Chapter 710 |
“Indeed. There’s a kind of pill that can purify a cultivator’s Golden Core. Coincidentally, I once obtained the spiritual herbs required to refine such a pill. I should be able to make a few.”
Seeing everyone’s astonished faces, Lu Qing chuckled softly.
He could well understand their surprise.
A pill capable of refining the Golden Core was considered rare even in the Tianyuan Great World.
He still remembered vividly the scene from years ago at the Tianxu City auction, when an aged cultivator at the Golden Core Realm had tearfully begged for a single such pill.
Yet, by coincidence, Lu Qing happened to possess the exact spiritual herb needed for it.
At his current cultivation, that herb no longer held any use for him.
Rather than let it go to waste, he might as well refine it into pills.
Hearing Lu Qing’s words, everyone couldn’t help feeling a surge of envy.
Hu Zezhi looked flustered. “Brother Lu, this is far too precious. I… I don’t dare to accept it.”
“There’s no need to feel that way,” Lu Qing replied with an easy smile. “That spiritual herb serves no purpose in my hands anymore. Besides, Master told me how you’ve been quietly protecting the village all these years. You’ve done well.”
Hearing this, Hu Zezhi’s nose suddenly stung, though she quickly forced a bright smile.
“Then I’ll thank you in advance, Brother Lu.”
Lu Qing chatted a while longer with Hu Zezhi and Mago. Just then, Wei Zian arrived, leading a young couple and a graceful middle-aged woman.
“Brother Lu,” Wei Zian said warmly, “let me introduce my family. This is my wife, and these are my children—the elder one, my daughter Shuyun, and my son, Shuyao.”
He then turned to them. “Both of you, pay your respects to your Uncle Lu!”
“Yes, Father.”
The two obediently bowed, preparing to kneel and kowtow, but Lu Qing gently lifted a sleeve, a soft force halting them mid-motion.
“There’s no need for such formality.”
He turned to Wei Zian with a hint of emotion. “To think, after all these years, you’ve started a family and raised such fine children.”
After a pause, Lu Qing retrieved two jade tokens from his Heaven and Earth One Qi Bag.
“I don’t have much to offer, but take these. Once refined, wear them on your person. They calm the mind and nourish the body. If danger arises, activate them—the protective formation will shield you for a short while.”
The siblings’ eyes sparkled as they looked at the tokens, though they first sought their father’s approval.
Wei Zian smiled. “Since it’s from your Uncle Lu, accept it.”
Inwardly, his heart stirred—he knew Lu Qing’s power had long since reached unimaginable heights.
Anything he gifted was bound to be extraordinary.
Upon hearing their father’s words, Shuyun and Shuyao carefully accepted the jade tokens, treasuring them as though they were priceless artifacts.
After some catching up, the Wei family departed.
Then, several of the village elders—led by Elder Zhang—came to visit.
At their invitation, Lu Qing made his way to the ancestral hall, where he met with the entire village.
His arrival caused quite a stir.
The villagers were ecstatic, especially the younger generation, who looked upon Lu Qing with awe.
They had grown up hearing tales of his deeds and seeing his likeness in the ancestral portraits.
Now, to see that the legendary immortal-like figure hadn’t aged a day in decades—it left them breathless.
After meeting the villagers, Lu Qing bestowed some small fortunes upon them.
Over the decades, Jiuli Village had indeed produced a few cultivators—the strongest among them having already reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.
That was hardly surprising.
After all, Lu Qing had once laid down a Gathering Spirit Formation within the village.
Over the years, under its dense spiritual influence, the villagers’ very bloodlines had subtly changed.
Children born in later generations possessed natural spiritual roots.
Though still early, Lu Qing could foresee it—given another few centuries, perhaps Jiuli Village would become a hidden paradise for cultivators.
Yet even as that thought brought comfort, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Of the faces he once knew, few remained.
The elders he’d grown up respecting were now stooped and grey-haired, their lifespans nearing their end.
At that moment, Lu Qing truly felt the loneliness of immortality—the stillness of eternity amidst a world forever changing.
…
After visiting the villagers, Lu Qing, accompanied by Elder Zhang and the others, took Xiaoyan, Xiaoli, and the rest to pay respects to his late parents and the elders who had passed away.
Only after fulfilling these duties did Lu Qing lead the group to the familiar Half-Mountain Courtyard.
The moment he landed, a tiny, wrinkled figure—looking like a little old man—squeaked in fright and dove straight into the earth.
Lu Qing blinked, then chuckled as realization dawned.
It was the Thousand-year-old Ginseng he had once captured and planted here.
So it had finally developed a spiritual form.
Yet even now, the little thing seemed terrified of him.
Apparently, it still remembered that incident from back then.
“You’ve returned?”
Doctor Chen emerged from the house, smiling warmly.
“Master,” Lu Qing said with feigned seriousness, “that ginseng has already taken form. Why don’t we stew it tonight? I know a fine medicinal recipe—using ginseng as the lead ingredient—it’s remarkably nourishing.”
Immediately, a faint tremor rippled beneath his feet, followed by the sound of frantic burrowing as the ginseng spirit vanished deeper underground.
Doctor Chen paused, sensing the creature’s aura retreat, then burst out laughing.
“You… honestly! A Nascent Soul cultivator, bickering with a little herb spirit?”
Lu Qing grinned. “What can I do? Every time I visit, it hides from me—as if I really mean to harm it.”
Hearing this, Han Lingshuang couldn’t help but glance at him in surprise.
She hadn’t expected Lu Qing, the calm and unshakable immortal, to have such a playful side.
Once inside, Lu Qing’s gaze fell upon the old plum tree still blooming in the courtyard. His eyes narrowed slightly.
He could sense a faint spiritual consciousness emanating from within.
Evidently, the tree too had gained awareness over the years.
Feeling Lu Qing’s immense aura, the old plum tree’s branches rustled gently, as though bowing in greeting.
Lu Qing smiled, recognizing its goodwill, and took a seat with his master beneath its blossoms.
“Master, how are your injuries?”
Doctor Chen smiled kindly. “After eating the spiritual meal you made last night and resting for the night, I’m nearly healed.”
“Good,” Lu Qing said with visible relief. “I’ll cook more for you next time.”
They talked for a while before Lu Qing took out a small jade bottle.
“Master, I acquired some fortunes during my travels. Please see if any of this will be useful to you.”
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