Houde Zhenren, after comforting the children, led Li Ji'an and Qingyun to the graveyard behind the mountain.
"This is your Grandmaster's tomb, and also your dad's... your Junior Martial Uncle's most beloved Master's tomb. Go and pay your respects." Houde Zhenren's expression was momentarily lost in thought as he spoke.
He clearly remembered the scene ten years ago when his Master was buried here, and his Junior Brother truly fainted from crying on the spot.
That heart-wrenching cry, that wail as if the sky had fallen, those eyes swollen from crying... only then did he realize how deep his Junior Brother's feelings for his Master were!
"Thump, thump, thump!" Li Ji'an solemnly kowtowed three times.
This time, he didn't cry.
On his tender face, there was only remembrance and blessings.
Ten years ago, when his Master passed away, he was thirty years old. His ambition as a Transmigrator, which had previously been extinguished, was rekindled after his Master's death, especially since this age coincided with his first Returning to Youth, reminding him that he also had a Golden Finger.
The goodness of Shanshan Perfected Person took root in Li Ji'an's Heart-Nature, making him willing to extend a helping hand to those suffering without Karma, provided he had full assurance.
The evil of harvesting organs also made Li Ji'an not hesitate to assume the worst about others.
Therefore, after his Master's death, he took his savings accumulated over more than ten years and returned to secular life, purchasing a small courtyard at a high price near the Shangyi County yamen. Because he was unsure when he would Returning to Youth again, he actively prepared for the next Returning to Youth.
Besides his livelihood and safety after Returning to Youth, at the advanced age of thirty, he dragged his crippled body, enduring cold gazes and ridicule, and moved the county Martial Academy with hundreds of taels of silver, patiently accumulating experience for his next Returning to Youth.
In addition, he also worked as an assistant in the Martial Academy's exclusive pharmacy, learning pharmacology while gradually exploring various medicinal baths and tonics.
This wait lasted ten years!
It wasn't until he was forty years old, just five days ago, that he Returning to Youth again.
The last time he Returning to Youth, he was just thirty years old.
But this time, it was not until he was forty years old.
Fortunately, this time he was mentally prepared, his life was stable, and he was filled with anticipation.
Finally, five days ago that night, he captured the information he had overlooked during his first Returning to Youth.
It turned out that his Returning to Youth was not based on age, but on the condition of his body's functions and Qi and blood. Whenever his body's functions declined, his Qi and blood began to decay, and his body started to go downhill, he would Returning to Youth.
Simply put, his body only went uphill.
The reason his first Returning to Youth was at thirty years old was because those thirty years were too miserable. Especially the despair after returning to his hometown in disgrace daily consumed his vitality. Normally, his Lifespan at that time would have been around forty, and he began to decline at thirty.
For the twenty-seven years after his second Returning to Youth, he lived a relatively comfortable life, especially in the last ten years, filled with expectation and hope. Even with his five years of Hellish experience, he should have been able to live to fifty years old normally, so his body only began to decline at forty.
However, his "Returning to Youth" was only effective for the decline of physical functions. If he were killed midway, he would be completely dead, and illness or injury would consume his vitality, leading to an early Returning to Youth.
After Returning to Youth five days ago, he returned to Purple Cloud Temple with his token and letter as planned. Only here could he safely pass through his early childhood.
"This time, my body has returned to eight years old again, clearing all negative effects, while my thoughts and memories are preserved. With the money I prepared last time and the medicinal and dietary supplements I've been taking since childhood, everything is full of hope..."
After paying respects to the Ancestral Master, Li Ji'an followed Houde Zhenren back to the Hall of Purity.
"Chang'an, I have not yet answered your question upon entering the temple. Please ask again."
"Master, are there Immortals in this world?"
"Naturally, there are!" Houde Zhenren said with certainty.
...Li Ji'an paused slightly, looking at Houde Zhenren with a hint of suspicion.
He remembered Liu Deshan always scoffing at the idea of Immortals, even saying, "If there were Immortals, why didn't any Immortal come to save you when you were tormented so badly, and instead, Master saved you?
If you ask me, if there truly are Immortals, then Master is an Immortal."
"Is it because he is in that position that his views have changed? Or has the elevation of his status allowed him to access information that ordinary people cannot?" Li Ji'an respectfully kowtowed in gratitude.
Houde Zhenren then looked at Little Qingyun: "Qingyun, from now on, you two brothers must diligently practice martial arts. I will help you enter the county Martial Academy. If you can distinguish yourselves in the Martial Examination, you can directly catch the eye of the Immortal Emissary in the prefectural city. Once you become an Immortal Seed, you will have the hope of meeting an Immortal Master and seeking the Dao of Immortality."
Little Qingyun lowered his head and pouted, scoffing at his father's words, only secretly tickling Li Ji'an's feet.
"Of course, there are only ten Immortal Seeds in the entire world every ten years, so it cannot be forced or stubborn. As long as you Master martial arts, you can return to the Daoist temple in the future and guard a region." Liu Deshan changed the subject.
"Yes, Master." Li Ji'an took the opportunity to bow again, and his body suddenly lowered, exposing Little Qingyun's mischievous actions to Liu Deshan's eyes.
"You rebellious... disciple, you're being mischievous again." Liu Deshan's eyebrows furrowed, and he walked over with a ruler.
Amidst Little Qingyun's cries for mercy, Li Ji'an felt relieved.
The Immortal Bestowed Dynasty, legend has it, was granted Divine Power by an Immortal to the current Taizu, who unified the entire continent.
Immortal Seeds are chosen every ten years from national Martial Academies through the Martial Examination, from county to prefecture, and then to the Imperial City. Finally, ten Prodigies under the age of thirty are selected to await the Immortal Master's descent to take them to the Immortal Realm.
As for why Immortal Seeds are chosen based on martial arts strength rather than Spiritual Roots as seen in novels from his previous life, Li Ji'an did not know.
Nor was he entirely certain whether these so-called Immortal Seeds were real or fake.
After all, in feudal imperial societies, the trick of "receiving mandate from Heaven" to fool the people and consolidate power was too common.
But... at least it was a hope.
If he could truly achieve Immortal Ascension, he would have the hope of eternal life, and no longer have to worry about the possibility of suffering the Hellish torment after each Returning to Youth.
In such a society, an eight-year-old child with no relatives or connections found it too difficult to survive safely until adulthood.
This time he Returning to Youth, he came back here because his Senior Brother, whom he knew well, was here, and because in the life before Returning to Youth, he had suffered from organ harvesting, which hindered his physical development, and his Heart-Nature affected his appearance, so his appearance at thirteen was not much different from when he was eight.
But this kind of return could only happen once. Next time, his Senior Brother would certainly be gone, and his current appearance had already been noted by others. If he came back again, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be imprisoned and interrogated about the secret of Returning to Youth, or even have his blood drunk and flesh eaten, tormented for ten thousand years.
Moreover, even if he ultimately failed to achieve Immortal Ascension, practicing martial arts was also his hope of having enough strength to completely eradicate such evil in the world.
Child traffickers and organ harvesters all deserve to die, to enter the eighteen layers of Hell, to suffer torment, and never be pardoned for eternity.
Once Liu Deshan and his son settled down, Li Ji'an took out an envelope from his embrace.
"Master, this is what Junior Martial Uncle asked me to give you."
Upon hearing that it was from his Junior Brother, Liu Deshan eagerly took it, filled with anticipation.
Although his Junior Brother was physically disabled, his will was strong, and he was intelligent, astute, and meticulous, always having ingenious ideas.
Indeed, upon opening the envelope, he saw.
Inside was a formula for a medicinal bath to cleanse the meridians, which had the effect of cleansing the meridians and nourishing the veins for children under thirteen, who were not yet at the optimal age for martial arts practice and whose bones and muscles were not fully developed.
Such formulas were passed down secretly within each martial arts school, serving as their cash cow, and would never be easily divulged.
If Purple Cloud Temple had this formula, their financial prospects would be even broader.
In addition to the medicinal bath formula, there was also a bone-nourishing formula that could promote better bone development in children. Such a formula was also extremely rare and valuable.
These two formulas were meticulously researched by Li Ji'an over the past decade, involving great effort and various means. They had slight deviations from the formulas of the Shangyi County Martial Academy but also incorporated the strengths of several other martial arts schools' formulas.
"Good! Good! Good! My Junior Brother... Hahaha..." Liu Deshan burst into laughter after reading the formulas and eagerly ran towards the Jade Emperor Hall.
Little Qingyun watched his father lose composure for who knows how many times today and sighed wistfully: My dad doesn't seem as amazing as Junior Brother's dad.
"Junior Brother, your dad is so amazing! I'll follow you from now on!"