The Chasm Between Immortals and Mortals

Life in the immortal slave mining district was even more unchanging than in Biyou Market.

Every day, apart from clocking in to mine and eating, they spent the rest of their time sprawled dead on their beds like lumps of rotten flesh.

Sometimes Wang Quan could not help wondering: if he had not let his head grow hot back then, or if his beautiful childhood sweetheart had forcibly held him back, would everything have been different?

Even if he had died on the road to seeking immortality back then, it might have been better than things were now.

At the very least, he would not be living like this now—a walking corpse.

The shrill stream of insults rang endlessly in his ears. Wang Quan looked blearily at the woman before him. He had frequented her often, and she was usually all smiles and soft words. He had not expected that just because he wanted to put it on credit this once, she would turn so acid-tongued.

As her abuse grew increasingly vicious, escalating from personal attacks to insults against his parents and elders, Wang Quan frowned and was about to step forward to cut her off.

Just then, her whole body suddenly trembled. With a thud, she dropped straight to her knees.

Wang Quan: "?"

When had I gained such imposing might? Was she intimidated by my kingly aura?

Just as Wang Quan was beginning to feel pleased with himself and was about to tell her to rise, a calm voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Wang Quan."

"Who called—" He turned around with a smile still on his face. The next moment, the smile froze there.

What he saw first was not the face belonging to that voice, but its robes. And it was those robes that made him instinctively fall to his knees.

Within the Hidden Moon Sect, anyone qualified to wear a Daoist robe was an immortal cultivator. No matter what kind of immortal cultivator they were, to immortal slaves at the very bottom like them, they were beings who absolutely could not be provoked.

Wang Quan lowered his head as deeply as he could. Remembering that he had stood before an immortal cultivator for so long just now, cold sweat could not help but bead across his forehead.

Then the calm voice sounded again, this time carrying a faint hint of laughter.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and get up."

Why does that voice sound so familiar? Wang Quan wondered. Then he slowly raised his head, and in an instant, two faces overlapped before his eyes.

"Xu Yuan!" Wang Quan shot to his feet. Seeing that it was Xu Yuan who had returned, all the terror from before turned into excitement. Almost instinctively, he moved closer, wanting to pat his friend's shoulder like he had in the past.

But as though he had recalled something, the hand he had extended stopped stiffly in midair, its five fingers rigid. The joy welling in his heart at reuniting with an old friend transformed entirely into a respectful greeting.

"Wang Quan greets Immortal Elder Xu."

Xu Yuan blanked for a moment, then suddenly smiled. He swung out his arm and slapped Wang Quan on the shoulder.

"What, you don't dare acknowledge me now?"

"N-No, that's not it." For some reason, Wang Quan's voice had suddenly become hoarse. Looking at Xu Yuan before him, he remembered that a little over a year ago, they had still been digging for mushrooms together in a patch of wasteland, nearly getting skewered to death by an old zombie buried underground.

But now, Xu Yuan had soared straight up the blue clouds and entered the immortal gate, while he himself was still trapped here, having just been given a thorough scolding by Firefly.

Still, thinking of how Xu Yuan had always worked silently and never wasted a single contribution point, Wang Quan knew that he deserved the outcome he had achieved.

The two walked back together. Along the way, immortal slaves constantly came up to salute them. Some bolder ones even dared to approach and offer greetings. Xu Yuan responded to each one, without the slightest air of an "immortal elder."

"Xu Yuan, what does the sky look like? Is it really filled with drifting white clouds and rows upon rows of immortal palaces? Does every breath brim with spiritual energy?"

"Mm." Xu Yuan thought of the twin moons, the singing, the husband-selling son, the little girl who had died a violent death, and the even more naked exploitation. He could only answer vaguely, "It's not quite that nice. It's passable, I suppose."

By the time he finished speaking, Xu Yuan had arrived at Wang Quan's door. Not far next door was his own former home.

Everything was still unchanged, yet a sense of unfamiliarity and distance abruptly rose in his heart. Once he left this place, he likely would never return in this lifetime.

He took out the medicinal pills he had bought at the market. This was a bottle of Clear Spirit Pills, far better than the White Spirit Pills immortal slaves could exchange for. It had cost Xu Yuan one low-grade spirit stone and ten spirit crystals.

And if this bottle of pills were placed here in the mining district, factoring in the portion skimmed away through exploitation, it would be enough for a sturdy immortal slave to work three to five years for.

"Save up some contribution points later and exchange them for an easy-to-learn breathing technique. You can take two pills from this bottle first, to clear away some of the turbid qi in your body. Once you're familiar with the breathing method, take the rest."

Xu Yuan placed the bottle of pills in Wang Quan's hand, then patted him on the shoulder again. "Life in the mountains isn't all that easy either. As your brother, this is about all I can help you with."

"Brother..."

Wang Quan repeated the word over and over as he watched Xu Yuan's figure walk farther away, gradually disappearing ahead.

The road was not long, yet it was already the divide between immortal and mortal.

Walking through the mining grounds, Xu Yuan went to the place that had once served as Bi Qiong's Seek Immortals Society base and gave the others an identical bottle of pills.

Bi Qiong had asked him to bring them. Naturally, the spirit stones had been paid by Bi Qiong.

After finishing this small task, Xu Yuan silently made his way to the exit. Just then, he noticed an additional figure standing ahead.

"Fellow Daoist Xu Yuan, it has been a long time."

Tu Fang gave Xu Yuan a Daoist salute. After not seeing him for some time, the old dog's face had grown much rosier. One look was enough to tell that he had been lining his pockets well.

Tu Fang was also sizing Xu Yuan up. In truth, he had already prepared a contingency plan for these two "runaway slaves." Now that he saw Xu Yuan's aura was full and abundant, and that he was willing to spend spirit stones on those immortal slaves, making it clear he was doing quite well for himself, Tu Fang was finally willing to meet him.

"Some spirit fruit from my hometown ripened recently, and the younger members of my family sent some over. Today, I happened to see Fellow Daoist return to visit friends, so I would also like to invite you to have a taste."

With that, he handed over the gift box in his hand and added sincerely, "There were many misunderstandings between us in this mining district in the past. We thought Fellow Daoist had stolen some precious item from the sect, which was why we came to blows. I hope Fellow Daoist will not hold it against us."

"That's all in the past." Xu Yuan waved it off indifferently, then said, "These days, we have been cultivating peacefully in Biyou Market. I am about to break through to the second layer of Qi Refinement, and Bi Qiong has become a talisman apprentice. Everyone has long forgotten those matters."

"Oh, oh." Tu Fang nodded repeatedly. "That's good, that's good."

"Oh, right." Just then, Xu Yuan seemed to recall something. "Bi Qiong and I have a few friends in this mining area. I hope Brother Tu Fang will look after them a little."

"I know, I know."

Tu Fang replied cheerfully, and the two turned their backs and left.

After one step, both were still smiling. After another, both their faces had already darkened.

"Hmph, two damn runaway slaves. How did they manage to enter Qi Refinement back then, and why are they actually able to get by in Biyou Market? Could Lady Rong Ling possibly think highly of those two worthless mongrels? Forget it, forget it. They probably have no hope of advancing to mid-stage Qi Refinement anyway, but if this grudge can be settled, then settle it." Tu Fang thought.

On the other side, Xu Yuan thought the same. "Tch, you think a few spirit fruits can settle our grudges? Accepting the gift doesn't mean I agree! If I get the chance, I'll definitely take that old dog's head!"