Chapter 520 – Small Meridian-Moistening Pill

“Above the moon, above the moon…” Zhang Xiaohua muttered while looking at the lake shaped like a full moon, as if lost in thought.

At this time, around Dianchi Lake, many tents had already been set up, and numerous carriages were also parked at the foot of the mountain. The many disciples were all dressed the same as the disciples of Wuming Hall. When they saw Zhang Xiaohua and the others’ convoy enter, quite a few disciples came over to greet them, all extremely familiar with them.

Before Zhang Xiaohua and the others could come back to their senses, a middle-aged man had already walked over, going straight to Kong Que, who had just stepped down from the carriage, and saluted, saying: “Lady Kong, you’ve returned. You’ve worked hard.”

Kong Que smiled lightly and also returned a slight salute, saying: “Deacon Lu, you’ve worked hard. With so many disciples needing your arrangements, it must be quite taxing.”

Deacon Lu waved his hands repeatedly. “Being able to serve all of you meritorious inner-sect disciples is this one’s honor. And moreover, that Lady Kong was able this time to smash the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s plot truly raises the prestige of our Incense Spreading Sect and makes me admire you even more.”

Kong Que herself knew her own situation, smiled, and did not respond. Deacon Lu added: “Fortunately, Lady Kong was able to rush back in time. If you still hadn’t arrived by tomorrow, then you could only wait another two years.”

Kong Que waved her hand. “Being able to return is enough. It’s still better than having one’s life taken by others, wouldn’t you say?”

Deacon Lu shook his head vigorously. “How could Lady Kong’s martial skill possibly be defeated? If the Heavenly Dragon Sect hadn’t used three against one, you wouldn’t have been injured. Oh, right—Abbess Qingleng is waiting over there for you, Lady Kong. You should first go to her.” As he spoke, he turned and pointed in a direction.

Kong Que nodded. “Yang Yao is in the carriage behind. Go and arrange a place for us to rest.”

Deacon Lu said: “Lady Kong’s convoy returned last, so the place was already reserved. I’ll accompany Yang Yao to settle things now.”

After speaking, he cupped his hands and went off to find Steward Yang.

Kong Que turned back to look at Chen Chen, Xia Qing, and the others, and said: “Let’s go, junior sisters. We’ll go together to pay respects to Martial Aunt Fu.”

Abbess Qingleng’s tent was very conspicuous, right beside Dianchi Lake, a solitary one, with very few disciples nearby. Before Kong Que and the others had even approached, they heard a somewhat aged voice from inside ask: “Is that Kong Que returned?”

From afar Kong Que called out: “It is this disciple, come to pay respects to Martial Aunt.”

Before her voice had even fallen, a palace-robed woman with graying hair, also wearing a veil, appeared in front of the tent.

Kong Que did not dare be negligent. She quickly stepped forward, performed a deep salute, and said: “This disciple greets Martial Aunt. I would not dare trouble Martial Aunt to come out to receive me.”

Chen Chen, Xia Qing, and the others also followed behind and saluted.

Abbess Qingleng reached out to support Kong Que and said kindly: “This time, leaving the valley, only you encountered an ambush, and the situation was very serious. Facing three opponents alone without falling into a disadvantage—if I, as your Martial Aunt, did not come out to receive you, I would truly be failing your merit. Chen Chen, you all rise as well.”

Kong Que said ashamedly: “It is not as Martial Aunt thinks. How could this disciple possibly have been a match for those three men in green…”

Abbess Qingleng was taken aback, then immediately understood. “You girl—you’ve improved quite a bit. On your very first trip out of the valley, you already know how to steady people’s hearts. Your master’s teachings truly were not wasted on you. Come, let’s talk inside. I see your meridians seem rather badly injured. After so long, they still haven’t recovered?”

As she spoke, she led the disciples into the tent.

After everyone sat down, they all removed their veils, revealing their true appearances. Chen Chen muttered: “Martial Aunt, just what kind of rules does our Incense Spreading Sect have? Even inner-sect disciples still have to wear veils. Compared with outer-sect disciples, we’re even worse off. Putting them on and taking them off every day—aren’t you tired of it?”

Kong Que rebuked her: “Chen Chen, how can you speak of the sect’s rules like that? It’s only because Martial Aunt Fu has always treated us well that she won’t report this to Master. Otherwise, Master would make you suffer family discipline again.”

Chen Chen stuck out her tongue; paired with her fair oval face, she looked quite mischievous. “It’s precisely because I know Martial Aunt Fu treats us well that I say it. In front of others, I can’t even be bothered to bring it up. Isn’t that right, Martial Aunt Fu?”

Kind-featured Fu Qingleng smiled and said: “These rules were set by the founding patriarch. Since you entered the Incense Spreading Sect and even became an inner-sect disciple, you should simply accept them. The outer-sect disciples would like to wear them, yet they’re not even permitted.”

Afterward, Abbess Qingleng looked at Kong Que’s complexion and frowned deeply. “Kong Que, tell me in detail what happened that day. The injuries you’ve suffered are far more serious than I imagined.”

Kong Que cleared her throat and recounted, from beginning to end, in full detail, the process by which Liang Cangxu and the other two had ambushed her.

“Blade Aura?!” Abbess Qingleng’s brows knit even tighter. “That is like sword radiance. Aside from our Incense Spreading Sect, among the supreme experts of the jianghu, those who can wield it are already extremely few—let alone blade aura. According to the sect’s records, only the Divine Blade Sect from several thousand years ago was proficient in this art. But the Divine Blade Sect was exterminated thousands of years ago; its inheritance has long since vanished. Yet if it were the Heavenly Dragon Sect, as you said, it’s hard to know which Heavenly King might be skilled in blade aura.”

Kong Que ventured: “The Heavenly Dragon Sect has dominated the martial world for over ten thousand years. Experts emerge from it without end, so it’s not impossible that someone there has mastered blade aura.”

Abbess Qingleng nodded. “What you say is also what I was thinking. This matter should still be reported to the Sect Master. The Heavenly Dragon Sect hasn’t harassed our sect for many years. This sudden move makes one wonder what heaven-shaking plot lies behind it.”

Beside them, Chen Chen interjected: “Who cares what plot they have? After tomorrow, our passage won’t open again until two years later. What can they do to us?”

Abbess Qingleng smiled. “You girl—you think too simply. What about two years later? If the passage opens and the Heavenly Dragon Sect charges in while we have no preparations at all, wouldn’t we suffer a great loss? And have you considered that perhaps in the future our passage might open every month?”

“Every month?” The other disciples all cried out in surprise. “Martial Aunt, you mustn’t tease us. We disciples have only seen in the records that ten thousand years ago our sect’s gate could open every month. Later, the intervals grew longer and longer. In the last thousand years, it has opened only once every two years. Could it really open monthly in the future?”

Abbess Qingleng said: “Didn’t there used to be times when it opened only once every five years? Before I came out this time, I heard the elders say that the passage is becoming increasingly stable. In another thousand years, perhaps it really will be able to open every month!”

“A thousand years…” The disciples immediately lost interest.

Seeing this, Abbess Qingleng added: “That’s only the normal projection. If something unusual occurs, it’s possible it could be in just ten-odd years.”

“Ah, but that’s still more than ten years.” Chen Chen and the others said, still uninterested.

Abbess Qingleng was not surprised at their reaction. These favored daughters of heaven, though their martial skills were superb, were, after all, still young girls. A span of more than ten years was simply not within the scope of what they considered.

So Abbess Qingleng took out a small jade bottle from her robes and handed it to Kong Que, saying: “This is a Small Meridian-Moistening Pill that your Martial Aunt has kept in her collection. It is most effective for nourishing the meridians. Your meridians were injured by the inner force of the blade aura; ordinary pills will likely have a limited effect. Take this and see how it works. In a little while, I will treat your injuries as well.”

“Small Meridian-Moistening Pill?” Kong Que and the others all looked astonished. “Martial Aunt, how come we’ve never heard of such a pill? And why does it also have ‘Small’ in its name? Is it related to the Small Rejuvenation Pill of Dalin Temple?”

Abbess Qingleng smiled. “This is an ancient pill formula long since lost. If you had heard of it, that would be strange. As for why it’s called ‘Small’, that’s because this pill was only reproduced through research by several generations of elders from our sect’s Pill-Expansion Hall. It has nothing to do with Dalin Temple’s Small Reversion Pill. That Small Reversion Pill is merely a medicine similar to the Great Rejuvenation Pill or the Jade Rejuvenation Pill. Compared with this Small Meridian-Moistening Pill, the difference is like heaven and earth.”

“Ah? So precious!” After hearing this, Kong Que quickly tried to refuse, saying: “This disciple would not dare use it.”

Abbess Qingleng shook her head. “It’s not being given to you for nothing. I’m only letting you test how effective this Small Meridian-Moistening Pill is for meridian injuries caused by blade aura. If it works, we must urge the Pill-Expansion Hall to refine this pill again. In the future, when dealing with the Heavenly Dragon Sect, we’ll have a few more chances of success.”

Only then did Kong Que accept it and smile. “So Martial Aunt is treating me as a test subject. Then I must savor it carefully, so I can describe it properly to the Pill-Expansion Hall later.”

Having said that, she was about to take it.

Abbess Qingleng stopped her. “Kong Que, don’t rush. Wait until evening when you practice your cultivation, then take it. Circulate your inner breath through thirty-six great cycles. Perhaps a special surprise will be waiting for you.”

Kong Que asked curiously: “A surprise? Can Martial Aunt explain more clearly?”

Abbess Qingleng shook her head. “I don’t know whether there will be a surprise or not. If I say it now, it may not come true. Tomorrow you’ll know.”

Kong Que nodded. Chen Chen, however, asked: “Since it was refined by the Pill-Expansion Hall, why have none of us heard of it?”

Abbess Qingleng sighed. “This pill is extremely difficult to refine. Even though the Pill-Expansion Hall still preserves the formula, they’ve never successfully refined it. These few were only made when an inner-sect alchemist succeeded by chance. How could the current Pill-Expansion Hall manage to refine it?”

Hearing this, Kong Que again felt somewhat unsure whether she should accept this pill.

After asking about Kong Que’s injuries, Abbess Qingleng carefully questioned her again about how she escaped danger. However, even though her experience far exceeded that of Chen Chen and the others, when it came to matters involving formations, she could not offer any particularly useful suggestions. She only frowned and said: “If it is as you described, then there is only one possibility—someone intervened to help you.”

Kong Que also nodded. “This disciple thinks so as well. But at the time, I was heavily injured and unable to investigate. And I also had the disciples of Wuming Hall check the place where Liang Cangxu and the others had been trapped earlier, yet there was nothing unusual.”

Abbess Qingleng gave a wry smile. “For these people to let the four of you fall into a formation without noticing—even if they set it up beforehand, they would still have to hide it from the other two of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. Such people must be rare experts in the jianghu. You were already gravely wounded; even if they packed away their formation instruments, you might not have known. Fortunately, these people hold goodwill toward our Incense Spreading Sect and have no malicious intent. That is actually a great help. It’s just that we don’t know which sect or school they belong to.”

Xia Qing, who had not spoken until now, asked curiously: “Martial Aunt, judging from your tone, the people who helped Senior Sister Kong weren’t just one or two?”

Abbess Qingleng nodded.