Chapter 440 An Encounter

440 chance encounter

Grandma Hong followed quietly behind her.

Jingzhai paused for a moment, then sighed softly, "If only my elder brother were here."

Granny Hong remained silent. She stepped forward quietly, leading the way. After a quarter of an hour, she whispered, "Miss, Elder Hua is here."

An ordinary courtyard, where people had left and the tea had grown cold—this thought instantly flooded Jingzhai's mind. She sighed inwardly, 'If it were me, without my elder brother, how would I fare?'

She shook her head instantly, not wanting to think about it anymore. All she wanted to do was return to Shen Lang's side. She realized she was truly getting old.

The courtyard is made of bluestone, with a few green bamboos providing shade. A gentle breeze blows, causing the bamboo leaves to sway, but it cannot hide the peeling paint on the walls and the pitted, dilapidated floor tiles.

Although the door knocker was wiped clean, it was already mottled, and there were even cracks in some places on the wall.

The old wooden door was almost ajar. Granny Hong knocked gently and called out, "It's me, Miss Hua."

A series of rapid footsteps came from inside. The two children peeked out almost simultaneously, cautiously peering through the crack in the door.

His face was cautious and wary as he observed the newcomer.

Seeing that it was Granny Hong, the young girl breathed a sigh of relief and quickly opened the door, saying gently in a relaxed voice, "It's Granny Hong, please come in."

After saying this, she stepped aside, and a little boy, about seven or eight years old, called out, "Grandma Hong, someone's here! Please come in quickly!"

It's clear that the two of them still like Granny Hong.

Jingzhai and Granny Hong entered the room and gently looked Hua up and down. She was dressed in a simple yet elegant cotton dress, with fair skin, delicate features, a slender figure, and a graceful demeanor. There was a hint of worry in her eyes.

The youngest brother of the Hua family still seems too young to know much.

In the courtyard, several chairs, some new and some old, were occupied by two elderly men.

Several winnowing baskets held common herbs, their aroma filling the air: angelica, rehmannia, peony, bupleurum, licorice, and more.

The windows were patched, the furniture was old and slightly damaged, but the two elderly men showed no sign of worry.

Hearing the voice, I knew it was an old friend, and a smile touched my heart.

She gently got up, only to see who had come; she hadn't expected there to be someone like this.

Elder Yun recognized her at a glance, bowed respectfully, and said, "Greetings, Princess."

Emperor Wu, regardless of age, always showed respect; there was never any problem with that.

What happened last night, the fluctuations in dragon energy, for many people it was just a matter of sleeping and the sun rising as usual.

For others, however, it was a cataclysmic event, and everything had to be reconsidered.

The change in the Demon Slayer Division is crucial because the Eldest Princess has broken through to the Martial Emperor realm. This young Martial Emperor is of paramount importance to the King. Those within the palace are likely losing sleep over the many uncertainties.

A ruler can still suppress, but an emperor, one of the pinnacles, can decide the fate of ten thousand or even more people with a single word.

Old Hua was also surprised. However, having lived for so long, his son and daughter-in-law had both died of old age because they lacked talent, while he still cared about his grandchildren and found it hard to let them go.

He bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Princess."

Without asking its purpose, if it were before, it would naturally be used for alchemy. But now that he had made a mistake in alchemy and suffered such a severe backlash, he naturally decided to let it go.

If the Pill Hall were willing to provide precious pills, I could barely recover.

However, resources are limited, and his position is being coveted. More importantly, his time is running out, and he only has a few years left. Now, he is injured, delaying others' elixirs, which is a great loss.

Over the years, I have seen through the ways of the world and naturally do not want to argue. Mistakes are inevitable, and the fact that Dan Dian is willing to take on this matter is already quite generous.

I unloaded it, and as a condition of the exchange, I didn't have too many regrets.

People come and go, and things cool down; this is commonplace. I have a few disciples, and I value character more than talent. It's not that I disregard talent, but rather that resources are limited, and I can't offer them much. Naturally, I can't compete with some others.

For those without exceptional talent, investing too much can have unpredictable results. A small courtyard, if one lives a few more years, watching grandchildren grow up and get married, is enough to bring contentment.

Miss Hua and her younger brother immediately followed their grandfather's example, respectfully greeting, "Greetings, Princess."

Jingzhai nodded gently, looking at the familiar face in his mind, but whom he had only met a few times: General Yun.

He gave a slight bow and said, "Elder Yun, you're too kind. Elder Hua, you're too formal. My sudden arrival has been a great disturbance."

After exchanging pleasantries, the four of them sat down, and Miss Hua quickly brought out several cups of tea, their delicate fragrance wafting through the air.

Jingzhai carefully examined the young girl, then said softly, "Please sit down and rest for a while, young lady."

Her face flushed slightly, and she gently shook her head, saying, "Thank you, Princess. I still need to go with my younger brother to dry the herbs." Then she quietly ran off.

Jingzhai nodded slightly, a hint of a smile in her eyes.

Looking at Elder Hua, a hint of surprise and solemnity crossed his eyes, before he gently smiled at Elder Yun.

"Elder Yun, Sister Yun Su, and Yun Qing are doing very well in the border region. They had already broken through to the next level when they came here."

Sister Yunsu has excellent taste.

Elder Yun nodded gently and smiled, his eyes crinkling with laughter, clearly very satisfied.

She nodded softly in thanks, "Thank you for informing me, Your Highness. I'm content that they're doing well."

Granny Hong smiled gently and congratulated him, "Congratulations, Elder Yun! Young Master He came to the city a few days ago; he was so dashing and upright. I was quite envious."

"Haha, thank you, thank you for the compliment, Granny Hong," Old Man Yun said with a gentle stroke of his beard.

Old Hua smiled gently, and seemed much happier.

After a moment's thought, Jingzhai asked softly, "Elder Hua's condition seems more serious than we imagined. What are your plans?"

Old Hua smiled gently, a hint of reluctance in his eyes, and said softly, "I've lived long enough. This time it was a bit risky. I was hoping to save up some money for the boy while I still had some days left."

Unexpectedly, I made a mistake; I guess I'm getting old.

Amidst the calm, there was a hint of reluctance, a sigh, and then she continued, "I've lived for so long, and neither my son nor my daughter-in-law has the talent for cultivation, nor is their talent for alchemy. But these two children are quite good."

Eighth-grade pills truly require utmost care; without peak condition, even the slightest mistake can have unpredictable consequences.

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Elder Hua said softly, "The Medicine Hall has issued a new commission: an eighth-order Martial Emperor Pill. The ingredients for this pill are rare, and the refining process is extremely difficult."

This time, the main medicinal ingredients are the Demon King's inner core and the Corpse Pill, both of which are very rare.

I'm not senile yet.

He was initially reluctant to accept the task, and although he had refined other types of pills before, he had rarely refined high-grade pills in recent years.

He took a sip of tea, his voice bitter, and said, "This Elder Wang came to us, promising that if we failed, the Medicine Hall would handle it; but if we succeeded, the benefits he offered would be hard for me to refuse."