Chapter 27: Is Moonview Valley My Enemy?!
In the end, the incident was resolved only after Manager Bai Qu produced a few privately stashed supreme-grade pills, which were sent for inspection and confirmed as genuine. As a result, the Azure Cloud Sect discovered, to their astonishment, that someone within their ranks was capable of refining such peerless elixirs.
Some of the sect’s higher-ups even approached Yuan Dan, the master of the Alchemy Peak. “Master Yuan, we never imagined you would silently manage to concoct supreme-grade pills.”
“How unscrupulous! You fobbed off the sect with mere high-grade pills, then hosted an auction?”
Master Yuan was bewildered. “That’s not true at all! If I could refine supreme-grade pills, I’d have broken through to the peak of Foundation Establishment and become a Golden Core cultivator already. I wouldn’t be standing here bantering with the likes of you.”
He then took the supreme-grade pill given by the Hall of Enforcement’s head and rushed off to find Protector Ye Hong.
“Protector Ye, you’re in charge of the grand alchemy hall. You know better than any elder or protector the true skills of our sect’s alchemists. Tell me, is there some genius alchemist hiding among us?”
“Don’t keep it to yourself! Even if you’ve taken them as your personal disciple, none of us would try to steal them away from you!”
Ye Hong looked at the eager gleam in the peak master’s eyes and thought, “As if I’d believe that.”
If he truly had no ulterior motives, he wouldn’t look like this, not even bringing another elder—clearly wanting to keep any discovery for himself.
Still, he only thought that inwardly. When he received the supreme-grade pill, he too was shocked beyond words.
In the end, no one in the entire sect could discover the origin of these supreme-grade pills.
Though both Lin Miaoxuan and Chen Qianru heard of the matter, everyone in the sect was convinced the pills came from the Spirit Herb Pavilion. After all, the first time Lin Miaoxuan and Cao Xuan bought pills, it was at that very pavilion. Naturally, both women assumed it was Cao Xuan who had purchased the supreme-grade medicine.
The Spirit Herb Pavilion, backed by powerful patrons, refused to divulge the seller’s identity, offering only that the pills were supplied by an alchemist from Azure Cloud Sect. After all, the pavilion wanted to keep Cao Xuan as a customer.
As for the sect itself, they couldn’t uncover the truth. More importantly, it never occurred to them that such peerless pills could come from a mere outer disciple.
Thus, the investigation came to nothing. Rumors spread that some hidden master on Alchemy Peak, unwilling to step into the limelight, had casually exchanged pills for cultivation resources.
Given the Azure Cloud Sect’s long history, it was entirely possible that some ancient recluse, unknown even to the sect itself, had emerged from seclusion.
...
Cao Xuan remained entirely unaware of the commotion he had caused. In just three short months of closed-door cultivation, he had unintentionally sparked a storm.
What truly made his scalp tingle, however, were two spirit messages he received—one from Lin Miaoxuan, the other from Chen Qianru.
Lin Miaoxuan had always waited for him to contact her first since he began refining pills; after all, she needed to replenish her supply.
She’d grown accustomed to his initiative, so she contentedly secluded herself for cultivation, placing her spirit messaging talisman in plain sight, ready to respond whenever he reached out.
A week later, having stabilized her cultivation at the mid-fourth level of Qi Refinement, Lin Miaoxuan suddenly panicked. “Oh no, the pill Senior Brother gave me was too effective—I completely forgot to reply to his message!”
She hurriedly grabbed her spirit talisman and sent a quick apology: “Sorry, Senior Brother Cao, I was in seclusion and forgot to reply.”
She soon relaxed, realizing that he hadn’t messaged her at all. “He’s probably in closed-door cultivation too,” she thought.
Two weeks later, anxiety set in. “Why hasn’t he contacted me? Even for a Qi Refinement cultivator, two weeks of seclusion is excessive. His mind should be restless by now—he couldn’t possibly still be in meditation.”
She tried reaching out herself: “Senior Brother Cao, are you there?”
“The wind is wild today. Would you care to join me at Yellow Maple Valley?”
There was no reply. Lin Miaoxuan grew thoroughly unsettled.
“Senior Brother, have I done something to upset you?”
“Was it last time, when your hand slipped beneath me and I stopped you… but I let go afterward, didn’t I?”
...
“Senior Brother, tonight I’m wearing a gauzy dress from the Bewitching Silks Pavilion, under the Joyous Union Sect. I’ll be waiting for you at Lingyun Inn, Room Xuan-48 in Green Mountain Market.”
...
“Senior Brother Cao, have you fallen for someone else? I heard you were seen strolling in the Spirit Medicine Valley with that wretch Qianru recently.”
...
“Senior Brother, I feel so cold. I realize I can’t live without you. I don’t care if you’re with Qianru—just don’t abandon me.”
“Senior Brother, if you don’t meet me at Moonview Valley on Azure Cloud Mountain when the moon is full tonight, you’ll never see me again!”
...
Over a hundred messages, and Cao Xuan was nearly paralyzed with anxiety. What did she mean by that last line? Was Lin Miaoxuan planning to take her own life?
He could already imagine the scandal: the infamous outer disciple who drove a female cultivator to despair. The Azure Cloud Sect’s women would condemn him endlessly. His reputation in the cultivation world would be ruined—who would dare accept his gifts then?
But most importantly, he’d only been meditating—he never meant to push Lin Miaoxuan to such extremes.
“No, I have to stop her! That message was sent this morning, so it’s tonight!”
Cao Xuan had originally planned to refine a batch of Purification Pills in the alchemy hall, but that would have to wait—saving a life took precedence.
He hastily sent Lin Miaoxuan a message: “Sister Lin, you’ve misunderstood. I was in seclusion, and now I’ve reached the sixth level of Qi Refinement. Don’t do anything rash—I’ll be there soon.”
Emerging from his retreat, he saw that dusk was falling and there was still some time left before night. He quickly turned to Chen Qianru’s messages.
At first, Chen Qianru’s notes were calm—sharing her insights on herb processing and mentioning she was nearly ready to undertake alchemy assignments herself.
But suddenly she wrote, “Senior Brother Cao, I’ve been thinking a lot. Your words that day are etched in my mind. I’ll wait for you tonight in Maple Leaf Forest.”
...
“Senior Brother, you’re too much. Do you know how long I waited last night? I’m done with you.”
...
“Senior Brother, we haven’t spoken in ages. Was it something I said that hurt you? When I said I’d ignore you, it was only out of anger—couldn’t you tell?”
...
“Senior Brother, even setting aside what happened, are you truly blameless?”
...
“Senior Brother, I was wrong...”
“Senior Brother Cao, to be honest, Miaoxuan was there first—I shouldn’t have entertained such thoughts.”
“But lately, for reasons I can’t explain, I keep thinking of you, and of our days together in Spirit Medicine Valley.”
“I think I might be falling for you.”
“Senior Brother, truly—your talent, your poise, your cultivation gifts—all of it draws me in.”
“In this world, strength reigns supreme. I can accept that you may take multiple wives.”
“Senior Brother, tonight at Moonview Valley, I’ll be waiting!”
Cao Xuan stared wide-eyed at the last message: “Moonview Valley, I’ll be waiting for you!”