I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals
chapter-73

“Lan Chang'an, how dare you make such a request?”

The young girl in the yellow dress looked at him with cold, bright eyes, exuding an invisible pressure as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“You are right, senior.”

Lan Chang'an took a deep breath, not arguing or refuting.

In truth, an elderly second-rank spirit beast with a limited lifespan didn't hold much value for the Zhou Family. If enough benefits were exchanged, they could cultivate more spirit beasts or use resources to develop new second-rank spirit beasts, or even Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Moreover, the annexation of the Mu Family by the Huang Family of Maple Leaf didn't align with the Zhou Family's interests.

Lan Chang'an's non-argumentative stance made it seem like he didn't care about success or failure.

Zhou Qingxuan was surprised and inexplicably annoyed:

“Lan Chang'an, you overestimate your importance! That small favor from the past isn't enough.”

Her previous posture was actually meant to control Lan Chang'an and force the Mu Family to pay a higher price.

“Senior Zhou, will this talisman be sufficient?”

Lan Chang'an took out a talisman with ice patterns engraved on it.

“A low-grade second-rank talisman, Frost Howl.”

Zhou Qingxuan took the talisman, giving Lan Chang'an a deep look before finally nodding:

“It’s enough.”

A low-grade second-rank talisman might not be highly valuable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but the Frost Howl talisman was an upgraded version of the Frost Descent talisman that Zhou Qingxuan had asked Lan Chang’an to create.

By showing this talisman, Lan Chang'an demonstrated his skills, indicating that his status wasn't as low as it seemed, surpassing the usual ninth layer Qi-Refining cultivator. He also reminded Zhou Qingxuan that the favor owed from the past didn't depreciate with her change in status.

“Take this token. After the auction, let someone from the Mu Family come to see me.” Zhou Qingxuan flicked her jade finger, causing a green beam of light to shoot out.

A green jade pendant fell into Lan Chang'an’s hand.

“Thank you, senior Zhou.” Lan Chang'an bowed gratefully.

“If there's nothing else, you may leave.” Zhou Qingxuan lost interest.

Lan Chang'an was about to take his leave when a flash of inspiration hit him.

Zhou Qingxuan owed him a favor; this rare opportunity for a conversation shouldn't be wasted!

In the Beast Taming Zhou Family, Zhou Qingxuan was not an ordinary Foundation Establishment elder.

“Senior Zhou, my Earth Burrowing Rat has been stuck at the peak of the first rank for many years. Could you sell me a second-rank Earth Spirit Pill?” Lan Chang'an asked, bracing himself for the possibility of being kicked out.

“Lan Chang'an, your face is quite thick.”

Zhou Qingxuan’s expression turned slightly cold, her eyes incredulous as she looked at him.

After just settling a favor, Lan Chang'an dared to ask for more?

“Please forgive me, senior. I—” Lan Chang'an began apologetically, ready to leave.

Zhou Qingxuan interrupted him:

“A low-grade second-rank Earth Spirit Pill can promote the growth of second-rank earth-type spirit beasts. It aids peak first-rank earth-type spirit beasts in advancing to the second rank, increasing the success rate by five percent for low-grade bloodlines, ten percent for medium-grade bloodlines, and fifteen percent for superior-grade bloodlines.”

“It once sold for two thousand spirit stones at an auction. I’ll give it to you at a discount price of one thousand six hundred spirit stones.” She straightforwardly took out a tael-colored pill bottle.

“Thank you, senior, for accommodating me.”

Lan Chang'an was overjoyed. No wonder there's a saying: thick-skinned people get to eat; thin-skinned people go hungry.

He took out a bag of spirit stones and bought the Earth Spirit Pill from Zhou Qingxuan.

After completing the transaction, Zhou Qingxuan, looking impatient, waved her hand and said, “I don’t want to see you again.”

...

Leaving Zhou Qingxuan’s secluded courtyard, Lan Chang'an was in a good mood as he had gotten what he wanted.

This trip not only successfully established a connection for the Mu Family but also secured an opportunity for his Earth Burrowing Rat to advance to the second rank.

In fact, he had never planned to push for his Earth Burrowing Rat’s advancement before, taking a laissez-faire attitude.

With a medium-grade bloodline, it was neither high nor low. If it advanced, great; if not, it would be left to fend for itself.

His flash of inspiration earlier aimed to squeeze every bit of favor owed by Zhou Qingxuan to the maximum. Brazenly attempting it, he hadn't expected Zhou Qingxuan to agree to sell such a rare resource.

The low-grade second-rank Earth Spirit Pill was akin to a weaker version of the Foundation Establishment Pill for spirit beasts. While its effects were inferior to the Foundation Establishment Pill, the Earth Spirit Pill only benefited earth-type spirit beasts, making it somewhat limited.

Hence, its price was much lower than that of the Foundation Establishment Pill.

...

Walking out of the Zhou Family’s large mansion, Lan Chang'an felt someone’s gaze on him as he passed through the outer courtyard.

Turning to look, he saw a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties, cleaning the courtyard and avoiding his gaze.

The woman, a fifth layer Qi-Refining cultivator, was sweeping with a broom instead of using spells to clean.

This wasn't unusual.

Many deep-rooted cultivation forces had various customs, such as prohibiting the use of spells to sweep the floor so as to avoid fluctuations in mana, which would interfere with the meditation of the seniors.

Since the woman turned her head away, he only caught a glimpse of her aging yet somewhat familiar face, still showing traces of her youthful beauty, with an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and almond eyes.

Eh?

Lan Chang'an felt she looked familiar but couldn't immediately recall where he had seen her before.

This was the Zhou Family’s territory, so he didn’t delve deeply, quickly adjusting his appearance and leaving the mansion.

“Lan Chang'an…”

The sweeping woman stared blankly at his departing back, tightly gripping her broom.

Decades had passed, yet he remained unchanged, serene, and calm.

Her memory drifted back to decades ago at the Feiyue Manor, where Young Miss Mu had arranged for her to meet that foreign youth at the Willow Pavilion.

In her vision, Lan Chang'an’s figure completely disappeared.

The woman suddenly broke down, crying bitterly and choking up.

Back then, she had seemed glamorous, marrying into a branch of the Zhou Family as the main wife, feeling it was her greatest pride.

However, after marriage, she discovered that she hadn't married the second son she had thought of but another son with hysteria!

Entering the bridal chamber, she had no choice but to accept reality.

The first few years after marriage were bearable as the Zhou Family’s Foundation Establishment cultivator cast spells to stabilize her husband’s condition.

However, as time passed, her husband became increasingly insane and violently abusive at times.

She gave birth to children in the Zhou Family, bound by duty and unable to face her own family, so she endured the hardships.

Avoiding her husband as much as possible became her greatest happiness.

Even when she came to work as a servant in the Huanglong Immortal City, she never once complained.

Her sorrowful crying wasn't out of hatred for Lan Chang'an but because of the mistake she made years ago, a step that led to irreversible consequences.

...

“So it was her.”

Leaving the Zhou Family’s residence, Lan Chang'an suddenly recalled who the woman was.

He remembered: When Mu Yinglan visited her family, she had circled around his courtyard, showing the demeanor of a prominent family’s noblewoman.

Why had she fallen from a noblewoman to a sweeping maid? What life changes had she undergone?

Lan Chang'an wasn't interested in finding out.

This was Mu Yinglan's own life choice, and they were merely acquaintances.

She had deliberately avoided him, clearly not wanting to face him today.

...

Half a day later.

Lan Chang'an, having reverted back to his original appearance, returned to Water Moon Residence.

In his room, he took out the teal-colored porcelain bottle containing the second-rank Earth Spirit Pill.

The dark yellow, round pill felt heavy like lead and mercury, with four stripes on the surface, indicating its low-grade second-rank status.

“Something's wrong!”

Examining it closely, Lan Chang'an’s smile froze.

After a thorough inspection, he discovered that this Earth Spirit Pill contained unusual medicinal properties, a form of pill poison.

During the transaction, the Foundation Establishment Zhou Qingxuan had seemed impatient.

He hadn’t closely examined it, nor dared to casually use his spiritual sense in front of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

At the time, Lan Chang'an confirmed it was a low-grade second-rank pill with four stripes, not an inferior product.

Its appearance matched the characteristics of an Earth Spirit Pill.

“That little girl! To think a dignified Foundation Establishment expert would scam a Qi-Refining cultivator?” Lan Chang'an was speechless.

No wonder Zhou Qingxuan had offered such a "favorable" price. It turned out this Earth Spirit Pill had problematic medicinal properties, making it impossible to sell at the normal price.

(End of Chapter)