The Long Journey to Immortality

Han Lu's unexpected arrival caught the Han family patriarch, Han Dangnian, completely off guard.

However, based on their previous contact and his father's guidance, Han Nian also understood that Elder Zhenfeng, who had always lived in the Southern Dynasty, was not a cultivator who valued elaborate rituals.

Therefore, when he saw Han Lu arrive quietly, he quickly stood up to offer her a seat, while simultaneously adopting an attitude of being ready to give orders and make arrangements at any time.

Han Lu didn't stand on ceremony and directly told Han Dangnian her thoughts, handing him a set of materials worth at least 30,000 spirit stones.

“If I were to give these materials directly to Yinshuang, she would certainly not accept them,” Han Lu knew Han Yinshuang’s principles very well. “Therefore, I hope to use the name of the family to deliver these materials, which are specially prepared for Golden Core cultivators, to Yinshuang.”

Holding the storage bag given to him by Han Lu, Han Niantang pondered for a moment and then came up with an idea.

“Every six months, the family sends supplies to Elder Silver Frost, who is cultivating in the Zhengyi Sect of the Southern Dynasty. Each time, they send a larger amount. Thirty or forty years should be enough.”

When the matter was brought up again, Han Lu said, "Next time, I will give Yinshuang the portion that originally belonged to me as well."

“In the future, when I settle down in the wilderness to cultivate, I won’t be able to send your things there.”

Upon hearing this, Han Dangnian finally understood why Han Lu had suddenly become concerned about this matter.

"Yes."

He readily agreed, though Han was slightly uneasy, worried about the partitioning conference sixty or seventy years later.

But thinking that Xuanfeng Daoist and Frost Fairy were still in the family, he relaxed and gained a more accurate understanding of Han Lu's purpose.

After finishing her "official business," Han Lu took out a storage bag and handed it to Han Niantang.

"I heard that the political situation in the Northern Dynasty was unstable a few days ago, and some commoners even rose up in rebellion, fighting the government in three battles, destroying two cities, and causing nearly 200,000 civilians to leave their homes and become refugees?"

Han Lu had only heard about this matter in the Southern Dynasty and did not know the more specific details.

Although the dynasties in the Central Plains were protected by cultivation sects, they were generally able to last for thousands of years and maintain their rule in the mortal world.

But this rule is not immutable and unbroken for all ages.

There will be ups and downs during this period, with local forces dissatisfied with the rule pulling in different groups, trying to seize power and profit, or trying to speak out for the people.

Wen Erya's family led an uprising of commoners who had been exploited and oppressed by the previous dynasty, and eventually seized power to become the rulers of the Southern Dynasty.

This time, the righteous army of the Northern Dynasty is also a wave that this mortal ruler faces.

The city where the uprising took place was not far from Han Family Town, and Han was naturally very clear about the specific situation there back then.

“What Venerable Zhenfeng said is true; it is indeed true, and it is even more serious than you described.”

Han realized that Han Lu was not concerned about the details of the uprising, but rather about the civilians who were displaced and forced to leave their homes because of the selfish desires of some people. So, when narrating the situation, Han focused on describing the latter.

The uprising was suppressed, but as many as 300,000 civilians either died or went into exile because of the war.

“In recent days, many migrants have passed through the town, hoping to find shelter outside the town.”

“We have taken in nearly five thousand refugees and settled them in a riverside wetland west of the town. The money and food spent on rescuing the refugees alone has cost at least a hundred taels of gold.”

While both families were calculating accounts, the Han family could only manage small accounts, using gold as the unit. In contrast, Xianyu Ji, the leader of the Zhengyi Sect, was concerned with "big business" deals worth thousands of spirit stones.

"Does Venerable Zhenfeng wish to do good deeds?" Han Nian Nian guessed Han Lu's intention in inquiring about this matter.

Chapter 1194

“That’s right, but it’s not just about doing good deeds,” Han Lu said with a smile. “If it were just about providing relief to disaster victims, I wouldn’t have come looking for you.”

"Well..." Back then, Han was just a Foundation Establishment stage Han family patriarch, and he couldn't fully fathom Han Lu's thoughts.

Han Lu patiently guided Han Nian to fully understand her thinking so that he would wholeheartedly serve Han Lu's "ambition" in the future.

"Clan leader, have you ever heard of the welfare home established by the Southern Dynasty government?" Han Lu asked, referring to the welfare institution established under the supervision of the Southern Dynasty's Empress Wenqing.

Han nodded, "Of course I've heard of it, and I even wanted to imitate it within the Han family."

"Let all the elderly in the Han family who have lost their children's support due to various accidents, and the children who have lost their parents' care, live in welfare homes, and let the family's strength help and care for them."

Hearing that Han had such thoughts back then, Han Lu immediately felt much more relaxed.

Although she was the only Nascent Soul cultivator in the family and had absolute authority, her measures could only be fully implemented if Han had shared her ideas and was willing to cooperate.

"Chieftain, have you ever thought about expanding this act of kindness to include people like those who have fallen on hard times and are now in exile due to the war?"

Han understood Han Lu's meaning instantly, "True Phoenix Venerable's idea is quite good, but..."

"But what?" Although Han Lu could guess Han's concerns back then, she didn't say it out loud.

Firstly, this is so that questions and answers can better resolve doubts.

Secondly, it was to see if the head of the Han family was competent.

“However, if this matter is implemented, it will definitely encounter many obstacles,” Han said, citing an example, “the most pressing issue being funding.”

"Now, just taking care of five thousand refugees outside the town with a low standard is already costing so much gold and silver a month."

"If we raise the standards and increase the number of people... we might spend ten, fifteen, or even twenty spirit stones a month."

Don't underestimate the significance of ten, fifteen, or even twenty spirit stones; they represent a large sum for cultivators practicing in major sects like Zhengyi Sect and Xuanyang Valley.

For disciples cultivating in the Han family, receiving three to four spirit stones a year would be considered quite good.

Even setting aside the financial pressure, Han, who made the decision, would certainly have faced criticism within the family for generously handing over such a valuable asset that rightfully belonged to the family to others.

He believed that even with Han Lu's support, it would still be the same.

After all, since the Nascent Soul cultivator True Phoenix Venerable couldn't be scolded, the only one who could be scolded was this traitorous clan leader.

Hearing Han Nian's words, Han Lu nodded slightly and said, "Are there still any obstacles? Tell me everything."

Seeing Han Lu's confident demeanor, Han guessed that Han Lu might have already come up with a plan.

Without hesitation, Han reiterated his support for the matter before continuing to discuss the difficulties of implementing such charitable acts.

How should such a large number of displaced people, orphans, and elderly be managed?

Will the sudden migration of so many people to the vicinity of Han Family Town damage the natural environment and thus affect the town's feng shui? It's worth noting that there are quite a few members of the Han family with average talent who cultivate within the family, and they are quite concerned about this matter.

In addition to these, there are a series of other minor issues.

Even how to control the number of refugees and the elderly and weak that were gathered became a problem that Han was worried about back then.

After all, gathering 50,000 people might cost 20 spirit stones a month.

However, if you gather 100,000 or even 200,000 people, the expenses will increase exponentially.

While it might not bankrupt the Han family, it will certainly cause many conflicts and even amplify the problems he mentioned earlier, turning this good deed into a bad one.

After saying so much, even Han, who was originally very supportive of the trip, was almost persuaded by himself and began to hesitate.

After explaining all his concerns and anticipated potential problems in implementing this plan, Han Nian hoped that Han Lu could provide a good solution.

Han Lu clapped her hands gently and praised, "The clan leader is far-sighted and has thought things through thoroughly. These problems may indeed exist, and even I cannot solve them."

"However, many things and many conflicts can be resolved as long as you have money."

Han Lu didn't want to deal with these troublesome matters too much. What she needed to do was to establish rules and regulations and provide sufficient funding.

Thus, she believed that her good intentions and kindness could truly reach the poor people in need in the Northern Dynasty, thereby realizing to some extent her long-held wish to improve the world and enable the people of the Central Plains to live a happy life.

Or perhaps it was ambition, since to outsiders this seemed like a pipe dream, something impossible to achieve.

The humanistic spirit she inherited from her mother is the fundamental reason why Han Lu, who has already advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm and left the "common people" behind, still holds such thoughts.

That was part of the reason why I supported Wen Qing becoming empress.

Immediately afterwards, Han Lu revealed her plan.

“Since the plan is to accommodate at least 100,000 or even 200,000 people, it is not enough to simply build a building like the Southern Dynasty’s welfare home that only houses a few hundred people… In order to accomplish this, I plan to build a city.”

"A city that only exists in my ideal world."

"A city where everyone is equal, relationships are harmonious, everyone has enough to eat and wear, and life is happy and fulfilling."

Han Lu tilted her head slightly, and her tone of voice rose considerably as she spoke.

Upon hearing this, Han's smile became slightly stiff.

This does not mean that he does not yearn for the ideal society and ideal life described by Han Lu.

It's a real test for him to be entrusted with such a beautiful but difficult-to-achieve ideal and to strive for it.

Fortunately, Han Lu is a "treasure" in the family, a Nascent Soul cultivator.

If it were anyone else chatting with Han back then, he would have kicked them out long ago.

After recounting her vague and idealistic vision, Han Lu then brought up a series of more practical issues.

"In order to realize this ideal and make a great attempt, I have prepared a full 20,000 spirit stones in that storage bag as start-up capital for the plan."

"All you need to do is make good use of this spirit stone to help me complete the construction of this ideal city."

Upon hearing that Han Lu had such a generous offer, Han Nian's hand, which was holding the storage bag, trembled slightly.

"I asked Queen Wenqing of the Southern Dynasty to arrange for people to draw up the city's design plans half a month ago."

"Once I have the blueprints, you can arrange for the Han family members who are cultivating within the family, as well as the refugees living elsewhere, to work together to build the city as a form of work relief."

"Besides that, there are many other details to consider, which I will explain to you one by one now. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

Han Lu was full of confidence, feeling that although the matter might not end well, she was sure that with her efforts, it would get off to a good start.

Chapter 1195

The ideal is very rich, but it seems very thin.

Although he had already discussed countless possible problems and had received a storage bag containing 20,000 spirit stones from Han Lu, Han Nian still believed that there were many unsolvable issues in the matter.

“Venerable Zhenfeng, I admire your ideals and dreams,” Han Nian once again expressed his support to avoid any misunderstanding from Han Lu. “However, in my opinion, there are many problems that cannot be solved simply with spirit stones.”

"Or rather, at the very least, it's impossible to solve this directly with just 20,000 spirit stones."

Han made his point clear back then and quickly explained the reasons for his judgment.

Since the topic of funding came up, he naturally calculated a financial account for Han Lu according to his own ideas.

While gesturing and counting on his fingers, Han calculated for Han Lu how many spirit stones and gold it would cost in a year to support a city that could accommodate at least 200,000 "old and weak" people.

According to Han's statement back then, if everything went smoothly, even excluding the cost of building the city, the annual expenses would be close to five hundred spirit stones.

"Based on this calculation, 20,000 spirit stones can only last for about forty years."