1
The sun was fully up when they reached the hill.
Tomás had been walking for hours, following Hunter Shi through grasslands and small forests, across streams and around rocky outcrops. His legs ached, his feet were sore, but his mind was wide awake.
Shi stopped at the base of a small hill and pointed.
There.
Tomás looked up. The hill was maybe fifty meters high, covered in grass and small bushes. But near the top, something was different. The plants were greener. Taller. More alive.
He started climbing, Shi behind him.
The air changed as they went up. Cooler. Fresher. And there was a smell, faint but present, like rain on dry earth after a long drought.
At the top, Tomás stopped and stared.
A spring. Exactly as the old texts described.
Water bubbled up from the ground into a small pool, clear as glass. Around the pool, plants grew thick and lush. Some he recognized: lánhuā, but taller, with deeper blue flowers. Others he had never seen: a bush with silver leaves, a vine with tiny white flowers, a fern that seemed to glow faintly in the shade.
And everywhere, golden dots. On leaves, on stems, even on the grass around the pool. Small points of light, scattered like stars across the green.
Tomás knelt by the pool and dipped his hand in the water. It was cold, clean, and when he brought it to his lips, it tasted slightly sweet. Not sugary, but... alive. Fresh in a way he could not describe.
He looked at Shi.
This place is... incredible.
Shi nodded once. Then he pointed to the plants around the pool.
Good plants. Strong. Animals come here. Small ones. They drink the water, eat the leaves. They glow too.
Tomás looked closer. And yes, among the plants, he saw them. Small insects with glowing bodies. A lizard with bright eyes, watching him from a rock. A bird, high in a tree, its feathers shimmering with that familiar blue light.
A whole ecosystem. Thriving. Glowing.
He took out his notebook and began to write.
2
For the next three hours, Tomás explored every corner of the hilltop.
He took soil samples from near the pool, from under the silver-leaf bush, from a patch of grass at the edge. He collected leaves from every plant he did not recognize, wrapping them carefully in cloth. He filled a small jar with water from the spring.
He drew maps of the area, marking where each plant grew, where the insects gathered, where the lizard had been.
Hunter Shi sat on a rock and watched, saying nothing. But every time Tomás pointed to something and looked at him questioningly, Shi gave a name.
This bush?
Yín yè shù. Silver leaf tree.
This vine?
Pú tao téng. Grape vine. But not for eating. Small fruits, very sour.
This lizard?
Líng xī. Spiritual lizard. Fast. Hard to catch.
Tomás wrote everything, his hand moving constantly.
3
The most interesting discovery was near the spring's source.
A plant he had not seen before, growing right at the edge of the water. It was small, with thick leaves arranged in a rosette, like the líng cǎo. But its leaves were almost transparent, and inside them, golden dots floated like tiny suns.
He touched one leaf gently. It was cool, soft, almost gelatinous.
Shi. What is this?
Shi came closer and looked.
Shuǐ jīng cǎo. Water crystal grass. Very rare. Only grows where water is clean and líng is strong.
Tomás felt his heart pounding.
Is it dangerous? Like the língzhī cǎo?
Shi shook his head.
No. Not dangerous. But useful. Some people use it for... for eyes. To see better. For old people who cannot see well.
Tomás wrote frantically:
Shuǐ jīng cǎo. Water crystal grass. Grows at spring edge. Leaves almost transparent, golden dots inside. Not dangerous. Used for eyesight? Possible medicinal properties. Need to study.
He carefully took one small leaf, placing it in a separate cloth.
4
As the sun reached its highest point, Tomás sat by the pool and ate the food he had brought.
Shi sat nearby, eating his own, silent as always.
Tomás looked at the water, the plants, the glowing insects, the clear sky above.
Shi. Why is this place so special? Why do the plants glow here and not in the village?
Shi chewed slowly, thinking.
Water. Clean. Comes from deep in the earth. Brings something up. Something that makes plants strong.
Tomás nodded. Minerals, maybe. Or something else. Líng, dissolved in the water, carried from deep underground.
The old texts say líng pools here. Like water.
Shi nodded.
Yes. Líng pools. Good place.
Tomás looked at his samples, his notes, his drawings.
I need to understand this. I need to know what is in the water. What makes the plants glow.
Shi looked at him.
You will. You ask questions. You find answers.
It was the longest sentence Shi had ever said to him.
Tomás smiled.
I try.
5
They started back in the early afternoon.
Tomás's bag was heavier now, full of samples and jars. But his heart was light. He had found something special. A place where líng was real, visible, almost tangible.
As they walked, he thought about what he had seen. The silver-leaf bush, the sour grape vine, the crystal grass. The lizard with bright eyes, the glowing insects. The water that tasted sweet.
All of it connected. All of it part of a system. The spring brought líng up from deep underground. The plants absorbed it. The animals ate the plants. The whole place thrived.
It was like the Shenmu, but smaller. A pocket of life, rich and strong.
He thought about the village. Could they create something like this? Could they bring líng to their fields, make their plants healthier, their animals stronger?
Maybe. If he could understand how.
6
They reached the village as the sun was setting.
The children were waiting under the Shenmu. When they saw Tomás, they ran to him, excited.
Tomás! You're back!
What did you find?
Did you see glowing things?
Tomás laughed and held up his bag.
I found many things. Tomorrow, I will show you. Today, I need to rest and write.
The children nodded, disappointed but understanding.
Xiao Wang stepped forward.
We watched the líng cǎo experiment. Every day. We wrote everything.
He held out his bark, covered in careful scratches.
Tomás took it and looked. The boy had drawn the three pots, with notes about each. Pot A: "good." Pot B: "better." Pot C: "same."
Wang, this is excellent. Tomorrow, we will compare your notes with mine.
Wang beamed.
7
That night, alone in his house, Tomás emptied his bag and laid everything out.
Soil samples. Plant samples. Water in a jar. Notes, drawings, maps.
He sat by his small lamp and began to write in his notebook.
Day of the spring.
Found a place where líng is strong. A spring on a hill. Water tastes sweet. Plants glow brighter than anywhere else.
New species discovered:
- Yín yè shù (silver leaf tree)
- Pú tao téng (sour grape vine)
- Shuǐ jīng cǎo (water crystal grass) - possible medicinal use for eyesight
Observed ecosystem: spring brings líng from underground. Plants absorb it. Animals (insects, lizard, birds) eat plants and glow too. Everything connected.
Samples taken: soil from four locations, water from spring, leaves from each new plant.
Next steps:
- Analyze samples (visually, smell, texture)
- Compare with village soil
- Try to understand what makes spring water different
- Ask Wei Chen if texts mention this place
He put down his pen and looked at the samples.
Un lugar especial, he thought. A special place.
Mañana empiezo. Tomorrow I begin.
He closed his eyes and slept, dreams full of glowing plants and clear water.