The Long Journey to Immortality

Han Lu reached out and grabbed it, then raised her hand and shook it, causing the robe to fully unfold in front of everyone.

Nian Haoge, standing to the side, had a complicated expression and hesitated to speak.

"Not bad." Han Lu casually praised, already having figured out how to handle this mess.

Having completed the transaction, the two cultivators from the East Sea dared not linger. They bowed respectfully, said "See you again if fate allows," and then hurriedly summoned their flying magic treasures, fleeing thousands of miles away.

Seeing the other party's "escape" posture, although Han Lu did not know the details of the battle between the two and Nian Haoge, she could guess that Nian Haoge must have left a deep impression on these two East Sea cultivators with his own abilities.

Having resolved the external conflicts, Han Lu, holding her Dharma robe, looked at her apprentice Nian Haoge, intending to begin resolving the internal conflicts.

"Haoge, come here."

Han Lu waved to Nian Haoge.

Nian Haoge obediently followed orders and flew towards Han Lu with his head down.

Han Lu didn't say much, and simply draped the tattered robe over Nian Haoge's shoulders.

"Not bad," Han Lu praised, looking at the charred cloud patterns on the Taoist robe. "It matches you perfectly, and the size is just right."

These words surprised Nian Haoge.

Nian Haoge crossed his arms and tugged at the Taoist robe draped over his body to prevent it from slipping down, and asked in confusion, "Master, why didn't you criticize me?"

"What did I criticize you for?" Han Lu asked, hands on her hips, looking at her disciple who had been training with her since she was fifteen.

Nian Haoge was stunned for a moment, then began to reflect on his actions.

After berating himself, Nian Haoge added "extortion" and other crimes to his list, and was just one more self-criticism to submit to Han Lu.

Seeing that Nian Haoge's self-examination was appropriate, Han Lu completely lost the idea of ​​criticizing him. "I thought you would find some reasons to explain this irrational and outrageous behavior, but I didn't expect you to admit your mistake so frankly."

“Indeed, it seems that I have not taught you wrong in terms of Taoist cultivation over the past few decades, and you are also on the right path in terms of character and morality.”

Seeing that Han Lu showed no sign of blaming him, Nian Haoge was slightly puzzled.

After all, in her eyes, although Han Lu was gentle and kind, she was still a strict teacher, and the way she was handling things now was not like her usual style.

"Master, is there something else I've done wrong?" Nian Haoge asked timidly. "If there is anything I've done wrong, please tell me directly."

Like Wen Erya before him, Nian Haoge has clearly made the mistake of having too much imagination.

Han Lu shook her head and said, "No, you did make the same mistakes I just mentioned. The reason I'm forgiving you so quickly isn't because I've lowered my standards for you, but because I recognized the origin of this robe and roughly guessed why you're so obsessed with this magical artifact."

"It's understandable. You haven't committed any heinous crimes, so you can just laugh it off."

Nian Haoge grasped the key point in Han Lu's words, "Master, do you recognize this magic weapon?"

"I've seen it before, but you probably don't recognize it. You're just so fixated on this treasure because it seems familiar or has some connection to you," Han Lu said, offering her guess.

Nian Haoge rubbed his fingers against his robe, nodded slightly, and said, "Master guessed correctly. Not only that, I even..."

Before he could finish speaking, Nian Haoge channeled some of his spiritual power into the robe that had not yet been refined and recognized as his own.

As she opened her arms, the robe automatically appeared on her body, giving the originally dark robe a slightly different color.

“I can even control him directly.”

"This made me feel a connection with it, which is why I thought about bidding for it."

"It's a pity I was short of money and couldn't rightfully acquire it at the auction."

"I have no choice but to put on the Zhengyi Sect uniform today and see if I can 'bully others' and 'force a sale' to take this treasure into my pocket."

In just a few words, Nian Haoge explained the details that had not been mentioned before, and also made Han Lu and the others understand why Nian Haoge would wear the Zhengyi Sect elder's uniform, which he didn't usually wear, to play the "villain".

Wen Erya asked, "Haoge, do you know the origin of this treasure?"

Nian Haoge shook his head.

"This treasure is indeed of great importance to you," Han Lu concluded first.

These words made Xiao Ran even more curious. "Are you playing riddles? Explain it clearly already."

Nian Haoge also pleaded, "Please enlighten me, Master."

Han Lu wasn't in a hurry, and instead asked, "Haoge, we're going back to the Central Plains, do you want to come back with us?"

After training in the East China Sea for several months, Nian Haoge already had the idea of ​​returning to the Central Plains.

Driven by her thirst for the truth, she immediately replied, dressed in a Taoist robe, "Yes, I will go back with my master."

Chapter 1047 Background

The four returned to the ark and sat around a table.

Nian Haoge, the youngest of the four, served tea and water to the four of them before taking his seat.

Nian Haoge respectfully held the cup with both hands, bowed to Han Lu, and said, "Master, what is the origin of this magic weapon? Why do I feel familiar with it and even manage to control it without recognizing it as my master? Please tell me."

In fact, Nian Haoge already had several possible answers in her mind, but she still needed to wait for Han Lu's answer to confirm the specific result.

Han Lu took a sip of tea and started talking about something else.

"Haoge, do you still remember the scene when you first joined the Zhengyi Sect and became my disciple?"

Nian Haoge's heart sank, and he vaguely felt that he might have guessed the answer correctly.

"I remember, of course I remember."

Nian Haoge's thoughts drifted back to the time when he became an apprentice.

Initially, Nian Haoge was introduced to the Dezhengyi Sect by a special person arranged by Daoist Yunmin.

As for why he became a disciple of Han Lu, who was only a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator at the time, it was mainly because Han Lu had the deep trust of Daoist Yun Min.

Of course, the presence of Han Lu and Wen Erya during Elder Haoge's tribulation was also one of the reasons why Daoist Yunmin made such a choice.

The apprenticeship ceremony was very simple back then because Han Lu was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

After the ceremony, Nian Haoge asked Han Lu about her parents.

Han Lu was worried that Nian Haoge was still young at the time and would be bothered by her unique background, so she declined, saying that she would tell her this story, which was different from other cultivators, after Nian Haoge advanced to the Golden Core Realm.

Just then, Nian Haoge unexpectedly obtained a relic belonging to Elder Haoge, and his cultivation level also reached the early stage of Golden Core.

Han Lu felt it was time to fulfill her promise and tell Nian Haoge about her unique background.

"Haoge, this robe, which was destroyed by the lightning tribulation, is a relic of an elder of a sect."

"That elder has a great relationship with you."

Nian Haoge was mentally prepared for this and calmly asked, "Master, is that elder my father or my mother?"

This question stumped Han Lu. After a moment of thought, she said, "In terms of gender, he is the father, but in terms of relationship, he is closer to the mother."

Hearing Han Lu's answer, Nian Haoge was a little confused. "Master, what exactly is going on?"

"Be patient and let me explain slowly," Han Lu didn't mince words and told Nian Haoge the whole story to avoid any further questions. "Back then, an elder named Haoge, who had reached the peak of the late Golden Core stage, attempted to undergo tribulation but perished under the might of the heavenly lightning tribulation..."

Han Lu started by talking about Elder Haoge's tribulation, which led to the mention of the robe that Nian Haoge wore during his tribulation, which didn't actually play a significant role.

Then it goes on to say that Elder Haoge failed his tribulation, leaving behind a Dao embryo that had not fully transformed into a Nascent Soul.

Finally, it was revealed that Nian Haoge was formed from that original Dao embryo.

"Haoge, this is your background. Because it is somewhat complicated and different from others, I didn't tell you about it at the time."

"Now, you have grown up and become a Golden Core cultivator."

"In my opinion, they should be able to accept this part of their background by now."

“You were born with the Dao Embryo, which is based on the Golden Core,” Han Lu said, having been paying close attention to Nian Haoge’s expression. “That’s why you are able to control this item that once belonged to Elder Haoge to a certain extent without having to recognize a master.”

After listening to Han Lu's story, Nian Haoge fell silent.

After a long while, Nian Haoge sighed and said, "So that's how it is."

Seeing that Nian Haoge only showed this reaction, Han Lu breathed a sigh of relief and thought to herself, "Indeed, it was a wise choice to tell my disciple about this matter at this time."

Han Lu turned slightly to the side, placed her hand on Nian Haoge's shoulder, and said, "Haoge, after we return to Zhengyi Sect, I will take you to pay respects at Elder Haoge's memorial tablet."

“Hmm,” Nian Haoge rubbed his eyes with his hand, “Thank you for telling me this now, Master. I just feel a little sad, inexplicably sad.”

Han Lu comforted her, "When I first learned about my background, I probably felt the same way you do now. Cheer up."

This statement is somewhat untrue, after all, Han Lu's father is still alive and fulfilled his duties as a father in their subsequent interactions.

Han Lu was about to end this not-so-pleasant topic when she suddenly remembered something. "By the way, when Sect Master Yun Min led you into the sect, did she ask if you wanted to cultivate?"

“I did ask,” Nian Haoge looked up at Han Lu with teary eyes, “Master, this is the path I chose, it shouldn’t have gone against my father’s last wish, right?”

“Definitely not,” Han Lu said firmly. “Not only have you not violated it, but you are now fulfilling Elder Haoge’s true last wish step by step.”

"You must cultivate diligently, successfully pass the tribulation, become a Nascent Soul cultivator, and fulfill your father's dream."

"Can you grant my request, Master?"

Nian Haoge nodded emphatically and replied, "Yes, Master, I will definitely strive to realize my father's dream."

As usual, Han Lu ruffled Nian Haoge's hair and then took out a gift she had prepared earlier from her storage bag.

"Haoge, these are ten Spirit Dew Pills, which have the medicinal effect of nourishing the Golden Core."

"Take this when you have the chance during your cultivation. It will strengthen your Golden Core, solidify your foundation, and allow you to achieve a better outcome when your Golden Core transforms into a Nascent Soul."

Having received two generous gifts from his master, Nian Haoge felt a little embarrassed.

She is different from Qiu Peng.

Having grown up in the ancient cultivation secret realm, Qiu Peng was more adept at dealing with people than Nian Haoge. Whenever Han Lu gave him resources in the name of her master, he would gladly accept them.

Nian Haoge, however, had to decline several times before accepting his master's love for his disciple.

This time was no exception.

However, in the end, Han Lu still skillfully used her status as a master to force Nian Haoge to accept the gift and continue to wear the overpriced robe.

"The sect's treasury offers a service to repair magical artifacts, which can be purchased by spending contribution points."

"When the time comes, remember to restore this magic weapon to its original state."

"Elder Haoge would be very happy to see you wearing this outfit."

With just a few words, Han Lu had Nian Haoge completely under her thumb, leaving him with no intention of returning the two generous gifts to Han Lu.