The Long Journey to Immortality

She quickly defended herself, saying, "I really just bumped into you by chance, I'm not one of your father's men."

Han Lu's words were just like her repeated explanations that she was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment and not a Golden Core cultivator. Wenren Ou misunderstood Han Lu's words, which only deepened his suspicions.

Noticing the change in Wenren Ou's eyes, Han Lu felt a little helpless, wishing she could shout out her wish.

But thinking about it...

It's perfectly normal for a pampered second-generation rich kid to have some doubts about Han Lu, a friend he's only known for ten days, after encountering such a situation.

Han Lu didn't expect Wenren Ou, the young man who had just suffered a setback as soon as he left home, to dispel his suspicions about her. She only hoped that when she met Wenren Mu later, this Golden Core cultivator wouldn't make any jokes about her and solidify her reputation as a "spy".

The house was very large. Following the gatekeeper at a leisurely pace, the three of them walked for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea before stopping in front of a small room.

This house looks quite different from the others from the outside.

Its exterior is not decorated with gold or silver, and the two strange stone statues at the entrance give it a solemn feel.

Because Wenren Mu was a Golden Core cultivator, the gatekeeper did not announce their arrival but simply opened the door for Wenren Ou and Han Lu.

Standing in front of the door, Wenren Ou hesitated. He didn't know how to face his father in this place after making a mistake.

Han Lu, on the other hand, was rather impatient, wanting to see who Wenren Mu was, the person who had appeared in her mind in three different forms.

Han Lu went in first, which made the young master Wenren Ou, who was still standing in front of the ancestral hall, feel a little awkward.

He took two steps forward before steeling himself and, just as he had felt when he made up his mind to leave Jitian Mansion and venture out into the world, he entered the room that resembled a dragon's den and a tiger's lair, but was actually just an ordinary ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall is divided into inner and outer rooms. Although both rooms enshrine incense and memorial tablets for future generations to remember and mourn, the treatment they receive is different.

The numerous shrines outside are merely for joint worship, arranged according to certain rules, so that future generations can only see a name that is not very well-known.

But when Han Lu traversed the many ranks and arrived at the inner room, it was completely different from the outer room.

There are only three memorial tablets enshrined in the inner room, and each tablet has its own incense burner in front of it.

The memorial tablets were no different from those in the outer room, except that the wood used was of much higher quality.

On the wall behind each of the three memorial tablets hangs a realistic portrait, clearly depicting what the owners of these three tablets looked like in life.

The three portraits depict two women and one man, all in their youth.

Besides the three memorial tablets, there were also several books without covers placed next to them; it's unclear what their purpose was.

Han Lu guessed that the three portraits must be Wenren Ou's grandparents and mother.

As for which portrait is of Wenren Ou's mother, you can tell by looking at which portrait has a person sitting on the prayer mat in front of it.

Wenren Mu, who had been sitting cross-legged on the futon, staring blankly at the portrait on the wall, heard Han Lu's footsteps, suddenly stood up, turned around and greeted her, "Fairy Han, welcome. My son has caused you trouble. If he has offended you in any way along the way, I hope Fairy Han will forgive him."

The image of Wenren Mu standing in front of Han Lu differs significantly from the image of Han Lu as known by others or as imagined in her mind.

He looks like an average person, just with a slightly better demeanor; the kind of person you could easily lose in a crowd.

Han Lu was flattered by Wenren Mu's initiative in greeting him. "Young Master Wenren is polite and kind, how could he offend me? Besides, we only have a normal employer-employee relationship, so it's not like I'm being taken care of. Senior Wenren, you flatter me."

As they were talking, Wenren Ou also entered the inner room. Seeing Han Lu talking to her father, he quietly hid to the side, only glancing at the portrait of his mother that had not been posted on the wall when he last came here.

“Fairy Han,” Wenren Mu said with a smile, “Your address is too formal. There’s no need for such formalities. You are also a Golden Core cultivator. Just call me Fellow Daoist Wenren.”

Han Lu knew that Wenren Mu was joking about Wenren Ou's misunderstanding of her cultivation level, but after emphasizing her true cultivation level and the misunderstanding, she followed Wenren Mu's instructions and called out, "Fellow Daoist Wenren."

Wenren Mu nodded slightly in response to Han Lu's address of "fellow Daoist".

After exchanging a few words with Han Lu, Wenren Mu looked at Wenren Ou, who was hiding to the side.

Noticing her father's gaze, Wenren Ou subconsciously took a half step back, as if she wanted to escape from the room.

Wenren Mu smiled helplessly and then said to Han Lu, "Fairy Han, my son and I have something to talk about. Would you mind step aside and rest outside for a while? I have already ordered someone to serve tea and snacks. After I finish talking to my son, I will talk to you about some things."

As a guest, Han Lu bowed and then excused herself.

[Author's Note] I have to work overtime again today. It feels like I've made up for all the overtime I didn't do in the previous three years.

Chapter 350 Han Lu's Scheme

The ancestral hall is not a suitable place to meet.

Wenren Mu and his son can discuss family matters here, and can speak freely in front of Wenren Mu's parents and Wenren Ou's mother, but it is not appropriate for him and Han Lu to speak in this solemn place.

Han Lu didn't want to smell the sandalwood scent and watch the dull wooden plaques as time passed.

So she simply left the ancestral hall and found a seat in the small garden outside.

Wenren Mu is a Golden Core cultivator and can use his divine sense to explore within a certain range. Han Lu is not worried that he will not be able to find her after he finishes talking about family matters with Wenren Ou and educating the children.

As soon as Han Lu sat down, the gatekeeper who had led the way earlier seemed to be a Golden Core cultivator as well. He found Han Lu's seat, brought the tea and snacks that Wenren Mu had mentioned earlier, and placed them on the table to greet her.

"The master sent this over. If you don't like it, please let me know. If you want anything to eat or drink, please don't be shy. You are the young master's friend, and naturally the master's friend as well. Please make yourself at home here."

The doorman's tone of voice was unlike that of an ordinary doorman.

Han Lu secretly guessed, "He's probably not the gatekeeper here, but a servant who came all the way from the Jitian Palace with Wenren Mu."

This person was practically family to Wenren Mu, so Han Lu naturally wouldn't make any overly demanding requests in front of him.

She didn't say much, just nodded slightly, picked up her teacup, took a sip of tea, and indicated that she was satisfied with the arrangement.

"As long as the fairy is happy."

After saying this, the gatekeeper bowed and took his leave.

Enjoying tea and admiring the flowers, Han Lu wondered what words Wenren Mu, the strict father, would use to educate his troublesome son after Wenren Ou staged such an absurd escape.

"I imagine there will be no shortage of scolding."

"But given Wenren Ou's performance outside, he will certainly receive plenty of words of encouragement."

"For a second-generation immortal like Wenren Ou, who has stayed in Jitian Prefecture for seventeen years, to be able to have such a good ending on his first solo trip is already quite an achievement."

"If I were allowed to roam freely on the land of the Great Yu Dynasty at the age of seventeen, I probably wouldn't survive more than half a month."

Based on her interactions with Wenren Ou over the past few days, Han Lu gave Wenren Ou a good score.

There are naturally some selfish thoughts involved.

She wanted Wenren Mu to agree to continue traveling with Wenren Ou towards the wilderness, and even offer to escort him, so that the three of them could travel together.

If Han Lu had Wenren Mu, a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator with a powerful background, to protect her on the way to the prefecture near the wilderness, she felt it would be a smooth journey.

"Just imagine, with Golden Core cultivators escorting you for the first half and Nascent Soul cultivators accompanying you for the second half, how wonderful that would be."

Han Lu was pleased with herself, thinking that there was a good chance of success, and began to consider how to express her request tactfully.

"Perhaps we should try to find a solution from Wenren Ou."

"What father doesn't love his child?"

"If Wenren Ou still wants to go to the wilderness to broaden his horizons, then it shouldn't be too much for me to hitch a ride with him, right?"

……

Starting from this point, Han Lu pondered how to encourage Wenren Ou to open his eyes to this beautiful world again, to go to the wilderness to see strange and wonderful monsters and spirit beasts, so that Wenren Mu, his father, would be willing to be his "bodyguard" and "driver" and start this new journey.

After sitting for a short while, about 15 minutes later, Wenren Ou and Wenren Mu arrived together at the courtyard where Han Lu was, and met with Han Lu again.

At this moment, Wenren Ou's expression had lost its previous tension and embarrassment; on the contrary, it was quite fitting to describe it as one of triumph.

Clearly, the conversation with her father just now was quite pleasant, and not the serious safety lesson Han Lu had imagined.

"Fairy Han, how is this tea? Can you taste anything?" Wenren Mu sat down opposite Han Lu, while Wenren Ou stood awkwardly to the side, not taking a seat.

Han Lu chuckled and shook her head slightly. "I don't know anything about tea. I'm just used to drinking it. I used to use it to quench my thirst, but now it's just a way to pass the time."

“That’s a pity about my excellent green tea,” Wenren Mu told Han Lu about the origin of the tea. “This tea comes from a few spiritual tea trees in the Jitian Palace. Only a hundred catties of tea can be harvested every ten years. Although it’s not the rarest quality, a cup of this tea can easily sell for two or three spirit stones outside.”

Although Wenren Mu was a cultivation genius and didn't look like a nouveau riche, he did love money.

Listening to Wenren Mu's words, Han Lu suddenly understood why Wenren Ou, a second-generation immortal, was more generous than the descendants of ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

"It must be because my father was good at accumulating wealth and the family was very large."

Han Lu picked up her cup, took another sip, and joked, "After hearing what Fellow Daoist Wenren said, I, a mere mortal, have begun to appreciate its flavor."

Wenren Mu tapped his fingers lightly on the stone table and laughed heartily, “Interesting, interesting, Fairy Han is indeed a wonderful person. No wonder my son is so eager to introduce you to this lonely old man, so that I won’t be lonely.”

Han Lu was at a loss for words after hearing this, and could only awkwardly smile and grab a pastry to put in her mouth.

Wenren Ou failed to detect the joking tone in Wenren Mu's words, or rather, he wishfully ignored it.

He chimed in from the side, "Father, don't you think Sister Han is perfect for you?"

Wenren Mu said, "That's hard to say. Besides, I'm already exhausted just taking care of you. I can't drag Fairy Han onto this pirate ship."

"Moreover, this matter requires mutual affection. I think Fairy Han's heart is not only not on me, but not even on the Great Yu Dynasty."

Wenren Mu's words startled Han Lu.

"Could it be that Wenren Mu saw through the True Spirit Bloodline within me and mistook me for a spy who infiltrated the Great Yu Dynasty from the barbaric lands?"

"Or perhaps they know I come from the Central Plains?"

But after a couple of breaths of thought, Han Lu calmed down again.

"See? We're still chatting amicably right now."

"If Wenren Mu is hostile towards me, he can just take action directly."

"If all else fails, you can add something to the tea I just drank."

"I suppose I was just overthinking it, or he didn't mean any harm."

With a smile and a glance, Han Lu didn't answer directly or point out the deeper meaning in Wenren Mu's words, "Fellow Daoist Wenren is joking, but I really have no intention of seeking a Daoist partner, nor am I the kind of person who is casual."

Upon hearing this, Wenren Ou was slightly disappointed.

Immediately afterwards, Wenren Mu summoned the gatekeeper and had him lead Wenren Ou away to arrange accommodations.

With the two gone, only Han Lu and Wenren Mu remained in the garden.

Chapter 351 Private Talk

By deliberately sending Wenren Ou away, they naturally intended to discuss topics that were not suitable for Wenren Ou to overhear.

Wenren Mu didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Is Fairy Han not from the Great Yu Dynasty?"