NovelYeni #376 - Seeking longevity
#376 - Seeking longevity
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“What kind of pill?”
“A pill of longevity,” the man said frankly, then paused and added with emotion, “A mortal’s life is simply too short. Even if they create a great legacy and achieve unparalleled feats, amass wealth beyond measure, and have beautiful wives and concubines, after a hundred years, they are nothing more than a pile of yellow earth, unable to take anything with them. Just thinking about this makes me lose my appetite.
“The clothes I once loved no longer feel the same when I wear them, the delicious food I used to savor now tastes bland, and even the most beautiful woman has lost her appeal… Since then, I’ve had no heart to do anything else, and ultimately decided to devote all my energy to pursuing the path of immortality.
“Because this is the only meaningful thing we can do during the few decades we are alive. I sent people to collect all the ancient books in the world that recorded the art of longevity for me, and then I traveled all over the famous mountains and rivers, searching for the relics of immortals.
“Unfortunately, I have never been able to find the method of longevity. Instead, I accidentally cultivated a secret power. Later, I began to explore and learn how to refine the pill of longevity myself.
“But there are too many trivial matters around me… the palace, uh, my family and those subordinates all opposed me, and they were nagging in my ears every day, which made me unbearable. So I begged the then Shao Jian of the Sitianjian to find me a quiet place, so he brought me to this place.”
The man said, “As you can see, the conditions here are actually quite difficult. There isn’t even a house. It can’t be compared with the place I used to live. The vegetable garden and the medicine garden were also dug by myself. There is also a wild boar that comes to me every three days to beg for food. But I have to admit that this place is indeed very suitable for alchemy, and the most important thing is that no one disturbs me.
“I have lived here for… hey, I can’t even remember how long I have lived here. Anyway, I am quite satisfied. I hope that I can refine the pill of longevity before I die.”
After listening to the man’s description of his vision for the future, Lu Jing was also stunned.
He didn’t expect to meet such an orthodox cultivator.
The reason why he said he was orthodox was because the man in front of him probably best conformed to the folk impression of cultivators: pursuing longevity, ignoring worldly affairs, and concentrating on cultivation.
In contrast, the cultivators of the academy and the Sitianjian were somewhat maverick.
They are busy all day long enhancing their strength, fighting and killing, dealing with strange objects, and no one mentions the inherent job of longevity.
Of course, this is not good news for Lu Jing.
Sure enough, when Lu Jing tentatively asked the man if he could help him refine a certain pill, the man frowned.
“Don’t do it, it sounds like a lot of trouble, and the key is that it takes a lot of time. What if I spend several months helping you refine the pill you want, but in the end, I am just a few months away from refining the pill of longevity that I want? Wouldn’t my life be wasted in vain?”
“…”
Lu Jing really wanted to complain that your life has already been wasted badly enough, and maybe refining pills for me is the only practical thing you have done in your life.
But he needs help from the other party now, so he held back.
Moreover, everyone has their own ambitions. The man is wholeheartedly seeking longevity, and his actions have not hindered others. As an outsider, Lu Jing naturally has no reason to criticize his choice, so he can only think of other ways.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Jing asked, “Do you have any relaxing hobbies besides refining pills? Would you like to consider drawing cards, oh no, grabbing unique skills? I have thirty white shells here.”
“Can white shells help me seek longevity?”
“Probably… not.”
“Then I’m not interested anymore.” The man shook his head.
“Then do you need money?” Lu Jing gritted his teeth. Although he is already heavily in debt, he is willing to go all out to maintain his current realm. At worst, he will borrow some from Gu Caiwei and Xia Huai, “Refining pills should also cost a lot of money, right?”
The man nodded in agreement, “It does cost a lot of money. Fortunately, I saved a little money before entering the valley, which is enough for me to use until the day I achieve longevity or die of old age.”
Lu Jing didn’t quite believe it. After all, he has been eating Falling into the Mortal World all the time, and he knows how valuable a dose of medicine is. Listening to the man’s understatement, he felt that he was suspected of bragging.
However, he couldn’t press the man’s head and say, no, you need money, promise me quickly.
He had no choice but to change his direction again, “Then senior, is there anything I can do for you that can make up for the time spent? By the way, I am good at practicing the Lush Green Technique, and I can help you plant medicine.”
The man was stunned when he heard this, “Oh? That’s not bad, but I plant medicine not only for refining pills, but also to feel the natural principles of plant growth, so as to comprehend the way of longevity. So it’s better for me to do this myself, but you can first tell me what kind of pill you want me to refine for you.”
“I want to ask senior to help me refine a dose of poison that can suppress the expansion of secret power and keep the cultivator in one realm.” Lu Jing said.
“This kind of pill… what’s the use of it?” The man was at a loss.
“It may be useless to others, but it is life-saving to me.”
The man was already trying hard to think, but he still couldn’t figure out how this kind of pill could save his life.
And then he said somewhat embarrassedly, “I didn’t lie to you before. I have only refined pills related to longevity, so I have no confidence in refining the kind of poison you said.”
“Is this the only thing?” Lu Jing was a little surprised. He had already planned that if it really didn’t work, he would live in Jinghu Valley and help the man take care of his medicine garden.
He didn’t expect that the request made by the other party in the end would be so simple.
“That’s it.” The man said, “If you find out why the money is missing for me, I will try to help you refine the kind of poison pill you want.”
“In that case, it’s a deal.” Lu Jing said happily.
“Okay.” The man nodded, and then added considerately, “Do you want to make a written agreement?”
“No need, anyway, you can’t beat me.”
“…”
“By the way, how much money did you lose from Taiping Bank?” Seeing that the purpose of this trip had been achieved, Lu Jing also turned to care about this errand.
“Two hundred thousand taels, they said that I had already taken the money a few days ago.” The man was very innocent, “But I obviously didn’t take it. The reason why I deposited the money in Taiping Bank in the first place was because I valued its reputation. I didn’t expect this kind of thing to happen.”