Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 211 - 147: Dingyuan’s Scheme (Part 2)

"Shut up! Even Scholar Lu won’t accept you—do you really think, with Immortal Zhu Er’s standards, he’d take you on?"

Zhou Dingyuan was hoping to take advantage before Lu Chang’sheng made a name for himself, back when he was still inexperienced in the world.

But he didn’t want his son holding a grudge against Scholar Lu and causing unnecessary trouble.

"Alright, I get it, Father!"

Zhou Ding replied, but his expression was far from serious.

······

When Lu Chang’sheng returned to the courtyard, he received bad news.

His teacher, Hong Yuan, had passed away!

When Lu Chang’sheng arrived, he saw Daoist Ruyi sitting sorrowfully on a chair, Hong Yuan’s body covered with a white cloth beside her.

A teacher’s kindness is as weighty as a mountain. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say, so he just turned to Daoist Ruyi and said, "My condolences, Master’s wife."

But unexpectedly, Daoist Ruyi seemed to be looking past her grief, speaking softly: "Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Before Old Hong left, he told me that making it this far, he already felt very lucky."

Lu Chang’sheng fell silent.

It was true.

Teacher Hong Yuan had twice joined in the sieges against evil cultivators, and had always made it out unscathed.

Until this time.

"Things happen in threes,"

Lu Chang’sheng sighed to himself.

He had wanted Hong Yuan to sit this one out, but his teacher simply couldn’t stand aside.

"At the end of the day, Old Hong still carried Great Yuan and the people in his heart. Don’t you think he was a little foolish for it?"

Daoist Ruyi complained bitterly.

"Everyone has their convictions. Maybe that way, Teacher felt more at peace."

Lu Chang’sheng replied.

"Well, he’s at peace—but did he think about what happens to me?"

"A teacher’s grace is like a father’s. Master’s wife, you are my family now. As long as the Lu Family stands, you’ll always have us to rely on."

Daoist Ruyi was taken aback, then her expression softened. Looking at Hong Yuan’s body, she mourned, "The best thing he ever did was taking you as his disciple. But my own days are numbered too—my only worry is Qingzhu. If you have it in your heart, help her out when you can."

Lu Chang’sheng naturally agreed.

Even if Daoist Ruyi hadn’t asked, he would help as much as he could. If it was beyond his abilities, that would be that.

Hong Yuan still had family. Now that the evil cultivators were gone, they emerged from hiding and, first thing, went looking for their master.

When they found out Hong Yuan had died, the Hong Family was devastated, as if the sky had collapsed. Some even resented Lu Chang’sheng, thinking that, with his standing, if he’d wanted to protect Hong Yuan, how could he have let him be killed by evil cultivators?

But when Daoist Ruyi heard about this, she rushed overnight to the Hong Mansion, scolded the gossips, and expelled them from the family.

The next day, she brought people to apologize to Lu Chang’sheng in person.

Others might not know what happened, but Daoist Ruyi did—and knowing that the Hong Family would depend on Lu Chang’sheng going forward, she couldn’t let this damage their alliance.

Seeing this, Lu Chang’sheng nodded to himself. Daoist Ruyi may have always been alone, but now she was taking care of the Hong descendants—she was doing right by their teacher.

"Don’t worry, I won’t take such minor slights to heart."

He comforted Daoist Ruyi, smiling.

······

That night, Lu Chang’sheng was invited to the main hall.

Soon, he saw Zhu Er.

Compared to before, Zhu Er’s expression was much warmer now.

"If not for you yesterday, Fellow Daoist Lu, this old body would’ve been left behind here."

If Zhu Er’s earlier smile had been polite and perfunctory, now it showed genuine gratitude.

His injuries were still not healed; fighting five evil cultivators was already his limit. One more, and he would’ve collapsed.

So, Lu Chang’sheng killing one of the evil cultivators broke the stalemate and helped him enormously.

"Fellow Daoist Zhu Er flatters me,"

After some pleasantries, Lu Chang’sheng asked, "I wonder, Fellow Daoist, when will we set out for the Spirit Realm?"

"After my wounds heal and I’ve dealt with what’s left of the evil cultivators, we’ll return to the Spirit Realm."

"Then I’ll wait for your good news, Fellow Daoist Zhu Er."

Lu Chang’sheng said.

Then, Zhu Er took out the spoils of battle.

"Some of the items left by that evil cultivator can’t see the light of day. So I took the liberty to convert them to spirit stones for you. What do you think?"

Looking at Zhu Er smiling across from him, Lu Chang’sheng felt a little displeased—he didn’t like someone making decisions for him behind his back. Still, given the circumstances, he nodded and smiled, "I’ll leave it in your hands, Fellow Daoist."

Lu Chang’sheng’s tact pleased Zhu Er greatly. He said, "So, have you made any plans for when you reach the Spirit Realm?"

Handing over the spirit stones, Zhu Er seemed to ask casually.

"First thing? I’ll go see my wife, of course."

"Haha, naturally! But as far as I know, Fuyun Mountain is in another domain, tens of thousands of miles from Guangnan. Don’t think I’m looking down on you, but with your power, making such a long journey is dangerous."

Lu Chang’sheng instantly got his meaning—Zhu Er was offering him a favor.

Thinking it over, he had no reason to refuse.

If the man would lend a hand when needed, there was no need to hold onto pride.

"What advice do you have, Fellow Daoist Zhu Er?"

Zhu Er smiled: "If you want to cross such a distance, you’ll either need strong cultivation, or outside help. When the time comes, I’ll see if I can arrange something for you."

"I’m grateful, Fellow Daoist Zhu Er. When I reach Fuyun Mountain, I’ll introduce you to my wife."

Lu Chang’sheng responded in kind, reciprocating the goodwill.

An extra friend is an extra path, even if it’s just an alliance of interests.

······

Leaving the main hall, Lu Chang’sheng saw Sun Wu entering with the Empress and several Innate Martial Artists.

"Scholar Lu!"

Zhu Qing’s lips curled up in a faint smile.

Lu Chang’sheng greeted her, his gaze lingering on Sun Wu for a moment before turning away.

Zhu Qing watched Lu Chang’sheng’s retreating figure, then glanced at Sun Wu, a hint of disappointment flickering in her eyes.

Because in Sun Wu’s eyes, she saw a trace of fear.

"This man’s temperament is far inferior to Scholar Lu,"

she thought.

Pity, though—Scholar Lu’s talent is so mediocre. If not for his Fuyun Mountain connection, he’d be hardly worth getting close to.

Back in his courtyard, Lu Chang’sheng opened a jade box, finding dozens of spirit stones inside.

Their quality was comparable to the stones he kept in his treasure vault insect.

"That much, huh? Looks like the loot from that evil cultivator was worth more than I thought."

He didn’t believe for a second that Zhu Er would hand everything over.

"Too bad—given my current strength and status, nothing I can do about it."

Distant water can’t put out a nearby fire.

Zhu Er surely didn’t fully believe what he’d said—when they returned to the Spirit Realm, there would definitely be an investigation.

Still, Lu Chang’sheng wasn’t worried, because it was true Nangua was cultivating at Fuyun Mountain.

······

Over the next while, Lu Chang’sheng visited Hong Yuan’s grave for the burial rites, then went back to the Alchemy Institute.

By now, the Alchemy Institute had moved to another location, less than a hundred yards from the main hall.

Lu Chang’sheng continued refining Biyun Pills while using Body Refining Pills for his own training.

Though his cultivation was slow, lacking a proper method, his progress remained steady.

Lu Chang’sheng estimated he’d reach Six Treasures Magical Power in less than ten years.

At that rate, by the time he was a hundred years old, he’d probably reach Ten-Tiered Magical Power—just barely making it to Qi Cultivation second layer—still a bottom-feeder.

"Luckily, my Spirit Root Talent is also rising over time."

He looked at his stats panel.

The next stage of Spirit Root Talent was already revealed: C-grade, lower.

"Which means, in fifty years, I’ll just scrape into C-grade lower. In a hundred years, I’ll hit C-grade middle. Hundred and fifty, C-grade upper."

"It really is a slog..."

Lu Chang’sheng smiled bitterly. But seeing his other talents, he felt a bit better.

Especially his Alchemy Dao talent, which had reached B-grade lower.

Lu Chang’sheng knew well—B-grade in Guangnan Domain already made you a minor prodigy.

"I’ll rely on my alchemy prowess to carve out a path, then seek ways to extend my lifespan," he thought.

In a flash, half a year passed.

The chaos wrought by the evil cultivators finally quieted down. Many hoped things would stay this way—with Immortal Zhu Er and the Black Snake Scholar presiding, both sides would just keep to themselves.

But things changed one day.

Zhu Er had mostly recovered from his wounds, and now intended to launch a final campaign against the evil cultivators.