Chapter Seventeen: Ripples of the Dao

The maze formation outside Guixu Cottage remained as mysterious and unfathomable as ever in the eyes of Old Daoist Chen.

This highly respected early-stage Golden Core guardian of Greenstone Town stood respectfully at the edge of the formation. Behind him stood Sun Baicao, the master of the Hundred Herb Valley, accompanied by several solemn-faced sect elders. Before them, over a dozen bulging storage bags hovered neatly in the air, each radiating the rich, fragrant aroma of medicinal herbs and fluctuations of spiritual energy.

This was a massive tribute, gathered by emptying nearly half of the Hundred Herb Valley’s treasury; it was the highest honor they could bestow upon the mysterious "Hermit of Guixu."

"Daoist Chen, does the senior... truly wish to see us?" Sun Baicao’s voice carried a trace of barely concealed nervousness. As a late-stage Golden Core cultivator and the head of a sect, he felt no different from a novice Qi-refining disciple when facing a reclusive master who could casually concoct pills imbued with the rhythms of the Dao.

Old Daoist Chen shook his head with a bitter smile. "Sect Master Sun, I have only caught a glimpse of Mr. Jiang’s temperament. When he said, 'I am in deep cultivation and cannot receive guests,' those words were law. We must abide by them. However, the gentleman did say that he has received your intentions and is willing to engage in a long-term exchange of herbs for pills with the Hundred Herb Valley. This in itself is a monumental stroke of fortune."

Upon hearing this, Sun Baicao felt no disappointment. Instead, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, and his awe deepened. This was the true demeanor of a master! Unmoved by external objects, indifferent to empty fame, and guided solely by his own heart. He took a deep breath, bowed low toward the mist-shrouded valley, and said, "Sun Baicao, Master of the Hundred Herb Valley, leads his elders to thank the senior for his grace! From this day forth, the Hundred Herb Valley is at your service; we shall not refuse even at the cost of our lives!"

The elders behind him bowed in unison, their expressions pious.

From within the mist, a gentle yet distant voice drifted out—it was Jiang Xiuyuan. "Intentions received. Leave the items. Return in three days for the return gift."

The voice was not loud, yet it resonated clearly within everyone’s soul, as if the very laws of heaven and earth were declaring an established fact. Sun Baicao and the others felt a tremor in their hearts. They bowed once more, placed all the storage bags at the edge of the formation, and, guided by Old Daoist Chen, retreated with lingering glances.

Once they had gone, the storage bags floated silently into the mist and vanished.

Inside Guixu Cottage, on a stone table, the dozen storage bags spilled out a mountain of various spiritual herbs. Ranging from a hundred to a thousand years in age, the sheer variety was dazzling, and the medicinal fragrance was almost palpable.

Jiang Yiyi was carefully sorting the herbs. As her fingers brushed over them, the spiritual plants seemed to come alive, leaping joyfully and settling into their respective jade boxes. Jiang Xiaobai, meanwhile, was like a curious kitten, picking up a dragon-whisker-like herb to sniff, then poking a fruit as crystalline as jade, thoroughly enjoying herself.

"Father, the Hundred Herb Valley is truly generous. With so many herbs, we’ll have enough to use for decades," Jiang Yiyi said with a smile.

I sat under the peach tree, my expression calm, though my gaze was as deep as a starry sea. To me, these spiritual herbs, regarded as rare treasures by mortal cultivators, were merely common materials. What I truly valued was the establishment of this karmic connection.

"Reciprocity ensures longevity," I said faintly, waving my hand.

In an instant, the mountain of herbs rose into the air and began to spin slowly before me. There was no cauldron, no fierce fire—only a wisp of chaotic energy escaping from my fingertips. This energy acted like an invisible hand, instantly stripping away and annihilating the impurities in the herbs, leaving behind only the purest medicinal essence.

These essences wove together in the air, following the supreme laws of alchemy, and automatically condensed into shape. Round, plump, and glowing with inner light, the pills rained down into prepared jade bottles. Qi-refining pills, healing pills, detoxification pills... all were of perfect quality, with effects ten times greater than any similar pills on the market.

The entire process took no more than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

After completing this, I did not stop. From the sorted herbs, I took a thousand-year-old "Tranquility Orchid" and a few auxiliary ingredients, my divine sense shifting slightly. This time, I was not just refining pills; I was "imparting the Dao."

I took a fragment of my own realization regarding the state of "Cleansing the Heart and Extending Virtue," and like an invisible rune, I imprinted it into the core laws of the pill. To the naked eye, this pill looked no different from other Clarity Pills; its glow was even more restrained and unassuming. But within it lay a "ripple of the Dao" capable of granting a Golden Core cultivator an immediate epiphany.

Three days later, Old Daoist Chen and Liu Qingmei arrived as promised. When they saw the storage bag filled with thousands of perfect pills, even with their mental preparations, they were left utterly stunned. Especially Liu Qingmei—when she picked up the "Clarity Pill" I had specifically set aside for her, she felt as if struck by lightning.

She could not sense a surge of spiritual energy, yet she felt as if she were seeing a tranquil lake and hearing the distant tolling of a bell. A peace and serenity derived from the Great Dao flowed through the pill and straight into the depths of her soul. The bottleneck in her alchemy that had plagued her for years, that thin layer of window paper she could never pierce due to her restless heart, was gently brushed by this Daoist rhythm and shattered into pieces!

"Junior niece! What’s wrong?" Seeing her standing frozen, her aura fluctuating, Old Daoist Chen asked with concern.

Liu Qingmei did not answer. Her eyes were tightly closed, and two lines of tears slid down silently. She sat cross-legged on the spot, and the alchemy aura around her climbed steadily, a clear and perfected state of mind emerging. She had broken through! Not just in cultivation, but in a qualitative leap in her understanding of alchemy!

Sun Baicao arrived to see the situation and, observing Liu Qingmei’s state and the unassuming pill, instantly understood what had happened. He trembled with excitement and bowed deeply toward Guixu Cottage once more. "The senior’s grace is not merely a transaction; it is the impartation of the Dao! All of us in the Hundred Herb Valley shall never forget this!"

From then on, the Hundred Herb Valley bound itself completely to the chariot of Guixu Cottage, willingly becoming the most loyal "supplier" and "guardian" of this hidden sanctuary.

Another bond of kindness was also quietly fermenting at Guixu Cottage.

To thank the Jiang family for returning the Cloud-Stepping Colt and to express their desire for a long-term friendship, the Beast-Taming Lin family sent people periodically with local mountain specialties and rare feed for spirit beasts. This time, the young master of the Lin family, Lin Zixuan, led the team himself, leading the Cloud-Stepping Colt, which had grown into a magnificent creature.

Jiang Xiaobai was sitting on a blue stone at the gate of the courtyard, swinging her little legs. Seeing the Cloud-Stepping Colt run over to nuzzle her, she laughed happily. Lin Zixuan respectfully presented the gifts, which included a newly matured second-tier spirit beast—a Wind-Chasing Leopard—meant to guard the cottage.

Although this Wind-Chasing Leopard was impressive, in the eyes of Jiang Xiaobai, a Nascent Soul powerhouse, it was no different from a kitten. Seeing the leopard’s fearful yet curious eyes, she felt a playful urge. She casually picked a "Vermilion Fruit" she had grown with spirit spring water from a nearby tray, squeezed it in her palm, mixed in a sliver of her Nascent Soul-level demonic power, and rolled it into a bright red marble.

"Little leopard, don't be afraid. Here’s a treat for you," Jiang Xiaobai said with a giggle, flicking the "marble" toward the leopard’s mouth.

The Wind-Chasing Leopard instinctively felt the supreme pressure from the depths of its bloodline, yet was lured by the sweet aroma of the fruit. After a moment of hesitation, it swallowed it in one gulp.

The next moment, a sudden mutation occurred!

The leopard’s fur stood on end, its body swelled to a visible size, and strange pale-green scales sprouted at its limb joints. On its forehead, a wind-vortex mark faintly emerged. It roared at the sky, but it was no longer a leopard’s growl; it was a low, dragon-like cry mixed with the sound of wind and thunder!

"Blood... bloodline atavism! It awakened the ancient Wind Dragon bloodline! This... how is this possible!" Lin Zixuan was stunned into speechlessness, the reins slipping from his hands.

The Wind-Chasing Leopard was only a second-tier beast; even its most powerful mutation would only be a "Wind-Thunder Leopard," which would require countless heavenly treasures and centuries of hard work. Yet now, simply because of a "fruit marble" flicked by that girl in the white dress, it had ascended in one step, breaking through the shackles of its bloodline to awaken the legendary ancient Wind Dragon bloodline! This was no longer a blessing; this was a miracle!

Lin Zixuan looked at Jiang Xiaobai in horror, only to see her wearing the same innocent, carefree smile, as if she had just done something trivial. He instantly understood that the terror of Guixu Cottage far exceeded his imagination. This Mr. Jiang, and his two daughters, were beings far beyond his ability to fathom.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the raging waves in his heart, and performed the most profound bow he had ever given, his voice trembling with emotion: "Lin Zixuan of the Lin family, thanks the fairy... for this divine grace!"

Jiang Xiaobai tilted her head, seemingly not understanding why he was so excited, and just waved her hand. "No need to thank me. It looks better now, and I like it."

To Lin Zixuan, the words "I like it" carried more weight than any oath sworn to heaven and earth.