A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Upon opening the door, Chen Dafu was indeed standing awkwardly at the entrance, looking uneasy.

"Brother Zhou... Senior Brother Zhou, I was absolutely right!"

When Chen Dafu saw Zhou Ping open the door, he was overjoyed, and his eyes showed disbelief.

"Please come in, Young Master Chen."

Zhou Ping smiled slightly and gladly invited him into the house.

"Senior Brother Zhou, please just call me by my name. I dare not address you as 'Young Master' or anything like that in front of you."

After Chen Dafu took his seat, he remained reserved. After all, the person in front of him was someone who had appeared in Guiyuan Pavilion, and he knew exactly what that meant.

Zhou Ping was born into poverty and had absolutely no idea that Guiyuan Pavilion existed.

The fact that he appeared there can only mean one thing: Zhou Ping has long been regarded as a divine figure by the world.

Their current status is completely different from when they first started out; the tables have turned dramatically, and they are no longer comparable.

"Junior Brother Chen, how did you know that I, Zhou, am staying here?"

Zhou Ping was still somewhat puzzled as to how quickly the other party had found him, so he asked.

"Please forgive me, Senior Brother Zhou. Ever since that fleeting glimpse of you in Guiyuan Pavilion, I have been unable to eat or drink anything after returning home. I immediately summoned the steward of the house, hoping to find your whereabouts so that I can pay you a visit."

"It's quite a coincidence that the Laifu Inn where Senior Brother Zhou is staying is owned by the Chen family. After a little inquiry, we were able to roughly confirm your identity."

"I hope Senior Brother Zhou won't take offense."

Chen Dafu carefully explained to Zhou Ping, his tone clearly apologetic, as if he felt guilty for inquiring about Zhou Ping's whereabouts.

"I see... Zhou originally intended to keep a low profile, but unexpectedly, he still failed to achieve his goal. It seems that it was just a matter of luck."

"Now that Junior Brother Chen already knows Zhou's whereabouts, I hope you will keep it a secret and not mention it to anyone, otherwise you may get into trouble."

Zhou Ping looked as if he had just realized something, but he wasn't angry. He just gave a slightly serious reminder to prevent the other party from doing anything that would be detrimental to him.

"I know, I know! I will keep my mouth shut. The only other person who knows that Senior Brother Zhou is staying here is one of my stewards. He has watched me grow up since I was a child and is absolutely loyal and trustworthy. He will not reveal any of Senior Brother's whereabouts."

Chen Dafu solemnly assured him, his tone unusually earnest, as if he were about to swear an oath to the heavens.

Seeing this, Zhou Ping smiled slightly and said to him indifferently,

"There's no need for that. As long as Junior Brother Chen doesn't deliberately reveal my whereabouts, that's fine. After all, there are no other acquaintances here. I just don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble."

After Zhou Ping finished speaking, he suddenly changed the subject and continued to ask,

"I wonder when Junior Brother Chen returned to Tianyan Town, and what the situation of the sect was like before his return. I have heard quite a few rumors about the Qingzhu Sect during this period."

"Senior Brother Zhou, you may not know this, but it seems you did not experience the unexpected situation at that time."

"A few days ago, the Mo family of Longquan Town suddenly attacked the Jin family, which was located deep within the Qingzhu Gate, the place where you were previously staying."

"It's fortunate you weren't there at the time, otherwise you might have been in grave danger. The situation was extremely sudden; our Green Bamboo Sect was completely unaware..."

Chen Dafu recounted the events of that day from beginning to end. Apart from the changes within Jin Yuan, which they were not aware of, he told Zhou Ping everything about the Qingzhu Sect in detail.

It turned out that after Zhou Ping left the Green Bamboo Sect with the Longquan Sword Sect that day, Jin Haiming soon arrived at the inner gate of the Green Bamboo Sect with the Jin Clan's protective puppets, intending to wipe out the rebels in one fell swoop.

Unfortunately, apart from the group of hall masters and disciples who were kept in the dark, the figures of Jin Yunfeng, the leader of the Green Bamboo Sect, and others had long since disappeared.

Left with no other choice, Jin Haiming immediately decided to close the mountain gate to prevent unscrupulous individuals from taking advantage of the situation to launch another sneak attack on the severely weakened Qingzhu Sect and Jin Clan.

Just before the Tianyan Town Trade Summit, this incident at the Qingzhu Sect directly prevented Chen Dafu from borrowing a single soldier from the sect.

Disheartened, he had no choice but to return to the Chen family in Tianyan Town on his own. The Qingzhu Sect, mindful of their past relationship, but truly powerless to stop him, did not offer any assistance.

After what followed, combined with what Zhou Ping had heard from others, I finally had a general understanding of the situation.

It seems that the news of his faked death in the Jin clan was not spread by the Jin clan, or perhaps Chen Dafu did not have time to find out before he left.

Regardless, at least we know that this person did not find his presence here suspicious.

Even after learning of his identity as a cultivator, his actions became unfathomable in the eyes of the cultivator, and the cultivator dared not even entertain any intention to investigate.

"Junior Brother Chen, you must have come to see me today for more than just to catch up, right?"

After listening to the other party's account, Zhou Ping felt reassured, but he asked the question without showing any emotion.

Upon hearing this, Chen Dafu tensed up, and for the first time, a look of hesitation appeared on his face, as he didn't know how to speak.

Seeing this, Zhou Ping smiled slightly and said in a gentle voice,

"Junior Brother Chen, please speak freely. Since we've already come all this way, we should explain our purpose without being too formal."

Chen Dafu seemed to have made up his mind. Suddenly, he looked at Zhou Ping with a serious expression and asked in a low voice,

"Before that, I'd like to confirm something."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Has Senior Brother Zhou already become a celestial being?"

Seeing Chen Dafu looking at him hopefully, Zhou Ping slightly pursed his lips, and then, under the other's expectant gaze, answered,

"If the immortals that Junior Brother Chen mentioned are referring to cultivators, then I, Zhou, must be one of them."

When Chen Dafu heard Zhou Ping admit it, his eyes lit up with surprise, and his body even trembled with excitement.

The entire Chen family, from its inception to its current prosperity, has only gained a slight opportunity to come into contact with cultivators thanks to the legacy of its ancestors.

Unexpectedly, he was so lucky that a fellow disciple he met by chance transformed into a god-like figure in the eyes of the world several years later.

How could this not fill him with amazement and excitement?

Despite the fact that the Chen family had some connection with Guiyuan Pavilion, Chen Dafu's visit was the first time the Chen family had come into contact with Guiyuan Pavilion since receiving the imperial decree.

Their ancestors had long ago established an ancestral rule that, unless absolutely necessary, one should not actively disturb the peace of the immortals.

The Chen family ancestors were well aware of the unburdened attitude of cultivators towards worldly affairs.

Therefore, this ancestral instruction was established to prevent unsuspecting descendants from unintentionally offending these immortal figures.

While Chen Dafu was filled with excitement, he swallowed hard before cautiously speaking.

"I'd like to make a deal with Senior Brother Zhou. I wonder if you'd be interested?"