Departure

"Old Woman, did that guest just now look like an Immortal?"

Chen Liu had not detected it at first, but when his hand touched the noodle bowl, he suddenly felt something. He turned his head and looked toward the figure leading a donkey down the alley.

The more he looked, the stronger that wondrous feeling became.

"Immortal, Immortal! I think you've gone mad. Where are there any Immortals in this world? If there really were Immortals, why had none of them claimed the high offices, lavish salaries, gold, silver, and beauties the emperor promised years ago?"

"How could the things Immortals pursue be the same as what us common folk want? Gold, silver, treasures, high office, and lavish salaries are nothing but dung in an Immortal's eyes! Even beauties are no more than withered bones."

The stall owner set down what he was holding, turned, and ran toward the Ancestral House beside him.

After pulling open the door, Chen Liu rummaged around inside for quite some time. At last, he dragged two large chests out from a cellar.

The chests were filled with the Chen Family's Clan Genealogy.

These things were strange to talk about. Hundreds of years had passed without changing them in the slightest. On the surface, the genealogies looked like the most ordinary paper. Their only special trait was that neither water nor fire could harm them, and time could not rot them away. This quality had kept the Chen Family's Clan Genealogy looking relatively new. Back when the old master had been addicted to gambling, he had even considered pawning the genealogy. Unfortunately, the shopkeeper at the pawnshop simply did not believe the Chen Family's genealogies were antiques, which was why no one had bought them.

Opening the chest revealed neatly arranged stacks of booklets.

They