Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 833 - 460: Snowy Egrets, Cheerful Songs, and Lectures

Chapter 833: Chapter 460: Snowy Egrets, Cheerful Songs, and Lectures

The warm wind in the forest carried the scent of grass. Flowers bloomed abundantly in the valley, and beautiful trees shaded the spring. The hot spring in the mountain released steam, and white mist rose into the air. The vegetation was dense, the clouds were billowing. The fog, like silk, divided the vast world, leaving only a pond of comfortable hot spring, offering solitude and peace.

Deep within the Peach Blossom Land, the way back was unknown. A pair of young egrets played by the warm spring water, intoxicated by the wonders of their exploration. They chased each other through the water, their fluffy feathers fluttering, their slender legs visible, emitting joyful chirps.

The hot spring water was smooth, the tender one was weak. The female egret tried to escape for a moment but soon tired, leaning slantingly in the spring, captured by the persistent male egret. The male egret spread its wings, their beaks intertwined, inseparable. After a moment, he gently yet urgently approached, rubbing up and down, grooming the female egret’s feathers.

By the stream, the egrets were joyfully together. The female egret crouched in the spring, and the male egret stood behind her. Mist rose suddenly, the silhouettes of the birds swaying. Songs burst forth, the water droplets falling. Han E sang a long song, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, the echoes lingering; Liezi rode the wind, praising freely, roaming the boundless world...

After a long while, the singing abruptly stopped, the mist ceased. The snowy egrets flapped their wings and flew together towards the clouds.

Xiulote watched the enchanting scene, straightened his back, and suddenly felt poetic. He smiled slightly, holding the person beside him who was still whispering, and recited softly.

"Two orioles sing amid the green willows, a line of egrets ascends the blue sky. The window frames the snow of the western peaks, boats moor at the eastern Wu... The green willows, the blue sky, the snowy peaks, and the boats, truly a sight to behold!"

Alisa, light as a feather, floated as if on clouds, her neck flushed red. Listening to her lover’s poetry, she was stunned for a moment, then suddenly shy and annoyed, she fiercely bit her lover’s shoulder.

"Bad guy... bad brother! What sort of poems are you reciting?..."

"Haha, just some landscape poems! Look, how miraculous creation is, the blessings of the Goddess of Spring so wondrous, let me think of something more appropriate..."

Xiulote’s expression remained unchanged, his smile bright. His shoulder having been bitten often, it wasn’t very painful anymore. Having studied for years, mastering two languages, translating poetry naturally came effortlessly, adapting to the circumstances... The young man pondered for a while, then smiled and spoke again.

"... A winding path leads to a secluded place, the Zen room is deep within flowering trees. The sight of the mountain delights the bird’s mood, the reflection in the pond empties the human mind. All sounds are silenced, only the sound of the bell and wood strike remaining... Haha! The winding path, the deep flowers and trees. The hummingbird sings joyfully, leaving reflections in the hot spring. Of course, the most wonderful and unforgettable, is still the final moving melody... Oh! Don’t bite my ear..."

Alisa, puffed up with anger, clung to her lover like a sloth. She tightly bit his ear, as if eating a tasty leaf. After a while, she let go, her face flushed, burying her head in his firm chest.

"In broad daylight, making such a scene... Xiulote, you mustn’t be so bad next time!..."

"Ah? The hot spring is secluded, the samurai guard all around, no need to worry. Besides, you weren’t shouting like that just now..."

"Xiulote!..."

"Ah, don’t bite!..."

The two laughed and teased for a while, finally getting out of the hot spring. Then, with the help of the maid, they changed into loose robes, lying on the cotton blanket by the spring, eating some dried fruit to replenish their strength, while discussing serious matters.

"Xiulote, you mentioned before that all things in the world can be divided into moving animals, immobile plants, and invisible microorganisms. Animals and plants are made of tiny cells. And microorganisms are the root of our diseases?"

Alisa tilted her head, blinking, looking at her lover beside her.

"Exactly! Fish and birds, monkeys and humans, are all animals. Flowers and grass, corn and cocoa, are all plants. And the black smut cherished by the Alliance nobles is a microorganism."

Xiulote smiled gently, explaining slowly.

"Most microorganisms are harmless to humans. Our bodies contain countless symbiotic bacteria that help us digest food... The pathogenic microorganisms are primarily single-cell bacteria and smaller viruses that feed on cells."

"Hmm, bacteria and viruses, the bad cells and disease-causing toxins?..."

"Yes... They are like, like invisible dust that moves. But they are smaller than dust, able to enter the human body and harm our vitality!"

Upon hearing this, Alisa was a bit confused. She widened her eyes, her face thoughtful.

"Xiulote, these tiny dust with life, how can they make strong people sick?"

"Uh, good question, it shows you’re thinking."

Xiulote sat up, cross-legged on the blanket, carefully organizing his thoughts. Since he had decided to make Alisa the head of the Medical Institute, in charge of epidemic research and prevention, he needed to teach all medical and body knowledge as the foundation for medical research.

And in this era, compared to the Church’s rule in Europe, and the Celestial Empire’s rationalism, the human sacrifice tradition in Central America, with its familiarity with human anatomy, was more suitable for the development of modern medicine.

Xiulote pondered for a moment, noted the time past noon, and called out to Nashu, the aide in charge.

"Nashu, what meat is being prepared for tonight?"

"Your Highness, the Temple of the Sun sent over some turkeys and wild rabbits. The samurai also hunted a deer in the mountain."

"Very good!"

Hearing this, Xiulote nodded in satisfaction and ordered in a deep voice.

"Have the deer and turkeys sent over, and prepare several obsidian short daggers of different sizes. Also, bring the newly made crystal magnifying glass by the gemstone craftsmen."

"As you command!"

The cold female samurai bowed in salute, her deep gaze sweeping over the prince’s leopard-like body, lightly licking her lips. Then she retreated, disappearing in no time.

Alisa pondered, glanced at the lovely back of the female samurai, and asked softly.

"Xiulote, what are you going to do with the deer and turkeys?"

"Of course, it’s for the lesson. In our bodies, there are many organs working together, forming some clusters, which can be called ’systems’ within the human body. Systems are interconnected, acting as a whole. Each system is responsible for a specific activity of the body, such as movement, blood supply, respiration, digestion, reproduction, immunity... The way pathogens invade the human body is, simply put, by damaging specific systems within the body... As for preventing and treating diseases, it’s also related to these systems. In animals, these systems, though somewhat different from human ones, also exist. I will dissect them one by one for you to see."

Xiulote smiled slightly. Then, he suddenly thought of something, and asked in a deep voice.

"Alisa, are you afraid of blood?"

"No! Xiulote, my father once taught me how to sacrifice young wolves and deer. In the future, I will also preside over the family’s sacrificial rites for you, how can I be afraid of blood?"

Alisa shook her head with a smile. Noblewomen in the Alliance rarely feared blood. Because in tradition, blood was considered the source of vitality and the preferred sacrifice to the Divine.

"Good! Truly my good wife!"

Xiulote nodded with a smile. He recalled his previous question and couldn’t help but chuckle at himself.

In this era, the Alliance’s requirements for noblewomen were not to be gentle and quiet, never stepping out of the house. All the tribes valued war as the first priority, with sacrifices as a daily activity. Many noblewomen, like warriors, practiced with long sticks and short daggers, learning archery and javelin throwing, even participating in battles and hunting. Besides practicing martial arts, elder noble ladies who managed households needed to learn cooking, weaving, and farming, and master the crucial sacrificial rites.

Alisa’s grandmother, the daughter of Montezuma, Atototztli, was a royal princess who wielded a divine staff and carried a long dagger, having personally sacrificed enemy captives. Her image was similar to the Mother Xin Lady Hao of the Shang Dynasty, revered by the Mexica people.

After a few moments of conversation, Nashu arrived hurriedly with several samurai. They set up a stand, tying up a deer and two flapping turkeys.

Then, Xiulote stood up, coming to the deer. His expression calm, he took the sharp obsidian short dagger from Nashu’s hand and made a light cut on the deerskin, nodding in satisfaction. The obsidian scalpel had a sharper, more precise edge, making it excellent for detailed dissections. He then felt the deer’s body, locating the heart, approximately in the front half of the torso just above the front legs.

"Alisa, step back two steps, don’t let the blood splatter on your eyes."

Xiulote ordered his lover, then calmly reached out his hand, bringing down the sharp short dagger, just like a sacred sacrifice.