Longevity begins with alchemy master

Luo Chen cannot be kept.

He came with the wind, and he will eventually go with the wind.

Jing Lan understood this principle when Luo Chen suggested going to Qingshan Town.

She couldn't force him, so she could only agree.

However, she suppressed a few inexplicable feelings that she had been harboring.

Luo Chen seemed to know nothing, or perhaps he was pretending not to know, and simply continued doing what he could do as always.

Harvest the grain in autumn and dry it in the sun.

With his help, the already meager harvest was completed in just a few days.

To celebrate and reward her, Jing Lan specially took some time to go to Qingshan Town, saying she wanted to buy some meat and wine.

Luo Chen wasn't idle either. He cut down some trees and brought back some dried straw, intending to repair the dilapidated roof.

Under the blazing sun, an elderly woman, leaning on a cane, walked unsteadily past her doorstep. She saw the man on the roof and they started chatting.

"That one from Alan's family..."

"Just call me Luo Chen."

Luo Chen recognized the other person; he was his neighbor next door, surnamed Pu, and everyone in the village called him Third Master Pu.

Jing Lan had previously mentioned that the villager who was injured by the new head of the tobacco workshop was him.

Grandpa Pu sat in the shade, avoiding the scorching sun, and looked at Luo Chen with satisfaction, saying, "It's always different to have a man in the family. In previous years, Alan probably hadn't even finished harvesting 30% of her crops by this time. Unlike now, with your help, not only has the grain been harvested, but we can also repair this house. From now on, you two can support each other and walk together, so Alan won't be all alone anymore."

Luo Chen seemed unfazed by the scorching sun as he hammered the carefully whittled wooden wedges into the beams and pillars.

Hearing the old man's rambling, he casually asked, "Has Jing Lan always been alone?"

Uncle Pu sighed with emotion, “Yes, she is an orphan, abandoned by her parents and raised by the village. This child is kind-hearted and hardworking, and everyone helps her a lot, which is why she has survived. But what is it to live alone? With you here, I see that she is much happier, and she has been learning to dress up recently.”

Luo Chen remained silent, then changed the subject.

"I've heard Jing Lan mention the three great natural disasters, but I don't know much about the Fog of Destruction. I wonder if you've heard of it?"

Uncle Pu scratched his head. “I’m not too sure about that either. I’ve only heard that such things exist, but no one in the village has ever seen one in the past hundred years. I’ve heard that every time the Fog of Annihilation appears, the fog will cover the entire world, and all sorts of strange wild beasts will appear. Our village is built on the mountain, which is also according to tradition, to prevent attacks from wild beasts.”

"Beast?"

Luo Chen frowned subconsciously.

"Okay, it's too hot outside, I'll head back now. We'll talk again when we have time."

Uncle Pu patted his bottom, got up, and walked unsteadily toward home.

He moved very slowly, clearly indicating that he had been seriously injured by the new head of the tobacco shop and had not fully recovered even after several months.

Luo Chen crouched on the rooftop, gazing into the distance, and could clearly see a figure returning with a smile below the mountain.

……

Dinner was very plentiful.

It was at least the most sumptuous meal Luo Chen had ever eaten since he came to this world.

There were not only vegetables and meat, but also wine.

Although the wine was not very strong and did not contain any special spiritual energy, it was quite smooth to drink.

The man and woman ate in silence. Luo Chen didn't speak, and Jing Lan didn't know what to say.

Jing Lan didn't speak until she finished eating and put down her chopsticks.

“In a couple of days, I’ll take you to Qingshan Town… and while we’re at it, we can also go to Yanfang and find some work that we can do at home.”

Luo Chen replied without looking up, "Okay!"

After a quick wash, it was already dark.

Unlike the heat of the day, the village is quite cold at night, especially near the ground.

I don't know how Jing Lan managed to sleep on the straw mat in the corner before.

Luo Chen didn't care about the temperature. Just like these past few days, he sat cross-legged on the straw, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.

Using the power of qi and blood to perform healing spells is something Luo Chen is now quite adept at.

Most of the blocked meridians in the body have been cleared.

The broken parts were also repaired in a simple way.

Only a few major acupoints are still under repair.

A soft hum was heard.

"Um……"

Luo Chen's furrowed brows finally relaxed.

"The Divine Court has been breached!"

In this way, the flow of qi and blood can be unimpeded.

Even though he was completely devoid of magical power, he still had a degree of self-protection thanks to his strong physique and the source blood hidden deep within his body.

In Luo Chen's estimation, as long as he didn't encounter an existence similar to the Nascent Soul realm of the Mountain and Sea Realm, he wouldn't be in mortal danger. Even if his physical body was severely injured again, he would still have the strength to fight against even stronger beings.

Across from the fire pit, the woman stared blankly at Luo Chen's well-defined features. When she saw his brows relax, she breathed a sigh of relief and then turned over to go to sleep.

……

Early the next morning.

Two figures quickly descended the mountain as dawn broke.

Cross the great river that stretches between the green mountains and head east.

Unlike the varied and rugged terrain on the mountain, the land Luo Chen saw along the way was all flat and vast.

Clearly, these lands are far, far better than those in the mountains.

However, there were no rice crops planted there; instead, there were some green plants that were only as tall as an adult's thigh.

"These are all lands belonging to Qingshan Tobacco Workshop, where rosemary is grown. When the rosemary flowers bloom, they bear fruit. Those fruits are the materials used specifically to make Mi Xian Tobacco."

As they passed a large field of millet fields, Jing Lan described it in this way.

Luo Chen nodded, looking up, and saw that it seemed to stretch on forever.

Clearly, Qingshan Tobacco Mill is a powerful enterprise, able to occupy such a large tract of fertile land solely for the purpose of cultivating rosemary.

One can imagine how lucrative the profits would be from the incense made from the fruit of the rosemary.

According to Jing Lan, not only are the fruits of the rosemary tree useful, but its bark, after a special tanning process, can also be made into extremely tough rope called "Thousand-Layer Rope." She planned to collect a batch of bark from the tobacco workshop to tan Thousand-Layer Rope at home when she had some free time.

We arrived at Qingshan Town soon.

Luo Chen was quite surprised by his first impression of Luo Chen.

The town's perimeter is mostly built of stone, forming low walls that give it a sturdy and reliable feel, as if it's being guarded against something.

Subconsciously, Luo Chen thought of the "beasts" brought by the Mist of Annihilation that Master Pu had mentioned.

Although the city wall of Qingshan Town is dark and ancient, it has no blood color, which means that the wall has never served to protect against wild animals.

"You go to the tobacco shop by yourself, I'll wander around by myself."

Jing Lan looked at Luo Chen carefully, then nodded and said, "Be careful. If anyone questions you, just say you're from Half-Moon Village."

Luo Chen said he understood, and then strolled along the street.

……

Qingshan Town is very large, with nearly a thousand households.

Most of the shops are open to the public, and in this early morning, some people have already started putting things on them.

Luo Chen walked and observed.

Although his expression didn't change, he felt somewhat disappointed.

"They are all ordinary things and have nothing to do with cultivators."

Clinging to the last vestiges of hope, he continued along the street, which was neither too wide nor too narrow, until he finally stopped in front of a small building called "Wanxiang Pavilion".

Looking up at the plaque, Luo Chen was somewhat surprised.

Such a small place, yet it has such a grand name.

Without hesitation, Luo Chen stepped inside.

As he entered, the wind chimes at the door rang out with a clear, crisp sound.

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps.

“Esteemed guest…” A middle-aged, overweight man with a shrewd, mercenary face stepped forward, but upon seeing Luo Chen’s simple linen clothes, he immediately changed his tune: “Is there anything you wish to sell?”

Luo Chen calmly said, "Let's take a look."

The middle-aged man frowned. "Then do as you please."

Luo Chen didn't take it seriously and quickly browsed the shelves inside the room.

Just as Jing Lan had said before, there were indeed people in Qingshan Town who specialized in collecting things, collecting those strange objects that were swept in by the wind.

This is probably why the shopkeeper asked Luo Chen directly what he wanted to sell.

Someone dressed so shabbily like him couldn't afford anything, so he basically came here to sell the things he found.

Luo Chen was also very curious about what the Myriad Manifestations Pavilion sold.

"Knife, sword, ruler... meter, animal hide... is this a spirit stone?"

Luo Chen's gaze stopped on a rhombus-shaped crystal, but unfortunately, the crystal was just an empty shell, and there was no spiritual energy inside.

Even though it was just an empty shell of a spirit stone, it still invigorated him.

The existence of such a thing indicates that there must be something related to cultivators in this Great Destruction Realm.

Luo Chen's gaze continued to wander, and suddenly, his expression changed slightly.

"Shopkeeper, where did this come from?"

A green lamp, held in his hand, even strangely ignited with a faint, eerie flame. (End of Chapter)