Shanyue Fern

Shanyue Fern
Information
Name	善月草, Shànyuè Cǎo – Benevolent Moon Fern
Source	Banyue
Type	Plant

Shanyue Fern (善月草, Shànyuè Cǎo) is a plant exclusive to the region of Banyue and the only antidote to the poison of the Scorpion Snake.

Description

The Shanyue Fern grows in the garden of the Banyue palace and prefers shade. It is a small plant with large, deltoid leaves that are said to be like a heart-shaped peach with pointy ends. In the manhua the leaf blades are olive green with a vibrant red in the shape of a smaller heart surrounding the base and part of the midrib. The fern also has a short, dark stem as well as thin roots.

If the plant is crushed and applied to the bite of a Scorpion Snake, the healing effect will immediately take place.

History

After the scorpion and snake were executed, the queen was the only one to show sympathy towards them. As she could not go against the king's orders, the only thing she was able to do was cover their corpses with a leaf of the Shanyue fern. Due to the kindness of the queen, the Shanyue Fern became the only antidote for the venom of the Scorpion Snake, the descendants of the scorpion's and snake's vengeful spirits.

At one point, Banyue soldiers started to bury people into the soil of the palace garden to act as a fertilizer for the Shanyue fern. They did this due to their fear of the Scorpion Snakes that did not vanish even after death. The fertilization caused the fern to become larger and fuller, but the plant would eat away at the flesh of the person buried.

Xie Lian and the others search for the fern after one of the merchants was bitten by the Scorpion Snake. They eventually find the Shanyue fern at the palace alongside the Human Fertilizer, but the group is captured by Kemo and the other Banyue soldiers. Tian Sheng and the other merchants escape however and manage to pick a new fern and aid the bitten merchant.