this disciple is Shen Yuan, studying at the beast peak." The two murmured their greetings, and Mu Qingfang turned his attention back to the young man. "My head disciple tells me you're here with another ailment. Is it something that you're comfortable discussing in front of Shang-shixiong?"
Shen Yuan frowned for a moment, but nodded. "It should be no problem, Mu-shibo. This disciple merely happened to inhale some Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower pollen when feeding the Amber Scaled Pangolin-Snakes; I've administered the counter-toxin, but Mu-shibo advised that I should inform him when I seek alternative methods of treatment, in case he knows of any side effects, or if said treatments are not already recorded at Qian Cao."
Shang Qinghua stared at Shen Yuan in shock, only realizing he needed to close his mouth when Mu Qingfang nudged his hand. A treatment for Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower pollen? One that presumably didn't involve a heavenly demon's intervention, either via blood transfusion or dual cultivation? Suddenly, he had a very good idea why Mu Qingfang was interested in the young man.
Mu Qingfang gestured to the space beside Shang Qinghua. "Please, Shizhi, sit and we can discuss the details. I'm afraid that Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower pollen is another plant whose treatment we are unfamiliar with. I take it that this flower is the reason we can count on your Shizun to provide us with amber pangolin-snake scales on a regular basis these days?"
With another quick bow to Shang Qinghua, Shen Yuan took a seat. "Mu-shibo is correct; without the proper food, Amber Scaled Pangolin-Snakes do not do well in captivity, let alone shed their scales at a healthy rate. After introducing Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower into their diet, we've managed to not only successfully keep several animals thriving in our care, but we've also started a breeding program."
"Fascinating!" Mu Qingfang said. Shang Qinghua couldn't help but agree; it had taken Luo Bingge ten chapters to work that out! And amber pangolin-snake scales were a highly sought-after medicine component, used in many important compounds and remedies. For Cang Qiong Mountain Sect to have a successful breeding program for the animals, especially this early in canon, was truly unprecedented.
Or it would be, if several similar discoveries on the beast peak hadn't preceded it. A treatment for Pine-Sucking Weasel-Viper bites, a remedy for Ember Butterfly-Wasp burns, a counter-agent to the gas produced by Night Blooming Swamp Lily bulbs... Shang Qinghua had been suspecting something was up with all of these recent "discoveries", but had been too busy to investigate the cause of them. Now, seemingly by random chance, the source of these anomalies had been all but dropped into his lap!
Still, he couldn't exactly just blurt out his suspicions about the disciple. He'd have to play his cards carefully, see if he could adequately hint something...
"Please, Shizhi," Mu Qingfang had continued while Shang Qinghua stared rudely at their guest, "Would you elaborate on this treatment for us?"
Shen Yuan shrugged, and explained. "As with the Night Blooming Swamp Lily, the treatment for the plant's ills are within the plant itself. All I had to do was boil the bulb in sugar, crush it, soak it in a tisane made from the flower's petals, and then consume the lot of it within fifteen minutes of inhaling the pollen. Since I already knew the remedy, I had been careful to keep a rotating stock of it on hand from the time I first began to experiment with adding Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower to the pangolin-snakes' diets, so it was ready to take in the event of an emergency."
"Truly a magnificent discovery, Shizhi!" Shang Qinghua praised, sensing his opening. "I could search across all the air and plains for years and never think of such a thing! With this, your reputation will surely shoot towards the sky!"
Mu Qingfang was kind enough to ignore his rather tasteless turn of phrase. Shen Yuan, on the other hand, immediately swiveled his head to stare at Shang Qinghua, his eyes first going wide, then narrowing in contemplation. "This Shizhi thanks Shang-shibo for the praise, but it is undeserved," he responded carefully. "The remedy must only have gone undiscovered for so long because it involves so many unlikely and contradictory steps, one would think it the product of the most untalented playwright in existence. It is hardly something for me to be proud of, let alone for an immortal master such as yourself to praise; even a demon might stumble upon this way through trial and error!"
Shang Qinghua was so excited he could hardly breathe, taking the presumed dig at his skills in stride. He was prepared to deal with any amount of disparaging his writing, as long as he wasn't alone anymore! Or, well, most disparaging of his writing, at any rate. Surely they could take the occasional break to complain about the lack of air conditioning and chocolate, at least, even if Shang Qinghua was working on that second one...
"Be that as it may," Mu Qingfang said, interrupting the growing tension between them, "Shen-shizhi was the one to discover this treatment, for which I and all of Qian Cao are grateful. Please tell this master, are there any side effects to be concerned with, as there were with some of your previous treatments?"
Shen Yuan, seeming slightly off-balance with the reveal of a fellow transmigrator, took a moment to collect himself. "Ah, of course, Mu-shibo. The treatment has turned my blood purple, and, because I have not yet cultivated beyond the need to eliminate waste, some Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower plants do sprout where I urinate. Thankfully, the latter are harmlessly weeded and disposed of at such an early stage, while the former can be treated with light duties and increased intake of dark green vegetables. With these steps, one can expect both the remainder of the pollen to be flushed from the victim's system within two weeks."
"Excellent, excellent," Mu Qingfang said, rapidly taking down notes on a nearby scroll. "Truly, this new treatment is a miracle. You have done this sect a great service, Shen-shizhi! With this, we should be able to save our ration of heavenly demon blood for other treatments."
Shang Qinghua's world, which had only just begun to spin again, jerked to another sudden halt. "What," he said, lightly.
"Heavenly demon blood?" Shen Yuan said at roughly the same time.
"Ah," Mu Qingfang said, looking contrite. He set aside his brush and scroll, then activated a privacy ward. "Shen-shizhi, I hope you understand that this information is to go no farther than these walls. As Shang-shixiong should already know," here, he stared meaningfully at Shang Qinghua, who shrunk a bit, even if he still didn't know what he should be feeling guilty about, "The last known heavenly demon, Tianlang-Jun, was vanquished around fifteen years ago. Since the combined efforts of the cultivation world were unable to kill him outright, he was instead trapped under a mountain, where his body continues to regenerate itself, even as it is crushed beyond what any being besides a heavenly demon could conceivably heal from.
"In fact, it's a miracle itself that Tianlang-Jun's body continues to heal, even in these conditions! Tianlang-Jun himself seems to be in a vegetative state, and is unlikely to ever truly revive as long as the seals placed on him and his prison remain intact, but his state does allow us to harvest a small amount of his blood on a regular basis. Huan Hua Palace has taken charge of its distribution, since Tianlang-Jun's prison is closest to their territory.
"Still, not much blood can be taken at once, as it is a volatile substance! Further, its efficacy is not entirely reliable, given that its, hmm, donor is unable to direct its effects. Additionally, it tends to lose potency after six months. Being able to reserve our blood supply for other, more dire ailments itself is a boon I could not have imagined asking for. Indeed, this master cannot thank Shen-shizhi enough. Should he ever consider switching specializations from beast care to medicine, this master would happily accept him on Cian Qao!"
Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua sat in stunned silence for a moment, Shang Qinghua feeling slightly nauseous. Had he... had he actually written Huan Hua Palace harvesting Tianlang-jun's blood? He didn't think he had, but if he'd even left the door open for it... Well, it wasn't exactly something he'd put past the Old Palace Master.
Shen Yuan was the first to break the silence. "Thanking Mu-shibo, but this disciple is content where he is. After all, who would care for the Amber Scaled Pangolin-Snakes if he were to leave?"
Mu Qingfang chuckled. "Of course; it was only a thought. Shen-shizhi may return to his peak now; thanking him again for this new remedy!"
Shen Yuan exchanged a glance with Shang Qinghua, who quickly cleared his throat. "If Shen-shizhi has time, this master would like to discuss any logistical suggestions he might have for the care of the creatures under his purview. His success with Amber Scaled Pangolin-Snakes alone is not to be overlooked, and if it can be replicated with other species, then it is An Ding's duty to support his endeavors. Please speak with your Shizun about an appropriate time to meet and send for an appointment with An Ding at your earliest convenience."
"Of course, Shang-shibo," Shen Yuan said. With one final bow to each of the peak lords, Shen Yuan turned and left Mu Qingfang's office.
"Quite a remarkable young man," Mu Qingfang commented.
"Indeed so," Shang Qinghua agreed, watching the door close. He turned back to Mu Qingfang. "As interesting as that was, I believe we were talking about the first aid centers?"
"Ah, so we were," Mu Qingfang said. "As I was saying, there's been a noticeable decrease in visits from other peaks since they've been implemented, including from Bai Zhan; moreover, Liu Qingge's disciples are showing fewer signs of healing wounds when they do happen to visit Qian Cao. However, I believe that their supplies should be refreshed more regularly than they are right now..."
Shang Qinghua nodded, trying his best to pay attention to Mu Qingfang's suggestions and to make his own contributions while a System window hovered in the corner of his vision:
[Optional Mission: Family Reunion]
--Fin--
Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower: A gorgeous, many-petaled flower that reproduces by ejecting a cloud of pollen. They grow in fields, which appear to be covered in mist in their breeding season. When inhaled, the pollen makes large animals (read: humans and humanoid demons) pass out, only to wake in desperate need of sex, the side products of which (sweat, sexual energy, etc) are used as fertilizer by the plants. If their urges are not sated, the plant will attempt to grow from their body, not unlike the Ties That Bind plant in the Holy Mausoleum.
Amber Scaled Pangolin-Snakes: Large pangolin-like creatures with long, serpentine bodies, their scales resemble actual amber. Most of their scales are shed a few at a time, but they molt almost their entire body once a year, during which they are quite vulnerable. Like their nonfictional pangolin counterparts, they are heavily trafficked, so a successful captive rearing and breeding program could turn the fate of the species around.
Pine-Sucking Weasel-Vipers: An exceptionally long weasel species with venomous fangs, these creatures feed on the sap from pine trees. Usually solitary, an infestation can devastate a pine forest. Their venom induces a sexual frenzy that distracts predators, allowing the weasel-vipers to escape.
Ember Butterfly-Wasps: Swarming wasps with butterfly-like wings that nest near volcanoes. Despite causing a burning sensation, their stings are not immediately fatal. Instead, a sting will poison the victim's qi, causing their body heat to increase slowly unless the poison is driven out via dual cultivation; while it can take up to a day for a human or humanoid demon to reach a critical point, multiple stings will speed up the process. The wax from their nests is prized for candles and seals.
Night Blooming Swamp Lilies: As the name suggests, a lily that grows primarily in swamps and blooms at night. When prepared properly, their bulbs are considered a delicacy; unfortunately, incorrect preparation will release a gas that, when inhaled, makes all clothing unbearably itchy, causing the inhaler to strip. Dual cultivation with a Heavenly Demon or a dose of their blood is typically required to correct the problem.
I have no idea what happens next! Someone else write it!
Summary: Shang Qinghua is in a meeting with Mu Qingfang about the innovative new peak first aid centers when they're interrupted by a disciple from the beast peak: Shen Yuan, an otherwise ordinary young man, has discovered yet another treatment for sex pollen that involves neither sex nor involvement with heavenly demons.
Mirrors: AO3 link
Wordcount: Not quite 2k words
Ships: None
Notes: Inspired by this post on Tumblr:
Post text
Medical mystery Shen Yuan who literally every checkup has a new thing that should have killed him and Mu Qingfang is incredibly concerned
MQF: Shixiong, why is your blood purple?
SY: Oh right! it’s okay I was hit with the misty eyed-transfusion-curse-of-papapa pollen but I took the antidote so now I sprout a daisy every time I pee. It’s basically the closest thing to a cure haha and the only other treatment is heavenly demon blood so what are you gonna do, amirite?
MQF: what.
Fic: There's No Hippocratic Oath in Xianxia China
Shang Qinghua was discussing the recently introduced peak first aid centers with Mu Qingfang when there was a knock at the office door. Shang Qinghua turned in his chair and Mu Qingfang leaned over to see around him when the door cracked open.
"Begging Shizun's pardon," the medical peak's head disciple said, bowing first to his master and then to the visiting peak lord. "But you said you wanted to be alerted when Shen-shidi visited for treatment?"
Shang Qinghua was interested to note his martial sibling visibly perking up. "Ah, yes! Thank you, Hong-er, please send him in." Hong-shizhi bowed again and slipped away from the door. "I hope you don't mind, Shixiong?" Mu Qingfang said belatedly. "Shen-shizhi is the individual who inspired me to ask you about having peak first aid centers installed; he has a rather... interesting way of dealing with medical matters."
"Not at all," Shang Qinghua replied, curious to meet the disciple that had prompted a change in infrastructure that had never appeared in canon. Usually it was him doing that, inasmuch as the System allowed him to make changes in the first place.
In slipped a short young man of about sixteen, by Shang Qinghua's estimation. His long hair was tied low, just past his shoulders, and he wore a pair of round-lensed spectacles, having not yet cultivated beyond needing them. There was also a faint purple hue to his skin. "Greeting Mu-shibo," the young man said, bowing.
"Good afternoon, Shen-shizhi," Mu Qingfang said. He gestured politely to Shang Qinghua. "Shang-shixiong, this disciple is Shen Yuan, studying at the beast peak." The two murmured their greetings, and Mu Qingfang turned his attention back to the young man. "My head disciple tells me you're here with another ailment. Is it something that you're comfortable discussing in front of Shang-shixiong?"
Shen Yuan frowned for a moment, but nodded. "It should be no problem, Mu-shibo. This disciple merely happened to inhale some Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower pollen when feeding the Amber Scaled Pangolin-Snakes; I've administered the counter-toxin, but Mu-shibo advised that I should inform him when I seek alternative methods of treatment, in case he knows of any side effects, or if said treatments are not already recorded at Qian Cao."
Shang Qinghua stared at Shen Yuan in shock, only realizing he needed to close his mouth when Mu Qingfang nudged his hand. A treatment for Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower pollen? One that presumably didn't involve a heavenly demon's intervention, either via blood transfusion or dual cultivation? Suddenly, he had a very good idea why Mu Qingfang was interested in the young man.
Mu Qingfang gestured to the space beside Shang Qinghua. "Please, Shizhi, sit and we can discuss the details. I'm afraid that Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower pollen is another plant whose treatment we are unfamiliar with. I take it that this flower is the reason we can count on your Shizun to provide us with amber pangolin-snake scales on a regular basis these days?"
With another quick bow to Shang Qinghua, Shen Yuan took a seat. "Mu-shibo is correct; without the proper food, Amber Scaled Pangolin-Snakes do not do well in captivity, let alone shed their scales at a healthy rate. After introducing Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower into their diet, we've managed to not only successfully keep several animals thriving in our care, but we've also started a breeding program."
"Fascinating!" Mu Qingfang said. Shang Qinghua couldn't help but agree; it had taken Luo Bingge ten chapters to work that out! And amber pangolin-snake scales were a highly sought-after medicine component, used in many important compounds and remedies. For Cang Qiong Mountain Sect to have a successful breeding program for the animals, especially this early in canon, was truly unprecedented.
Or it would be, if several similar discoveries on the beast peak hadn't preceded it. A treatment for Pine-Sucking Weasel-Viper bites, a remedy for Ember Butterfly-Wasp burns, a counter-agent to the gas produced by Night Blooming Swamp Lily bulbs... Shang Qinghua had been suspecting something was up with all of these recent "discoveries", but had been too busy to investigate the cause of them. Now, seemingly by random chance, the source of these anomalies had been all but dropped into his lap!
Still, he couldn't exactly just blurt out his suspicions about the disciple. He'd have to play his cards carefully, see if he could adequately hint something...
"Please, Shizhi," Mu Qingfang had continued while Shang Qinghua stared rudely at their guest, "Would you elaborate on this treatment for us?"
Shen Yuan shrugged, and explained. "As with the Night Blooming Swamp Lily, the treatment for the plant's ills are within the plant itself. All I had to do was boil the bulb in sugar, crush it, soak it in a tisane made from the flower's petals, and then consume the lot of it within fifteen minutes of inhaling the pollen. Since I already knew the remedy, I had been careful to keep a rotating stock of it on hand from the time I first began to experiment with adding Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower to the pangolin-snakes' diets, so it was ready to take in the event of an emergency."
"Truly a magnificent discovery, Shizhi!" Shang Qinghua praised, sensing his opening. "I could search across all the air and plains for years and never think of such a thing! With this, your reputation will surely shoot towards the sky!"
Mu Qingfang was kind enough to ignore his rather tasteless turn of phrase. Shen Yuan, on the other hand, immediately swiveled his head to stare at Shang Qinghua, his eyes first going wide, then narrowing in contemplation. "This Shizhi thanks Shang-shibo for the praise, but it is undeserved," he responded carefully. "The remedy must only have gone undiscovered for so long because it involves so many unlikely and contradictory steps, one would think it the product of the most untalented playwright in existence. It is hardly something for me to be proud of, let alone for an immortal master such as yourself to praise; even a demon might stumble upon this way through trial and error!"
Shang Qinghua was so excited he could hardly breathe, taking the presumed dig at his skills in stride. He was prepared to deal with any amount of disparaging his writing, as long as he wasn't alone anymore! Or, well, most disparaging of his writing, at any rate. Surely they could take the occasional break to complain about the lack of air conditioning and chocolate, at least, even if Shang Qinghua was working on that second one...
"Be that as it may," Mu Qingfang said, interrupting the growing tension between them, "Shen-shizhi was the one to discover this treatment, for which I and all of Qian Cao are grateful. Please tell this master, are there any side effects to be concerned with, as there were with some of your previous treatments?"
Shen Yuan, seeming slightly off-balance with the reveal of a fellow transmigrator, took a moment to collect himself. "Ah, of course, Mu-shibo. The treatment has turned my blood purple, and, because I have not yet cultivated beyond the need to eliminate waste, some Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower plants do sprout where I urinate. Thankfully, the latter are harmlessly weeded and disposed of at such an early stage, while the former can be treated with light duties and increased intake of dark green vegetables. With these steps, one can expect both the remainder of the pollen to be flushed from the victim's system within two weeks."
"Excellent, excellent," Mu Qingfang said, rapidly taking down notes on a nearby scroll. "Truly, this new treatment is a miracle. You have done this sect a great service, Shen-shizhi! With this, we should be able to save our ration of heavenly demon blood for other treatments."
Shang Qinghua's world, which had only just begun to spin again, jerked to another sudden halt. "What," he said, lightly.
"Heavenly demon blood?" Shen Yuan said at roughly the same time.
"Ah," Mu Qingfang said, looking contrite. He set aside his brush and scroll, then activated a privacy ward. "Shen-shizhi, I hope you understand that this information is to go no farther than these walls. As Shang-shixiong should already know," here, he stared meaningfully at Shang Qinghua, who shrunk a bit, even if he still didn't know what he should be feeling guilty about, "The last known heavenly demon, Tianlang-Jun, was vanquished around fifteen years ago. Since the combined efforts of the cultivation world were unable to kill him outright, he was instead trapped under a mountain, where his body continues to regenerate itself, even as it is crushed beyond what any being besides a heavenly demon could conceivably heal from.
"In fact, it's a miracle itself that Tianlang-Jun's body continues to heal, even in these conditions! Tianlang-Jun himself seems to be in a vegetative state, and is unlikely to ever truly revive as long as the seals placed on him and his prison remain intact, but his state does allow us to harvest a small amount of his blood on a regular basis. Huan Hua Palace has taken charge of its distribution, since Tianlang-Jun's prison is closest to their territory.
"Still, not much blood can be taken at once, as it is a volatile substance! Further, its efficacy is not entirely reliable, given that its, hmm, donor is unable to direct its effects. Additionally, it tends to lose potency after six months. Being able to reserve our blood supply for other, more dire ailments itself is a boon I could not have imagined asking for. Indeed, this master cannot thank Shen-shizhi enough. Should he ever consider switching specializations from beast care to medicine, this master would happily accept him on Cian Qao!"
Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua sat in stunned silence for a moment, Shang Qinghua feeling slightly nauseous. Had he... had he actually written Huan Hua Palace harvesting Tianlang-jun's blood? He didn't think he had, but if he'd even left the door open for it... Well, it wasn't exactly something he'd put past the Old Palace Master.
Shen Yuan was the first to break the silence. "Thanking Mu-shibo, but this disciple is content where he is. After all, who would care for the Amber Scaled Pangolin-Snakes if he were to leave?"
Mu Qingfang chuckled. "Of course; it was only a thought. Shen-shizhi may return to his peak now; thanking him again for this new remedy!"
Shen Yuan exchanged a glance with Shang Qinghua, who quickly cleared his throat. "If Shen-shizhi has time, this master would like to discuss any logistical suggestions he might have for the care of the creatures under his purview. His success with Amber Scaled Pangolin-Snakes alone is not to be overlooked, and if it can be replicated with other species, then it is An Ding's duty to support his endeavors. Please speak with your Shizun about an appropriate time to meet and send for an appointment with An Ding at your earliest convenience."
"Of course, Shang-shibo," Shen Yuan said. With one final bow to each of the peak lords, Shen Yuan turned and left Mu Qingfang's office.
"Quite a remarkable young man," Mu Qingfang commented.
"Indeed so," Shang Qinghua agreed, watching the door close. He turned back to Mu Qingfang. "As interesting as that was, I believe we were talking about the first aid centers?"
"Ah, so we were," Mu Qingfang said. "As I was saying, there's been a noticeable decrease in visits from other peaks since they've been implemented, including from Bai Zhan; moreover, Liu Qingge's disciples are showing fewer signs of healing wounds when they do happen to visit Qian Cao. However, I believe that their supplies should be refreshed more regularly than they are right now..."
Shang Qinghua nodded, trying his best to pay attention to Mu Qingfang's suggestions and to make his own contributions while a System window hovered in the corner of his vision:
[Optional Mission: Family Reunion]
--Fin--
Plant and Creature Notes
Misty-Eyed Fainting Flower: A gorgeous, many-petaled flower that reproduces by ejecting a cloud of pollen. They grow in fields, which appear to be covered in mist in their breeding season. When inhaled, the pollen makes large animals (read: humans and humanoid demons) pass out, only to wake in desperate need of sex, the side products of which (sweat, sexual energy, etc) are used as fertilizer by the plants. If their urges are not sated, the plant will attempt to grow from their body, not unlike the Ties That Bind plant in the Holy Mausoleum.
Amber Scaled Pangolin-Snakes: Large pangolin-like creatures with long, serpentine bodies, their scales resemble actual amber. Most of their scales are shed a few at a time, but they molt almost their entire body once a year, during which they are quite vulnerable. Like their nonfictional pangolin counterparts, they are heavily trafficked, so a successful captive rearing and breeding program could turn the fate of the species around.
Pine-Sucking Weasel-Vipers: An exceptionally long weasel species with venomous fangs, these creatures feed on the sap from pine trees. Usually solitary, an infestation can devastate a pine forest. Their venom induces a sexual frenzy that distracts predators, allowing the weasel-vipers to escape.
Ember Butterfly-Wasps: Swarming wasps with butterfly-like wings that nest near volcanoes. Despite causing a burning sensation, their stings are not immediately fatal. Instead, a sting will poison the victim's qi, causing their body heat to increase slowly unless the poison is driven out via dual cultivation; while it can take up to a day for a human or humanoid demon to reach a critical point, multiple stings will speed up the process. The wax from their nests is prized for candles and seals.
Night Blooming Swamp Lilies: As the name suggests, a lily that grows primarily in swamps and blooms at night. When prepared properly, their bulbs are considered a delicacy; unfortunately, incorrect preparation will release a gas that, when inhaled, makes all clothing unbearably itchy, causing the inhaler to strip. Dual cultivation with a Heavenly Demon or a dose of their blood is typically required to correct the problem.
I have no idea what happens next! Someone else write it!
