Chapter 141

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Two years passed in the blink of an eye.

Lan Chang'an was now 109 years old.

At Wuqi Mountain, Little Turtle Peak, everything returned to normalcy.

Guan Qiaozhi had been away for two years and had yet to return.

However, it wasn't as if there were no news from her at all.

Over the two years, she had sent two letters.

In the first letter, she mentioned that she had found the hometown of her biological parents and stayed there briefly, only to feel that everything was unfamiliar and there was no sense of belonging.

Guan Qiaozhi's biological parents had died early, and there wasn't a single person she knew in that land.

She then went to the hometown of her master, Daoist Guan.

Master Guan came from a local prominent family, which had fallen into decline over the past few decades and was facing a life-and-death crisis.

Guan Qiaozhi secretly helped them resolve a calamity.

In the second letter, Guan Qiaozhi mentioned going to Hengshui Prefecture, where she stopped by the Angry River Gang.

It's worth noting that...

Among the descendants of Lan Chang'an's adoptive father, Qi Jingyun, there appeared a young boy with spiritual roots.

His aptitude slightly surpassed that of Guan Qiaozhi.

That young boy inadvertently practiced the "Origin-Opening Scripture" that Lan Chang'an had left behind, which Guan Qiaozhi sensed through the fluctuations of his magical power.

Back then, Lan Chang'an had left the "Origin-Opening Scripture" with the Angry River Gang to test their aptitude for immortal cultivation, which could be considered a fortuitous encounter.

However, in the span of ninety years, the Angry River Gang had undergone several generations of changes, losing much information.

Only fragmented rumors remained regarding Lan Chang'an's records of immortal cultivation, making it difficult to trace the connection.

"Senior Brother Lan, I took it upon myself to become the boy's immortal guide. I wonder if you will blame me for this."

In the letter, Guan Qiaozhi included this statement.

Guan Qiaozhi had no fixed place of residence, and no established cultivation site, making it difficult for Lan Chang'an to send a reply.

"Immortal guide? As long as it makes you happy."

Lan Chang'an had no objections to this.

Master Guan had been his guide in this lifetime of immortal cultivation.

Guan Qiaozhi had now become the immortal guide for his adoptive father's descendants in the Angry River Gang.

It seemed fate had brought them together again in this manner, as if bound by an unbroken cycle of reincarnation.

...

By the lotus pond on Little Turtle Peak.

A blue-dressed girl with bright eyes and white teeth was gently stroking the head of the Profound Water Turtle, feeding it.

The maid chosen by Guan Qiaozhi was obedient and had a talent for talisman crafting, and never behaved erratically or mischievously.

Normally, Lan Rou wore soft makeup and modest attire that accentuated her delicate beauty without overwhelming the eye.

"Little Lan, how has the Profound Water Turtle been lately?" Lan Chang'an asked with concern upon returning from outside.

In the first year after Guan Qiaozhi left, the Profound Water Turtle was depressed, refusing to eat almost entirely.

Every day, it lay by the edge of the pond, facing the direction Guan Qiaozhi had left, pitifully gazing into the distance.

Since Lan Chang'an refused to leave any descendants, Guan Qiaozhi had directed her affections on the Profound Water Turtle during her years on Little Turtle Peak.

The time the Profound Water Turtle spent interacting with Guan Qiaozhi was even more than that with its owner, Lan Chang'an.

"Its appetite has improved and it's not as gloomy anymore," Lan Rou said with a smile, her tone casual.

Having gotten accustomed to this master's indifferent and easy-going nature, she didn't need to be as formal as she had been at the beginning.

"That's good." Lan Chang'an nodded.

Lan Rou served as a pure maid and housekeeper on Little Turtle Peak.

Back then, Lan Chang'an had only given Guan Qiaozhi the status of a concubine in consideration of Master Guan's kindness.

"By the way, Master, the price of talismans has returned to pre-beast tide levels recently. Should we adjust our prices?" Lan Rou stood up, her voice gentle and delicate.

"We can adjust them appropriately, but slightly slower than the outside market." Lan Chang'an instructed.

He didn't trust Lan Rou as intimately as Guan Qiaozhi. The talismans sold through her hands on Little Turtle Peak were only a part of the whole.

"If the sea of consciousness was disturbed, it might lead to memory errors." Lan Chang'an remained tight-lipped.

Shi Manrong's eyes, clear as water, gazed at him for a moment before she left, slightly disappointed.

Lan Chang'an pondered: Could it be that this woman genuinely forgot the key information about the ancient ruins and is now probing me to find it?

...

A year later.

In the secluded chamber of Little Turtle Peak, the light of restrictions flickered chaotically.

Lan Chang'an sat in a medicinal tub, steam rising around him, his body exuding a powerful aura.

"The body refinement manual has finally reached the sixth layer."

Lan Chang'an felt elated, sensing the terrifying power within his body. If engaged in close combat, he could easily tear apart an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Even given his favorable circumstances, reaching the sixth layer of the body refinement manual at 110 years old showed the difficulty of the body refinement path.

With decent body refinement "talent", the time and resources spent significantly exceeded those needed by Zhao Siyao and Zhang Tieshan to reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Without talent, sufficient time, and energy, it would be challenging for an average cultivator to break through the fourth layer even after two centuries of refinement on the side.

Moreover, this wasn't the true path of body cultivation, and didn't possess any genuine divine abilities.

After consolidating the body refinement cultivation, Lan Chang'an tested his body's strength.

Superior-grade magic weapons couldn't break his defense at all.

Supreme-grade magic weapons, fully activated, could inflict minor injuries. Sustained attacks or targeting weak points would pose a significant threat.

"Now, even without using talismans or my trump cards like the Nine Seal Stele, it's hard for anyone below the Fake-Dan Formation level to pose a real threat to me."

The breakthrough in the body refinement manual greatly enhanced Lan Chang'an's self-preservation ability.

Though talismans were powerful, they were external items requiring activation to unleash their might.

The protection from body refinement, however, was always present.

...

After leaving seclusion, Lan Chang'an took a comfortable bath.

Nowadays, he couldn't enjoy the benefits of Guan Qiaozhi's "skilled hands."

Since Lan Rou started serving as a maid on the mountain, Lan Chang'an had canceled some of the more intimate services to avoid any impropriety.

This had left Lan Rou somewhat disappointed. As a gentle and reserved person, she was unable to take the initiative to seductively entice him.

After his bath, Lan Chang'an stepped out of the cave.

Squeak!

The Earth Burrowing Rat brought over two letters.

The Earth Burrowing Rat managed the letters on Little Turtle Peak, a tradition of several decades. Neither Guan Qiaozhi in the past nor Lan Rou now had the authority to interfere.

Lan Chang'an took the letters and saw that they were from Feiyue Lake.

They were from Li Erqing and Mu Bingyun, seemingly sent around the same time.

Lan Chang'an opened Li Erqing's letter first.

In the letter, Li Erqing mentioned both good and bad news.

The good news was that Li Erqing's most talented grandson, Mu Congren, had successfully advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm half a year ago with the help of an inferior-quality Foundation Establishment Pill.

The Mu Family of Feiyue Lake now had three Foundation Establishment cultivators, reaching an unprecedented peak.

This was indeed good news.

The letter did not specify where the low-quality Foundation Establishment Pill came from, but with the Mu Family's current strength and connections, obtaining such a pill was not particularly difficult.

...

After reading the bad news, Lan Chang'an fell silent for a long time.

The joy of advancing the sixth layer of the body refinement manual was also dampened.

His mind involuntarily recalled distant memories that had almost faded, the once beautiful times.

Over the endless years, those distant memories had nearly eroded away.

"One hundred and ten years..."

He sighed softly; the number of years he silently recited was exactly his current age, marking the passage of time in his life.

(End of chapter)