Mortal: The Path to Immortality

Late at night, in Jingzhou Prefecture.

Lu Nanzhu, returning from Qinglan Valley, ran among the undulating rooftops. Relying on the route he remembered, he easily stopped at the courtyard wall of a mansion in the south of the city.

Lu Nanzhu did not land, but remained hidden in the shadows under the eaves, releasing his divine sense. Everything inside the house was reflected in his mind.

Inside the main room, the father was hunched over his desk, sorting through some tattered accounts by the dim light of an oil lamp, occasionally letting out a sigh. The stepmother sat not far away, her fingers guided by the needle and thread, intently mending a faded garment.

In the next room, the younger siblings were already asleep. The little sister mumbled a few words in her sleep and kicked off the blankets somewhat uneasily.

Lu Nanzhu watched quietly for a while, then took out a bundle from his storage bag. He took a deep breath, and with a slight pinch of his fingertips, he manipulated an object control incantation. The bundle, supported by spiritual energy, slowly floated up and slid lightly into the ventilation gap at the top of the window.

A very slight muffled sound.

The bundle landed steadily on top of the cabinet behind her father—a thin layer of dust had accumulated there, and it was rarely touched, but her stepmother would definitely spot it when she cleaned the house the next morning.

Besides some silver notes he had accumulated at the Seven Mysteries Sect, the bundle also contained several bottles of nourishing pills he had personally prepared. A note underneath each bottle explained how to take them.

He glanced one last time at the paper window illuminated by the dim yellow light, then, without lingering, lightly touched the ground with his toes and returned to his post.

At dawn the following day, inside the transfer warehouse.

The wooden door of the transfer warehouse was suddenly flung open, and Instructor Wang sat up in shock. He saw Lu Nanzhu stumble into the room. His smart inner-school uniform was torn in several places, and his cuffs and chest were stained with large patches of dark red blood, which even carried a pungent smell of blood.

"Senior Brother Wang, let's go!" Lu Nanzhu's voice was low but carried a sense of urgency.

Instructor Wang was startled and broke out in a cold sweat, scrambling to his feet: "Junior Brother Lu, what's wrong with you?!"

"The Wild Wolf Gang has set up an ambush in Qinglan Valley. When I broke through their encirclement this morning, I saw their elite troops sneaking into the city under the cover of morning mist." Lu Nanzhu caught his breath, his eyes serious. "Their target is the warehouse supplies in the prefectural city. You immediately lead the brothers to take those supply wagons and retreat along the side road. Transfer the supplies to the eastern suburbs stronghold first. The terrain there is chaotic and provides good cover."

"Then, junior brother, you..." When Instructor Wang heard that the Wild Wolf Gang's elite troops had entered the city, his heart sank.

"I'll take a few brothers to stay behind and cover the retreat." Lu Nanzhu walked to the window and looked at the slowly rising morning smoke. "Someone has to be here to provide backup. If this warehouse catches fire in a quarter of an hour, Senior Brother, you don't need to wait any longer. Just take your men back to Caixia Mountain to report."

He paused, his tone softening slightly, with a hint of entrustment: "On this journey, if I... have family matters to attend to, I would appreciate it if you could put in a good word for me with the Hall Master, and help me out."

Instructor Wang was always afraid of taking on responsibilities, but when he saw that Lu Nanzhu was willing to take on the most dangerous task of covering the rear, the guilt in his heart was instantly overwhelmed by the relief of escaping death. He nodded heavily, hurriedly gathered his disciples, and drove the carriages and horses away into the morning mist.

As soon as Instructor Wang and his men left, the remaining disciples gathered around, their faces showing bewilderment at the impending doom.

"Junior Brother Lu, Instructor Wang and the others have all retreated. Are we brothers really going to be able to hold off the Wild Wolf Gang if we guard this side gate?" An older disciple gripped his knife tightly.

Lu Nanzhu glanced at him, his expression almost excessively calm. He wiped the remaining blood from his sleeve and ordered in a deep voice:

"We have to hold them off even if we can't. But you guys don't need to stay in this warehouse. When I came back, I saw that the abandoned rice shop in the back alley is on higher ground and can overlook the whole street."

He pointed behind him, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"Take the signal flares and sneak up to the second floor of the rice shop. If you see a large number of thieves breaking into the warehouse, immediately send the signal, then take the back road to the eastern suburbs to meet up with Brother Wang. Do not fight them head-on here, or you will lose your lives for nothing."

The disciples exchanged glances, and the eldest disciple hesitated before asking, "What about you, Junior Brother Lu? You're left alone in the storeroom..."

"I possess the inner sect's secret techniques; I can protect myself." Lu Nanzhu interrupted him, his gaze deep. "You guard there; you are my eyes and ears. If no one sends a signal, I'm essentially blind here in this warehouse. Go now! That's an order!"

Upon hearing this, the disciples felt as if they had been granted a pardon, their doubts instantly dispelled by the relief of surviving a disaster. They clasped their hands in a fist salute to Lu Nanzhu, gratefully whispered "Take care, junior brother," and then quickly disappeared into the back alley.

As he watched his brothers evacuate the warehouse, the "tragic heroism" in Lu Nanzhu's eyes vanished instantly. He casually wiped the still-wet chicken blood from his sleeve, turned, and went deeper into the warehouse.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of clothes ripping through the air rang out, and more than a dozen capable men in black jumped into the courtyard, quickly scattered, and began to work in their respective areas.

The scarred man at the head of the group surveyed the silent warehouse, his brow furrowed slightly. He muttered to himself, somewhat puzzled, "Strange, why haven't the third brother's group of sentries sent any signals yet?"

"Who cares? He's probably having fun in some young lady's bed! Never mind him, let's get the work done first. The gang leader and the immortal master told us that after burning down this warehouse, we're going to the Lu family to make a fortune!" A burly man kicked open the door to the side hall, expecting a desperate counterattack from the Seven Mysteries Sect disciples, but the room was empty.

"Big brother, something's wrong!"

Several men filed in, wielding long swords and hacking wildly, splitting open several supply crates lying across the road.

"The box is empty!"

"This one's empty too! Not even a single dreg of medicine is left!"

Scarface's expression changed drastically. He whirled around, scanning the courtyard: "We've fallen for their trap? Retreat! Retreat now!"

"Since you're here, why rush to leave?"

A calm voice rang out from the back room. Everyone turned around and saw Lu Nanzhu walking out slowly, still wearing that blood-stained outfit, exuding a fierce aura.

"Just you alone? You're asking for it!"

Scarface wasn't intimidated by the fact that Lu Nanzhu was alone.

The long sword in his hand whipped up a gust of wind, aiming straight for Lu Nanzhu's face. Seeing this, the other dozen or so people also drew their weapons and attacked like a pack of wolves pouncing on their prey.

Lu Nanzhu raised his right hand, his five fingers spread wide.

"Buzz—!"

Several crisp sword cries suddenly rang out in the warehouse without warning.

To the astonishment of the Wild Wolf Gang members, the several fine steel longswords that had been scattered in the corner of the warehouse and belonged to the disciples who had previously evacuated suddenly began to tremble violently, as if they had come to life.

"go."

Lu Nanzhu uttered a single word and then suddenly pushed his palm forward.

A powerful divine sense erupted instantly, transforming into invisible tentacles that guided the several fine steel longswords. These swords were then thrust forward to meet the onrushing Wild Wolf Gang members.

"This is... magic?!" Scarface was utterly horrified.

However, it was all too late.

The flying sword controlled by the telekinesis technique is as fast as lightning, and it is simply impossible for ordinary people to dodge it.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The sounds of sharp blades piercing flesh rang out in rapid succession.

Some of these gang members were pierced through the heart by flying swords, while others had their throats slit. In the blink of an eye, the dozen or so elite members of the Wild Wolf Gang, who had been so imposing, were all lying in pools of blood.

The only sounds in the warehouse, besides Lu Nanzhu's footsteps, were the heavy breathing of the scarred man. He stood there, dumbfounded, the long sword slipping limply from his hand and falling to the ground.

"Immortal Master... Immortal Master, spare me! Immortal Master, spare me!"

Scarface suddenly knelt down and frantically kowtowed to Lu Nanzhu.

"Spare me?"

Lu Nanzhu looked down at him without a trace of pity.

"Since you've gone to so much trouble to prepare the oil, wouldn't it be a waste of your trip if you didn't get the fire going?"

He flicked his finger, and a ball of flame instantly ignited the spilled oil on the ground.

"boom--!"

A wave of heat shot into the sky, instantly engulfing the scarred face in flames. Lu Nanzhu casually tossed the identity token engraved with his name and a broken steel longsword deep into the warehouse.

Watching the corpses gradually turn to charcoal in the sea of ​​fire, and making sure there were no survivors or clues left behind, he turned around and jumped out of the reserved back window, disappearing silently into the deep alley.

Half an hour later, smoke and dust filled the northwest corner of the city, and flames soared into the sky.

Lu Nanzhu changed into an ordinary long robe and carried a simple bundle on his back. He stood on the hilltop, looking back at the thick smoke rising from the city.

"Lu Nanzhu of the Lu family...let him die in this fire. From now on, I will be called—Lu Nanzhu."

He turned around, never looking back, and strode along the official road, "a road that is long and arduous!"