Chapter 459 – Flaming Sun Grass

Zhang Xiaohua then looked into the distance, his gaze sweeping over the areas in Spring Rebirth Valley where precious medicinal herbs were grown. He visited each of them one by one, openly and unhurriedly picking a portion at every stop and storing them away. Although these herbs weren’t specifically mentioned in the jade slip, they were all listed in books as the principal ingredients of certain medicinal pills—if not now, then when would he harvest them?

Well, it’d be a waste not to pick them!

And so, as he made his way deeper into the valley, he picked herbs along the way. The neatly cultivated herb gardens gradually disappeared, replaced by wild, unkempt growth. More and more unnamed herbs began to appear among the thick underbrush.

As Zhang Xiaohua ventured farther in, the surroundings also grew increasingly harsh. There were almost no proper paths to follow. The shrubs reached up to half a man’s height, and the towering trees took several people joining hands to encircle. The cries of birds grew more clamorous, and small animals could be seen from time to time—on the ground, in the trees, or even in the streams.

Zhang Xiaohua slightly released his divine sense, casting it over the area surrounding him, combing it carefully in hopes of discovering something exciting.

As he was walking and passed a sloping patch of land, his brows suddenly furrowed—but almost immediately, a look of delight blossomed across his face. With a swift movement, he leapt onto a large tree to the side, looking slightly flustered.

Roughly ten or so zhang ahead of him was a sun-drenched clearing about one zhang in size. There was no messy undergrowth—only a few bare stones, not even a patch of soil in sight. And in the middle of these stones, a small scarlet-red herb was growing. Bathed in sunlight, it seemed as though it were set aflame, radiating a dazzling glow.

Wasn’t this precisely one of the rare herbs recorded in the jade slip—the Flaming Sun Grass?

Zhang Xiaohua could hardly believe his luck was this good. Once he reached the treetop, he pinched his own thigh hard—hm, that did hurt, so this probably wasn’t a dream. Wait, what was he pinching himself for anyway? He’d been around girls like Nie Qianyu for too long, always spouting nonsense about dreams and fantasies. When had he ever had a dream like this?

He first allowed himself to admire the Flaming Sun Grass’s brilliant beauty, bathed in the setting sun’s glow, then projected his divine sense into the herb. As expected, the Yuan Qi hovering above the Flaming Sun Grass was more than three times stronger than that of the Corrosive Shade Grass earlier. The amount of Yuan Qi of Heaven and Earth within the Flaming Sun Grass itself was also shockingly immense.

There was no doubt. Zhang Xiaohua finally confirmed it—this was exactly the Flaming Sun Grass described in the jade slip. It grew only in areas saturated with pure Yang energy, was domineering in nature, and no other plant could grow nearby. Even the soil around it had its Yang essence completely drained, turning into hard stone.

However, there was one point that differed from what was described in the jade slip: for rare medicinal herbs such as this—nurtured by Heaven and Earth—there were usually companion beasts born alongside them, tasked with diligently protecting the herb.

Guardian beasts? Zhang Xiaohua had always scoffed at the idea. In his view, it was simply a matter of whoever arrived first. Whoever got there ahead of time became the “guardian”, nothing more.

But speaking of beasts, the first thing that came to Zhang Xiaohua’s mind was the creature lurking in the volcanic magma beneath the deserted island. How could he be indifferent after that experience? Better climb up the tree first and figure things out later.

Yet after thoroughly inspecting the herb and sweeping his divine sense across the surrounding area, Zhang Xiaohua found nothing unusual at all. Could it be that the beast had actually evaded his divine sense?

Thinking of something that could elude divine sense, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly recalled a technique described later in the [Guiding the Spirit], which allowed one to conceal their cultivation. If human cultivators could develop methods to hide their presence and escape detection, then perhaps demonic beasts might possess similar abilities.

So Zhang Xiaohua once again pushed his divine sense to its utmost limit, meticulously combing through the ten-zhang area around the Flaming Sun Grass. But after quite some time, he still found nothing.

Could it be that this Flaming Sun Grass doesn’t have a guardian beast at all?

“Aiyo—” At that thought, Zhang Xiaohua smacked his forehead and couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. The transformation of the world’s Yuan Qi had occurred tens of thousands of years ago. Even if guardian beasts had once existed, they would have long since retreated to places rich in Yuan Qi—just like the creature in the magma. While Spring Rebirth Valley did have more spiritual energy than other places, it was still far from the level needed to sustain a beast like that. How could any guardian beast possibly live here?

In a place this starved of Yuan Qi, the Flaming Sun Grass barely managed to mature—any guardian beast would have starved to death ages ago. Hmph, even if it didn’t starve, it would’ve died of old age by now, Zhang Xiaohua thought viciously.

With this chain of reasoning in mind, Zhang Xiaohua leapt down from the tree and swaggered confidently toward the Flaming Sun Grass.

But before Zhang Xiaohua could approach the Flaming Sun Grass, a sudden gust of rank wind came sweeping in from the side. He frowned, and without turning his head, sent his divine sense sweeping to his rear right—only to see something charging toward him at high speed from dozens of zhang away, howling as it ran, as if issuing a warning.

Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but smile bitterly and mutter inwardly: “I really ought to have a good talk with Nie Qianyu when I get back. This Spring Rebirth Valley of hers may be picturesque and harmonious, but how can it be home to something so ugly? I mean, if you were raising a Sibu Xiang or even keeping a little squirrel as a pet, that’d be understandable—but what’s the point of keeping a big white wolf?”

“You want to act like a big bad wolf, then fine—go be a big gray wolf at least! But no, you had to make yourself white like some oversized lamb. Seriously, just begging for a beating. Looks like the people of Spring Rebirth Valley need to do a proper sweep of the area and restore a little harmony around here.”

Sigh—he could imagine it all he wanted, but with a place this large, how could the disciples of Spring Rebirth Valley possibly monitor every corner? If they could, then this Flaming Sun Grass would’ve long since been claimed by one of them. Where would it leave someone like him?

The white wolf let out a low growl as it sped toward him, but Zhang Xiaohua simply stood there calmly.

For a precious herb like Flaming Sun Grass, it had to be picked carefully, with focused attention and no distractions. With a threat like this white wolf nearby, Zhang Xiaohua naturally wouldn’t risk moving hastily.

Looking back, he found himself a bit ridiculous—what was with all that cautiousness earlier? He’d found nothing with his divine sense, so he should’ve just picked the herb and been done with it. But no, he’d gone back for a second, more thorough sweep—wasn’t that what brought the trouble?

Still, even as trouble came charging at him, Zhang Xiaohua felt no panic. What was it anyway? Just a wild wolf. Even dressed in a white pelt, it was still just a wolf—hardly some formidable demonic beast, much less a martial expert with profound inner strength.

Zhang Xiaohua cast out his divine sense, locking firmly onto the white wolf from afar. The creature seemed to sense the danger ahead and slightly slowed its pace. But the distance was short—barely ten or so zhang—so in just a few breaths, the white wolf had already reached the foot of the slope.

Yet once it got there, the wolf didn’t pounce as Zhang Xiaohua had expected. There was no sudden lunge or frenzied attack. Instead, it stared at him intently with its eyes, then raised its nose and sniffed the air, turning its gaze toward the Flaming Sun Grass basking in sunlight. Immediately after, it threw its head back and let out a long howl.

Zhang Xiaohua frowned. Though he had never encountered wolves before, he knew they were pack animals. Could this white wolf be calling its pack? He was just about to extend his divine sense further when, at that very moment, the wolf suddenly swept its tail across the ground, then launched forward with its hind legs—its entire body a streak of white light as it lunged straight at Zhang Xiaohua.

“Wow…” Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but marvel to himself: “This white wolf actually understands tactics! First it issued a distant warning, then approached, howling to make one think it was waiting for reinforcements—only to strike suddenly at the exact moment when a person’s guard drops!”

Unfortunately for the wolf, the entire ten-zhang radius was within Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense. Though the wolf moved with incredible speed, every motion was seen by Zhang Xiaohua as clear as day.

As the white wolf closed in, Zhang Xiaohua could clearly see the wild, unyielding glint in its eyes. Its forelegs stretched forward, claws gleaming sharply—he had no doubt that if those claws raked across him, at the very least a chunk of flesh would be torn away. And behind those claws were the beast’s razor-sharp fangs!

Zhang Xiaohua, however, remained unhurried. He waited until the white wolf was nearly upon him, then casually twisted his body to the side, allowing the wolf to lunge past him. The beast couldn’t adjust its posture mid-air; its thick tail swept toward Zhang Xiaohua’s face in retaliation. Zhang Xiaohua burst out laughing, “Is this the legendary ‘Tiger’s Tail Scissors’? Since when did a white wolf learn that move?”

He paid it no mind. Shrinking his frame, he dodged once again with ease.

The white wolf missed its mark, landed on the ground, and without pausing or showing off, rolled over and leapt again. Zhang Xiaohua didn’t frown—he actually respected it. For this wolf to be guarding the Flaming Sun Grass, it had to be somewhat intelligent. Since he was taking something it had been protecting, he felt that, at the very least, he shouldn’t take its life.

So he had no intention of fighting back. He wanted to show the wolf that it was outmatched, and let it retreat on its own.

As it lunged a second time, Zhang Xiaohua extended a hand, and from an incredibly tricky angle, seized the wolf’s front leg. With another sidestep, he lightly used the technique “Four Taels to Move a Thousand Catty”, effortlessly flinging the white wolf far into the distance. The wolf let out a sorrowful wail mid-air, thinking itself doomed—but despite being hurled nearly ten zhang, it still landed firmly on its feet.

Only then did Zhang Xiaohua find a moment to extend his divine sense deeper into the forest. He detected no trace of a wolf pack.

This surprised him.

Yet, the white wolf that had just been thrown did not flee in disgrace as Zhang Xiaohua had expected. Instead, it gathered itself, shook off the impact, and once more charged at him with renewed spirit.

This time, Zhang Xiaohua was truly angered. He thought, “This white wolf may look majestic, but it clearly doesn’t have much intelligence. I’ve already spared it twice, and it still doesn’t get the message?”

With that, he reached out and seized the white wolf by the throat just as it pounced. Though there was an old saying, “Bronze head, iron back, reed-stalk waist”—referring to the vulnerable spots of a wolf—Zhang Xiaohua, with his current strength, had long since ceased to care about such things. His hand wasn’t large, but it had strength to spare. He gripped the white wolf’s thick neck firmly, and with just a bit of pressure, the wolf’s tongue lolled out, and a hoarse, low growl escaped its throat. It seemed to be filled with fear, with unwillingness… and with a kind of pleading.

Zhang Xiaohua stared at the white wolf dangling from his hand, on the verge of tightening his grip. But in that instant, he caught a glimpse of its eyes. Gone was the ferocity—those eyes had become clear, startlingly so… as if filled with sorrow! A sorrow he knew too well, one that stabbed deep into his heart.

It was the same look—exactly the same—as that little cat crushed beneath the carriage wheels outside Pingyang City, in the snow!