The green Spiritual Energy moved swiftly, like a miniature scanner; the woman did not pursue, merely followed slowly behind.
Wild animals like wolves and foxes that occasionally appear in the snowy mountains fled at the sight of the green aura, evidently avoiding it.
Not until after darting over three mountain tops did that flickering green Spiritual Energy finally come to a halt, lingering on a prominently protruding mound of snow.
The woman approached the area dominated by the green snow aura unhurriedly. When she arrived, she snapped her index and middle fingers together, and the green Spiritual Energy continuously shrank, eventually transforming into a leaf that floated down onto the mound of snow.
"All say leaves return to their roots; this truth is inescapable for all plants in the world. Even the centennial Snow Peak Blood Lotus, which knows to evade the pursuit of Medicine Gatherers, cannot hide from the Root-Seeking Lotus Leaf I specially plucked from you years ago," the woman snapped her fingers again, and the Blood Lotus Leaf began to tremble vividly, amidst a flurry of snowflakes.
A mist of snow rose, revealing a red glow from within the snow.
What emerged was a red lotus flower, as red as blood, with leaves like jade and petals like blood. A rare Tianshan Blood Lotus stood under the intense, bone-chilling cold, forced to break through the snow and bloom in its dying moments.
Beneath the layers of white snow, aside from the Snowdrops, glowed a red light; unexpectedly, this particular snowfield wasn’t normal. Above it lay pristine white snow, while beneath was a subterranean lava flow, capable of melting gold and disintegrating bone.
This expanse of a hundred li with snow drifting and a thousand li icebound, a harsh and bitter cold land, is situated within the Heavenly Mountain Range between Xinjiang and Tibet in China. What the woman sought in the mountains was the ultimate among the snow lotuses, the Tianshan Red Lotus.
In stories of the Tianshan Lotus varieties, the most famous tale comes from the White-haired Witch; the Devoted Witch Lian Ni Chang’s hair turned white overnight, and only the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus was reputed to cure her, with legendary effects of preserving youth and beauty.
The Snow Peak Blood Lotus, compared to the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus, becomes more precious with age. Even rarer, the Blood Lotus demands an unrelentingly harsh environment to grow: not only in the bitterly cold high-altitude snowy mountains but also within thermal fissures. Amid the snow and lava, a Blood Lotus blooms. Once flowered, the Blood Lotus will also hide along with the movement of the geothermal lava.
Had the woman not encountered an immature Blood Lotus years ago, and managed to snatch a leaf from it, it would be near impossible to confidently locate the Blood Lotus in the vast snow today.
"With the Blood Lotus, I can consider refining an elixir for advancement," the woman smiled at the thought, deeming the trivial trick of eternal youth as insignificant. What’s more important to her is the advancement of her cultivation.
Restraining the Blood Lotus with Spiritual Energy, the woman refrained from plucking the red lotus by hand, instead, observing it longer. Touching such spiritual materials as the Tianshan Blood Lotus with ordinary flesh and bone would result in immediate disintegration, similar to touching concentrated sulfuric acid.
Fortunately, the woman came prepared. She took out a brown bottle of the size commonly found in a village pesticide bottle, and between her fingers, a green Spiritual Energy Rope burst forth, encircling the Blood Lotus.
The Spiritual Energy Rope tightened around the Blood Lotus, which struggled fiercely, but in vain against the Spiritual Power Rope’s entrapment. Weakened, the petals and leaves withered, and the red Spiritual Energy alternated with the green, being drawn into the brown bottle by the Spiritual Energy Rope.
Only a dry stem and leaves of the Blood Lotus were left, and the woman was satisfied with her capture. "To think, after many years, I, Mei Nian, have almost gathered all the essential medicinal herbs. If I can find a stalk of Purple Ginseng, I’ll be able to ascend in my path and face Cangqiong Palace, unveiling the secret to eternal life." The woman’s laughter echoed through the myriad mountains of the snowy peaks, traveling far and wide.
Huang Yaoshi waited in the shop for the delivery vehicle to return, from nightfall until the next morning, when the dusty vehicle finally arrived.
Upon inquiring, the driver explained that the two young passengers didn’t ride with him but had him drive the vehicle directly to a small town in Hebei.
"Hebei? By their accents, neither of the young customers sounded like they’re from Hebei," Huang Yaoshi wondered, momentarily unconcerned about the fuel cost.
"Indeed! I was as shocked to hear I was heading to Hebei, but remembering your instructions, Huang Pharmacist, to deliver the herbal medicines safely and that they are very important customers, I followed through," the destination for the medicine delivery was a small pharmaceutical factory with only seven or eight workers.