The Long Journey to Immortality

Song Zhengqi naturally knew that Han Lu was mocking the excuse he had given up a year ago.

With a formidable enemy at hand, he had no time to enjoy the concern of Han Lu, this beautiful female cultivator.

He knew that this seemingly beautiful and charming female cultivator was actually a "demoness".

Getting out of bed, Song Zhengqi hurriedly tidied his clothes. He was glad that he didn't have the habit of sleeping naked in the heated kang bed during winter.

Coughing twice and straightening his hair, Song Zhengqi said, "I feel pretty good. I slept very well today."

"Han Lu, after I eat breakfast, if I don't have diarrhea, I'll have a competition with you and give it a try."

Han Lu said, "Okay, then I'll wait for you, but..."

"A simple competition would be too boring. You know, I traveled all the way from the Zhengyi Gate of the Southern Dynasty to find you..."

After these words were spoken, Song Zhengqi looked embarrassed. His fellow disciples looked strange, but Wen Erya almost burst out laughing.

"How about this," Han Lu said, "If I lose, I'll grant you one request; if you lose, you'll grant me one request, okay?"

Hearing this, Song Zhengqi, whose mouth was already dry, became even more puzzled. "Could it be that this beautiful woman has taken a liking to me? Does she think the way I get beaten up is cool?"

"Anything at all?"

"Anything is fine," Han Lu said indifferently.

With a small stake, Song Zhengqi, who loved playing dice with his fellow apprentices to pass the time in winter, didn't hesitate at all.

He thought to himself, "I'm risking my life to find a wife. Even if she's a vixen, she's so beautiful. Marrying her is definitely worth it!"

Thinking of this, Song Zhengqi said solemnly, "Okay, Han Lu, it's a deal. I'll eat breakfast first, and then we'll fight."

"Do you have a fighting ring here?" The shabby appearance of the Tang family surprised Han Lu.

As it turns out, Tangmen didn't even have a fighting arena. When the brothers wanted to spar, they would find a deserted spot and perform their techniques at will.

Therefore, Han Lu and Song Zhengqi's second battle was arranged on a snowy field not far from the compound.

Han Lu and Wen Erya, led by the young Taoist who had just shown them the way, visited Tangmen.

Surrounded by his fellow disciples who stayed in the sect for the winter, Song Zhengqi went to the canteen for breakfast.

With the mountains blocked by heavy snow, Tangmen's already meager canteen naturally offered no delicious or appealing food.

With a steamed bun in his left hand and a plate of pickled vegetables on his right, Song Zhengqi was calculating the upcoming competition with Han Lu.

Seven or eight of Song Zhengqi's fellow disciples stood at the entrance of the canteen, not daring to make a fuss, for fear of disturbing Song Zhengqi's efforts to replenish his energy and prepare for the competition later.

Just as Han Lu had suspected, Song Zhengqi did indeed go on a mad spree of self-improvement for a period of time after losing to Han Lu. He even went so far as to study the timing of Han Lu's moves on the stage in an attempt to find a way to counter them.

Based on his own situation, Song Zhengqi analyzed it one by one, simulating the battle that was about to take place.

“I am currently at the ninth level of Qi Refining, while Han Lu was at the third level of Qi Refining a year ago. Even if she is a genius of the Zhengyi Sect, she is at most at the sixth level of Qi Refining now. In terms of cultivation level, I am still a step ahead of her.”

Without considering the cultivation techniques, Song Zhengqi's cultivation level alone has improved significantly in the past year.

He was only three acupoints away from opening his eighth spiritual meridian, but within a year he barely managed to become a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

This gives Song Zhengqi, who is of average talent and already 28 years old, a slight possibility of advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage.

“In Tangmen, I’m fighting on my home turf. The spiritual energy here is cold, and Han Lu will definitely not be used to it since she just opened her cultivation. She won’t be able to recover her spiritual power by breathing in spiritual energy during the battle. I can try to fight a war of attrition and win by relying on her recovery ability and cultivation level.”

Han Lu's combat prowess, demonstrated a year ago, left a deep impression on Song Zhengqi, who subconsciously chose to avoid her sharpest attacks.

"In the end, I think Han Lu is probably after me and wants to throw herself at me," Song Zhengqi, who was considered the second senior brother among the Qi Refining cultivators in the sect, felt good about himself. "She'll definitely hold back when the fight starts later."

Thinking of this, Song Zhengqi smiled, as if he were eating a grand feast even though he was eating pickled vegetables and steamed buns.

"Let's have one boy and one girl."

“Send the boy to Xuan Yang Valley, and the girl to Zheng Yi Sect.”

"A hundred years from now, the cultivation world of the Central Plains may be under my command."

……

The Tangmen disciples watching from outside the canteen assumed that Song Zhengqi was confident and had mixed feelings about his situation.

Some people were jealous that Song Zhengqi was about to win the heart of the beauty.

Some people envied Song Zhengqi for his good fortune with women, wondering if he could get together with Wen Erya.

Others are happy, because in these boring winter days, there's finally some good entertainment to watch.

After eating until he was half full, Song Zhengqi couldn't wait to leave the cafeteria and head to the agreed meeting place.

After strolling around the open space for a while, Han Lu and Wen Erya finally arrived late.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Are you feeling better today?

"It feels very comfortable. Maybe we can feel comfortable together later."

Who will be the referee?

"Let your senior sister be the referee."

After a brief exchange, Han Lu and Song Zhengqi stood on opposite sides of the open space, while Wen Erya acted as the referee, standing between them.

The Tang Clan disciples who had followed Song Zhengqi to the competition venue kept their distance to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"Are you ready?"

Song Zhengqi thought Han Lu would shout "Ready?" in perfect unison with him, but to his surprise, Han Lu simply nodded to Wen Erya.

Wen Erya lightly leaped back more than ten meters before raising her hand and saying, "I'll count down from three."

"3."

"2."

"1."

"start!"

Han Lu didn't waste even half a second.

She took out the "Wutong Wood Flute" directly from her storage bag and skillfully began to play the tune she had practiced countless times throughout the year.

Just as Song Zhengqi was about to take out the spirit sword from his storage bag, he heard only two syllables before feeling dizzy and his limbs went numb.

In just a few breaths, Song Zhengqi collapsed in the snow and fell unconscious.

Seeing this, Wen Erya did not wait a moment before announcing the results of the competition. At the same time, she praised, "Junior sister, you are becoming more and more skilled with the wooden flute. If it weren't for the magical artifact protecting me, I would probably have been affected and fainted."

After saying that, Wen Erya realized that the competition was not taking place on the ring and there were no barriers to protect the audience.

Sure enough, when Wen Erya looked at the surrounding crowd, she found that most of the Tang Clan disciples were already slumped over, and only a few who were standing far away were still barely able to stay conscious.

Seeing this, Han Lu smiled sheepishly and apologized, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have used that trick."

After picking up the wooden flute again and playing a piece called "Purifying the Mind," everyone's discomfort improved.

Lying on the ground, Song Zhengqi, who was having a sweet dream, also woke up swaying as the music ended.

He glanced at Han Lu, who had already put away her wooden flute, and then at himself sitting on the ground.

Without the slightest hesitation, Song Zhengqi immediately changed from sitting to kneeling on one knee and said to Han Lu, "Senior Han, what are your instructions? I will do my best to fulfill them."

Hearing "Senior Han" made Han Lu feel refreshed. She smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. Come on, let's talk in your room."

Chapter 141 Yan Yang Sect

"Senior Han, what are your instructions? I will do my best to fulfill them."

Han Lu was a little uncomfortable with Song Zhengqi's respectful manner, but she quite enjoyed being addressed as "Senior Han".

She suddenly understood why most cultivators would give themselves a grand and prestigious Daoist name after reaching the Golden Core realm.

"It's nothing too troublesome, I just wanted to ask you to be my guide," Han Lu explained her purpose.

"Guide?" Song Zhengqi was quite puzzled that these two beautiful female cultivators had come to Yanzhao for tourism in the dead of winter. "There's nowhere to go in this freezing weather."

Seeing that Song Zhengqi treated her like a tourist, Han Lu could only patiently explain, "I came here for the Yan Yang Sect."

"The Yan Yang Sect? That place is even less worth seeing. It's dilapidated and in ruins. In the summer, it might be considered a cultural site, and it would be somewhat worth visiting."

"In winter, those dilapidated houses are covered in snow inside and out."

"It's strange, but that's the coldest place in Yanzhao. When I was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, I had to wear thick clothes to barely avoid getting frostbite."

"It's probably because there are still some remnants of the spiritual vein that the Yan Yang Sect occupied back then."

"Senior Han, Senior Sister Wen, you two are dressed so lightly. Why don't you come with me to the Northern Dynasty Emperor's palace for a stroll? That's the only place in Yanzhao that's still somewhat interesting in winter."

Hearing these two strange titles, Han Lu chuckled inwardly and couldn't help but glance at Wen Erya.

As expected, Wen Erya, who was used to calling Han Lu her senior, was slightly displeased to hear Song Zhengqi, who addressed Han Lu as "senior," simply call her "senior sister."

She said sternly, "Oh? You want me to go to the Northern Dynasty emperor's palace? If political problems arise, can your Tang family bear the responsibility?"

Upon hearing Wen Erya's words, Song Zhengqi suddenly remembered that the eldest disciple of this master's junior brother was the thirteenth princess of the Southern Dynasty.

He quickly changed his tune, saying, "I can't accept that, I can't accept that. Let's listen to Senior Han and go for a stroll around the Yan Yang Sect."

"Are you familiar with the Yan Yang Sect?" Song Zhengqi's words made Han Lu feel a little uneasy about him as her temporary guide.

Song Zhengqi patted his chest and said, "In terms of familiarity with the Yan Yang Sect, ranking in the top 100 in Yan Zhao is not a big problem."

As he spoke, Song Zhengqi recalled his childhood, "Back when I hadn't yet started cultivating immortality, my friends and I would often run to the ruins of the Yanyang Sect to play hide-and-seek."

"I am already very familiar with those dilapidated houses and courtyards. I cannot give Senior Han a history lesson on the Yan Yang Sect."

"But it's just a guided tour, no problem."

Han Lu was relieved after hearing Song Zhengqi's words.

"Okay, is it alright to leave now?"

Song Zhengqi realized the reason why Wen Erya had "criticized" him, so he changed his form of address and invited her again, "Why don't you two seniors have a simple meal before you leave?"

"We've already eaten, let's go." Wen Erya felt much better after hearing that he had become a senior among cultivators of the same realm. She was magnanimous and forgot about Song Zhengqi's past offense.

Thus, under the envious gazes of his fellow disciples, Song Zhengqi became Han Lu and Wen Erya's guide on their trip to Yanzhao, leading them to the Yanyang Sect, which had long since become ruins.