Chapter 463 – Elder Zhang’s Theory

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua turning back to look at the booklet, Elder Zhang smiled and said: “Did something come to mind?”

When Zhang Xiaohua didn’t respond, lost in thought, he added: “If you compare this booklet and replace the names with those from ancient times, wouldn’t that essentially turn it into a completely different ancient pill recipe?”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded and said: “That’s exactly right.”

Seeing him respond, Elder Zhang smiled again and said, “If we refine this Crimson Flame Pill according to that ancient recipe and succeed, wouldn’t this pill then have two names? One would be the ancient name, and the other the present-day ‘Crimson Flame Pill.’ In other words, wouldn’t we have actually refined a legendary pill from ancient times?”

Elder Zhang stared intently at Zhang Xiaohua, waiting for his answer.

But Zhang Xiaohua suddenly looked toward the jade slip on the table. With curiosity, he picked it up and asked: “Elder Zhang, this jade slip feels quite smooth and warm—seems like a fine piece of jade. Where did you get it?”

At that, Elder Zhang frowned, slightly impatient. “It’s not exactly a fine piece. The color is a bit mottled. I spotted it in the pill room and just slipped it into a book—works great as a bookmark.”

Then he added, “Young Hero Ren, aren’t you even a little interested in working with me on this fascinating endeavor?”

Zhang Xiaohua still didn’t respond to his question. Instead, he held the jade slip up to the light, studying it closely. “This jade slip doesn’t look like it was polished. If it really formed this thin naturally, that’s quite rare. You used it to mark a book? That’s a real waste.”

Seeing him continue to change the subject, Elder Zhang waved his hand decisively. “If I don’t use it as a bookmark, what else can I do with it? It’s not exactly square—what, make it into a paperweight? If you like it, just take it. I’ve no use for it anyway.”

Zhang Xiaohua was overjoyed in his heart, but still said: “I fear that might not be appropriate. A gentleman doesn’t take what another favors.”

Elder Zhang replied, “I’m not particularly fond of it. Just take it.”

Zhang Xiaohua cupped his hands and said: “A gift from an elder, I dare not refuse. Then I shall thick-skinnedly accept it.”

With that, he casually slipped it into his robe.

Yes—very casually.

Seeing him put away the jade slip, Elder Zhang cautiously asked again: “Young Hero Ren, you truly don’t wish to take part in something that could change the course of pill refinement history? You must understand, if this succeeds, it would be of epoch-making significance—a turning point, a new beginning.”

Zhang Xiaohua inwardly laughed uproariously, thinking: If that’s how you see it, then just this afternoon alone in the pill room at Spring Rebirth Valley, I don’t even know how many ‘turning points’ I went through! Oh, right—this whole turning point thing started back on the deserted island!

But on the surface, he only gave a bitter smile and said: “Elder, it’s not that I’m not tempted, but an ancient pill formula requires ancient refining methods. If we use Spring Rebirth Valley’s water decoction technique, it’s bound to fail.”

Elder Zhang cursed inwardly: Isn’t that just nonsense? If the water decoction method actually worked, why would I waste time babbling at you? I’ve been going on about this half the day precisely because I know you’re capable of refining pills using earthfire directly!

Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly slapped his forehead and cried out in surprise: “Ah! I remember now—Elder Zhang, I remember where I saw the name ‘Flaming Sun Grass’ before!”

The moment Elder Zhang heard this, he completely forgot about pill refinement and asked urgently: “Where did you see it?”

Zhang Xiaohua gave a sheepish smile and said: “In the attic of my old home, there used to be a little compartment. Inside were trinkets I picked up from the fields when I was young. Among them was a thick, heavy book filled with drawings of different herbs. I used to flip through it for fun. But I don’t remember where I found the book… And the attic’s long since been torn down, so I don’t know if it can still be found.”

“What? You said the book was big and thick?” Elder Zhang asked, both startled and overjoyed.

Zhang Xiaohua glanced at him, then pointed to the booklet Elder Zhang had written on. “It should be several times larger and several times thicker than that.”

Elder Zhang leapt forward at once, grabbing Zhang Xiaohua by the collar. “Boy! If the attic was torn down, then what about the book—?!”

Zhang Xiaohua chuckled: “The attic’s gone, but I hid my little trinkets well. That said, I haven’t been home in ages, so I don’t know if they’re still there.”

“Where is your home? I’ll go there right now.” Elder Zhang said, almost breathless with urgency.

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head. “I hid those things in a very secret place. Even if I went back myself, I’d need time to search, let alone you, Elder. That book’s of no use to me. If, as you say, it’s full of ancient medicinal herbs, I can’t use them anyway. When I get a chance to go home, if I find it, I’ll find a way to send it to Spring Rebirth Valley. How does that sound?”

“Well…” Elder Zhang slumped back into the bamboo chair in resignation. “I suppose that’s all we can do.”

Indeed, to know that something he’d been searching for over a decade actually existed but couldn’t be obtained—such a feeling was hard to bear, even for a man who had weathered many storms in life.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua felt rather bad and tried to console him, saying: “Elder Zhang, don’t worry. I’ll definitely send it to you.”

Elder Zhang forced a smile. “Mm, you’re a thoughtful one. I’ve searched for over ten years already—what’s a few more?”

As they were speaking, Valley Master Nie arrived again with several disciples.

He waved a hand, motioning for the disciples to wait outside, then stepped alone into the bamboo hut. Seeing the two of them chatting amicably, he knew the earlier misunderstanding had passed. He walked over to Elder Zhang, pulled out a few small porcelain bottles from his robe, and handed them over. “I told you, Elder Zhang—there’s definitely common ground between you and Nephew Ren. That earlier incident was just a small misunderstanding. Look—these are the pills Nephew Ren refined using the ancient method.”

By now, the bottles had already been labeled with writing. Elder Zhang casually picked up the one marked “Blood-Replenishing Pill” and frowned. “The Blood-Replenishing Pill is one of Spring Rebirth Valley’s signature pills. Don’t tell me Young Hero Ren has already learned how to make it?”

Saying so, he unsealed the bottle and poured out a single pill. It was a reddish-brown color, slightly smaller than the ones Zhang Xiaohua had seen Zhou Tai use back in the peach grove, but it was perfectly round. Zhang Xiaohua was rather puzzled—he gave them powder, so how did they manage to form such perfectly round pills?

Upon seeing the pill in his hand, Elder Zhang’s expression changed, and he barked sternly: “Nie Shuai! You may be the Valley Master, but even so, I must speak my mind today. Our Spring Rebirth Valley has stood tall in the martial world not through brute strength, but on our reputation—an honest, trustworthy name. The heroes of the Jianghu put their faith in us and in our pills. When their lives are on the line, the first thing they think of is our medicine! Though I’ve stepped back from valley affairs for many years, how could our Blood-Replenishing Pill have shrunk to this extent? Cutting corners and thinning the formula—that is the first step to digging one’s own grave!”

Zhang Xiaohua, standing off to the side, was stunned. This old man’s really something—he can draw inferences from one thing and lecture like a seasoned master. No wonder he’s an Elder. If it were me… hmm, would I be encouraging Valley Master Nie to keep going instead?

Valley Master Nie simply stood there, listening quietly, as if he was long used to Elder Zhang’s temper. Even as the elder’s spittle flew with every word, he didn’t argue back once.

When Elder Zhang finally ran out of steam, Valley Master Nie softly said: “Elder Zhang, your words are a well-earned lesson. Though you no longer hold office, your heart clearly remains with the valley. I hope you’ll continue to guide us juniors in the future. But for now, I’d ask you to please appraise the Blood-Replenishing Pill refined by Nephew Ren using the ancient method. How does it compare to our usual formula?”

Elder Zhang glanced at Valley Master Nie, then looked over at the ever-calm Zhang Xiaohua. He brought the pill close to his nose and gave it a sniff. His brows knit slightly. Then he touched it to the tip of his tongue and furrowed his brow even more.

Watching from the side, Zhang Xiaohua was quietly amused. This Elder Zhang’s expressions are really something—first the way he looked at me back in the valley, then his tone during our earlier conversation, and now… Suddenly, a thought struck him: Wait—he’s not going to actually eat the pill to test the effects, is he?

Just as he thought that, Elder Zhang really did open his mouth and, as casually as if he were eating beans, tossed the pill in. Crunch crunch crunch! —well, the sound was just Zhang Xiaohua’s imagination. Hehe.

Once the Blood-Replenishing Pill entered his mouth, Elder Zhang’s expression grew even more animated. First, his brow furrowed. Then it relaxed. His eyes opened wide in astonishment as he looked at Valley Master Nie—then turned with surprise and delight to Zhang Xiaohua.

At last, he closed his eyes, silently savoring the pill’s effects—and said nothing more.

After a moment, Elder Zhang abruptly opened his eyes, and a flash of brilliance seemed to pass through them as he asked: “Nie Shuai, are you certain this pill was truly refined by Young Hero Ren?”

“I am indeed. I witnessed it with my own eyes,” Valley Master Nie replied respectfully.

Then Elder Zhang said something that nearly knocked both of them over.

“Then what are you waiting for? Why haven’t you arranged for Young Hero Ren to marry that Nie Qian or whatever her name is? Even if you gave him three Nie Qians, it would still be worth it!!!”

Zhang Xiaohua staggered, barely managing to keep his footing.

Valley Master Nie, too, performed a solid “Iron Bridge Stance” to steady himself and forced a bitter smile. “Elder Zhang, you must be joking. Not to mention that Qianrong and Qianxiu are already married, but Young Hero Ren has a chivalrous heart—he stepped in to help us. How could we just…”

Elder Zhang didn’t let him finish and instead turned to Zhang Xiaohua with a sly grin. “Young Hero Ren, you’re already friends with one of those Nie Qians, right? Just put in a bit more effort, and you could be our Spring Rebirth Valley’s ideal son-in-law.”

Zhang Xiaohua knew that saying more now would only dig the hole deeper, so he wisely held his tongue.

Valley Master Nie quickly shifted the topic. “Elder Zhang, setting that aside for now—how would you compare the effects of this pill to our usual Blood-Replenishing Pill?”

Elder Zhang waved his hand. “There’s no comparison. This pill melts the moment it enters the mouth—soft and sweet, smooth as silk. It feels absolutely marvelous. It’s not even in the same class as those old chewy pills we used to make.”

Valley Master Nie’s face was full of black lines. He asked in a low voice, “Elder Zhang, I was asking about the medicinal effect, not the taste.”

Elder Zhang glared at him and reproached: “Nie Shuai, now this is what I mean. You’re the leader of Spring Rebirth Valley—don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that for our pills to earn recognition in the martial world, they need more than just efficacy. They also need to be palatable and well-presented. Given the choice between something that melts in the mouth and something as tough to chew as a copper pea, which do you think people will prefer after just one try?”

Then he picked up the small porcelain bottle in his hand and added: “And don’t underestimate this little porcelain bottle! It’s the crystallization of generations of hard work. Just one glance and people know our Spring Rebirth Valley’s pills are top-tier…”

Zhang Xiaohua stood there slack-jawed, dumbfounded by the whole exchange…