The Long Journey to Immortality

Han Lu then looked at Mo Zhehan and asked, "Mo Zhehan, how was it these past few days, with you showing me around and visiting friends? It's been over fifty years since I last saw Fellow Daoist Dong and Fairy Chai. I miss them terribly."

When Chai Tianjiao was mentioned, Han Lu gave a strange smile.

Mo Zhehan nodded and said, "No problem, I couldn't be happier."

Xuan Chengzi knew that Han Lu and Mo Zhehan had a relationship that was more than just friends. Even though Han Lu wasn't visiting a friend, he had no intention of making a fool of himself by being a third wheel.

He lamented that he had been cultivating for nearly 250 years and was still single, pondering why he had not yet found a suitable partner.

Dong Fengyu and Mo Zhehan are from the same clan and lineage. Dong Fengyu is Mo Zhehan's senior brother and naturally lives and cultivates within the Zixiao Sect.

Since they were all acquaintances and all at the Golden Core Realm, and led by Mo Zhehan, there was no need for prior appointments or asking for directions. Han Lu and Mo Zhehan arrived at Dong Fengyu's residence together.

Unlike Mo Zhehan, who is currently living alone, Dong Fengyu's courtyard is quite spacious.

Not counting the herb garden, it occupies a full acre and a half in the Zixiao Sect.

The Dong Fengyu family of five all lived in this courtyard.

In the living room, Dong Fengyu and his wife sat facing Han Lu and Mo Zhehan.

This combination adds a touch of ambiguity to the atmosphere of the living room, creating a more intimate, family-friendly ambiance.

Back then, Dong Fengyu and Han Lu were rivals who admired and respected each other.

More than fifty years later, when the two met again as Golden Core cultivators, they naturally reminisced about the past and inquired about each other's recent situations.

Dong Fengyu's partner did not feel jealous of her husband chatting and laughing happily with another female cultivator of similar cultivation level and extremely high appearance.

With little time left to live, she never doubted her husband's loyalty to their love, only wishing to stay by his side for a few more days.

She even hoped that such a situation would occur, considering her husband's well-being, so that he could have a woman by his side and live a happy life after her death.

Chapter 916 Three Children, Longevity Elixir

Perhaps in order to create an atmosphere of family visits and greetings to help his junior brother Mo Zhehan, Dong Fengyu specially arranged for his three children to come out and meet Han Lu.

Dong Fengyu's three children are quite far apart in age.

Dong Fengyu's eldest son is nearly seventy years old. He was born shortly after Dong Fengyu married his female companion.

His cultivation and talent were average; at seventy years old, he was still only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

However, in terms of character and morality, he clearly inherited his father's mantle and is a gentleman.

Although he hasn't married as early as his father, he already has a sweetheart in the Zixiao Sect, and it's likely that he'll be able to start a family with her in a few years.

Dong Fengyu's eldest daughter is nearly fifty years old and was born shortly after the East-West Tournament.

At that time, Dong Fengyu had just advanced to the Golden Core Realm, and the arrival of his eldest daughter brought him double joy.

Perhaps for this reason, Dong Fengyu's eldest daughter inherited his outstanding talent for cultivation.

As a second-generation immortal, he had already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment by the age of fifty.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, advancing to the Golden Core Realm is a certainty; the only question is what grade of Golden Core will ultimately be formed.

With exceptional talent in cultivation and a striking resemblance to his wife, Dong Fengyu favored his eldest daughter far more than his eldest son.

Han Lu could tell this from the look in Dong Fengyu's eyes and expression when he introduced his daughter.

This isn't exactly favoritism, it's just a matter of personal preference.

Dong Fengyu's youngest child is only two years old and is a boy.

Even though most of the monks' children are intelligent and precocious, they are still young, just learning to speak, and can barely walk on their own. They need to be supported or half-carried to come out and meet guests.

During the gathering, they took turns being held in the arms of several monks.

A child's occasional, somewhat unclear, uttered words always bring a burst of laughter.

The adorable little boy lingered in Han Lu's arms for a while, calling her "sister" repeatedly. This made Han Lu, who originally had no particular feelings for children, develop a lot of affection for this cute child.

As evening approached, Dong Fengyu's wife personally cooked dinner for him.

The cuisine of the Great Yu Dynasty differs considerably from that of the Central Plains due to the ingredients and spices used, but this did not prevent Han Lu, who was not particularly picky about food, from enjoying a delicious meal in a relaxed mood.

Although it was just a visit, Han Lu could feel the warmth of family and only thought about going home to see her parents and younger brother as soon as possible after finishing her official duties.

After dinner, Mo Zhehan left first, but Han Lu was persuaded to stay by Dong Fengyu, who invited her to have tea and discuss philosophy.

Dong Fengyu personally brewed a pot of tea and, while enjoying the incense in the tea room, he and Han Lu began to discuss issues related to cultivation.

Both were Golden Core cultivators, and although their cultivation methods were different and unrelated, they still had a lot to talk about in this regard.

After chatting for half an hour and having tea refilled twice, Dong Fengyu changed the subject and asked Han Lu some questions about the Central Plains.

"Han Lu," Dong Fengyu's gaze lingered on the view outside the tea room window for a moment before he continued, "I wonder if there are any pills or decoctions in the Central Plains that can help cultivators prolong their lives?"

This question was clearly asked by Dong Fengyu for the sake of his Daoist partner.

The Great Yu Dynasty certainly had many longevity pills, but most of them, once found, had already been collected by Dong Fengyu and consumed by his Daoist partner.

If Dong Fengyu wanted to prolong his Daoist partner's lifespan, he could only seek out new medicines to see if he could avoid the so-called drug resistance and allow her to live a few more years.

Therefore, it is natural to seek help from cultivators in the Central Plains, as it would be more likely to find a solution using medicines unique to the Central Plains.

Even if Han Lu doesn't come to him this time, Dong Fengyu will still make a trip to the Central Plains in the future to seek medical treatment or visit Han Lu for help.

If Han Lu hadn't gone to the mortal realm with Wen Erya to discuss the matter of succession to the throne, she certainly wouldn't have been able to answer this question.

But because of that experience, Han Lu learned that Wen Erya's father had lived for nearly ten more years thanks to longevity pills, and was able to talk to Dong Fengyu about it at this time.

Han Lu named several kinds of pills used by ordinary royal families, as well as two kinds of pills prepared by the Zhengyi Sect for elders whose lifespans were nearing their end.

Han Lu also wanted to do her best to let Dong Fengyu's sweet love continue for a while longer.

Dong Fengyu listened attentively, even taking out his jade tablet to record everything, and trying to find out about several kinds of pills that were not available in the Great Yu Dynasty.

"I probably won't be in the sect for the next few months or even years."

"If Fellow Daoist Dong wants to buy pills from the Zhengyi Sect, just go directly to Sect Master Qingxu. He and I are close friends despite our age difference."

"Buying just two pills shouldn't be a problem."

Han Lu took out the Joyful Jade Token and helped write a letter of introduction.

Having received the jade token and feeling reassured, Dong Fengyu quickly filled Han Lu's teacup with fragrant tea and thanked her repeatedly.

After finishing their tea, Dong Fengyu's Daoist partner specially prepared a gift for Han Lu before she left.

Although they were just some ordinary local specialties, Han Lu still put in some effort and took out a lot of supplies from her storage bag as a return gift.

The Dong Fengyu couple refused to accept the gifts, but Han Lu insisted on giving them to their three children.

The eldest son and eldest daughter gave him religious artifacts and materials.

Since the magical treasures they obtained were of similar quality, Han Lu showed no favoritism towards Dong Fengyu's two children due to their cultivation levels or other reasons, treating them equally.

Dong Fengyu's youngest son received a beautiful protective jade pendant from Han Lu, which has the effect of calming the mind and is quite suitable for young Taoist children to wear during their cultivation.

Unable to refuse Han Lu's kind invitation, Mr. and Mrs. Dong Fengyu could only ask their three children to thank her and accept the gift.

Back at Mo Zhehan's place, Mo Zhehan asked Han Lu what he and his senior had talked about in private.

When Mo Zhehan learned that Dong Fengyu had asked Han Lu about the "longevity pill," he couldn't help but sigh.

Despite his sigh, Mo Zhehan didn't say much.

After all, one can only pursue one of the two things: a spiritual partner or a romantic partner.

Is it about finding a partner of the opposite sex who can walk the path with you? Or is it about finding a partner of the opposite sex with whom you share a deep connection?

Dong Fengyu simply chose the latter option; there's nothing to regret.

From this perspective, Han Lu is very greedy, but it is absolutely understandable.

Thinking of others and themselves, Han Lu and Mo Zhehan looked at each other for a moment, then looked away at the same time.

"What's wrong? Did you get a reply from your master?"

Mo Zhehan said, "Yes, one of my senior brothers just passed on a message saying that Master will meet with you and Sect Master Xuancheng when he has time in ten days."

"Ten days? That's still early. How about you take me to find Chai Tianjiao tomorrow?" Han Lu was still thinking about this matter and wanted to go see the excitement and check on this "fellow patient".

Mo Zhehan looked worried and said, "Okay, I haven't seen her for a while either. I wonder how she is doing now."

Chapter 917 Chai Tianjiao's Predicament

"Huh?" Han Lu was quite surprised to hear this. "What's wrong? Is Chai Tianjiao in a bad situation right now?"

Mo Zhehan replied, "Yes, I didn't pay much attention before, I just heard some rumors."

"After I told you about the mishap that happened to Chai Tianjiao when she was forming her core, I have made a point of learning about her recent situation over the past few years."

Mo Zhehan and Dong Fengyu belong to the same lineage and are fellow disciples of the Zixiao Sect of the Jitian Palace.

Chai Tianjiao and Wu Jiayue, another participant in that East-West Arena Tournament, were childhood sweethearts and also senior and junior sisters from the same lineage of Qingcheng Palace.

The four individuals belong to two of the largest forces under the Jitian Palace, and nearly half of the palace masters in Jitian Palace's history came from these two forces.

The relationship between Qingcheng Palace and Zixiao Sect is only half-finished.

Without the experience of competing together back then, Mo Zhehan wouldn't even be considered familiar with Chai Tianjiao and Wu Jiayue; they would only have heard of each other's names.

Given this kind of relationship, it's perfectly normal that they don't know each other's current situation.

"What's going on?" Han Lu's curiosity was piqued. "Could it be that cultivators in the Great Yu Dynasty are particularly concerned about gender?"

“That’s not it,” Mo Zhehan explained. “The disciples and elders of the Jitian Palace are not that narrow-minded.”

"The problem lies with Chai Tianjiao herself, with issues related to her cultivation."

Mo Zhehan continued, "Counting it up, she has been at the Golden Core Realm for almost forty-five or forty-six years, but she is still stuck at the early stage of the Golden Core Realm and has lost her former genius."

"Is there a problem with my cultivation? Could it be that an accident during the formation of the core caused some impurities in my mind, resulting in a flaw, mental obstacle, or even a demon in my heart?" Han Lu guessed based on the information she knew.

Mo Zhehan nodded and said, "Probably, but I don't know the specifics very well."

"However, because of that incident, her marriage with Wu Jiayue was completely called off, which must have been quite a blow to these two childhood sweethearts."

"In addition, Chai Tianjiao made many enemies in the sect back then. Now her cultivation is not going well, and she has even been overtaken by many of her past enemies. Naturally, she will face various pressures when she cultivates in Qingcheng Hall."

Mo Zhehan deduced, "Perhaps it is these layers of reasons that caused her to have strange thoughts, forming a vicious cycle, which is why she has been unable to take the step of advancing to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm for more than forty years."