Mortal: The Path to Immortality

The shopkeeper behind the counter was an elderly man practicing Qi cultivation, methodically manipulating an abacus. Seeing someone enter the shop, a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Hey! What would you like to buy, fellow Daoist?"

"Just browsing." Lu Nanzhu took off his hood and looked around the store.

Hearing this, the old man wisely returned to the counter and continued fiddling with the abacus. Lu Nanzhu carefully examined the items before him; they were sufficient for ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, but there was nothing that truly caught his eye.

"Boss, do you have anything better in your shop?"

The old man stopped fiddling with the abacus, raised his head slightly, and began to ponder: "Oh? Could this person have some strength? Could he be a prodigy from some family or sect?"

"Since you look down on these items, you must have seen a lot in the world. Indeed, the shop does have some rare pieces, but I wonder if you can afford them?"

Lu Nanzhu thought to himself: The old man doesn't trust me and wants to verify my credentials. In this dangerous world of cultivation, that's understandable.

He feigned anger and said, "Since you are not sincere, I will have to look elsewhere."

After saying that, Lu Nanzhu turned to leave without lingering.

The old man was dumbfounded. He didn't know if this person was truly powerful, but if he was, he would suffer a great loss. He quickly ran out and stopped Lu Nanzhu.

"Honored guest, please wait! Please wait! You have misunderstood! I have been operating here for decades and have encountered cultivators who impersonate disciples of high-ranking sects, trying to get something for nothing with their worthless sect credentials."

My business is small and can't withstand such trouble, so I can only be more cautious. I didn't mean to neglect my esteemed guest. I apologize to you for this.

As he spoke, the old man bowed to Lu Nanzhu in apology.

Hearing the old man's seemingly sincere apology, Lu Nanzhu didn't make things difficult for him. He took out three bottles of pills from his storage bag and pushed them in front of the old man.

"I am a disciple of the sect, apprenticed under the alchemy elder. Please take a look at these bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills."

The old man slowly opened the porcelain bottle, poured out the pills, and carefully examined them. His eyes immediately lit up; these pills were of superior medicinal quality, far surpassing the ordinary products on the market.

After returning the elixir, the old man apologized again, saying, "Please forgive me, esteemed guest. I will now show you the treasures in the shop."

The old man then led Lu Nanzhu to the second floor of the shop.

Upon reaching the second floor, the furnishings were noticeably more refined than those downstairs, and a faint fragrance lingered in the air. The old man walked confidently to a wooden shelf and carefully removed two tightly wrapped long wooden boxes.

"Honorable guest, please take a look," the old man said, gently lifting the red silk.

Two short blades lay quietly in the box, one black and one white, their blades cold and gleaming.

"These two short blades are named 'Severing Flow' and 'Shadow Splitting,' and are the posthumous works of a master craftsman, which I obtained by chance. They are refined from black iron and wind essence stone, and are top-notch treasures."

Lu Nanzhu gently stroked the twin swords, secretly praising them: They felt good to the touch, and they also sounded compatible with his "Wind Spirit Body".

The old man opened another box, inside which was an inner armor with a faint green luster. "This item is called the 'Azure Scale Armor.' Its defensive capabilities are decent, but its wonder lies in the fact that it has a talisman slot, which can be used with some defensive talismans or even talisman treasures to enhance its defensive capabilities."

Lu Nanzhu silently calculated in his mind. These two items were indeed rare treasures and could greatly increase his combat power. Just as he was planning how to buy these treasures, he inadvertently glanced at an ornament on the windowsill.

It was a section of vine, as thick as an arm, charred and dried, covered with a thick layer of ash.

"That's... the 'Soul-Devouring Vine'?" Lu Nanzhu guessed hesitantly.

The old man followed his gaze and explained softly, "Honored guest, you flatter me. This piece of 'Spirit-Devouring Vine' was found in a field by a spirit farmer. Ordinary 'Spirit-Devouring Vine' specializes in devouring the spiritual energy of other spiritual plants, but it usually doesn't grow very large. I saw that this one was different from others and was quite large, so I took it from the spirit farmer as a decorative piece."

Lu Nanzhu walked over slowly and pondered for a moment. This "Spirit-Devouring Vine" specifically twines around and parasitizes spiritual plants, absorbing their spiritual energy. When the spiritual plant withers, the "Spirit-Devouring Vine" parasitizing it will bloom with blood-red flowers and release spore-like seeds. These seeds float in the air until they land on the wounds of nearby spiritual plants, take root, sprout, and grow, repeating the aforementioned process.

"The item is quite good." Lu Nanzhu withdrew his hand, looking at the old man in a normal voice, "This withered vine seems unusual to me. Ordinary 'Spirit-Devouring Vines' have little medicinal use, but perhaps this one can help my master research its medicinal properties. If the shopkeeper is willing to do me a favor..."

The old man laughed heartily and quickly waved his hand, "Honorable guest, what are you saying! If you take these two treasures, this piece of rotten wood will be a bonus for you, I'll give it to you! Anyway, it's just taking up space here, so I might as well let it serve its purpose in your hands."

The old man knew perfectly well that the goodwill of a sect disciple was far more valuable than a piece of vine.

Lu Nanzhu nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction finally appearing on his usually serious face. He then took out two 500-year-old "Huangjingzhi" plants and several bottles of pills from his storage bag and handed them to the old man.

"These things are worth as much as these two treasures," Lu Nanzhu said confidently.

The old man was surprised when he received the item, but he quickly composed himself, though he still couldn't stop rubbing his hands together.

Afterwards, Lu Nanzhu put the two treasures into his storage bag, pulled up his hood, bid farewell to the shopkeeper, and left the shop.

Upon returning to the inn, Lu Nanzhu changed his clothes and went to a night market. This night market was mostly filled with stalls run by ordinary people.

The night market was bustling with people, and Lu Nanzhu loved to join in the fun, lingering among the different stalls. Although they were all ordinary trinkets, they were full of the ingenuity of the artisans.

Just as he stopped at a sugar painting stall, a familiar figure appeared not far away. Song Ji was leading a woman, and in her arms was a little girl of about five or six years old with her hair in two buns.

"You always buy me these mundane things," the woman complained softly, but she was clutching the box of rouge that Song Jigang had given her tightly in her hand.

"Hey, you don't understand," Song Ji said softly. "I mixed some evening primrose powder into this rouge, and used my unique alchemy method to add a touch of fragrance. Although it won't increase your cultivation, when you put it on your face, I guarantee you'll be even more radiant than those sect fairies."

Madam Lin rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but smile, "With your meager alchemy skills, you've wasted them all on these unorthodox methods. If you were willing to pay more attention in the alchemy room, you wouldn't still be wandering around in the Qi Refining stage."

"Refining those damn body-refining pills and fasting pills is nothing compared to refining these things for you," Song Ji chuckled, looking at his daughter in his arms. "Once I've saved up enough spirit stones, I'll take you and Yu'er away from here."

The woman paused slightly, then heard Song Ji continue:

"I've made up my mind. We'll find a place where ordinary people gather, buy a few acres of land, and open a medicine shop. I'll rely on my medicine-making skills to become a wealthy man and ensure that my family can live a long and peaceful life, free from worries about food and clothing."

Lu Nanzhu listened to these trivial everyday stories without showing any emotion on his face, simply watching the family of three quietly. Lu Nanzhu wasn't surprised that Song Ji knew how to concoct medicine; after struggling in the market for so long, it was impossible for him not to have some means of survival and livelihood.

He didn't intend to disturb them and was just about to turn and leave when he noticed a commotion in the crowd.

It turned out that the shadow puppet show had started, and a dense crowd surged forward. Song Ji was busy shielding his wife from the crowd of men, but he didn't notice that his young daughter, whom he had been holding by the hand, was swept away by the sudden surge of people.

The little girl was swept back a few steps by the crowd, her big eyes filled with fear, and she was about to be knocked down by several porters.

Lu Nanzhu moved slightly, and just as the porter's load was about to sweep across the little girl, a hand grabbed her by the back of her collar, and pulled her into the shadows on the side of the street.

The little girl huddled beside Lu Nanzhu's oversized long robe, tilting her head back to look at the overly serious face before her. She seemed frightened by Lu Nanzhu, her lips pursed, tears welling in her eyes, yet she dared not cry out.

Lu Nanzhu leaned down and glanced at her, saying nothing, but simply reaching out a hand and gently pressing it on the top of her head. An extremely gentle spiritual energy slid down his fingertips, soothing the little girl's frightened mind.

The two stood quietly in the shadows, watching the crowds on the street.

After a while, Song Ji's almost hoarse shouts and the woman's tearful cries could be heard from afar.

Lu Nanzhu noticed their approach and gently nudged the little girl's back, signaling her to go outside.

"Go there, your parents are there," Lu Nanzhu said softly.

The little girl paused for a moment, turned around and ran a couple of steps, then looked back at the "expressionless uncle" hidden in the shadows, before plunging headfirst into Song Ji's arms as he rushed over.

"Oh my little darling! You scared your father to death!" Sweating profusely, Song Ji saw his daughter and quickly withdrew his divine sense, hugging her tightly.

The woman rushed over, hugging her daughter and weeping uncontrollably. Song Ji comforted the two of them, then used his divine sense to probe the shadowy spot where his daughter had run out, only to find it empty.

"That's strange..." Song Ji muttered.