Chapter 461: Crimson Flame Pill

It turned out that although the old man had been sternly questioning him for quite some time, he never actually tried to seize him. Instead, he kept asking for explanations—these were all stalling tactics, just buying time for Valley Master Nie and the others to arrive and confront or surround him.

Zhang Xiaohua had still somewhat underestimated the intelligence of these seasoned martial artists.

Sure enough, after a while, the old man suddenly slapped Da Bai on the head. With a low howl from the great white wolf, Valley Master Nie and the others received the signal. They responded with a long howl and charged straight toward Zhang Xiaohua.

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua standing there calmly and composed, it seemed his earlier explanations were indeed truthful. The old man gradually lowered his small hoe, though the great white wolf, having suffered a loss, still kept a wary eye on Zhang Xiaohua.

Valley Master Nie, leading several others, rushed to the scene. From a distance, he saw Zhang Xiaohua standing there with the old man beside him. Realizing a misunderstanding had occurred, he shouted before even getting close: “Elder Zhang, it’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Please don’t act rashly!”

Elder Zhang turned around and scolded with a laugh: “When have you ever seen me act rashly? But your good son-in-law here gave Da Bai a good beating—I still need to get justice for Da Bai!”

Valley Master Nie hurried over and saluted Elder Zhang, saying: “Elder, it’s been a long time. How have you been?”

Elder Zhang waved his small hoe and replied: “Without official duties, I’m free as a bird. Now it’s all ‘gathering herbs under the eastern fence, at ease seeing the southern mountain’. I’m doing very well, very well indeed.”

Zhang Xiaohua watched the old man put on airs of elegance, much like he himself did when showing off his literary skills in front of Little Orange. He almost burst out laughing.

Valley Master Nie’s eyes also sparkled with amusement as he congratulated: “That’s wonderful, truly wonderful.”

Then he turned to Zhang Xiaohua in surprise and asked: “Nephew Ren, I heard from Little Yu that you were refining pills in the alchemy room this afternoon. How did you end up here? Haha, this is one of the more secluded—and rather dangerous—places in Spring Rebirth Valley. I should have explained things to you properly yesterday.”

Though these words sounded caring, there was an implicit reproach for Zhang Xiaohua entering without permission.

Zhang Xiaohua scratched his head and said with a smile: “How could I blame Uncle Nie? It’s just that after refining pills for a while, I got a bit bored and decided to take a walk. I noticed some rare herbs here and followed them over. If it’s inconvenient for Uncle Nie, I won’t come again in the future.”

How could Valley Master Nie not catch the meaning behind his words? He simply waved his hand and said: “It’s no trouble at all. Since you’ve already seen all the pill recipes in Spring Rebirth Valley, there’s nothing left to keep secret. If you like it here, feel free to come whenever you wish. There are so many herbs in Spring Rebirth Valley that we can’t even identify them all. If you recognize any and want to pick them, go right ahead.”

Zhang Xiaohua was overjoyed when he heard this and cupped his hands in thanks to Valley Master Nie.

Elder Zhang at the side was having none of it. He shouted: “Nie Shuai, although you’re the master of Spring Rebirth Valley, I am still your elder! Back when you were young, I was the one who introduced you to your wife. The pill recipes of our Spring Rebirth Valley are extremely important—how could you let outsiders see them without consulting the other elders? Even if he’s your son-in-law, didn’t he just say he hasn’t officially joined the family yet? How can you be so casual about this?”

Zhang Xiaohua was secretly clutching his belly with laughter.

Valley Master Nie’s face was covered in awkward lines, and he could only force a smile and reply: “All the elders are enjoying their years in the inner valley. I wouldn’t dare disturb you over such a small matter. Elder Zhang, hasn’t it been nearly half a year since we last met? I tried to visit you several times before the new year but never found you. If Da Bai hadn’t raised the alarm today, I wouldn’t have known you were here.”

Then, pulling Elder Zhang aside, he explained everything in detail. As Elder Zhang listened, he kept glancing at Zhang Xiaohua, his expression shifting from disdain, to appreciation, to astonishment, and finally to surprise, admiration, and even a hint of regret. Zhang Xiaohua felt rather uncomfortable under his gaze.

When Valley Master Nie finished, Elder Zhang walked up to Zhang Xiaohua and said: “Young Hero Ren, I was a bit rude earlier. Shooting a dart at you was truly out of line.”

With that, he cupped his hands in apology. Seeing that Elder Zhang was Valley Master Nie’s elder, Zhang Xiaohua dared not accept the apology and hurriedly supported his arm, saying: “Elder Zhang, you’re mistaken. I was the one who acted rudely first—trying to pick your Red Flame Grass and then injuring your Da Bai. The fault is entirely mine.”

As an elder, Elder Zhang hadn’t really intended to go through with the formal salute. Seeing Zhang Xiaohua support his arm and give him a way out, he pretended to exert some force to rise. But to his surprise, Zhang Xiaohua’s grip was as immovable as a boulder. Remembering that Valley Master Nie had said Zhang Xiaohua was a tournament champion, Elder Zhang’s competitive spirit was piqued.

He exerted both arms, trying to press down with the salute.

Zhang Xiaohua was exasperated—why was this old man like this? He’d tried to attack without asking questions, and now that Zhang Xiaohua was trying to stop him from bowing, he was pushing even harder. Should he let go or not?

If he let go, he’d be letting an elder apologize to him—which would be inappropriate for a junior. Plus, with Elder Zhang already exerting force, if Zhang Xiaohua suddenly released his strength, the old man might end up face-first in the dirt.

But if he kept holding on, wouldn’t that turn into a contest of strength? It would look like he was being disrespectful by grappling with an elder. It was one thing not to know before, but now, continuing would also be wrong.

With no good options, Zhang Xiaohua could only use both hands to firmly support Elder Zhang, at least ensuring the elder kept his teeth.

Seeing this, Valley Master Nie quickly called out: “Elder Zhang, don’t stoop to the level of the youngsters. I know you haven’t had anyone suitable to spar with in the valley, but if you want to compete, why not wait until we’re back at the outer valley and do it in the arena? Why wrestle here in the wilderness?”

Elder Zhang’s eyes lit up at once. “That’s excellent!”

He immediately put away his arms.

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head. “No, no, that’s not good.”

Seeing the two separate, Valley Master Nie finally turned his attention to the Red Flame Grass not far away and said: “Elder Zhang, have you been guarding this Red Flame Grass all this time? No wonder I could never find you.”

Elder Zhang pointed at the big white wolf. “Actually, most of the time it’s Da Bai who’s on guard. I just wander around nearby, looking for herbs and stretching my legs.”

Valley Master Nie stepped forward and examined the Red Flame Grass closely, nodding. “This Red Flame Grass looks to be at least a hundred years old—truly valuable. But the auxiliary ingredients like Red Pearl Grass, Bitter Bamboo, and Curved Root are all hard to find. Otherwise… well, there’s no ‘otherwise’—even if we had all those herbs, our Spring Rebirth Valley still wouldn’t be able to refine the Crimson Flame Pill.”

As he spoke, his eyes drifted meaningfully toward Zhang Xiaohua.

Zhang Xiaohua’s heart stirred. Valley Master Nie’s words were strange. In the jade slip, there was indeed a pill called the Meridian Moistening Pill, made primarily from Flaming Sun Grass and Red Pearl Grass, with several other herbs as supplements. It was used to nourish and repair meridians, while the main use of Red Flame Grass was to make the Crimson Flame Pill, which could temper the true qi in the meridians and improve one’s cultivation.

Elder Zhang waved his hand grandly. “These past years, I’ve done nothing but collect herbs in the valley. All the ingredients for the Crimson Flame Pill are ready, but I’ve never been confident enough to attempt refining it. If this kid hadn’t discovered the Red Flame Grass today…”

At this point, he suddenly stopped, looking at Zhang Xiaohua with some excitement. He asked: “Young hero Ren, when you heard me call this herb ‘Red Flame Grass’ earlier, you didn’t seem to agree. You pointed at it and asked me, ‘You call this Red Flame Grass?’ Did you not?”

At this stage, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t deny it, so he braced himself and replied, “Yes, that’s what I said.”

“Then, what do you think it should be called?” Elder Zhang’s eyes were sharp as he stared at him.

Zhang Xiaohua scratched his head. “Elder, well, a long time ago I read an old, tattered booklet. It had a drawing of a herb that looked just like this one. Since you call it Red Flame Grass, then Red Flame Grass it is. I must have remembered wrong.”

“No, lad, think carefully. It doesn’t matter if you’re mistaken.”

Elder Zhang’s face was kindly, but to Zhang Xiaohua, he looked a bit like Da Bai’s grandmother. He could only pretend to ponder, and after a while, hesitantly said: “It might be… Morning Sun Grass, or Flaming Sun Grass, or perhaps Evening Sun Grass. I really can’t remember.”

Elder Zhang clapped his hands. “Good! It’s Flaming Sun Grass. By the way, young man, just now Valley Master Nie said you know the ancient method of alchemy, and you also know that this Red Flame Grass’s old name is Flaming Sun Grass. Your Big Dipper Sect must be an ancient alchemy sect, right? How come I’ve never heard of it?”

Zhang Xiaohua secretly laughed: If you actually knew, that would be strange indeed.

Out loud, he said: “I’m not really sure. Our Big Dipper Sect never involves itself in the affairs of the martial world, and the elders never leave the mountain.”

“Oh, is that so?” Elder Zhang was clearly quite disappointed.

Seeing the two of them about to ramble on endlessly, Valley Master Nie interjected: “Elder Zhang, it’s not easy to run into you. It seems you still have a lot you want to ask Nephew Ren. Why don’t you come with us back to the outer valley? You can see the changes in the valley, and also take a look at the pills Nephew Ren has helped us refine.”

“Mm, Valley Master makes a good point,” Elder Zhang nodded. “I’m also curious to see what kind of pills can be produced with the revived alchemy techniques.”

Then he said: “Wait here for a moment, I’ll be right back.”

With that, he performed lightness skill and left. Before long, he returned carrying a small bundle. Then, he patted the big white wolf on the head; the white wolf licked Elder Zhang’s hand with its tongue, then lazily walked over to the Red Flame Grass and lay down beside it.

Zhang Xiaohua asked curiously: “Elder Zhang, since this Red Flame Grass is already a hundred years old and can be used medicinally, why not just harvest it now?”

Elder Zhang replied with deep meaning: “The time isn’t right yet. If you’re not confident in refining the pill, then let it grow for a thousand years.”

“A thousand years?” Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but curl his lips, thinking to himself: “How is that possible? Maybe in the wilderness, but here in Spring Rebirth Valley? Even though it’s the inner valley and few people come, someone’s bound to see it eventually. Once it’s seen, how could it last that long? Besides, how old are you already, Elder? When you’re no longer around, heh, I’ll just come and pick it myself. Letting this Flaming Sun Grass stand alone in the wind for no reason—how inhumane!”

At this thought, a sudden idea flashed through his mind: “If you’re not confident in refining the pill… but what if you are confident?”

Zhang Xiaohua glanced at Elder Zhang, his eyes also full of meaning!