Chapter 65: Chapter 63: I Have an Immortal Junior Brother

As he left East Sea Market, Du Youqian was still mulling over the intelligence he’d gathered.

The intelligence was all about Lin Sha’s master, Helan Ruojin.

It recorded Helan Ruojin’s detailed life story after he began his cultivation path.

Of course, there was no information about his time as a mortal.

But from the moment Helan Ruojin joined the Outer Sect of the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect, the intelligence became exhaustively detailed.

Surely no intelligence organization in the world was capable of gathering information at this level.

If this intelligence wasn’t leaked by an insider from the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect, Du Youqian would chew up the Jade Scroll and swallow it.

He could even pinpoint the source: the Chen Demoness and the person backing her.

The intelligence contained records of Helan Ruojin’s masters, relatives, and friends, the Furnace Cauldrons he had used for Gathering and Replenishing, the injuries he had sustained, and how many times he had entered seclusion.

That wasn’t even mentioning his cultivation progress, the magic he had mastered, or the Magical and Spiritual Artifacts he possessed.

Everything was recorded in painstaking detail.

’Of course, I can’t be sure how authentic this intelligence is.’

’But I’d guess that their true objective definitely includes eliminating Helan Ruojin.’

’Therefore, the intelligence should be highly valuable.’

’Even if some things are concealed, it’s likely just to protect the Sect’s secrets or to set a trap for me. It shouldn’t compromise the goal of eliminating Helan Ruojin.’

Du Youqian hadn’t decided how to handle this matter yet, so for now, he put it to the back of his mind.

Next, he planned to meet an old friend... and an old monkey, then return to Soul-shaking Mountain to pay his respects to the old Daoist and Ruzhen. At the same time, he would rearrange his hidden little treasury and update the treasures inside.

’All those Middle Grade and Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts can go. No need for them to take up space.’

’And the elixirs... I originally planned to retrieve them right after reincarnating, but so much time has passed unexpectedly. Their potency has probably degraded severely. They might have turned to dregs by now. I probably couldn’t even sell them at a discount.’

Since he had already decided to reincarnate as soon as possible in this life, he naturally had to save the small fortune he had accumulated as a True Inheritor for his next life.

As for Top Grade Elixirs like the Dragon Kui Purple Extreme Pill, they were difficult to preserve, and their potency was constantly draining away.

But he would also set up an array to preserve them for as long as possible.

And, having learned his lesson, he would ensure they could be preserved for at least forty to fifty years. That way, even if he was delayed in his next life and had to wait until the life after that to collect his inheritance, the elixirs wouldn’t be ruined due to excessive loss of potency.

~

「Han Kingdom North Border, Three States Governor’s Mansion.」

Yang Wenwan, stealing a moment of leisure, sat in a pavilion drinking sour plum soup. He held a scroll in his left hand, reading with great relish.

A beautiful maid stood beside him, fanning him, while Mr. Si cradled his sword, his eyes half-closed.

Yang Wenwan glanced up at Mr. Si and joked, "We won’t need to make ice in the summer anymore. We can just put a basin of cool water next to you, and it’ll freeze in no time."

Mr. Si opened his eyes, glanced at the Governor, and then closed them again.

Yang Wenwan shook his head and chuckled.

That was just Mr. Si’s personality. He couldn’t be blamed.

Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he shot to his feet. "Who’s there!"

Mr. Si’s eyes also snapped open, a sharp glint within them. His entire being was like an unsheathed, Supreme Divine Sword, ready to deliver a fatal strike to an opponent’s throat at any moment.

"Heh, Brother Yang, Mr. Si."

A gentle, handsome young man walked out from the shade of the trees.

A look of delighted surprise appeared on Yang Wenwan’s ugly face, but he quickly reined in his emotions and cupped his fists in a salute. "Immortal Master Qiu!"

"Hey, now that’s no fun!" Du Youqian strode over, grabbed his hand, and shook it. "Brother Yang... wait, no, I should call you Senior Brother Yang. You’re my master’s disciple too! Let me see, you’ve aged quite a bit. These past ten years must have been hard on you. You’re a disciple of the Sect, after all. To not have gone to pay your respects to Master in ten years... it seems the situation at the border has been perilous."

"In that case, I’ll take the liberty of calling you junior brother... Junior Qiu, you haven’t changed a bit. You’d better hide yourself well. Don’t let my daughters see you, or you’ll never get away. My girls would definitely cling to you and never let go." Yang Wenwan laughed even more happily.

In reality, calling him "Senior Brother" was just a way of flattering him. He was merely a Registered Disciple, which meant something like, "I guess we can count him as a disciple."

His status could not be compared to Du Youqian’s.

As for matters of the border, he didn’t say a word.

He knew very well that Du Youqian was only asking out of politeness and would never interfere in the affairs of mortals.

Beside them, Mr. Si also spoke. "Immortal Master Qiu."

His voice was much more pleasant to listen to. He must have adjusted the muscles in his throat and his vocal cords after advancing to the Innate realm.

Du Youqian smiled and nodded at him, not correcting his form of address.

Yang Wenwan pulled Du Youqian to a seat and had a maid bring tea and fresh fruit. Only then did he ask, "Junior Qiu, this is your first time coming down from the mountain in ten years. Could it be you’re out traveling to gain experience?"

Du Youqian smiled. "Exactly. And my first stop after coming down the mountain is here with you, big brother."

Yang Wenwan asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"That’s not it. I’m about to embark on a long journey, and I remembered the brotherly bond we share, so I came especially to bid you farewell. The road ahead is long, and I fear we may not meet again. Also, you may already know, Brother, but I’ve already made arrangements in Wenzhe City. You should have no worries for the future; just focus on protecting your home and defending the country."

Yang Wenwan was incredibly nonchalant. He burst out laughing. "My son mentioned it in his letter. In that case, tonight we’ll speak of nothing serious, only of pleasures! We won’t go home until we’re drunk!"

That night, the Governor’s Mansion was a scene of boisterous celebration, with wine cups clinking and toasts being exchanged.

Beautiful maids draped in light silk moved through the crowd, available for the taking.

Yang Wenwan had arranged for two of his most beautiful concubines to sit beside Du Youqian. Like warm, fragrant jade, they frequently urged him to drink.

This was a gesture of goodwill from Yang Wenwan, and Du Youqian felt it would be rude to refuse. He simply remained an upright gentleman, behaving with perfect propriety.

People who had once gotten along well with Du Youqian, as well as the apprentices he had trained, all came to attend the banquet.

He listened to them proudly describe how many medicines they had concocted to save countless soldiers, and how many Divine Soldiers they had forged, giving the Han Kingdom an absolute advantage in several battles.

Du Youqian laughed along with them, frequently raising his cup in toast.

In the latter half of the night, most of the guests were drunk and had been helped back to their rooms to rest.

Du Youqian was also helped to a guest room by Yang Wenwan’s concubines. Just as the two beauties were about to undress and attend to him, Du Youqian opened his eyes and smiled faintly. "There’s no need. You two go and get some rest."

When he stepped out of the guest room and into the courtyard, he found, as expected, that Yang Wenwan—who had been acting charmingly drunk earlier—was having a quiet drink under the moon, his eyes perfectly clear.

"Haven’t had your fill yet, big brother?"

Yang Wenwan smiled. "Little brother, I knew you’d come find me. Let’s have another drink. I’ll see you off."

Du Youqian took the cup, drained it in one gulp, and said to Yang Wenwan with great solemnity, "Brother, in the future, if anyone in your bloodline is born with a Spirit Root, I will personally guide them onto the path of the Dao."

Hearing this, the eyes of the iron-willed Yang Wenwan shimmered with tears, his emotions getting the better of him.

Perhaps his emotions were too stirred up, for it was a long moment before he could speak. "Brother... thank you."

"Take care, Brother."

"Take care!"

The next moment, the gentle, handsome young man had vanished, as if he had never been there at all.

A sense of loss and melancholy washed over Yang Wenwan.

He knew this was likely the last time in his life he would ever see Junior Brother Qiu.

There would be no reunion in the future.

’Yes, I have to write this down in the Sanlitang Notes.’

’Let future generations know that their old ancestor also had a fateful encounter with an immortal!’

’I once took an Immortal Master as my teacher.’

’I also had a junior brother who was an immortal of peerless grace.’

’My bond with this junior brother was profound; we called each other brothers. We would often drink through the night, our joy unending!’