377: Current status of the two

After Jiang Donghua issued the bounty at the Pill Tower, which shook the entire Central State, the upper-tier forces of the Central State were plunged into an unprecedented state of unrest for the next half month.

Major sects, families, intelligence organizations, and even some reclusive old monsters, acted like ants thrown into a scorching oil pot. They scurried about, mobilizing every usable resource and connection, frantically searching for any clue related to those two names!

The temptation of an Eighth Grade supreme venerable pill was simply too great!

It was great enough to drive any force into a frenzy and make any powerhouse drop their pride!

The entire intelligence network of Central State began operating at high speed because of a single sentence from Jiang Donghua. Countless dusty files were pulled out, and numerous hidden corners were repeatedly investigated.

The center of the storm—the Pill Tower—became the focus of universal attention.

Every day, representatives from various forces came to visit, bearing information that was either true or false, or based on mere hearsay, attempting to connect with this new champion of the Pill Convention and Eighth-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster.

The ripples of this massive storm sweeping across Central State finally reached the Southern Region of Central State, deep within a secluded, profound sea of purple bamboo forests, far from human habitation.

Deep in the bamboo forest stood an elegant bamboo house.

Inside the bamboo house, a woman in a light purple dress was standing by the window.

Her figure was graceful, her face exquisite, but there was a hint of persistent sorrow between her brows, along with a mature charm, distinctly maternal, that was more pronounced than a few years prior.

It was none other than Red Silk, who had been separated from Jiang Donghua for several years.

The jade slip detailed the shocking news from Holy Pill City in the Northern Region of Central State: Jiang Donghua, the champion of the Pill Convention and an Eighth-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster, was publicly offering a bounty to find his Master Mo Xuan and his wife Red Silk!

When Red Silk heard the words "I am from Jia Nan Academy, my Master is Mo Xuan, and my wife is Red Silk," her delicate body trembled violently, and her beautiful eyes instantly welled up with tears of unbelievable ecstasy and excitement!

She tightly covered her red lips with her jade hand, preventing herself from crying out in surprise.

"It's him, it really is him!"

Red Silk's voice was choked and trembling.

"It's Donghua! He actually won the Pill Convention? He became an Eighth-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster?"

The impact of this news was simply overwhelming for her!

She had only been separated from Jiang Donghua for a few years. The young man who once needed her protection in the Black-Corner Region had now actually reached the pinnacle of the entire Fighting Qi Continent's alchemy world?

This rate of growth was simply mythical!

Immediately afterward, she saw the reward Jiang Donghua had offered—an Eighth Grade supreme venerable pill!

Red Silk was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into laughter. As she laughed, however, crystal tears rolled down the corners of her eyes, and she scolded him under her breath, feeling both exasperated and amused.

"This wasteful man! Who searches for someone like this? Giving away an Eighth Grade Pill just like that? Truly... truly..."

Although she was scolding him verbally, her heart was overwhelmed by a huge wave of warmth and happiness.

The depth of his affection, searching for her regardless of the cost, captivated her more than that Eighth Grade Pill.

She gently stroked her lower abdomen, which had swelled slightly but was now flat again, her eyes revealing incredibly complex emotions.

In the past few years, she had lived here in seclusion alone, not only avoiding potential pursuit but also carefully concealing her identity while raising their young child.

The hardship and longing involved were known only to her.

Now, her husband was not only safe and sound but had also achieved such earth-shattering success, and he had never stopped looking for her!

How could she not be excited?

She took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing her turbulent emotions, and her gaze quickly became firm and sharp.

She turned and solemnly instructed the four steady, sharp-eyed maids standing in the corner of the bamboo house.

"Pack your things, we are leaving immediately!"

"Yes, Miss!"

The four maids bowed and accepted the order without hesitation.

Red Silk walked to the window, looked toward the direction of Holy Pill City in the north, and added, her beautiful eyes shining with anticipation, nervousness, and determination.

"This journey to Holy Pill City in the Northern Region of Central State is long, and the forces there are complex. We must conceal our tracks along the way, absolutely must not expose our identities, and must not let anyone detect our destination!"

"We understand!"

The four maids replied in unison and immediately began silently packing their belongings and destroying anything that might leave a trace.

Red Silk watched their busy figures and murmured inwardly.

"Donghua, wait for me. I'll take our child and come find you now! This time, we will never be separated again!"

A journey to find her husband, spanning the south and north of Central State and filled with the unknown and anticipation, began.

Meanwhile, far from the core area of Central State, in the Southeast Continent located in the southeast direction of the Fighting Qi Continent.

The climate here was completely different from Central State; the air was humid and warm, the vegetation was lush, there were many rainforests and swamps, and the world's energy was relatively gentle.

Deep within a small city named Mo City, nestled against the mountains and near the water, in the backyard of a pharmacy.

An old man, dressed in coarse linen, with slightly graying hair but vigorous spirits, was sitting on a small stool, refining pills while humming an off-key tune.

Suddenly, "Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

He sneezed three loud, sudden times, shaking the Medicine Cauldron in front of him three times.

The old man rubbed his nose, raised his head in confusion, gazed at the cloudless blue sky, and muttered to himself.

"Hey! That's strange. Who is talking about this old man so much on such a sunny day?"

This old man was precisely the Master Jiang Donghua was desperately searching for—Mo Xuan!

A few years ago, after his strength recovered and even slightly improved, he resolutely left Jia Nan Academy and embarked alone on the road to revenge in the Northern Region of Central State.

His target was the culprit who caused his wife's death that year—the Netherworld Sect!

Carrying decades of hatred, he traveled tirelessly through hardships and finally arrived at the Northern Region of Central State.

However, when he painstakingly found the former mountain gate of the Netherworld Sect, all he saw was a scene of ruin: broken walls and overgrown weeds!

After making inquiries in many places, he learned that not long after he left Central State, the Netherworld Sect had offended an even more terrifying power and had been completely wiped out, root and branch, leaving no one behind!

Even their ancestral graves were dug up!

The moment Mo Xuan received this news, he was completely dumbfounded.

The decades of accumulated rage and the meticulously prepared revenge plan suddenly lost their target.

The feeling was like throwing a full-strength punch into cotton—empty, filled with an inexpressible melancholy and bewilderment.

Decades of hatred, suddenly having no object to vent upon, left him feeling lost for a time.

He aimlessly wandered the Northern Region of Central State for a period, his mind complex.

Finally, he sighed deeply and decided to let go of the past.

Since his enemies were dead, he no longer wanted to linger in Central State, a place of trouble.

He suddenly remembered that he hadn't returned to Mo City, his hometown in the Southeast Continent, for decades.

Thus, he set off southward, and after more than half a year, he finally returned to the land that had raised him.

Mo City had long since changed; most of his former relatives were gone. He used some of his savings to open a pharmacy, living an anonymous, simple, and peaceful life, quite content with his leisure.

How could he have known that his Disciple Jiang Donghua, whom he took in at Jia Nan Academy and who had good alchemy talent, was not only still alive but was now stirring up massive waves in Central State, becoming the champion of the Pill Convention and an Eighth-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster!

Moreover, he was using an Eighth Grade Pill as a reward, searching the whole world for him, his missing Master!

No matter how great the storm in the Northern Region of Central State was, it would take a long time for the news to travel to this remote Southeast Continent, and it would become vague and unclear.

Perhaps occasional fragmented rumors about the Pill Convention champion drifted here, but who would connect that information with an old man holed up in a small pharmacy?

Furthermore, Mo Xuan himself lived a secluded life, rarely interacting with the outside world.

"Alas, getting old just makes you sneeze easily."

Mo Xuan shook his head, stopped wondering who was talking about him, and his attention returned to the steaming Medicine Cauldron, while he continued humming his off-key tune.

The storm in Central State that he had inadvertently caused, and the bounty great enough to drive countless powerhouses mad, had not yet reached this tranquil small city in the southeast.

The reunion of the Master and Disciple might still require more chance and the fermentation of time.

Meanwhile, Jiang Donghua was still inside the Pill Tower, dealing with the probing of various forces while anxiously awaiting news about his Master and wife.

What he didn't know was that the two people he was searching for—one was quietly heading north, while the other was still living a secluded life thousands of miles away in the south.