Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

Chapter 120 of the high-energy chapter, "The Li Yang Dao Lineage," has been updated! Read it now!

The morning mist had not yet dissipated.

Southeast corner of Aolai Kingdom City.

As the first rays of dawn pierced through the wooden lattice windows, dappled light and shadow fell upon the second floor of a pavilion.

A slender young girl sat cross-legged on an old futon, facing the rising sun on the eastern horizon.

The girl wore a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her dark blue hair was loosely tied up, revealing her smooth forehead.

Her eyebrows and eyes had not yet fully developed, but they already had a certain delicate and beautiful outline. Due to years of practicing fire-attribute techniques, the corners of her eyes naturally had a slight blush, like a light blush of sunset.

Han Liyan formed hand seals, carefully drawing in the purest yang energy at sunrise, following the clan's "Red Furnace Fire Nourishing Technique."

This technique can barely be considered of the middle grade. It emphasizes using the body as a furnace and absorbing yang fire as fuel to slowly refine the vital energy within the body.

Although it is twice as difficult to achieve half the results, it is the best cultivation method that the now declining Han family can provide.

The girl's aptitude was only passable, but she was resilient and practiced her breathing exercises every day at this time without fail.

Fine beads of sweat had appeared on the girl's forehead, and her breath flowed through her nose, drawing a little warmth from the sun into her lower abdomen, as if she were walking on thin ice.

After a long while, the sun rose a few more degrees, and the light and shadow cast by the window shifted slightly.

In the distance, the sounds of people gradually rise from the streets and alleys, and the clouds on the horizon are tinged with gold.

Han Liyan slowly finished her practice, and the red light around her disappeared.

The girl hugged her knees with both hands, her chin resting lightly on them, her clear eyes gazing out the window, reflecting the golden light.

However, she lacked the brightness that a young girl should have; instead, she was shrouded in a layer of lingering melancholy.

The clan's situation was becoming increasingly difficult, her own cultivation progress was slow, and the oppressive atmosphere of impending storm in the city made her even more uneasy.

The footsteps came from the wooden stairs, sounding somewhat heavy.

Han Chengzong, the white-haired and beardless patriarch of the Han family, slowly walked upstairs with a cane.

The old man was advanced in years and had been stuck at the early stage of Foundation Establishment for many years. His qi and blood were declining, but his old eyes were still clear.

"Yan'er, how did your cultivation go today?"

Han Chengzong walked closer, his voice a little hoarse but filled with concern. His gaze swept over the girl, and seeing that her breathing was steady, he nodded slightly.

Han Liyan quickly got up to help him up, and answered softly:

"Great-grandfather, why did you come up here? Yan'er is doing well; she seems to have refined an extra bit of the essence of the sun today."

Han Chengzong looked at the faint sorrow between his great-granddaughter's brows and sighed inwardly.

After a moment of silence, he whispered:

"Yan'er, things are tense in the city these days, you... try not to go out."

Han Liyan looked at the old man's wrinkled face and asked softly:

"Is it because the Imperial Preceptor is selecting disciples?"

Han Chengzong nodded, his eyes filled with even deeper worry, and his voice was extremely soft, like a gentle breeze:

"Indeed, you should ignore this matter. That imperial advisor in the court has an unknown background and uses strange methods."

Under the guise of recruiting disciples, they are actually searching for girls under the age of sixteen; their intentions are sinister.

Although the Han family has fallen on hard times and its members are few, Han Chengzong has been in charge of the family for a hundred years and has not yet become so foolish as to betray the younger generation of the family in order to seek a life of ease.

"Great-grandfather, I understand."

Han Liyan felt a warmth in her heart and softly replied, "I won't go."

Looking at the girl's sensible demeanor, Han Chengzong felt both gratified and heartbroken.

"Although my Han family has declined, we would never send our children to such an obscure place as the palace."

I have strictly ordered my clansmen to tell everyone that you are slow-witted and have not yet cultivated your Qi, and to also report that you are five years older than your actual age. The officials who came to investigate were sent away the day before yesterday.

The old man tapped his cane, his tone resolute:

"As long as I have a breath left, I will never let anyone try to harm you. You just need to focus on your cultivation; your great-grandfather will take care of everything outside."

Han Liyan looked at the old man's resolute yet weary profile, her nose tingled with emotion, and she quickly lowered her head, whispering:

"Yan'er understands, thank you for your trouble, Great-Grandfather."

Han Chengzong patted the girl's hand and smiled gently:

"You don't need to worry too much about your spiritual practice. With your great-grandfather around, he will never let you lose your way."

Han Liyan said softly, "Great-grandfather, it's the same for Yan'er to cultivate within the clan."

Han Chengzong gazed out the window, his eyes seemingly trying to pierce through the layers of buildings and look towards the misty mountain peak in the west of the city—the Qixia Temple of the Crimson Cloud Immortal.

He paused for a moment, his voice tinged with helplessness and regret:

"Your great-grandfather originally intended to wait until you achieved a minor success in Qi cultivation before seeking out the True Man Chixia to see if you could be accepted into the temple."

Even if you're just a nominal disciple, with the protection of a Golden Core cultivator and a legitimate lineage, your path to enlightenment...

It's better than trying to master this half-baked "Red Furnace Fire Nourishing Technique" at home.

He shook his head, tapping his cane lightly on the ground: "Alas, fate is against us. Master Chixia is in seclusion, and the temple gates are locked. This path... is blocked."

The building fell silent for a moment, with only the faint sound of the morning breeze passing through the window.

The old man withdrew his gaze from the distance and landed on his calloused hands, his knuckles slightly white from the effort he had put in.

He let out a long sigh, a sigh filled with unspeakable regret and remorse:

"Sometimes I think, it's just fate playing tricks on us."

If your great-uncle... Jinyang, hadn't left home in a fit of anger back then, perhaps the Han family would be in a completely different situation today.

Han Jinyang, with the brief note "left the clan in his early years" next to his name, has no other records.

Han Chengzong slowly nodded, his voice lowering as if unwilling to elaborate, yet unable to suppress a sigh:

"That's your great-uncle, my own uncle. In his youth, his talent was unparalleled in the Han family for a hundred years."

The old man's gaze became distant, as if piercing through the years to see the figure of that exceptionally gifted young man.

"But he has a fiery temper and clashes with the elders in the clan... alas, he has many disagreements."

Later, he left home in a huff and was never heard from again.

After that departure, there was no news of him. No one knows whether he is alive or dead, or whether he is still on the path of cultivation.

If Uncle Jinyang were still alive, my Han family wouldn't be in this state, and Yan'er...why should she worry about such a small future...?"

Before he could finish speaking, the old man shook his head self-deprecatingly, as if he thought these hypotheticals were meaningless. He patted his great-granddaughter on the shoulder, forcing himself to cheer up:

"Enough of this old story, let's not dwell on it. People always find a way out by walking; there's always a way out."

You should focus on your spiritual practice; your great-grandfather is here for you.

Han Liyan listened quietly, and she could feel the heavy weight in her great-grandfather's words.

She didn't offer any words of comfort, but simply stepped forward and gently straightened the old man's slightly wrinkled clothes.

Outside the window, the sun had risen high, its light somewhat dazzling, casting long shadows of an old man and a young man onto the polished floor.

Just then, an unusual sound of horses' hooves seemed to come from the distant streets and alleys, growing louder as it approached.

A faint, slightly hurried sound of footsteps could be heard from downstairs, as if the clansmen guarding the gate were hurrying towards the inner courtyard.

Han Chengzong frowned slightly, snapping out of his reverie. He straightened up a bit, leaning on his cane, and his gaze returned to its usual clarity as he looked toward the stairwell.

Outside the courtyard wall, a few withered leaves were swept up by the wind and swirled down.

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