Townspeople Seek Help

He held a mix of respect and fear for his grandfather. Han Daohe was already advanced in years, yet he still traveled everywhere to ensure Han Changming could go further on the path of immortality. He did not want to disappoint Han Daohe, so he had always cultivated diligently and never slacked off.

Han Daohe was very satisfied with Han Changming's attitude. He knew his own life would stop at the Qi Refining Realm, but he hoped his grandson could travel much further on the path of immortality.

He asked about Han Changming's cultivation progress and his success rate in talisman making, and Han Changming answered truthfully.

"I didn't get many spirit stones on this trip, but I bought you a bottle of Qi Refining Pill, along with one hundred bundles of blank talisman paper and two boxes of cinnabar." Han Daohe took a cyan storage bag from his bosom and handed it to Han Changming, his face beaming with a happy smile.

Han Changming felt a warmth in his heart. Han Daohe lived frugally, treating every single spirit stone as if it were two. He was stingy with himself but very generous toward Han Changming; as long as something was useful to his grandson, he would scrimp and save to get it for him.

"Grandfather, I will definitely cultivate hard and will never let you down. You haven't eaten yet, have you? I just made breakfast, let's eat together!"

Han Changming invited Han Daohe into the house and poured him a pot of hot tea.

"Grandfather, you've worked hard. I'll make two dishes, and we'll have a good meal. Eighteenth Uncle had a sudden insight and is currently in closed-door cultivation."

Han Changming prepared two more dishes: stir-fried spirit bamboo shoots and steamed White Moon Eel. The White Moon Eel was a low-level spirit fish with delicious meat. He kept a few in the spirit well and wouldn't have been willing to cook them if not for Han Daohe's visit.

The grandfather and grandson chatted while they ate, with Han Daohe sharing his experiences abroad to broaden Han Changming's horizons.

"Alright, there are still tasks within the clan, so I must be going. You must take care of yourself and cultivate diligently; do not be lazy or slack off, do you understand?" Han Daohe exhorted him earnestly.

Han Changming nodded and said, "I understand, Grandfather. By the way, are my parents doing well?"

Though there was a divide between immortals and mortals, he had always kept his parents in his thoughts.

"They are doing very well. Because of your existence, their lives have become much easier. You don't need to worry about other matters; just focus on your cultivation."

Han Changming readily agreed and watched as Han Daohe departed.

After seeing Han Daohe off, Han Changming sat cross-legged on the wooden bed and swallowed a Qi Refining Pill.

The medicinal pill melted the moment it touched his tongue, and a massive surge of spiritual energy rose in his abdomen, darting about. He hurriedly channeled his cultivation technique to refine this energy.

With this bottle of Qi Refining Pill, he should be able to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining in less than half a year.

A day passed by in the blink of an eye.

The next morning, as Han Changming was eating breakfast, a low, mournful horn suddenly sounded.

He frowned slightly; this was the islanders seeking his help. When they went out to sea to fish, they sometimes encountered sea demons, and that was when they needed an immortal cultivator to step in and eliminate them.

Han Deyun had not yet come out of seclusion, so he was the only one who could handle it.

He hurriedly finished the rice in his bowl and walked out quickly.

At the foot of the mountain, the town head, Han Dong, was frowning deeply with a dozen people standing behind him, among whom a middle-aged woman was weeping.

"Alright, Tiger's wife, stop crying. Once the Immortal Master comes out, he will surely be able to save Tiger," Han Dong comforted her.

A massive cyan gourd descended from the sky, with Han Changming sitting atop it.

Seeing the weeping middle-aged woman, he frowned slightly and asked Han Dong, "Town head, what happened?"

His parents were mortals, and before he had his spirit roots detected, Han Changming's life had been difficult. The whole family relied on his father fishing at sea to survive. Every time Han Shan went out to sea, Han Changming and his siblings would be filled with fear. The sea was boundless and teeming with sea demons; it was common for mortals fishing at sea to be attacked.

If a fisherman died in the jaws of a demon beast, the remaining widows and orphans would have a very hard time.

"Greetings, Immortal Master." Han Dong hurriedly bowed, and the others followed suit with respectful expressions.

"Alright, tell me what exactly happened. Explain it clearly, and perhaps I can help."

Han Dong did not dare to delay and briefly recounted the sequence of events.

Dozens of miles south of Red Shrimp Island, there was a tiny island about ten miles wide with a lake on it. The fishermen had scattered some fish fry in the lake, planning to catch them once they grew larger. Everything had been peaceful until yesterday, when the fishermen from Red Shrimp Island went to the tiny island to catch the fish, only to be met by a demon python that killed several of them. One fisherman luckily escaped and rowed back to report the news; when he fled, several other fishermen were still being chased by the demon python, their fates unknown.

"Immortal Master, please, save my husband! If he is gone, how will our family survive?" The middle-aged woman knelt before Han Changming, begging bitterly with tears streaming down her face.

Generally, mortals lived on islands with spirit veins so that immortal cultivators could set up formations to protect them. Red Shrimp Island was not large, and farming alone could not support so many people. Fishing at sea carried the risk of sea demon attacks, so it was not uncommon for them to scatter fish fry in lakes on uninhabited islands to supplement their food supply. It was just their bad luck that a demon python had appeared on an island without a spirit vein.

Han Changming hesitated. He did not know the rank of the demon python. First-rank demon beasts corresponded to the Qi Refining Realm, second-rank to the Foundation Establishment Realm, third-rank to the Golden Core, and fourth-rank to the Nascent Soul. If the demon python's rank was too high, he would not only fail to save the people but would instead become the demon python's prey.

Han Deyun was in closed-door cultivation and could not come out for the time being.

"Immortal Master, please, go and eliminate that demon python! If this demon is not removed, we won't dare to pass by there when we go fishing in the future. Please, I beg you." Han Dong knelt down and pleaded.

The others followed suit, begging bitterly.

The waters near that uninhabited island were rich in fishery resources. If the demon python wasn't removed, they wouldn't dare to fish there, which would significantly reduce their food supply.

Han Changming hesitated for a long time before agreeing, "Fine! Let the fisherman who escaped take me to the island. I will do my best to eliminate the demon python."

He had a second-rank Water Escape Talisman on him, which Han Daohe had bought at a high price for his protection, along with several first-rank magical artifacts and dozens of first-rank talismans. Even if he couldn't defeat it, he would have no trouble escaping unscathed. The island had no spirit veins, so the demon python that appeared by chance shouldn't be of a very high rank.

According to Han Dong's account, this demon python had only appeared in the last six months. Half a year ago, when the fishermen scattered the fish fry, they hadn't discovered it.

"Thank you, Immortal Master! Thank you, Immortal Master! Er Niu, you go with the Immortal Master and show him the way," Han Dong instructed a dark-skinned middle-aged man.

Han Changming let the middle-aged man climb onto the cyan gourd, then cast a spell upon it. The gourd glowed brightly and flew toward the east.

The Green Wind Gourd was a low-grade first-rank flying magical artifact. Every member of the Han Clan had one; while its flying speed wasn't fast, it was perfectly fine for transportation.

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