The Quest for Immortality

Lu Ming began by talking about the Lu Family Old Ancestor.

Though he was a disciple of the Lu Family, he was quite peripheral, young, and inexperienced. These deep secrets he neither inquired about nor knew of, and as he spoke about them now, he found it somewhat difficult to begin:

”To say this is a bit disrespectful, but... the Old Ancestor’s behavior was extravagant and, well, somewhat... lecherous...”

Mo Hua was aware of this.

Many brothels on Jinhua Street were built by ”Capitalist Lu” purely for his indulgence and pleasure.

But there were things even Mo Hua didn’t know...

Lu Ming whispered, ”It’s said... the Old Ancestor... he didn’t even spare the women of his own family...”

Mo Hua was taken aback, ”Women of the family? The Lu family?”

Lu Ming nodded somewhat ashamedly.

”And then?”

Lu Ming found it hard to continue and hesitated for a while before he lowered his voice and said:

”It’s rumored that in the Lu Family, any female disciple who was beautiful, whether from the main line or a side branch, married or not, would be... tainted by the Old Ancestor...”

Mo Hua’s eyelids twitched in reaction.

How could someone do such things?

He shouldn’t be called ”Capitalist Lu,” but rather ”Beast Lu”...

”Of course, these are just rumors... Not necessarily the truth.”

Lu Ming tried to defend his Old Ancestor’s reputation, though he didn’t sound very confident:

”The Old Ancestor was a harsh man, others held grudges against him, and might spread false, unspeakable rumors out of resentment...”

Yet Mo Hua felt that there was a high likelihood these rumors were true.

There is no smoke without fire.

Flies don’t land on an egg without cracks.

Clearly, the Lu Family Old Ancestor was that cracked, smelly egg that the flies were attracted to.

”And then?”

Mo Hua asked again.

He wanted to know what exactly was the relationship between the Lu Family Old Ancestor and Lu Chengyun that would make him go against all objections and promote Lu Chengyun, a son-in-law who had married into the family, to the position of Family Head.

Lu Ming said, ”This matter has to start with Miss Zhu.”

”Miss Zhu?”

”Lu Zhu, she is the Old Ancestor’s great-granddaughter from the main line,” explained Lu Ming, ”the Old Ancestor dotes on this great-granddaughter immensely.”

Lu Ming then whispered:

”It’s said that Miss Zhu isn’t actually the Old Ancestor’s great-granddaughter, but his biological daughter...”

Mo Hua’s face crumpled with an expression of ”this is too disgusting to see.”

This was simply too beastly...

Lu Ming too felt embarrassed and retorted weakly:

”Of course, this is also just a rumor...”

”What happened after that?” Mo Hua asked, suddenly wondering, ”This Miss Zhu, she isn’t Lu Chengyun’s partner in Tao Cultivation, is she...”

Lu Ming nodded, ”Yes, she is.”

”Not only that,” Lu Ming said in a shocked tone, ”the Family Head... is actually a son-in-law who married into the family.”

It was incredible that their prestigious Lu Family, with such a strong hold over South Yue City, had a son-in-law as the Family Head.

Lu Ming still found it hard to believe to this day.

If he hadn’t been in the Corpse Mine, associating with shady people and hearing about things that were not to be seen in the light of day, he would still be unaware.

Mo Hua nodded slightly, his expression not showing any surprise.

Lu Ming exclaimed in astonishment, ”Gentleman, did you already know this?”

Mo Hua remained indifferent and noncommittal, simply saying:

”Go on.”

Lu Ming looked at Mo Hua, whose unfathomable depths seemed even more profound.

He knew about such secret affairs...

Lu Ming paused, then resumed his ”it is said” tone:

”It’s said... Miss Zhu happened to meet the Family Head outside of South Yue City one day and fell for him at first sight.”

”Traveling together, chatting joyfully and agreeing on so much, Miss Zhu then did everything she could to make the Family Head marry into the family and become her husband...”

Mo Hua shook his head.

This story was both melodramatic and cliché.

He’d heard it countless times when listening to storytellers in Tongxian City.

Rapists often used this trick to deceive women.

And profligate playboys who lured respectable women also used this method.

Yet, it was a highly effective tactic, almost always successful in ensnaring its target.

Lu Chengyun, with his seemingly gentle and carefree demeanor, turned out to be a ”pretty boy” who rose to power by latching onto a woman.

He must have spent a lot of effort in seducing Miss Lu.

The timing, location, the words spoken, even every gesture, were probably meticulously planned out and rehearsed by him...

Lu Chengyun’s image plummeted in Mo Hua’s mind.

Lu Ming continued, ”Miss Zhu conveyed her feelings to the Old Ancestor.”

”The Old Ancestor didn’t agree, feeling that though the Family Head was handsome, he had unsavory intentions and wasn’t a suitable husband.”

”Spoiled by the Old Ancestor’s indulgence, Miss Zhu had a willful personality; she had to obtain whatever she wanted and thus relentlessly pressured the Old Ancestor until he consented to have the Family Head marry in.”

”Refusing to eat, taking poison pills, cutting off her own meridians... she used all sorts of unbearable methods...”

”Left with no choice, the Old Ancestor had to agree, unable to withstand Miss Zhu’s persistence.”

”After the Family Head married in, he took the surname Lu, and the Old Ancestor even gave him a name, calling him Lu Chengyun.”

Lu Chengyun...

Mo Hua stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Was the Lu Family Old Ancestor mocking him?

This name seemed to have positive connotations: riding the clouds to ascend, gracefully reaching the realm of immortals, the pursuit and hope of one on the path of Tao Cultivation.

But given Lu Chengyun’s circumstances, it took on a different nuance.

Lu Chengyun, being a son-in-law, did the term ”riding clouds” imply that he had climbed up in life by clinging onto the Lu Family?

In his bones, the Lu Family Old Ancestor probably still despised Lu Chengyun, using this name to remind him to never forget the fact that he became a son-in-law, dependent on the Lu Family...

One harboring ill intentions, and the other being sarcastic.

These two truly were cut from the same cloth.

Mo Hua asked further, ”How many people in the Lu Family know about this?”

Lu Ming shook his head, ”Very few. I had been in the Lu Family for so long before I entered the Corpse Mine, and I had never heard even a whisper of it...”