Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 299 - 189: Farewell, Tong Huan!

Early in the morning, Lu Chang’sheng rubbed his slightly sore waist. Last night was a bit too wild—letting loose decades of pent-up energy was certainly good for the heart and mind, but as the saying goes, binge-eating after starvation and stirring things up after too much idling are both terrible for the body. So, even though his cultivation had come a long way over the years, he still felt pretty exhausted.

"Lust is a double-edged sword. I may not have a Celestial Spirit Body, but I’d better watch myself."

"Just this once."

Lu Chang’sheng walked over to the square table, where a bunch of talisman paper and tools were still scattered around.

One sheet had barely been started, with faint spiritual energy still lingering on its surface.

"Nangua’s been learning the Talisman Dao too."

He glanced at it a few times. Even though he’d never studied it himself, he wasn’t clueless—just because you haven’t eaten pork doesn’t mean you’ve never seen a pig run. The unfinished talisman on the table lacked a certain charm; even if the runes were eventually finished, it’d be at best mediocre.

Talisman papers are all about the runes—the more intricate, the better the odds of success. Nangua’s attempts were honestly just so-so.

"You really shouldn’t waste your time on this. Focus on your cultivation instead."

It wasn’t until the afternoon that Nangua finally dragged herself lazily out of bed, only to find Lu Chang’sheng sitting in a chair nearby, holding a few talisman papers.

"You’ve gotta have some way to make a living. If something unexpected happens down the line, at least I’d have something to fall back on."

Li Nangua said.

At the end of the day, she was raised in the countryside—old habits die hard.

Still, Lu Chang’sheng found her all the more endearing. Thinking back to his previous life, splitting up after decades was nothing—even just a few years apart, they might have gone their separate ways. He treasured Li Nangua more than ever.

"We’re not short on money, and we never will be." Lu Chang’sheng put on his householder swagger, looking at Li Nangua with a hint of danger in his eyes.

This little rascal—after decades on her own, she’d grown a backbone, even dared talk back to him.

"Looks like you need a little reminder of the house rules."

Li Nangua’s cheeks, already rosy, turned even redder. Under Lu Chang’sheng’s gaze, she slowly lifted the covers, inviting him in.

Lu Chang’sheng let out a gentle sigh.

Lust is a double-edged sword; with his cultivation, three times shouldn’t be a problem.

"Next time, seriously, I won’t go overboard."

······

At dusk, Lu Chang’an was eating slowly as usual. Feng Yan had already come by twice, sat for a bit, and, seeing only Lu Chang’an in the courtyard, left again.

Anyone with a little experience could tell exactly what this meant.

Pity her partner, Lu Sheng. Back when he was younger, he was sturdy as a tiger; now, after decades with Feng Yan, he’d gotten a lot thinner.

Once he had a trunk thick as an old tree and eyes round as copper bells. Now he was like a willow in the wind—light and silent. Seeing his partner’s flushed face these days, his first thought wasn’t that she’d found someone else, but more like a chill creeping into his heart.

"I’ve got work at Phoenix Cry Pavilion tomorrow—better get some rest tonight."

His partner terrified him in certain ways, but at least she knew how to keep it in check.

Most of the time, just mentioning plans for tomorrow was enough to get her to cool down.

But tonight, Feng Yan threw him a flirtatious glance and yanked him over.

"Hey, relax a bit from now on."

"No way! If I don’t hustle, how will we support the family?"

Lu Sheng’s expression changed; honestly, he was surprised. Feng Yan was always looking to earn more Spirit Stones—for cultivation, for their kids—never enough, wishing she could work all twelve hours of the day.

Why the sudden change in attitude?

Noticing her man’s confusion, Feng Yan couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of Li Nangua. Who’d have thought even men from the Mayfly World had these kinds of skills. She herself wasn’t bad-looking back then; picked Lu Sheng because he was practical and hardworking. Looking at it now, maybe she’d made the wrong choice.

Thankfully, Feng Yan wasn’t the type to dwell on those thoughts. Shaking herself back to reality, she said, "Remember Nangua, that girl I mentioned? Her husband’s finally here."

"What! That Alchemist Lu?" Lu Sheng exclaimed in surprise.

Feng Yan had told him plenty about Li Nangua’s alchemist husband. At first, Lu Sheng believed it, but after so many years without a peep, he thought it was just an excuse to keep the creeps away.

Now, he was actually here? 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Yep, and he really is an Alchemist. He came with a crew of late-stage Qi Cultivators."

Feng Yan sighed.

Lu Sheng was stunned. Late-stage Qi Cultivators were big deals in Fuyun Mountain.

"Tomorrow, you’ll come with me to meet everyone."

Not wanting to say more, Feng Yan pulled Lu Sheng into bed.

"Come on then, let’s not waste time. We’ve looked after Nangua for years, and if I know that girl, she’ll take good care of us."

Feng Yan patted the bed, her eyes brimming with spring.

Lu Sheng let out a heavy sigh—whatever happiness he had suddenly felt shriveled up. It was like walking onto a chopping block, dragging himself over.

······

There were so many top-tier cultivators in Fuyun Mountain, and to make things worse, Li Nangua wasn’t really welcome here. The next morning, Lu Chang’sheng sought out Fang Yuan and the others, planning to visit the marketplace to buy some gifts.

Last night, it took every ounce of his willpower to keep the fourth round of dual cultivation at bay. Instead, he spent the night chatting with Nangua.

Deep in Fuyun Mountain lay the caves of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, each claiming a prime spot along the Spirit Vein.

The art learning fee was collected by the stewards of Fuyun Mountain. Normally, there’s a baseline—someone like Feng Yan, studying the arts for a hundred years, would rack up maybe a few thousand low-grade Spirit Stones at most.