Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

The other elders followed closely behind the Second Elder, heading towards the mourning hall of the former family head, their deceased eldest son. Along the way, the Second Elder kept trying to approach Old Huang to ask where he had been these past two days, what he had experienced, and why he was constantly dripping blood. But when the Second Elder saw Old Huang's furrowed brows, tightly closed lips, and his fierce, stern, and cold expression, he abandoned the idea.

In his daily life, Lao Huang was actually an extremely approachable fellow. He got along very well with everyone in the Wen family mansion, and there was no distinction between superiors and inferiors. In his eyes, everyone was his friend. Therefore, everyone in the Wen family enjoyed spending time with Lao Huang in their spare time, whether it was listening to his eloquent discussions or joking around with him. In short, being with Lao Huang was very comfortable.

However, Old Huang had a flaw: if something really happened, apart from the deceased patriarch, no one else dared to approach him and say a word. If Old Huang decided to remain silent, it meant that no one could understand what he was thinking or what his next move would be. That's why the Second Elder dared not approach Old Huang to ask him anything.

Although the Second Elder and Old Huang were evenly matched in cultivation, with the Second Elder possibly having a slight edge, it has been proven that, in many cases, the difference in cultivation level doesn't significantly determine the final outcome. Of course, it's undeniable that a person with higher cultivation can win simply by virtue of their superior cultivation level when facing someone with lower cultivation. However, this discussion is based on situations where the difference in cultivation level between the two individuals is not substantial.

After walking for a short while, Old Huang and the second elders arrived at the old patriarch's mourning hall. The servants guarding the hall, seeing Old Huang's unfriendly expression from afar, knew things wouldn't be simple. Then, seeing the elders closely following behind Old Huang, the servants quickly bowed and stepped aside.

Old Huang ignored everyone and strode into the mourning hall. He took two steps forward and knelt on the prayer mat before the memorial tablet. The Second Elder and the other elders followed him in, but the Second Elder suddenly stopped, turned around, and walked to a bowing servant beside him, whispering...

"Go and call Mou'er over right now, and tell him that Lao Huang is back. Also, take some men and seal off this entire courtyard. Don't let anyone in. Remember, it's anyone, understand?"

"Yes, I understand." After carefully listening to the Second Elder's instructions, the servant nodded vigorously to show that he understood what to do.

"Alright, go right away. Remember, be quick." The Second Elder nodded, giving the servant another final instruction, still feeling uneasy.

"Yes, Second Elder." The servant bowed to the Second Elder and immediately turned to carry out the tasks assigned by the Second Elder.

After watching the servants leave the courtyard, the Second Elder turned and stepped back into his elder brother's mourning hall. Inside, he saw Old Huang kneeling on a prayer mat before the memorial tablet, with the other elders kneeling behind him. The Second Elder tiptoed forward and quickly knelt on a prayer mat next to Old Huang.

After kneeling down, Old Huang stared blankly at the memorial tablet in front of him, remaining motionless for a long time. The Second Elder glanced at Old Huang beside him with a slight twitch of his ox-head, and noticed that, without anyone noticing, two lines of clear tears had already slid down Old Huang's face, and the corners of Old Huang's mouth were twitching slightly.

Seeing Old Huang's expression, the Second Elder felt a sudden surge of sorrow and grief welling up inside him. He turned his head away, unable to bear looking at Old Huang, who was now a weeping mess. In the Wen family, everyone knew the deep bond between their eldest brother and Old Huang; sometimes, even they felt that Old Huang was more like the old patriarch's brother than themselves.

“Brother, Huanglong, I truly regret agreeing to take Mou’er and the others away instead of letting you do it. Yes, I know. Brother, your cultivation is higher than mine, your skills are more refined, and your power is greater. But if I had stayed behind, the vast Wen family wouldn’t have lost you. Even if I couldn’t defeat them, I could at least have bought you some time so you could evacuate to a safe place.” A voice finally broke the silence of the mourning hall. Old Huang’s voice trembled, and the elders behind him couldn’t help but shed tears upon hearing his words.

Just as Old Huang was speaking, Wenmou, having received a message from his servant, rushed to the outside of the mourning hall with the servant's help. When he heard Old Huang's words, his heart was instantly filled with a torrent of emotions. Wenmou had woken up shortly after the Third Elder left, and the Second Elder was essentially gambling; if Wenmou could come, great, but if not, it didn't matter. He knew that Wenmou's greatest concern right now was probably for Uncle Huang, who had watched him grow up.

“Brother, I, Huang Long, have never done anything great in my life, but I think the only right thing I’ve ever done is to have you as my brother.” Old Huang said slowly, and no one interrupted him or made a sound.

Wenmou, supported by his servant, stood quietly at the doorway, not immediately going in. He looked at Uncle Huang kneeling on the ground, and for some reason, he had a feeling that his Uncle Huang seemed to have aged rapidly in the past few days. Wenmou couldn't help but sigh softly.

The Third Elder returned, carrying his medical kit. He was visibly startled when he saw Wenmou standing at the door. Clearly, he hadn't expected Wenmou to wake up so quickly. But the Third Elder quickly composed himself and took over from the servant beside Wenmou to help him up. Wenmou nodded slightly when he saw the Third Elder and called out, "Third Uncle."

"Go and have those people at the door disperse, making sure no corner is missed." The Third Elder nodded in response to Wenmou, then turned and whispered the instructions in the ear of the servant beside him.

The servant nodded after hearing the Third Elder's instructions and quickly ran out of the courtyard to inform the guards stationed at the gate. After the servant left, the Third Elder waved his hand, and a barrier instantly enveloped the courtyard where the patriarch's memorial hall was located. Although the Third Elder disliked martial arts and preferred medicine, being from the deeply rooted Wen family, how could he be weak and powerless? His cultivation was among the best in the Wen family.

After setting up the barrier, the Third Elder handed his medical kit and other items to another servant beside him, and helped Wenmou slowly walk into the mourning hall.

"Brother, I, Huang Long, have brought you a gift. I hope you will like it." As he spoke, Old Huang pulled something out of his clothes, which were completely soaked in red, and placed it steadily on the table in front of the old patriarch. Blood was still dripping, and in an instant, it stained the entire ground red.

The elders and Wenmou, who had heard Old Huang speak, froze on the spot the moment they saw the gift, their eyes wide as they stared at the human head placed on the table in the mourning hall. If they weren't mistaken, that head belonged to the person who had ordered his subordinates to attack the Wen family that day. Wenmou, who had been present, remembered it most clearly, and therefore felt the most incredulous.

After speaking, Old Huang placed his hands on the ground and respectfully kowtowed three times. Seeing Old Huang's actions, the elders also hurriedly kowtowed to the memorial tablet of their elder brother, and Wenmou even knelt down. He truly hadn't expected that Uncle Huang, who had been missing for many days, would actually go alone to take that person's head.

After kowtowing, Old Huang straightened up and looked again at the enormous coffin before him. In an instant, however, Old Huang's body suddenly slumped to the side. The Second Elder, who had been watching Old Huang closely, immediately rose and rushed over, catching him in his arms and shouting...

"The third one!"

Upon seeing this, the Third Elder rushed towards the door, snatched his medical kit from the servant, and dashed back to Old Huang's side. Unbeknownst to them, a trickle of bright red blood flowed from the corner of Old Huang's mouth. After a brief examination, the Third Elder and Second Elder nodded, picked up the unconscious Old Huang, and quickly ran towards their courtyard. The Second Elder instructed one of his elders to take the Third Elder's medical kit and follow them.

After explaining everything, the Second Elder turned around and quietly looked at the head on the table without saying a word. He simply turned around and walked to Wenmou's side, picked him up, and returned to the memorial tablet of the old patriarch. The two of them looked at the memorial tablet in front of them for a long time without saying a word.

"Mou'er, are you ready?" After a while, the Second Elder spoke, gently asking Wen Mou, who was still weak beside him.

"Ready." After hearing the Second Elder's words, Wenmou answered his second uncle's question softly after a long while.

"Go back and rest now. We'll announce it to the public once you're better." The Second Elder nodded gently.

"Okay." Wenmou didn't say much more. Hearing his second uncle's instructions, he slowly turned around and prepared to walk towards the door. Seeing this, the elders standing behind them quickly went up to help Wenmou.

Soon, only the Second Elder remained in the mourning hall. He slowly walked forward, picked up the wine cup and wine pot on the table, and gently filled them. He placed one cup before his elder brother's memorial tablet, then picked up the other and remained silent for a long time.

"Elder, go in peace. There are still your brothers at home, and Wenmou has grown up. Don't worry." After saying this, the Second Elder tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp. But the Second Elder's wine cup and posture seemed to be frozen in time, and he did not put it down for a long time. If you look closely, you can only see a tear sliding down the corner of the Second Elder's eye.

After a short while, the Second Elder finally put down his wine cup, turned around resolutely, and walked towards the door.

"Third Uncle, is Uncle Huang alright?" Wenmou, still worried, arrived at his third uncle's courtyard with the help and accompaniment of his uncles. Looking at Old Huang lying on the bed, Wenmou asked the Third Elder, who was treating Old Huang, with concern.

Chapter 1231 Untitled

"Old Huang, you know what? I always think you're so cute at times like this. Hahahaha." Since Wenlong had brought it up, how could he not tease Old Huang, who had always been with him?

"Hehehe, young master, please stop teasing this old servant. You keep saying I'm cute, but I don't know how a wrinkled old man like me, whose teeth are still intact for now, can be associated with cuteness." Old Huang grinned sheepishly at Wenlong's words and scratched his messy hair.

Wenlong knew that although the old servant was always very talkative when he was with him, and he would tease him from time to time, it would be naive to think of him as just an ordinary old man. Putting aside everything else, just the fact that Old Huang could keep up closely behind Wenlong on horseback when he went out at full speed was enough to show that Old Huang's cultivation level was not low.

"Old Huang, tell me, why did you choose me back then?" Wenlong turned around and rode his horse slowly ahead again, asking a question he had always wanted to ask.

Hearing Wenlong ask him this question, Old Huang, who had been awkwardly smiling, suddenly fell silent. His expression gradually darkened, and his eyes suddenly became deep in thought. After walking for a while, Wenlong, not hearing an answer from Old Huang, couldn't help but turn around and look at him. When Wenlong saw a deep bitterness on Old Huang's face, he couldn't help but purse his lips, suddenly regretting asking the question. He scratched his head.

"Hey, Lao Huang, tell me, do you believe that we cultivators can live forever and become immortals?" Wen Long thought for a moment and changed his question, asking another question that seemed a bit absurd.

"To become an immortal, to live forever. To become an immortal, to live forever. To become an immortal, to live forever..." Old Huang murmured, repeating these two words over and over. He raised his head and looked up at the blue sky above him. The sky was a pale blue, the sunlight was bright but not glaring, radiating a soft light, and white clouds drifted carefree in the sky. Old Huang stood there, frozen, no longer moving forward, just staring blankly at the sky above him.

Wenlong, oblivious to the danger, continued walking forward, waiting for Lao Huang's reply. But after walking a short distance, still hearing no sound from Lao Huang, Wenlong suddenly felt a little strange and quickly pulled on the reins, turning back to look. He saw Lao Huang not far behind, gazing blankly at the sky above. Feeling a bit odd, Wenlong also looked up at the sky.

No matter how Wenlong looked at it, left and right, he still couldn't figure it out. He felt a little lost, wondering what Old Huang behind him was looking at. Could it be that the words "immortality" and "becoming an immortal" were written in the sky? Thinking of this, Wenlong couldn't help but lower his head and chuckle softly at his own wild and even absurd thoughts. How could there be anyone in this world who could live forever? If there's no such thing as immortality, how can there be any talk of becoming an immortal? Really.

Wenlong smiled, then looked up at Old Huang not far away. He didn't go over or shout, but simply stood quietly beside Old Huang. Old Huang looked at the sky, and Wenlong looked at Old Huang, both silent for a moment, with only the wind gently blowing.

After a while, Old Huang finally came to his senses, looked away from the sky, and lowered his head. He gently shook his head and walked towards Wen Long. Wen Long simply watched him, silently observing. Although Old Huang had been by his side since childhood, one thing was undeniable: Wen Long could never truly understand Old Huang, nor had he ever truly known him.

It wasn't that he didn't care enough about Lao Huang, but for some reason, no one in his Wen family mansion had ever discussed this matter. Most of the servants who knew Lao Huang well had already died, and the new servants, apart from knowing that Lao Huang held a high position in the Wen family, knew nothing about him, just like Wen Long.

Wenlong once wanted to ask his grandfather and great-grandfathers. But their reactions left Wenlong puzzled. They would just silently look at Wenlong for a while, then sigh softly and shake their heads, without saying a word to him.

"Young Master, I think that there might be people in this world who can live forever, and becoming an immortal seems to be possible."

Old Huang slowly walked back to Wenlong's side and softly said those words to him. Wenlong nodded, without asking any further questions, only smiling at Old Huang in response. He then turned his head, turned his horse around, pulled on the reins, and continued on his way. For a moment, neither Wenlong nor Old Huang spoke another word; one walked quietly ahead, and the other followed quietly behind.

Time slowly passed, and the sky gradually darkened. The crescent moon and twinkling stars replaced the sunlight, gently sweeping their faint light across the land beneath their feet. Old Huang and Wenlong stopped and found a cave to rest.

A campfire sat before them, the crackling of the firewood illuminating their faces as the flames danced. Old Huang took out some prepared rations and gave them to Wenlong, then sat down to roast the wild game he had casually hunted during the day.

Wenlong tore off a piece of dry ration and chewed it slowly, smiling as he looked at Old Huang, who was intently munching on wild game. Indeed, this simple life was truly wonderful; there wasn't so much pressure, so many worries, or so many external and internal factors to consider. For Wenlong, who had grown up in a large family, this moment was truly beautiful.

"Old Huang, it's really nice to be with you under the starlight and watch you roast wild game."

"Old Huang, it's really nice to be with you under the starlight, watching you grill wild game." Wenlong couldn't help but say this to Old Huang, who was grilling wild game.

Upon hearing Wen Long's words, Old Huang's hand, which was turning over the game, trembled involuntarily. In Old Huang's memory, his former elder brother, the original patriarch of the Wen family, had said the same words to him when they traveled together in their youth.

"Wow, Lao Huang, don't you think you're not suited for this cultivation world? Look at your skillful technique, you should be an ordinary person and open a small restaurant or something, that would be so much better. I'll give you money if you don't have enough, what do you think?" Wen Long looked at Lao Huang in front of him and couldn't help but tear off a small piece of his flatbread and throw it at Lao Huang, who was roasting wild game.

"Hey! You have such a big business, you can't just waste it like this. Why are you throwing away pancakes? I'll cut your meat portion short at the barbecue as punishment. I hope you'll learn from this." Old Huang didn't look at Wen Long in front of him. He gently raised his hand, caught the small piece of pancake that Wen Long threw to him, and put it in his mouth.

"No way! If you dare take a piece of my flesh, I'll tear you apart with my bare hands!" Upon hearing this, Wenlong suddenly jumped up and pointed at Lao Huang, saying...

"You old bastard, you better divide it properly! If you don't like it, I'll chase you down and beat you up, or I'll sue you."

"Here, you can have it all." Old Huang smiled and handed the barbecue in his hand to Wenlong, who was baring his teeth and claws. Wenlong was stunned for a moment and didn't react. After a while, he looked at Old Huang with a big smile, somewhat incredulous.

"Uh, you, you really gave it all to me? What will you eat then?"

"I'll eat a pancake..." Old Huang was interrupted by the impatient Wenlong before he could finish speaking.

"Alright, alright, you eat the pancakes, you eat the pancakes, all of them are yours." Upon hearing Lao Huang's words, Wen Long threw all the pancakes in his hand to Lao Huang, who was sitting on the ground, and snatched the barbecue from Lao Huang's hand. He immediately jumped aside, cautiously looked at Lao Huang, and after Lao Huang waved his hand to indicate that he was innocent, Wen Long chuckled at Lao Huang, turned around, and prepared to start.

But Old Huang, who was sitting on the ground, suddenly revealed a strange smile. Then, he slowly and carefully stood up and moved backward. After taking two steps back, just as Old Huang turned around to run, a loud shout came from behind him.

"Old Huang! You bastard! You tricked me! What, you think you can just run away! Give me my pancakes! Come back here, come back here!"

Hearing Wenlong's shout behind him, Lao Huang took off running as fast as he could. Seeing Lao Huang's movement, Wenlong yelled and chased after him, ready to catch him and give him a good beating.

"Old Huang! You're still feeding me raw food! If I get diarrhea tomorrow, I'll make you pay!"

"Haha, you really like to eat, right? Eat more, eat more."

"Stop laughing! Stop right there! Don't run! Stop!"

"Am I stupid?! If I don't run, am I going to wait for you to hit me? Am I crazy?!"

"Hey! Stop right there! You stop right there!"

The sounds of their playful fighting echoed through the dark sky, interspersed with their laughter.

"Old Huang, it's all over, my stomach hurts so much!" Old Huang rode ahead on his horse, holding both his own reins and Wenlong's horse's reins, while Wenlong was bent over on the horse's back, muttering weakly.

"Is it my fault? You're so greedy." Old Huang suppressed his laughter and replied to Wenlong in a seemingly indifferent manner.

"It's all your fault, Lao Huang! I'm suing you! My stomach upset is all your fault! If you hadn't given me raw food, I wouldn't have gotten a stomach upset! Just wait until I'm better, I'm not finished with you!"

"Can't you circulate your battle qi to regulate yourself? You're a grown man, and you act like you're about to die just because you have a stomachache."

"No way, no way! I'm telling you, Lao Huang! I'm going to make him suffer nonstop, and then I'll write down the pain. When I'm better, I'll deal with you. I'll make you eat raw food!"

"Tch, I'm not afraid of you. Anyway, it's not me who's in pain, so you can suffer. Just remember this pain."

"Of course! I'm telling you, once I'm better, I'll deal with you. Just you wait, I'll make you eat raw food, I'll make you eat raw food."

"Ugh, you're so annoying! Can't you just be quiet for a bit?"

"No! Ouch, ouch, ouch! I'll tell you, Old Huang, no! I'm so annoyed with you, so incredibly annoyed with you! I'll make you eat raw food! You wait until I'm better, then I'll sue you and make you give me..."

"Hey! Stop! Stop! Stop right now!"

"Hey, I won't, what can you do about it?"

"Oh! Stop! It's coming out! It's coming out! Stop! Stop!"

"Old Huang, the Wen family is in your hands now, and so is Mou'er. Take them and run right now, don't look back, don't come back to save me, get out of here!"

“No, you are the head of the Wen family. If anyone should go, it should be you. I will stay here and you take them away.”

"Are you stupid! You'll die if you stay! His cultivation is higher than yours, staying will only lead to your death! Huang Long! Get out of here right now! I need you to protect them!"