When the White Moonlight Holds the Script - Chapter 18

Wan Mengchen noticed Zhu Zhihan’s gaze and quietly explained to her, “Those people are from the Tianhu Sect. There’s always been some friction between us.”

“It’s said the conflict between the two sects dates back to the previous generation. Originally, the Blade Sect was powerful, and the Tianhu Sect was subordinate to us. But later, when the Blade Sect declined.”

A hint of mockery flickered in Wan Mengchen’s eyes. “Those ungrateful wretches grew arrogant.”

Zhu Zhihan understood.

Such was the way of the world: a tree standing tall in the forest would inevitably be battered by the wind. The higher one stood, the more envy and resentment they attracted. And when those who once stood high fell into the mud, there would always be those eager to kick them while they were down.

The Tianhu Sect was one of those kicking them.

Wan Mengchen shrugged. “But things are much better now. With the Dao Lord around, they don’t dare go too far. At most, they send their younger disciples to cause trouble for us.”

“Like right now.”

The Tianhu Sect cultivator with high cheekbones and a sharp, unkind face sneered, “Who was it that got beaten and chased away with their tail between their legs the other day? Wan Mengchen, you haven’t forgotten, have you?”

Another cultivator chimed in with a grin, “You’re not some rogue cultivator, yet you’re here setting up a stall. How embarrassing!”

He dragged out the last word.

Hearing their words, Zhu Zhihan grew thoughtful.

She seemed to recall, when she first met Senior Brother Wan, his face was bruised and swollen. It seemed these were the ones who had beaten him.

Wan Mengchen was relatively calm, probably used to it.

But the sixth junior brother was hot-tempered. If not for someone holding him back, he would have charged forward. “You Tianhu Sect people go too far!”

This only gave the others more ammunition.

“Did I say anything wrong? Isn’t your Blade Sect just too disgraceful to show its face?” the high-cheekboned cultivator scoffed.

Hearing this, Wan Mengchen’s expression darkened as well.

He rolled up his sleeves and was about to step forward when Zhu Zhihan tugged at the corner of his robe.

Wan Mengchen turned and saw his junior sister’s calm expression.

The nearby stall owners and passing rogue cultivators, drawn by the commotion, were now watching them.

The high-cheekboned cultivator’s face grew smug.

But then he saw a girl in white step out from among the opposing group.

The girl had snow-white hair and crimson lips, so beautiful she seemed almost unreal. Her pale eyes held a natural chill.

The high-cheekboned cultivator suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

He heard the girl’s clear, cold voice. “Are you implying, sir, that the Dao Lord is too disgraceful to show his face?”

The high-cheekboned cultivator’s expression froze.

How dare he provoke that person? Even if that person wasn’t here now.

“I never said that!” he hurriedly retorted.

“Didn’t you? Then do you think the Dao Lord is not part of the Blade Sect?” The girl looked at him, a faint, cold smile curling at the corner of her lips. “I wasn’t aware that my master had changed sects.”

The high-cheekboned cultivator understood her meaning and broke out in a cold sweat.

That’s right, he had heard such rumors.

The Dao Lord, who had never taken a disciple before, had chosen one from the Immortal Alliance’s grand selection. And that disciple, it was said, had snow-white hair.

If he were merely bullying ordinary disciples of the Blade Sect, he could get away with it, the Dao Lord wouldn’t stoop to dealing with juniors like them. It would be beneath his dignity.

But if he offended the Dao Lord’s personal disciple.

The high-cheekboned cultivator stiffened, then reluctantly conceded, “I spoke out of turn.”

To his surprise, the girl did not press him further.

The young woman led the group from the Blade Sect past him, her expression indifferent, not sparing him a single glance.

As if he were insignificant trash.

This felt even more suffocating than being forced to admit a mistake.

Someone beside him cautiously asked, “Senior Brother? Should we still follow them?”

The high-cheekboned cultivator snapped out of his daze and angrily kicked the person. “Follow what? There’s nothing to follow!”

After putting considerable distance between themselves and the others, Zhu Zhihan stepped aside, letting Wan Mengchen take the lead again.

Wan Mengchen rubbed his face, trying to ease the gloom on his expression, and forced a smile. “We owe it all to you this time, Junior Sister.”

Zhu Zhihan shook her head. “I merely borrowed Master’s influence.”

“Speaking of which, how could they stop you, Senior Brother, from setting up a stall?”

Wan Mengchen sighed bitterly. “This cultivation market is close to the Sky Tiger Sect and operates under their protection or rather, they extort protection fees.”

“And since this is the only cultivation market nearby, even if we have to endure the humiliation, we have no choice but to come here.”

With that, Zhu Zhihan fully understood the situation.

Even though Zhu Zhihan had just put the Sky Tiger Sect members in their place, the atmosphere among Wan Mengchen and the other two remained somber.

They knew the root of the problem remained unresolved.

To be honest, they had been mocked more than once, but with their junior sister present this time, the shame felt particularly unbearable.

Amid this heavy atmosphere, the four arrived at the stall Wan Mengchen had mentioned.

Zhu Zhihan crouched down and began browsing.

Wan Mengchen was clearly familiar with the place. Although it was an outdoor stall, the freshness and quality of the spiritual herbs were surprisingly good.

The elderly woman tending the stall smiled warmly. “What would you like to buy, pretty girl?”

Zhu Zhihan pointed to a few herbs she had her eye on. “I’d like this one, this one, and this one. They’re so lovely.”

She had been cautious, selecting herbs from different pill recipes and deliberately avoiding naming them, hoping to come across as a whimsical amateur.

It never hurt to be careful.

The old woman asked, “Are you an alchemist, young lady?”

Wan Mengchen, who was quite familiar with her, answered on her behalf, “My junior sister is from the same sect as me.”

Implying she knew nothing about alchemy.

The old woman nodded knowingly. “Are you sure, dear? These little darlings only show their true value when refined into pills, and alchemy isn’t something you can just dabble in and master.”

Zhu Zhihan understood.

While Wan Mengchen was a layman, anyone with even a basic knowledge of alchemy knew that high-level alchemists were forged through immense investment.

A cauldron cost money, ingredients cost even more, and most importantly, mastering heat control and gaining experience came from countless failures.

Every failure burned through spirit stones, and no amateur could succeed by sheer luck. The old woman’s advice was well-intentioned.

Zhu Zhihan smiled vaguely. “I’m just curious.”

The old woman didn’t press further and quickly calculated the cost. “Since you came with Wan, I’ll round it down for you. Let’s call it ten medium-grade spirit stones.”

Exactly the amount Tu Meng had given her.

With the processed herbs stored in her pouch, and the earlier incident still fresh in their minds, the group had lost interest in further browsing and began heading back.

As luck would have it, on their return, they ran into the Sky Tiger Sect group again.

The Tianhu Sect delegation was fervently engaged in a bidding war over a pill called the Qingling Dan. The opposing party seemed to have considerable backing as well, so the Tianhu Sect couldn’t leverage their local influence to pressure them and had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue raising their bids.

After watching for a while, they moved on.

The Sixth Junior Brother sighed with emotion, “Did you hear their bids? A single pill actually sold for over a dozen high-grade spirit stones! Isn’t that way too expensive?”

Wan Mengchen patted him on the head. “You’re so clueless. That’s just the standard price for pills.”

The Eldest Senior Brother nodded in agreement, his expression earnest.

The Sixth Junior Brother shook off Wan Mengchen’s hand. “Fine, fine, you two know everything. Then tell me, why is it so expensive?”

At that, both of them fell silent. Pills had always been priced that way, what kind of reason was there?

Zhu Zhihan smiled and explained, “It’s because there are very few alchemists, and each alchemist guards their formulas closely, rarely sharing them. As a result, most types of pills are quite rare, which drives up their prices.”

All three of them turned to look at her in unison.

Zhu Zhihan offered the answer she had prepared long ago: “Someone taught me that once.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie, it’s just that the person who had taught her was no longer her master but her, enemy.

By the time they returned to the sect, the sky had already darkened.

Zhu Zhihan didn’t rest. Instead, she took out a small cauldron with one leg already bound and set it before her.

She was about to start refining pills.

Danqi Zhenren had always been passionate about studying various pill formulas and had collected many from all over. As her former disciple, Zhu Zhihan had memorized them all.

Thus, her knowledge of pill formulas was extensive, a terrifying advantage.

Coincidentally, among the two pills she intended to refine, one was the very Qingling Dan that the Tianhu Sect disciples had fought so desperately to buy.

The other was the Snow Lotus Pill, known for its calming and mind-focusing effects.

Both were highly sought-after low-grade pills.

Setting aside the spirit stones she would use to replenish her spiritual energy, she switched her system panel to her second talent, took a deep breath, and began.

The next day, Wan Mengchen and the others were surprised to find that their junior sister, who was usually unwavering in her sword practice, hadn’t shown up!

They waited for a long time, until the sun was high in the sky, but there was still no sign of her.

They began to worry.

The Sixth Junior Brother fretted, “Could it be that she’s taken yesterday’s events to heart? Oh no, this is bad we’re in big trouble now!”

Wan Mengchen forced himself to stay calm. “That shouldn’t be the case. Junior Sister isn’t the type to be so fragile.”

The three of them went to Zhu Zhihan’s quarters.

Outside her door, they found a note that read: “Busy. Visitors, please wait quietly outside.”

Wan Mengchen paled. “It’s over, our Blade Sect is finished.”

The Sixth Junior Brother shook him. “Third Senior Brother, stay calm!”

They had no interest in going elsewhere or practicing their blades, so they waited outside.

By evening, there was finally movement inside the room.

The door creaked open, and Zhu Zhihan stepped out. Startled to see them, she asked, “Senior Brothers?”

Puzzled for a moment, she quickly found an explanation for their presence. “Did you come to enjoy the scenery? Perfect timing, I have something for you.”

She placed a small porcelain bottle in each of their hands. “Here, a gift for you. Consider it a return for the welcome presents you gave me.”

Still somewhat dazed, the three thanked her. Wan Mengchen uncorked his bottle and took a sniff.

After a moment of silence, he stammered, “Th-this is, Qingling Dan?”

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