I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 183

## Chapter 183: Open and Honest

Inside the subworld on Xiao Gui Feng.

Ji Yi Feng chatted and laughed freely, not putting on airs as a True Immortal.

Back in Huang Long Immortal City, Lu Chang An had heard that Ji Yi Feng was kind to people and made many good connections, attracting a lot of talent to Huang Long Shan.

As Huang Long Zhen Ren’s senior disciple, he had a good reputation outside, a True Immortal of refined taste.

Within just a quarter of an hour, Lu Chang An felt a sense of mutual understanding.

He suddenly understood why Huang Long Zhen Ren had focused on cultivating Ji Yi Feng in the past.

His personal charm was unmatched by He Yuan Wu.

“Junior Brother Lu, this is the material my junior sister asked me to give you.”

Ji Yi Feng was good at talking but not verbose. He quickly got to the point and handed over a storage pouch.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Ji, for making this trip personally.”

Lu Chang An checked the materials in the storage pouch and confirmed they were all there.

He intended to pay an extra ten percent, but Ji Yi Feng refused. In the end, the price he paid for this batch of materials was lower than the market price.

It was as if Huang Long Shan, using its own commercial channels, was helping Lu Chang An acquire the materials for free at cost.

If Lu Chang An were to acquire them himself, it might take him over a decade to complete the task.

“Actually, my junior sister really wanted to meet Junior Brother Lu face-to-face to fulfill a certain wish.”

Ji Yi Feng smiled knowingly.

“There will be plenty of time in the future. I’m sure there will be a chance to meet True Immortal Fu again.”

Lu Chang An didn’t refuse directly.

Thinking back, the last time he had spoken to Fu Xue Mei face-to-face as Lu Chang An was before he reached the Zhu Ji stage.

That was over fifty or sixty years ago.

Once he reached Jie Dan, Lu Chang An wouldn’t mind meeting Fu Xue Mei for a chat.

If that day ever came, he wondered what the situation would be.

“Daoist Lu, living a carefree life raising turtles and planting herbs on Wu Qi Shan makes others envious. However, being secluded in one place can also become a shackle, making cultivators lose their ambition.”

“Besides, the world of cultivation is possibly heading towards a chaotic era. Have you considered joining a certain force?”

Ji Yi Feng shifted the topic to his second purpose for this visit.

“A certain force, like Huang Long Shan?”

Lu Chang An’s eyes flickered.

“Haha! I admire your frankness, Junior Brother Lu.”

Ji Yi Feng stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

“My Huang Long Shan welcomes talented individuals, especially those like you, Junior Brother Lu, who are reliable and come from a clean background with valuable skills. Moreover, you reached the Zhu Ji stage in Huang Long Immortal City back then, destined to have a connection with our lineage…”

Ji Yi Feng appealed to his emotions and promised generous treatment.

“I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you, Senior Brother Ji. I’ve always enjoyed wandering freely and have no intention of joining any forces.”

Lu Chang An pondered for a moment before declining.

If the world of cultivation were to descend into chaos, Lu Chang An, as a craftsman, could consider leaning on a big tree for shade and joining a righteous, law-abiding force.

However, Huang Long Shan was not a good choice.

Huang Long Zhen Ren was nearing the end of his life. Once this Jie Dan-stage cultivator passed away, Huang Long Shan’s prestige and influence would plummet.

At that time, the core power of Huang Long Immortal City would likely face new struggles and reshuffling.

Lu Chang An didn’t want to be caught in that whirlpool of contention.

“If you change your mind in the future, Huang Long Shan will welcome you with open arms.”

Ji Yi Feng wasn’t surprised and didn’t force the issue.

Half an hour later, this most senior Jia Dan True Immortal of Huang Long Shan left.

This scene was naturally noticed by the other two major peaks of Wu Qi Shan and the many cultivators who relied on them.

While the three peak masters of Wu Qi Shan weren’t short of invitations from other forces, it was rare to have a Jia Dan True Immortal like Ji Yi Feng personally visit their doorstep.

…

A few days later, Alchemist Lin Ye returned to the subworld on Xiao Gui Feng to refine pills for Lu Chang An.

This time, Lin Ye stayed on Xiao Gui Feng for over a month.

With enough materials available.

Lin Ye refined several pills for Lu Chang An, including “Xuan Wu Dan,” “Xue Yang Dan,” and “Qi Sha Dan.”

Among them, Xuan Wu Dan, a pill for breaking through to the late Zhu Ji stage, yielded two pills.

This pill was a second-order high-grade pill, but due to Lin Ye’s limited cultivation, he couldn’t reach the desired three pills.

Xue Yang Dan yielded five pills.

Qi Sha Dan yielded four pills.

In addition, Lin Ye also refined other second-order high-quality pills with various functions, such as healing, recovering Qi, and detoxifying.

“Alchemist Lin, this is your payment.”

This time, Lu Chang An gave Lin Ye another high-grade magic item and over ten second-order mid- to high-grade talismans.

For these two rounds of pill refinement, Lu Chang An had been generous with his payment, more than what was normal.

One reason was his consideration for their past relationship, and another was that Lin Ye allowed him to observe and explain the pill refinement process.

“Daoist Lu, I’ve been well taken care of since returning to Wu Qi Shan. This second-order alchemist inheritance is a token of my appreciation.”

Lin Ye took out a jade tube.

After spending a few months on Wu Qi Shan, Lin Ye had recuperated and acquired a complete set of protective measures.

He planned to leave Wu Qi Shan soon.

After Lin Ye left, Lu Chang An took out the jade tube and scanned it with his spiritual sense, nodding slightly.

This was an inheritance of a second-order high-grade alchemist, without any unique techniques, quite conventional.

Although it didn’t contain Lin Ye’s most cherished secrets, for cultivators who aspired to the Dao of alchemy, it was a rare opportunity.

Considering this alchemist inheritance, Lin Ye didn’t take advantage of Lu Chang An at all, and the value he gave was even greater.

Two days later.

Alchemist Lin Ye left Wu Qi Shan, and the three peak masters each presented him with a token of their gratitude.

As he said goodbye, Lin Ye took a deep breath and revealed his greatest aspiration for the rest of his life:

He wanted to dedicate himself to cultivating an outstanding successor in the Dao of alchemy.

“Lin Ye’s true pill refinement skills might have reached the quasi-third-order level. The fact that Xuan Wu Dan only yielded two pills could be him holding back…”

Watching Lin Ye’s aging figure disappear into the distance, Lu Chang An pondered, a hint of uncertainty lingering in his heart.

…

Half a year later.

In the elegant room of the subworld on Xiao Pan Feng, sandalwood incense wafted through the air.

Lu Chang An, refreshed and energized, sat up from the soft couch, his hand resting on the smooth jade back of Shi Xian Zi.

Inside the messy ice silk quilt, a voluptuous figure with skin as white as snow, naked and uncovered, lay with curves and long jade legs vaguely visible. Such scenery was enough to stir up a person’s imagination.

“Lu Lang, we’re so open and honest with each other, yet you have so many things you’re hiding from me?”

Shi Xian Zi’s face, with its rosy blush and cascading hair, emerged from the quilt, resting on Lu Chang An’s waist.

“What are you talking about? Our bond is so deep, if you have any complaints, don’t hold back.”

Lu Chang An smiled and looked at the female formation master who was lightly accusing him with a hint of resentment.

In Wu Qi Shan, their “rumors” of having an affair had spread within a small circle.

However, they didn’t publicly acknowledge their relationship nor had any intention of becoming dual cultivation partners.

“You’ve been hiding so much from me.”

Shi Xian Zi’s voice was soft and had a lazy quality, typical of a mature woman.

“For example, you ate all the “Zhu Yan Dan” by yourself and didn’t share it with me.”

“Huh! You noticed that?”

Lu Chang An pretended to be surprised.

While absorbing the effects of the Zhu Yan Dan, he had unconsciously revealed them.

Ye Fei was an expert in pharmacology, so he must have noticed but didn’t say anything.

“Hmph! I’ve been taking care of my appearance for years and have taken a Zhu Yan Dan myself. How could I not recognize the effects of this pill?”

Shi Man Rong also sat up from the quilt, using a thin layer of ice silk to cover her snow-white, rosy body.

“You haven’t taken a Zhu Yan Dan?”

“A second-order Zhu Yan Dan can only maintain its best effects for a hundred years, and the anti-aging effect will decrease afterwards.”

Shi Man Rong smiled sweetly.

After all, Zhu Yan Dan couldn’t change the essence of life, only the surface appearance of youthfulness.

No matter how powerful a second-order pill was, it couldn’t maintain its effects for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Lu Chang An sighed, took out a Zhu Yan Dan, and handed it to Shi Man Rong.

Shi Man Rong, who rarely showed such a joyful expression, her eyes sparkling with delight, directly swallowed the Zhu Yan Dan.

“Based on that, you must also be hiding the matter of the ancient ruins from me.”

Shi Man Rong got up, put on her dress, tied up her hair, regaining her dignified and elegant demeanor. She looked at Lu Chang An with a sly smile.

“Since you already know, I won’t hide it from you anymore.”

Lu Chang An adjusted his clothes, shifting from the intimacy of lovers to a more formal tone.

Then, he recounted the events before Shi Xian Zi lost her memory in detail.

Given their current relationship, mentioning those secrets felt natural.

Lu Chang An didn’t know much about the specific details of the ancient ruins.

Shi Man Rong listened attentively, her expression thoughtful.

“I won’t hide anything from you either. Because of my memory loss, I’ve been searching for the location of the ancient ruins for years, only to find a few clues.”

Shi Man Rong lamented.

She suggested, “Since you know about this, perhaps we can work together to find…”

Lu Chang An shook his head, “I’m not like you, Shi Xian Zi. Your cultivation has already reached the ninth level of Zhu Ji. It’s uncertain whether I can reach the late Zhu Ji stage. Let’s not talk about this for now.”

In truth, the “Yin Yang Water” and “Xue Mu Luo” in the ancient ruins held great allure for Lu Chang An.

Yin Yang Water could shatter and rebuild one’s Dan, enhancing the quality of Jie Dan.

Xue Mu Luo was an excellent celestial material for forging wood-type natal magic items.

“I believe you’ll be able to reach the late Zhu Ji stage without a doubt.”

Shi Man Rong’s clear and tranquil eyes met his, it was unclear if she was testing him or had genuine faith in him.

“Let’s hope so.”

Lu Chang An remained unconvinced, glancing at her and tentatively saying,

“If Shi Xian Zi reaches the third-order formation master level, and I happen to reach the late Zhu Ji stage in the future, we can discuss this matter.”

“Limited by my cultivation, the maximum I can achieve is the quasi-third-order level. Ordinary third-order formation masters are at least Jia Dan True Immortals.”

Shi Man Rong sighed wistfully, admitting the difficulty.

Lu Chang An couldn’t tell if she was being genuine, even though they knew each other intimately down to every inch of their bodies.

However, this day’s open conversation brought their relationship a step closer.

This left a preliminary intention for future cooperation.

“This is the payment for the Zhu Yan Dan.”

Before leaving, Shi Man Rong handed Lu Chang An a pouch containing spirit stones.

Their ideals aligned, and they had mutual feelings for each other. They developed a casual relationship, a way to relieve the loneliness and needs that came with their cultivation journeys.

Shi Xian Zi never felt like she was losing out.

When it came to transactions, they didn’t involve their private feelings, at most giving each other a small discount.

…

Three months later.

Lu Chang An turned one hundred and thirty years old.

Four years had passed since he reached the sixth level of Zhu Ji. It was estimated that it would take another ten years or more to reach the seventh level of Zhu Ji and become a late Zhu Ji cultivator, a major cultivator of the same level.

On this day, Di Yan Shu delivered a letter from Jin Yun Valley to the subworld.

This letter was sent by Zhao Si Yao’s disciple, “Zhao Tan Er.”

Before Zhao Si Yao left for the war, she had instructed her disciple to relay news from the front lines.

Zhao Tan Er, a mid-Zhu Ji cultivator, was talented and lively, making many friends in the sect, so she was well-informed.

“The second batch of cultivators from Liang Guo’s sects left for the war nearly two years ago. I wonder how Daoist Zhao and Daoist Zhang are doing on the battlefield in the neighboring country.”

Lu Chang An’s expression turned serious as he opened the letter.

There was an error in the previous chapter. Lu Chang An still needs ten years or more to reach the late Zhu Ji stage, not five or six years. It has been corrected. (Update #2 will be delayed.)

(End of Chapter)

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