A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

"Such a short time..." she said wistfully. She didn’t try to force him to stay, but she did pull him along for dinner.

The dishes were simple, yet anything but.

The ingredients were all rare and difficult-to-find treasures.

There was essence from the body of a Tier Three Demon Beast, a Spirit Liquid brewed from ancient Spirit Medicine, and even a side dish prepared with the tender leaves of a thousand-year-old spirit medicine.

Only a Nascent Soul True Monarch could afford such a feast.

After several rounds of drinks and courses...

"The arrival of the Ten Thousand Witches Hall is now only five years away." Shuini placed a piece of fish maw in Lü Zhong’s bowl before continuing. "Five years may seem long, but for Nascent Soul cultivators like us, it passes in an instant. When you get back to Bihai, don’t you dare slack off in your cultivation. I... I don’t want to live alone for a thousand years!"

She grew a little embarrassed as she spoke the last words.

For a Nascent Soul True Monarch to be so open with her feelings was rare. No matter how thick-skinned one might be, it was inevitable that her heart would waver at such a moment.

Lü Zhong smiled at her words and nodded. "Don’t worry."

’With a beautiful woman like her, and that silly wife of mine back home, this life is certainly worth living.’

They ate and talked until the sky began to grow light.

Lü Zhong bid Shuini farewell. Braving the heavy, goose-down snow, he slowly ascended to a height of ten thousand feet. Then, channeling his Magical Power, he activated an Escape Skill and left without a single glance back.

...

「At the border of the True Spirit Domain and the Huayi Domain.」

Several cultivators in green robes were gathered together, all of them with Foundation Establishment Cultivation. They seemed to be discussing something in secret, but none of them looked pleased.

"What do we do? The deadline is almost here, and we still have no trace of the Hundred Flowers Ancestor. If we can’t find a single clue within half a month, I’m afraid we’ll all be turned into Medicine Men!" a voluptuous Fox Charm Female Cultivator said to the others, her face fraught with panic.

"Hmph, what else can we do? It’s every man for himself when disaster strikes! Just a few Foundation Establishment cultivators like us? Even with the Magical Artifacts provided by the Hall, finding the Hundred Flowers Ancestor is a pipe dream. Didn’t Senior Uncles Chen and Lin assign this mission to us because they already knew she couldn’t be found and were just looking for some scapegoats to take the blame?" another young man, wearing a Jade Crown, said with a dark expression, as if he had seen through everything.

Not long ago, the Hundred Flowers Ancestor, who had come to the Southern Barbarian lands with the main contingent of the Eternal Life Hall, had suddenly broken free from her Prohibition restraints and vanished in just a few moves.

According to the information they had, the Ancestor was the key to the success or failure of their entire mission. Therefore, they were certain that if the seven of them failed, Ancestor Huoyaozi would be absolutely furious. Their only fate would be to become Medicine Men, doomed to a life worse than death.

At this thought, a shiver ran through all of them.

"If I had known, I never would have taken this mission. We haven’t seen a single one of the promised rewards, but we’ve already put our lives on the line. This... isn’t this a classic case of suffering a double loss?" said the pale-faced cultivator, who wore a green headscarf and was dressed like a scholar. His terrified expression was now tinged with regret.

Hearing this, the faces of the others turned even grimmer.

Just then, one of the elders stared blankly at the Compass in his hand. Its previously motionless needle had suddenly stirred, now pointing in a specific direction and moving slowly.

"Quick, look! The Seeking Cyan Disc is reacting!"

At his words, the others quickly took out their own Seeking Cyan Discs.

The Seeking Cyan Disc resembled a Compass. It was a special Magical Artifact refined by the Eternal Life Hall specifically for tracking the Hundred Flowers Ancestor. It contained a sliver of Hundred Flowers’ Divine Soul. Activating the disc would create a resonance between the soul fragments, allowing them to locate the target within a radius of several hundred miles.

Without exception, all the needles pointed in the same direction.

This meant the Seeking Cyan Discs weren’t malfunctioning.

"Am... am I seeing things? This needle is spinning so fast... I doubt even a Nascent Soul True Monarch’s Escape Speed could match this. Could the Ancestor have sensed us flying in her direction?" the elder, a man with a youthful face but white hair, said as he pointed at the needle of his Seeking Cyan Disc, his expression one of pure astonishment.

Hearing the elder, the other six also realized something was amiss.

Before they could figure out what was happening, they saw a shooting star streak across the sky overhead.

"This is bad! The Ancestor has been taken hostage!" the Fox Charm Female Cultivator cried out.

As disciples of the Eternal Life Hall, they knew the Hundred Flowers Ancestor’s Escape Light perfectly well. It was not the starlit blue they had just seen, but a pure, emerald-green radiance.

Hearing this, the Jade Crown Youth sneered as he watched the Escape Light vanish.

"Junior Sister Su, do you really think that’s possible? I’ve heard that among Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, unless there’s a difference of a Small Realm in cultivation or one has mastered an incredibly powerful Great Divine Technique, they are more or less evenly matched. But, now that we’ve found a clue, we can finally report back... Senior Brother Li, quickly send a message to Senior Uncles Chen and Lin! Report what we’ve found before they declare our mission a failure and turn us all into Medicine Men!"

The Jade Crown Youth grew more excited as he spoke, and the others finally realized what he meant.

Senior Brother Li, the Jade-faced Scholar, looked as if he had just survived a catastrophe. He hurriedly activated a precious Communication Talisman and sent the message back.

With that, their part of the mission was complete.

’But that direction... isn’t that where Ancestor Huoyaozi is located?’ the Jade Crown Youth thought to himself. A dark look flashed in his eyes, but he kept this observation to himself.

...

Lü Zhong was using Rainbow Flight when his expression suddenly changed. He looked ahead, where a figure had appeared, and his face darkened. Only when he realized the other person’s cultivation was, like his own, at the Early-stage Nascent Soul, did his expression relax somewhat.

Even so, he remained on high alert.

The newcomer was a cultivator in black robes, most of their face obscured by a hood. From the corners of the person’s mouth and the details of their figure, however, Lü Zhong could vaguely tell it was an old woman. She also exuded a faint, peculiar fragrance.

Upon seeing Lü Zhong, she yanked down her hood, revealing an aged face covered in spots.

The old crone’s mouth opened, and a chilling laugh echoed.

"Fellow Daoist, do not misunderstand! I bear no ill will. I only sensed the aura of a friend of mine, Hundred Flowers, on you, which is why I was so bold. If I have been abrupt, I hope you will forgive me. Hehe, it seems I have not yet introduced myself... I am Huoyaozi of the Eternal Life Hall. I have no intention of making an enemy of you."

"Huoyaozi?" Lü Zhong’s brow furrowed. ’Why would she be looking for me?’ he wondered. After a moment of careful consideration, he quickly arrived at a possible explanation.

’If I’m not mistaken, it must be because of that Jade Pendant.’

He had learned a few things about this Huoyaozi of the Eternal Life Hall through his East Sea Incarnation. Like other cultivators from the Eternal Life Hall, Huoyaozi was ruthless and exceedingly eccentric. The "Living Medicine" part of her name came from her habit of concocting medicine from living people.

It was said that far from being angered by this moniker, Huoyaozi was actually quite proud of it.

Regardless of her character, one thing was certain: Huoyaozi’s power was considerable. She had a recorded victory where she destroyed the physical body of a Nascent Soul opponent.

As Lü Zhong was mulling this over, Huoyaozi let out a dry chuckle and spoke again. "Since you carry the scent of my friend, Fellow Daoist, you must have met with her recently. In that case, might I trouble you to describe the situation, as well as my friend’s whereabouts?"

She said this probingly, putting on an extremely affable air.

This display, however, only made Lü Zhong more wary. Still, he saw no reason to help Huoyaozi’s friend, Hundred Flowers, by hiding her location. After all, the Jade Pendant she had given him had caused him nothing but trouble. Thus, he recounted the scene of his encounter with Hundred Flowers from start to finish.

’It’s best to avoid unnecessary conflict.’

Of course, he was careful to omit certain details.

After listening, Huoyaozi’s expression grew thoughtful. After a moment, she looked back at Lü Zhong and said pointedly, "Fellow Daoist, you must be holding something back, aren’t you?"

"Heh. What, do you expect me to swear an oath that my words are true?" Lü Zhong’s gaze turned cold as he stared hard at Huoyaozi.

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