A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Green Bamboo Gate, Heavenly Bamboo Hall.

Jin Yunfeng looked at the secret letter brought by Ma Liuyun, and a hint of excitement appeared on his usually calm face.

"It's finally here... Give the order, Elder Ma."

"Yes, sir!"

........

After returning to Cuifeng Villa, Zhou Ping stayed alone in the house for a long time. Jin Yan's departure was a big blow to him. Recalling her previous words, he began to reflect on himself.

"Born into a large clan like the Jin clan, everyone is burdened with different missions and responsibilities from birth. Personal gains and losses, honor and disgrace are simply a joke in our eyes."

She has her own choices and responsibilities, but what about him? This question kept echoing in Zhou Ping's mind.

He felt ashamed of his complacency and resentful of his lack of long-term planning and his reliance on the Jin clan and Jin Jingtian.

After the incident with Jin Yan, Zhou Ping's petty-mindedness was fully exposed, and he suffered the consequences as a result.

His biggest dream has always been to become a formal disciple of the Green Bamboo Sect, earn more salary, and give his family a better life.

Zhou Ping's mindset has directly led to his current situation where he is at the mercy of others, and his fate can only be hoped for through the generosity and charity of others.

Thinking about all this, he shook his head self-deprecatingly and sighed softly. Now he had to make some serious plans.

Jin Yan's departure served as a wake-up call for him, jolting him awake from his daze. He had no right to linger or enjoy such comforts; he now had to break free from the control of the Jin clan.

Stopping his random thoughts, Zhou Ping reached under the bed and pulled out the copy of the Qingyuan Gong that Jin Yan had left him.

After being neglected for more than ten days, the Azure Origin True Qi finally surged through Zhou Ping's meridians once again.

Unlike before, with the subsequent cultivation methods, the Qingyuan True Qi seemed to be cultivated much faster after a period of accumulation and tempering.

It seems that without subsequent cultivation techniques, although the Qingyuan True Qi could not be further improved, it still allowed Zhou Ping to refine and purify the True Qi within his body through continuous meditation and cultivation.

This unexpected discovery left Zhou Ping pondering for a long time. There must be some secret he didn't know about. The refined true qi seemed to be more spiritual and easier to control than before. Although he didn't know what the wonderful uses of the Azure Origin True Qi were, judging from its mysterious characteristics, it shouldn't disappoint him.

The next morning, the sun had just risen, and there was still a fresh scent in the air.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Jin Jingtian felt restless. His eye sockets suddenly became sunken, and a barely perceptible layer of ashen pallor covered his once dignified face.

Is this the side effect of the Spirit-Feeding Pill? He only took it for two days, and it has already caused such obvious changes in him. It's really a bit frightening.

Suddenly, a familiar sound of footsteps came from the courtyard, the steps clear and distinct, slowly approaching the main hall.

Jin Jingtian got up and went to the outer hall. He secretly concealed the bloodlust and surprise in his eyes. He sat down in the main seat without making a sound, and a fake smile appeared on his face.

"Greetings, Chieftain!"

Zhou Ping bowed expressionlessly to the figure in front of him and stood respectfully to the side.

"Judging from your expression, are you still holding a grudge about what happened yesterday?"

Jin Jingtian deliberately brought up a sore spot, directly tearing away the pretense between the two.

"This disciple is terrified. Does the clan leader intend to offer some guidance to Zhou Ping?"

Zhou Ping looked at Jin Jingtian with a hint of wariness, wondering why the other party would ask a question he already knew the answer to.

"I told you about Xiaoyan's whereabouts yesterday. I'll take you somewhere in a few days, and all your questions will be answered there."

"I have good news to tell you today. The woman from the Jin clan who will marry you has been chosen. She is Jin Tingyue, the granddaughter of the Grand Elder of my Jin clan. She is an outstanding girl and a perfect match for you."

After Jin Jingtian finished speaking, a satisfied expression appeared on his face, as if he didn't care about the other person's opinion.

"I will follow the clan leader's instructions. Please do not forget the agreement between you and your disciple."

Zhou Ping bowed his head and accepted the order, showing no interest whatsoever in the married person Jin Jingtian had mentioned.

"Don't worry, if you can fulfill the high expectations my clan has placed on you, I will grant your request afterward and let you leave."

"Thank you, Clan Chief! This disciple will take his leave now."

Zhou Ping slowly withdrew from the main hall, but before turning around, he glanced at Jin Jingtian almost imperceptibly.

He had come with a purpose, and upon seeing the other party, Zhou Ping immediately sensed something unusual, thanks to his extraordinary senses.

Today, Jin Jingtian looked somewhat weathered, with a hint of fatigue on his face.

Not knowing what Ma Liuyun meant by the abnormality, he touched the red brocade pouch in his arms and walked quickly towards his residence.

........

Four days later, after Zhou Ping noticed that Jin Jingtian's face was getting older and older, he finally couldn't suppress his suspicions and opened the red brocade pouch.

After several days of observation, Jin Jingtian's condition has changed very noticeably; even a normal person would immediately notice it.

"Go buy a pot of wine from Chef Wang."

Zhou Ping carefully examined the note in his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Brother Wang, bring me a pot of wine."

After arriving at the cafeteria, Zhou Ping, seeing that no one was around, leisurely walked up to Chef Wang and casually said something.

Chef Wang was taken aback at first, but when he saw that the person was Zhou Ping, a look of wild joy appeared in his eyes, which he quickly concealed.

"Brother Zhou, what's the good news? You don't usually drink."

"You'll find out in a couple of days. I'm off!"

Zhou Ping took the wine jar handed to him, casually placed the money on the table, and replied mysteriously.

Chef Wang picked up the wine money from the table, weighed it in his hand, threw it into his pocket without even looking at it, and then hurriedly ran into the kitchen.

Not long after, a small gray-brown bird was brought out from inside, with a tiny piece of paper already tied to its slender leg.

After going outside and observing the surroundings, and making sure no one was passing by, I reached out and pushed the gray bird into the sky.

The bird circled high in the sky for a while, then flew headlong towards the inner gate.

.......

"Master, shall we just wait here?"

Liu Feng looked around at the barren surroundings, feeling somewhat bored.

He and his master, Tongxin Daoren, were currently at the summit of an extremely high mountain. Looking around, all they could see was barren land, with no other mountain peak in sight.

Below this peak lies the Jin Clan territory—Jin Yuan—located behind the Qingzhu Gate.

"This place is wonderful. The air is fresh, the view is expansive, and you can see everything below clearly at a glance."

Tongxin Daoren lay on a bare boulder, looking quite content, and answered with his eyes half-closed.