A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248

by Translator: Johnchen

  Qin Ping had already been told by a madam’s maid that this was most likely to be the lord’s illegitimate child. So long as the lord lived, who would dare to treat this young master unfairly? Also, how long he would follow Young Master Han was a matter that would depend on how the tides changed.

  This would raise his position far faster than running errands for the third madam!

  Han Li naturally didn’t know of this person’s true thoughts, instead feeling only that Qin Ping conducted himself in accordance to Qin Yan’s wishes. He knew he was unfamiliar toward Yuejing and the Qin Residence, so having this person immediately come to guide him was quite timely!

  Just as Han Li thought this, he couldn’t help but reveal a smile. Then he bluntly said to Qin Ping, “I haven’t yet seen a large portion of these buildings, so I want to take a look around. How about you accompany me?”

  “Yes, Young Master!”

  Given his first assignment, Qin Ping enthusiastically answered.

  As such, Han Li had Qin Ping lead the way and strolled around the huge Qin Residence.

  Although he spoke of the women's quarters, it wasn’t suitable for Han Li to see them up close. Even so, when people saw them pointing it out from a distance, they didn’t dare to say any gossip. After all, Qin Yan’s previous words affected the entire Qin Residence.

  “This is the Second Master Fugui’s courtyard. Apart from the second Lord, his two youngest sons also live there. Neighboring that...”

  Qin Ping guided Han Li quite well. Unbeknownst to him, han Li secretly committed every name that Qin Ping told Han Li as well as where each master lived.

  But when he spoke of “Young Madam Biao” Mo Fengwu’s residence, Han Li’s mind stirred. He paused and looked at it for quite a long time before turning his head away.

  Not a long time after, Han Li finished looking through the Qin Residence once through, but somehow it seemed that Han Li was not yet content.

  In the end, he bluntly had Qin Ping bring him out of the Qin Residence and out to a lively place in Yuejing. As they wandered randomly, Qin Ping continued to give him explanations.

  ...…

  The entire morning passed by as they walked through a few scenic spots in Yuejing.

  Qin Ping’s originally enthusiastic expression had long disappeared. At this moment, he was limping behind Han Li with a bitter face.

  Who would’ve thought that even after walking for so many hours without the slightest amount of rest, he would still be forced to continue to comment and explain without end? Anybody would feel similarly frustrated in this situation.

  Qin Ping even went as far as to suspect whether or not he had chosen the wrong master.

  Chapter 284: Whispered Discussion

  Although Qin Ping was a servant within the Qin Residence, he would normally call a carriage whenever he went outside. He had never traveled so far on foot as he had today.

  This tormented him by no small amount!

  Qin Ping could feel his two heels faintly bruising, and his feet felt like they were pincushions being pricked. Not to mention that his throat had long become hoarse from talking too much.

  However, when he saw his own new master was greatly interested by a small porcelain store and continued on to look in every direction, he could only grit his teeth and reluctantly follow.

  After all, he couldn’t tell his master that he was tired. How could a servant such as he dare to complain!

  “I’m a bit hungry. Do you know a place where we can eat lunch?”

  Han Li’s unbelievably honest words stirred Qin Ping’s heart, and he repeatedly agreed after arriving at Han Li’s side. Then he made an extremely polite suggestion and immediately led the way to a small restaurant not too far away, praising the restaurant's exquisite signature dishes.

  Han Li found this humorous but still wore an “I’ll let you decide” expression. QIn Ping then went in first, entering the two-story restaurant.

  The first floor only had commoners eating simple dishes. The second floor, however, was where those of status went to eat.

  Qin Ping naturally did not have Han Li eat on the first floor, although it seemed that his master had some intention to.

  There weren’t many guests on the second floor, only three to four groups of people.

  At one of the tables, there were actually five truly notable figures, three men and two women.

  When Han Li walked onto this floor he naturally looked at this group of people with surprise. This was because those five were actually Qi Condensation cultivators of the tenth layer or higher; the appearance of cultivators in a mortal establishment was quite unusual.

  ‘Could they be from the Six Devil Dao Sects?’ Han Li first thought.

  Han Li immediately restrained the Spiritual Qi in his body and used the “Drawing Qi Technique” that he learned after achieving Foundation Establishment, withdrawing all of his Spiritual Qi into his body. As such, in the eyes of those with far lower cultivation, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Han Li and just another mortal.

  “Young Master, please sit over here!”

  Qin Ping dragged Han Li over to a table by the window with great difficulty as his feet ached. Then he used to sleeves to wipe down the wooden chair before inviting Han Li to sit down with a full smile.

  Han Li revealed embarrassment and promptly called Qin Ping to sit down as well.

  This time, Qin Ping wasn’t too polite and, and after declining a few times, he sincerely sat down.

  His feet were truly in pain, but he was unable to break away from his status as a servant. Fortunately, this Young Master Han who just entered the capital wasn’t particularly attentive to formal etiquette.

  Having seen two people sit down, a waiter swiftly walked toward them and humbly asked, “What would these two guests like? This restaurant has many signature dishes that are quite renowned.”

  “I want a table of all your best dishes, and bring your signature dishes as well. Also, use your very best ingredients. My Young Master is a Young Master of the Qin Residence!” Qin Ping knew that Han Li certainly didn’t know how to order food and took the matter into his own hands, ordering on Han Li’s behalf. After he mentioned the “Qin Residence”, the servant’s expression became far more lively.

  Sure enough, the reputation of the Qin Residence was quite useful. After the waiter heard this, he immediately nodded his head, bowed, and even said a few words of flattery. He then rushed back after taking their orders.

  However, Han Li wasn’t interested in flaunting his power to some servant. He was entirely focused on the cultivators sitting not that far from him.

  But what baffled him was that was that the thirty year-old blue-clothed man seemed familiar, as if he had seen him before.

  Han Li thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind. He absolutely wasn’t someone he was very familiar with.

  The men, including the blue-clothed man whom Han Li found familiar, all drank a cup of alcohol with a face of worry. The two beautiful women were simply staring at their cups of alcohol, not even moving their chopsticks. It seemed they didn’t have an appetite.

  From their appearances, they encountered no small amount of hardships. They truly didn’t seem likely to be Devil Dao cultivators infiltrating the State of Yue.

  The blue-clothed man seemed to be the youngest of the group apart from a woman who appeared several years younger.

  “Young Master, the food has arrived. Please eat first!” At this moment, Han Li heard Qin Yan’s respectful words from the side.

  The servant had already neatly and nimbly arranged the dishes onto the table!

  “Hehe, let us eat together!” Han Li smiled with slight embarrassment and opened his mouth, revealing his pure white teeth.

  At this moment, Han Li started to eat without restraint and looked to be completely focused on chewing. But in truth, he was stealthily releasing his spiritual sense, closely paying attention to the several cultivators nearby.

&nb
sp; When Qin Ping saw Han Li start to eat, he naturally moved his chopsticks about. At that moment, the eldest cultivator among them, an old man with a dark face, stopped drinking and suddenly released an invisible soundproof barrier around them. Then he said, “Everyone, eat. Since our lives have fallen to the hands of others, we, companions from Mist Mountain, can only walk one step at a time! Regardless of how it is said, not having our souls scattered is far better than what happened to other cultivators.”

  Although the soundproof barrier was in effect and the dark-faced old man’s voice wasn’t loud, Han Li could clearly hear it. Soundproof magic techniques used by Qi Refining cultivators were ineffective against Han Li’s astonishing spiritual sense.

  However, the old man's words caused Han Li to know something was amiss; he could hear there was something being hidden from those words.

  Perhaps due to the dark-faced old man’s words, the two women silently ate some food.

  However, they still seemed absent minded. It was most likely they tasted nothing!

  “Eldest Brother, will we truly be manipulated by them from now on? This truly won’t do. We can secretly tell the seven sects. Surely they will deal with them!” After the blue-clothed man took two heavy drinks, he said this with a fierce complexion.

  The dark-faced old man sighed. “Fourth Brother! The matter isn’t so simple.” He lightly shook his head and revealed a sense of helplessness.

  Hearing the old man’s words, the youngest white-clothed woman couldn’t help but ask, “Eldest Brother, why can’t we? Could it be those from the seven sects don’t want to kill villains? In the State of Yue, at least several hundred have died by their hands to preserve the Dao.”

  When the white-clothed woman said this, her face displayed unwillingness.

  When the middle-aged man and woman saw the fierce reply, they silently looked at each other with a bitter smile. It seemed these two clearly understood what the dark-faced old man had misgivings about.

  When Han Li heard this, he was somewhat amazed. He felt that he had just faintly grasped onto something immensely huge.

  However, he maintained his cover by eating several more dishes, causing Qin Ping to praise Han Li’s great appetite.

  Han Li smiled with a slight blush as if he realized his actions were improper and slowed down the speed at which he was eating.

  At this moment, the dark-faced old man sighed and started to give the blue-clothed man and the white -clothed woman an explanation.

  “In truth, calling the seven sects for help is simply useless!”

  “First of all, us rogue cultivators clearly understand the current circumstances of the seven sects. All of their manpower is focused on stopping the invasion of the Devil Dao, so how could they divert manpower to help us rogue cultivators? They even face against Foundation Establishment cultivators. If the seven sects sent ordinary cultivators, they would fundamentally be unable to act. Otherwise, how else would the Devil Dao have captured us so easily!”

  “Secondly, even if the seven sects were truly worried about preserving the Dao and they had actually sent forth men to eliminate our assailants, don’t forget that they were wearing masks. We don’t know anything about their appearance. Furthermore, they surprised us at an abandoned temple they happened to find, so any sort of help wouldn’t have arrived on time. We simply have no means to act against them! Not to mention they put some sort of strange restriction on our bodies. If we don’t follow their orders on time, it’s likely we will be killed immediately! Also, is it certain that those from the seven sects will be able to remove our restrictions? Since they dared to let us leave so easily, they probably designed these restrictions themselves. They certainly aren’t so easily destroyed!”

  As the dark-faced old man said this, the more wrinkled his brow became. It seemed he spoke with despair.

  “Then we can truly only side with the villains and help them trap other cultivators?” The white-clothed woman’s complexion greatly paled. She was clearly unwilling to do this.

  “Fifth Sister! It is as Eldest Brother has said. Right now, we can only walk one step at a time! Fortunately, we have some time before we’ll be forced to act. During that time, hopefully us five friends from Mist Mountain will find a way to disobey them and escape!” The tall and thin forty year-old man spoke, consoling her.

  But these several people all knew that those words were flowery lies meant to deceive themselves! They hadn’t been able to think of anything plausible these past few days. Would likely was it that they’d find a way after a few months?

  With that said, these people became silent. Worry bubbled forth in their hearts.

  Chapter 285: Disregard and Rumors

  After Han Li heard all of this, he understood nearly everything.

  What these people unexpectedly said had to do with the disappearance of cultivators in the State of Yue during the past recent years.

  These several people had probably been captured by the masterminds behind the plot and then let go after being threatened. But from hearing their tone of voice, they were already being controlled and forced to harm others.

  All sorts of thoughts quickly churned through Han Li’s mind, but after a short moment, he decided that this matter was better left untouched.

  After all, these people were the reason behind the disappearance of many cultivators. Even so, they had been freely acting to this day but still remained unexposed. This by itself explained how exceptionally cunning they were, and how truly out of the ordinary these people must be.

  Furthermore, since they could control Foundation Establishment cultivators, they might have Core Formation cultivators behind them!

  He himself was but a mere lone Foundation Establishment cultivator. During such troubled times, it would be better to not invite disaster upon himself.

  With this decision in mind, Han Li immediately withdrew his spiritual sense and no longer paid attention to this group of cultivators.

  Although this group of people was unfortunate and pitiful, he was not one to show kindness for no reason. He also didn’t want to brave this huge danger that had nothing to do with him.

  He could only hope they would find better fortune!

  Furthermore, the current seven sects were as the dark-faced man had deduced. The entirety of their power was focused on repelling the Devil Dao. They basically had no men to spare. Even if Han Li helped inform them of this matter, they most likely wouldn’t care for something unrelated to themselves.

  Han Li could only think this with disregard.

  Since he didn’t need to split his attention to hear the whispered conversation, Han Li became focused on eating. From time to time, he would pretend to be curious, pointing to a few novel things out the window and asking Qin Ping about them.

  Naturally, Qin Ping continued to give Han Li full and detailed explanations. While he did so, most of the table’s food entered Han Li’s stomach, causing Qin Ping to click his tongue. He inwardly thought that this young master not only had vigorous energy but also a voracious appetite!

  At this moment, the cultivators sitting on the table climbed down to the lower floor. Han Li clearly saw them leave with dejected spirits. It seemed that they hadn’t thought of a good solution within this short span of time.

  Seeing this, Han Li had Qin Ping settle the bill after eating several more mouthfuls of food.

  However, Qin Ping happily smiled. He took out a small Qin Residence medallion and arrogantly walked to the first floor.

  Not long after, he went back up and made a report to Han Li, “Young Master, I showed them the pocket medallion. I told the shopkeeper to go to our Residence at the end of the month to settle the bill. As such, we don’t have to bring silver with us to pay our bill. Every month, the young masters of the Qin Residence are given several hundred taels of silver as spending money. I have already logged the meal bill under the Young Master’s name.”

  When Han Li heard this he was slightly surprised. Once again he felt the lu
xury of the Qin Residence!

  However, a blank expression appeared on his face as he careless nodded his head several times. Then he brought Qin Ping to the lower floor.

  In the afternoon, Han Li didn’t think to continue on foot. Having learned from previous pain, Qin Ping suggested calling for a carriage. They then made a trip to several significant locations in Yuejing.

  Although they couldn’t visit many of the sites, Han Li finally felt that he had a general idea on the topography and street layout. It was unlikely that the Qin Residence would’ve met their doom as Han Li was having a look in the capital city.

  Night came. Han Li returned to the Qin Residence, fully satisfied.

  At this moment, the gatekeeper Qin Gui hastily rushed out of the gatehouse to greatly ingratiate himself to Han Li without even waiting for him to step off the carriage.

  He was afraid that this newly appeared Young Master Han would bear a grudge about yesterday’s matter for having not respected him. He needed to have Han Li’s impression of him improve!

  But how could Han Li be bothered to remember such a thing from yesterday when he had other things to worry about? He had long forgotten about the matter!

  At this moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of how he could protect the Qin Residence. It was truly no good. He had to protect Qin Yan’s life at the very least, else he would have to explain himself to Li Huayuan.

  With this thought, Han Li came to a decision and entered the Qin Residence with ease.

  At night, Han Li directly went to find his Uncle Qin while avoiding all others.

  After a moment of detailed discussion within the secret room, Han Li returned in high spirits.

  On the next day, those related to Qin Yan had suddenly discovered that an unfamiliar youth had appeared at his side. Furthermore, he seemed completely unsophisticated, unlike anyone native to Yuejing.

  With great enthusiasm, Qin Yan introduced this youth to all familiar with him as a descendant of a senior from his own clan. His close friends then said they would properly support Han Li in the future and other such things!