“What are these things?”
Zhang Fan took the spirit stones and pills, his face full of curiosity.
“I don’t know either, but since they were carried around by an immortal, they probably aren’t ordinary mortal objects.”
“Until we figure out exactly what they are, it’s best not to take them out in public.”
Lin An didn’t know the true value of the spirit stones and pills, so all he could do was remind Zhang Fan to keep a low profile and avoid attracting unwanted attention.
He was still counting on Zhang Fan to grow stronger and bring him greater returns on his investment in the future.
“I know. Don’t worry, Brother Lin An.”
Zhang Fan nodded solemnly.
Half an hour passed quickly, and Lin An followed Zhang Fan’s family to the village entrance once more.
“Zhang Fan, cultivate well after you go to the immortal sect. Don’t worry about your family. I’ll take care of your parents and see to them in their old age.”
As they parted, Lin An made this promise to Zhang Fan.
Zhang Fan’s father had rescued him from the mountains and taken him in. That kindness had to be repaid.
Besides, as an ordinary mortal, Lin An didn’t dare wander around carelessly. Staying in Qingshan Village meant he wouldn’t have to worry about his safety or livelihood, at least.
“Brother Lin An, I’ll have to trouble you with my parents. Once I have some free time, I’ll definitely come back to visit all of you.”
Zhang Fan waved reluctantly before stepping onto the flying sword of a Qingxuan Sect disciple. He gradually disappeared into the horizon.
“You must cultivate well.”
Lin An sighed, then continued with his quiet life in the mountain village.
...
Winter came and summer went. In the blink of an eye, seven years passed.
During those seven years, Lin An lived a peaceful life, working at sunrise and resting at sunset.
He also took meticulous care of Zhang Fan’s parents. His days were plain, but still peaceful and warm.
That was until the spring of the seventh year, when Zhang Fan returned to the village on a flying sword, bringing two fellow disciples with him.
He had come for two reasons: to reminisce with his family and to recruit disciples.
“Little Fan, you’ve lost weight.”
Zhang Fan’s mother’s eyes brimmed with tears as she gently caressed his face.
Zhang Fan had changed greatly from the boy she remembered.
He was taller now, with fairer skin and an otherworldly, detached air about him.
“Father, Mother, your son has been unfilial. It’s taken me so many years to come back and see you.”
Zhang Fan’s eyes reddened, but he stubbornly held back his tears.
That night, Zhang Fan talked with his parents about many things.
It was not until the next day that he sought out Lin An. The two of them sat on the low hill beside the village, just as they had many years ago, when they had sat shoulder to shoulder and waited for Zhang Fan’s father to return from the mountains.
“Sometimes, I really miss the old days.”
Zhang Fan quietly gazed down at the village below. “Back then, we had no worries. Life was hard, but we were happy.”
“Are you unhappy now?” Lin An asked without the slightest restraint, lying back on the grass with his head tilted toward the sky.
Zhang Fan shook his head slightly. “These past seven years haven’t been easy.”
“Competition within the Qingxuan Sect is fierce. If you want resources, you have to fight constantly for them.”
Having found someone willing to listen, he poured out all the frustrations he had accumulated over the past seven years.
Lin An simply listened in silence until Zhang Fan had released everything weighing on his heart.
“Thank you, Brother Lin An, for being willing to listen to me complain.”
Zhang Fan smiled, then took a small cloth pouch from his storage bag.
“There are twenty low-grade spirit stones and a qi-refining technique in this pouch.”
“If you hadn’t given me those ten spirit stones and three bottles of Qi-Gathering Pills back then, I might have had to take many more detours.”
Lin An accepted the pouch without refusing.
“It’s a pity I don’t have a spiritual root. Even with spirit stones and a cultivation technique, I still can’t cultivate.”
He complained casually, but he didn’t take it too seriously.
“Brother Lin An, during my first year after joining the sect, I searched the library. There really are heavenly treasures in this world that can give a person a spiritual root, but such things are extremely rare. Even a Golden Core Ancestor might not be able to obtain one.”
Zhang Fan felt somewhat guilty. He had promised back then that he would find a way to help Lin An.
But he was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining now. He was afraid he might never get the chance.
“Things like that depend entirely on fate. There’s no need to force it.”
Lin An smiled as he offered a word of consolation. With the system in his possession, he truly didn’t care that much.
Zhang Fan stayed in the village for three days, letting the surrounding villages and the county town know that Zhang Fan’s family had an immortal backing them and that ordinary people had better not provoke them lightly.
After that, he took his two fellow disciples and returned to the Qingxuan Sect.
The days passed one after another.
The following year, twenty-three-year-old Wang Daniu relied on his great physical strength and decided to enlist in the army. He wanted to earn military merit, establish a career, and fight for a better future.
“Lin An, do you think I’ll ever have the chance to make something of myself?”
The day before he left, Wang Daniu came to find Lin An.
The two men were from the same village. They had clashed in the past, but their disputes had eventually led to mutual understanding, and they now got along fairly well.
“Just do good, and don’t worry about your future.”
Lin An didn’t tell him whether he would succeed. He only told him to do what he could.
After all, people could make plans, but success depended on Heaven.
Before they parted, he handed Wang Daniu a book.
“This is a military strategy manual I compiled. Read through it when you have the time. It might be of some help.”
The manual combined the Thirty-Six Stratagems and The Art of War, along with various strategies and methods of training soldiers that Lin An could think of.
“Thanks. Just wait for me to return in glory!”
Wang Daniu tucked the book into his clothes and waved goodbye in his usual carefree manner.
...
Time passed, and before long, the following spring arrived.
Wang Daniu did not return in glory. Instead, he was reduced to a pile of ashes and buried in the Wang family’s ancestral grave.
“Are you Lin An? Brother Daniu asked me to give you this letter.”
The soldier who delivered the ashes handed Lin An a letter, his expression filled with melancholy.
Lin An calmly opened the envelope.
The letter contained a great deal of writing, most of it describing Wang Daniu’s experiences over the past year.
At the end, he said that he had given the military manual to a clever young junior, and hoped Lin An would forgive him.
Lin An was somewhat downcast that day.
He bought a jug of good wine and sat beside Wang Daniu’s grave, quietly speaking a few words.
It was the first time he had personally witnessed the passing of someone he knew.
And this was only the beginning.
He possessed immortality. In the future, he would inevitably watch many more people he knew die.
“Immortality is destined to be a lonely road.”
He remained there until the sun was about to set. Only then did he rise and pour all the wine from the jug onto the grave.
“All right, that’s enough for today. I’ll come see you again another time.”
After waving goodbye, Lin An left with an easy stride.
The days passed one after another.
Five more years went by in the blink of an eye.
In the fifth year, a young general dressed in a white robe and silver armor, full of vigor and confidence, arrived at Qingshan Village with a hundred elite soldiers. He had come to inquire about Wang Daniu.
Such an imposing group naturally aroused the curiosity of everyone in the village.
Lin An was no exception. He followed the crowd and watched from the outskirts.
After the young general found Wang Daniu’s family, he had his men carry out a chest of silver.
“General, what are you doing? You really mustn’t!” Wang Daniu’s parents repeatedly waved their hands in refusal.
“Uncle, Auntie, this is something I owe Brother Daniu.”
The young general’s eyes brimmed with tears as he said in a low voice, “If Brother Daniu hadn’t protected me with his life back then, I would have died on the battlefield long ago.”
“And there was the military manual he gave me. Without that book, I never could have achieved what I have today.”
“So please, Uncle and Auntie, you must accept this silver.”