He both revered and feared his grandfather. For Han Changming's sake, Han Daohe was still rushing all over the place at his age, hoping his grandson could go further on the path to immortality. Han Changming didn't want to disappoint him. He had always cultivated diligently and never slacked off.
Han Daohe was very pleased with Han Changming's attitude. He had reached the end of the Qi Refining stage in this life, but he hoped his grandson could go further on the path to immortality.
He asked about Han Changming's cultivation and his success rate at making talismans. Han Changming answered truthfully.
"This time, I didn't manage to get many spirit stones. I bought you a bottle of Qi Refining Pills, a hundred bundles of Blank Talisman Paper, and two boxes of cinnabar." Han Daohe took a cyan Storage Bag from his robes and handed it to Han Changming, his face beaming with happiness.
Han Changming felt warm inside. Han Daohe scrimped and saved in his daily life, making one spirit stone do the work of two. He was frugal with himself, but generous toward Han Changming. If something would help Han Changming, he would go without food or clothing to get it for him.
"Grandfather, I'll work hard at cultivating. I won't let you down. You haven't eaten yet, have you? I've just made breakfast. Why don't we eat together?"
Han Changming invited Han Daohe inside and brewed him a pot of hot tea.
"Grandfather, you've worked hard. I'll cook a couple of dishes for you, and we can have a proper meal. Eighteenth Uncle had a sudden insight and is in seclusion cultivating."
Han Changming cooked two more dishes: stir-fried spirit bamboo shoots and steamed White Moon Eel. White Moon Eel was a low-grade spirit fish with tender, delicious meat. They kept some in the spirit well, and Han Changming wouldn't have cooked any if Han Daohe hadn't come.
The grandfather and grandson chatted as they ate. Han Daohe told him about his experiences outside, broadening Han Changming's horizons.
"All right, the clan still has tasks for me. I have to go. Take good care of yourself, and cultivate diligently. Don't slack off, understand?" Han Daohe admonished him earnestly.
Han Changming nodded. "I understand, Grandfather. By the way, are my parents doing well?"
There was a gulf between immortals and mortals, but he had always worried about his parents.
"They're doing well. Your existence has made their lives much easier. Don't worry about anything else. Just focus on cultivating."
Han Changming readily agreed and watched Han Daohe leave.
After seeing Han Daohe off, Han Changming sat cross-legged on his wooden bed and swallowed a Qi Refining Pill.
The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth. A vast surge of spiritual energy rose in his abdomen and rampaged through his body. He hurriedly circulated his cultivation technique to refine it.
With this bottle of Qi Refining Pills, he should be able to reach the fifth layer of Qi Refining in less than half a year.
The day passed in the blink of an eye.
The next morning, as Han Changming was eating breakfast, a deep, low horn suddenly sounded.
He furrowed his brows. The island's commoners were calling for help. They went out to sea to fish and sometimes encountered sea demons. When that happened, they needed a cultivator to step in and eliminate them.
Han Deyun was still in seclusion, so Han Changming had to handle it.
He hurriedly shoveled down the rice in his bowl and strode outside.
At the foot of the mountain, the town chief, Han Dong, stood with a frown. A dozen people stood behind him, including a middle-aged woman who was sobbing.
"All right, Huzi's wife, stop crying. Once the immortal master comes out, he'll surely be able to save Huzi," Han Dong comforted her.
A huge green gourd descended from the sky, with Han Changming seated on it.
Seeing the sobbing middle-aged woman, he furrowed his brows and asked Han Dong, "Town Chief, what happened?"
Both his parents were mortals, and before his spiritual roots had been discovered, Han Changming's life hadn't been easy. His entire family had relied on his father going out to sea to fish. Every time Han Shan went out, Han Changming and his older siblings had been terrified for him. The sea was boundless and full of sea demons; it was common for mortals fishing at sea to be attacked.
If fishermen died in the jaws of demonic beasts, their widows and orphans were left in dire straits.
"Greetings, Immortal Master!" Han Dong hurriedly saluted. The others followed suit, their expressions respectful.
"All right, tell me what happened. Explain it clearly, and I might be able to help."
Han Dong didn't dare delay and briefly explained what had happened.
Dozens of miles south of Red Shrimp Island lay a tiny island about ten miles across, with a lake on it. The fishermen had stocked the lake with fish fry and waited for them to grow before catching them. Everything had been peaceful until yesterday, when fishermen from Red Shrimp Island went to the tiny island to catch fish from the lake. A demon python suddenly appeared and killed several of them. One fisherman had been lucky enough to escape and row back to report what happened. When he fled, several fishermen were being chased by the demon python, and their fate was unknown.
"Immortal Master, please, save my husband! If anything happens to him, how will our family manage?" The middle-aged woman knelt in front of Han Changming and begged, tears streaming down her face.
Generally, mortals lived on islands with spirit veins, where cultivators could set up formations to protect them. Red Shrimp Island wasn't very large, and farming alone couldn't feed all its mortals. Fishing at sea risked attacks from sea demons, so they often stocked fish in lakes on uninhabited islands to supplement their food. It wasn't unusual, but this time they'd had bad luck: a demon python had appeared on a deserted island without a spirit vein.
Han Changming hesitated. He didn't know the demon python's rank. First-tier demonic beasts corresponded to the Qi Refining Realm, second-tier to the Foundation Establishment Realm, third-tier to the Golden Core Realm, and fourth-tier to the Nascent Soul Realm. If the demon python was too powerful, he wouldn't just fail to save anyone—he could become its prey.
Han Yunde was in seclusion cultivating and couldn't come out for the time being.
"Immortal Master, please go and eliminate that demon python! If it isn't dealt with, we won't dare fish in those waters again. Please!" Han Dong fell to his knees and pleaded.
The others followed, begging desperately.
The waters around that deserted island teemed with fish. If the demon python wasn't eliminated, they wouldn't dare fish there, and they would lose a great deal of food.
Han Changming hesitated for a moment, then agreed. "All right. Have the fisherman who made it back come with me to the deserted island and show me the way. I'll do my best to eliminate the demon python."
He had a second-tier Water Escape Talisman, which Han Daohe had bought at a high price to save his life. He also had several first-tier magic artifacts and dozens of first-tier talismans. Even if he couldn't defeat the demon python, he could retreat unharmed. The deserted island had no spirit vein, so even though a demon python had appeared there by chance, its rank probably wouldn't be too high.
According to Han Dong, the demon python had only appeared within the past six months. The fishermen hadn't seen it when they sowed fish fry there half a year ago.
"Thank you, Immortal Master! Thank you, Immortal Master! Erniu, go with the Immortal Master and show him the way," Han Dong ordered a dark-skinned, middle-aged man.
Han Changming had the middle-aged man climb onto the green gourd, then cast a spell at it. The green gourd flared with light and flew east.
The Green Wind Gourd was a low-grade first-tier flying magic artifact. Every Han Clan cultivator had one. It wasn't very fast, but it was good enough for getting around.
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