Dongting Immortal Clan

Upon hearing the sound, Chen Changhe immediately led his family out to greet them.

The cultivator was dressed in a green robe, tall and strong, with a handsome face, and a long sword slung across his waist.

The scabbard is meticulously wrapped in dark fish skin, carved with dragons and phoenixes, and adorned with vermilion jade, making it both magnificent and antique, and instantly recognizable as an extraordinary object.

Upon seeing Chen Changhe and the others come out to greet him, the young man in the green robe immediately smiled, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and spoke in a clear, melodious voice:

"Li Kaihe, from the Purple Furnace Peak lineage of the Taixu Sect, apologizes for troubling you all."

"Chen Changhe of the Chen family of Biyue, under the jurisdiction of the Immortal Sect, greets the envoy of the Immortal Sect!"

Chen Changhe quickly led his family to return the greeting respectfully.

He hadn't expected that this young man came from the Taixu Sect. Shen Congyun hadn't mentioned this matter when he was at home.

"So you are Fellow Daoist Chen Changhe?"

Li Kaihe smiled and stepped forward, extending his hand in a gesture of support, his attitude quite friendly.

"There's no need for such formalities; we're not strangers."

These words left the Chen family members completely bewildered and confused.

Seeing that the other party was quite cautious, Li Kaihe slightly moved his lips and transmitted his voice:

"Junior Brother Xiaohu is currently cultivating under my aunt's tutelage. The two of us have a very good relationship on the mountain. This time, I came down the mountain at his request to deliver some things to your residence."

Upon hearing this, Chen Changhe's expression changed, and he immediately smiled with delight:

"So it's Hu'er's senior brother!"

"My apologies, my apologies! Please come into my home for a chat!"

Chen Changhe stepped aside to invite him, without revealing the full details of the relationship.

Li Kaihe nodded, slung his sword over his shoulder, and followed Chen Changhe into the courtyard. His gaze seemingly casually swept over the small house, but a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he praised:

"Although this house is small, it subtly conforms to the principle of gathering and retaining auspicious energy. I wonder which master advised them during its construction?"

Chen Changhe led the way, and upon hearing this, he chuckled:

"It was an elder in the family who supervised the work."

"He spent his early years at Dongting Pass and has some knowledge of feng shui and terrain."

"I see."

Li Kaihe understood and asked no further questions, then followed him into the main room and sat down.

Chen Chuansheng and Old Zhang sat to the side, while the Chen brothers, Changhe and Chen Changhe, stood in front of the hall.

Once the Chen family had all arrived, Li Kaihe had nowhere to escape. With a flick of his sleeve, a gray cloth bag appeared on the table.

"Li was originally going down the mountain to return to his home in Tianyong City in order to seek an opportunity to refine his Qi. Before going down the mountain, he was entrusted by his junior brother Xiaohu to detour to Dongting Lake and hand this item over to you."

He looked at Chen Changhe and said in a gentle voice:

"Fellow Daoist, you only need to communicate with this storage bag with your spiritual sense and leave your mark to open and retrieve it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Changhe did not rush to open the cloth bag, but stepped forward, cupped his hands in thanks, and said:

"We are deeply grateful to the Immortal Master for traveling so far and making a special detour for such trivial matters!"

"Hu'er has been on the mountain for over three years, and we have heard nothing from him. We were worried about how to send a letter home to inquire about his safety when the Immortal Master appeared like timely rain. The Chen family is deeply grateful for this kindness!"

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. It's just my duty."

Li Kaihe waved his hand, picked up the hot tea offered by Wang Guifang, took a sip, and left the time for the Chen family.

"There is a letter from Junior Brother Xiaohu in the bag. Fellow Daoist, you may wish to take a look first."

……

Chen Changhe then picked up the storage bag from the table and probed it with his spiritual sense. He quickly felt a blockage and, after a little trial, imprinted his spiritual sense on the storage bag.

The bag was no bigger than the palm of a hand, but inside there was a small space containing several old books, a dozen or so white porcelain bottles with different labels, and three objects of different shapes.

Upon seeing these, Chen Changhe's eyes immediately turned red.

Even with his limited knowledge, he could tell that these cultivation techniques, elixirs, and magical artifacts were no ordinary items and were not easily obtained.

"His family never helped Hu'er in the slightest, yet he, all alone away from home, still sent back all the provisions he had painstakingly saved..."

His voice choked with emotion, and he could no longer speak.

Suppressing his emotions, he took out a thick letter from his storage bag.

Upon opening the seal, there was a thick stack of letters, more than a dozen pages, with varying shades of ink, indicating they were not all written at the same time.

Chen Changhe spread them out, pulled out the top one, and looked down at it.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"It's been a year since I came up the mountain. Today I finally received my master's permission to pick spiritual herbs from the herb garden to refine pills. Today I'm going to refine the 'Primordial Essence Pill.' I've taken this pill before, and it's very beneficial for condensing magical power. Now I know that in the immortal sect, this pill is just the most common first-grade pill, used by disciples who are new to the path of alchemy to practice..."

This was written by Hu'er in his first year on the mountain. His handwriting was still somewhat immature. At that time, he had just learned alchemy, and one could feel the joy in his heart.

Then, Chen Changhe pulled out the second page, which was written by Hu'er three years after he went up the mountain.

……

"After completing my practice last night, everything went smoothly. I have undergone two transformations, and my body feels lighter and more agile than before. My magical power is frighteningly profound... Have I gone astray in my practice?"

"According to the cultivation method, with my current level of magical power, I should have been able to attempt to temper my golden marrow and open the next spiritual treasure long ago. But why is there still no sign of progress?"

"Thinking back to when I opened the Jade Spring, it was the same. An ordinary person could open the Jade Spring by cultivating thirty-six strands of magic power, but I had to refine a full one hundred and eight strands before I succeeded..."

Upon reading this, Chen Changhe's heart suddenly stirred.

When he practiced cultivation, he often felt that the power in his dantian was sufficient, but the "Jade Spring" gate remained hazy and difficult to truly open.

I never expected that Hu'er's cultivation was like this.

He and Hu'er were both practicing the Small Cauldron Technique, which involved a lot of depth. He immediately searched through the letter to see if there was any follow-up.

Soon, he found another one, with neat and formal handwriting, clearly written on a special occasion.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"It has been almost four years since Hu'er joined the immortal sect to cultivate. The mountains are high and the rivers are far, and it is difficult to communicate with him. I wonder if everything is well at home?"

"Hu'er has now settled down on Zilu Mountain and is cultivating under the tutelage of Li Ziyan, a Qi-refining alchemist from the Li family of Tianyong."

"Master is of a gentle and refined nature and dislikes disputes. Hu'er usually only waters the garden and tends the furnace in the mountains, practicing the scriptures and cultivating in seclusion. He dares not slack off. Now his cultivation has reached the peak of Jade Spring, and he is in sight to attain Golden Marrow. He has also begun to understand the Dao of Alchemy and has made some progress..."

"The bag contains pills that Hu'er obtained legitimately within the sect. You can safely use them at home. The pills are of good quality and have mild medicinal properties, which can assist in cultivation."

"There are also several volumes of cultivation methods, which are not from the Immortal Sect. I have read them and they are indeed beneficial to cultivation. You can study them at home as appropriate."

"The family's ancient methods are obscure and difficult to understand. Hu'er's cultivation in the Immortal Sect is also like this. The 'Water Element Profound Method' is compatible with Second Brother and can be cultivated. If Eldest Brother wants to switch to other cultivation methods, Hu'er has also collected a 'Purple Fire Earth Qi Technique,' which means fierce and robust. Perhaps we can give it a try."

"The remaining books are either rudimentary techniques and various arts of cultivation, or anecdotes and strange tales, mountains and rivers and geography... all of which are handwritten copies by Hu'er and have annotations. Perhaps they can help the family to understand more about the cultivation in this world."

"Brother Kaihe and my master are relatives of the same clan and belong to the same lineage. He is upright and trustworthy."

"Behind it, the Li clan of Tianyong is a powerful clan that has established its foundation in the ancient city of Tianyong. It is a well-known clan in the Tianmen Pass area of ​​Jiangnan."

"If you encounter any difficulties at home, or have any questions about your spiritual practice, you may consult me ​​as appropriate. As for the expenses, Hu'er will find a way to compensate you when you return from your practice..."

"Many years have passed since then, and I know not when I will be able to cultivate my qi again. The day I descend the mountain is far, far away... Please write to me to let me know about everything at home..."

"Chen Xiaohu, penned at Zilu Mountain."