The young general stayed in the village for two days.
He went to pay his respects to Wang Daniu, repaired the Wang family's house, and then went to the county seat to speak with the magistrate, asking him to look after Wang Daniu's family.
Before leaving, he told the Wang family that if they ever needed anything, they could go to the capital and look for him.
Lin An later learned from a storyteller that the young general's name was Shen Fei. Relying on ingenious strategies and brilliant military tactics, he had driven the neighboring country into one defeat after another, while also annexing three minor kingdoms. He had eventually been granted the title of Protector General.
But none of that had much to do with Lin An. He remained an ordinary farmer.
The days passed, and in the blink of an eye, another five years went by.
That year, Zhang Fan's father came down with a serious illness, and his health steadily deteriorated.
Lin An wrote a letter to Zhang Fan and had someone deliver it to the Azure Profound Sect.
But Zhang Fan did not return.
Half a year later, Zhang Fan's father finally passed away.
Over the years, Lin An had saved up quite a bit of money. With Zhang Fan's status as an immortal cultivator, the funeral was held with great pomp.
Lin An acted just like a biological son, busying himself with every detail and seeing Zhang Fan's father off on his final journey.
Perhaps grief had taken its toll. The following year, Zhang Fan's mother also passed away.
Before she died, she held Lin An's hand and asked him to tell Zhang Fan not to blame himself. She said that having given birth to an immortal cultivator in this lifetime, she was already content.
The funeral was just as grand and dignified.
Lin An had fulfilled the last of his responsibilities.
The kindness Zhang Fan's family had shown him when they took him in had finally been repaid.
He did not leave. Instead, he waited quietly.
It was not until the seventh year that Zhang Fan returned.
By then, he had grown much more mature, and a beard had appeared on his face.
“Father, Mother, your son has been unfilial. I came back too late and didn’t even get to see you one last time.”
Zhang Fan knelt before his parents’ graves for seven days and seven nights.
Lin An did not disturb him, because he understood what Zhang Fan was feeling.
On the seventh day, dark clouds gathered above the Zhang family’s ancestral graves, and spiritual energy surged wildly. A moment later, a powerful pressure descended before quickly withdrawing.
Zhang Fan emerged from the ancestral graveyard and returned home.
“You broke through?”
Lin An poured him a cup of water.
Zhang Fan nodded. “By severing my ties to the mortal world and everything in my past, my state of mind improved. I finally took that step and entered the Foundation Establishment realm.”
He explained his situation to Lin An without worrying whether Lin An could understand.
“Congratulations,” Lin An said with a smile.
But Zhang Fan’s face was filled with bitterness. The price of his increased strength was being separated from his parents forever. It was simply too great a price to pay.
“All these years, I was trapped in a secret realm. Although I encountered some fortuitous opportunities, I still missed my parents’ final moments.”
“Brother Lin An, thank you. If you hadn’t helped me fulfill my filial duties, I might have been consumed by even greater guilt.”
Zhang Fan offered his thanks sincerely.
Only then did he suddenly notice that, despite all these years, Lin An’s appearance had not changed in the slightest. He was still just as young as ever.
“Brother Lin An, how have you not aged at all?”
“I had a few fortuitous encounters myself. I happened to consume a Beauty Preservation Pill, so it’s only natural that I haven’t aged.”
That had been Lin An’s explanation for all these years. Although the villagers were surprised, they had never paid it much attention.
After all, cultivators existed in this world. Maintaining one’s youthful appearance was hardly anything strange.
“Brother Lin An, you really are lucky.”
“It’s just a pity that you don’t have a spiritual root. With your fortune, your achievements would definitely surpass mine if you did.”
Zhang Fan could not help sighing.
Even in the cultivation world, Beauty Preservation Pills were rare treasures coveted by countless female cultivators. Yet Lin An, an ordinary mortal, had been lucky enough to consume one.
“What are you planning to do from now on? Are you going to keep living in this little mountain village?”
After the two chatted for a while, Zhang Fan looked at Lin An.
He knew that with Lin An’s abilities, he did not have to remain in the village all this time. If he had not stayed behind to fulfill his filial duties on Zhang Fan’s behalf, he might have left long ago.
“The village is a good place, but I’d also like to see the prosperity of a great city.”
Lin An did not beat around the bush and told him his plans.
Zhang Fan nodded. “Which city do you want to go to? I can help you.”
“Although I can’t give you a spiritual root, making you a wealthy man won’t be a problem.”
Lin An did not refuse. Since he had connections, he would have been foolish not to make use of them.
Three days later, after taking care of everything, Zhang Fan flew toward the nearest major city, Yan’an City, carrying Lin An on his sword.
This was Lin An’s first time riding a flying sword.
He was somewhat frightened at first, but after flying for a while, he gradually got used to it.
Standing in the sky and looking down over the land was an extraordinary feeling. The grandeur of looking down upon all the mountains slowly stirred in his chest.
At that moment, he wished more than anything to learn how to ride a flying sword and soar freely through the heavens.
But such things could not be forced.
He was still an ordinary mortal with no cultivation.
Upon arriving in Yan’an City, Zhang Fan took Lin An to the city lord’s residence and displayed the strength of a Foundation Establishment expert.
After that, everything proceeded smoothly.
Lin An bought a large mansion in the inner city and acquired a restaurant in the eastern market as a source of income.
“Brother Lin An, this is a defensive talisman. It can withstand an attack from a peak Qi Condensation cultivator, and one talisman can last for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.”
“This is a Lightning-Calling Talisman. It can instantly kill cultivators below the third level of Qi Condensation.”
“And this is a Voice Transmission Talisman. If you run into trouble, use it to contact me. I’ll come immediately.”
Once everything had been arranged, Zhang Fan left Lin An one hundred taels of gold and ten thousand taels of silver. He also gave him several talismans before departing on his flying sword.
Because of the grand display Zhang Fan had made, every influential person in Yan’an City learned that a Foundation Establishment expert stood behind Lin An. They all came to befriend him.
Lin An neither put on airs nor deliberately sought out connections. Once the attention died down, he settled into a quiet and comfortable life as a wealthy man.
At first, several of the city’s great clans were worried that Lin An would take away their business.
But after a year passed without Lin An making the slightest move, relying solely on the profits from his restaurant, they gradually stopped treating him as an enemy.
With a Foundation Establishment expert backing Lin An, no one dared cause trouble at his restaurant. The various clans and merchants even frequently patronized the establishment. By the end of the year, it had earned a considerable amount of money.
And so, another three years passed in the blink of an eye.
...
That year, a great drought struck the land. Refugees appeared everywhere, and banditry ran rampant.
More and more refugees gathered in Yan’an City.
Sitting in his carriage, Lin An looked at the refugees begging along the streets outside. Their eyes were dull and lifeless, and in the end, he could not bring himself to ignore them.
“Starting tomorrow, have people distribute rice porridge outside the city every day.”
“In addition, build a soap workshop outside the city and hire as many refugees as possible.”
He arrived at the restaurant and gave these orders to the manager.
Lin An had developed soap long ago, but he had never deliberately produced it on a large scale.
He did not want to invite trouble, nor did he have any ambition to expand his business.
But when he saw those refugees clutching their children, their eyes filled with despair and pleading, he felt that he ought to do something.
He could not save every refugee, but he could help at least one.
Before long, a porridge station and a workshop were built outside the city.
When the clans and wealthy merchants of Yan’an City saw Lin An beginning to distribute porridge, they followed suit. Although each family contributed only a small amount, the total was still substantial.
At the very least, the refugees around Yan’an City would not starve to death.