Chapter 218: Wuxiang Pill
The woman’s eyes widened slightly at his words, a flash of wariness crossing them, though she quickly regained her composure.
She studied Song Yan for a moment, then broke into a smile, a hint of admiration and gratitude in her gaze.
She turned and called softly toward the back courtyard. “Ah Feng, come quickly.”
From the rear garden had come the faint sound of snipping and trimming plants all along. Hearing the woman’s call, a man in coarse linen robes pushed aside the curtain and stepped out.
It was Liang Feng.
Compared to their meeting at North Watch Mountain several years ago, the gloom between his brows had lifted considerably. His cultivation remained at the sixth level of Qi Refining, but his complexion had improved greatly.
“Fellow Daoist Song!” Liang Feng’s eyes lit up with surprise upon seeing Song Yan. He strode forward quickly and cupped his hands. “After all these years apart, your bearing is unchanged.”
Song Yan smiled faintly. “You look well. It seems Azure Creek Cave is a place that suits you.”
“This is Xiao Ju, my companion.” He turned to introduce her.
Liang Feng nodded to Xiao Ju in greeting, then lowered his voice. “This is not a good place to talk. Come with me.”
He turned to his wife and said gently, “Ah Qing, I am taking our guests to look around the valley. I will be back later.”
The woman understood. She took a green jade talisman from beneath the counter and handed it to Liang Feng. “Be careful on the road.” She then offered Song Yan and Xiao Ju an apologetic smile. “Our humble home is poorly furnished, and our hospitality is lacking. Please forgive us.”
The group turned to leave. Xiao Ju glanced back at the woman, curiosity in her expression.
Sensing the girl’s gaze, the woman in plain robes smiled warmly at her.
After leaving the flower house, Liang Feng led the two through the market and turned onto a secluded mountain path.
“I remember, back at Ling Flower Valley, you told me you had found a secluded, rarely-visited place. How did it end up being here?”
Song Yan walked and asked at the same time. “This can hardly be called rarely visited.”
Liang Feng smiled self-deprecatingly. “Ling Flower Valley’s people found me. I feared for Ah Qing’s safety.”
“I moved several times in between… In the end, with no other option, I had no choice but to join Azure Creek Cave.”
Song Yan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
This was a matter between Liang Feng and Ling Flower Valley. As an outsider, he had no real business interfering.
At North Watch Mountain, he had already preserved Ling Flower Valley’s original spirit seeds and directly helped Liang Feng save his wife.
This sort of lingering issue between the two parties was not something he needed to expend effort resolving.
He had come here with a single purpose—to obtain as many Moon-Sustaining lotus seeds as possible.
Yet, after his wife recovered, Liang Feng seemed easily content. His face held not a trace of blame or resentment, only the happiness of living alongside his wife.
Speaking of his current life, he had not a shred of dissatisfaction. “This place is good too. Though one must deal with many people, as long as one pays the spirit tax on time, it is relatively safe.”
“This Azure Creek Grotto-Heaven was established only eight or nine years ago. In truth, there are not many people. Including the small clans that relocated here, the permanent population is only about a thousand.”
A little over a thousand.
Azure Creek Cave’s domain was vast. These deep mountains in northern Chu were virtually uninhabited. A mere thousand residents was indeed sparse.
The cave dwellings and mountain plots of the various rogue cultivators and clans who long resided in Azure Creek Cave all radiated outward, encircling a particular peak.
Upon that peak lay a place called the Tidal Spring Ravine.
It was said that the Foundation Establishment cultivator who originally established this place had only built his cave dwelling here to devote himself to the Dao. Later, while traveling beyond the mountains, he witnessed rogue cultivators being bullied and persecuted, and frequently intervened to save them.
Thus, more and more people came of their own accord, establishing their own cave dwellings in the surrounding mountains.
Partly to follow this man or take him as a master, and partly so as not to disturb his seclusion.
Over time, the number of rogue cultivators in the area only grew.
Until one day, that Foundation Establishment cultivator’s disciples received his authorization, established rules and systems, and formally founded this Azure Creek Cave.
As Liang Feng introduced the situation, he led the two to a cave dwelling.
This was where Liang Feng and his wife lived day to day, at a considerable distance from the market.
It felt as though they had reached the very edge of Azure Creek Cave’s territory.
The courtyard of the cave dwelling was divided into several spirit fields. Some plots grew spirit flowers and spirit herbs, while others grew common, ordinary spirit medicines.
A small white dog also kept residence in the courtyard.
Seeing Liang Feng bring strangers home, the dog showed not the slightest hostility. On the contrary, it barked happily and bounded over to greet them.
It circled around Song Yan and Xiao Ju’s feet, licking its nose from time to time, utterly adorable.
Xiao He poked her head out from Song Yan’s lapel, gazing curiously at the small dog.
The dog was startled, freezing in place.
“No wonder you look so radiant. This sort of leisurely life—how enviable,” Song Yan remarked with a smile.
However, he had no intention of entering the cave dwelling, for among those spirit fields, the Moon-Sustaining Ancient Lotus he wished to see was nowhere to be found.
Knowing Liang Feng’s meticulous nature, he would hardly plant such a thing right at his doorstep.
“Just getting by,” Liang Feng said with a laugh, though his tone brimmed with contentment.
He merely paused to pet the dog in passing, then walked around the dwelling.
After another brief walk, they arrived at a remote foothill. He flicked his fingertip, and the green jade talisman glowed faintly.
Before them, a narrow vine-entwined path materialized out of thin air upon the rock face.
Song Yan found it somewhat familiar.
“This ‘Green Vine Barrier’—I modeled it after Ling Flower Valley’s formation,” Liang Feng said.
He parted the vines, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through. “It cannot compare to a sect’s work, but it is sufficient to deceive ordinary Qi Refining cultivators’ detection.”
The three filed through in single file, and the view before them opened dramatically.
The valley spanned merely a hundred zhang, yet enclosed on all sides by steep green peaks, it formed a world unto itself.
To the southeast, a waterfall plunged downward. A clear stream wound through the valley floor, with several plots of spirit fields arranged along its banks.
The three walked into the valley.
“Fellow Daoist Song, the lotus seed you lent me saved Ah Qing. Whether for her or for me, it is nothing short of rebirth.”
Liang Feng said, “This valley’s location is hidden, and the spiritual energy is fairly abundant. I specifically prepared it for cultivating the ancient lotus.”
Near the bamboo hut by the stream stood a small pond.
A single ancient lotus, three feet tall, stood with graceful poise. Upon its pod, one lotus seed glowed with a clear, moon-like radiance.
But this seed was far inferior in both spiritual energy and vitality to the one Song Yan had previously given Liang Feng.
Moreover, only one seed remained. The other four positions on the pod were empty.
It appeared they had been harvested.
Before Song Yan could ask, Liang Feng had already spoken.
“My cultivation is humble, and with what little knowledge of spirit plants I possess, I devised this method of cultivating the ancient lotus myself. Naturally, it cannot compare to the techniques of high-level spirit plant masters.”
“But the vitality of the Moon-Sustaining Ancient Lotus is simply too overwhelming. Such is its nature.”
“If I were to leave mature seeds here, they would attract many mountain spirits, grass demons, and similar entities. So I have already harvested the remaining seeds.”
Liang Feng produced a container shaped like a pill bottle from his Cosmos Bag and handed it to Song Yan.
“Inside are the mature seeds. Four in total.”
Song Yan raised an eyebrow, surprise stirring within him. There really were four?
The preciousness of the Moon-Sustaining lotus seeds went without saying.
A single truly plump and mature seed could even serve as a foundational spiritual vein, establishing a gathering place for rogue cultivators.
His seeds had all sprouted from withered stock, innately deficient from the very start. Compounded by the limitations of his spirit plant expertise and cultivation, the spiritual energy within them was pitifully sparse.
Yet the vitality contained within was unimpaired. If anything, because of their new birth, it surpassed even the seed from Ling Flower Valley’s spirit pearl.
This Liang Feng did indeed possess real ability.
Liang Feng, unaware of Song Yan’s thoughts, continued his explanation. “Fellow Daoist Song, the ancient lotus seed you gave me was deficient in spiritual energy from the start. Therefore, I suspect that each time the lotus matures in the future, one or two seeds will develop problems. The one still on the pod is such a case.”
His expression held a trace of apology. “My strength is low, and my methods are limited. For now, I do not yet know how to resolve this.”
Truthfully, this result had entirely exceeded Song Yan’s expectations.
How to resolve it?
If they could truly resolve it, the two of them together could establish a rogue cultivator settlement.
“No matter. This is fine enough.”
Song Yan shook his head. “The deal between us back then was simply for you to give me more seeds. I never demanded you restore it to its ancient form.”
Liang Feng relaxed upon hearing this.
Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Song was a reasonable man.
He, Liang Feng, was content with the status quo—not foolish. Due to the Mother-Child Heart-Linking Insect, his life was still firmly in Song Yan’s hands.
Now that Ah Qing was gradually recovering, he had no desire to die.
Song Yan examined the seeds carefully, confirmed they were correct, then produced a small bottle from his Cosmos Bag.
Inside the bottle was a pale yellow, diminutive larva, curled up in a corner—the mother insect of the Mother-Child Heart-Linking Insect.
He guided the bottle with spiritual energy and tossed it over.
Liang Feng caught it, and a look of elation surfaced on his face.
He had originally thought he would need to cultivate the lotus through several more cycles before the other party would give him the mother insect.
But for him, this was certainly for the best.
The feeling of one’s life being held in another’s hands at all times was not pleasant.
“Keep it.” Song Yan observed the ancient lotus in the pond and said casually, “Our transaction is concluded.”
He looked once more. The bloom of the Moon-Sustaining Ancient Lotus was still as beautiful as ever.
Luminous as the moon itself.
Liang Feng put away the insect bottle but did not immediately leave. “Fellow Daoist Song, the great kindness you have shown Ah Qing and me is something we could never repay in a lifetime. I will continue cultivating the Moon-Sustaining Ancient Lotus.”
“This valley was prepared in advance for you. You may come and go as you please.”
He pointed behind the bamboo hut, toward the waterfall in the southeast of the valley. “Behind that waterfall, there is a concealed cave dwelling, suitable for seclusion and cultivation.”
“If you have any spirit plant seeds you wish to grow, you may also entrust them to me, and I will tend to them as well.”
“Very well.” Song Yan nodded. “The spirit plant harvests, including the ancient lotus—you may keep twenty percent as your remuneration.”
Liang Feng wanted to refuse, but Song Yan stopped him on the grounds of covering cultivation costs, and in the end he did not push further.
Liang Feng was meticulous in thought and careful in action. Entrusting these matters to him spared Song Yan a great deal of trouble.
And Liang Feng was all the more grateful.
He had harbored a small measure of self-interest—namely, the safety of himself and Ah Qing.
In this lifetime, he would likely never hope for Foundation Establishment. Azure Creek Cave was reasonably safe, but in the long run, one could never be sure when things might fall apart.
Yet Song Yan—anyone could see that his future in the Dao was boundless.
If he were to break through to Foundation Establishment or even higher realms in the future, and remembered Liang Feng’s hard work, perhaps he would extend some protection.
He had not expected the other party to offer him additional benefits as well.
Liang Feng composed his thoughts and continued. “However, if the Moon-Sustaining Ancient Lotus continues to grow, some spirit plants that also rely on the vitality of the earth veins will be unable to survive normally.”
He explained to Song Yan in general terms the types of spirit plants involved and the rules one had to observe within Azure Creek Cave.
Finally, he bowed respectfully and departed.
Song Yan observed the lotus for a while but could not discern anything in particular.
Xiao He had long since swum far away. Needless to say, this was her kind of place.
He looked around the nameless valley and said casually, “This place is reasonably secluded, and the spiritual energy is fairly abundant. Why not stay here for a few days?”
Xiao Ju nodded. She had no objections, naturally.
For Song Yan, this place was indeed convenient right now.
Even the cave dwelling behind the waterfall required virtually no maintenance. Liang Feng had already prepared everything.
Song Yan merely found a stone chamber to house the Sword Dao pill furnace he had obtained from the Sword Sect ruins, and there was nothing else he needed to do.
The reason he had come to Dragon Spring Prefecture with such a clear purpose—to find Liang Feng and obtain the lotus seeds—was primarily to suppress the heart demons that might erupt at any time during his future Foundation Establishment attempt.
However, in a small backwater like Chu State, most shops did not carry talismans or pills related to heart demons.
For heart demons were something that only manifested at Foundation Establishment or even Core Formation and above.
Their appearance during the Qi Refining Stage was exceedingly rare.
And to pin his hopes on auction houses or exchange meetings meant leaving everything entirely to luck.
The petals of the Moon-Sustaining Ancient Lotus could be used to craft Purifying Moon Talismans. Learning talisman crafting at this point was clearly impossible.
When the time came, he would likely need to find a talisman master to commission the talisman’s refinement.
What Song Yan planned to do next was refine a pill with the Moon-Sustaining lotus seed as its primary ingredient—one that could also suppress heart demons.
The “Wuxiang Pill.”
If circumstances allowed, Song Yan would of course prefer to proceed directly to refining the improved Foundation Establishment Pill.
After all, with the Purifying Moon Talisman, suppressing heart demons should be roughly sufficient.
But his inquiries at the Wuyou Market had given him a general understanding of just how difficult the ingredients for the improved Foundation Establishment Pill were to obtain.
Even if he ultimately gathered all the materials, he could easily imagine that the opportunities for him to attempt it would be vanishingly few.
In that case, Song Yan had to weigh carefully what his chances of success might be.
Thus, he had turned his attention to another, rather advanced pill formula from the Thousand Pill Compendium—the “Wuxiang Pill.”
In truth, the primary ingredient of the Wuxiang Pill was not the Moon-Sustaining lotus seed, but another spirit herb.
This herb’s properties were quite similar to the Moon-Sustaining lotus seed, possessing slightly less vitality but more spiritual energy.
At the very end of the formula, in the notes on ingredient substitutions, he had indeed found the name of the Moon-Sustaining lotus seed.
He only needed to adjust a few peripheral auxiliary herbs to match the altered medicinal power, and he could begin refining.
Produce several batches of Wuxiang Pills. Once successfully made, they could be taken alongside his Foundation Establishment attempt.
The most critical steps of the two pills’ refinement techniques were nearly identical. Failure would serve as experience gained for the improved Foundation Establishment Pill.