Chapter 505: Seeing Someone Off Once Again

After thinking it over for a long time, Nie Qianyu still could not bring herself to go see Zhang Xiaohua, whose lips were injured. She knew that every meeting from now on would be one fewer than before, yet when faced with that faintly heartless coldness—and with her own feelings, like a bright pearl cast into darkness—Nie Qianyu simply could not summon the courage.

After all, she was still only at the tender age when love had just begun to sprout.

As she kept thinking, Nie Qianyu’s eyes suddenly lit up. She flung the comb in her hand far away and called out loudly: “Little Orange, Little Orange!”

When Little Orange hurried upstairs in a fluster, she heard Nie Qianyu continue shouting: “Quick, quick—go fetch my needles and thread!”

Little Orange was puzzled, not knowing why her young miss had suddenly taken an interest in needlework. But seeing Nie Qianyu so full of excitement, she silently offered a prayer of thanks to the Buddha and hastened off to gather everything that was needed.

In the pill room, Zhang Xiaohua ultimately did not manage to wait for Nie Qianyu’s arrival. Night had already fallen.

At dusk, dark clouds unexpectedly gathered above Spring Rebirth Valley. Before long, thunder rumbled, and rain began to fall. Sitting cross-legged in the pill room, listening to the familiar thunder outside, Zhang Xiaohua felt an itch to act—he had not summoned lightning for a long time. But when he thought of Lady Kong, who was nearby in the outer valley, he immediately extinguished the idea. Tomorrow, he would set out for the Incense Spreading Sect; he could not, for the sake of momentary cultivation, cut off his path to finding his second brother. That would truly be a case of gaining little and losing much.

Zhang Xiaohua continued comprehending the incantation formulas until midnight arrived. Only then did he set up a protective restriction and begin cultivating the Carefree Heart Sutra.

On that rainy night, fine drops fell, moistening all things in silence. Yet when they struck the window ledges, the rooftops, and the trees, they crackled loudly, leaving countless people in Spring Rebirth Valley unable to sleep.

Old or young, regardless of the depth of one’s cultivation—anyone with sorrow in their heart was the same.

There was much to be said in that single night, yet it was all too hard to put into words. Only near dawn did the rain gradually subside, though the sky remained overcast, with neither starlight nor the rising sun in sight.

Zhang Xiaohua awoke on time. As soon as he opened his eyes, hearing no sound of rain, he could not help but smile. “The rain has stopped, and the sky is clearing—just the right time to set out. A good omen.”

However, when he withdrew the restriction and stepped outside, he suddenly discovered that at the entrance to his pill room, there were already two girls standing there, each holding rain gear, their clothes slightly damp. One of them was even leading an animal that looked neither quite like a donkey nor a horse, neither deer nor ox.

If they were not Nie Qianyu and Little Orange, who else could they be?

At this time, it was already the seventh or eighth month, the height of summer, when the weather should have been hot. Yet the climate of Spring Rebirth Valley was somewhat different from elsewhere—it was like spring all year round. After a night of overcast rain, with gusts of cold wind, the morning after the rain felt rather chilly. Coupled with the fact that her clothes were already somewhat soaked, Nie Qianyu’s lips were trembling slightly from the cold.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua felt an inexplicable ache in his heart. He hurried forward and reproached her gently: “Little Fish, why did you come so early? Your clothes are all wet—why didn’t you call for me?”

Nie Qianyu had not yet spoken when Little Orange, behind her, spoke up loudly: “Miss has already been standing here for half an hour. The rain hadn’t even stopped then—walking all the way over, of course, she’d get wet. And you slept like the dead. I shouted until my throat was hoarse and still didn’t hear you answer once. If I’d known it would be like this, I’d have had Miss come later!”

At that moment, the Sibuxiang named Huanhuan that Little Orange was holding let out a cheerful cry and dashed over, stretching out its tongue to affectionately lick Zhang Xiaohua’s face. Ever since Zhang Xiaohua arrived in Spring Rebirth Valley, he had handed Huanhuan over to others to be raised and hadn’t tended to it himself. It had been half a year since he last saw it—how could he not be happy?

Still, Zhang Xiaohua had no mind to pay attention to Huanhuan just then. He gently patted its antlers and said to Nie Qianyu: “Little Fish, let’s go inside first and warm up a bit. Look at you, frozen like this—I really feel…”

Zhang Xiaohua stopped himself at just the right moment. Nie Qianyu forced a smile and said: “N-no need, Big Brother Ren. It’s already not early. The convoy of the Incense Spreading Sect usually starts preparing before dawn. When I came over just now, I already saw people in the valley helping with the packing. By now, they should almost be ready. Big Brother Ren should go over earlier—don’t leave a bad impression.”

“But…” Zhang Xiaohua glanced at Nie Qianyu’s face.

“It’s all right, Big Brother Ren. Although it’s cold right now, once we walk to the outer valley, it should be warmer. Don’t let this delay your journey.”

“Alright.” Zhang Xiaohua nodded. He then went back into the pill room, took out a small bundle he had already packed the night before, and also brought out his Prajñā Heavy Sword. He placed both items on Huanhuan’s back and said, “Then let’s go.”

Little Orange led Huanhuan and went ahead first, while Zhang Xiaohua and Nie Qianyu walked slowly at the rear.

After leaving the inner valley, the eastern sky had already begun to brighten. From afar, on an open stretch of ground, the convoy of the Incense Spreading Sect was already neatly arranged, with only a few places where people were still moving about. At first, Zhang Xiaohua did not dare release his divine sense, afraid that Lady Kong might notice. But upon seeing the convoy, he suddenly recalled that two days earlier he had used his divine sense to observe it, and even yesterday had directly used his divine sense to peer through Lady Kong’s veil—yet she had not noticed at all. Since she had sensed something amiss about him, it clearly had not been because of his divine sense.

With that thought, Zhang Xiaohua released his divine sense. Sure enough, by a distant pavilion, Steward Yang and Valley Master Nie, along with several disciples of the Incense Spreading Sect, were respectfully waiting below, while Lady Kong was in the process of descending the stairs.

Only then did Zhang Xiaohua feel at ease. At this moment, he also noticed that Nie Qianyu beside him was dressed in a light goose-yellow robe, looking especially pretty. Even her face—usually free of powder and paint—had been lightly adorned, just like the day she had returned to Spring Rebirth Valley. The difference was that on that day her hair had been braided, whereas now her long hair fell loose, making her appear more mature. Still, there seemed to be something subtly different; yet in his haste, Zhang Xiaohua could not quite tell what it was.

The two of them walked very slowly. Nie Qianyu clutched the corner of her robe, quietly biting her lip, while Zhang Xiaohua kept his head lowered, walking in silence. Neither of them spoke.

By the time the figures of Lady Kong, Steward Yang, Valley Master Nie, and the others appeared in the distance, the two had only walked a short stretch. Realizing that parting was imminent, Nie Qianyu’s eyes immediately reddened as she said: “Big Brother Ren, you’re about to leave. I… I don’t know whether you’ve thought everything through about what awaits you in the Incense Spreading Sect.”

Zhang Xiaohua replied softly: “It’s nothing more than gathering information. I’ll just be careful. If I can learn a few things along the way, I wouldn’t mind that either. Little Fish, you can set your heart at ease.”

“That’s good then. Big Brother Ren… you must still pay attention to your safety, and absolutely mustn’t…” As she spoke, even Nie Qianyu herself no longer knew what she ought to say.

As they were speaking, Lady Kong and the others had already covered half the distance, while Zhang Xiaohua and Nie Qianyu had not yet even gone halfway.

Uneasily, Nie Qianyu glanced in that direction, then reached into her robe and took out two jade bottles, handing them to Zhang Xiaohua. “Big Brother Ren, these two jade bottles were given to me by Father yesterday. One contains Scarlet Flame Pills, the other Jade Restoration Pills. I know you already have some on you, but these are rare items after all—having an extra share is still having an extra share. You should take them. I have no use for them anyway.”

“Ah?!” Zhang Xiaohua was startled. These things had gone back and forth—how had they ended up returning to his hands again?

He hurriedly refused. “One Scarlet Flame Pill is more than enough; having more is useless. As for the Jade Restoration Pills, I still have quite a few here. You should keep them for yourself.”

How could Nie Qianyu agree? “The Scarlet Flame Pill boosts cultivation—it’s most important for you, and you’ll need it when you go to the Incense Spreading Sect. The Jade Restoration Pill is even more important. It has astonishing effects in treating internal injuries. Traveling through the martial world, you’re bound to encounter dangers. Having one more Jade Restoration Pill means one more layer of protection.”

Zhang Xiaohua waved his hand. “Leaving aside the fact that I still have Jade Restoration Pills, even the Scarlet Flame Pill only works the first time. Any others are superfluous. I truly have no use for them—keep them.”

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua continue to refuse, tears almost spilled from Nie Qianyu’s eyes. “Having one more always means there’s a use for one more.” Her outstretched hand remained stubbornly before Zhang Xiaohua, not withdrawing in the slightest.

Zhang Xiaohua felt an overwhelming surge of emotion. Looking at the two sacred medicines—treasures that would make anyone in the martial world salivate—being offered to him without the slightest hesitation, all for the sake of giving him an extra, perhaps unnecessary measure of security, he rubbed his slightly stinging nose. Glancing toward the distance, he leaned close to Nie Qianyu’s ear and whispered, “Little Fish, you should keep them. I actually have quite a lot of Scarlet Flame Pills myself. I’ll tell you just this one thing—absolutely don’t tell anyone else.”

“Bah!” Nie Qianyu couldn’t help but spit lightly.

Zhang Xiaohua then looked at the other jade bottle and said: “As for the Jade Restoration Pills, that… what’s-her-name, Lady Kong, gave me six of them. I’ve more than enough. Don’t underestimate your Big Brother Ren—when have I ever suffered internal injuries? And besides… besides, to be honest, I really can’t use the Jade Restoration Pills. They may be famous, but they can’t treat my internal injuries!”

“What?” Nie Qianyu exclaimed in surprise. “Jade Restoration Pills are sacred medicines for healing injuries. How could they fail to treat your internal injuries? Big Brother Ren, don’t try to fool me.”

Zhang Xiaohua put on a mysterious air. “Little Fish, I’m telling only you—my inner energy cultivation method is very peculiar. Ordinary pills are useless to me. You must absolutely keep this secret and not tell anyone else.”

Those two lines of “absolutely don’t tell anyone else” made Nie Qianyu’s heart feel sweet. Though still half in doubt, she saw the corner of Zhang Xiaohua’s mouth lift. “When has your Big Brother Ren ever lied to you? Hurry and put them away. Don’t let the people of the Incense Spreading Sect see them, or else even your father wouldn’t dare take them.”

Nie Qianyu hesitated, and Zhang Xiaohua added: “If you don’t put them away, I really will get angry.”

Those words were half in jest and half in earnest, but Nie Qianyu took them as an imperial edict. She immediately tucked the bottles into her robe, afraid of displeasing him in the slightest.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua laughed. “That’s my good, obedient Little Fish.”

At this moment, Kong Que had already boarded the carriage. She looked up, frowned slightly, and Valley Master Nie hurriedly said: “Lady Kong, please don’t be offended. I’ll urge them along at once.”

Kong Que snorted lightly and waved her hand, signaling that there was no need.

Steward Yang smiled apologetically at the side. “This parting may last many years, and who knows when the two will meet again? Let them say a few more words—just a few more.”

Seeing that Lady Kong was already on the carriage, Nie Qianyu dared not detain Zhang Xiaohua any longer. She said urgently: “Big Brother Ren, you should go now. I’ll see you off only this far. You…”

But after that “you,” she could not bring herself to say another word. Her eyes were red, and her voice had already choked with tears.