The Long Journey to Immortality

Han Lu felt a little embarrassed because she hadn't put in much effort but had gotten a raccoon demon for free and had gained even more spirit stones.

She declined, saying, "Forget it, forget it, let's split it 50/50."

Zhan Yujun was stubborn. "A promise can't be changed or broken. You've put in a lot of effort on this, so this is what you deserve."

Despite declining several times, Zhan Yujun, who lacked spirit stones, still refused. Han Lu, at least, kept the spirit stones and gained this small advantage.

"Alright then, remember to call me next time there's something like this."

Although she obtained nearly two thousand low-grade spirit stones from Xiaoyaozi's cave, with the Spirit Gathering Array of the Dharma Seat, a major consumer of spirit stones that requires a lot of spirit stones every day, by her side, Han Lu's desire for spirit stones was not much less than that of ordinary cultivators. Earning a few more spirit stones was ultimately a good thing.

The cooperation was pleasant, and Zhan Yujun was naturally willing to partner with Han Lu to make money again. "Of course, but such good things don't happen every day. Maybe even when the spirit stone supply is restored, such good things won't happen again."

After all, there aren't many low-level demonic beasts as popular as the Tanuki Demon. It's considered impressive if an ordinary low-level demonic beast can sell for one spirit stone.

Even if there are some rare spirit pets that can be called spirit beasts, if they appear near the Zhengyi Mountain Range, it is unlikely that Han Lu and Zhan Yujun, two cultivators with low cultivation levels, will be able to enjoy them.

Han Lu didn't mind; it was just a polite remark.

Just as Han Lu was about to say a few more words before leaving, the two paper swords triggered the restrictions on the courtyard where Zhan Yujun lived.

"Huh? A paper sword?"

Zhan Yujun looked at the paper sword outside the window, somewhat surprised. She didn't remember having any familiar cultivator friends with a cultivation level of Qi Refining Level 5 or higher.

She looked at Han Lu, "Your letter?"

“I don’t know,” Han Lu said. “Let’s put it in first. Maybe it’s one of the monks who bought your cat who’s here to argue with you, saying you sold a sick cat.”

This was just a joke. After all, even Ah Xiao was only skinny from hunger, while the other raccoon demons were definitely healthy and without any illness.

The restriction was lifted, and the two paper swords fell into the hands of Zhan Yujun and Han Lu respectively.

"I guess," Han Lu guessed, holding the paper sword in her hand before even unfolding it, "it's probably Wen Erya, Senior Sister Wen sent it to us."

The paper swords were mostly given by one person, and the only person Zhan Yujun and Han Lu could barely consider as a mutual friend was Wen Erya.

Unfolding the paper sword, Wen Erya's familiar handwriting appeared before the two.

It was indeed a letter from Wen Erya.

The two letters were sent at the same time, and their contents were naturally very similar.

Wen Erya explained that her birthday was in three days, and at 3:45 PM on that day, she would hold a small banquet at her residence in Dongshan Courtyard to celebrate her birthday, and invited Han Lu and Zhan Yujun to attend.

The letter specifically stated that the banquet was only for a few of her fellow students from Dongshan Academy, and that she did not need any gifts, only hoping that the two of them could attend.

Han Lu naturally wanted to support Senior Sister Wen, but in her opinion, it was a little strange for a cultivator to celebrate their birthday.

"This is probably the last birthday banquet before the centennial birthday celebration of Wen Erya, a Golden Core cultivator," Zhan Yujun said, having seen through the mystery, and made a rare joke.

Chapter Fifty-Eight Birthday Celebration

It's both extremely rare and common for monks to celebrate their birthdays.

It is rare because the vast majority of cultivators, even those at the Foundation Establishment stage, have a lifespan of at least two hundred years.

In these peaceful times, the vast majority of cultivators die of old age, rather than from violent deaths.

Therefore, the special significance of birthdays has diminished considerably, and naturally, few ordinary cultivators would celebrate them lavishly on this day.

Why is it so common? Because people usually celebrate their birthdays, and the cultivators celebrating their birthdays take this very seriously, making a big fuss about it, and even wanting the whole Central Plains region to know.

A few years ago, a certain elder of Xuan Yang Valley invited almost all the prominent cultivators in the Central Plains to Xuan Yang Valley under the pretext of celebrating his millennium birthday.

What appeared to be an ordinary birthday celebration was imbued with a certain political significance, providing a platform for numerous highly skilled cultivators, who might not meet for a century, to exchange ideas and socialize.

At the same time, it also gave Xuan Yang Valley another opportunity to flex its muscles.

It sends a signal to other sects and forces, especially the high-level cultivators in the Zhengyi Sect, emphasizing that it is still the number one sect in the Central Plains during this peaceful era.

This kind of thing probably happens once every ten years, and every time it happens, it causes a huge uproar and everyone knows about it.

This naturally makes people feel that this happens quite frequently.

Wen Er Ya's birthday celebration was a little different this time.

Wen Erya only invited Han Lu, Zhan Yujun, and a few others to this small banquet.

Moreover, Wen Erya was not a cultivator with high magical power.

Zhan Yujun's joke had some truth to it.

Han Lu guessed that, in Wen Erya's view, this birthday was more like a farewell to her past self.

Of course, there's also the meaning behind it: connecting with friends.

Han Lu naturally wouldn't refuse such a good opportunity to strengthen friendships and get a free meal.

With the raccoon demon A Xiao by her side, Han Lu's daily cultivation life became much more interesting.

With a clear mind, the efficiency of meditation is naturally much higher than when sitting still.

In three days, Han Lu opened two more acupoints. Han Lu even had a delusion that she might advance to the second level of Qi Refining before the competition and participate in the same level of competition test as Zhan Yujun.

With an effect comparable to a spirit-gathering array, A Xiao naturally received even more favor from Han Lu.

With Han Lu's careful feeding and the help of tonics, A Xiao, who was thin and bony when she arrived, transformed back into the size of an ordinary raccoon demon in just three days.

Judging from A Xiao's appetite at each meal, Han Lu estimated that if she raised A Xiao for another month, this gluttonous raccoon demon would probably become even fatter than the fat cat that was sold to Shui Bingxin.

Three days later, at 2:45 PM, Han Lu, who had simply dressed up and changed into new clothes in front of the bronze mirror in her room, met with Zhan Yujun, who was doing the same.

Zhan Yujun was very surprised when she saw Han Lu dressed up, and praised Han Lu for being beautiful.

It's not easy to get praise from Zhan Yujun, so Han Lu politely returned a couple of compliments, praising Zhan Yujun's new clothes for being well-tailored and complementing her figure.

No girl dislikes being praised for her beauty, and even Zhan Yujun, who is "eccentric" and unlike ordinary women, is no exception.

She replied, "I can't compare to you," but the upturn of her lips was even higher than when she captured the raccoon demon and sold it for spirit stones.

After exchanging a few polite words, the two did not use any lightness spells, but simply strolled towards Wen Erya's residence as if taking a walk.

As a disciple of Piaomiaozi, Wen Erya's residence was better than Zhan Yujun and Han Lu's. Not only was the space much larger, but it was also closer to Hanchan Peak, a place rich in spiritual energy and auspicious feng shui.

Han Lu had been here a few times, so she walked in front and Zhan Yujun followed behind.

Along the way, the two speculated about what arrangements Wen Erya would make at the banquet and who else would be invited to her birthday party.

After chatting for a while, the two realized that their understanding of Wen Er Ya was still superficial, or rather, their social interactions were more focused on "business" than private matters.

If the two people are talking about Wen Erya's cultivation level and what kind of cultivation techniques he has practiced, they can still exchange a few words and start a conversation.

But the two of them barely exchanged a few words on these two topics.

After chatting for a while, the conversation died down, so the two of them decided to stop talking and quicken their pace to avoid being late and keeping Wen Erya, the birthday girl, waiting.

Both of them were punctual people, and when they arrived at Wen Er Ya's residence, there was still some time before 5:45 pm.

After a polite knock on the door and a short wait, Wen Er Ya, the birthday celebrant whom I hadn't seen for several days, opened the door.

At this moment, Wen Erya was wearing a purple gown, exuding a noble air completely different from her usual demeanor.

Princesses are somewhat different from ordinary second-generation immortals or rich kids, let alone the thirteenth princess Wen Er Ya, who is exceptionally talented and can be considered a genius among geniuses.

Happy birthday.

Happy birthday.

"Thank you, thank you." After repeatedly expressing her gratitude and accepting the blessings from her two sect friends, Wen Erya led the two into the courtyard.

Upon entering the courtyard, seeing that there were still only the three of them, Han Lu became curious and took the initiative to ask, "Senior Sister Wen, how many people did you invite to your birthday party this time?"

"Besides you, there is also one of my study companions."

"Study companion?" This term was quite unfamiliar to Zhan Yujun and Han Lu.

Wen Erya explained, "Because of the significant age gap between me and my elder brothers and sisters, my father specially arranged for me to have a companion who was a year older than me to cultivate alongside me during my cultivation journey."

“She also joined the Zhengyi Sect a year ago, but she practiced in other mountain temples, so she may have arrived a little later.”

Han Lu and Zhan Yujun were curious about their new friend. Since sitting and waiting was boring, they pulled Wen Erya aside and asked her a lot of questions about their new friend.

Wen Erya also wanted to introduce her study companion, with whom she had spent two and a half years, to her only two close friends in the sect, so she was very open with her knowledge.

Since the emperor of Jin arranged for him to serve as the tutor to the thirteenth princess, Wen Erya, that tutor must have been someone of great importance.

"Her name is Zhu Cailian. She is the granddaughter of the Minister of War. We haven't seen each other for more than a year and two months."

"Although I am a princess and we are practicing with our master in the palace, she takes care of me in every way, which is exactly the image of an older sister in my mind."

"As for cultivation talent, his Qi perception is average, but he has top-grade spiritual roots in both water and wood, and he is currently at the fourth level of Qi Refining."

"Where is she now? If I remember correctly, she started cultivating in the inner sect of Nanshan Academy a year ago. It's a pity that the Golden Core elder who selected disciples that year was too strict, otherwise, she should have been able to become a disciple of a Golden Core cultivator."

"In last year's competition, Sister Zhu performed exceptionally well, placing in the top eight and receiving a reward of twenty spirit stones from Nanshan Academy."

……

As they were talking, the door to the courtyard was knocked on again.

Wen Erya smiled and touched the identity token that was trembling slightly because the restriction had been triggered, and said, "I guess Sister Zhu has arrived."

Chapter 59 Wen Er Ya is Jealous

The expression on Wen Erya's face was clearly more excited and thrilled than when she was welcoming Han Lu and Zhan Yujun earlier, as she was about to reunite with her childhood friends whom she had seen for more than a year.

Han Lu and Wen Erya had only known each other for two short months. Although they had established a fairly deep friendship, their relationship was still far inferior to that of Zhu Cailian, whom she had not yet met.

Han Lu understood this perfectly, unlike most girls who would feel a little jealous.

Wen Erya walked in front, while Han Lu and Zhan Yujun followed behind with some curiosity.

After a few steps to the entrance of the courtyard, Wen Erya hesitated for a moment, thought of a greeting, and then opened the door.

But the scene outside the door took her by surprise.

"Sister Zhu, who is he?" Upon seeing the unfamiliar male cultivator standing next to Zhu Cailian, Wen Erya instantly forgot all the greetings she had prepared.

“Erya, let me introduce you,” Zhu Cailian deliberately stepped aside and turned to look at her male companion, “Shi Wenguang, Senior Brother Shi, we are now considered boyfriend and girlfriend.”

It's not uncommon for cultivators to have romantic relationships and want to form a Daoist partnership with someone based on their own personality and habits.

Due to the gender ratio, it is common for male cultivators to pursue female cultivators.