The Long Journey to Immortality

Cultivators have exceptional memories. Although Han Lu had visited this place fifteen years ago, she still remembered the exact location of Zhan Yujun and her husband's residence in the small town.

Landing outside the city, Han Lu walked into the city and briefly used her divine sense to scan and search. In just a short while, she found Zhan Yujun, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, in the city that had changed slightly in the past fifteen years.

At this moment, Zhan Yujun was at home, teaching her two children, who were about to turn fifteen and become adults, together with her husband Guan Junyan.

[Author's Note] In this book, many people's minds are that being a monk is a profession, or rather, another kind of school.

Chapter 660 A Dream Once Upon a Time

Compared to fifteen years ago, the couple, who were monks, had not changed much, and there were no signs of aging on their faces.

On the contrary, Han Lu, who achieved the Golden Core, is quite different from the person she was fifteen years ago.

He grew more than ten centimeters taller, and the scar on his right eye disappeared the moment he successfully formed his core.

As her spiritual realm improved, Han Lu naturally acquired an even more ethereal and otherworldly aura.

If it weren't for the fact that her clothing and hairstyle weren't the mainstream style among cultivators in the Central Plains, Han Lu would essentially have directly labeled herself as a "cultivator".

Even with her unconventional attire, Han Lu still attracted the attention of many ordinary people as she walked the streets of Wangshi City due to her outstanding appearance.

Han Lu had already become accustomed to this more than 20 years ago when she was practicing and seeking knowledge of swordsmanship.

However, this situation still caused her some minor trouble.

During the day, the constables patrolling the streets subconsciously regarded Han Lu as a "suspicious person." They deliberately sought out a "retired" monk from the Zhengyi Sect, who was employed by the government, as their backer before approaching her for questioning.

The constable's thoughts were not complicated; he simply wanted to figure out whether Han Lu was the kind of important person who needed special care and protection, or the kind of important figure who would bring security risks to the peaceful town.

It was just a small misunderstanding, and Han Lu resolved it before even revealing her identity.

The Zhengyi Sect disciple who was invited to help recognized Han Lu even before she revealed her identity. He immediately bowed respectfully, addressed her as "Elder Zhenfeng," and even took the initiative to chat with Han Lu for a few words.

The address "Elder Zhenfeng" made the ordinary people aware that a great figure from the cultivation world had come to the small town.

Originally, only a dozen or so people were drawn to Han Lu because of her appearance, but now she has attracted a large number of friends and relatives to admire the demeanor of the Golden Core cultivator who is at the top of the Central Plains cultivation world.

It took Han Lu a full five minutes to walk a distance of only five or six hundred meters.

Thanks to the help of the police to maintain order, this private visit to friends was barely able to proceed smoothly.

When they were almost at Zhan Yujun's residence, Han Lu used magic to conceal her presence and disappear from everyone's sight.

Her "desertion" was simply to avoid causing any trouble for Zhan Yujun and her husband's future life due to her unannounced visit.

After the crowd dispersed, Han Lu quietly appeared in front of Zhan Yujun and her husband's house, gently knocking on the door, secretly imagining and anticipating the scene when she would see her friend.

The house where Zhan Yujun and his wife lived was not large, and it did not have a three-courtyard layout. They only hired a maid to clean the rooms and help take care of the children's daily life.

Therefore, Han Lu's two knocks on the door did not reach the ears of Zhan Yujun and her husband, whose ears were filled with the sound of reading aloud.

Fortunately, Zhan Yujun and her husband were both cultivators, and they used some cultivator techniques to protect their home.

The moment Han Lu knocked on the courtyard gate, she triggered the restriction set on the gate, sending a message to the couple who were educating their children.

The couple, Zhan Yujun and his wife, were not surprised when someone suddenly came to visit.

As monks, they were wealthy and, due to their personalities, maintained good relationships with their neighbors.

During the day, people often come to visit, either to say hello and ask for a favor, or to bring seasonal fruits and vegetables to strengthen relationships.

Therefore, upon sensing that the restriction had been triggered, Zhan Yujun's first reaction was that a neighbor had come to visit.

However, Zhan Yujun's neighbors all had very loud voices. After knocking on the door, they would inevitably shout a few words to let the neighbors know that they had a harmonious relationship with Zhan Yujun's family.

Such quietness, with only knocking and no speaking, is quite rare.

"Perhaps the government has come knocking?" Guan Junyan stood up and muttered to himself. Then he looked at his son, who was already getting impatient and starting to daydream, and scolded him, "Long'er, don't daydream. When Dad comes back, I'll test how many lines of yesterday's poem you still remember. If you make a lot of mistakes, you'll have to copy that poem a hundred times today."

Upon hearing his father's words, Guan Long, who was already fourteen and a half years old, felt a pang of anxiety. He quickly flipped through a few pages of his book and began to recite in a low voice the three ancient poems he had learned the day before, so that he would not fail the test later.

In contrast, Guan Feng, Zhan Yujun's daughter, was much more well-behaved.

Listening intently as Zhan Yujun pointed out the difficult points in the martial arts manual, I noticed a striking resemblance between her and Zhan Yujun when she first joined the Zhengyi Sect.

Guan Junyan walked out of the study, quickly crossed the courtyard, and opened the gate.

Looking at Han Lu, who was only half a head shorter than him, he felt that the person in front of him looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who she was at all.

“Miss,” Guan Junyan said carefully, “May I ask who you are? Are you here to find someone or to run an errand?”

Because of Zhan Yujun, Han Lu and Guan Junyan, though they hadn't known each other for long and hadn't interacted much, were still considered acquaintances. Han Lu was quite surprised that Guan Junyan didn't recognize her immediately.

"Junior Brother Guan, it's been over ten years, you don't even recognize me?"

Han Lu's words made Guan Junyan quickly recall the senior sister he was familiar with in the Zhengyi Sect.

With a slight reminder, he remembered Han Lu's identity.

Recalling what he had heard a year ago about Han Lu forming her core, advancing to the Golden Core realm, and calling herself the True Phoenix Fairy.

Guan Junyan hesitated for a while, remembering Han Lu's earlier address, before continuing with the same form of address, saying, "So it's Senior Sister Han. You've come to see Yu Jun, right? Please come in and sit down."

Han Lu was satisfied with Guan Junyan's way of addressing her.

Although she has an extremely long lifespan and a bright future, she doesn't want to become a lonely person too early in her cultivation journey.

Guan Junyan led Han Lu into the room and into the study.

Unlike Guan Junyan, Zhan Yujun recognized Han Lu at a glance.

Han Lu, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, suddenly came to visit, her face full of surprise.

"Han Lu." Just like before, even though Han Lu had advanced to the Golden Core stage, Zhan Yujun still addressed her by her given name.

Hearing this address, Han Lu's smile grew even brighter, and she said with a smile, "Zhan Yujun, it's been fifteen years since we last met. It's so wonderful to see you again."

The two initially wanted to hug, but realized it was a little inappropriate in front of the child, so they ended up shaking hands and patting each other on the shoulder, which added a touch of sisterly affection to their long-awaited reunion.

Guan Long and Guan Feng watched with curiosity as their older sister, who had just entered the study, chatted enthusiastically with their mother, wondering about the origins of this ethereal older sister.

Thinking that her children were still by her side, Zhan Yujun took the initiative to lead Han Lu to another place, giving the place that should have been used for studying to her husband and two children.

As soon as Han Lu and Zhan Yujun left, Guan Long mustered up his courage and asked his father about Han Lu's identity.

Guan Junyan also temporarily put aside the matter of educating the two children and, like a storyteller, began to tell the story between Zhan Yujun and Han Lu.

Han Lu stayed at Zhan Yujun's house for one night and left the next day.

That year, two things happened in Wangshi City that were widely talked about.

First, Guan Feng, a girl from Zhan Yujun's family, was taken into the Zhengyi Sect and was even selected by a Golden Core cultivator to become an inner disciple.

Secondly, a fairy maiden rode a phoenix and flew over Wangshi City.

There are rumors that the fairy riding on the phoenix was the Golden Core cultivator who appeared in the city that day, while there are also rumors that the phoenix was the cultivator who appeared in Wangshi City that day, and the one riding on its back was an even more powerful Nascent Soul cultivator.

Opinions varied, but these two incidents became topics of conversation over tea and dinner, lasting for a year or two before being overshadowed by other new things and leaving the dinner table.

Chapter 661 Returning to Dongyang, Mo Yu

After spending two days catching up with Zhan Yujun, and then carrying her friend into the sky in the form of a phoenix to fulfill one of her dreams, Han Lu quietly left Wangshi City and headed north to Dongyang City once again.

Han Lu went to Dongyang City to find Wen Xiaonan, a chivalrous hero she had met before, to see how he was doing and whether the order in Dongyang City had improved after the intervention of the Zhengyi Sect cultivators who had retired to the mortal world.

However, so many years have passed. For a cultivator like Han Lu, it is only a blink of an eye, but for a mortal, it is half a lifetime.

Han Lu's trip ended in disappointment. Wen Xiaonan, the chivalrous hero who once protected Dongyang City, had not served as the "Guard Office Magistrate" in this place for more than ten years.

Han Lu inquired about news from the elderly in the garrison and learned that Wen Xiaonan, who was nearly sixty years old, had already been promoted and went to work in the capital city based on his achievements in his work outside.

As for what official position Wen Xiaonan holds or what job he does, this veteran soldier from the garrison who still recognized Han Lu had no idea.

Although it wouldn't take much more time to make another trip to the Southern Dynasty's capital from here, Han Lu for some reason lost the desire to go again.

Slightly regretful, Han Lu had originally intended to pass on some of the "sword skills" she had obtained from Helian Ren to Wen Xiaonan, hoping that this talented ordinary hero could carry forward this sword art.

Han Lu dismissed the idea, thinking it was simply a case of being destined to meet but not to be together.

After a pause, Han Lu asked the veteran about the current situation in Dongyang City.

The news from the veterans was good news.

With the help of "retired" cultivators, Dongyang City, located at the mouth of the Yuanshui River, quickly wiped out the river bandits and mountain thieves in the vicinity of the city.

Only a small number of pirates are still making a living on the high seas.

After all, pirates are elusive, and most of the cultivators who assist the government in apprehending them do not possess the ability to fly.

If the pirates are determined to hide on a remote island in the ocean, even hundreds or thousands of Qi Refining cultivators may not be able to wipe them out.

With the thief problem largely eliminated, the crime rate inside and outside Dongyang City dropped significantly, and the already thriving commerce became even more prosperous.

Hearing that the result was even better than she had imagined, Han Lu couldn't help but secretly wonder if the abundant good fortune that had descended when she formed her core a year ago was partly due to this matter.

When the veteran asked Han Lu if she wanted to meet the current "garrison commander" to inquire about more specific details, Han Lu replied, "No need."

After generously giving away some loose silver coins, Han Lu flew away gracefully.

Han Lu flew westward along the source of the river.

This route is not the shortest route to the West; it's just that Han Lu wants to fly over the countless ships that attempt to connect the North and South, to experience the mundane world in another way, and to strengthen her resolve to seek the Tao.

Not long after, another city with which she had a deep connection came into her view.

Ink Rain City.

The cave dwelling of Xiaoyaozi was once located on the outskirts of this city, and that was the place that changed Han Lu's fate.

Passing through this place was not on Han Lu's planned itinerary.

However, as Han Lu passed by the edge of Moyu City, she couldn't help but control her body and descend. After more than thirty years, she wanted to go to Xiaoyaozi's cave again to see what it looked like now.

Recalling the approximate location of the cave in her memory, and using her divine sense to look down from a high vantage point, Han Lu easily found the small village built around the cave.

Han Lu knew very well that after she took away Xiaoyaozi's inheritance from the cave, although the cave would still maintain its general appearance and stand in the suburbs for a few years, eventually all the restrictions and formations would become ineffective, turning it into an ordinary cave and revealing all its mysteries to the outside world.

But she didn't expect that even so, after losing the biggest attraction of the inheritance cave, the small village did not decline.

The stories about the cave dwellings are still being told, but the small merchants and vendors who made a living from them have disappeared.

Independent cultivators who legitimately sell cultivation materials have become the main force in village markets.

Meanwhile, the rogue cultivators living near Moyu City and the disciples of nearby small sects regard this place as a good place to trade cultivation materials.