Only the Road Uphill

After calming the children, Houde Zhenren led Li Ji'an and Qingyun to the cemetery behind the mountain.

"This is your grandmaster's grave, and also the grave of your father... your uncle's most beloved master. Pay your respects." As Houde Zhenren spoke, his expression grew distant.

He clearly remembered the day his master was buried ten years ago. It was right here that his junior brother had wept until he fainted on the spot.

That desperate wailing, that howling as if the sky had fallen, those eyes swollen from crying... Only then had he realized how deeply his junior brother had loved their master!

Thump, thump, thump! Li Ji'an solemnly knocked his head against the ground three times.

This time, he didn't cry.

His young face held only remembrance and blessings.

When his master had died ten years ago, he had been thirty. The ambition of a transmigrator that had once been extinguished reignited after his master's death. In particular, he was the same age he'd been when he first returned to youth, reminding him that he had a Golden Finger too.

Shangshan Zhenren's goodness had taken root in Li Ji'an's heart, making him willing to help those suffering through no fault of their own, provided he had absolute confidence in the outcome.

The evil of Life Harvesting and Dismemberment had likewise taught Li Ji'an to assume the worst of others without hesitation.

So after his master's death, he took the savings he'd accumulated over more than a decade and left the priesthood. Near the county yamen in Shangyi County, he bought a small courtyard at a steep price. Since he had no idea when he would return to youth again, he actively prepared for the next time.

Besides preparing for his livelihood and safety after returning to youth, he also dragged his crippled body, at the ripe old age of thirty, through sneers and ridicule. With several hundred taels of silver and all the sincerity he could muster, he persuaded the county's martial arts academy to take him on. Then he patiently gathered experience for the next time he returned to youth.

He also worked at the medicine shop affiliated with the academy, learning about pharmacology while slowly figuring out all kinds of medicinal baths and tonics.

He waited ten years!

Only five days ago, when he turned forty, did he return to youth again.

The last time he had returned to youth, he'd been just thirty.

This time, it had taken a full forty years.

Fortunately, he'd been mentally prepared this time and had lived a stable life, full of anticipation.

At last, on the night five days ago, he caught a detail he'd overlooked the first time he returned to youth.

It turned out his return to youth wasn't determined by age, but by his physical functions and the state of his qi and blood. Whenever his body's functions declined, his qi and blood began to weaken, and his body started downhill, he would return to youth.

Put simply, his body only ever went uphill.

The reason he'd returned to youth at thirty the first time was that those thirty years had been too miserable. His despair had steadily drained his vitality after he'd returned home in disgrace. Under normal circumstances, he probably would've lived to around forty, but his body had started downhill at thirty.

He'd lived relatively comfortably for the next twenty-seven years. In particular, throughout the final decade he'd been full of hope and anticipation. Despite the five years he'd spent in hell, he should normally have been able to live to fifty. So his body hadn't started downhill until he was forty.

However, his "return to youth" only worked when his physical functions declined. If he were killed in the meantime, he would be dead for good. Illness and injury, on the other hand, would drain his vitality and cause him to return to youth prematurely.

After returning to youth five days ago, he'd followed his plan and gone back to Purple Heaven Temple with his token and letter. Only here could he safely pass through the early years of childhood.

This time, my body's returned to being eight, and all negative effects have been cleared. My thoughts and memories remain intact. I have the money I prepared last time, plus the tonics and nourishing foods I've been taking since childhood. Everything is full of hope...

After paying his respects to the patriarch, Li Ji'an followed Houde Zhenren back to Pure Heart Hall.

"Chang'an, I haven't answered your question from when you first entered the temple. Ask me again."

"Master, are there immortals in this world?"

"Of course there are!" Houde Zhenren replied firmly.

"..." Li Ji'an paused, eyeing Houde Zhenren with a hint of suspicion.

He remembered Liu Deshan had scoffed at the idea of immortals when they were children. He'd even said, "If immortals exist, then why didn't one come save you when you were being tortured so terribly, junior brother? It was Master who saved you.

"If you ask me, if there really are immortals, then Master is one."

Did he change his mind because he's in this position now? Or has his elevated status let him learn things ordinary people can't? Li Ji'an bowed respectfully in thanks.

Houde Zhenren then looked at Xiao Qingyun. "Qingyun, you and your brother must train hard in martial arts from now on. I'll help you get into the county martial arts academy. If you distinguish yourself in the military examinations, you can go straight to the prefectural city and catch the attention of the Immortal Envoys. Once you're chosen as a seed of immortality, you'll have a chance to meet an Immortal Master and seek the Way of the Immortals."

Xiao Qingyun lowered his head and pouted, scoffing at what his father had said. He just secretly scratched the sole of Li Ji'an's foot to make it itch.

"Of course, only ten seeds of immortality are chosen across the whole world every ten years. You can't force it or become obsessed with it. As long as you learn a good set of martial skills, you can return to the temple someday and protect the people in this region." Liu Deshan changed tack.

"Yes, Master." As Li Ji'an bowed to thank him again, he abruptly lowered his body, exposing Xiao Qingyun's mischievous antics to Liu Deshan.

"You little rebel... apprentice, causing trouble again." Liu Deshan's eyebrows shot up, and he strode over with a ruler in hand.

As Xiao Qingyun wailed and begged for mercy, Li Ji'an felt a lightness in his heart.

According to legend, the Immortal Bestowed Dynasty had been granted Divine Power by an immortal, who bestowed it upon the reigning Great Ancestor to unify the entire continent.

Every ten years, ten young prodigies under thirty were chosen as seeds of immortality through the martial arts examinations. They went from the county to the prefecture, then to the imperial capital, where they awaited the Immortal Masters' arrival to take them to the Immortal Realm.

Li Ji'an had no idea why martial prowess was the standard for selecting seeds of immortality, rather than spiritual roots like in the novels he'd read in his previous life.

Nor was he entirely sure whether these so-called seeds of immortality were real.

After all, in a feudal imperial society, the claim of "receiving the Mandate of Heaven" was a common trick for duping the people and consolidating power.

But... at least it was a hope.

If he really could become an immortal, he'd have a chance at eternal life and wouldn't have to fear the possibility of enduring that hellish agony every time he returned to youth.

In this society, an eight-year-old child with no family or friends would find it hard to survive to adulthood unharmed.

This time, when he returned to youth, he'd had his senior brother, who knew his background inside out. And in the life before that return, Life Harvesting and Dismemberment had stunted his physical development, while his disposition had affected his appearance. At thirteen, he'd looked quite different from how he'd looked at eight. That was why he'd returned here.

But he could only do this once. Next time, his senior brother would surely be gone, and people had already memorized what he looked like now. If he came back again, there was no guarantee he wouldn't be locked up and interrogated about the secret of returning to youth—or even forced to drink blood and eat flesh, then tortured for ten thousand years.

And even if he ultimately failed to become an immortal, martial arts gave him hope of gaining enough strength to eradicate this evil from the world once and for all.

Those who kidnapped children and practiced Life Harvesting and Dismemberment all deserved to die, to fall into the Eighteenth Level of Hell, suffer unending torment, and never be forgiven.

Once Liu Deshan and his son had settled down, Li Ji'an took an envelope from his breast.

"Master, my uncle asked me to give this to you."

Hearing that it was from his junior brother, Liu Deshan hurriedly took it, brimming with anticipation.

Though his junior brother was physically disabled, his resolve was firm, and he was clever, quick-witted, and meticulous. He was always coming up with ingenious ideas.

Sure enough, when he opened the envelope, he found a medicinal bath formula for Muscle Cleansing and Vein Nourishing. It worked best on children under thirteen, before they reached the ideal age for martial arts training and while their muscles and bones were still developing.

Every martial arts school passed down formulas like this through a single line of successors. They were money trees, never shared lightly.

With this formula, Purple Heaven Temple would have a much broader source of income.

Besides the medicinal bath formula, there was also a Bone Nourishing formula, which could help children develop stronger root bones. Such a formula was also worth a fortune and hard to come by.

Li Ji'an had spent a great deal of effort and used all kinds of methods to work out these two formulas over the past ten years. They differed slightly from the formulas used by Shangyi County Martial Arts Academy, but also incorporated the strengths of formulas from several other martial arts schools.

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! My junior brother... Hahaha!" After reading the formulas, Liu Deshan burst into laughter and hurried off toward Jade Emperor Hall.

Watching his father lose his composure for what must have been the umpteenth time that day, Xiao Qingyun sighed despondently. My dad doesn't seem nearly as impressive as your dad.

"Your dad's so amazing, junior brother. I'll follow you from now on!"