An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Rumor has it that you personally opened the Divine Transformation pocket world and were the first to step inside...” Han Zheng probed.

Luo Chen gave a calm nod. ”That is true. But I was gravely injured at the time and did not explore the ruins. My only focus was recovery.”

That explanation was one he intended to hold firmly. Without it, questions would follow endlessly. Moreover, it was the pure truth; he had not explored the Divine Transformation pocket world at all. Such opportunities lay far beyond the reach of someone at his cultivation.

Han Zheng showed no concern for the excuse and instead asked with deliberate weight, ”When did you come out?”

”About half a year after the door opened.”

Han Zheng frowned again. Half a year? The timing doesn’t match...

He pressed on, ”On your way out, did you engage in any battles?”

”Nope. I have always preferred to keep a low profile, and fighting is what I dislike the most.”

Once again, it was a denial. A faint doubt began to cloud Han Zheng’s thoughts. Yet after that brief uncertainty, he realized something else. Luo Chen seemed deliberately intent on severing any connection with the Falling Cloud Sect. Or perhaps, not with the sect, but... with him personally?

If Luo Chen truly had been the one to save him, then he would also carry the karmic burden of killing Xuan Yu from the Peach Mountain. And behind Xuan Yu stood none other than the Grand Elder of Hundred Flowers Palace, Peach Blossom.

Once that thought crossed his mind, Han Zheng understood Luo Chen’s attitude. He did not press further. Instead, he smiled and said, ”In any case, I must thank you for rescuing the disciples of my Falling Cloud Sect.”

The words carried deliberate ambiguity. Was he referring to Luo Chen saving Qin Yuanjiang and the others, or to saving Han Zheng himself? After all, they were all disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect.

Luo Chen gave him a deep glance but said nothing more. He understood that some of his methods could not remain hidden. During the hasty battle against Xuan Yu in the Divine Transformation pocket world, he had revealed three things: astonishing speed, formidable physique strength, and the Crimson Cloud Wings. All three had appeared again during the battle of Danxia Peak. Without such feats, the tales of him cutting down several grand cultivators in an instant would never have spread so widely.

If Han Zheng chose to reason it out, he would have little difficulty concluding who had saved him. Yet some matters were best left unspoken, with both sides understanding without words. Luo Chen admitting to it outright would never happen.

”Fellow Daoist Han, since you seldom visit Tianlan Immortal City, why not stay a few days longer? Allow me to host you properly,” Luo Chen offered.

”That won’t be necessary.” Han Zheng declined as if the refusal had been prepared in advance ”There are sect missions awaiting me. I cannot linger long in Tianlan Immortal City.”

Sect missions? The words drew a slight frown from Luo Chen as his gaze swept the surroundings. ”What about Qin Yuanjiang?”

Han Zheng sighed. ”Junior Brother is likely still on the other side of the mountain. I cannot bear to watch others in sorrow, so I came here instead.”

The other side... The burial grounds...

Luo Chen nodded. ”Forgive me then, I must take my leave.”

Han Zheng smiled lightly. ”It’s fine, I will go with you.”

The answer drew a look of surprise from Luo Chen. Didn’t he just say that he could not bear the sight of grief?

***

Amid the green hills, incense smoke drifted without end. In the quiet graveyard, a young man knelt upon the ground. His face was blank, without tears, yet the sorrow in his eyes could not be concealed.

”Father, I came back too late. You worked so hard to raise me, you sent me across a thousand li into the sect, yet I wasn’t here to see you one last time... I have been unfilial!”

He had left home at the age of twelve and returned only at thirty-eight. The boy had become an Initiate, yet the joy of family bonds was now severed forever by death. All the pride and cultivation tales he had gathered found no one to share them with, leaving only a bitter regret lodged deep in his heart.

A gentle voice sounded behind him. ”Xiaohu.”

”Mother...” Qin Yuanjiang lowered his head, unable to meet her earnest gaze. ”Before Father passed, did he leave any last words?”

Murong Qinglian stood there, her tears falling like rain. ”No. He went too suddenly and left nothing behind.”

Qin Yuanjiang opened his mouth, yet no words came. For so long, he had believed there would be plenty of time to honor his parents. At one point, he had even felt relieved that they had not gone to the Jilei Nine Mountains battlefield, spared from its dangers.

He had imagined bringing home news of his early promotion to True Inheritor, earned by merit in the Jilei Nine Mountains. The thought that such an achievement would bring his parents pride and joy had filled him with anticipation. But by the time he got here to make the grand announcement... everything had already changed.

The emotions that should have surged and the tears that should have flowed freely were instead suppressed deep within him. For reasons he could not explain, they refused to break through. He forced himself to rise and face his mother.

”Mother, come back with me to the Falling Cloud Sect. This time, you won’t need to settle in Thousand Leaves Immortal City. I am now a True Inheritor, and I can bring my family to live in the sect’s estate permanently.”

Murong Qinglian’s grief faltered for a moment. She reached out and gently touched the face of her son, who now stood taller than she did.

”Old Qin, can you hear this? Your son has not only reached Foundation Establishment, but he has also become a True Inheritor of a Nascent Soul upper sect. His future is without limit. Wherever you are, you must be overjoyed.”

Qin Yuanjiang listened in silence to his mother’s endless murmuring. As a child, he had found such words bothersome. Yet in this moment, he felt he could never hear enough of them. Perhaps only through loss did one learn to cherish.

After a long silence, he spoke once more with earnestness, ”Come back with me to the Falling Cloud Sect.”

”But what about the Luo Tian Society...” Murong Qinglian hesitated.

Qin Yuanjiang cut her off anxiously, ”Once we return, I can ask the elders of the sect to personally heal your severed hand.”

She lowered her head and muttered, ”Elder Sun and the President are also gathering materials to heal me.”

”That’s not the same!” Qin Yuanjiang said confidently. ”Our sect has the renowned Triumphant Repose Art. Its effectiveness surpasses anything the Six Jade Cauldron Sects have for restoring severed limbs. Once it’s healed, it will not hinder your cultivation in any way. You are not old yet, and your cultivation is solid. You may still have the chance to reach the Golden Core Realm.”

Even so, Murong Qinglian’s hesitation remained.

Qin Yuanjiang thought for a moment, then said, ”There is a junior sister in the sect who cares for me deeply. Mother, don’t you want to meet her?”

This time, Murong Qinglian’s heart wavered. Still, she answered, ”I must first ask the President before making such a decision.”

Qin Yuanjiang frowned. ”Uncle Luo?”

In the past, he would never have thought twice about a man who had risen from the ranks of rogue cultivators. However, Luo Chen had once saved his life, and that was a debt he could never disregard. Out of respect, he had to consider Luo Chen’s stance.

While mother and son spoke of the future before the grave of their departed, two figures stood watching quietly from a distance.

”Fellow Daoist Luo, are you truly willing to let go of such a capable aide?” Han Zheng asked.

”There is no question of willingness,” Luo Chen replied calmly. ”My sister-in-law has already given so much for the Luo Tian Society. If she wishes to rest and enjoy family life, I will see it done.

”Fellow Daoist, you are truly understanding,” Han Zheng praised with admiration.

Luo Chen shook his head. ”The Qin family has already sacrificed a life for the Luo Tian Society. How could I possibly force them to remain?”

At those words, a trace of killing intent flickered across his face. Han Zheng’s brow arched, for he had caught that fleeting expression.

”In truth, you have already avenged the Qin family,” Han Zheng remarked. ”I heard the Zheng family of Rolling Dragon Ridge suffered a miserable fate. Not even a single Qi Refinement cultivator survived.”

Luo Chen remained silent. He understood clearly that the true enemy was not the Zheng family, nor the rabble of Iron Sword Hall.

Han Zheng said slowly, ”You need not burden yourself. The Flame Alliance is a colossus compared to the Luo Tian Society, far too great an enemy for you to provoke for now.”

The words drew a look of surprise from Luo Chen. Han Zheng’s insight was sharp, and his grasp of the situation piercingly clear.

Even so, Luo Chen declared with confidence, ”It may be impossible now, but the future will be different. One day, I will repay the humiliation tenfold, a hundredfold! The Flame Alliance will find out what it means to ram open the gates of the Luo Tian Society!”

”Fellow Daoist, a fine ambition!” Han Zheng praised, then added, ”But sometimes, the greater the expectation, the deeper the disappointment.”

Luo Chen frowned. Is he looking down on me?

The arrogance of upper sect disciples was something he had witnessed many times, yet each instance still stirred distaste. Even though Han Zheng presented himself as courteous and refined, that pride remained.

Luo Chen made no retort. The words he had spoken earlier were already unusual for him. To press further would serve no purpose other than a fruitless argument.

Han Zheng did not linger either. After a few more casual remarks and an assurance that he would remember Luo Chen’s aid to the Falling Cloud Sect, he took his leave from Danxia Peak.

Luo Chen made no move to stop him. In truth, the one whose departure weighed heavier on his heart was someone else entirely.