Chapter Eleven: Return to Spring Valley

  In the southwest border of Dayuan State, in a vast and dense forest, there is a small mountain range. The highest peak of the mountain range is only about 700 or 800 feet high, and the length of the mountain range is only over a hundred miles. The small mountain ridge is like a sleeping beauty in her boudoir, beautiful but difficult to approach. The poisonous insects and ferocious beasts in the forest, the treacherous waters and quicksand, and all kinds of natural dangers have isolated it from the world.

  In the middle of the mountain range, nine delicate small peaks surround a place like lotus petals, which is an evergreen valley in all seasons.

  In the valley, there are flowers that never wither in all four seasons, and trees that remain evergreen for thousands of years. Looking around at will, one can see rare and precious medicinal herbs scattered all over the ground. Walking freely, one can see white apes presenting fruit and blue deer holding auspicious fungi in their mouths. Inside the valley, a faint purple mist drifts by from time to time, and occasionally in the sky, three or five pairs of red-crowned cranes can be seen lightly flapping their wings and gliding out in curved lines. Moreover, above the valley, there are three jade peaks floating in mid-air, each over ten zhang high, entirely emerald green, and constantly emitting a faint white mist. This valley is indeed a realm of immortals.

  This is 'Huisheng Valley', the gateway to Daluo's territory.

  A nun in black robes appeared at the entrance of Hui Chun Valley, one hand holding Shen Xiao Bai and the other carrying Lin Xiao, like a ghostly apparition.

  She looked up and glanced at the archway made of fine Qingling jade at the entrance of Hui Chun Valley, then smiled and suddenly threw a green leaf onto the archway.

  The leaf burst out with a soft green light, directly penetrating the layers of cyan mist emitted by the plaque, and quickly entering the purple misty air inside the Hui Chun Valley.

  Then, there was a long silence, which lasted for about the time it takes to eat a meal, and still there was no reaction. The black-robed nun's face twitched slightly, and she coldly snorted, slowly sitting down on a large stone in front of the memorial arch. She glanced at Shen Xiaobai and said indifferently: "Don't worry, Master used a 'Huilian Dan' to protect this kid's life, he won't die for the time being. However, if that group of medicine-crazy people from Daluo Dan Dao still don't make a move after another incense stick's worth of time, then even Master can't guarantee anything."

  Shen Xiaobai's body suddenly shook violently, she squatted beside Lin Xiao, tightly grasping his hand, occasionally raising her head to anxiously gaze at the archway.

  Shen Xiaobai felt that Lin Xiang's hand was getting colder and colder, and she couldn't help but cry out: "Master, you have great magical powers, why not just force your way in?"

  Barging in? The black-robed nun's face involuntarily flushed slightly. She scolded somewhat irritably: "Stop spouting nonsense, the Great Luo Dan Dao... their dan dao is exquisite, their technique of refining dan is divine and magical, all the cultivators under heaven, who doesn't treat them with courtesy? Don't mention this 'barging in' again."

  Here is the translation:

  It's like this, in the nun's heart there was another thought: "Forcefully break through? Although the great Luo Dan Tao's ancient mountain-protecting array 'South Heaven Illusory Star Killing Array' has been unable to be activated since ancient times, and the 172 powerful arrays that were later set up have also become mere decorations due to the decline in the sect members' strength. However, even now, this mountain-protecting 'Three Talents Trapping Killing Array', is not something that can be broken through by just one person!" The nun glanced at Lin Xiao, with a malicious thought: "If he dies, it would also be good, at least Little White's heart would be able to settle down!"

  Just as the nun's mind was constantly turning over various evil thoughts, a burst of bright green light suddenly shot out from the Qingling Jade Archway. Two middle-aged Taoist priests wearing cyan robes and emitting a strong medicinal fragrance quickly walked out. As soon as they saw the black-robed nun sitting cross-legged on the ground, the two Taoists couldn't help but pause for a moment, their faces twitching several times before hastily bowing their heads in greeting: "Greetings, Master Destroy Emotions! We didn't expect your esteemed presence and failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive us, please forgive us!" The two priests extended their left arms, adopting the posture of respectfully welcoming an honored guest.

  The nun in black clothes, Mo Qing, raised an eyebrow and asked coldly as she stood up: "The entrance to the Great Luo Dan Dao is getting harder and harder to enter."

  A Taoist in a green robe hastily put on a smile: "Master, you don't know that five years ago, the Yuan Sect ordered a large batch of elixirs from our sect. In the past five years, we have been busy helping the Yuan Sect refine the elixirs. Our sect's manpower is already scarce, and in these few days, with the last batch of elixirs about to be completed, it can't be helped that we are a bit busy."

  "Yuán Zōng?" Dié Qíng Shī Tàì asked in surprise: "How many elixirs did they refine? You've been in seclusion for five years and still haven't succeeded?"

  Another Taoist in a green robe smiled bitterly and said, "This time, the Yuanzong sect opened its doors on Mount Qiyuan and recruited 25,000 new disciples. As a result, the amount of elixirs they ordered is enormous. Just take the ordinary Huigudan, for example - they ordered 1 million pills!" The two Taoists in green robes shuddered simultaneously. One million Huigudan pills was indeed terrifying. Now, whenever they thought about the past five years of non-stop pill-making, they couldn't help but feel a deep-seated fear.

  "One million grains!" Even with her exceptional mental state and cultivation, the mention of this number caused her fingers to tighten involuntarily. She let out a strange, cold hum: "What a grand gesture! No wonder it's the top orthodox sect in our realm. Hmph, 25,000 disciples? Can their mountain gate's spiritual energy withstand such exploitation?"

  A hint of sourness was heard from the mouth of Mie Qing Shitai, and the two Taoist priests in green robes did not dare to say anything more, and quickly led Mie Qing Shitai into Hui Chun Valley.

  Huichun Valley is surrounded by nine small mountain peaks, each with a few wooden houses built nearby. At the foot of the northernmost peak lies a small palace-like building. The roof is covered with green glazed tiles, and the white jade walls and railings are inlaid with large pieces of green spirit stone. Although the palace is not grand in scale, it has a solemn atmosphere. A faint spiritual energy emanates from the green spirit stones, gathering a thin layer of white mist on the ground that is only an inch thick.

  The nun of the Extinct Emotion Sect looked at the thin layer of fog floating on the ground and couldn't help but shake her head slightly, sighing softly.

  Shen Xiaobai looked up at Mie Qing Shitai with a dazed expression, not knowing why she was sighing. However, her attention was focused on Lin Xiao, and since she wasn't too familiar or close to Mie Qing Shitai, she didn't ask anything. Her two small hands tightly grasped Lin Xiao's palm, and Shen Xiaobai felt that Lin Xiao's body was getting colder and colder, with his breathing becoming weaker and weaker. Suddenly, her tears started flowing again, which annoyed Mie Qing Shitai, who quickened her pace while carrying Lin Xiao.

  Two Taoist priests in blue robes led the Extinct Emotion Master to a small hall. The hall was very simply decorated, with a large horizontal scroll hanging on the wall opposite the door, featuring a large "Dan" character in dragon and phoenix script, below which was a small incense table, with three large chairs placed in front of it, followed by five chairs against each side of the wall.

  Mie Qing Shitai casually tossed Lin Xiao to the ground and sat down on the first chair on her right, seemingly unaware of her disciple's distress. Shen Xiaobai knelt beside Lin Xiao, patting his icy face with a mixture of sobs and sniffles. Mie Qing Shitai, however, appeared oblivious to her disciple's sorrow, slowly accepting a cup of fragrant tea from a blue-clad Daoist, savoring it delicately before smiling in appreciation: "Good tea, the dried tangerine peel inside must be over three hundred years old!"

  The green-clad Taoist who presented the tea water nodded with a smile: "Indeed, Master is extraordinary."

  The nun smiled and gently stirred the tea with the lid of her teacup, saying softly: "I suppose only Yuanzong and your Dalo Dan Tao still have some medicinal materials that are old enough."

  Inside the hall, several Taoists in green robes suddenly turned pale. One of them with a long beard sighed and said: "I don't know what's going on, but over the past hundred years, the spiritual energy in this world has been dwindling. It's already rare for seniors to cultivate a Yuan Infant; I'm afraid that after another hundred years, even forming a Golden Elixir will be an unattainable feat."

  The face of the nun, Shi Tai, twitched and she casually tossed the teacup onto the nearby tea table. Her complexion turned gloomy and she said in a low voice: "Even Buddha himself wouldn't know what's going on."

  Shen Xiaobai was completely clueless about the topics of Golden Elixir, Primordial Infant, and Heavenly Earth Spiritual Energy. She could only pitifully gaze at Lin Xiao, with tears the size of soybeans continuously falling onto his face. From the hidden pocket in her sleeve, a faint scent of medicine wafted out, which was the life-saving elixir that Lin Xiao had given her when he was on the verge of death. The fragrance entered her nostrils, making Shen Xiaobai's heart even more chaotic, as if it had been torn into pieces and then glued back together with an unclear taste.

  A Taoist in a green robe looked at Lin Xiao curiously, his face suddenly changed, and he exclaimed: "Master, this young brother's injury..."

  The nun glared at him sideways and said coldly, "Once we arrive at Hui Chun Valley, are you afraid he'll die? This is something you can't reason with; it's up to me and your sect leader to settle."

  A faint coughing sound came from outside the hall, and a middle-aged Taoist priest wearing a purple robe quickly walked in with several other Taoist priests wearing light purple robes. The middle-aged Taoist priest glanced at Shi Qing Shitai, then looked at Lin Xiao lying on the ground, and suddenly burst out laughing: "Honored guest arrives, sorry for not welcoming you from afar, Shitai, it's been eighteen years since we parted ways at Luo Qiufeng, hasn't it?"

  "Don't bother, you have a lot of trouble in the Dan Da Tao. " The exterminator said coldly: "Dan Jing Dao people, this kid is your person, I saved him and sent him here, how to deal with him is your business. However, you know my temper, I never act for nothing."

  Dan Jing Dao Ren, the current leader of the Great Luo Dan Tao, a master who had already formed his Yuan Ying. He heard the words of Mie Qing Shi Tai and hastily stepped forward a few steps, lightly waving his sleeve to brush Shen Xiao Bai to Mie Qing Shi Tai's side, while he himself squatted beside Lin Xiao. His right hand gently yet extremely quickly swept across Lin Xiao's body. "Heh heh, what an overbearing blood aura, is this the Blood Killing Demon Dao? Hmm? This is...". Dan Jing Dao Ren took off the bracelet and ring from Lin Xiao's hand in surprise, at the same time pulling out a Dan order from his inner pocket.

  With a light touch of his fingers, a strand of true yuan was injected into the dan ling, and it suddenly burst out with a green glow. From its rotten and decayed appearance, it transformed into a crystal clear and translucent state, like a beautifully carved jade.

  "He is a disciple of Wai Men Hui Chun Tang. And since he has these three treasures, it's likely that he has taken over the position of Wai Men's executive." Dan Jing Dao Ren's face changed slightly, and he casually took out a thumb-sized porcelain bottle from his waistband, poured out three golden dan pills the size of wutong seeds, and carefully placed them into Lin Xiao's mouth.

  The San Huan Ling Dan had just entered his mouth when it transformed into three streams of spiritual energy that surged downwards. The remaining Blood Killing Devil Energy in Lin Xiang's body was completely dispelled, and the severe internal injuries were rapidly alleviated. After taking the Nine Dragons Revival Pellet, the depleted source energy he had exhausted also slowly recovered. His pale face gradually regained its original fairness, and even a hint of healthy color appeared on his cheeks.

  "Alive, alive! Brother Lin is alive!" Shen Xiaobai excitedly clapped his hands and burst out laughing.

  The nun's voice was cold and detached: "He wasn't dead in the first place, how can you say he came back to life?"

  Shen Xiaobai stuck out her tongue and made a face at Mie Qing Shi Tai. Because of Lin Xiao's 'resurrection', Shen Xiaobai's heart, which had been tense for so long, suddenly became extremely relaxed, she even forgot that her parents had died miserably, and recovered a bit of her childhood nature, to the point where she even dared to make a face at the cold Mie Qing Shi Tai.

  Mie Qing Shitai let out an unhappy hum, coldly saying to Dan Jing: "You're just a outer sect disciple of the Da Luo Dan Dao, how much dan medicine can you exchange for? Dan Jing, be straightforward. I've just accepted a new disciple and need some dan medicine to assist her in her cultivation. You also know that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is becoming increasingly scarce, even if it's my 'Ling Ga Shan', the spiritual energy is...". Speaking up to this point, Mie Qing Shitai couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "Is it that from now on, us cultivators can only rely on dan medicine to increase our cultivation?"

  Dan Jing Dao Ren waved his hand and said in a low voice: "Dan Yu Shi Di, accompany Mie Qing Shi Tai to Dan Fang, let Shi Tai choose at will."

  Dān Líng said so generously, but instead made Miè Qíng Shī Tài, who had already decided to thoroughly search and seize everything, feel a bit embarrassed. She hesitated for a moment before saying: "Dān Líng, are you letting me choose the Dan medicine?"

  Dan Jing Dao Ren looked at Mie Qing Shi Tai with a big smile and said: "Top-grade Spirit Dan, there is none in the Dan room, you also know that now materials are scarce, top-grade Spirit Dan can't be refined at all. High-grade Spirit Dan, all on me, Shi Tai you can't take away. Shi Tai just wants to discipline this disciple, how much medium and low-grade dan medicine can she use? Hmm, if used a lot, I'll give away 100,000 grains of Bie Gu Dan."

  The nun Zhang opened her mouth but didn't make a sound.

  Yu Zong has decided on 1 million grains of Biegu Dan, but the materials sent over were more than enough. I had my disciples practice with them and ended up producing over 15 million grains of Biegu Dan. If Shifu needs some, take a few tens of millions of grains, I won't mind.

  "One hundred and twenty thousand pellets of Beigu Dan, do you think I'm raising pigs?" The emotions of the Destroyed Emotions Sect's leader were so intense that her eyelids kept twitching. She didn't bother to say anything more to this lazy Dan Feng Daoist who was notorious in the cultivation world for his laziness. Grabbing Shen Xiaobai's hand, she followed the dark-faced Dan Yu Daoist out of the hall.

  Shen Xiaobai was dragged out of the hall by Mie Qing Shitai, who had such a high level of cultivation that she couldn't even stop for a moment. Shen Xiaobai could only keep turning her head to look at Lin Xiao, shouting loudly: "Lin Gege, Lin Gege, don't forget about me, don't forget about me!" Her delicate voice was quickly fading away. On the floor, there were a few faint water marks, which were actually tears dropped by Shen Xiaobai. A faint white mist gathered from all sides and slowly covered up those water marks.

  Several Taoists wearing light purple robes surrounded Dan Jing and asked in unison: "Master?"

  They were shocked, as Dan Jing Dao Ren had never been so generous before. Letting Mie Qing Shi Tai, a famous and eccentric old nun, freely choose the elixirs in the Dan room was like releasing a tiger into a pigpen! Dan Jing Dao Ren had always carefully calculated every single grain of elixir, but today he first generously used three 'Hui Yang Jin Dan' to save Lin Xiao's life, and then even more generously allowed Mie Qing Shi Tai to enter the Dan room. Had Dan Jing Dao Ren changed his nature today?

  "Return to Huihua City and inquire about the situation at Huichun Hall. It's likely that something has happened. My Dàluó Dān Dào has been in seclusion for five years, and it's inevitable that some things will occur. Dān Shēng, Dān Yīn, take a few disciples to Huihua City to investigate and gather information about the specific circumstances." After a moment of contemplation, Dān Líng Dào Rén cautioned seriously: "My Dàluó Dān Dào is based on the Dān Lì Pài, so we are somewhat weaker in terms of murderous techniques, seals, flying swords, and magical treasures. This child has a hint of the Blood Kill Demon's aura within him, so you must be careful."

  Two middle-aged Taoists wearing light purple robes slightly bowed their heads, one of whom smiled and said: "Elder brother, don't worry, we'll take a few bottles of elixir poison out, and we won't be afraid of anyone."

  "Ah, very well, go quickly." Dan Jingdao waved his hand and watched as Dan Shengdao and Dan Yangdao walked out of the hall. Only then did he wave his hand again, pick up Lin Xiao from the ground, and hold him in his arms.

  Dān Jǐng Dào Rén looked at Lín Xiāo and couldn't help but nod his head and smile, saying: "Unexpectedly, my Great Luo Dan Dao's outer door Huichun Hall lineage has also produced a disciple with excellent qualifications. A pure fire-type physique, which is most suitable for refining elixirs."

  Is it purely a fire-based physique? The other Taoists were shocked, then delighted, but in the blink of an eye they became somewhat hesitant as they looked at Dan Jing.

  "Hmm, I understand your concerns. Alchemy is about harmony between yin and yang, the balance of the five elements. A pure fire constitution doesn't have any advantages in alchemy. However, this child's pure fire body makes him unparalleled in manipulating and sensing flames. Not letting him practice alchemy, but instead having him manage the furnace fires, would be excellent." Dan Jing smiled until his eyes became slits, stroking his beard with a smile: "How could I do business at a loss? Once this child's powers are deep, he'll be able to take care of the flames for over a hundred furnaces by himself. Tsk tsk, think of how much work that will save."

  Everyone looked at each other and gave Da Luan Dao Ren a thumbs up: "Brother is insightful!"

  Then, joyful laughter rolled out from this small palace, shaking the surrounding wandering spirits into a state of suspension.

  The sleeves of the Taoist nun were bulging with various medicine bottles as she flew away from Hui Chun Valley with Shen Xiao Bai. She suddenly heard the laughter of Dan Rong and others, and turned her head to scold in a low voice: "A group of dead cow noses, are you satisfied this time? A pure fire constitution disciple can save you how much firewood and labor? Humph, although I took a bit more medicine this time, it's still cheaper for you!"

  A streak of black light flashed through the void, and Mie Qing Shitai took Shen Xiaobai away, quickly disappearing into the white clouds on the horizon.