Notes on the animals of the Xianzhou. Includes their appearances, habits, related medicines, recipes, and proverbs.

[Other Names]
Also known as Stone Calf, Sleepstone, and Eight-Hundred-Miles.

[Appearance]
Has ossicones, with a short tail, lustrous fur, and stony texture.

[Behavior]
The animal has a mild temperament and hibernates in the mountains during cold seasons. It consumes large amounts of wild grass and fruits before winter, and its meat is the most tender and plump at that season. It then turns into rock and hibernates in mountainous valleys, during which its meat has absolutely no taste. It is therefore a precious food ingredient dependent on the seasons.

[Legend]
There was once a Xianzhou man who raised cattle in a faraway delve. Calm and peaceful, he spent 300 years away from home. His brother went looking for him, and they had an emotional reunion. He told his brother that a sumptuous banquet was prepared, but there was no food — only a valley strewn with stones. The brother was surprised, and the herdsman yelled, “Rise cattle!” And all the yellow boulders within 800 miles transformed into herds of plump cattle.

[Flavor]
Beef: Sweet, warming, and non-toxic.
Milk: Sweet, cooling, and non-toxic.
Horn: Bitter, warming, and non-toxic.

[Effects]
Beef: Nourishes the spleen and stomach, strengthens muscle and bone.
Milk: Calms the mind, nourishes the stomach and lungs.
Horn: Stops bleeding and treats diarrhea.

[Recommended Recipe]
Three Rocky Delicacies: Also known as Stone Soup. Remove skin and sinew from a few pieces of yellow boulder neck meat and ribs, place into a copper pot, then immerse with a few dozen liters of morning dew from Scalegorge Waterscape. Wash and slice back forest mushroom and rocky bamboo shoots, add to the pot, then bring to a boil on medium heat. This dish dispels cold and dampness, and warms the digestive organs.

Note:
Investigations show the person raising cattle in that distant delve should have been one of the Alchemy Commission masters. They are skilled at transmigrating animals, so the legend should represent a demonstration of biological transmigration.

[Other Names]
Also known as Dreaming Noble, Eternal Peace, and Sacred Branch.

[Appearance]
Elongated proboscis, no horns, speckled fur like the sky dotted with stars.

[Behavior]
A migratory beast, it lives in hot springs, valleys, and other places with geothermal heat. It is a timid animal by nature. Its proboscis is used to filter feed on aquatic insects and small fish like a whale would.

[Legend]
Spring waters where the tuskpirs live often have a soothing and meditative effect. The water breathes and creates a spiritual aura. In the olden days, the Luofu people used to grind down the animal's horns into medicine, calling it Spirit-Sooth Powder. It is often used to treat insomnia due to anxiety or depression.

[Flavor]
Meat: Spicy, warming, and non-toxic.
Horn: Bitter, cooling, and non-toxic.

[Effects]
Meat: Quenches thirst, replenishes blood, and soothes the organs.
Horn: Relieves pain by activating qi. Relieves asthma by soothing qi.

[Recommended Recipes]
Sacred Branch: Tuskpir horn is actually a clump of feces. Poachers nowadays deliberately classify it into grades, making ridiculous assessments for different feces patterns and types just to pump prices. In my opinion, the sacred branch could be used as ornaments or burnt as incense. Once burned, they calm the mind. Do not ingest orally.

Spirit-Soothe Powder: Made from pulverized tuskpir horn, plus other ingredients. Rich in minerals but toxic if overdosed.

Note:
The Realm-Keeping Commission has verified that the tuskpir horn is no longer in any modern medicine, and its hallucinatory effect appears identical to that of intoxication.