A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Inside a quiet room in Guiyuan Pavilion, a refined man in white robes sat cross-legged on a futon, his eyes slightly closed, his palms facing upwards on his knees, quietly meditating and cultivating.

In addition, there was a fat boy standing respectfully at the door of the quiet room, head bowed and silent, with a nervous look on his face. He was Chen Dafu, who had disappeared after entering Guiyuan Pavilion.

After about two incense sticks' worth of time, the white-robed man slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his slightly closed eyes indifferently opened, and a glint of light flashed and disappeared.

"Young friend Chen, what brings you to my Guiyuan Pavilion at this hour?"

The man in white robes is named Xia Qianchuan. He is the current head of Guiyuan Pavilion and has been assigned by his sect, Guiyuan Dao, to guard this place.

"Reporting to Master Xia, Chen Dafu, a member of the Chen family, respectfully presents a letter from the head of the family, requesting your perusal."

Chen Dafu said in a trembling voice, then hurriedly pulled a letter from his sleeve, held it up with both hands, and handed it over with his head bowed.

After Xia Qianchuan accepted the letter, he respectfully retreated and waited silently.

A short while later, Xia Qianchuan finished reading the letter. With a "poof," a ball of crimson flame appeared from the fingertip holding the letter, and the letter instantly turned to ash.

With a wave of his hand, the dust on his fingertips vanished completely.

"I am aware of your purpose in coming, but there is one more thing I must confirm with you, Mr. Chen, once again."

"Since you are the eldest son of the Chen family head and have been assigned here, it must be intentional on the part of the Chen family. I will tell you a few things."

Only now did Xia Qianchuan finally give Chen Dafu a proper look, and said in a leisurely tone.

"Please speak freely, Immortal Master. I am all ears."

Chen Dafu bowed deeply, knowing that the success of this trip depended entirely on Master Xia, so his tone became even more respectful.

"The predicament you, Chen, are facing is nothing more than a struggle for worldly interests, and it is far from a matter of life and death."

"Are you really going to just let this one and only chance for assistance slip away like this? You should know that the assistance from Guiyuan Dao is no joke. There are not many people or forces in this world who dare to ignore it, including this cultivation world."

"Are you, Chen, really sure? I'm only confirming this with you this once; there will be no going back after that."

Xia Qianchuan's tone was full of unwavering certainty, his eyes fixed intently on Chen Dafu, eager to hear his final decision.

Chen Dafu took a deep breath, trying to appear solemn and formal, before speaking firmly.

"Please, Immortal Master, lend us your assistance! My Chen family has made up our minds and will not back down!"

"Alright! Go back now. Someone will contact your Chen family soon. Just explain your needs to them, and they will help your Chen family get through this difficult time."

Upon hearing Chen Dafu's reply, Xia Qianchuan did not hesitate for a moment and immediately told the guest to leave.

"On behalf of the Chen family, Dafu expresses his gratitude to the Immortal Master for his assistance!"

After saying this, Chen Dafu clasped his hands together, secretly relieved, and then respectfully withdrew.

After Chen Dafu left, Xia Qianchuan, who was in the quiet room, curled his lips slightly and revealed a hint of sarcasm on his face.

"Mortals are mortals after all... Such short-sightedness, using the opportunity to protect my Guiyuan Dao for worldly fame and profit, is truly foolish."

Then, he took out a talisman with a flick of his wrist, whispered a few words to it, and the talisman burned in his hand before turning into a streak of light and flying outside.

.......

After Chen Dafu came out of the fifth floor of Guiyuan Pavilion, he looked at the various stalls in the central square with an envious expression on his face.

He knew perfectly well that although these stalls looked extremely simple, the items displayed on them were all related to cultivation, and even the stall owners dressed in strange clothes were all cultivators.

It was something a mere mortal like him could only dream of. Despite his Chen family's unparalleled prestige in Tianyan Town, in the eyes of these cultivators, he was nothing more than a group of well-dressed ants. In the end, he was still just an ant.

Chen Dafu carefully walked along one side of the square toward the gate, afraid of offending these cultivators again.

Just as he was about to reach the gate, a figure not far away caught his attention.

The man was dressed in tattered clothes, tall and thin. His profile showed that he was quite young, though his skin was slightly dark. He was staring intently at a book on the stall, examining it carefully.

"This person looks so familiar, have I seen them somewhere before?"

Thinking of this, Chen Dafu suddenly shook his head violently, secretly waking up to the realization.

"What wishful thinking! This place is full of cultivators; how could I possibly have seen them!"

So he turned and walked outside without looking back, and sighed again as he thought of the Chen family's current situation.

The fact that we are able to receive help from Guiyuan Pavilion today is due to the lingering blessings of the Chen family ancestors.

The Chen family, who came from a merchant background, contributed greatly when Guiyuan Road built the pavilion here.

The manual labor that cultivators were too lazy to do, such as building houses, was all completed by the newly risen Chen family. They even personally contributed one of their family's private residences as the site for Guiyuan Pavilion.

This move was highly appreciated by Elder Guiyuan, who was in charge of the matter at the time, and so after the pavilion was erected, he bestowed a decree upon it.

No matter what difficulties the Chen family of Tianyan encounters in the future, as long as it is not against the will of Heaven or a greedy and reckless act, they can come here to seek the assistance of Guiyuan Pavilion. There is no time limit and no matter how small the matter is!

It was because of this decree that the Chen family of Tianyan was able to establish a connection with Guiyuan Pavilion, which led to their current request for help.

On the way back, Chen Dafu was somewhat depressed. He and the Chen family understood Xia Qianchuan's words. They were not stupid and naturally knew how important a decree from a cultivation sect could be.

But how can those who cultivate immortality understand the difficulties of ordinary mortals? Sometimes, the decline of a family is even more important than its life or death.

A prominent family like the Chen family is surrounded by enemies on all sides. Countless envious wolves are secretly waiting for the moment they fall. If they perish prematurely, they will be swarmed by their enemies and torn to shreds, never to recover.

If that time comes, what use will this decree be to protect the safety of the Chen family?

After losing the ability to protect themselves, even if they survive by sheer luck, they are merely prolonging their lives and have no chance of turning things around.

Moreover, Guiyuan Pavilion can protect the Chen family for a time, but not forever, and in the end, they will inevitably face extermination.

Therefore, before Chen Dafu visited Guiyuan Pavilion, the Chen family had already made up their minds that no matter how precious this decree was, they had no choice but to use it at this time.

The Chen family, which is at the height of its power, cannot afford to show any signs of decline and must not give its opponents even the slightest chance!

After thinking all this over, a rare look of determination appeared in Chen Dafu's eyes. He urged the coachman once more, and the carriage sped off towards the Chen family residence in the center of Tianyan Town.