Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

Since Xu Ming arrived at Wanhua Valley, twelve days had passed quickly.

On this day, all the cultivators of Tianxuan Sect had already packed their belongings, preparing to leave for Jubei City to find a new home for their sect.

A young girl in Wanhua Valley carefully placed all her belongings into her storage ring.

Early in the morning, she squatted in front of her house, gazing at a flowerbed of Blood Toras flowers.

Now, the entire Wanhua Valley had become bare, with all the spiritual flowers stored inside Wang Xuan’s Ten Thousand Kinds Pouch.

What remained were only some ordinary flowers and grasses, scattered across the vast plains.

These common plants required little spiritual energy to survive and could thrive anywhere, making this place the best choice to leave them behind.

Wang Xuan walked toward her disciple and saw her crouching, her eyes blinking softly as she gazed at the Blood Toras flowerbed.

“Qingwan,” Wang Xuan called gently.

“It’s about time. We should get going,” Wang Xuan said.

Qin Qingwan turned back to glance at the Blood Toras flowers once more before nodding. “Alright, Master.”

“If you wish to take them with you, that wouldn’t be a problem,” Wang Xuan understood her disciple’s feelings.

The young girl shook her head. “It’s fine, Master. Blood Toras flowers have strong vitality. They can thrive even here. Before, they had to compete with other spiritual flowers and herbs for nutrients, and they always lost.

Now that all the other spiritual plants have been taken away, perhaps one day, when we return, this place will have become a sea of Blood Toras flowers.”

Wang Xuan gently stroked her disciple’s long hair. “Actually, you don’t have to leave with me.”

“How could I not?” Qin Qingwan smiled sweetly, hugging her master’s arm. “I can’t just leave you all alone, Master.”

A soft warmth flickered in Wang Xuan’s eyes. “The so-called great Dao is inherently a lonely path. I have long been used to being alone.”

“Master, you always say that the Dao has countless paths. But in my opinion, it’s just that some people choose the path of loneliness. It doesn’t mean that everyone’s Dao must be lonely.

If Master doesn’t want to be alone, you don’t have to be. You could always find a Dao companion, couldn’t you?”

Qin Qingwan blinked playfully as she spoke.

“You…” Wang Xuan shook her head helplessly.

“If Master doesn’t want a Dao companion, that’s fine too. Anyway, I will always stay by your side.” Qin Qingwan playfully stuck out her tongue.

“I’m afraid if Xu Ming calls you over, you’ll run to him without hesitation,” Wang Xuan flicked Qin Qingwan’s forehead. “Forget it. Since you’ve already made your choice, I won’t say more. Let’s go.”

“Yes, Master!” Qin Qingwan responded cheerfully.

Wang Xuan suddenly remembered something. “Aren’t you going to say goodbye to Xu Ming?”@@novelbin@@

Qin Qingwan gently lowered her head. “I’d rather not… Parting is always sad. If I end up crying, it would be embarrassing. I only want him to see me happy.” ⱤÁNÖβЁṢ

Wang Xuan said no more, only gently patting her head before walking toward the exit of Wanhua Valley.

Qin Qingwan followed beside her, her long legs stepping lightly.

The two arrived at the foot of Tianxuan Sect’s mountain, where the remaining cultivators had already gathered.

“Elder Wang Xuan,” the crowd greeted her with a respectful bow.

The disciples of Tianxuan Sect had suffered great losses—some had died, some had fled, and some had scattered. Now, only this small group remained.

Wang Xuan nodded. “Let’s go. We’re heading to Jubei City.”

The disciples of Tianxuan Sect responded in unison, “Yes!”

On the highest peak of the mountain range outside Tianxuan Sect, a man stood tall at the summit, watching as a total of 1,600 cultivators of Tianxuan Sect flew northward.

“Aren’t you going to see off your childhood sweetheart?” Wu Yanhan walked up to the man’s side.

Xu Ming shook his head. “If I went, Qingwan would probably end up crying again. She’d be bawling her eyes out, and then she’d feel embarrassed about it.”

Wu Yanhan followed Xu Ming’s gaze into the distance. “You really do understand her well.”

Xu Ming smiled. “We grew up together, after all.”

Retracting his gaze, Xu Ming turned and began descending the mountain. “Let’s go. It’s time for us to head back.”

Wudu… It’s been a long time since I last visited.

—

‘To learn and review what one has learned, is that not a joy?’

‘Xue er shi xi zhi, bu yi yue hu.’

‘To have friends come from afar, is that not a delight?’

‘You peng zi yuan fang lai, bu yi le hu.’

In a courtyard of the Xu family residence in Wu Kingdom, a graceful young woman was teaching a little girl how to read.

The child’s speech was still somewhat unclear, but compared to before, she had improved significantly.

Even though she still struggled with pronunciation, she had learned dozens of new characters over the past few days.

She thought to herself: When Xu Gege (Brother) returns, I’ll show him all the new words I’ve learned. He’ll definitely praise me and pat my head!

“Mother, what does this mean?” The little girl looked up, blinking her big eyes at the elegant woman beside her.

Chen Suya gently stroked the girl’s head. “It means that reviewing what you’ve learned is a joyful thing. And when friends visit from afar, that is also something to be happy about.”

“Ohhh~” The little girl nodded.

“Do you understand now?”

“A little bit…”

Shen Shengsheng blinked.

Learning isn’t really that fun… So why does it say it’s joyful?

Could it be that since learning gets me praise from Xu Gege, it becomes a happy thing? Well, that does sound pretty nice.

“It’s okay. No rush. You’ll understand with time.” Chen Suya closed the book. “That’s enough for today. Go play.”

“Yay~”

Shen Shengsheng hopped down from her chair and ran outside the courtyard, with a personal guard from the Princess’ residence following closely behind.

Ten days ago, Shen Shengsheng had finally been escorted back to the Xu family residence.

Because the escort, “Ren,” carried a jade token from the Princess’ residence, the Xu family—though curious about the girl’s identity—did not dare to ask too many questions once Ren explained their purpose.

After delivering Shen Shengsheng to Chen Suya, Ren clarified the situation and informed her that the little girl had been taken in as Xu Ming’s sworn sister during his journey.

Although Chen Suya was quite curious about this girl her son had suddenly brought back, since she was Xu Ming’s sworn sister, that made her her own goddaughter.

And upon learning that the child was an orphan, Chen Suya felt deep sympathy for her.

She took great care of Shen Shengsheng and hoped the little girl would call her “Mother.”

Shen Shengsheng found this “Auntie” to be very kind, and her scent was similar to Xu Gege’s, which made her trust her quickly.

Over the next few days, Shen Shengsheng and Chen Suya grew closer and closer. Chen Suya taught her how to read and write and encouraged her to call her “Mother.”

At first, Shen Shengsheng felt a little shy about it, but once she said it the first time, it quickly became natural.

“That boy hasn’t come home yet, but he sent me an adorable goddaughter instead…”

Chen Suya lifted her head and gazed at the sky.

Speaking of which, it’s been over a year now…

I haven’t seen Ming’er in more than a year.

The only place where she could get news of her son was from the Qingyun Ranking that occasionally appeared in the sky.

Although Ming’er’s ranking on the Qingyun Ranking was rising higher and higher, and more and more people came to congratulate her, Chen Suya didn’t feel happy at all.

Every time Ming’er climbed another rank, it meant he had gone through yet another brutal battle.

And with every rise in rank, her worry grew deeper.

In a mother’s heart, the achievements and fame of her son were secondary.

What mattered most was that he was safe and healthy.

“But… Miss Ren said that Ming’er is with Her Highness, so he should be fine, right?”

Chen Suya withdrew her gaze and sighed softly, trying to comfort herself with that thought.

“Madam, it’s time to take your medicine.”

Just as Chen Suya was lost in thoughts of her son, her maid Chunyan entered the room.

Chunyan had originally been the personal maid of the Xu family’s Old matriarch. But as Xu Ming gained more favor from Emperor Wu—especially after achieving the title of Zhuangyuan (top scholar in the imperial exam) and becoming a household name—the Xu family wanted to show their goodwill and strengthen their bond with him.

So Xu Ming requested Chunyan to be transferred to serve his mother as her personal maid.

After all, Xu Ming had watched Chunyan while growing up, and he trusted her character completely.

“Thank you.” Chen Suya took the bowl of medicine, took a sip, and immediately frowned at the bitterness. But she still drank it all in one go.

Chunyan quickly opened a small box, took out a piece of rock sugar, and handed it to her.

“Madam, how has your headache been lately? Has it gotten any better?” Chunyan asked with concern.

Two months ago, Chen Suya had started suffering from headaches.

When word of this reached the palace, Emperor Wu personally ordered the imperial physicians to attend to her.

Given Xu Ming’s elevated status, no one in the Xu family dared to be negligent—Chen Suya’s condition became a matter of utmost importance.

But even the imperial physicians couldn’t find the cause.

Her pulse was normal in every way.

The imperial physicians speculated that it was due to excessive longing for her son—that she had become lovesick—resulting in persistent headaches.

Thus, they prescribed a calming remedy, which Chunyan diligently brewed for her every day.

When the medicine proved ineffective over time, they consulted another physician, and eventually, the entire imperial medical team was summoned to devise a new prescription.

“I suppose it has eased a little,” Chen Suya said with a smile.

In truth, she felt no different at all.

But she didn’t want Chunyan to worry, nor did she wish to trouble anyone further, so she said it anyway.

“Madam, you must take good care of yourself. I heard that after the Zixia Grand Ceremony of Tianxuan Sect, Young Master Xu will return with the Princess. If you don’t look after your health, when the young master returns, he will surely be very worried.” Chunyan consoled her.

Chen Suya nodded. “Don’t worry, I will take care of myself.”

“Then I shall take my leave now.”

“Go on, go on.”

Chunyan gave a respectful bow and left with the empty medicine bowl.

Chen Suya returned to her room, feeling the need for some proper rest.

Sitting in front of her dressing table, she removed the hairpin from her hair, letting her long black hair cascade like a waterfall over her shoulders.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she wondered if she had aged.

When Ming’er comes back… will he still recognize me?

“What am I even thinking? It’s only been a year.”

Chen Suya chuckled and shook her head, feeling like she was overthinking things.

“Hehehe… You seem to have been living quite well these past few years.”

Just as she was about to lie down, a woman’s voice suddenly echoed in her ears.

Chen Suya abruptly stood up, scanning the room warily.

“Who’s there?”

“Who else could it be? Of course, it’s you~”

That voice rang out once more.

As Chen Suya glanced around, her eyes suddenly fixed on the silver mirror in front of her.

In the mirror, her reflection stared back at her.

But while the real Chen Suya looked confused, the reflection wore a playful smile.

“See?” the reflection spoke slowly. “I told you, I am you.”

—

“Master Xu~ Come catch me~”

“Master Xu~ I’m here~”

“Aiya, Master, you’re so naughty~~~”

“Master, don’t pinch me~”

“Master, I drew a picture. It’s called ‘The Sheep Below Has Died’~”

“Master, come have some fun~”

—

At night, in Rouge Pavilion, one of the four great brothels of Wudu, the master of the Xu family, Xu Zheng, was blindfolded and stumbling from one courtesan to the next in his lavish room.

Each time he pinned one of the girls, his hands roamed freely, indulging in physical pleasure, engaging in deeper exchanges, with sounds filling the air that could not be described.

After a short while, Xu Zheng would turn to another girl, continuing to grope and explore.

At any given moment, he and Little Xu never stopped, and Xu Zheng even relied on his instincts to guess which girl he was with, creating an atmosphere thick with seduction.

But one couldn’t deny, Xu Zheng’s stamina was remarkable.

Half an hour later, he lay sprawled on a massive bed, surrounded by four or five women, none of them wearing clothes.

A gust of wind blew open the window.

The women were deep in sleep, but Xu Zheng slowly stirred awake.

“Brother Xu, you certainly know how to enjoy yourself.”

A man in a blue robe stood at the window, smiling at Xu Zheng.

Xu Zheng sat up and chuckled. “Enjoyment is how one lives longer, isn’t it?”

“Heh.” The man in blue tossed a jade pendant toward him.

Xu Zheng caught it, his brow furrowing. “Is it really that difficult to let those two mother and son live their lives in peace?”

The blue-robed man gazed at him. “Let’s not even talk about how His Highness is already second on the Qingyun Ranking.”

“With their status, peace was never an option.”