Li Ling agonized all night, his brow still knitted with worry.
The Old Ancestor's words had simply been too startling. That she had deliberately told him only gave him more to weigh.
On one side lay his pursuit of longevity and the Dao; on the other, the worldly bonds of marriage, family, and country. Since ancient times, even loyalty and filial duty had been hard to reconcile, let alone the great struggle for Apotheosis among heaven, earth, humanity, and immortals.
Difficult, difficult, difficult indeed!
If he were heartless and thought only of drifting through his hundred years and calling an end to this mortal life, that would have been one thing. But with even a little foresight, he had no choice but to consider the future.
Thus, although he knew rationally that worrying about the sky falling was useless, he could not help dwelling on it.
Yet he had only taken a short walk at the foot of the mountain when he saw Zhou Cheng, a mountain-patrol disciple, arrive on an Immortal Crane. Zhou Cheng landed before the private courtyard where he and the Ninth Princess lived and said excitedly, "Junior Brother Li, good news!"
"What good news?" Li Ling asked.
"The Old Ancestor has summoned every disciple on the peak to witness the ceremony. She's going to commend you publicly and bestow a magic treasure on you!"
Roused by his voice, the Ninth Princess came out. "Senior Brother Zhou, is that really true?"
"How could it be false? Come along. Everyone's waiting for you."
Li Ling and the Ninth Princess exchanged a glance and hurried after Zhou Cheng. Only through his jumbled account did they learn that the Old Ancestor had arranged this deliberately.
On the surface, Li Ling had earned merit by presenting an incense formula. In reality,