379: Reunion with Hongling

Time flew by. Half a year had passed since the Pill Gathering ended and Jiang Donghua took up temporary residence in the Pill Tower.

Over the past six months, the residents and various factions of Holy Pill City had long grown accustomed to the sight of heavy Pill Lightning, starting at a minimum of six colors, gathering punctually every ten-odd days above the specific area deep within the Pill Tower!

The deafening thunder, the dazzling Lightning Light, and the rich medicinal fragrance that subsequently permeated the entire city had all become a unique feature of Holy Pill City.

Everyone knew that the new champion of the Pill Gathering, Venerable Donghua of the Sound Valley, was continuously refining high-tier medicinal pills within the Pill Tower at a staggering efficiency!

Jiang Donghua's days were simple yet fulfilling.

The improvement of his cultivation and the practice of his Dou Technique were automatically handled by his unique system panel running in the background, requiring little worry from him.

He devoted the vast majority of his energy to pill refining.

On one hand, this was to consolidate his pill refining skills and accumulate experience; on the other, it was to stockpile medicinal pill resources for the Sound Valley and for potential future needs.

Naturally, he had never stopped waiting for news regarding his master and his wife.

The reward offered for the eighth-grade supreme venerable pill continued to create ripples across the Central Plains, like a massive stone thrown into a lake. Various pieces of information arrived every day, but sadly, most were useless or came from those trying to take advantage of the situation.

On this day, the weather was fair, and the Pill Tower stood as solemn and majestic as ever.

Two guards, steady in aura and clad in the standard Pill Tower robes, stood like statues before the grand entrance, their sharp gazes sweeping over the passing crowds.

Just then, a figure in red fitted attire slowly approached from a distance, stopping at the foot of the steps leading up to the Pill Tower entrance.

The newcomer was a woman.

She was tall and slender, her well-fitting red attire outlining a mature and powerful physique.

Her face was exceptionally beautiful, yet it carried the calmness and resilience of someone who had weathered many storms; the unique mature charm in her demeanor made her especially captivating.

However, her complexion was slightly pale, and a hint of weariness, difficult to conceal, lay deep in her eyes, suggesting she had traveled a great distance.

The guards' eyes immediately focused on her. One of them stepped forward and, as a matter of routine, spoke in a deep voice.

"This area ahead is the heavily guarded Pill Tower! Idlers keep away! If you have urgent business, report it immediately!"

The woman in red stopped, showing no sign of fear despite the guard's harsh words.

She raised her eyes, looked calmly at the guard, and then extended her right hand.

On her fingers were two storage rings, ancient in style, yet faintly emitting an unusual aura.

She gently removed the two storage rings, holding them in her palm, her voice cool and indifferent, yet carrying an undeniable certainty.

"Take these and hand them to the current champion of the Pill Gathering, Jiang Donghua, who is temporarily residing here."

She paused, her gaze fixed upon the massive body of the tower, looking toward its depths.

"When he sees these, he will naturally come out to meet me."

The guards at the entrance were stunned by her words.

Over the past six months, they had seen countless people who came seeking an audience with Venerable Donghua under various pretexts, claiming to have news of Mo Xuan or Red Silk.

Initially, they reported these visitors with anticipation, but nine out of ten times the claims were false, and the remaining time provided only trivial clues.

However, the woman in red before them possessed an extraordinary demeanor, and the certainty in her tone was completely unlike that of the previous opportunists.

Moreover, she hadn't directly stated any information but had produced two storage rings as tokens.

More importantly, the guards were well aware of how generous Venerable Donghua inside the tower was.

Over the past six months, even they, the low-ranking guards, would occasionally receive seventh-grade pills casually bestowed by the Venerable for delivering messages or running errands!

For them, this was a massive favor.

Therefore, even if they harbored doubts, they dared not show the slightest negligence.

"Please wait a moment!"

The guard did not dare to delay, immediately took the two seemingly ordinary storage rings, turned, and quickly walked into the tower, reporting the matter swiftly through internal channels.

The woman in red—Red Silk—stood still, slightly tilting her head back to look at the towering Pill Tower. Her red lips were pressed tightly together, and the jade-like hands hidden in her sleeves trembled slightly due to nervousness and anticipation.

She murmured inwardly.

"Donghua, I'm here. Are you still waiting for me?"

Deep within the Pill Tower, inside a quiet chamber filled with medicinal fragrance.

Jiang Donghua had just finished refining a batch of seventh grade high-tier medicinal pills and was preparing to rest for a moment. Just then, a gentle knock sounded on the chamber door, followed by the guard's respectful voice from outside.

"Venerable Donghua, a woman in red outside the tower requests an audience. She asked this subordinate to give this to you, saying you would understand upon seeing it."

Jiang Donghua raised an eyebrow. Similar incidents had occurred too often over the past six months, and he was becoming numb to them. But when his Soul Power swept across the two storage rings the guard handed in...

His body suddenly froze! His pupils instantly contracted!

On those two storage rings remained a trace of Soul aura that was carved into his memory, never to be forgotten!

Both of these were the storage rings he had given Red Silk back at Jia Nan Academy!

"Red Silk!!!"

Jiang Donghua abruptly stood up. He didn't even have time to say a word to the guard; his figure flickered, transforming into a streak of light, directly tearing open the space between the quiet chamber and the tower entrance, vanishing instantly!

The next moment, the space in front of the Pill Tower entrance fluctuated, and Jiang Donghua's figure appeared directly on the steps, like a ghost!

His gaze instantly locked onto the red figure below the steps, the one he had yearned for in his dreams!

Their eyes met!

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Red Silk looked at her husband—who had suddenly appeared before her, whose aura was countless times stronger than she remembered, and whose eyes were filled with wild joy, excitement, and disbelief—and she could no longer hold back; tears instantly streamed down her face.

"Donghua..."

She choked up, softly calling out the name she had whispered countless times in her heart.

Jiang Donghua stepped down the stairs and approached Red Silk. He tremblingly reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to touch her, yet afraid it was merely an illusion.

"Red Silk, it really is you! I finally found you!"

A thousand words choked in his chest, ultimately condensing into this single, choked whisper.

Separated for several years and having weathered many storms, the couple finally reunited before the Pill Tower!