The Long Journey to Immortality

Hans? That sounds like a tailor's name.

Trademark? You mean the shop sign?

Han Lu grew increasingly confused as she listened to the incomprehensible terms coming from the mouths of passersby.

Just then, a young man in his early twenties walked up and struck up a conversation with Han Lu, saying, "Beautiful lady, can I take a picture with you?"

group photo?

Han Lu looked at the small box he was holding in his hand.

Although she couldn't understand the other person's request, she could tell from their expression and actions that it was just a small matter, so she nodded and said, "Okay, but after the photo shoot, I hope you can answer a few questions for me."

“No problem,” the young man readily agreed.

He approached her with the intention of getting closer to Han Lu and hoping to find a marriage partner; he couldn't wait to chat with this beautiful woman a little longer.

After obtaining her consent, Han Lu saw the young man move closer to her, keeping about a fist's distance, while holding a small box with a painting attached, and press a button towards the two of them.

As Han Lu watched as her and the young man's images were captured in a sketch-like manner within the small box, she became increasingly curious about this strange little thing.

"I'll ask him for it later and take a look. Maybe it's some kind of mass-produced magic weapon."

In the Moon Pearl World, Han Lu had seen human cultivators using the same standardized magic weapons in battle, so she guessed that this strange little box might be a mass-produced standardized magic weapon in this world.

Looking at the photos on his phone, the young man was quite satisfied. He laughed and said, "Alright, beautiful, it looks kind of silly to just stand on the street asking questions. How about we find a coffee shop or a bubble tea shop to sit down and chat?"

Han Lu nodded.

She discovered that nodding was a good way to answer questions when faced with well-meaning strangers speaking to her in a language she couldn't understand.

Of course, the fact that the young man in front of her had no spiritual power at all was also the reason why Han Lu made this decision.

She was fearless, even if the young man's friendliness was just a facade, she was capable of solving any problem with the spirit sword in her storage bag.

Seeing this, the young man was overjoyed and continued, "Judging from your accent, you don't seem to be from Shanghai. I know a pretty good milk tea shop nearby. It's on me, beautiful lady, you can pay for me."

Han Lu nodded again.

This sentence made her aware of the name of the strange city she was in: Shencheng.

As for what milk tea is, Han Lu judged that it should be a kind of beverage, and the young man in front of her probably wanted to take her to a teahouse to enjoy tea and chat.

The young man led the way, and Han Lu followed a step behind him.

Just as Han Lu had guessed, she followed the young man to a place that resembled a teahouse.

Looking at the mysterious magical artifact beside her that was somehow blowing out cold air, and feeling the comfortable but unidentified soft chair beneath her, Han Lu decided to stop thinking about it to avoid getting dizzy and disoriented.

"What would you like to drink?" the young man asked, holding the menu.

"I'll listen to you," Han Lu replied, offering her usual, foolproof answer.

The young man assumed that Han Lu was also interested in him, but was just a little shy, so he didn't ask any further questions and made the decision for Han Lu.

A moment later, two cups of milk tea were served to the two of them.

It's something new that I've never seen before.

After spending nearly fifteen minutes in this world, Han Lu calmly accepted that she was like a child who knew nothing in this world.

No longer did they have any doubts about the strangely colored drink in the oddly shaped container.

Han Lu, who prided herself on being "immune to all poisons," imitated the young man sitting opposite her, picked up the quilt, and took a sip of water.

Savoring the fragrance between her lips and teeth, Han Lu thought to herself, "Hmm, sweet, the taste is not bad."

"Alright, beautiful lady, what questions do you have? I'll answer anything you know," the young man introduced himself again. "My name is Qiu Bin, what's your name, beautiful lady?"

"Han Lu".

Han Lu put down her cup and was about to speak when she realized she had too many questions, big and small, and didn't know which one to ask first.

Finally, she took out a spirit stone from her storage bag and asked, "Have you ever seen anything similar to this?"

"Huh?" Qiu Bin picked up the spirit stone that Han Lu had placed on the table and examined it carefully. "Is it crystal? But it looks a little different. I've never seen it before."

Upon hearing this, Han Lu thought to herself, "Could it be that the ancient cultivators didn't leave behind any magical artifacts they had used in this world?"

Han Lu continued, "Have you ever seen a cultivator?"

"Cultivators?" Qiu Bin laughed out loud. "Are you making movies or writing novels?"

But looking at Han Lu's serious expression, and combined with the fact that Han Lu's clothes were completely different from his and everyone else's, Qiu Bin's mind flashed through countless plots from novels, and he couldn't help but be startled.

"I think I've found some amazing beauty."

[Author's Note] This is not the world you and I live in, but another world with a different technological trajectory. The technological level is similar to reality, but the direction of development differs.

Chapter 182 Come Home With Me

Although Qiu Bin guessed the correct answer based on his deduction, he did not know that this was the correct answer.

But deep down he desperately hoped it was the right answer.

He only saw it as a possibility, a possibility to make his ordinary life extraordinary.

In the movies and novels he had watched, the protagonists would rise to prominence and live lives completely different from their previous ones after encountering such an extraordinary event as "picking up a beautiful female cultivator".

As an ordinary person living in a world completely controlled by the Hans Corporation, with no possibility of becoming a superior being in the future, Qiu Bin naturally longed for such a good thing to happen to him.

When Qiu Bin looked at Han Lu again, there was something different in his eyes.

Based on the other party's reaction, Qiu Bin decided to take the initiative and asked directly, "Han Lu, are you a cultivator?"

Although he had "read" the word in his mind countless times, Qiu Bin still stumbled a bit when he asked a beautiful stranger about this uncommon word.

Han Lu nodded and said, "Yes."

Seeing how seriously she was taking it, Qiu Bin reduced the possibility in his mind that Han Lu was just talking nonsense because she was playing a role-playing game and was delirious from the heat.

In Qiu Bin's current view, Han Lu is either a true cultivator or a con artist who has prepared a long story to swindle him out of his already meager bank savings.

With this in mind, Qiu Bin asked a few more questions.

"Han Lu, can you demonstrate your Taoist magic?" Based on his understanding of cultivators from novels, Qiu Bin gave two examples: "For example, turning stone into gold? Or conjuring a ball of flame from the palm of your hand?"

Hearing Qiu Bin's statement that he was not much different from ordinary people in the Central Plains, Han Lu couldn't help but chuckle and said, "I can't turn stones into gold, but I can conjure fire in my palm."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Bin quickly said, "Then quickly perform for me."

Qiu Bin's behavior and previous statements led Han Lu to guess that there were probably no cultivators in this world, so she did not refuse Qiu Bin's slightly "aggrieved" request and showed off her skills.

He activated his spiritual power and performed an extremely simple and crude attribute transformation on the water-attribute spiritual power within his body.

Immediately afterwards, Han Lu uttered a soft incantation, and a pale blue flame appeared in her outstretched left palm, dancing before Qiu Bin's eyes.

Seeing the fire appear out of nowhere, Qiu Bin was startled and leaned back slightly.

After taking a sip of milk tea to calm his nerves, Qiu Bin watched as Han Lu clenched her left hand and extinguished the flames. He had initially intended to grab Han Lu's hand and examine it carefully, but then he remembered the taboo against men and women touching hands, so he changed his question to ask.

"Han Lu, are you a magician? Or did you hide a lighter somewhere?"

Han Lu blinked, then opened her left hand to Qiu Bin again, asking, "A lighter? What's that? It sounds like a tinderbox."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Bin's already dwindling doubts vanished completely.

He thought to himself, "He's probably a real cultivator, or he's a conman whose acting skills could win a Golden Rooster Award."

"But I'm doing so badly, even the most skilled swindlers, whether they cheat me out of money or sex, probably wouldn't even look at me."

Thinking of seducing women, Qiu Bin couldn't help but lick his lips, but when he thought of "making a name for himself," he quickly banished the filthy thoughts from his mind and asked in a respectful tone, "Senior Han, since you are a cultivator, how did you come to Shencheng? Judging from your appearance, did you go into seclusion for thousands of years and only just emerged?"

Qiu Bin recalled the plot of the cultivation novel and imagined that Han Lu was an old monster who had been in seclusion for thousands of years, which was why she knew nothing about the modern world.

Han Lu shook her head, pondered for a moment, and then answered the question about age, which was the most difficult for her to answer. "Actually, I am not even twenty years old yet, and my cultivation level is only at the Qi Refining stage. I am not the kind of high-level cultivator who secludes himself for hundreds of years as you imagine."

This answer surprised Qiu Bin quite a bit. "Then who exactly is Senior Han?"

Han Lu's original intention was to use Qiu Bin to find out the situation in the ancient cultivation secret realm. Naturally, she didn't mind sharing things that she considered unimportant with Qiu Bin, this native, in order to gain his trust.

Han Lu briefly described the Central Plains world she inhabited and explained the matter of the Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm, concluding, "Now it seems that the world you inhabit is the Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm I mentioned. That's why I, who clearly entered the Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm through a portal, am now in this world, sitting here drinking with you..."

Han Lu picked up the cup, glanced at the artistic characters on it that resembled the Central Plains script by about 70%, and only added the last two characters, "Milk Tea," after confirming that they were correct.

Qiu Bin was no less shocked by this incident than Han Lu was when she first saw this unfamiliar steel city.

However, after a short while, his small-minded mentality allowed him to process everything.

"What does this big thing have to do with me? Even if the sky falls, Hans Company will take care of it."

In the blink of an eye, the joy brought by the incredible good fortune of "picking up" a beautiful female cultivator completely dispelled his worries and troubles.

Qiu Bin was determined to cling to Han Lu's slender legs during these thirty days. Even if he couldn't let her enjoy the treatment of the protagonist in the novel, he would still take advantage of this unexpected opportunity to change his own fate.

Qiu Bin touched the milk tea cup, which was no longer cold, and after taking a moment to consider his words, he spoke again, "Senior Han, since you have come here to find the treasures and opportunities left behind by the ancient cultivators, you must need a helper who is familiar with the situation. If you don't mind, I am willing to do my best to serve Senior Han diligently for the next thirty days."

Qiu Bin's declaration of determination came as a slight surprise to Han Lu. She was unaware of the social environment of this world and simply assumed it was due to Qiu Bin's personality, having been completely captivated by her charm and strength.

After saying hello, Han Lu pointed to Qiu Bin's phone on the table and said, "Tell me about this magic weapon first."

Hearing Han Lu use the word "magic weapon" to describe the Hans brand smartphone that everyone owns, Qiu Bin didn't know what expression to make.

He could only address the matter at hand, answering Han Lu's question as if it were a question for his six-year-old cousin, introducing Han Lu to what he considered an extremely ordinary thing.

However, explaining and introducing a product is not an easy task, let alone explaining a mid-to-high-end technology product like a mobile phone to a cultivator like Han Lu who knows nothing about the modern technology of this world.

Qiu Bin's every word often introduced a new term, leaving Han Lu with more confusion and prompting her to raise a new question.

Helpless, Qiu Bin could only shove the phone into Han Lu's hand and continue the invitation, "Senior Han, how about this, after you finish your milk tea, come to my house. I have a computer at home with internet access, and I can help you search, look up information, and answer all your questions."

"What is a computer? You seemed to have mentioned the internet earlier, something like a library?"

Qiu Bin pursed his lips, feeling utterly helpless, and could only say, "Take me home, and you'll see for yourself."

Chapter 183 Another Development Path

Hearing this, Han Lu nodded and said okay, temporarily suppressing all the doubts in her heart.

Sitting in the milk tea shop, Han Lu simply looked around, observing the many novel things she had never seen before. Occasionally, she would tap a few times on Qiu Bin's phone to try them out, so as not to cause too much trouble for her partner with whom she had just reached an agreement and was cooperating happily.

Hans Company's products are of excellent quality. Seeing that Han Lu was just studying his phone in the way an ordinary person would, Qiu Bin gave up the idea of ​​taking his phone back and let Han Lu do as she pleased.

After sitting in the shop for a while, Han Lu finished her sweet milk tea. She didn't have a sweet tooth, but she developed a strange fondness for this drink that she had never seen before.