Chapter 586: Fusing the Liquid

Judging by Yang Yao’s intentions, he truly placed great importance on his friendship with Valley Master Nie of Spring Rebirth Valley. He wanted to transfer Zhang Xiaohua back to the Herb Division on Baiyue Peak and point him toward the proper path as an outer sect disciple.

But how could Zhang Xiaohua be willing? Not to mention that the pill room atop Tianmu Peak was the perfect place for both pill refining and cultivation, there was no guarantee he would have access to such a pill room after moving to Baiyue Peak. So, at least for the time being, he had no desire to relocate. Besides, what kind of place was Baiyue Peak? It was the headquarters of the Herb Division, crowded with people, full of intrigue and internal struggles. That was exactly the sort of place Zhang Xiaohua wanted to avoid.

He would much rather remain carefree on Tianmu Peak, where no one bothered him. Once the opportunity was right, it would also be much more convenient to ride the wind in search of his second brother’s whereabouts.

Thinking this through, Zhang Xiaohua comforted Yang Yao, saying that as long as it was a luminous pearl, it would shine no matter where it was placed. He even brought up his own height in an attempt to persuade Yang Yao.

In truth, Yang Yao had only mentioned it casually. Even if he wanted to transfer Zhang Xiaohua back to Baiyue Peak now, it was nothing more than wishful thinking—he simply lacked the authority to do so. Seeing how “understanding” Zhang Xiaohua was naturally put him at ease. It was as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart, and he could not help but drink several more cups.

After accompanying them for a while, Zhang Xiaohua saw that it was getting late. The medicinal liquid in his pill room was still being tempered, and he had no desire to linger any longer, so he stood up and took his leave. He was not the guest of honor at the banquet, and Chen Fengxiao and the others did not insist. After offering a token attempt to keep him, they let him go.

Watching Zhang Xiaohua’s back as he walked decisively out of the hall, Lu Lihong and Yang Yao, both lowering their heads to drink, revealed different expressions in their eyes.

The moment Zhang Xiaohua stepped out of the hall, the once lively courtyard instantly fell silent.

Zhang Xiaohua found this rather strange. He looked around but saw nothing unusual. In the distance, Bai Huan was huddled in a corner of the courtyard, leaning over a table as he ate and drank. The moment he saw Zhang Xiaohua emerge, he did not dare remain any longer. Wiping the grease from his mouth, he grabbed a lantern from behind the courtyard gate and hurried after him. The mountain path was secluded, and with no one else around, he did not dare travel it alone.

As soon as Zhang Xiaohua walked out of the courtyard, a noisy uproar broke out behind him once again.

“How strange!” Zhang Xiaohua muttered, even more puzzled. Shaking his head, he continued on his way.

The mountain path was quiet. Carrying the lantern, Bai Huan walked ahead of Zhang Xiaohua without saying a word. They had gone about halfway when he finally coughed twice and asked, “Junior Brother Ren, there’s something I’d like to ask. I wonder if it’s appropriate.”

With a chuckle, Zhang Xiaohua laughed. “Senior Brother Bai, why are you being so polite? You’re quite different from this afternoon. If you have something to say, just say it. There’s no need to hold back.”

What Zhang Xiaohua did not know was that Bai Huan had been the one to lead him into the hall. He had clearly witnessed how Zhang Xiaohua completely ignored Lu Lihong and greeted Yang Yao first. To Bai Huan, Lu Lihong was an outer sect disciple, his idol, someone he regarded as even more formidable than Chen Fengxiao. Yet Zhang Xiaohua had dared to disregard Lu Lihong entirely. This immediately gave rise to a thought deep in Bai Huan’s heart: “Either Ren Xiaoyao’s martial arts are superior to Lu Lihong’s, or he has an exceptionally powerful background within the Herb Division. Perhaps his connection to Spring Rebirth Valley is nothing more than a cover.”

Bai Huan did not know much about martial arts, nor could he tell which of the two possibilities was closer to the truth. But whichever it was, neither was someone he, Bai Huan, could afford to offend. So, without even realizing it, he had already placed Zhang Xiaohua among those who deserved his utmost respect, and naturally became much more courteous when speaking to him.

With a smile, Bai Huan said, “Junior Brother Ren, please don’t take offense. There’s something I’d like to ask, and I’d appreciate a definite answer.”

“Oh?” Zhang Xiaohua asked curiously. “What is it?”

Bai Huan replied, “Do you remember what I asked you when we first came up the mountain? If there’s ever another wagered match in the future, I’d appreciate it if you could give me a heads-up first. As for tomorrow’s match…”

Zhang Xiaohua was even more surprised. “Senior Brother Bai, they only decided on it in the hall a moment ago. How did you find out so quickly?”

“Tch~” Bai Huan instinctively scoffed, but immediately realized his attitude was inappropriate and hurriedly smiled apologetically. “Junior Brother, you don’t know this, but the moment you boldly accepted Senior Brother Lu’s challenge in the hall, someone quietly passed the news to the brothers out in the courtyard. We were arguing about it so fiercely that the place nearly turned upside down.”

“I see.” Zhang Xiaohua finally understood why the atmosphere in the courtyard had been so strange when he walked out of the hall.

“The fact that Junior Brother Ren dared to accept Senior Brother Lu’s challenge has everyone full of admiration. They all say your courage is commendable.”

“Commendable courage?” Zhang Xiaohua caught the implication behind those words and forced a smile. “So all the senior brothers think I can’t beat Senior Brother Lu?”

“Well…” Bai Huan found himself at a loss. Scratching his head, he said, “That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you. Should I bet on you to win tomorrow?”

“If you were to go by your own judgment,” Zhang Xiaohua asked with interest, “who do you think you should bet on?”

Bai Huan coughed awkwardly. “Junior Brother Ren, please don’t take offense. Senior Brother Lu is an outer sect disciple. Even Chief Chen isn’t a match for him. If I were placing a bet, I’d definitely bet on Senior Brother Lu. It’s just… it seems everyone else is betting on him as well. Even if he wins, there won’t be much profit in it. So, you see…”

Zhang Xiaohua chuckled. “If I were you, I’d bet on Senior Brother Lu too.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely, positively, and without a doubt.”

Hearing Zhang Xiaohua’s answer, Bai Huan finally felt reassured. Then he added, “Actually, I was tempted to bet on you, Junior Brother Ren. If, by some chance, there was an upset, wouldn’t I strike it rich? Ah, I just don’t know whether tomorrow’s wagered match will count toward merit points. Otherwise, I’d really like to give it a try.”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled. The last time he had bet on himself, he had ended up taking everyone else’s winnings. No doubt there would be quite a few people trying to gamble on an upset in tomorrow’s match as well. But would he really let them win?

As they talked, the two arrived at the mountaintop. By now, it was nearly midnight. Bai Huan cupped his hands and said: “Junior Brother Ren, get some rest. I’ll come wake you early tomorrow morning.”

“No.” Zhang Xiaohua waved his hand. “The wagered match is scheduled for the afternoon, not the morning. I need to rest tomorrow morning and prepare properly. Come find me after noon instead.”

“It’s scheduled for the afternoon?” Bai Huan was taken aback, then immediately nodded. “All right, Junior Brother Ren. Get some rest. Even if you lose tomorrow, no one can blame you. After all, he’s an outer sect disciple…”

Hearing Bai Huan about to start lecturing again, Zhang Xiaohua quickly interrupted, “All right, Senior Brother Bai, you’d better get some rest too. The work in the herb fields tomorrow will all be in your hands.”

With that, he turned and headed toward the cave.

Watching Zhang Xiaohua leave, Bai Huan helplessly made his way back to his own hut, muttering to himself as he walked, “Why can’t there be an upset for once? Would it really hurt to let me strike it rich just this one time?”

His voice was not loud, but it still reached Zhang Xiaohua’s ears. Curling his lips, Zhang Xiaohua thought, Who doesn’t want to get rich? But before getting rich, you have to make sure you don’t lose money first. Pills may be valuable, but they’re still not as valuable as medicinal herbs!

After entering the cave, Zhang Xiaohua did not dare waste any time. He set up the restriction, immediately escaped into the pill room, took out his meditation cushion, and sat cross-legged before the pill furnace. Using his Divine Sense to inspect it, he found nothing out of the ordinary. Only then did he relax, take out a Yuan Stone from his robe, and begin his nightly cultivation routine.

Before long, starlight descended, enveloping the Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace as well. The starlight shone directly into the furnace through its eight sealed vents and also entered the medicinal liquid that was being tempered. Everything was exactly the same as when Zhang Xiaohua had refined pills back at Spring Rebirth Valley.

The night passed without incident. When he awoke the next day, he saw that the tempered medicinal liquid was still rotating slowly, while less and less dust was being expelled. Zhang Xiaohua knew that the liquid-tempering process was nearly complete. Comparing it in his mind with his previous experiences, he found that it was progressing noticeably faster than it had with his old pill furnace.

After finishing his fist practice, Zhang Xiaohua returned to the pill furnace and waited quietly. When he saw that the medicinal liquid had nearly stopped moving and no more impurities were being expelled, he knew that the liquid-tempering stage was complete.

He then closed his eyes and carefully reviewed the unique liquid-fusing technique of the Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace. Only after going through it once in his mind did he slowly raise his left hand. His fingers danced nimbly as he continuously formed spell seals and sent them into the pill furnace.

Before long, an opening appeared in the formation inside the Dui Furnace. The medicinal liquid of the Iron Bone Grass, which had already been tempered within it, flowed out through the opening, drifted to the center of the furnace, and hovered motionlessly.

Zhang Xiaohua swept over the medicinal liquid with his Divine Sense and let out another surprised “Eh?” He immediately immersed his Divine Sense into the liquid for a closer look.

There were actually faint specks of starlight within the medicinal liquid as well!

“What’s going on?” Zhang Xiaohua stroked his chin, utterly baffled. “Could this be something commonly seen during pill refinement?”

“Perhaps.” Now was not the time to dwell on it. Besides, this was only the second time Zhang Xiaohua had refined a low-grade pill. Perhaps after refining more of them, he would naturally understand the reason. Comforting himself with that thought, he once again formed spell seals with his left hand.

Soon afterward, the medicinal liquid of the Lingmu Fruit from the Zhen Furnace and the medicinal liquid of the Fragrant Soul Wood from the Kan Furnace merged one after another into the Iron Bone Grass liquid at the center of the furnace, following the mutually generating and mutually overcoming principles of Metal, Wood, and Water.

With the experience he had gained from refining pills at Spring Rebirth Valley, Zhang Xiaohua remained calm this time. He steadily sent the liquid-fusing spell seals into the furnace in an orderly manner, establishing both generation and restraint among the medicinal liquids of the different elemental attributes.

The medicinal liquid, which had previously remained motionless, gradually began to rotate again as the other two medicinal liquids merged into it one after another. Little by little, a cycle formed within the liquid itself.

Within that cycle, the tiny specks of starlight also revolved gently, as though they too were constructing something.

After a long while, once the medicinal liquids of the three principal ingredients had stabilized, Zhang Xiaohua once again formed spell seals, causing the tempered medicinal liquids from the Kun Furnace, Xun Furnace, and the other formations to merge one by one into the central mass, following the order of the Five Elements’ mutual restraint.

Each time another medicinal liquid fused into it, the central mass trembled violently and churned, at one point appearing on the verge of collapsing. Yet, under Zhang Xiaohua’s careful control through his spell seals, each crisis passed safely.

When all the medicinal liquids had finally fused into one, Zhang Xiaohua sent in his final spell seal.

The Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace let out a deep rumbling sound. Beneath the rapidly spinning medicinal liquid, now as large as a human head, a pale red wisp of Samadhi True Fire, as fine as a strand of hair, appeared out of thin air. It coiled around the mass of medicinal liquid.

This was the unique pill-nurturing method of the Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace.