The Long Journey to Immortality

After listening, Han Lu felt there was no problem. She nodded slightly, agreeing with Han's calculation from back then, and even chimed in, "If we take some unexpected expenses into account, a city built with good intentions but rapidly consuming spirit stones and gold can probably only last for thirty-seven or thirty-eight years."

"Then..." Han Dangnian was slightly surprised, "Does Venerable Zhenfeng intend to act in this way?"

Han Lu smiled and said, "As I said before, these 20,000 spirit stones are just the initial capital. If things go smoothly, there will naturally be more funds flowing in to maintain the operation of this city."

“But the most crucial thing is to enable this city to produce resources and be self-sufficient,” Han Lu said, “I just want to build a settlement that is different from other cities in the Central Plains that were ruled by the Northern and Southern Dynasties in terms of certain rules, living environment and even system.”

"It's not that I'm being overly charitable and using the Han family's and my personal funds to support a bunch of lazybones."

When Han Lu brought up this crucial point, Han's eyes lit up.

A well-managed city can generate substantial economic revenue for its administrators through self-sufficiency.

Although this income is measured in gold and silver, under the rules of the cultivation world in the Central Plains, gold and silver can be used as a general equivalent or directly exchanged for spirit stones.

If such a huge sum of income could be added and monopolized by the Han family, it would be an absolutely fantastic thing.

"This matter..." Han Dangnian no longer hesitated, "It seems feasible, but how can we make that ideal city in the True Phoenix Venerable's heart profitable?"

“That’s easy,” Han Lu said, taking out a map from her storage bag and pointing at it with her finger. “I remember that our Han family owns a piece of land near the source of the water. Isn’t that right?”

Han nodded, "That's right. This place isn't too far from the town. The medicinal herb garden we've been running is in that area."

"In order to facilitate management, we bought the entire land at once."

"Does Venerable Zhenfeng intend to build a city there?"

Han Lu replied, "That's right, that section of the river isn't very rapid, so it's perfectly suitable for some shipping."

"With both land and river routes open, as long as we manage our business properly, we won't lose money."

"In addition, I originally planned to formulate relatively lenient and free special policies for that city. If nothing unexpected happens, we may see a scene of merchants gathering in the city within ten or twenty years after its establishment."

Han pressed on, "Please, Venerable True Phoenix, explain in more detail."

Han Lu stood up, pointed at the map, and spoke with great confidence.

"The city was built on the foundation of the young and middle-aged men of this group of refugees."

“Residents under the age of fifteen, sixteen to fifty, and over fifty years old will be treated and managed in different ways.”

"Provide free education so that children living in the city can all have a skill and support themselves with their own hands in the future... Of course, if they have talent, they can also become monks."

"The elderly are provided with a monthly allowance and a large amount of basic services."

"When young and middle-aged people get old, the amount of pension they can receive depends on how much they have worked and contributed to the city."

……

Following that, Han Lu envisioned several large-scale livelihoods that could be operated in the city, taking into full consideration the matter of self-sufficiency.

In conclusion, Han Lu said, "In this way, not only can we accomplish a good deed, but we can also gain good karma by occasionally arranging for members of my Han family to manage the city."

"This auspicious connection, recognized by the will of Heaven, is of immense benefit to a cultivator's practice."

After speaking for a full fifteen minutes, Han Lu finished speaking, and Han Niantang nodded repeatedly in praise, "I didn't expect that Venerable Zhenfeng not only has outstanding talent in cultivation, but also has superb skills in governance and management."

Han Lu didn't try to make herself look good, but instead told Han Nianang the reason why she had such a thoughtful idea.

"This was actually a suggestion I got from Empress Wenqing in the Southern Dynasty some time ago."

"At that time, my thinking was very simple. Just as you said before, I only thought about spending a lot of money to do a good thing, without any specific ideas."

"That time, I originally wanted to meet with Wen Qing, catch up, see how she was doing, and ask her for help in providing a blueprint for building a medium-sized city."

"To my surprise, after I told her about this, she became quite excited and said that great minds think alike."

……

It turns out that Wen Qing had already planned this, but because she was the empress, she couldn't possibly undermine her.

As an emperor, he also faced numerous obstacles when implementing such seemingly impossible policies.

So when Wen Qing heard that Han Lu had similar ideas, she immediately told Han Lu everything she had planned, trying to use Han Lu's help to realize her dream.

Finally, Han Lu quoted a sentence that Wen Qing had once told her to describe her ideal, which had become complete with Wen Qing's help.

"To ensure that the elderly are cared for until their end, the able-bodied are employed, the young are nurtured, and the widowed, orphaned, childless, disabled, and sick are all provided for."

Han paused for a moment, savoring the beauty in that last sentence.

Han Lu spoke with ease and without any airs of a Nascent Soul cultivator. She patted Han Niantang on the shoulder and entrusted him with an important task, saying, "Clan Chief Niantang, I'm entrusting this matter to you."

"I don't expect the Central Plains to become as beautiful as I envision; I only hope that the city that is about to be built can realize my ideals and those of many others who cherish warm feelings and beautiful wishes."

[Author's Note] Although there are some repetitions in Guigu Bahuang, it is much more interesting than it seems.

Chapter 1196

Not being an idealist, Han Lu knew that completing this path was no easier than cultivating to the Nascent Soul Realm.

She would be content if she could achieve a "universal society in one city".

Having learned about Han Lu's general wishes, received a substantial amount of start-up capital, and confirmed that the matter would be profitable for the Han family, Han Dangnian, who already harbored similar aspirations, no longer hesitated and accepted this daunting task.

Han Lu did not give a precise timeline for the implementation plan, but only set a rough target for Han Nian.

"I spent a month after I got the blueprints back, allocating resources and preparing to start construction."

"The city will take shape within a year."

"With the assistance of cultivators from the Han family, and with the help of numerous new construction techniques and materials, the inner city of the city should be able to be built within a year."

"For now, we will accommodate 30,000 to 40,000 migrants, elderly people living alone, and orphans who are willing to live in the new city, and then gradually expand the city."

"By the way, we must not forget to build connecting roads and ports that can accommodate merchant ships. These are the lifeblood that will determine whether the new city can survive."

……

After Han Lu went on and on about the key points that she and Wen Qing thought were important, she finally felt at ease and entrusted the matter to Han Niantang.

Finally, Han Lu took out another 20,000 spirit stones.

"This is a resource for the family, prepared for all family members except Han Yinshuang. You can decide how to allocate it, spending more on young people who are willing to contribute to the family," Han Lu simply arranged the use of these spirit stones. "If they can be spent on some basic infrastructure to cultivate young talents, that would be excellent."

"I hope that when you return to the family next time, you can bring at least three disciples who have the potential to advance to the Golden Core realm to see me," Han Lu expressed her simple yet heartfelt wish.

Han was thrilled that his family had produced such a generous Nascent Soul cultivator as Han Lu, but he also felt pressured by the heavy responsibilities he carried.

He promised Han Lu, "True Phoenix Venerable, I will do my best."

Han Lu nodded in satisfaction, "I'll stay at the Han family's house for a few days before I leave. No special arrangements are needed; just pretend I didn't come back."

Han didn't understand what Han Lu meant back then; he just thought Han Lu was used to keeping a low profile.

After saying "Yes," he began to secretly plan how to allocate the large amount of spirit stones in his possession.

Good steel should be used where it's needed most; Han didn't want to let Han Lu down back then.

Returning to the courtyard that once belonged to her mother and maternal grandparents, Han Lu settled down in this unfamiliar yet familiar place, planning to make another trip to Nanchao in a few days to retrieve all the blueprints that Xiang Wenqing had agreed upon.

During Han Lu's short stay, she didn't plan to be idle.

She planned to travel incognito to explore the town of Han Family Town, learn more about the Han Family, and see if she could make any further contributions to the Han Family before heading to the Wild Three Phoenix Forest.

According to seniority, the Han family is considered one of the younger generations among the cultivation families of the Northern Dynasty, with a history of only 2,500 years.

The vast majority of cultivation families were born because the Golden Core cultivators of major sects were particularly enthusiastic about raising children.

The Han family was no exception.

Many factors determine the starting point of a cultivation family, among which the most influential are the strength of the first generation of the family, the abundance of resources, and whether they have left anything for their descendants.

In this respect, the Han family started from a very low point, but that did not prevent them from successfully becoming one of the top five major families among the many cultivation families in the Northern Dynasty through the efforts of generations.

Back when Han Lu had just rejoined the Zhengyi Sect, there were already rumors about her and the Han family of the Northern Dynasty.

She scoffed at the idea back then, but who would have thought that the rumor-monger would come true and guess the right answer?

The next day, Han Lu dressed casually and strolled around Han Family Town.

Although the Han family ranks fifth among the cultivation families of the Northern Dynasty, the total number of family members is only a little over seven thousand.

In cultivation families, there are many members like Han Lu's biological relatives who cannot cultivate. Therefore, in Han Family Town, in addition to cultivators, there are also many ordinary people with the surname Han and ordinary people with other surnames who do odd jobs.

In Hanjia Town, there is no particular difference in social status or rank based on surname.

The ability to cultivate oneself is the only thing that affects the status and future of every resident in Han Family Town.

For example, Xuanfeng Daoren's teacher during his early education was not a member of the Han family, but a person with a different surname who lived in Han Family Town.

He was discovered to have some talent for cultivation, which is why he followed the Han family cultivators to cultivate.

After stopping at the third level of Qi Refining, he stayed in the Han family to teach children.

This shows that the Han family did not treat outsiders who were close to them with condescension, but rather treated them all equally.

Walking along the streets of a seemingly ordinary town, Han Lu looked around, trying to capture the highlights of this mundane life with her eyes. At the same time, relying on her status as a Nascent Soul cultivator, she recklessly used her divine sense to scan the surroundings, attempting to help the Han family discover potential members and find several promising young disciples.

In cultivation families, the atmosphere of cultivation is never lacking.

Although most of the talented disciples who are over fifteen years old go out to cultivate themselves.

However, within the Han family, there are still many elderly cultivators who have returned home, underage children who aspire to cultivation and have certain talents, as well as a group of young people with mediocre talents.

In the small town of Hanjia, they each strive to pursue what they want in their own way.

Children are the most proactive; for them, the future holds endless possibilities.

The older monks were the most at ease, as they already knew their future was bleak and were able to quietly dedicate themselves to contributing their strength to the family.

Young people with mediocre talent are the most lost and confused.

Like Zhan Yujun's daughter, they didn't know whether to advance or retreat, whether they should strive for a few more years in cultivation, or whether they should accept their fate and not waste their lives for a vague and unattainable goal.

Han Lu had no intention of providing psychological counseling to these older cultivators who had similar experiences to Feng Bailu.

She focused her attention on toddlers playing in the streets and alleys, as well as children who had already begun their education and were working hard for their future.

These rising stars are more suitable for her to care about as she is about to leave the Han family.

As Han Lu wandered around, she used her divine sense to discover that an interesting battle was about to take place on a small arena at the end of a street not far away.

With a sense of curiosity, Han Lu walked over to see what the young members of the Han family were capable of and whether they could carry the banner of the Han family in the future.

There were not many onlookers, only seven children under the age of fifteen and two young people around the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight.