Chapter 583: The Report Meeting

Everyone entered the courtyard and saw that the disciples were all sitting properly on the small stools that had already been neatly arranged there. The young medicine boys who had been playing music to welcome them also followed inside and dispersed to stand behind the disciples. Taking advantage of nobody paying attention, Zhang Xiaohua quietly slipped down from the wall and sat behind the medicine boys.

On the raised platform at the front of the courtyard, Lu Lihong sat in the center, with Chen Fengxiao and Wu Zhouxu accompanying him on either side. Yang Yao and more than a dozen others sat slightly farther back.

After everyone had settled down, Chen Fengxiao picked up a teacup and invited Lu Lihong to drink some tea. Then he addressed the disciples below: “Junior Brothers, I believe everyone already knows that the person on the stage is the pride of our Tuodan Hall and also an outstanding disciple of Wuming Hall, Junior Brother Lu Lihong. I need not go into detail about his experiences. The most widely praised part of his story is that, as a disciple from the Herb Division of our Tuodan Hall, he overcame numerous obstacles back then, passed the examination for outer disciples, and successfully entered Wuming Hall, becoming a versatile elite disciple who is highly valued there. “

“I know that all of you have admired Junior Brother Lu for a long time. That is why, together with Wu Zhouxu of the Pill Division, we invited Junior Brother Lu here. As everyone knows, Junior Brother Lu is extremely busy in Wuming Hall; it would not be an exaggeration to say that he handles countless affairs every day. Not only does he bear his own responsibilities in Wuming Hall, but he also undertakes some tasks that the disciples there are unable to complete, making use of his own experience as a disciple of Tuodan Hall to shoulder responsibilities related to medicinal herbs and pills. “

“Therefore, the fact that Junior Brother Lu could spare time from his busy schedule to come to Tianmu Peak and guide the work of the Herb Division and Pill Division of our Tuodan Hall deserves our deepest gratitude. On behalf of everyone here, I express my sincere thanks to him. “

“Alright, I now hand the rest of the time over to the Junior Brother Lu we have all been eagerly awaiting. Let him tell us about his experiences growing up in Tuodan Hall and his struggles in Wuming Hall!”

Before Chen Fengxiao had even finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from below the stage.

Lu Lihong stood up and pressed his hands downward in a gesture for calm. Modestly, he said: “Senior Brother Chen overpraises me. I don’t really have any experience worth mentioning, only some feelings that I can share with everyone. These are things that can be replicated. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps the day after, or perhaps several years from now, one of the Junior Brothers sitting below may also pass the examination and stand beside me.”

As he spoke, he turned to look at Chen Fengxiao and said: “To be honest, there is already an excellent example right by your side. As far as I know, Senior Brother Chen once struggled and fought just as I did. It’s only that Senior Brother Chen did not have my good fortune, while I merely passed by a stroke of luck.”

Chen Fengxiao immediately waved his hand and said: “No, no. A defeated general is unworthy of speaking of bravery. If we follow what Junior Brother Lu says, then there are many people present whom everyone can learn from, such as Wu Dalang, Junior Brother Zou, and the others…”

Hearing this, Wu Zhouxu and the others all smiled and nodded.

Lu Lihong, seeing this, smiled and said: “Indeed, that is precisely the case. In truth, are there really things in this world that are inherently difficult or easy? If one does them, even difficult things become easy; if one does not, even easy things become difficult. This Junior Brother is untalented, but I am willing to share with everyone some of the insights I have gained over these past dozen years and combine them with these principles…”

As he spoke, Lu Lihong talked eloquently upon the high platform, truly carrying the bearing of a grandmaster.

Hiding behind the many medicine boys, Zhang Xiaohua did not release his Divine Sense and merely listened with his eyes closed. Although what Lu Lihong said was indeed correct, and some of it even resonated with him, he simply could not take it to heart. It all sounded strangely laughable to him. Whenever Lu Lihong’s words became particularly moving, the image of his self-righteous appearance while patrolling the mountain would arise in Zhang Xiaohua’s mind.

“Tch~”

Unable to help himself, Zhang Xiaohua muttered: “A person whose inner self and outward appearance don’t match. No matter how eloquently you speak, how can I possibly be convinced?”

Actually, there was an even more important reason. The people of Tuodan Hall praised Lu Lihong as a once-in-several-centuries genius, someone proficient in medicinal herbs, pill refining, and martial arts alike. Yet, in Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes, it was nothing more than child’s play.

Back then, when Lu Lihong had deceived him and taken the Dragon Scale Fruit before leaving with Qinggong, Zhang Xiaohua had secretly found it strange that the patrolling disciple’s Qinggong was so poor. Thinking about it now, Qinggong required inner energy. Although Lu Lihong’s talent was exceptional, his internal cultivation lagged behind others, and so he was rather lacking in Qinggong.

Since that was the case, how could Zhang Xiaohua possibly regard him highly? And if he did not think highly of him, how could he take his words to heart?

Of course, there was another reason as well. Although Zhang Xiaohua always acted in a low-key manner, he was still an eighteen-year-old youth and possessed a certain pride deep in his heart. Seeing someone who was clearly inferior to him receive far more praise than he did, and knowing that he could crush the other with a single finger yet could not reveal his abilities, gave him the feeling that a bright pearl had been cast into the darkness. Naturally, a sense of indignation arose within him. “Isn’t it just because I never received a recommendation? If the disciples of Tuodan Hall knew of my abilities, where would there still be any place for you?”

Hehe, it seemed that even an Immortal Dao Qi Refiner could not escape the resentment that came from “a man fighting for a breath of pride, and a Buddha accepting a stick of incense”.

However, Zhang Xiaohua had forgotten that if he truly displayed his abilities, it would not only shock Tuodan Hall—it would shock the entire Incense-Spreading Sect. Indeed, it would shock the entire martial world. But did he dare to attract that kind of attention?

At that moment, a few words drifted over from Lu Lihong on the stage: “As for pill refining, one must first calm the mind…”

Zhang Xiaohua slapped his forehead and jumped to his feet. “Oh no! Why am I wasting time here with them? It’s just some so-called report meeting, not something I even wanted to attend. My furnace of Bone-Consolidating Pills is what really matters. Who wants to listen to his nagging?”

“Oh, right! How can this fellow even refine pills? Didn’t they say disciples of the Herb Division aren’t allowed to borrow the pill rooms?”

But in his haste, Zhang Xiaohua had no time to think it through carefully. Releasing his Divine Sense and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he formed a hand seal and directly used Earth Escape, disappearing without showing himself and heading straight toward the pill room atop the mountain.

Zhang Xiaohua’s Wind-Control Technique was poorly cultivated, but he was extremely skilled in Earth Escape. Before long, he had returned to the pill room. The first thing he did upon entering was to extend his Divine Sense into the pill furnace. Seeing that the dozen or so medicinal liquids within the eight arrays were slowly revolving and occasionally expelling ash-like impurities, Zhang Xiaohua finally relaxed.

When Zhang Xiaohua sat down, he found it somewhat amusing.

Although the Bone-Consolidating Pill was precious, it was still only a low-grade pill. Hadn’t he successfully refined the Meridian Nourishing Pill on his first attempt? Although this was his first time using the Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace, after refining it, it was already different from the pill furnace in Spring Rebirth Valley. There was even a feeling of being connected in heart and mind, as though their bloodlines were linked. There certainly should not be any major problems. His worrying like this was somewhat unnecessary.

Since there was nothing wrong with the Bone-Consolidating Pill, Zhang Xiaohua was in no hurry to return to the mountainside. Although Lu Lihong’s report was indeed good, it held no attraction whatsoever for him, so there was no reason to waste time there.

He formed a hand seal, and his figure floated gracefully upward. Once again, he began cultivating the Wind-Control Technique inside the pill room.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but the Wind-Control Technique gradually began to show some results. Only then did Zhang Xiaohua descend to the ground to rest for a while. Immediately afterward, however, he thought of the banquet on the mountainside and inwardly cried out that things were bad. Turning around, he escaped underground and hurried off.

Sure enough, when Zhang Xiaohua arrived at the entrance of the courtyard, the platform that had been there earlier had already been dismantled, and the small stools on the ground had long since disappeared. Under the brightly lit lanterns, more than a dozen square tables had been set up, already laden with fine dishes. The disciples were eating and drinking with gusto. As for the medicine boys who had worked the hardest, they were nowhere to be seen and had no idea where they had been sent.

Inside the main hall at the upper end of the courtyard, there were also four large round tables. Lu Lihong sat at the seat of honor, accompanied by Chen Fengxiao and Wu Zhouxu. Below them sat Great Vajra Zou Shuming, Great Arhat Lü Fengmeng, and the others. At a nearby table, with Yang Yao at its head, several Vajras and Arhats sat together. The remaining two tables were occupied by other members of the Pill Division and Herb Division.

At this moment, Lu Lihong’s face was already flushed red from drinking. Holding a wine cup, he lowered his head and spoke to Chen Fengxiao about something. Yang Yao was much the same. Although he was not seated at the main table, there seemed to be nothing inappropriate about it.

This left Zhang Xiaohua somewhat puzzled. Tuodan Hall and Wuming Hall of the Incense-Spreading Sect were merely halls of equal standing, so why did the disciples of Tuodan Hall seem to be inferior to those of Wuming Hall? Could it be simply because Wuming Hall consisted of outer disciples?

But then he recalled the days in the Piaomiao Sect. As a disciple of the Medicine Hall, He Tianshu had seemed no different from the other disciples and had even held the status of a brocade-robed disciple.

Looking around, everyone present already had their own place, and it seemed there was no need for him to appear. Zhang Xiaohua began to think about returning to the mountaintop.

At present, he could not tell whether Yang Yao had come to Tianmu Peak with the intention of seeing him. If he went up to him on his own initiative and ended up receiving a cold reception, would that not be extremely embarrassing? Moreover, on the journey to the Incense-Spreading Sect, Yang Yao had repeatedly instructed him that he did not want the people of Tuodan Hall to know that he had taken special care of him.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaohua turned and was about to leave when a voice suddenly rang out in time. “Junior Brother, please wait.”

Zhang Xiaohua was startled and turned around to look. It was an unfamiliar disciple, covered in sweat and running over from a distance. When he clearly saw Zhang Xiaohua’s face, he became overjoyed and said: “Junior Brother Ren, so it really is you! Oh my, where did you go? After Senior Brother Lu’s report meeting ended, Boss Chen had Senior Brother Bai and several of us look for you, but we searched the entire courtyard and couldn’t find you anywhere.”

Zhang Xiaohua cupped his hands and said: “You’ve worked hard, Senior Brother. I went to the inner courtyard to look for some clothes, but somehow I got lost. I only just came around from the back and was regretting missing Senior Brother Lu’s wonderful report.”

“Oh my, then you really missed out. Senior Brother Lu—”

This senior brother, whom Zhang Xiaohua had “never met before”, was about to continue when another voice interrupted him.

Looking up, Zhang Xiaohua saw that it was none other than Bai Huan.

Bai Huan was also drenched in sweat and hurried over. “We’ve finally found you, Junior Brother Ren. Boss Chen ordered us to bring you inside immediately. Come on, hurry up. Oh? Why haven’t you changed your clothes yet?”

Zhang Xiaohua spread out his hands. “I couldn’t find the inner courtyard, and I couldn’t find the clothes.”

“What should we do then? How about I take you to the inner courtyard to change first?” For a moment, Bai Huan was at a loss. :::