The Long Journey to Immortality

"Once you open your mouth, things are going to get interesting today."

"Old sir, what are you going to talk about today?"

"I have the money ready, I'm just waiting for your story."

……

The old storyteller seemed to be the star of this teahouse.

Compared to guqin music and magic performances, storytelling and narration are more to the liking of ordinary tea drinkers, and the desire to participate is very strong.

The old man didn't greet acquaintances to avoid neglecting strangers. He simply stood in the center of the stage, holding a feather fan in one hand and a gavel in the other, bowing and greeting everyone in all directions.

After this opening sequence, two servants from the teahouse carried a chair and a table onto the stage.

After greeting the tea drinkers, the old man sang an opening song, which earned him a round of applause. Then he sat down in his chair, struck the gavel, and began the actual performance.

Han Lu could barely understand the old man's opening remarks.

It's probably a song that combines the Daoist titles of ten well-known cultivators in the cultivation world with their most famous supernatural abilities.

Han Lu was more focused on the cultivation itself and had only heard of a few of the names in the song, but that didn't stop her from clapping and cheering for the old man.

Releasing the gavel, the old man habitually shook his feather fan in the center of the not-so-warm teahouse in winter. After the applause subsided, he began to speak, "Thank you all for coming. Today, I will tell you a story. The first part is an old poem, an old story, about the legendary ancient cultivators Fang Lin and Wang Han, who were powerful figures of the human race who dominated the Central Plains 100,000 years ago."

The matter of the ancient cultivation secret realm had already spread throughout the cultivation world. In the capital of the Southern Dynasty, a place where the mortal world and the cultivation world had the closest contact, the vast majority of mortals also knew about the fact that the ancient cultivators Fang Lin and Wang Han had left behind a treasure for a destined person to claim.

Naturally, the deeds of these two ancient cultivators became the most suitable story to use as a prelude to the current events.

Han Lu's eyes lit up when she heard the two names mentioned by the old man.

Wen Erya reacted quickly and whispered, "Junior sister is lucky. She can hear the story she wants to hear before she even reaches the Royal Library."

Han Lu nodded slightly, intending to listen attentively, but an unexpected event occurred.

Even the best story gets tiresome after a while.

As soon as he opened his mouth to say a word, the tea drinkers on the first floor of the teahouse started shouting and jeering.

"You've already told this story so many times, let's hear a different one."

"Yes, I can almost recite it from memory."

“You’ve told this story at least 20 times in the last three months, haven’t you?”

"Isn't it just about Senior Wang Han's ingenious plan to avert disaster? Why don't you come down and I'll come up and tell everyone?"

A series of witty remarks came from the mouths of the many tea drinkers, dressed in both elegant and rustic styles, their clever words eliciting laughter from everyone.

The old man with the mouth standing on the stage was not annoyed. He simply waved his feather fan, calmly and composedly saying, "You are right, you are right. Anyway, I have many stories to tell. What would you like to hear?"

Han Lu sat in her seat listening, wishing she could draw her golden sword and slay each of the talkative tea drinkers on the first floor to shut them up.

Wen Erya quickly came up with a solution: "Junior sister, don't worry. We'll wait here for a while. Once the old man steps down from the stage, we'll go find him and buy his storybook about the ancient cultivation era."

"However, the story he had was probably just a folk tale, its authenticity unknown, and it was likely that many parts had been altered."

Wen Erya assumed that Han Lu only wanted to know about the ancient cultivation era because of the ancient cultivation secret realm, so she gave her a reminder to prevent Han Lu from believing unofficial histories.

Han Lu nodded and said, "Senior sister's idea is good. Let's sit here a little longer."

What cultivators lack most is time, but what they have most of is also time.

Such disruptive jokes seem to have happened quite often to Yi Zhang Zui. The regulars in the audience, upon hearing this, spoke freely and began to request the stories and jokes they wanted to hear.

The distinguished guests sitting in the private room seemed to have their own ideas as well.

In a short while, three more slips of paper were handed to the mouth.

After careful consideration, taking into account the opinions of major investors and regular customers, a decision was made with just one word.

“It seems everyone wants to hear something new. Well, as those who know me know, I have a cultivator friend who practices in the Zhengyi Sect,” the old man said with a hint of pride. “A few days ago, he returned to his hometown to visit relatives and celebrate the New Year. He happened to stop by my place for a visit.”

"A month ago, the Zhengyi Sect Grand Competition just ended, and many talented young people flocked to it."

"The story I'm about to tell you is one I heard from him."

He paused for a moment, glanced at the expectant expressions of the regular customers, and then continued speaking.

"Let me start by talking about the Thirteenth Princess, a cultivator from the inner palace who made a name for herself in this Zhengyi Sect competition."

Perhaps he had already noticed Wen Erya on the second floor while sitting in the audience, because after saying this, the old man bowed again towards Wen Erya's location.

After hearing the opening remarks of the story, the tea drinkers sitting near the two women frequently glanced at Wen Erya.

Upon hearing that she had become the protagonist of the story, Wen Erya's expression changed slightly, but she did not stop the old man from continuing his story.

Clearly, Wen Erya was also curious and a little vain, wanting to see how she would look in the story.

Because Wen Erya was a princess with a noble status in the Southern Dynasty and was present to listen to the storytelling, the old man's story is closer to a "historical book" than a "fictional tale".

The old man vividly depicted the various details of the competition. While describing the process of the contest, he would occasionally show off his ventriloquism, using a feather fan and a gavel as props. He spoke and gestured, immersing the many tea drinkers in his story.

Even when they heard the crucial part, when they heard Wen Erya cleverly use her magic weapon to win the championship, some people excitedly clapped and cheered for Wen Erya.

It was as if he were sitting by the ring, having just watched the final match.

Seeing the audience's enthusiastic response, the old man didn't hold back his stories and mentioned the names of several young cultivators who had won first place in the competition in the teahouse, making them famous.

Han Lu's name was not among them.

Wen Erya originally intended to say a few words of comfort to Han Lu and to speak up for her junior sister, who was even more talented than herself.

Just as Wen Erya was about to speak, she heard a voice calling "Han Lu" drifting from the side.

Han Lu also heard people whispering about her name. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw two cultivators chatting there.

"Senior brother, this old man is no good. He probably doesn't have a single cultivator friend. These stories are all just hearsay. He mentioned a few names, but didn't mention the name of the most promising cultivator in this competition."

"Who? What do you mean? Junior brother, explain yourself more clearly."

"Han Lu, senior brother, didn't you watch the competition that day?"

"Yes, I saw it, but I don't remember such a person."

"A champion at the second level of Qi Refining," the junior brother pointed out.

The senior brother shook his head. "I just happened to miss that match. What, is that cultivator named Han Lu very powerful?"

The two recognized Wen Erya, but did not know Han Lu, let alone the relationship between Wen Erya and Han Lu.

"Not only is she powerful and talented, but she's also beautiful. It's said that she's already reached the third level of Qi Refining this month," the cultivator said, clicking his tongue. "It's just a pity that she has a heart of stone and is a vile witch like a wicked cultivator. I heard that most of the cultivators who fought against her in the competition were seriously injured, and two of them even lost their happiness for the rest of their lives."

Upon hearing this, the senior student tensed up and instinctively squeezed his legs together. "Is it that scary? Did you see it yourself, or did you hear it from someone else?"

"I didn't see it, but my roommate saw it," the junior student said.

The senior brother pondered, "That's not right. I remember your roommate is at the eighth level of Qi Refining. She shouldn't be competing with that Han Lu. How would she know these things? She probably just heard it from others."

"Impossible. He's a well-known gossip in the sect. When Han Lu first entered the sect, her background was shrouded in mystery, but he still managed to find out about it easily with a little effort."

"He learned about this from an informant, and that's how the news spread."

After saying this, the junior brother pretended to be nonchalant, took a sip of tea, and said, "What a pity, what a pity."

Upon hearing this, Han Lu was not angry; instead, she seemed to have grasped some key point.

"Sure enough, someone was fabricating stories about me behind my back for some unknown purpose, and I finally caught them red-handed."

Han Lu stood up and walked towards the two male cultivators who were chatting happily.

Wen Erya had expected a bloody incident, but to her surprise, Han Lu used her beauty to trick the two fellow disciples who didn't know her into telling her everything.

In just a few words, Han Lu had found out the information about the informant.

“Zhong Wencheng, from Zhongshan Hospital, lives in the fourth berth of No. 13, Third Courtyard, Outer Gate.”

After receiving this information, Han Lu sneered inwardly three times and said, "When I get back, if I still remember this matter, I'll settle accounts with you, you gossip who likes to make up stories."

[Author's Note] Some people say that the protagonist used to have bloodline talent, so why was he so weak? Actually, he's not weak anymore.

Chapter 130 Four Eras

After recounting the deeds and stories of several talented young people in the competition, the old man had been speaking non-stop for a full half hour on the stage.

A regular customer on the first floor, being quite perceptive, was pleased to hear this and, being acquainted with the old man, took the initiative to pay for a pot of tea to be served by the teahouse waiter, so that his mouth could be moistened and his thirst quenched.

The old man took a couple of sips of tea, thanked them repeatedly, sang a song, and then ended the topic of the Justice Gate Competition with a few words, starting to talk about things outside the Central Plains.

It talked about the struggle between two sects in the Western Regions and the mysterious witchcraft and Taoist magic of the Southern Barbarians.

The story concludes with a battle among rogue cultivators from the East Sea who vie for the Golden Elixir.

As the old man finished telling his story, the winter rain stopped.

Amidst applause, the sound of tipping coins hitting the ground, and the setting sun peeking out from behind the clouds, the satisfied tea drinkers dispersed.

Han Lu, who was sitting on the second floor of the teahouse, kept an eye on the old man's movements. When she saw that the old man had finished packing up the tip money and was preparing to leave, she quickly followed him, afraid of losing sight of him.

This matter was not exactly a secret, so after the old man left the teahouse, Han Lu used her lightness technique to easily stop him outside.

When Han Lu appeared, he was so startled that he instinctively mistook her for a "robber" who dared to rob him in broad daylight and try to steal his reward money. He almost screamed for help.

Before Han Lu could explain, Wen Erya, who arrived late, dispelled the old man's doubts.

Would the Thirteenth Princess conspire with someone to rob him? You couldn't even come up with such a story yourself.

After the two explained their purpose, he was very straightforward and invited them to his home as guests, saying that he would give Wen Erya all the storybooks he had received from his master and the storybooks he had compiled over the past few decades.

With the advancement of printing technology, these vernacular stories were not unique copies; they were simply "secrets not passed down through generations."

"I only ask one thing of the Thirteenth Princess: please include the storybooks I sent out in the Royal Library, so that my lineage may become famous in the Southern Dynasty."

It's perfectly normal for a storyteller who's not short of money to want a reputation.

This was just a small favor for Wen Erya. In order to help Han Lu get her hands on these stories about the ancient cultivation era, Wen Erya naturally agreed without hesitation.

Upon arriving at the old man's home, Han Lu and Wen Erya did not linger. After taking a total of sixty-seven volumes of storybooks and listening to the old man reminisce about history, they bid farewell and left.

Although it was said to be a gift for Wen Erya, in reality, it was not much different from a gift for Han Lu.

However, after Han Lu finished reading the parts she was interested in, Wen Erya still needed to put in a little effort to donate these stories to the Royal Library through special channels.

These storybooks should be displayed on bookshelves for people to read, instead of spending their time in dusty warehouses like ordinary donated items.

After dinner, Han Lu went straight back to her room, thinking that she could read a few stories and flip through some novels before her daily cultivation began.