Chapter 254: Many Strange Things in the Pu Family Town

The days at home passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, Qin Haoxuan had been back for seven days. During this time, his mother urged him to leave every day with a reluctant tone. Although he was also unwilling to part, he knew it was time for him to go.

“Xuan’er, hurry back and cultivate. Don’t keep delaying at home. Your cultivation is important,” his mother said, her eyes red. After discussing it with his father, the couple had decided to send him away.

Seeing his mother’s red eyes, he knew she had just been crying. He knew she couldn’t bear for him to leave, and in truth, neither could his father. It was just that his father’s face was too sallow for the red rims of his eyes to be as obvious.

His father also said, “Xuan’er, hurry back. I will take good care of your mother, and she will take good care of me. You can go and cultivate with a peaceful mind. Come back again when you have time.”

The moment his words fell, his mother shot him a fierce glare. “Xuan’er, don’t listen to your father. Just focus on your cultivation. We don’t need you to worry about us. Don’t listen to his nonsense; you absolutely must not come back every other day. Cultivating properly is the most important thing.”

His vision blurred, and tears couldn’t help but fall. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed deeply. He had kowtowed to his parents before, but only in this moment did he truly understand that their love was as vast as the mountains and the sea. This kowtow… was with his head. This kowtow… was with his heart. He kowtowed again and again… He didn’t know how to express his feelings for them. Perhaps this was the only way he felt he could.

Without the protection of spiritual energy, even with his tough body, the continuous kowtowing still left a bloody mark on his forehead.

His mother, her heart aching, helped him up. “Xuan’er, go and cultivate well. But don’t feel pressured. If you can’t become an immortal, you can always come back. Your father and I can still support you.”

His father, at the side, also puffed on his dry pipe with a half-complaining tone. “What’s all this fuss about? Just come back and see us when you have time in the future. Cultivate well. If you want to kowtow, you can wait until I’m buried in the ground…”

“You old man, what are you talking about…” His mother turned her head and gave him a fierce glare.

Qin Haoxuan nodded and, after taking one last deep look at his parents, took out a bag and handed it to them. It contained some of the gold and silver from the rogue cultivators. He had divided it in half, one for his parents, and the other he planned to leave for Senior Brother Pu’s family. From his senior brother’s description, their life was not easy.

“Xuan’er, we have money. After you went to cultivate, an immortal sends us silver every year, four hundred taels…” his mother said, refusing to take his money. “You should keep more for yourself.”

He shook his head. “Father, Mother, your son cannot be by your side to fulfill his filial duty. I can only leave you a little money. Please spend it and don’t save. I don’t need to use money for my cultivation.”

His mother, half-believing, finally accepted it.

“Father, Mother, please take care.”

He gave his parents one last deep look and then walked away without turning back. He was afraid that if he did, he would not be able to bear to leave again.

On the way back, he did not use the Thousand-Mile Talisman. He said to Xing with emotion, “I know that cultivation can grant me a long life. Before, I thought it was just for myself. Now, I feel that I was too selfish. I’ve heard that true immortals, when they ascend, can take their families with them to live a carefree, long life. I now know very clearly that I must become a true immortal within my parents’ lifetime, so that they too can live forever.”

In the astonished gazes of Xing and Lan Yan, he continued, “I don’t want them to die because their mortal lifespan has run out. And I don’t want to be all alone when I become an immortal, without a single relative by my side. What is the meaning of being an immortal like that?” He thought for a moment and said, “Next time I come back, I will give them some of the Spirit Liquid to take. That should be able to extend their lifespan, right?”

Xing was taken aback. “Specially prepared and refined into a pill that mortals can take, theoretically, it is possible.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded and said no more.

Xing took a deep breath and looked at him as if seeing a stranger. After a long moment, he finally uttered a sentence, “You are different from other cultivators. Very different.”

Lan Yan also gazed at him. She could clearly feel that after returning home, his Dao Heart, which was dedicated to seeking the Dao, had become even firmer. Others became immortals for their own eternal life, but he did it not only for himself and for Xing but also for his parents and relatives. His goal was clearer and more admirable.

“It’s no different,” he said softly, looking at the distance. “If Zhang Kuang were to come back, he might do things in a more exaggerated way, but his essence would not be different from mine. It’s just… it’s much harder for him to come back. After all, his aptitude is being closely monitored. Perhaps he, too, often dreams of his parents, dreams of the small town that raised him…”

The three of them continued on their way. After walking for a while, Xing said, “Are we going back now?”

Qin Haoxuan shook his head. “Since we’re already out, we might as well finish what we need to do.”

“What else is there?” Xing asked, looking at him with surprise.

“To Senior Brother Pu Hanzhong’s home.” His eyes lit up, and his senior brother’s kind face seemed to appear before him, making his eyes moisten again. “Senior Brother Pu, rest assured. I will fulfill your trust, take good care of your family, extend our Master’s life, and look after our fellow disciples in the Nature Hall.”

Following his senior brother’s description and the guidance of other disciples from the Nature Hall, Qin Haoxuan searched for a full two days before he finally found the specific location of his home.

“That’s not right. Isn’t his home at the foot of a stone mountain, in a dilapidated small village?” he thought, looking at the place that should have been a small village but was now a large town. Although Datian Town was also called a town, compared to this one, it was like the difference between an emperor’s palace and a beggar’s temple.

He walked in first.

Only after entering did he discover that the town was not particularly large, but it was very prosperous. The shops that lined both sides of the street all had colorful banners hanging diagonally: Pu’s Restaurant, Pu’s Bookstore, Pu’s Antique Shop… It was clear that most of the residents in this small town had the surname Pu, the same as his senior brother. It seemed this was a large local clan.

He walked up to an enthusiastic shop owner and asked kindly, “Excuse me, sir. Do you know a person named Pu Hanzhong?”

The shop owner’s face was filled with alarm. He looked around furtively, as if he were a thief. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he finally let out a breath of relief and said to Qin Haoxuan with great seriousness, “Little brother, this must be your first time in our Puxian Town, right? The name you just mentioned cannot be casually spoken.”

Qin Haoxuan was taken aback. Senior Brother Pu Hanzhong’s name cannot be casually spoken? What is going on?

Just as he was about to ask more, a magnificent carriage came driving down the street, which was wide enough for three carriages to drive abreast. The carriage was not large, but it was opulent, with a fist-sized golden pearl inlaid on its roof, and its entire body was made of expensive, waterproof, and breathable green silk. It was clearly used by a wealthy and powerful family. As the carriage moved forward, although the road was wide enough, the people on the street all made way for it, for fear of offending its owner. The middle of the street was empty without anyone needing to clear it, even more majestic than the county magistrate’s procession.

When the carriage reached him, the servant who was driving saw Lan Yan, and a lecherous glint appeared in his crafty eyes. He turned his head and said something to the person inside. The carriage stopped, and a youth dressed in magnificent silk clothes, embroidered with all sorts of beautiful golden patterns, jumped out. He looked to be in his early twenties, and his appearance was not particularly handsome. His entire person exuded an air of arrogance.

He glanced at Qin Haoxuan and Xing, and then his gaze settled on Lan Yan. He looked her up and down from head to toe, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed audibly. The lewdness in his eyes was clearly of ill intent.

Being stared at for a while, Lan Yan was very displeased. She hid behind Qin Haoxuan. Being looked at over and over by his lewd gaze made her feel sick. If not for the fact that this was the hometown of the senior brother Qin Haoxuan respected most, she would have long since taught this youth a lesson.

The youth sneered, his gaze on Qin Haoxuan filled with contempt. “How much to sell this girl? This young master will buy her.”

Qin Haoxuan was taken aback. He never thought this youth would be so lawless as to openly offer to buy her. If it had been an ordinary person, seeing his grand display of wealth, they would have long since been frightened into a panic. But the three of them were cultivators; how could they be afraid of the power of a mortal?

“Not for sale,” he said indifferently, glancing at the youth and then immediately looking away, clearly not taking him seriously.

The young man was displeased. In this territory of Puxian Town, no outsider had ever dared to be so arrogant in front of him. He took a bill of sale from a servant and then pulled out a hundred-tael silver note, saying with contempt, “The money for you, the person for me.”

Qin Haoxuan grew angry. Even a clay bodhisattva has a bit of fire. He was a cultivator, yes, but he was also a hot-blooded youth. Behind him, Lan Yan was even more furious. She cursed, “Sell your grandmother! How much to sell your grandmother? This young lady will buy her!”

Hearing her curse, the youth, instead of getting angry, laughed. “Interesting, interesting. This young master likes a rose with thorns. A feisty little thing, I like it.” Immediately, his eyes, which held a hint of sinister viciousness, fell on Qin Haoxuan again, his tone carrying a threat. “You will sell her whether you want to or not. Otherwise, the two of you can forget about ever leaving this town.”

The vicious servant beside him also chimed in, roaring with a borrowed authority, “You two outsiders, don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Our Young Master Wenru is showing you great face by giving you money. Whether you take it or not, this little thing is already ours.” As he spoke, he prepared to come and snatch her.

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