Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

Chapter 26: Chapter 25: Senior Brother in Critical Condition

As Ning Sujin’s weak voice emerged, Li Ji’an initially only felt a softness and warmth on his lips, but at this moment, there was a hint of refreshing wet heat and slickness.

”Sister Jin, I...” Just as he wanted to explain, opening his mouth made the sensation even stronger.

Ning Sujin’s eyes instantly widened, her face, which had just regained a bit of blood flow, surged with vitality and immediately turned red.

Realizing the predicament, the two of them didn’t speak further, silently waiting for the medicine’s effect to dissipate.

...

Until dawn, their faces finally separated, and Ning Sujin turned her head to the side with all her might.

Li Ji’an could finally move his neck.

”Before the Immortal Master appeared, I actively sensed once, and it’s still a great ominous sign. I don’t know if there has been any change since the Immortal Master descended,” Ning Sujin spoke directly about Li Ji’an’s greatest concern to alleviate the awkwardness.

Li Ji’an nodded slowly.

Ning Sujin’s ability could only sense things at close distance, and it was normal that she couldn’t sense them at the moment.

However, since the so-called Immortal Master was just a cultivator, and traveling in the mortal world still required a flying boat, they probably didn’t have the power to change a person’s fate.

The great ominous sign for Ning Yutan likely hasn’t changed.

Thus, the root of the great ominous sign lies in her following the Immortal Master to the cultivation realm.

”Is it a crisis from the cultivation realm or a crisis brought by the Immortal Master?” Li Ji’an couldn’t tell, but he felt more apprehensive about the path of cultivation.

”Sister Jin, can you foresee the good and bad if you become an immortal seedling?”

Ning Sujin shook her head: ”Only things that can be confirmed can be foreseen, and the time span varies by circumstance.”

”After this incident, I’m afraid the Emperor’s requirements for the next Immortal Scripture will be much higher. Both of us at least need to achieve Great Success in Refining the Internal Organs to have hope; whether we can become immortal seedlings in this lifetime is unknown.”

Li Ji’an smiled knowingly, noting Ning Sujin’s change in attitude towards the Emperor.

Having witnessed her demeanor in front of the Immortal Master, the imposing majesty and image naturally collapsed.

Especially since the Royal Family initially conveyed to the world that the Immortal Master protects their Zhao Royal Family, the Emperor is appointed by the Immortal Master, defying the royal family is defying the Upper Immortal.

”It’s all up to human effort!” Li Ji’an’s mind was not on whether he could become an immortal seedling in this life, casually responding with a phrase full of positivity.

”What do you think of the Immortal Master?” Encouraged by Li Ji’an, Ning Sujin no longer worried about the Immortal Scripture ten years later and couldn’t help but ask about the Immortal Master.

Li Ji’an pondered for a moment, then prompted discussion: ”Perhaps similar to a Martial Dao expert.”

”You think so too?” Ning Sujin’s beautiful eyes suddenly widened, looking at Li Ji’an in surprise, as if seeing a kindred spirit.

”Why do you think that way?” Li Ji’an was also curious about her perception, as she hadn’t come from the present world like him, who had read many stories about cultivators.

”More than a hundred years ago, the Immortal Master descended, but inevitable disasters never ceased, the evil continued doing evil, the suffering continued suffering, and the Immortal Master never delivered divine lightning from the heavens to punish evil and promote good... Aside from not knowing from where he came, along with flying and earth escaping, and managing treasures, how is he different from mortals?” Ning Sujin spoke frankly.

Li Ji’an looked at Ning Sujin with a few more shades of appreciation.

”So, this is why you took the initiative to teach Yutan body techniques earlier? You thought Mortal Martial Arts might counter the Immortal Master, possibly turning danger into safety?”

Ning Sujin nodded slowly.

A smart woman!

The next morning, the effects of the medicine almost completely dissipated.

Ning Sujin struggled to sit up, finally leaving Li Ji’an’s chest.

However, when she intended to rise from Li Ji’an, she was unexpectedly blocked by something hard, causing her already unstable lower body to sit back down again.

”Hiss~” Li Ji’an felt like he was about to fracture, involuntarily sucking in a breath of cold air, reflexively sitting up.

Ning Sujin also felt a sharp pain as if about to split open, suddenly leaning forward, again returning to Li Ji’an’s embrace.

After a moment of eye contact, Ning Sujin reacted.

”Pah! Beast!” Instantly turning bright red, she spat angrily, pushing Li Ji’an away with a palm, stumbling out of the compartment.

”...” Li Ji’an smiled wryly, not blaming himself as it was a purely physiological reaction, after all, despite his mature mental age, his body was still in its youthful vigor.

-------------

Having already encountered the ”immortal,” Li Ji’an was mentally prepared, with Ning Sujin’s ”Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil” as protection, he continued his cultivation unbothered.

Thanks to the Immortal Master’s dissatisfaction with this batch of immortal seedlings, the Immortal Palace significantly increased investment in their promising youngsters.

No matter how the outside world is being exploited and squeezed, Li Ji’an indeed enjoyed abundant resources in the Immortal Palace.

Two years later, Li Ji’an achieved Blood Exchange Perfection.

”The essence of the Blood Transformation Realm has been completely mastered, even if the bone structure doesn’t enhance in the next lifetime, it can shorten the time by thirty percent,” Li Ji’an’s face showed joy after careful contemplation.

Just after concluding his practice, familiar footsteps were heard outside the door.

”Brother Li, your letter.” Zhao Yunsheng, who had already been confirmed to lack Martial Dao talent, continued to be confined within the Immortal Palace, and usually liked to play with Li Ji’an.

”This mechanism lock is also finished, take it and play.” Li Ji’an took the letter and simultaneously threw the mechanism lock that Yunsheng had been asking for many days to him.

Yunsheng had no Martial Dao talent, nor a heart for Martial Dao, but loved carpentry, and during his spare time in cultivation, Li Ji’an also tried practicing Qi and Blood Activation, so he made it for him.

”This is what you call mechanism and skill? Thank you, Brother Li.” Zhao Yunsheng was overjoyed.

Watching Yunsheng leave, Li Ji’an opened the letter.

”Hmm? Not from senior brother? Oh no...” Seeing the handwriting of Qingyun on the envelope, Li Ji’an felt a premonition.

Sure enough, opening the letter revealed bad news; senior brother Liu Deshan was ill.

So ill that he couldn’t hold a pen, relying on Qingyun to write for him.

”It’s only another year before senior brother reaches sixty, can’t he pass through?” Though having experienced three lifetimes and understanding the need to look past the life and death of old acquaintances, Li Ji’an still felt a bit desolate at the impending loss of the person closest before.

In the letter, Liu Deshan mostly reminisced about his past life’s ”Li Jizhang,” reflecting on hardships and sweetness, recalling the past.

Incident after incident, with genuine emotions, Li Ji’an naturally remembered it all vividly.

At the letter’s end, he mentioned regretting not seeing ”Li Jizhang” one last time, expressing a hope to see Li Ji’an before departing.

Yet his always-considerate nature added a caveat: if it’s a crucial time or impacts the path of immortality, not returning is also fine.

Folding the letter that felt a bit heavy, Li Ji’an wandered to the bookshelf, intending to place it there, then reconsidered, taking the letter back to the desk, carefully smoothing it out...

The next morning, Li Ji’an arrived at the female trainees’ area, quietly waiting.

”Has the Prince Consort come seeking Princess Wenjin again?”

”Prince Consort, today our princess has been scowling all day, be careful about family law.”

”Is it really Princess Wenjin who set family rules for the Prince Consort? Must he pay respects daily?”

...

As the female dormitory trainees gradually emerged, various teasing continued as usual.

A year ago, King Yun defied a direct decree to quell a northwest civilian rebellion alone, then refused to surrender the northwest army’s command using the same reason, causing relations between the Emperor and King Yun to plummet to freezing point.

Three months later, Duke Dingguo, who began covertly investigating King Yun by imperial order since the Immortal Scripture assassination attempt, always maintained a firm stance, defeating numerous palace fence-sitters, becoming an important operative in the Emperor and King Yun’s secret power struggle, gaining favor.

Ning Sujin, who was preparing to be an immortal seedling, and Ning Yutan, who had already ascended to the Immortal Realm, were both bestowed the title of princess by the Emperor.

As Ning Sujin consistently accompanied Li Ji’an, and Li Ji’an often sought her for omens, naturally, rumors developed.