The Long Journey to Immortality

……

Kong Qiaosheng's analysis was very logical and he arranged everything perfectly.

Hearing that his friend, who was already married and had personally pursued the girl, was so confident, Lü Zhi felt much better.

"Okay, I'll do as you say. I'll try it tomorrow."

Chapter 831 Flanking Attack

They had planned out the general steps and procedures, and had a clear way of executing their so-called "relationship plan." The two of them then made some optimizations to the details.

Just as they were having a pleasant conversation, a manager finally used the "imperial sword" given to him by Lü Zhi to smooth things over and retrieve the Five Poisons Token that a certain customer had consigned from the underground treasury of the Immortal Pavilion Tower for Lü Zhi.

Of course, in accordance with the rules, the reason for obtaining the Five Poisons Token was to inspect the auction items.

Everything is reasonable and compliant. As long as it is taken out for a look and then put back in time, it will not have any negative impact on Lü Zhi or the Immortal Pavilion.

After receiving the Five Poisons Token, Lü Zhi examined the token, which was not particularly large.

It is entirely green, made of jade, and no bigger than the palm of your hand. The top of the token is engraved with the five Five Poison Gods of the Five Poisons Sect.

The lower half, apart from some intricate and beautiful decorative carvings, contains only three simple characters.

These three characters mean "Five Poisons Order," but the font and script used are not the common script used in cultivation circles such as the Central Plains and the East Sea.

It is a variant script that the Five Poisons Sect deified for its missionary purposes.

It is evident that the Five Poisons Token was originally a tool used by the Five Poisons Sect to "proclaim" its teachings to ordinary people in the southern border regions; it was a sacred object representing a broad faith.

No wonder Yi Qiyan believed that bringing the Five Poisons Token, which had been lost outside, back to the sect would solve everything and even bring great benefits to her and her master.

The Five Poisons Token was passed between the two men for a while, but neither Lü Zhi nor Kong Qiaosheng could discern anything mysterious about it.

Fortunately, although the two were not experts in appraisal, since every consigned magical artifact and material was to be auctioned off, the appraiser would add a commentary when appraising and registering the item.

Combined with the consignor's self-praising words, the two gained a much better understanding of this sect's most precious treasure.

Based on this accurate information, although the two did not know the predicament Yi Qiyan was facing within the Five Poisons Sect, they could roughly guess why Yi Qiyan would be eager to obtain this treasure, which was closely related to her, at the auction.

"Most likely they'll bring it back to the sect to claim credit," Lü Zhi thought simply, but he hit the nail on the head. "What do you think?"

Looking at his friend, Lü Zhi still wanted to hear more of what this friend, who had already been with his lover for a long time, had to say.

Kong Qiaosheng answered simply, "The reasons may be simple or complicated, you don't need to worry about them. Just understand that this is something that the person you like wants, and that's all."

Lü Zhi nodded repeatedly in agreement, saying, "Brother Kong is right."

Immediately afterwards, Lü Zhi looked at the starting price of the Five Poisons Token and said with some concern, "It only starts at three thousand five hundred spirit stones, so I think it can be won for a maximum of seven thousand spirit stones."

"Given Yi Qiyan and her two friends' financial resources, it should be a sure thing that they will buy the Five Poisons Token at the auction."

"Knowing this doesn't seem to help me get closer to Yi Qiyan."

Lu Zhi's concerns were reasonable, and upon hearing this, Kong Qiaosheng was also somewhat perplexed.

“You’re right. How about we think of some ways to create some difficulties so that the token doesn’t fall into the hands of those three fairies… and then you can deliver the token to them?” Kong Qiaosheng wasn’t good at using crooked methods to fall in love, but that didn’t stop him from helping his brother come up with some slightly wicked ideas.

"Isn't this a bit too deliberate?" Lü Zhi didn't focus on the "bad" idea in the first half of the sentence, but rather on the method and approach in the second half.

“No,” Kong Qiaosheng said with a smile, dispelling his friend’s concerns. “If you are already familiar with Yi Qiyan and have reached a friendship level by then, given your status and position in the Immortal Pavilion, this action will only seem natural.”

Kong Qiaosheng changed his tone and described to Lü Zhi the scene when this final step was carried out.

"Yi Qiyan, a cultivator from the Five Poisons Sect in the Southern Frontier, had a close friend in the East Sea named Lü Zhi. After learning about the problems and difficulties her friend was facing, Lü Zhi did his best and went to great lengths to help her overcome her troubles, relying on his status and network within the Immortal Pavilion. In the end, the two developed feelings for each other and eventually got married, enjoying a long and happy marriage..."

"Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Listening to Kong Qiaosheng's exaggerated description, Lü Zhi couldn't help but laugh at his friend's words.

The two laughed heartily for a moment before stopping their thoughts from wandering further and focusing their attention back on the present.

He summoned another steward and returned the Five Poisons Token intact. Lü Zhicai and his friend continued to discuss the next day's matters.

"It seems that tomorrow's first meeting will be a crucial battle, and we can't afford to be careless."

Seeing his friend so serious, Kong Qiaosheng finally believed in his friend's so-called "true love".

He offered his full assistance and even gave Kong Qiaosheng a few special pointers.

"Don't just focus your efforts on Yi Qiyan, you also need to get closer to Wen Erya and Zhenfeng Fairy Han Lu."

Hearing this, Lü Zhi was somewhat confused. "What do you mean? Are you telling me to prepare for failure? Or are you suggesting I try to have multiple approaches and stick to the idea of ​​seeing all three fairies at first glance?"

“No, that’s not it,” Kong Qiaosheng explained. “I just wanted to give you two more helpers.”

"What do you mean?" Lu Zhi, who always relied on his status and power to make female cultivators pursue him, was suddenly confused about the reason.

"Just like you would ask me this kind of question, do you think if Yi Qiyan thinks you are a good person and knows your thoughts, would she seek help from Wen Erya and Zhenfeng Fairy?" Kong Qiaosheng explained the mystery to Lü Zhi step by step.

In just this one game, Lü Zhi suddenly realized something.

"Makes sense, makes sense."

"I understand, I understand."

As a result, the two added many more details about Han Lu and Wen Erya to their plan.

Especially Han Lu, even if he didn't pursue her, Lü Zhi felt that being familiar with Han Lu would be of great benefit to his business.

Han Lu and her two companions, who had only been staying in the waterside pavilion courtyard vacated through connections for less than half an hour, were unaware of this.

Just a few miles away in the Immortal Pavilion Tower, the three of them inadvertently captured the heart of a man over 130 years old, gaining a admirer of considerable status in the East China Sea.

The three of them were still gathered together, discussing their itinerary for the next few days. They were also planning when to attend the auction and what useful resources to buy with their spirit stones, hoping to gain more unexpected rewards from this trip to the East Sea.

The next day, while the three were cultivating in their respective rooms, a paper sword flew to the outside of Yi Qiyan's room.

The restriction was triggered, and Yi Qiyan stepped out of the room, a question lingering in her mind: "Where did this paper sword come from?"

Unfolding the paper sword, she saw a few lines of writing on it, and her doubts only increased.

"Is someone coming to visit the Immortal Pavilion?"

"Was there a mistake when paying for the spirit stones yesterday?"

"The son of the Immortal Pavilion Master will personally come to apologize and make up for the lost spirit stones?"

Chapter 832 The visitor is not friendly?

Holding the paper sword, Yi Qiyan murmured repeatedly, "Strange, strange."

Based on her experience in cultivation, every detail of this matter seemed strange.

The paper sword said that the son of the pavilion master who came to apologize would arrive soon. Yi Qiyan was naturally anxious and took the paper sword to seek advice from her two friends.

Of the three, Han Lu has the most experience in cultivation.

Yi Qiyan could tell that there was something strange about the information conveyed by the paper sword, and Han Lu could naturally see it as well.

Smooth the paper sword, spread it out on the table, and Han Lu pointed at it with her finger.

“Xiange is a large trading company that has stood in the East Sea for tens of thousands of years. It is unlikely that they would make such a mistake when doing business with the three of us yesterday.”

"Besides, before we left, Er Ya and I counted the spirit stones to make sure they were correct. How could there be any 'shortage' or any claim that we were shortchanged by a hundred spirit stones?"

At this point, Wen Erya nodded repeatedly and agreed, "I counted twice, no more, no less, just right."

“That’s right, I find that very strange,” Yi Qiyan said. “If there was no mistake, why would the Immortal Pavilion send a letter? Shouldn’t a large merchant guild like that value its reputation and credibility the most?”

"What good does it do to create something out of nothing, to fabricate a mistake out of thin air?"

Han Lu was thinking a lot, and even further ahead. She pointed at the latter half of the paper sword with her finger, "This is probably related to the young master of the Immortal Pavilion who is about to visit the three of us and apologize on behalf of the Immortal Pavilion."

"What do you mean?" Wen Erya was a little slow on the uptake.

Yi Qiyan quickly realized, "Is this young master deliberately creating a plausible reason to come here and meet us, in order to establish a relationship with us?"

"That should be right," Han Lu thought so too, "but what kind of relationship is it?"

With very little information available, Han Lu couldn't quite figure it out for the time being.

Wen Erya then remarked, "Perhaps you intend to expand your business to the Central Plains, the Southern Dynasties, or the Southern Frontier?"

Wen Erya's speculation was reasonable, and Han Lu and Yi Qiyan nodded in agreement.

But upon closer reflection, Han Lu felt that it was somewhat unreasonable. "But there are quite a few cultivators who have dealt with the Immortal Pavilion since arriving in the East Sea. If they really want to open up the market, why not just send people to the Zhengyi Sect or the Five Poisons Sect to negotiate directly?"

"You want to use the three of us as an opportunity to communicate and connect? I don't think it's necessary."

That makes sense, and this time it was Wen Erya and Yi Qiyan's turn to nod in agreement.

Yi Qiyan's mind raced, and she laughed, "Maybe it's because the young master of this Immortal Pavilion saw that you, Han Lu, are beautiful and come from a good family, and that he has taken a liking to you."

Hearing this, Han Lu's neck stiffened, while only Wen Erya nodded and said, "That's one possibility."

Thinking about it carefully, the other party's open and aboveboard visit couldn't possibly be malicious.

The three of them disregarded whether the other party was acting for public or private reasons, and only focused on preparing for the challenge.

Fifteen minutes after the paper sword was sent, Lü Zhi and his friend Kong Qiaosheng arrived with several jewelry gifts and the "shortage" of one hundred spirit stones.

Although he didn't deliberately burn incense, bathe, or "dress up," Lü Zhi looked less like a playboy and more like a business elite on this day.

Since it was originally the property of the Immortal Pavilion, there was naturally no hindrance for Lü Zhi, the young master, to come and go.

The store staff relayed information to each other.

Lü Zhi and Kong Qiaosheng were invited and successfully entered the waterside courtyard where Han Lu and the other two were temporarily staying. In the reception room, they met Han Lu and the other two for the first time in a proper manner.

Upon seeing the other person's face, Han Lu and the other two realized that this so-called "Young Master of the Immortal Pavilion" was the important figure who had brushed past them at the entrance yesterday.

Naturally, the three of them sifted through the various options in Lü Zhi's mind and selected the most likely one.

Han Lu muttered to herself, "They're probably here for a blind date."

After saying this, Han Lu disregarded all talk of "nature," "instinct," and "a beautiful lady is sought after by a gentleman," and immediately labeled the young master of the Immortal Pavilion, Lü Zhi, as "using public office for private gain."

Lü Zhi and Kong Qiaosheng were thinking of finding a breakthrough by talking to Han Lu and Wen Erya, but as soon as they appeared, they inexplicably lost points.

“Three fairies,” Lu Zhi sat up straight, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, “I am Lu Zhi from the Immortal Pavilion. I have come today to apologize to the three fairies.”

“Due to a minor oversight by a certain manager, the reward given to the three fairies yesterday was one hundred spirit stones short,” Lu Zhi said, placing the storage bag on the table. “This is the missing one hundred spirit stones. Please check and keep it safe, three fairies.”

"In addition, there are some small gifts."