Spring Return Valley

In the southwestern frontier of the Great Yuan Kingdom, amidst a vast expanse of wilderness, lay a beautiful, small mountain range. The highest peak barely reached seven to eight hundred zhang, and the range itself spanned a mere hundred li. This small mountain range was like a sleeping beauty in her chambers, beautiful yet inaccessible. The poisonous insects and fierce beasts of the wilderness, the treacherous waters and quicksand, and various natural dangers effectively isolated it from the human world.

In the center of the mountain range, where nine exquisite small peaks encircled a place like lotus petals, lay a valley that remained verdant year-round.

The valley boasted flowers that never withered and trees that remained evergreen throughout the seasons. A casual glance revealed an abundance of ancient, rare medicinal herbs scattered across the ground, and a stroll through it would reveal white apes offering fruit and spotted deer carrying lingzhi mushrooms. Faint purple mists often drifted through the valley, and occasionally, three to five pairs of red-crowned cranes could be seen gracefully gliding through the sky, their wings beating leisurely. Coupled with the three jade peaks, each over ten zhang tall, suspended above the valley, emitting a hazy white mist, this valley could truly be considered a celestial realm.

This was 'Spring Return Valley,' the gateway and main stronghold of the Great Luo Pill Dao.

A nun in black, holding Shen Xiaobai with one hand and Lin Xiao with the other, appeared at the entrance of Spring Return Valley like a phantom.

Glancing up at the archway at the entrance of Spring Return Valley, which was entirely carved from exceptionally fine Green Spirit Jade, the nun grinned. She suddenly raised her hand and shot a green leaf towards the archway.

The leaf burst into a soft green light, piercing directly through the layers of green mist emanating from the archway and streaking like a meteor into the purple mist and white vapor within Spring Return Valley.

Following this was a long silence. After about the time it takes to eat a meal, there was still no reaction. The nun in black's face twitched, and she let out a cold snort. She slowly sat down cross-legged on a large rock in front of the archway. She glanced at Shen Xiaobai and said faintly, "Don't worry, your master used a 'Spirit Return Pill' to protect this boy's life, so he won't die anytime soon. However, if these pill-obsessed lunatics of the Great Luo Pill Dao don't respond within another incense stick's time, then master can't guarantee anything."

Shen Xiaobai's body trembled violently. She crouched beside Lin Xiao, tightly gripping his hand, and repeatedly looked up at the archway with worry.

Shen Xiaobai felt Lin Xiao's hand growing colder and colder. She couldn't help but cry out, "Master, you are so powerful, why don't you just force your way in?"

Force his way in? The nun in black's face flushed slightly. She reprimanded him with a hint of annoyance, "Stop talking nonsense. The Great Luo Pill Dao—their pill refinement is exquisite, their alchemy skills are beyond compare. Which cultivator in the world doesn't treat them with courtesy? Never mention forcing your way in again."

While she said this, the nun's mind was elsewhere. Force my way in? Although the 'Southern Heaven Illusionary Star Killing Array,' the mountain-protecting formation passed down from ancient times by the Great Luo Pill Dao, can no longer be activated by anyone, and the one hundred and seventy-two powerful formation diagrams subsequently arranged have become mere decorations due to the declining strength of their disciples, even their current mountain-protecting 'Three Talents Trapping Array' is not something I can break alone! The nun looked at Lin Xiao, thinking with a touch of malice, It's fine if he dies. At least Xiaobai can finally put her mind at ease!

Just as the nun's mind was filled with various unpleasant thoughts, the Green Spirit Jade archway suddenly emitted a brilliant green light. Two middle-aged Daoists, dressed in green Daoist robes and exuding a strong medicinal fragrance, walked out briskly. Upon seeing the nun in black sitting cross-legged, the two Daoists were slightly taken aback. Their faces twitched a few times, and they quickly clasped their hands in greeting, "Master Mieqing, your esteemed presence graces us. We, your juniors, have failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive us, forgive us! Master, please, please!" The two Daoists extended their left arms, adopting a posture of respectfully welcoming a distinguished guest.

Master Mieqing, the nun in black, raised her eyebrows. As she stood up, she asked coldly, "The gates of your Great Luo Pill Dao are becoming increasingly difficult to enter."

One of the green-robed Daoists quickly put on a smiling face, "Master, you may not know, but five years ago, the Origin Sect commissioned a large batch of pills from our Great Luo Pill Dao. Our sect has been busy refining pills for the Origin Sect for the past five years. Our manpower is already scarce, and with the final batch of pills nearing completion these past few days, we've been extremely busy."

"Origin Sect?" Master Mieqing asked in surprise, "How many pills did they order? You've been in seclusion for five years and haven't finished refining them?"

Another green-robed Daoist said with a wry smile, "This time, the Origin Sect opened their gates on Qi Yuan Star and recruited twenty-five thousand new disciples. Therefore, the quantity of pills they ordered is truly immense. Even for the most common Grain Abstinence Pill, they ordered one million pills!" The bodies of the two green-robed Daoists trembled simultaneously. One million Grain Abstinence Pills was simply too terrifying. The mere thought of the past five years of relentless pill refining made them tremble with fear from the bottom of their hearts.

"One million pills!" Even with Master Mieqing's excellent mental cultivation, upon hearing this number, her fingers tightened. She let out a strange, cold snort, "What a grand gesture! As expected of the foremost orthodox sect in this realm. Hmph, twenty-five thousand disciples? Can the spiritual energy of your mountain gate withstand such squandering?"

Sensing a hint of sour jealousy in Master Mieqing's words, the two green-robed Daoists dared not say more and quickly led Master Mieqing into Spring Return Valley.

Spring Return Valley was surrounded by nine small mountain peaks. Near each mountain peak, various wooden houses had been built. Beneath the peak to the north lay a small palace-like structure. It was topped with green glazed tiles, its walls were white jade, and its railings were inlaid with large pieces of green spirit stones. Although the palace was not grand in scale, it possessed a solemn aura. Faint wisps of spiritual energy emanated from the green spirit stones, gathering on the ground to form a thin layer of extremely sparse white mist, barely an inch thick.

Master Mieqing looked at the thin layer of mist floating on the ground and couldn't help but shake her head and sigh softly.

Shen Xiaobai looked up blankly at Master Mieqing, not understanding why she sighed. However, her entire focus was on Lin Xiao. Coupled with her unfamiliarity and lack of closeness with Master Mieqing, she didn't ask anything. Her small hands tightly gripped Lin Xiao's palm. Shen Xiaobai felt Lin Xiao's body growing colder and colder, and the faint breath from his lips and nose becoming weaker and weaker. Tears began to stream down her face again, causing Master Mieqing annoyance. She quickened her pace, carrying Lin Xiao.

The two green-robed Daoists led Master Mieqing into a small hall. The hall's furnishings were extremely simple. On the wall facing the door hung a large scroll with a grand 'Pill' character written in flowing calligraphy. Below it was a small incense table, and in front of the table were three large chairs. Following that, five chairs were placed along the walls on either side.

Master Mieqing casually tossed Lin Xiao onto the ground and took a seat in the first chair on the right. Shen Xiaobai crouched beside Lin Xiao, sobbing and patting his cold face. Master Mieqing, however, seemed oblivious to her disciple's grief. She slowly accepted a cup of fragrant tea handed to her by a green-robed Daoist and took a sip, praising with a smile, "Good tea. The wolfberries inside must be at least three hundred years old, right?"

The green-robed Daoist who served the tea nodded with a face full of smiles, "Master is indeed extraordinary."

Master Mieqing smiled, gently stirring the tea soup with the lid of the teacup, and said faintly, "I suppose only the Origin Sect and your Great Luo Pill Dao still have medicinal ingredients of sufficient age."

The complexions of the several green-robed Daoists in the hall simultaneously turned extremely pale. One Daoist with a long beard said with a bitter smile, "I don't know what's happening, but the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has been growing more and more scarce over the past hundred years. If seniors can still cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage now, perhaps in another hundred years, even forming a Golden Core will be an unattainable dream."

Master Mieqing's face twitched. She casually placed the teacup on the tea table beside her, her expression turning grim. She said in a low voice, "Buddha be with us, I don't know what the problem is."

Shen Xiaobai knew nothing about topics like Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. She just looked pitifully at Lin Xiao, her soybean-sized tears continuously falling, dripping onto Lin Xiao's face. From the hidden pocket of her sleeve, a faint medicinal fragrance wafted out. This was a life-saving pill that Lin Xiao had given her with his last ounce of strength during his final moments of lucidity. The scent entering her nose made Shen Xiaobai's heart a mess. Her small heart fluttered erratically, feeling as if it had been torn into pieces and then glued back together, leaving her unable to describe her feelings.

A green-robed Daoist glanced curiously at Lin Xiao. His expression immediately changed, and he said urgently, "Master, this young brother's injuries..."

Master Mieqing glanced at him sideways and said coldly, "At Spring Return Valley, are you afraid he'll die? You can't reason with me about this; I'll have to settle this with your Sect Master."

A light cough came from outside the hall. A middle-aged Daoist in purple Daoist robes, along with several Daoists in light purple Daoist robes, entered quickly. The middle-aged Daoist glanced at Master Mieqing, then at Lin Xiao lying on the ground, and suddenly laughed heartily, "A distinguished guest arrives, and we have failed to welcome you properly. Master, it has been eighteen years since we parted at Luojiu Peak, hasn't it?"

"Don't be long-winded; your Great Luo Pill Dao has plenty of trouble," Master Mieqing said coldly. "Daoist Danling, this boy is one of yours. I saved him and brought him here, so how you handle him is your business. However, you know my temper; I never act without compensation."

Daoist Danling, the current Sect Master of the Great Luo Pill Dao, was an expert who had already reached the Nascent Soul stage. Hearing Master Mieqing's words, he quickly stepped forward a few paces, gently waved his sleeve, and swept Shen Xiaobai to Master Mieqing's side. He then crouched beside Lin Xiao, his right hand moving gently yet incredibly swiftly, scanning Lin Xiao's body. "Heh heh, such potent blood energy. Is he from the Blood Kill Demonic Path? Hmm? What is this..." Daoist Danling curiously took the bracelet and ring from Lin Xiao's hand and simultaneously retrieved the Pill Token from his inner pocket.

With a gentle tap of his finger, a wisp of true essence was injected into the Pill Token. The Pill Token suddenly emitted a green light, transforming from its appearance of rotten wood into a crystal-clear, jade-like artifact.

"He's a disciple from the Outer Hall's Spring Return Hall. And since he possesses these three treasures, it's likely he has already taken on the position of an Outer Hall steward." Daoist Danling's expression changed slightly. He took out a thumb-sized porcelain bottle from his belt, poured out three golden pills the size of parasol seeds, and carefully placed them into Lin Xiao's mouth.

As soon as the three spiritual pills entered his mouth, they transformed into three streams of spiritual energy that surged downwards, completely dispelling the residual blood-killing demonic energy within Lin Xiao. His severe internal injuries were rapidly alleviated. The essence and vitality he had overdrawn after taking the Nine Dragon Life-Extending Pill were also slowly recovering. His purplish-blue face gradually returned to its original fair complexion, and a touch of healthy color even appeared on his cheeks.

Shen Xiaobai clapped her hands excitedly and laughed, "He's alive, he's alive! Brother Lin is alive!"

Master Mieqing snorted coldly, "He wasn't dead in the first place, so why say he's alive?"

Shen Xiaobai stuck out her tongue and made a face at Master Mieqing. Because of Lin Xiao's 'resurrection,' Shen Xiaobai's long-held tension suddenly eased. She even forgot that her parents had tragically died and regained a bit of her childlike nature. Even towards the cold and aloof Master Mieqing, she dared to make a face.

Master Mieqing snorted unhappily and said coldly to Daoist Danling, "One of your Great Luo Pill Dao's Outer Hall stewards, how many pills is that worth? Danling, be straightforward. I've just taken in a good disciple and need some pills to aid her cultivation. You also know that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has been increasingly scarce lately. Even on my 'Lengqie Mountain,' the spiritual energy is..." At this point, Master Mieqing couldn't help but sigh heavily, "Must cultivators in the future only rely on pills to increase their cultivation?"

Daoist Danling waved his hand and said solemnly, "Junior Brother Danyu, accompany Master Mieqing to the pill room and let her choose freely."

Daoist Danling's generosity made Master Mieqing, who had intended to take a substantial amount, feel a bit embarrassed. She hesitated and said, "Danling, you're letting me choose pills freely?"

Daoist Danling looked at Master Mieqing with great 'generosity' and smiled, "There are no top-grade spiritual pills in the pill room. You know, materials are scarce nowadays, and top-grade spiritual pills can no longer be refined. The high-grade spiritual pills are all on me, so Master can't take them. Master only needs them to train this disciple, so how many mid-grade and low-grade pills could she possibly use? Hmm, if she uses a lot, how about I give you one hundred thousand Grain Abstinence Pills?"

Master Mieqing opened her mouth but said nothing.

Daoist Danling said with a sly smile, "The Origin Sect ordered one million Grain Abstinence Pills, and they sent plenty of materials. I ordered my disciples to practice with them, and as a result, we refined over 1.5 million Grain Abstinence Pills. If Master needs them, taking a hundred or two hundred thousand is fine; I won't feel the pinch."

"One hundred or two hundred thousand Grain Abstinence Pills? Do you think I'm raising pigs?" Master Mieqing's eyelids twitched with anger. She couldn't be bothered to say anything more to Danling, who was known for his laziness in the cultivation world. She grabbed Shen Xiaobai's hand and followed the dark-faced Daoist Danyu out of the hall.

Shen Xiaobai was dragged out of the hall by Master Mieqing. With Master Mieqing's cultivation level, she couldn't stop her. Shen Xiaobai could only keep looking back at Lin Xiao, shouting loudly, "Brother Lin, Brother Lin, don't forget Xiaobai, don't forget Xiaobai!" Her tender voice quickly faded into the distance. On the floor, a few faint water stains remained, which were Shen Xiaobai's tears. A faint white mist converged from all directions, slowly covering the water stains.

Several Daoists in light purple Daoist robes surrounded Daoist Danling and asked in unison, "Senior Brother Sect Master?"

They were very surprised. Daoist Danling had never been so generous before. Letting the notoriously eccentric old nun Master Mieqing choose pills freely from the pill room was like letting a tiger into a pigsty. Daoist Danling had always been meticulous about every pill. Today, he first generously used three 'Sun Gathering Golden Pills' to save Lin Xiao's life, and then even more generously allowed Master Mieqing to go to the pill room. Could it be that Daoist Danling had a change of heart today?

Daoist Danling weighed the Pill Token, bracelet, and ring in his hand and said lightly, "Spring Return Hall in Guihua City seems to have had an accident. My Great Luo Pill Dao has been in seclusion for five years, so it's inevitable that some things would happen. Dansheng, Danrang, take a few disciples to Guihua City and find out the specifics of what happened." After a moment of thought, Daoist Danling solemnly instructed, "My Great Luo Pill Dao was founded on pills, so our combat spells, restrictions, flying swords, and magical treasures are somewhat lacking. This child has a trace of the Blood Kill Demonic Path's demonic energy within him, so you must be careful."

Two middle-aged Daoists in pale purple robes bowed slightly. One of them smiled and said, "Senior Brother, please don't worry. We'll bring a few bottles of our pill poison with us, and we won't fear anyone."

"Good, very good. Go quickly," Daoist Danling waved his hand. After watching Daoist Dansheng and Daoist Danrang leave the hall, he then waved his hand, picked Lin Xiao up from the ground, and held him in his arms.

Daoist Danling looked at Lin Xiao and couldn't help but nod and smile, "I never expected that the outer sect's Spring Return Hall lineage of my Great Luo Pill Dao would produce such an exceptionally talented disciple this time. A pure fire constitution is most suitable for alchemy."

A pure fire constitution? The other Daoists were startled, then delighted, but in the next moment, they looked at Daoist Danling with some hesitation.

"I understand what you're worried about. The path of alchemy emphasizes the harmony of yin and yang and the balance of the five elements. A pure elemental constitution doesn't offer much advantage in alchemy. However, this child is pure fire, so his control and comprehension of flames are likely unmatched in the world. Even if he doesn't refine pills, he would be excellent at managing the fires for alchemy." Daoist Danling's eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled. Stroking his beard, he chuckled, "How could I possibly do a losing business? Once this child's cultivation is deep enough, he could probably manage the fires for a hundred alchemy furnaces by himself. Tsk, tsk, think of how much effort that would save?"

The Daoists exchanged glances and simultaneously gave Daoist Danling a thumbs-up. "Senior Brother has great insight!"

And so, happy laughter rolled out from this small palace, causing the surrounding wandering spiritual energy to ripple and become unsettled.

Master Mieqing, whose sleeves were bulging with various pill bottles, was carrying Shen Xiaobai as she flew away from Spring Return Valley. She suddenly heard the laughter of Daoist Danling and the others, and couldn't help but look back and mutter, "A bunch of old Daoists, you're pleased with yourselves now, aren't you? A disciple with a pure fire constitution, think of how much firewood and labor you'll save? Hmph, even though I took quite a few pills this time, when it all adds up, you still got the better deal!"

A black light flashed across the void, and Master Mieqing, carrying Shen Xiaobai, quickly disappeared into the white clouds on the horizon. (To be continued)