The Long Journey to Immortality

Mo Zhehan had never met his father, who was just an ordinary mortal. This relative must be from Mo Zhehan's mother's lineage.

"In other words..." Han Lu pressed on, "that cultivator who is suspected to be Xiao Ran's old friend might be a true spirit, the Zhulong true spirit?"

“You’re right,” Mo Zhehan said, “but only if my guess is correct.”

Han Lu's curiosity was completely piqued. "Tell me in more detail."

Following up on what had just been said, Mo Zhehan continued, "A few years ago, when I went to the Wildlands to see my mother, I saw quite a few True Spirits of the Candle Dragons, who were at least at the Transformation Realm, in the gathering place of the Candle Dragons in the Wildlands."

"One of them is a blood relative of my mother, and he is quite similar to Fellow Daoist Xiao's description, especially his hair color, which left a deep impression on me, but..."

After mentioning the similarities, Mo Zhehan then brought up the differences, "It's just that Fellow Daoist Xiao's old friend is at the Foundation Establishment stage, while the True Spirit I know is at least at the Transformation stage."

"Moreover, Zhulong rarely leaves the gathering place to go to the Great Yu Dynasty, let alone make friends with an ordinary cultivator..." Mo Zhehan added, "My mother is an exception."

Finally, Mo Zhehan revealed the most crucial point: "In terms of family ties, she should be considered my cousin..."

"A woman?" Han Lu asked in surprise.

Mo Zhehan nodded, his smile slightly awkward. "So, I hesitated a bit when I brought this up. I was thinking of taking this opportunity to go back and verify it, ask him in person, and then tell you about it when I have a concrete result."

"But after thinking about it carefully, I should mention it to you first and ask for your advice."

Han Lu nodded slightly, sat up straight, and was no longer as casual as before.

"Firstly, cultivation level isn't really a problem."

"Now, if we want, we can also disguise ourselves as Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"As long as we don't act too casually, those pseudo-core cultivators definitely won't be able to see through our true strength."

"The second point..." Han Lu paused, then squeezed the Moon Pearl in her hand again, "Maybe your sister and your mother have the same personality. Besides, there are no completely protective restrictions or formations between the Great Yu Dynasty and the Wilderness."

"It's not impossible that a Candle Dragon that has reached the Transformation Realm would want to come to the Great Yu Dynasty for some fun."

"The last one..." Han Lu tried to smooth things over, "It's just a simple trick of changing form, I can do that too."

As she spoke, Han Lu used the Illusionary Phoenix's methods to transform herself into a male form, and then transformed back after three breaths.

"Perhaps, your sister traveled in the Great Yu Dynasty in this way, and happened to meet Xiao Ran, who was also a heavy drinker, and that's how they became friends."

With Han Lu's explanation, all the problems were indeed no longer problems.

Mo Zhehan chimed in, "That's right. Let's just assume it's as we suspected. Now that you mention it, it's certainly very possible."

“But there’s one thing that doesn’t make sense,” Han Lu said. “If your sister really is Xiao Ran’s brother Long, then why would she steal Xiao Ran’s storage bag?”

"Back then, Xiao Ran was just a rogue cultivator at the Pseudo-Core Realm. There were no valuable items in his storage bag that would make a True Spirit covet them. I don't know if the contents of his bag added up to ten thousand spirit stones."

"She's definitely not short of money, so there's absolutely no need for her to do something like this and ruin a friendship that's been built up with such difficulty."

Suddenly, Han Lu's expression turned strange. She had a vague premonition. "Could it be that something happened or clashed between her and Xiao Ran during those few days, which led her to do such a thing?"

[Author's Note] Yesterday, I suddenly gained 2000 more subscribers in one day. Did something big happen? ...This part is a story about dragon blood.

Chapter 944 Sunbathing the Moon

Han Lu's guess does make some sense.

However, Mo Zhehan also found a minor problem.

"However, I don't think Fellow Daoist Xiao is a confused person who can't distinguish between close and distant friends. The two of us have gotten along very well these past few days. He doesn't seem like the kind of cultivator who would cause trouble with his friends for no reason."

"Han Lu, your guess might not be accurate."

Han Lu disagreed, saying, "That's because you didn't see him when he was drunk."

"Maybe Xiao Ran got into a fight with that Brother Long while he was drunk, and even got into a physical altercation, which offended him badly and made him want to take revenge, which led to this outcome."

Han Lu recalled the few times she had seen Xiao Ran drunk decades ago.

"Although Xiao Ran didn't go on a drunken rampage in front of me the two times he got drunk, there's no guarantee that he wouldn't be too unrestrained and make a scene in front of Brother Long, whom I consider a close friend."

Mo Zhehan also drinks frequently. Although he has a high alcohol tolerance and knows how to control himself, he has never gotten drunk. However, he is aware of the madness of drunk people.

“You never know,” Mo Zhehan recalled. “My sister seems to have quite a temper. If she really suffers a grievance, she might impulsively do something like that.”

Both nodded, and Han Lu concluded the discussion with a few words: "Let's leave it at that for today. All of this is still just our speculation."

"Whether it's really as we think, you'll have to go back to the wilderness and ask your sister yourself."

“I will, if the situation is true…” Mo Zhehan’s expression was a little strange, “That would be too much of a coincidence.”

"Yes, it's such a coincidence."

For some reason, Han Lu couldn't help but think of what Mo Zhehan had once told her about his mother's experiences in the Dayu Dynasty.

She vaguely felt that what happened when Xiao Ran was drunk that time was probably not as simple as an argument.

I continued to sit by the window, bathed in the moonlight, playing with the moon pearl, enjoying this moment that brought me joy.

In the past, Mo Zhehan would have definitely left quietly at this point.

But now, after weighing the pros and cons and considering Han Lu's changes, Mo Zhehan decided to shamelessly stay. He even approached Han Lu and said, "Han Lu, can I bask in the moonlight with you?"

Looking sideways at Mo Zhehan's serious face, Han Lu suddenly felt an urge to laugh.

Suppressing a laugh, Han Lu said softly, "Okay, let's sit together, but don't sit too close and block the moonlight."

Mo Zhehan was overjoyed upon hearing this, and felt even more grateful to his senior brother Dong Fengyu, convinced that he had indeed taught him how to open the door to love.

Mo Zhehan quickly sat down and tried to find a topic to talk about, attempting to rekindle their deepest feelings for each other, just like that night when they were boating on the lake.

Of course, he wouldn't repeat the mistake he made that night, nor was there any need for him to.

"Han Lu, what kind of magic weapon is that bead in your hand? I've never seen you use it before."

"Oh, it's just a magical artifact that can assist in cultivation and help harmonize one's state of mind."

"It looks pretty, can I touch it?"

"No."

Why?

"Because I usually keep it hidden in my chest."

"Uh, okay."

"Would you believe me if I said this magical artifact is extremely rare and can travel through time to see events that happened in the ancient cultivation era?"

"I believe you, I believe everything you say."

……

This time, the conversation flowed freely, and Mo Zhehan was no longer as reserved as he had been back then. He was also much more adept at sweet talk.

The next day, the two Golden Core cultivators were still full of energy, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever.

On this day, the two went to the shops in the city that sold cultivation pills and potions as agreed, to complete their final preparations before heading to the wilderness.

Although the Thick Earth Pill, a Golden Core-level elixir used in the Great Yu Dynasty to assist Golden Core cultivators in their cultivation, is not as effective as the Yellow Dragon Pill refined by the Zhengyi Sect, Han Lu still had to purchase it in large quantities here to ensure a smooth cultivation process and a sufficient supply of pills.

For a cultivator like Han Lu, whose cultivation method is "luxurious" and who needs to "take pills" every time he cultivates, his storage bag must be filled with pills to aid his cultivation during the more than ten years he spent in the wilderness.

It's no wonder that a pharmacy that encounters fewer than ten Golden Core cultivators a year would need to spend several days coordinating resources, collecting medicines, and even specially setting up a furnace to refine pills to meet Han Lu's needs.

Even with a discount, it would still cost ninety spirit stones to buy one of the three hundred pills.

This huge deal of 27,000 spirit stones made the pharmacy a fortune, and it also freed Han Lu from any worries when she went to the wilderness and returned home to cultivate. She no longer had to worry about the lack of pills or materials affecting her cultivation.

As for the magical alchemy furnace that Han Lu occasionally mentioned, which was sold or delivered at half price, it was just an add-on to this deal.

This was a gift she prepared for an elder of the Huanfeng clan. Although Han Lu had no intention of becoming the clan leader in the future, it was still necessary to maintain a polite social relationship with the Huanfeng clan, whom she was not familiar with but held a high position.

After completing this big deal, Han Lu had no need to stay any longer. Eager to return home, she didn't linger for a moment and boarded the ark with Mo Zhehan again.

They used the Ark to complete the last short stretch of road within the territory of the Great Yu Dynasty.

After crossing the border between the Great Yu Dynasty and the Wilderness, the two of them promptly put away their flying magical artifacts and transformed into their true spirits to continue their journey.

Before the transformation into a true spirit, Han Lu still remembered her promise to the Bitter Tea Hermit. She activated the small positioning magic device in her storage bag, hoping to use it to let the Bitter Tea Hermit verify their shared conjecture.

While piloting a magical ark within the territory of the Great Yu Dynasty might be somewhat ostentatious, it serves to demonstrate one's strength and deter petty harassment.

In the wilderness, transforming into a true spirit form to travel can serve the same purpose.

Similar scenes had played out with Donghai Yu Hanlu and Mo Zhehan before, so the two were not surprised and even developed some tacit understanding, enabling them to fly at a speed that was comfortable for both of them.

However, the many magical beasts living in the wilderness rarely see dragons and phoenixes flying together. Most of them will look up and watch them go, wondering in their hearts why such a thing would happen.

Although the dragons and phoenixes in the wilderness are not as incompatible as those in the East Sea, they are not friends either.

Han Lu remembered the way home, but because she wasn't very clear about the distribution of those warlike magical beasts in the wilderness, she flew along the route that her older sister, Feng Rubing, had taken her home for the first time.

With the true spirits of the dragon and phoenix as their protective charms, Han Lu and Mo Zhehan did not encounter any dangers even in the perilous wilderness.

Only when I occasionally encounter members of the same clan do I need to temporarily pause to socialize with them.

Faced with the young dragon and phoenix together, the elders from both clans did not criticize or say anything old-fashioned or unpleasant in front of Han Lu and Mo Zhehan.

Most of them would only sigh a couple of times after parting, ending with "It's so good to be young," without giving Han Lu any chance to explain the misunderstanding in person.

Chapter 945 Going Home

However, after such a period of time happened once or twice, Han Lu got used to it and didn't think it was a big deal.

Mo Zhehan, on the other hand, was enjoying it and couldn't wait for others to misunderstand.

It would be best to spread rumors again and see if you can use public opinion to help you get things done.

Even flying at full speed in her True Spirit form, it would take Han Lu a full month and a half, given her current cultivation level. The speed was almost the same as when Feng Rubing carried her.

At this speed, it would take about half a month to travel from Manxi Prefecture to Sanfeng Forest.

It's neither long nor short.

While flying alongside Han Lu, Mo Zhehan remained hesitant.

He hesitated whether to shamelessly stay by Han Lu's side for a while longer, or even go directly to Sanfeng Forest to visit and stay with Han Lu's parents, to see if he could open up a second front and make a good impression on Han Lu's parents to improve his future marriage prospects.

This was a difficult decision, and Mo Zhehan hesitated for a long time.

Mo Zhehan made his decision only when he could see the Sanfeng Forest in the distance.