Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Fiery Mountain Sunflower

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First, I must apologize to everyone. There have been constant troubles lately. Just as things settled down, I fell ill and my computer broke. But as of today, it’s all stopped. From now on, normal updates will resume. Thank you all for your patience. I, Junzi, express my deepest gratitude here.

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“They’ve left. What should we do now?” Seeing the middle-aged man lead the twin-headed blazing serpent king out of the cave, Lu Zhe impatiently asked.

Master Yi glanced outside through a crack in the stone. Then, gently shifting his posture to get more comfortable, he said after a moment, “What to do? When those few outside descend into the magma to retrieve the ‘Extreme Mountain Fire Aster,’ we will…” His words suddenly stopped. Just as Lu Zhe grew puzzled, Master Yi raised his right hand and made a throat-slitting gesture, then smiled faintly and fell silent.

Seeing Master Yi’s action, Lu Zhe suddenly understood. He nodded and gave a thumbs-up toward Master Yi, whispering, “Indeed, the older the ginger, the spicier.”

Hearing Lu Zhe’s praise, Master Yi only smiled slightly and murmured, “Learn from it.”

Lu Zhe nodded and peered through the stone crack once more.

Outside, the group that had accompanied the middle-aged man stood still for a while. The leader, a middle-aged man who seemed to command respect among them, turned back to address the others, “Alright, Mr. Huang has lured the beast away. Before he returns, we must obtain the ‘Extreme Mountain Fire Aster.’ Understood?”

The group responded in unison, “Understood.”

The middle-aged man nodded. “I will temporarily take over Mr. Huang’s position. Any objections?”

“No,” came the unanimous reply.

Satisfied, the man nodded again. “Now, let me arrange this.” He scanned the group and pointed, “You, you, you, and you.” Four men stepped forward upon being named.

“You four are experts in water-element spiritual power. You will descend to collect the ‘Extreme Mountain Fire Aster.’ Any objections?”

The four shook their heads vigorously and declared, “None.”

The man nodded with approval. Then, with a flick of his right hand, a faint gleam of light appeared, and four ‘Water-Repelling Stones’ materialized in his palm.

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Handing the four ‘Water-Repelling Stones’ to the four men, the middle-aged man flipped his hand again. The faint light brightened, and soon a pile of items appeared in his hand.

Lu Zhe furrowed his brow slightly and focused intently on the objects in the man’s hand.

As Lu Zhe observed carefully, he realized the items were several utensils and blades. These were common enough objects, nothing unusual—but their material was extraordinary. Each blade and utensil emitted a faint cyan glow and was crystal clear, exquisitely beautiful.

“Fine materials,” Lu Zhe remarked admiringly as he looked at the jade-like tools and vessels.

Hearing this, Master Yi turned his head toward the man through the stone crack. His brow lifted slightly as he said, “Impressive. These are ‘Qingming Jade.’ They’ve clearly gone to great lengths to acquire the ‘Extreme Mountain Fire Aster.’”

Curious, Lu Zhe turned to Master Yi and asked, “Master, what exactly is ‘Qingming Jade’?”

Master Yi smiled faintly and explained, “Everything has grades and ranks, and jade is no exception. The utensils and blades they hold are forged from a type of jade called ‘Qingming Jade.’ According to the ‘Treatise on Marvelous Things’ in the ‘Volume of Objects,’ this jade is of superior quality. Though not a rare treasure of the highest order, it is still considered uncommon.”

He paused, then continued, “Rare herbs are born of the heavens and earth, containing immense natural power but are extremely delicate. If handled carelessly, you risk injury from the herb’s energy. Moreover, if even a trace of impurity contaminates the herb, its potency diminishes drastically. Such impurity during refinement can taint the spiritual power within the elixir, causing lifelong harm.”

“So, when harvesting rare herbs, one uses finely crafted jade blades and vessels to carefully extract and place them. This ensures both protection from harm and the herb’s purity. If you ever have the chance, get some fine jade tools and vessels to aid in gathering rare herbs.”

After Master Yi’s detailed explanation, Lu Zhe nodded and looked out through the crack again.

Outside, the middle-aged man distributed the jade-made utensils and blades to the four men standing before him. After giving some final instructions, he turned and stepped aside.

The four exchanged glances, then stored their blades and vessels in their spirit rings. Clenching their right hands around the ‘Water-Repelling Stones,’ they infused them with spiritual energy. In moments, a blue barrier materialized, enveloping them tightly.

Seeing the shield form, the man on the far left nodded, took a deep breath, and with a “splash,” was the first to plunge into the magma.

Once the first had entered, the others followed in quick succession, disappearing into the scorching molten pool.

The middle-aged man who had distributed the tools slowly walked to the edge of the magma pit, gazing down at the churning lava in silence.

Time passed silently, second by second…

Half an hour later, the magma gently rolled and occasionally bubbled. Everything remained calm and ordinary, without the slightest anomaly.

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An hour passed, with the magma continuing its gentle bubbling, no unusual signs.

An hour and a half later, the cycle repeated as usual.

The middle-aged man standing by the shore had begun to furrow his brow slightly since the one-hour mark. After ninety minutes, his grip tightened and loosened repeatedly, beads of sweat faintly forming on his brow—whether from the heat or anxiety, it was unclear. His face bore an expression of impatience and worry.

Just as Lu Zhe wondered if the four had drowned, suddenly, the once-calm magma violently churned and bubbled, as if something momentous was about to happen.

The man by the shore noticed the change and frowned. Before he could react, a towering jet of magma erupted like a fountain, soaring nearly thirty feet high, piercing the cave ceiling.

Startled, the middle-aged man quickly recovered, planting his feet firmly and springing backward. As he reached the two men behind him, he grabbed their shoulders, pulling them along as they all flew back together.

Though the magma jet was formidable, it made no further moves. After a moment, it subsided, revealing what lay within.

The sudden magma eruption startled Lu Zhe. As the lava withdrew, he focused intently to clearly see the revealed objects.

Inside the magma jet were two people facing each other, both extending their hands to hold a large, translucent jar. The jar shone brightly, clearly made from fine jade.

Inside the jar was a single plant, radiant crimson throughout. The plant resembled a flower, its petals vivid red with serrated edges. Its stem was upright, stout, round with multiple facets, also crimson. What set this plant apart from ordinary flora was that its flower core contained nine seeds, each crystal-clear and gleaming bright red—undeniably extraordinary.

“What a beautiful flower,” Lu Zhe admired, unable to hide his praise.

Turning to Master Yi, he noticed the elder had silently risen from the wall where he had been seated. His eyes were fixed intently on the jar and its plant, filled with a long-awaited, fulfilled yearning—as if the immense toil had finally borne fruit. Even his body trembled slightly.

“Master, what’s wrong?” Lu Zhe asked with concern upon seeing this unusual reaction.

“The Extreme Mountain Fire Aster… that is the Extreme Mountain Fire Aster,” Master Yi murmured with deep emotion.