Countless old acquaintances came to offer their congratulations, and Yan Po Shan could only wear a fake smile, without saying a word.
But the others didn't understand. Seeing how coldly Yan Po Shan treated them, they thought he had changed.
Quite a few people whispered among themselves.
"Look at that. Ever since Yan Po Shan ascended to immortality, he's gotten so high and mighty."
"He's putting on airs even with us old friends now?"
"He's an immortal, after all. He's different from us mortals."
"Hmph! Give me a few more years, and this old man will ascend to immortality too. Then we'll see if he still looks down his nose at me!"
"Yan Po Shan's really forgotten his roots. We old buddies helped him countless times when we first started cultivating together."
"Exactly! We helped him escape death so many times, and now it turns out all that kindness he showed us was fake!"
"Some brother he is! Some pal!"
With Yan Po Shan's current cultivation, he could hear the people around him talking about him.
But all he could do was silently endure it. If he said even half a word about what had happened in White Jade Capital—
One-Eyed Immortal Elder would send down divine punishment and wipe out everyone within a hundred li.
Why, for the sake of their daughters...
Yan Po Shan could only keep silent, even if people misunderstood him and thought he had forgotten his roots and abandoned his friends.
If that was how it had to be, then he might as well play the villain to the bitter end!
At that thought, Yan Po Shan sneered at his old friends. "With talent like yours, you think you can ascend to immortality?"
"Keep dreaming. You've only got a few years left to live, so go home and enjoy yourselves while you can. Stop dreaming about ascending to immortality."
At that, every one of his old friends flushed red with fury.
They all broke down, pointing at Yan Po Shan and cursing him. "Yan Po Shan! I took so many blades for you back in the day, and this is how you treat us?"
"Immortal Yan, how impressive! Now you're an immortal of White Jade Capital, and we're just a bunch of ants. How could we ever compare to you?"
"We're just fireflies. How could we dare compete with your bright, full moon?"
Faced with his friends' curses, Yan Po Shan gave up trying to hold back and burst into loud laughter.
"A bunch of useless fools like you want to cultivate immortality? Get back to your hometown and raise pigs!"
"Go home and spend more time with your wives and children. Stop wasting your efforts on this. Don't delude yourselves into thinking you can cultivate immortality!"
Just as Yan Po Shan was shouting, a sudden, searing pain shot through his head.
One-Eyed Immortal Elder's voice rang out in Yan Po Shan's mind.
[Keep it down. Don't think I don't know what you're plotting.]
That pain sank into his bones, accompanied by the sensation of his soul being torn apart. Yan Po Shan was in agony.
He forced himself to endure it and keep his expression steady.
Then a voice, clear as jade and sweet as an oriole, soothed Yan Po Shan's grief.
"Dad!"
Yan Qing Qing took Li Yan by the hand and came before Yan Po Shan.
She came bouncing over, excitedly taking his hand.
"Dad! Why did you come down to the mortal realm?"
"After ascending, aren't immortals not supposed to come down here easily?"
"We've never seen an immortal who ascended return to the mortal world."
Hearing his daughter's sweet voice, Yan Po Shan felt it had all been worth it.
For his daughter, so she could survive in White Jade Capital, he could only bear the humiliation and keep living!
Seeing Yan Qing Qing put the gruff man in high spirits.
"Ha ha ha! My precious girl! How have you been these past few days, while your dad was away?"
Yan Qing Qing pursed her lips and complained, "Ever since you ascended, Dad, it's felt like something was missing."
After a brief moment of sadness, Yan Qing Qing perked up again and pointed to Li Yan behind her.
"But it's all right. Brother Li has been cultivating with me, and we're going to ascend to the upper realm as soon as possible so we can reunite with you!"
Li Yan?
When Yan Po Shan looked at Li Yan, the gruff man's eyes darted away.
He didn't dare meet Li Yan's gaze. He felt guilty.
Yan Po Shan knew that some great figure had their eye on Li Yan. That person had already picked him out as an immortal pill.
But he...
He couldn't say it!
Yan Po Shan was about to burst from keeping it all inside, but to give everyone a few more years to live, he couldn't reveal the truth.
Li Yan naturally knew what was going on up above, but he kept his expression calm and cupped his hands.
"Uncle Yan, is White Jade Capital beautiful?"
Yan Po Shan forced a smile. "White Jade Capital... is all right. The scenery really is beautiful, and it's a wonderful place to cultivate."
Just then, One-Eyed Immortal Elder's voice rang out in Yan Po Shan's mind.
[Give him the thing already! Complete the task, and I'll give you an hour to reunite with your daughter.]
Hearing that, Yan Po Shan swallowed.
"Well, nephew..."
"I'm sorry for the trouble of looking after Qing Qing while I was away."
Hearing this, Yan Qing Qing blushed, stifling a laugh. "Dad, what are you talking about?"
Yan Po Shan could see how secretly delighted Yan Qing Qing was. But knowing the truth, he felt his heart grow heavier.
My daughter, the person you love is an immortal pill in someone else's eyes.
If Yan Qing Qing knew Li Yan had less than half a year to live, what would she think?
The gruff Yan Po Shan could only force down the pain in his heart and put on a false smile.
"I brought you an immortal pill from White Jade Capital especially for you."
Yan Po Shan took out a white jade bottle filled with pills. Seeing it, the others all cursed him.
"Yan Po Shan really is a piece of trash!"
"He brought an immortal pill for his son-in-law, but won't spare a single hair for us old friends, even though we've risked our lives together for all these years."
"Heartless! Absolutely heartless!"
As the old friends around him gossiped, Yan Po Shan's heart was pierced again and again, but he could only endure it.
For everyone's sake, so they could live a few more years, he bore the pain all alone.
What good would it do to tell them?
Even the mighty Old Heavenly Court and the fearsome Ancient Dragon Clan had been no match for White Jade Capital.
These cultivators, with strength only at the Spirit Transformation Stage, were nothing but ants in White Jade Capital's eyes. One slap could crush who knew how many of them.
The more they knew, the more helpless they would feel.
Yan Po Shan knew White Jade Capital's methods well. He couldn't let his old friends die, and he couldn't let his daughter die either.
And Li Yan?
When Li Yan saw the bottle of immortal pills, his eyes lit up!
A treasure!
A marvelous treasure!
It was definitely a treasure!
The sort of thing that would make Li Yan grin even in his dreams.
The scent of the immortal pills made him realize something.
He could use the pills to speed up his comprehension of Void Breaking Claw. He could use the energy within them to help him escape!
One-Eyed Immortal Elder probably never dreamed that this bottle of immortal pills would become Li Yan's most powerful aid in escaping.
Without hesitation, he snatched the pills. "Thank you, Uncle Yan! I'll work hard with this bottle of immortal pills!"
When Li Yan took the pills, One-Eyed Immortal Elder, watching from above in White Jade Capital, smiled.
He smiled very happily.
Li Yan was laughing to himself even more. One-Eyed Immortal Elder had tried to steal a chicken, only to lose the rice he'd used to lure it—in the end, he'd lost both the prize and the bait.
Only Yan Po Shan was suffering inside.
He gripped the bottle of immortal pills tightly and refused to let go.
"Nephew, you..."
Yan Po Shan's expression turned strange. He hesitated, unable to finish.
He thought he had harmed Li Yan, never realizing that he had helped him immensely.
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