Chapter 374: The Longing for the Unattainable Golden Mountain

Although Zhang Xiaohua had gained much just now, after a bit of calculation, he realized that the longest and most exhausting part, the evolution of the Heavenly Dao, was utterly incomprehensible to him. The meridians as bright as the starry sky required a cultivation method he did not possess; the mysterious purple qi, whose effects remained unknown, had vanished somewhere within his body; and all that was left was that strand of golden light transformed from the innate formation.

When it came to formations, Zhang Xiaohua’s heart burned with excitement. Ever since he had obtained the jade slip on restrictions and formations from the Fire Dragon True Person on that desolate island, he had been deeply fascinated. Even during his daily cultivation, he would always find time to ponder its mysteries. Just now, when his divine sense merely brushed over one of the talismanic symbols, he could feel the profound essence of formation arts within it far surpassing anything recorded by the Fire Dragon True Person. With his current cultivation, it was nearly impossible to comprehend. Thus, when that golden light, carrying half of the mysterious purple qi, shot into a certain part of his mind, he did not panic. Wasn’t this just like the meridians and the purple qi? As long as it was within his body, there would always come a day when he could unravel its secrets.

What he most wanted to examine, and what he felt most likely to yield results, was the thin layer of golden formation atop the Pill Heart within his Niwan Palace.

However, when Zhang Xiaohua, full of anticipation and a bit of nervousness, immersed his divine sense into the golden Pill Heart in his Niwan Palace, he almost coughed up blood.

And why was that?

That tiny Pill Heart was wrapped in a thin layer of golden formation, composed of three hundred and sixty-five tadpole-shaped golden talismanic symbols. Each tadpole was connected by an incredibly mysterious force, and all three hundred and sixty-five were linked together, forming a seamless, impenetrable barrier, just like the complete golden formation he had seen earlier. When Zhang Xiaohua tried to immerse his divine sense into a single talisman, before he could even begin to comprehend it, a wave of exhaustion surged into his mind, forcing him to hastily withdraw his divine sense.

Withdrawing his divine sense, Zhang Xiaohua was left feeling stifled for quite some time. What was this supposed to be? It was like being given a mountain of gold, but not the strength to move it. What was even more infuriating was that this golden mountain had been forged into a single, solid mass. He couldn’t even chip off a piece the size of a fingernail.

How could Zhang Xiaohua not cough up blood in such a situation?

After all that effort, everything he longed for was still out of reach.

“Empty promises, empty promises…” Zhang Xiaohua muttered to himself, a hint of self-pity in his tone.

However, after calming his mind for a while, Zhang Xiaohua let go of his frustration. Cultivating the Immortal Dao was all about taking steady, grounded steps. If one only sought shortcuts and quick gains without a solid foundation, sooner or later, a terrible price would be paid. Take his own state of mind as an example, he once thought that living freely, repaying kindness, and enacting vengeance with decisiveness, was the clear path. Yet the death of an innocent cat had left his heart unsettled. If he were to kill indiscriminately, he would inevitably fall into the trap of his own inner demons. This kind of tempering, though not cultivation in itself, was even more valuable than cultivation. Through this roundabout experience, his mental foundation had grown much firmer; this was the proper way of cultivating the Immortal Dao.

Thinking about it now, perhaps being able to rescue his little nephew from the golden sphere was his greatest gain!

At the thought of his adorable, plump little nephew, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but break into a smile. Still, who did this kid take after? Why couldn’t he see the resemblance?

With that, Zhang Xiaohua calmed his mind and began to ponder the formation arts of the Fire Dragon True Person. After all, with a golden mountain right before him, he had to train his strength before anything else.

In truth, after all his calculations, just when Zhang Xiaohua thought he had gained nothing, he had actually overlooked his greatest harvest.

Indeed, witnessing the changes of the Heavenly Dao and the evolution of earth, fire, wind, and thunder, these were truly awe-inspiring, though Zhang Xiaohua understood none of it; it was like playing music to a cow. However, as a bystander, to observe coldly for billions of years, such an experience was not something just anyone could have. For tempering his Dao heart, it was of utmost importance. From this moment on, Zhang Xiaohua’s will to pursue immortality became incomparably resilient. For a cultivator, this was the greatest gain of all. What’s more, those billions of years seemed to pass in an instant, leaving no trace of weariness or sorrow in his heart. Such a perfect outcome, if Zhang Xiaohua ever realized it, he’d probably laugh even in his dreams for the rest of his life!

Unfortunately, Zhang Xiaohua was destined to be dreamless; all he had were those mysterious twinkling lights. Even if he wanted to secretly rejoice, he wouldn’t have the chance.

By now, Zhang Xiaohua was no longer the novice cultivator he once was, like back when he first trained for nine days and nights straight by the fields of Guo Village. After pondering restrictions for a while, a thought stirred in his heart, and he opened his eyes. Sure enough, the sun was already setting outside his window. Time flies in the path of cultivation, Zhang Xiaohua sighed with emotion. Just a little bit of insight, and an entire day had slipped by.

Zhang Xiaohua stepped out of his room and was greeted by a curious scene. The tidy little courtyard had already been swept clean of snow, and everyone was gathered around a corner, so focused that no one noticed his arrival.

At a glance, wasn’t that the very spot where the Sibu Xiang Huanhuan stayed?

Zhang Xiaohua walked over, and Li Yinfeng, who was standing on the outer edge of the crowd, heard his footsteps and turned around. Seeing that it was Zhang Xiaohua, she smiled and said: “Xiaohua, did you sleep well?”

“No way, sister-in-law! You were still calling me ‘Zhang Xiaohua’ this morning, but by afternoon, you’re already acting like a real sister-in-law and just calling me ‘Xiaohua’?” Zhang Xiaohua put on a look of mock indignation. Li Yinfeng blushed and replied: “Well… Brother Kai said there’s no need to be so formal with you. Otherwise, should I call you ‘Benefactor’?” At the end of her words, a sly glint flashed in her eyes.

Zhang Xiaohua waved his hands quickly: “No, no, sister-in-law, I was just joking! I’m more than happy when you call me Xiaohua, so let’s not go backward. By the way, how are my eldest sister-in-law and the baby?”

Li Yinfeng laughed as well: “Hehe, Xiaohua, I was just teasing you.”

“Qianqian is doing well, seems to be recovering nicely, she’ll probably be able to get out of bed tomorrow. The baby is great, really great. As soon as he came into the room this morning, he was crying for milk, and after eating, he fell right asleep. He might not even be awake now. Auntie Guo and my mother are with them, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Oh, I see. Giving birth really is exhausting work. Imagine not even being able to get out of bed for a whole day. From what you’re saying, this is considered a good recovery? Does that mean if someone’s weaker, they might not be able to get up for three or four days? Being a mother is truly tough, so pitiful.”

Li Yinfeng blushed again, her face turning red in an instant.

Zhang Xiaohua watched, feeling rather puzzled. “This Miss Li, no, this sister-in-law, why is she so easily embarrassed?”

The others in the courtyard, seeing Zhang Xiaohua approach, all turned and greeted him with smiles. Only Mr. Liu said: “Xiaohua, where did you get this Sibu Xiang? Ever since I read about it in books, I’ve always wanted to see one in person. The books say the Sibu Xiang is extremely intelligent. I didn’t believe it at first, but now, seeing it with my own eyes, it seems the books were right!”

Zhang Xiaohua thought back to what Nie Qianyu had said and smiled: “This Sibu Xiang is probably an exception. The others shouldn’t be this intelligent.”

“There are other Sibu Xiangs?” Mr. Liu’s eyes lit up. “Xiaohua, could you help me buy one too? According to the ancient texts, many famous immortals of old rode Sibu Xiangs!”

Zhang Xiaohua shrugged. “Mr. Liu, I’ve only heard about them myself. This Sibu Xiang is the only one I’ve ever seen. Haha, and it was actually a gift from a child also named Xiaohua.”

“Huh? Also called Xiaohua?” The people in the courtyard immediately perked up, their faces full of curiosity, eager for a story. Zhang Xiaohua said: “Father, Mr. Liu, Uncle Li, let’s wait until Mother and the others are here. I’ll tell the whole story at once, it’s a long tale, and I’d rather not repeat it twice.”

Zhang Cai laughed: “You rascal, keeping your own father in suspense. Fine, after dinner, we’ll light the lamps and you can tell us then.”

It was only now that Zhang Xiaohua noticed what everyone was gathered around Huanhuan to see.

In front of the Sibu Xiang, Huanhuan was a large washbasin filled with water, and Huanhuan was stretching its neck, drinking heartily!

Zhang Xiaohua frowned slightly. He’d had this Sibu Xiang for quite some time, but had never seen it drink water like this before. Sweeping it with his divine sense, he immediately understood, wasn’t that spring water from home?

Could it be that this Sibu Xiang actually preferred things rich in Yuan Qi?

“Oh, no wonder back in Songning Town, this creature kept sticking close to me. It must have smelled the Yuan Qi! Heh, here I thought it was my own charm, that my imposing presence was attracting spirit beasts to my side.”

Li Jinfeng saw Zhang Xiaohua frown and laughed: “Your Sibu Xiang really is special. As soon as you went to rest, it rushed into the kitchen and drank up all the leftover water in the vat. At noon, Uncle Zhang brought some fresh grass for it from outside, but it wouldn’t eat a single bite. We had no choice but to call Xiaolong from his father’s house to fetch another load of water for it. Just look how happily it’s drinking now.”

Zhang Xiaohua laughed: “Is it only going to drink water? If it doesn’t eat grass, it’ll starve.”

Then he suddenly remembered what Nie Qianyu had said: Sibu Xiangs especially liked grass covered in dew. He patted Huanhuan’s head, dumped out the basket of grass, picked up the washbasin with one hand, and sprinkled some fresh water over the grass. “Come on, eat your grass! If you don’t, I won’t even let you drink water.”

The Sibu Xiang looked utterly aggrieved, letting out a long whinny as it obediently began to eat the grass, its eyes fixed longingly on Zhang Xiaohua as he set the washbasin aside.

Zhang Cai glanced at his son and asked: “Did you sleep well?”

“Mmm, very well, Father. It’s been so long since I slept on the heated brick bed at home, it was truly restful.”

“That’s good. I was worried you’d gotten used to life outside and wouldn’t be able to sleep after coming home. From now on, you’ll sleep in that room.”

Zhang Xiaohua frowned slightly. What did Father mean by that? Could it be…

Then Zhang Cai continued: “Come on, Xiaohua, let’s invite Mr. Liu and your Uncle Li inside. After watching the mule, oh, I mean the Sibu Xiang, drink for so long, I’m thirsty too. Let’s all go in for some tea. You must be tired and hungry after your journey. Have some water first. Your mother has spent the whole day fussing over her grandson and has left her own son to the side. In a bit, I’ll have her make you some braised pork.”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled: “It’s fine, Father. I already ate and drank back in Lu Town before I returned, so I’m not hungry at all. Let’s go in and have some tea first. Once Mother and the others are finished with their chores, we can eat. There’s no rush.”