An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Inside the Cave Residence Jia Three, Luo Chen asked with puzzlement, ”Han Zheng has come to pay his respects?”

Before him stood Xing Zhonghan, a rugged man who had once led the Xing family and now served as chief of the Luo Network, the Luo Tian Society’s intelligence arm. He said respectfully, ”The visitor calls himself Han Zheng. He is most likely the real deal. After all, no one would dare impersonate the grandson of a Nascent Soul Sage.”

Luo Chen furrowed his brows. ”Isn’t that rather abrupt? He didn’t even send a visiting note ahead of time.”

Within the cultivation world, visits were usually arranged beforehand. Should such manners not be observed, attempting to disturb someone in seclusion would at best end fruitlessly, at worst be taken as a deep offense. Han Zheng’s unannounced arrival resembled nothing more than a casual visit among mortals, which left Luo Chen understandably surprised. Only after Xing Zhonghan’s next sentence did the reason become clear.

”Qin Yuanjiang has come together with Han Zheng!”

That fact alone accounted for Han Zheng’s casual visit. The man had come to accompany his junior while the latter reunited with family, and boredom likely prompted him to stop by as well.

”Did he specifically say he wished to see me, though?”

Whether the visit carried intent depended on this answer. If Han Zheng had truly come to seek him out, then this visit was worthy of consideration.

Xing Zhonghan replied, ”He did mention wanting to see you, but upon hearing you were in seclusion, he did not press further.”

Luo Chen frowned slightly. For the moment, he could not discern Han Zheng’s true intentions. Perhaps he was indeed only keeping his junior company. Perhaps he suspected Luo Chen to be the mysterious savior from the Divine Transformation pocket world. Or perhaps another motive lay behind the visit.

”Oh yes,” Xing Zhonghan added. ”It’s not only Han Zheng and Qin Yuanjiang who came to Tianlan Immortal City. There are more than a dozen Foundation Establishment disciples from the Falling Cloud Sect, including a few True Inheritors.”

He fixed his gaze on Luo Chen. ”President, will you leave seclusion to meet Han Zheng?”

Faced with that question, Luo Chen walked to the cave entrance with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes drifting far into the distance as he looked down over Tianlan Immortal City.

Only after a long silence did he nod slowly. ”I must leave seclusion, yes. But meeting Han Zheng is secondary. Qin Yuanjiang matters most.”

Xing Zhonghan was puzzled. To his knowledge, Qin Yuanjiang was merely an ordinary inner disciple of the Falling Cloud Sect. Compared with Han Zheng, grandson of a Nascent Soul Sage, the difference in standing could not have been greater. Why did Luo Chen value him so highly?

While watching Luo Chen’s figure, touched by faint desolation, he suddenly recalled fragments of stories he had only half known. Apparently, Qin Yuanjiang was the son of Murong Qinglian, the Merit Palace Leader... and also the son of Qin Liangchen, once an elder of the Outer Hall. Both had been Luo Chen’s close companions before his rise. And now, Qin Liangchen was no more.

”President, shall I make the arrangements?” Xing Zhonghan asked.

”No need. Go take care of your own matters,” Luo Chen said with a wave of his hand.

An unaccustomed hesitation welled in Luo Chen’s heart. The last time such a feeling had weighed on him was after Zeng Wen’s death, when he went to face Xiugu.

***

At Danxia Peak, a broad spirit field spread across the land. Within the field, a little girl squatted on the ground and stared curiously at the object before her.

She exclaimed, ”Papa, this sweet potato is so big! Are we not going to eat it? Why are you cutting it?”

Yuan Dongsheng regarded her with gentle affection. His deep voice carried warmth as he explained, ”This is a newly developed spirit sweet potato by the Five Elements Divine Sect. Its yield is exceptionally high, enough to serve as a substitute for spirit rice. To cultivate it on a large scale, it must first be cut into small pieces and buried back into the soil. By next year, it will grow large again. Then, Little Xijun, you can dig up ones even bigger than this!”

The little girl’s eyes grew wide as she listened, her expression a mix of wonder and confusion. She could barely grasp the first part of his words, but the latter she understood all too well. In her excitement, she hugged a large purple tuber and stumbled toward a pit dug in the spirit field.

With a cheerful cry, she shouted, ”Plant it! Next year, we’ll dig up even bigger sweet potatoes!”

But when she reached the small pit, the huge tuber simply wouldn’t fit. With a puzzled frown, she asked, ”Papa, why can’t I bury it?”

In reply, Yuan Dongsheng smiled gently and said, ”Because it needs to be cut into pieces.”

With a look of concern, Yuan Xijun clutched the sweet potato tighter, ignoring the mud. ”But won’t it hurt?”

Yuan Dongsheng shook his head. ”The sweet potato does not feel pain. And even if it did, a little pain now allows it to grow bigger later. You see, Xijun, growth always comes hand in hand with separation and hardship.”

As he spoke, a sorrow too deep to suppress flickered in his weathered eyes.

The little girl gave a soft, puzzled ”Oh.”

She stumbled back at her father with the sweet potato in her arms. She watched as he used a specially crafted wooden knife to slice it into neat, even pieces.

From the ridge above the spirit field, a strikingly handsome young man crouched, his eyes seemingly gleaming with stars as he watched the scene with interest. Only when clear footsteps approached from behind did he rise to his feet.

”Dan Chenzi?” he asked.

In return, Luo Chen cupped his hands in salute. ”Greetings, Fellow Daoist Han.”

With solemn care, Han Zheng straightened his robes and returned the bow. Luo Chen stepped closer, standing beside him as they looked down at the vast, orderly spirit fields. Some fields were cultivated so well that faint signs of second-tier quality already showed. It was clear that under Yuan Dongsheng’s leadership, the Agriculture Palace had accomplished much over the years.

With a thoughtful tone, Luo Chen remarked, ”Fellow Daoist, you are rather unusual. Others who come to Danxia Peak wander the mountains and admire the scenery. You alone, after exchanging courtesies, chose to stroll among the fields.”

Han Zheng laughed lightly. ”Beautiful landscapes can be found anywhere in the cultivation world. But the charm of these fields carries a flavor of its own.”

Luo Chen arched a brow and shook his head. ”What you see as charm is, for the low-tier rogue cultivators, nothing more than toil.”

Han Zheng shrugged lightly. ”If you care so much for your people, why not lighten their workload and give them more time for cultivation?”

With calm certainty, Luo Chen replied, ”I already provided them with livelihood. If I lessen their workload, it will be their own income that suffers.”

It was the plain truth. For the Luo Tian Society to hold its current standing in Tianlan Immortal City was no small feat. On the larger scale, that position had been earned through battles steeped in blood and fire. On the smaller scale, it relied on the toil and perseverance of its lowest-level members.

As matters stood, Luo Chen could not yet compare with the major sects, where disciples were freed from labor to focus entirely on cultivation. Even he himself still needed to refine pills from time to time to maintain relations with the Ice Fortress.

However, Han Zheng had another perspective.

”The Falling Cloud Sect has recently developed small puppets that can replace people for manual labor. They are not suited for delicate work, but they can handle rough tilling. It’s probably not worth the investment for one or two small plots, but once the numbers grow, the burden on low-level cultivators is greatly reduced. If you are interested, I can arrange a purchase for you.”

The words left Luo Chen momentarily taken aback. He had not expected a famed True Inheritor of the Falling Cloud Sect, known for cultivation and combat, to concern himself with promoting his sect’s puppets. He chuckled speechlessly and waved a hand. ”Forget it. The Luo Tian Society has only a few plots. We’re nowhere near the scale that would need puppet labor.”

Han Zheng did not insist, having only spoken in passing. Even so, the brief exchange dispelled the initial awkwardness of their first meeting, and the conversation began to flow more naturally.

”Fellow Daoist Luo, I heard you once saved three of my sect brothers on the Jilei Mountain battlefield?”

”It was nothing but a small effort.”

”A small effort it may have been, but you killed Zheng Tianfang in the process. That drew the ire of the Zheng family of Rolling Dragon Ridge and sparked a bitter battle.”

”The Zheng family’s assault was not for that reason alone. You need not trouble yourself over it.”

Han Zheng frowned slightly. His gaze lingered on Luo Chen, studying him carefully, as if searching for a trace of familiarity. From the information he had gathered, Luo Chen was the most likely one to have saved him within Bai Ye’s cave residence at the Divine Transformation pocket world. Yet certain matters still required confirmation.