The Long Journey to Immortality

“Junior sister.” Wen Erya looked at Han Lu, her expression puzzled.

"Hmm? What happened? Did something go wrong when you were meditating?" Han Lu asked with concern.

Wen Erya shook her head. "It's just that some strange things have happened."

Wen Erya continued her description, “When I first entered meditation, there was only a black night sky in front of me, but then two stars lit up.”

Han Lu was speechless upon hearing this. "This...this..."

Wen Erya was slightly nervous. "Is this some kind of bad omen?"

Han Lu quickly replied, "It's not bad, it's even better than good."

"You've only just begun practicing the Heavenly Connection Technique, and you've already received a response from two stars. You've completely mastered it," Han Lu exclaimed. "No wonder Senior Wang Han's legacy fell into your hands back in the Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm."

"Senior sister is truly gifted in divination."

Immediately, Han Lu wrote all her knowledge about star language into a jade tablet and gave it to Wen Erya.

Wen Erya was quite surprised.

Previously, when telling the story, Han Lu emphasized how incredibly difficult it was to practice "Astrology," and Wen Erya never expected that she would find it so easy to practice "Astrology."

After accepting the jade token and softly saying thank you, Wen Erya asked Han Lu, "Junior Sister, when I was communicating with the stars just now, I felt a sense of sadness coming from those two stars. Why was that?"

"Huh?" Han Lu, who was only half-baked, was a little stuck at this moment. "This... Senior Sister, did you ask the stars some questions and use astrological techniques?"

Wen Erya nodded. "What's wrong? Is it because the stars don't know the answer and are having trouble?"

"I don't know either," Han Lu said, not daring to make a judgment, and continued to ask, "What did Senior Sister ask?"

“I asked…” Wen Erya said, “I asked Xingchen, ‘Junior Sister, why did you return to the Central Plains more than ten years ahead of schedule?’”

“In that case,” Han Lu lowered her eyes, sighed, and continued, “Xingchen is probably telling you that I returned to the Central Plains so early for a sad reason.”

"Ah!" Wen Erya was quite surprised. "No way, Junior Sister, what happened? Did you run into trouble in the Wilderness?"

Han Lu shook her head. "It's not that something happened, but that I know what's about to happen."

Han Lu recounted a previously omitted part of the story to Wen Erya, making slight cuts, but the meaning was clear.

This part of the story is about Haozun helping her with divination.

“One day, I took out something and gave it to Haozun to help me divine some sensitive matters. It was because of the result of that divination that I rushed back to the Central Plains a month ago.”

"What did the divination predict?" Xiao Ran interjected.

"I divined the lifespan of an old friend," Han Lu said, taking out a jade hairpin. "This is the object I used."

Upon seeing the jade hairpin, Wen Erya paused, the joy in her eyes that had arisen from her mastery of astrology dimming.

Han Lu spoke vaguely about this sorrowful moment of parting, but Wen Erya clearly understood who Han Lu was referring to and what would happen in the future.

"On second thought, it's been almost thirty years since I last saw her," Wen Erya said in a low voice. "The last time I went to visit her was because I saw her two children in the sect."

"How much longer?" Wen Erya asked vaguely.

Han Lu did some quick calculations and said, "There are less than five months left before that day comes."

“Sigh,” Wen Erya sighed and suggested, “Junior sister, when we return to the Central Plains from the East Sea, let’s go to Zhan Yujun’s house together.”

Han Lu nodded, "I do have that intention. Not only that, I also plan to stay with Zhan Yujun for a while and accompany her on her final journey."

Wen Erya said, "It's difficult. Given Zhan Yujun's personality, she definitely won't agree to it."

Han Lu lowered her head and did not answer, clearly agreeing with Wen Erya's statement.

Chapter 1042 Special Gift

With a sigh, Han Lu and Wen Erya realized that they should have expressed their emotions accurately in front of their long-lost friend in a way that wouldn't offend him during their final moments before the friend left.

Unfortunately, time has passed, and the three of them can no longer go back to the past.

Even back when Wen Erya and Han Lu were still Foundation Establishment cultivators, the three of them rarely spent time together, let alone now.

The chasm between cultivators due to differences in cultivation level is far wider and deeper than the chasm between ordinary officials and common people.

Xiao Ran, who was standing to the side, was confused. Seeing that Han Lu and Wen Erya had both fallen silent, he asked, "What's wrong? What are you talking about?"

Wen Erya and Xiao Ran talked about many things from the past, and of course, Zhan Yujun was mentioned.

“She was a good friend I met when my junior sister and I first started cultivating. Due to various reasons, she eventually left the sect and stopped cultivating with all her might.”

"He has reached the Qi Refining Realm and is now over a hundred years old."

"Her lifespan is almost over, and she will pass away in less than half a year, so my junior sister and I are considering how to send her off."

"After all, they're friends."

When Wen Erya summarized, she used careful wording.

Xiao Ran nodded slightly and said, "I see. It's a pity that I was just a rogue cultivator back then. Although I met many cultivators along the way, I could only call them friends, let alone have deep friendships with them, and we would not cross paths again after a few years or decades."

"Otherwise, I might be able to give you some advice that could be of help."

"However... I have heard of several cultivators in the Great Yu Dynasty who frequently deal with cultivators whose lifespans are nearing their end."

Xiao Ran's words piqued Han Lu's curiosity, and Han Lu pressed for details, "To be more specific, what does it mean to deal with cultivators whose lifespans are nearing their end?"

Xiao Ran explained, "In the Great Yu Dynasty, there are several very famous cultivators who, because of their mastery of illusion techniques, are often approached by cultivators whose lifespans are nearing their end, who come to do business with them."

"Most cultivators whose lifespans are nearing their end are willing to give up all their resources to take a trip in the illusion woven by the other party, to experience the beauty they longed for when they first started cultivating, and to realize the dreams they wanted to achieve but ultimately failed to achieve in the illusion."

"It's probably similar to what you did, Han Lu, to create an illusion for Lü Zhi," Xiao Ran said, giving another analogy. "The only difference is that one is like eating candy, only savoring the sweetness, while the other is like a test, with all five flavors."

"Since you, Han Lu, happen to be skilled in illusion magic, why not take this opportunity to use illusion magic to help Er Ya and your friend fulfill their dreams in the final moments of their lives, and obtain what they desire in the illusion? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"I imagine this would be a very special, appropriate, and pleasing farewell gift."

Based on his own observations, Xiao Ran gave what he considered to be a passable suggestion.

In Xiao Ran's view, although the cultivators of the Central Plains and the Great Yu Dynasty had slightly different concepts, they were all cultivators.

Since many cultivators in the Great Yu Dynasty longed to realize their dreams through illusions "before they died," Zhan Yujun, a friend of Han Lu and Wen Erya, must have had the same idea.

It just so happens that Han Lu is proficient in illusion magic, so going with the flow and using this method would definitely be a good suggestion.

Wen Erya had a different opinion: "No way. My junior sister once said that leaving the beautiful illusion and returning to the cruel reality might have an irreversible negative impact on one's sea of ​​consciousness."

Han Lu added, "Only when a pair of eyes has witnessed the light can they know just how dark the darkness they have been seeing for so long truly is."

The book, which already dealt with some rather heavy topics, began to veer towards philosophical themes in just a few words.

Xiao Ran, however, had a different opinion.

"The same event has different meanings for monks at different ages and in different life cycles."

“Cultivators have different temperaments, and their psychological responses to encountering a situation are also completely different.”

“A vibrant young person who has seen the future they desire in a fantasy world may be more motivated to move forward, or they may be discouraged because their dream is unattainable.”

“The reactions of elderly people who are feeling old and lethargic should be more uniform and consistent.”

"My wish has been fulfilled, I am content, and I can die without regret."

Finally, Xiao Ran concluded with three idioms, clearly expressing what he wanted to say.

However, considering that his understanding of Zhan Yujun came entirely from Wen Erya, he added another sentence.

"But she's a friend of yours, and you certainly know her personality better than I do."

"So you might want to think about how she might react."

"Or you could ask for her opinion directly when you meet her."

“After all…” Xiao Ran hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Your intentions are good.”

On the topic of death, there are many things that are inconvenient to say, and Xiao Ran is quite careful not to touch on Han Lu and Wen Erya's psychological sore spots.

After listening to Xiao Ran's words, Wen Erya fell into deep thought, while Han Lu's eyes flickered, clearly indicating that she thought the matter was feasible.

The silence filled the room for about twenty breaths. Suddenly, Wen Erya raised her eyes and looked at Han Lu. Han Lu also felt her senior sister's gaze, turned her head to meet her eyes, and responded.

They exchanged glances, and without speaking, they understood each other's feelings and reached a consensus at that moment.

Skipping over the decision of "whether" to begin, Wen Er Ya started talking about what kind of illusion she should weave as a farewell gift.

“Yujun’s dream back then was to become a Golden Core cultivator. Junior sister, let your illusion be woven in that direction.”

Han Lu nodded, agreeing with Wen Erya's assessment, "Senior sister is right, using this as the main point is quite appropriate."

Xiao Ran was very happy to see that his suggestion had been adopted, and he offered more ideas, thinking of helping his girlfriend out.

"How about we create a story about the three of you growing and cultivating together in the world of cultivation? Add a few twists and turns, but ultimately end with a happy ending."

Xiao Ran then provided three keywords: "friendship, struggle, and victory."

Han Lu and Wen Erya agreed on the keywords "struggle" and "victory," but the word "friendship" gave them some trouble.

They didn't know if Zhan Yuyun, whom they hadn't seen for so long, truly missed their old friendship as much as they did, or if she truly longed to walk the path of cultivation together as much as they did.

In response, Xiao Ran offered a crucial comment: "Don't you guys have any faith in your own friends?"

This sentence awakened Han Lu and Wen Erya.

So, taking Xiao Ran's idea as a starting point, Han Lu, a cultivator skilled in illusion, took on the role of "head chef" to prepare a special farewell gift for Zhan Yujun.

Chapter 1043 Screenwriting, Customs of the East China Sea

The creation of the illusionary realm has been put on the agenda.

However, since the main effort was made by Han Lu, a True Spirit cultivator who was proficient in illusion techniques, Xiao Ran and Wen Er Ya, who knew about this matter, could only do some auxiliary work.

It could even be said that Han Lu gave up these jobs so that the two of them would feel involved and have something to do.

It's like "making a movie." Han Lu is now acting as both director and actress, while Xiao Ran and Wen Er Ya are acting as screenwriters, helping Han Lu come up with ideas and imagining what it would be like for Zhan Yu Jun to travel around with Han Lu and Wen Er Ya.

This is not hard to imagine, because there is no right answer.

In fact, Xiao Ran and Wen Erya even plagiarized certain parts of the story, copying plot points from the "cultivation novels" they usually read and presenting them to Han Lu as their own work.

However, it must be said that many hands make light work.

Inspired by numerous authors of cultivation novels and drawing upon the extensive professional knowledge possessed by the three individuals as Golden Core cultivators, this special gift quickly took shape.