Huaiyin City
“Did you hear?
The Young Master of the Huang Mansion has gone mad!”
“The Huang Mansion?
You mean the Young Master Huang who came down with a sudden illness half a year ago and nearly died?”
“That’s the one.”
“I heard back then that almost every famous doctor in and around Huaiyin City had given up on him, saying no medicine could save him.
Who would have thought he’d just suddenly get better?
They say Master Huang is a kind man, and his prayers to the gods and buddhas moved the heavens, allowing Young Master Huang to pull through.
Truly bizarre.”
“How has it been less than half a year, and now he’s mad again?”
“Who knows?
Ever since he recovered, the young master has been spouting nonsense all day.
He heard some rumor about an Immortal descending to the mortal world and has been clamoring to seek the Dao.
It’s become an obsession.
He’s run away from home multiple times, and when he’s caught and brought back, he refuses to eat or drink, just causing a fuss day in and day out.
Master Huang has a massive headache over it.
He had no choice but to hire a bunch of Jianghu Sorcerers to come to the mansion, wining and dining them.”
“Tsk, tsk.
He really has gone mad.
Where would you find an Immortal in this world?
It’s all just baseless rumors.
I’m afraid that young master never fully recovered.
Something’s not right in his head.”
A few idlers in the restaurant gossiped back and forth, treating it as a joke, completely unaware that in a corner, an old man and a young boy dressed as Wandering Daoists were listening to their conversation with looks of surprise.
“Master, that boy from the Huang Mansion sounds interesting, doesn’t he?
In a remote little place like this, the Immortal Sects don’t make their presence known.
How would he know about Immortals?
And he seems so certain about it, too.” The Little Daoist Child, with his rosy lips and white teeth, looked curious.
The old Daoist, who had the air of an otherworldly master, stroked the Duster in his hand, his interest piqued as well.
“Interesting.
Come with me to the Huang Mansion for a look.” The Little Daoist Child froze, looking at the old Daoist in surprise.
“Master, you’re not thinking of taking on another disciple, are you?” The old Daoist shot the Little Daoist Child a glare.
“A disciple, my ass!
Do you think you can find disciples with a Spiritual Root everywhere in this Grand Thousand Worlds?
There are countless billions of mortals across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, and not even one in ten thousand has a Spiritual Root.
Furthermore, constrained by the environment, even if a few people with a Spiritual Root were born in a dusty mortal place like this, their roots would be impure and mixed.
They’d be nothing but trash.
What’s the use in taking them?” The Little Daoist Child gave a sheepish laugh.
“Master, since you’re sure that boy is nothing special, why are we still going to the Huang Mansion?” The old Daoist shot the Little Daoist Child a look of profound disappointment, as if scolding iron for not becoming steel.
“You hopeless brat, do you think it costs me nothing to raise you?
Do you have any idea how much money I’ll have to spend to get you to Foundation Establishment?
While I may look down on this Huang Mansion, they’re still a wealthy merchant family in this area.
It shouldn’t be a problem to squeeze them for a few doses of Spirit Medicine for your Washing Marrow and Veins, right?
Besides, my own time is almost up.
I have to leave you a little something, lest you complain I was irresponsible and pry open my coffin lid.”
The Little Daoist Child was so moved he was about to cry.
All this time on their journey, his master had been specifically visiting rich and powerful families in the mortal world, healing the sick and saving lives, and he had no idea how much silver and how many precious herbs he’d acquired along the way.
It turned out it was all for him.
“Master…
WAAAH…”
“Hold it in!” the old Daoist grunted, exasperated.
The Little Daoist Child quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, his respect for his master growing even deeper.
The old Daoist, however, let out a sigh.
‘To think that a few thousand years ago, my Qingcheng Mountain was a renowned and powerful sect in the Three Thousand Dao States,’ he thought.
‘How did it fall to the point where there’s only a single heir in each generation?
Isn’t it because I searched in vain for a disciple with superior aptitude and Heart Nature, leaving just the two of us, master and disciple, to depend on each other?’
The Little Daoist Child also sighed with emotion, but then his face broke into a grin.
“Heh heh, Master, since you were willing to accept me as your disciple, my aptitude must be pretty good, right?” The old Daoist rolled his eyes at the Daoist Child, his face a mask of contempt.
“You?
Pfft.
A Gold, Wood, and Earth Three Attributes Spiritual Roots.
That’s just a middle-grade Spiritual Root.
In one of those major sects, you’d be at the very bottom of the barrel.
If my time wasn’t almost up and I hadn’t been able to find a suitable heir to carry on my legacy, why would I ever have chosen you?”
The Daoist Child’s smile froze on his face.
He grunted in frustration and pretended to be angry, ignoring the old Daoist.
The old Daoist felt a bitter pang in his heart.
His own master had been even more of a deadbeat than he was, dying right after passing on the inheritance.
He had to struggle and claw his way up, wasting an untold amount of time before achieving even a little success.
Back then, the old Daoist was completely focused on cultivation, fighting with other cultivators over resources and escaping death by a hair’s breadth countless times.
He had no mind for anything else.
But his aptitude was limited.
After exhausting countless resources, his cultivation stalled in the late Nascent Soul stage, unable to advance even a single step further.
In the several centuries the old Daoist had spent wandering the world, he had naturally encountered many disciples with decent talent.
But the birth of a genius is always accompanied by strange phenomena, and the vast majority of these prodigies were monopolized by the major Immortal Sects.
He never even had a chance.
Occasionally he’d come across a few who had slipped through the cracks, but every single one of them had ambitions as high as the heavens and looked down on the completely declined Qingcheng Mountain.
There was nothing he could do.
Lost in their own thoughts, the old man and the young boy left the restaurant and headed straight for the Huang Mansion.
The Huang Mansion Courtyard.
A middle-aged man dressed as a Daoist stood upon a ritual altar, a wooden sword in hand, brandishing it with practiced, deliberate movements.
“Fire, come.”
The middle-aged Daoist suddenly barked an order.
He swiped a hand across the wooden sword, and in an instant, a flame coalesced in his palm.
“It’s on fire!
It’s really on fire!
Is—is that an Immortal Technique?”
A large crowd of servants and maids, who had never seen such a thing, couldn’t help but cry out in alarm as they watched the flame rise from the Daoist’s palm.
“An Immortal!
Quick, bow to the Immortal!” With a great RUSTLE, many of the servants hurriedly knelt and kowtowed to the Immortal.
Only one person remained unmoved: a handsome youth in fine silks and a jade belt, gently fanning himself with a Folding Fan.
It was none other than the Young Master of the Huang Mansion, Huang Yulang.
“Y-Young Master, that’s an Immortal Technique!
Young Master, look!
It really is an Immortal Technique!” his Scholar’s Attendant, Fu, exclaimed, tugging at the youth’s robes.
“An Immortal Technique?” Huang Yulang’s lips curled into a sneer.
“Wind, rise.”
Seeing the crowd’s reaction, a look of delight appeared on the Daoist’s face, and he began to cast another spell.
As a Talisman burned to ash, a light breeze blew in from over the courtyard wall, causing the leaves on the trees to sway.
“My heavens, the wind is really blowing!
Young Master, Young Master, look!
Is this truly an Immortal Technique?”
Huang Yulang glanced over the courtyard wall and snorted coldly.
“Just cheap tricks.”
Fu was shocked to hear this and quickly tried to reason with him.
“Young Master, you mustn’t speak so recklessly!
What if you offend the Immortal?”
Huang Yulang strode directly onto the ritual altar.
The servants and maids below turned pale with fright.
The Daoist, who was about to perform another spell, frowned and snapped at Huang Yulang when he saw him approach.
“Young Master, step back at once!
This humble Daoist is casting a spell.
It would be most unfortunate if I were to accidentally injure your esteemed person.” Huang Yulang scoffed.
“You call this an Immortal Technique?
This young master can do it too.” The Daoist froze, a sudden wave of guilt washing over him.
He was just about to retort.
But unexpectedly, Huang Yulang tossed aside his Folding Fan and snatched the man’s wooden sword.
The Daoist’s face fell in alarm.
He tried to grab it back, but Huang Yulang dodged him with a quick sidestep and turned to the astonished servants with a smile.
“All of you, watch this young master closely.
Fire, come.” Huang Yulang dipped his hand into a bowl of white powder on the table, then casually wiped it on the Peach Wood Sword.
A flame erupted in Huang Yulang’s hand as well.
“Ah!
It’s on fire!
How is that possible?”
The servants were stunned by this scene.
The Daoist’s face went white as he stared at the youth in utter disbelief.
Huang Yulang casually tossed the Peach Wood Sword aside and looked at his Scholar’s Attendant, saying,
“Take a few people and go outside the courtyard wall.”
Fu froze for a moment before understanding.
He called a few men over, and they trotted off.
A moment later, several servants returned, carrying a few enormous cattail fans.
The servants and maids in the courtyard instantly understood.
They had been tricked.
Each of them flushed red with embarrassment.
“A fraud!
A fraud!
He’s a fraud!”
The servants, enraged, began to curse him.
The Daoist staggered and fell off the altar, his face a mask of panic.
“How dare you try to swindle this young master?
Do you have any idea who you’re messing with?
This young master knows more magic tricks than you’ve ever even heard of.
How could I be fooled by your cheap parlor tricks?”
Huang Yulang reached into his robe, pulled out a stack of white paper, and with a flick of his wrist, the stack of white paper turned into a stack of silver notes.
“You…
you…
you…” The Daoist’s eyes went wide, as if he’d seen a ghost.
The servants gasped when they saw this, their faces full of disbelief.
“Drag him out, beat him half to death, and send him to the Government Office to be dealt with.”
“Yes, Young Master.” A few servants immediately rushed forward and dragged away the desperately begging Daoist.
“Young Master, how did your hand catch fire just now?
And how did that white paper turn into silver notes?” A crowd of servants and maids instantly swarmed him, chirping with endless questions.
Huang Yulang couldn’t be bothered to explain.
He waved his hand, dismissing the servants, and only then did he pull a blood-red Jade Pendant with a complex pattern from his robes, his heart heavy with frustration.
‘In my past life, I was stabbed several times by a pickpocket over this very Jade Pendant,’ he thought.
‘I bled to death, and then my soul somehow transmigrated into this strange world.’
At first, Huang Yulang had thought this was an ordinary world, similar to ancient Huaxia, with its share of Rangers, dynastic struggles, and the feuds of noble families.
He never imagined he would overhear a passing merchant talking about encountering a Demon Fiend on the road and being saved by an Immortal.
The merchant spoke with such sincerity that it was clear he wasn’t making it up.
Everyone else treated it as a joke, but Huang Yulang’s spirits lifted.
‘Could this be a world where Immortals and Demon Fiends coexist?’
To find out, Huang Yulang spent a great deal of energy reading through the entire Huang Mansion library.
He even went to all the major bookshops and bought out their entire stock of books on strange and unusual events.
Only then did he confirm that this world was anything but ordinary.
This world seemed to be vast, far vaster than he could have possibly imagined.
There were countless tales of bizarre and wondrous happenings, but they were all just rumors.
No one had ever actually seen anything firsthand.
After a long internal struggle, Huang Yulang finally made up his mind.
He had to seek out Immortals and the Dao.
He couldn’t waste the opportunity heaven had given him to live a second life.
Even if the outside world was dangerous, even if he died on the path to immortality, Huang Yulang would do it without regret.
But his parents wouldn’t allow it.
Despite their earnest and repeated pleas, Huang Yulang could only resort to secretly running away, but he was caught and brought back every time.
Huang Yulang resorted to a hunger strike, forcing his father’s hand.
Left with no other choice, his father sent people out to invite “great masters” to their home, hoping they could disabuse his son of his unrealistic fantasies.
After all, he was still young, and his parents would rather die than let him leave the Huang Mansion.
Huang Yulang could only compromise, using these so-called “great masters” to try his luck.
He figured he could wait a few years until he came of age, then find an excuse to leave.
But over the past few months, he had seen his fair share of Jianghu Sorcerers and Wandering Daoists.
Their so-called Immortal Techniques were nothing more than crude parlor tricks, leaving Huang Yulang deeply disappointed.
“Young Master, the gatekeeper says another Wandering Daoist has come to the door!
He says this one seems different!” his Scholar’s Attendant ran in excitedly.
Huang Yulang listlessly put away his Jade Pendant and said,
“Different?
Heh.
Let’s hope so.
Bring them in.”
“Yes, Young Master.” The Scholar’s Attendant sprinted off.
Huang Yulang held no real hope.
‘Even if they’re frauds, they’ve been on the road for a long time and have seen a lot,’ he reasoned.
‘Maybe I can get some clues about Immortals from them.’
If not for this thought, why would Huang Yulang insist on meeting them, knowing full well they were just another group of swindlers?
“Blessed Infinite Celestial Venerable.
This humble Daoist, Master Xuanmu of Qingcheng Mountain, greets you, young friend.”