Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 203 - 143: Nangua’s Might

An old alchemist couldn’t help but sigh repeatedly, feeling a deep sense of frustration in his heart.

He’d practiced alchemy his whole life—now past eighty—and he knew there could be no trickery in developing pills like these; it all relied on real skill and solid strength.

This was exactly why he so deeply respected Lu Chang’sheng.

"You’re exaggerating, Senior."

Lu Chang’sheng kept replying modestly.

Fortunately, these alchemists weren’t any good at flattery, so it was easy enough to deal with them.

"It shouldn’t be long before that Immortal arrives, right?"

Lu Chang’sheng mused silently.

Right now, everyone only knew he’d succeeded in developing the Biyun Pill—they had no idea about the actual refining method or the real recipe.

These were absolutely crucial.

Without them, there was simply no way to produce the Biyun Pill.

Yan Yun understood this as well, so he didn’t press further, waiting for the Immortal and the others to arrive before saying anything more.

Zhu Er and his group arrived faster than expected.

Upon seeing the Biyun Pill, Zhu Er sniffed it carefully, and only after a while did he show a hint of satisfaction.

He didn’t have the eye to judge the ingredients in the pill, but having handled so many pills before, he had his own distinctive ways of discerning certain scents.

Clearly, this Biyun Pill fully met his standards.

That night, Shi Mansion held a small celebratory feast as a reward.

Lu Chang’sheng was the guest of honor, attracting looks from all around.

He greeted the guests with a smile, and, little by little, earned quite a good reputation.

The attendees weren’t just officials from Black Mountain Prefecture; there were also many refugees from Jinghua Prefecture.

The Empress had originally planned to turn this place into a temporary court center, waiting for a chance to retake Jinghua Prefecture and restore order to the world.

Unfortunately, before she could seize her chance, Immortal Zhu Er arrived.

After several rounds of persuasion and inducement, the Empress had lost most of her interest in the court; compared to that, cultivating immortality sounded much better.

Still, she hadn’t said this out loud, so many senior court officials were in the dark, dutifully completing all the tasks assigned by the Empress.

"No one is more heartless than royalty."

Watching the Empress’s faint smile in the distance, Lu Chang’sheng sighed silently and scratched her off his list of potential investments.

"Scholar Lu, the Patriarch wants to see you."

The Empress approached, carrying a faint, delicate fragrance.

Lu Chang’sheng knew the true purpose of the banquet had arrived, so he took a deep breath and followed Zhu Qing to the back courtyard.

Zhu Er, pale-faced, was sitting cross-legged in a room. When he saw Lu Chang’sheng, he nodded slightly.

"Yan Yun has already briefed me. I leave the refining of the Biyun Pill to you."

Lu Chang’sheng felt a subtle heaviness in his chest.

There was a message behind those words.

Even though Zhu Er’s attitude towards him had improved, he still clearly didn’t take him to heart—maybe just a passing curiosity at best.

So there was a faint undertone of command in his words.

At this point, there was no way out.

If he had failed to develop the Biyun Pill, it wouldn’t be so bad; but now that he succeeded, before Zhu Er recovered his full power, there was no way he’d let him go.

Lu Chang’sheng couldn’t help but feel helpless; he’d thought displaying his talent would draw serious attention, but instead, it seemed to have backfired.

"Looks like, in the Spirit Realm, this Biyun Pill might not even be anything special."

Lu Chang’sheng’s guess wasn’t wrong. In the Spirit Realm, plenty of cultivators could make pills like these; there was hardly any technical threshold.

Of course, Zhu Er had actually misjudged something about all this.

In the Spirit Realm, many cultivators could learn to refine a new type of pill in a matter of months because there was so much experience to draw from.

But Lu Chang’sheng, by contrast, had done all this on his own, relying entirely on his innate alchemy talent.

"I understand,"

Lu Chang’sheng didn’t dare show a hint of displeasure.

Zhu Er noticed and said with a smile, "I’ve already told you—I won’t let you work for free. Think it over and tell me what you need, and I’ll see what I can do."

Lu Chang’sheng felt a sense of relief. This was where evil cultivators and orthodox cultivators differed.

If it had been an evil cultivator, any sentence would’ve sent chills down his spine, worrying if he was about to step into a trap.

"Chang’sheng does have one request, and hopes Immortal will grant it."

"Speak."

"I’m deeply fascinated by the Spirit Realm. I wonder if you could possibly take me there?"

He looked at Zhu Er with anticipation.

But Zhu Er only shook his head, "That’s beyond what I promised. Pick something else."

"Why not?"

"It’s too resource-intensive."

"If I could gather the resources myself?"

Zhu Er shook his head and smirked, his tone tinged with mockery.

"Those evil cultivators knew I’d descended to this world, and that I represent the Zhu Family of the Spirit Realm. Even if they did manage to kill me, the Zhu cultivators would hunt them down sooner or later. And yet, they still chose to come after me."

Lu Chang’sheng’s heart sank.

"I understand. Still, how would we know if we don’t try?"

"That’s up to you. Just know, if you fail to gather enough resources, that’s it for your favor."

Lu Chang’sheng nodded.

After he left, Zhu Er muttered, "This one’s comprehension is no less than Zhu Qing’s—a real talent. Pity, though, that in the Spirit Realm, talents like this are as common as the stars."

Zhu Er didn’t dwell on it further.

So long as the Biyun Pill was produced, he could speed up recovering from his wounds. As long as he healed faster than those evil cultivators, he’d have the upper hand.

······

"Even evil cultivators aren’t thinking about going back to the Spirit Realm. Shows you how much it costs just to return."

Thinking back on Zhu Er’s words, Lu Chang’sheng sighed to himself.

After so many years of plundering, the Great Yuan lands had been stripped of almost everything of value. What resources remained—like spirit medicine—needed years to grow back.

Whatever’s left is tucked away deep in forests or mountains, far from civilization.

Searching those places wouldn’t be a matter of a year or two—by then, Zhu Er would be long gone.

"If only I could hunt down evil cultivators—"

"No, no, evil cultivators are too dangerous. Even Zhu Er almost died to them. If I go after them, chances are I won’t make it."

"Still, none of those evil cultivators have come after me yet. Maybe they were wounded during their fight with Zhu Er? That could be an opportunity."

······

With that in mind, Lu Chang’sheng turned on his heel and headed back.

"You’re back—what do you need now?"

Zhu Er hadn’t left yet. Because of the Biyun Pill, even though he was unhappy, he restrained himself.

"Chang’sheng just thought of something—I’d like to ask you about it, Immortal." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Lu Chang’sheng said.

Zhu Er’s face darkened. "You can ask, but that’ll use up your favor. Think carefully."

Lu Chang’sheng felt helpless.

The way Zhu Er called all the shots made him fume inside, but facing the gap in strength and the overall situation, he forced a smile and said, "I’ll follow your lead, Immortal."

"So go ahead and ask."

Seeing how tactful Lu Chang’sheng was, Zhu Er nodded in satisfaction.

"I have a wife who was once taken away by an Immortal claiming to be from Fuyun Mountain... I wonder if you know—"

Before Lu Chang’sheng could finish, Zhu Er shot up from his seat, staring straight at him.

"You... you’re not lying to me?"

"How could I dare deceive you, Immortal? That Immortal left me this Immortal Object to stay in touch, so that my wife and I wouldn’t grow distant from long separation."

Lu Chang’sheng didn’t hold back, taking the Sound Transmission Shell he’d treasured from his robes.

The moment Zhu Er saw it, his face went through a range of expressions—relief, awe, even a hint of flattery.

In just a few seconds, Lu Chang’sheng counted half a dozen emotions in his eyes.

Well, that’s an Immortal for you.

"Fellow Daoist... so deep, so hidden! Fuyun Mountain is nothing short of legendary!"

After a moment of hesitation, Zhu Er beamed, quickly walked over from his seat, and grabbed Lu Chang’sheng’s hand as if they were old friends reunited after years apart.

Even his way of addressing him had changed.

Fellow Daoist—what a weight that title carries!