Chapter Forty: Reunion

Zhang Xiao, under the alias Xiao Yiran, led the four women straight to the Valley of Hundred Herbs. Along the way, the monsters they encountered fell dead at a mere flick of Zhang Xiao’s fingers, astonishing the four women to the point that they frequently cast sidelong, admiring glances his way. Their speed was swift, but their monster-slaying pace was even swifter, all thanks to Zhang Xiao alone. Were it not for the need to collect the monster corpses, they would have reached the valley even faster. The Valley of Hundred Herbs was the largest spiritual herb region in Z City, home to a myriad of rare and miraculous plants and medicines. However, the monsters within were formidable as well, hence the need for people to form teams to venture inside.

Having heard of the valley’s abundance of spiritual herbs, Zhang Xiao inquired, “Is there an herb here called the Violet Azure Flower?” Ni Weilan thought for a long while but could not recall such a plant, but then Yang Jiajia suddenly spoke up. “Is the Violet Azure Flower the one with purple leaves and blue blossoms?” At this, Zhang Xiao, sensing hope, pressed urgently, “You’ve seen it before? Where?” His impatience was understandable—he had long been stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage. Although his cultivation progressed swiftly, without the aid of pills he would need at least half a year to reach the Golden Core stage. With the Violet Azure Flower, however, he could concoct the Elixir of Vital Ascension, which would allow him to break through in a short time. How could he not be anxious with such temptation before him?

Seeing Zhang Xiao’s sudden urgency, Yang Jiajia mused to herself, “So that’s why he joined us—he’s after the Violet Azure Flower.” She said aloud, “I once saw that flower on a sheer cliff deep inside, but the monsters there are incredibly fierce.” She pointed to a distant mountain to the west. “It’s over there. If you’re in such a hurry, you should go ahead, but the monsters there are very powerful.”

At her words, Zhang Xiao calmed down, feeling secretly ashamed—he had come to repay a debt of gratitude, yet in this crucial moment he nearly forgot his priorities. He quickly said, “Very well, knowing the location is enough. What is your task? Let me help you complete it before I go.”

His words delighted the four women. They had been worried about failing their task, but with an expert like Zhang Xiao, their fears vanished. Their mission was to collect six Seven-Star Grasses. They knew where to find them, but a giant serpent guarded the patch, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to harvest. In Zhang Xiao’s eyes, their task was trivial. When they arrived, the serpent turned out to be a beast with Foundation Establishment cultivation—a true spirit beast. No wonder the Seven-Star Grass was so hard to acquire.

Spirit beasts differed from ordinary monsters. Though not necessarily higher in level, their cultivation made them far more formidable. This particular serpent, however, was unlucky. Zhang Xiao stepped forward, and with a Heart-Biting Curse, tormented the beast until it was half-dead. But he spared its life—ever since his Buddhist practice had grown stronger, he avoided killing when possible, especially creatures capable of cultivation.

After the four women had gathered a whole basketful of Seven-Star Grass, Zhang Xiao lifted the curse. The spirit beast, recognizing Zhang Xiao’s strength and grateful for his mercy, nodded in thanks and retreated into its cave.

Zhang Xiao was moved by the beast’s display of intelligence—no wonder the Buddhists said all beings are equal. Though the four women were curious as to why he had let the monster go, they had no complaints with the Seven-Star Grass in hand. With their task complete, Zhang Xiao dissolved the team. “I’m off to collect the Violet Azure Flower. The monsters there are fierce, and I may not be able to look after you. Let’s part ways here.”

Ni Weilan, seeing that Zhang Xiao was leaving, suddenly asked, “Can you tell me your real name? I know Xiao Yiran can’t be your true name.” Without looking back, Zhang Xiao strode away, laughing, “If fate allows, I’ll tell you next time we meet.” With that, he vanished before their eyes with a flash of supernatural speed.

Ni Weilan stared after him, lost in thought, her feelings unreadable. At that moment, Liu Xin teased, “Oh my! He’s gone and swept away our Weilan’s heart with him!” The other two burst into laughter as well. Blushing, Ni Weilan stamped her foot. “Ignore you!” she huffed and turned away, though inwardly she wondered, “With his strength, would he ever look at me?”

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiao followed the direction Yang Jiajia had indicated, racing ahead. The saying “looking at the mountain, a horse dies running” proved true—each of his strides covered a li, yet it took him half an hour to reach the foot of the mountain. Jagged peaks and boulders crisscrossed the landscape, overgrown with weeds and riven with rocky gullies. Before the cataclysm, even the most experienced hunters would not have dared set foot here, the terrain was so treacherous. Zhang Xiao, too, dared not use his supernatural speed recklessly, and could only climb on foot. Even so, he moved as nimbly as a mountain monkey through the forest and undergrowth. Along the way, he encountered several spirit beasts, but their cultivation was not high. After dispatching two groups, he released the pressure of his Buddhist cultivation—equivalent to the Golden Core stage. The spirit beasts, sensing it, no longer dared show themselves.

The Violet Azure Flower, with its blue petals and purple leaves, was easy to recognize. Before long, Zhang Xiao found the sheer cliff Yang Jiajia had described. The flower grew on a tiny outcrop beneath the cliff, no larger than a hand and impossible for a person to stand on. The surrounding rock face was bare, with nothing to hold on to. Without a full set of climbing gear, ordinary people would have no chance of harvesting it, especially with the venomous snakes and spirit beasts roaming nearby. For Zhang Xiao, however, this was no trouble. He summoned his bronze-armored corpse and had it use the Earth-Burrowing Technique to retrieve the flower with ease.

Gazing at the Violet Azure Flower in his hand, Zhang Xiao could not contain his excitement. Suddenly, an angry shout rang out from the forest below—“You wretch!” The voice startled Zhang Xiao; it belonged to a master of the Foundation Establishment stage, for its strength was unmistakable. Quickly storing the flower, he leapt towards the source of the cry.

It was not far—at the foot of the mountain, Zhang Xiao found the scene. A man in a blue robe, sword in hand, stood with a hand pressed to his eye, face twisted in pain as he glared at a woman lying on the ground a short distance away. Zhang Xiao noted the golden dragon-and-tiger embroidery on the man’s robe and realized he was an inner disciple of Mount Dragon-Tiger. As for the woman on the ground, Zhang Xiao could not see her face, but from her attire, she must be from Kunlun Sect—the only major sect that routinely accepted female disciples.

At that moment, several more people emerged from the woods, likely outer disciples of Mount Dragon-Tiger. Seeing the woman already down, they shouted, “Ha! Senior Brother Gao is unmatched—dealing with this little demoness is child’s play!” The others echoed in admiration. Pleased by their praise, the man named Gao seemed to forget the pain in his eye. He laughed, “At first, I meant to spare her, but who would have thought this little demoness would be so ungrateful and resort to a sneak attack—utterly despicable. Go, wake her up. If not for the heavenly laws protecting women, I’d do unspeakable things to her a hundred times over!”

As two disciples moved to rouse the woman, she suddenly produced a dagger and plunged it into one man’s heart. The other kicked her viciously, sending her flying. From his vantage point, Zhang Xiao’s expression changed as he caught sight of the woman’s face. In his heart, he cried, “Xiaofang!” That he would encounter Lan Fang here of all places was something he had never anticipated.

Seeing the remaining outer disciples of Mount Dragon-Tiger charge at Lan Fang with weapons drawn, Zhang Xiao could no longer restrain himself. With a furious shout, “Stop!” he employed his supernatural speed to appear before Lan Fang. With a single palm, he sent several attackers flying, the residual force of his strike surging toward Senior Brother Gao. Gao’s face changed as he tried to dodge, but the palm wind was too fast. He could only desperately raise his sword to block, but Zhang Xiao’s strike, fueled by rage, combined both yin and yang—soft and hard—into one force. Gao first felt a gentle pressure through his sword, then suddenly it exploded in his grip, tearing open his palm and sending the sword spinning aside.

In a single move, Zhang Xiao had repelled or killed several men. The ferocity of his methods kept the others at bay. Ignoring them, Zhang Xiao turned to Lan Fang, who lay unconscious. He quickly took her pulse—fortunately, she had merely fainted from the earlier kick. He sent a stream of spiritual energy into her, guiding her breath, and soon she opened her eyes in a daze to see a silver mask before her. Startled, she lashed out with a fist, but Zhang Xiao easily blocked it.

Uncertain whether to reveal himself, Zhang Xiao said, “Don’t move—I saved you.” Lan Fang, however, showed no gratitude. She shoved him away and tried to stand, only to collapse again, her strength spent. Zhang Xiao wished to help her, but her icy gaze held him back. Though his strength surpassed hers by a hundredfold, all Zhang Xiao felt was guilt. Perhaps he should not have known her at all. The karma of past lives was not of this world, and the future had yet to unfold, yet he had already abandoned her to struggle alone in this chaotic era. This thought filled him with even deeper remorse.

Meanwhile, Senior Brother Gao, watching from a distance, realized the masked man and Lan Fang seemed not to know each other. Though not a sword master himself, he had been unable to withstand even a single blow from the masked stranger—a clear sign of overwhelming strength. He cupped his hands and said with a forced smile, “Heh, perhaps there’s been some misunderstanding, fellow cultivator. I am Gao Lu, inner disciple of Mount Dragon-Tiger. May I know your name?”