Although the young girl spoke like a seasoned veteran, her voice was crisp and clear, rapid as bamboo clappers clattering without pause. Unaccustomed to speaking that obscure ancient tongue, she switched to the common language to converse with Xu Ying; though an occasional archaic phrase slipped out, she was easy enough to understand.
Xu Ying, on the other hand, switched between both languages seamlessly, with complete fluency.
The girl walked up to the giant snake, pried open his jaws, poked her head in to peer around, and then clasped her hands behind her back and strolled inside. After a moment, her voice drifted out from within: "It's quite spacious and cool in here. There's even an axe—such heavy, murderous malice!"
*Clang!* A heavy strike resonated from inside, evidently the girl striking the axe. Her strength was so immense that Yuan Qi was jolted until his body went rigid.
She sauntered back out carrying the stone axe. With an upward push of her hand, Yuan Qi opened his mouth involuntarily.
The stone axe had shrunk considerably, measuring barely a foot long. Handing it to Xu Ying, the girl said, "I touched it up for you."
Xu Ying took the stone axe and casually tucked it into his belt. "Young lady, why were you inside that sea of fire? The immortal flames were fierce—why didn't they burn you?"
The girl leaped onto Yuan Qi's broad crown and reached out to stroke the black and white horns behind his head. Yuan Qi bared his fangs with a menacing glare; those horns were his reverse scale, not to be touched lightly by anyone. The girl delivered a punch with a *thump*, and Yuan Qi's eyes rolled back, nearly knocking him senseless. He became vastly more obedient at once.
"What sea of fire? That was Tushita Palace! I went there to harvest immortal herbs!"
Puffed up with pride, the girl declared, "The blaze outside is the Tushita immortal flame—the most terrifying of all, capable of refining all creation. Immortal herbs grow within that fire; harvesting them brings longevity. As long as the Tushita immortal flame doesn't burn you to ash, you can live on forever."
"Tushita Palace?" Xu Ying pondered the name. It sounded somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
Within the Tushita immortal flame, besides this young girl, there had been countless others standing or seated. Could it be that those people were not immortals, but Qi Refiners striving for immortality?
The bronze bell flew out from behind Xu Ying's head and asked, "How long were you trapped there? When we pulled you out, you had already stopped breathing."
The girl leaped in front of it, circled it twice, and suddenly raised her small fists to hammer several blows onto the bell with resounding thuds! The bell was startled, but then abruptly realized its injuries were greatly eased. The wounds cut into its surface by the sea of fire had actually healed.
The girl preened, swinging her little braids back and forth, and chuckled. "Now you know the might of this ancestor, don't you?"
Submissive where it had once been proud, the bronze bell flattered her: "How should we address Ancestor? On which immortal mountain do you cultivate?"
"I am Zhu Chanchan," the girl replied. "You may call me Ancestor Chanchan. Our sect has no immortal mountain; we make ourselves at home wherever we wander. I stole immortal herbs in Tushita Palace and sealed myself to withstand the immortal flame, all to prepare for my future ascension. It's just that I was burned by the flame for too long, and eighty to ninety percent of my cultivation was incinerated."
With a haughty air, she continued, "Over the years, the herbs I purloined have all been hidden within my body. Once this ancestor's cultivation recovers and I refine the immortal herbs inside me, I will ascend on the spot! Even if that arch-villain has blocked the path to ascension, he won't be able to stop me! When that time comes, I'll take you all with me!"
She leaped onto the bronze bell and sat down. "Because the herbs within me remain unrefined, I am practically a walking immortal elixir. Heavenly fiends will catch my scent and hunt me down! I need you to help me through this crisis!"
Xu Ying thought for a moment, then turned to Yuan Qi. "Lord Qi, you are well-read. If Tushita Palace holds immortal herbs, why does the Crimson Palace of the human body lead straight to it?"
Yuan Qi replied with a guilty conscience, "Ah Ying, don't you think those are books I wouldn't have read?"
The bronze bell carried Zhu Chanchan closer and chimed in, "The Six Secret Depositories of the Human Body certainly aren't that simple. The Crimson Palace secret depository corresponds to Tushita Palace, the Jade Pool secret depository corresponds to Jade Void Palace, and the Mud Pill secret depository corresponds to the Sea of Chaos. Every one of these realms on the other shore is an extraordinary place. Lord Qi, I believe there must be a profound secret here!"
Yuan Qi grunted, somewhat timid. "I truly know nothing about this..."
Xu Ying interrupted him. "Zhu Chanchan hid outside Tushita Palace to steal immortal herbs. Even after being burned by the immortal flame for so long, she didn't die, which proves that the Tushita immortal herbs grant longevity. Yet why is it that Nuo masters who unlock the Crimson Palace secret depository and steal the immortal herb cannot attain longevity?"
Yuan Qi suddenly realized. "That's right! The Guo clan's Old Ancestor is nearly dead of old age. When he unlocked the nine heavens of the Crimson Palace, the heart power he reeled in was most likely the Crimson Palace immortal herb. Since it is an immortal herb, why couldn't he achieve longevity?"
Zhu Chanchan poked her little head between them, curious. "What are you talking about?"
Xu Ying gave a brief overview of how Nuo masters cultivated, concluding, "I realized that the cultivation methods of Nuo masters also revolve around stealing immortal herbs, just like you. Yet the difference in your lifespans is like heaven and earth."
Once Zhu Chanchan finally grasped the path of a Nuo master, her expression shifted drastically. In deep vexation, she lamented, "If such an art of longevity existed, why did I risk my life to cross over to the other shore just to steal immortal herbs?"
A surge of sorrow welled up in her heart, and she murmured, "I abandoned everything—my sect, my clan, my kin, my lover, my friends, my enemies, all cast aside just for longevity, just for that damnable immortal elixir. Who could have known that one didn't need to cross over at all to gather it..."
Xu Ying and Yuan Qi exchanged a glance, feeling a pang of pity.
"The opening of the Mud Pill Hidden Scenery Longevity Art states that by partaking in the qi of heaven and earth, one can siphon from the Sea of Chaos. Gathering qi in the Mud Pill Palace reels in divine immortal medicine," Xu Ying said, pacing back and forth in thought. "The divine medicine of the Sea of Chaos grants longevity, and the Tushita immortal herbs also grant longevity. This proves that the Nuo arts were originally meant to lead straight to immortality! Yet Nuo masters only live two to three hundred years—forget immortality, they can't even outlive monsters! Where, then, does the problem lie?"
The bronze bell and Yuan Qi were equally baffled.
Suddenly, Xu Ying's eyes brightened. He turned toward Zhu Chanchan. "Ancestor Chanchan, how do you refine immortal herbs?"
The bell and Yuan Qi instantly grasped the crux. If Nuo masters lived short lives, it could only mean their method of refining the immortal herbs was flawed. Zhu Chanchan could refine them and possessed immense longevity, which proved her method was the correct one!
If they could learn her refining method, they could resolve the lifespan issue plaguing Nuo masters and vastly extend their lives!
Zhu Chanchan grew wary. "Do you want to eat me, too?"
Xu Ying smiled. "We will protect you and ensure you aren't eaten by heavenly fiends, and in return, you impart your herb-refining technique to me."
Zhu Chanchan hesitated before replying, "You protect me first. Once I recover a bit of cultivation and gain the means to defend myself, I will teach it to you. That way, you won't refine me into medicine and eat me the moment you get the technique."
Xu Ying countered, "Teach me half of it first."
Zhu Chanchan's gaze turned fierce, and she slammed a fist onto the bell. "Are you bargaining with this ancestor?"
The punch struck the bronze bell with a deafening gong, and a fissure appeared on its surface. Terrified, the bell yelled, "I'm cracked! Ah Ying! Agree to her terms, hurry and agree!"
Zhu Chanchan barked, "Are you scared now?"
Xu Ying wore a righteous expression, completely unfazed. "Lord Qi once said that one must never yield to force..."
Zhu Chanchan threw a punch at Yuan Qi, shouting, "You're the one who said it?"
Yuan Qi collapsed to the ground, his body beaten ramrod straight. In a voice as weak as gossamer, he whimpered, "Mencius said it, not me..."
Zhu Chanchan snapped, "Bring this Mencius out so this ancestor can trade blows with him!"
Xu Ying said calmly, "Beating Lord Bell and Lord Qi proves you're fierce enough. Why don't you try punching me?"
Zhu Chanchan glared at him with an unfriendly scowl, then suddenly threw two more punches at the bronze bell. The cracks across the bell burst open one by one, and it shrieked in panic, "I'm cracked again! Ah Ying, don't provoke her! This girl is vicious! Just agree to her demands, and I won't drain your qi and blood anymore!"
Xu Ying remained unperturbed. "Zhu Chanchan, you seem formidable on the surface, but in truth you are hollow inside, with scarcely any cultivation left. You're merely relying on clever leverage. Hit me and see; I won't strike back."
Enraged, Zhu Chanchan leaped up and hammered two punches against Xu Ying's chest. Xu Ying did not budge an inch.
Gritting her teeth, she unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks like torrential rain, pounding away with dull thuds. Yet Xu Ying remained entirely unharmed. The little girl suddenly slumped to the ground, her hands and feet trembling with pain, and burst into tears.
Her hands were swollen round and puffy from the recoil of Xu Ying's body, robbed of all strength, and her feet were equally swollen. Yuan Qi and the bronze bell stared blankly, baffled by what had happened.
Xu Ying stepped forward, gently rubbing Zhu Chanchan's hands to clear her blocked qi and blood. He then removed her shoes to dispel the bruises and improve circulation in her feet.
Only then did the swelling gradually subside. Dejected, Zhu Chanchan muttered, "How did you figure it out? I really don't have much cultivation left. The only reason I could hit them is that I used to forge dharma treasures for the Son of Heaven of Zhou. I'm fine at hammering dharma treasures, but no good at fighting people."
Yuan Qi wondered inwardly, *Why could she hit me, then? Could it be...*
Looking desolate, Zhu Chanchan murmured, "My cultivation was burned away by the Tushita immortal flame, leaving me defenseless. Having just escaped from the sea of fire, I don't know anyone except you. Right now, I'm terrified. I'm afraid that the moment I walk out, someone will capture me to refine me into medicine."
She looked up at Xu Ying with tear-brimmed eyes. "I smell delicious right now. Smell me if you don't believe me."
Xu Ying sniffed. Indeed, a peculiar, mouth-watering fragrance wafted from her—evidently the scent of the immortal herbs.
Pitiable and pleading, Zhu Chanchan gazed up at him and whispered, "Once I refine the immortal herbs, I'll grow up. I'm very pretty! You'll definitely like me..."
Xu Ying was unmoved. "Teach me half."
Seeing that he was completely impervious to coaxing or threats, and knowing she couldn't intimidate him, Zhu Chanchan yielded gloomily. "Fine, I'll give it to you."
She stood up and delivered two quick taps, mending the bronze bell's wounds. She then tapped Yuan Qi once, and his injuries miraculously healed as well. He scrambled up briskly and laughed. "Why can Ancestor heal my wounds?"
"I was a heavenly artisan who forged dharma treasures for the Son of Heaven of Zhou," Zhu Chanchan said. "You possess the traits of a dharma treasure."
Yuan Qi took out paper and brush, freezing upon hearing her words. He thought to himself, *Did I refine myself into a dharma treasure? When did that happen? How come I didn't know?*
Zhu Chanchan quickly wrote out an incantation formula of barely a hundred words. Xu Ying took it, and his heart stirred. Hurriedly pulling out the Crimson Palace Crescent Moon Furnace Crucible Technique, he compared the two.
Zhu Chanchan's herb-refining formula was ninety percent identical to the opening passage of the Crescent Moon Furnace Crucible Technique! Out of over a hundred words, more than ninety were identical, differing only slightly in their sequence!
Xu Ying's gaze turned sharp as lightning, fixing upon Zhu Chanchan. "Zhu Chanchan, who else was in your sect?"
Startled by his intense look, she snapped, "Why are you looking so fierce?"
Xu Ying quickly softened his tone and said with a gentle smile, "Who else was in Ancestor's sect?"
Zhu Chanchan glared at him. "My master left for the other shore three hundred years before me, but when I arrived, I couldn't find him; he was probably burned to death. There were also several senior brothers and sisters. Many died on the journey to the other shore, and even those who survived the trip were burned to death by the Tushita immortal flame. After they departed, I became the sect leader, but there was only one junior brother left under me. When I left, he was still young and his cultivation wasn't high."
Xu Ying pushed the Crescent Moon Furnace Crucible Technique before her. "Could this be the handiwork of your junior brother?"
Surprised, Zhu Chanchan skimmed through the text and mused, "It does look somewhat like his handwriting, but we haven't seen each other in ages. That junior brother of mine had no immortal herbs; it's impossible for him to have lived until now."
Yuan Qi chimed in from the side, "What if Nuo immortals were his immortal herbs?"
Zhu Chanchan fell silent.
Xu Ying picked up a brush and made minor alterations to the Crescent Moon Furnace Crucible Technique, rearranging the inverted and scrambled phrases to their proper places and patching the omissions. After a moment, he circulated the Taiyi Guiding Technique to operate the Crescent Moon Furnace. He felt a subtle change in the heart power welling from his Crimson Palace.
Though the change was minuscule, Xu Ying felt a refreshing fragrance surge from his ventricles and course throughout his entire body.
*This* was the true immortal elixir!
Xu Ying had someone summon Guo Xiaodie, handed her the revised Crimson Palace Crescent Moon Furnace Crucible Technique, and said, "I have made some adjustments to this technique. Have your Old Ancestor cultivate according to it; it should prolong his lifespan."
Guo Xiaodie was dumbfounded.
Xu Ying smiled. "I have an important matter to attend to, so I won't wait for Old Ancestor Guo to return. Tell him to cultivate according to this revised technique and stay alive. Perhaps he can hold out until the day I drag out the mastermind behind the scenes. I hope that when that day comes, he can fight by my side!"
Guo Xiaodie was shocked and said hurriedly, "You want to leave Shendu? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to step outside the Guo manor right now?"
Xu Ying glanced at Zhu Chanchan and smiled. "If I leave her in the Guo manor, the Guo manor will be doomed. Xiaodie, help prepare a few spare sets of clothes for her; I have no women's clothing here."
Zhu Chanchan said in a worldly, self-important tone, "Little girl, prepare a few sets of adult clothes for me. In a few days, I will grow tall and mature. By the way, my bust is quite large, so don't bring small ones; they won't fit."
Guo Xiaodie stood dumbfounded, then shook her head and hurried off.
Before long, Guo Xiaodie returned with some clothes she normally wore. Zhu Chanchan held them against her chest, sizing them up. "A bit small; they'll definitely feel tight. But they'll do for now."
Guo Xiaodie glared at her. "I'm still growing!"
Zhu Chanchan pried open Yuan Qi's jaws, tossed the clothes inside, and giggled. "Many women think that way, yet more often than not, they only get smaller."
Xu Ying also changed into crisp, neat attire, looking spirited and sharp. Tucking the stone axe into his belt, he chuckled. "Xiaodie, we met in the jianghu, and in the jianghu we shall meet again."
Composing herself, Guo Xiaodie smiled. "The road ahead is perilous. Is Monster King Xu confident?"
Xu Ying patted the small stone axe at his waist. "I'll simply hack my way through."
A surge of heroic spirit rose within Guo Xiaodie, and she called out loudly, "Open the gates! Escort Young Master Xu out of the manor!"
Zhu Chanchan followed behind Xu Ying, the bronze bell flew over and vanished behind his head, and Yuan Qi slithered forward, shrinking until he hopped onto Xu Ying's shoulder.
The massive gates of the Guo clan slowly swung open, and Xu Ying strode out of the Guo manor.
The youth hesitated for a fraction of an instant. Once this step was taken, he would no longer have the Old Ancestor's protection, and Shendu would likely turn into a tempest of blood and slaughter.
Xu Ying brought his foot down firmly, stepping beyond the threshold.
*In straw sandals and plain robes, I outpace a galloping steed—who's afraid?*
*Looking back upon the path I've walked, there is neither rain nor shine!*
On this journey, what harm was there in carving a path through rivers of blood?
Chapter 104