Immortal Peach Mountain.
As Li Ping devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation, the year slipped by unnoticed.
At the end of the year, perhaps after learning from Bai Qing what had happened at Li Ping's home, his friends came to visit.
After more than a decade, Zhang Tie, Gu Musheng, Cheng Yao, and Bai Qing arranged to visit Li Ping together at Immortal Peach Mountain, just as they had during those first ten-odd years.
Back then, the cultivators of the Shared Boat Association gathered at Immortal Peach Mountain every year to discuss their gains and losses over the past year.
Over the years, however, they had all accomplished something and established families and careers of their own, while their eldest brother remained on Immortal Peach Mountain, cultivating without ever leaving home.
Now even his only maid had abandoned him, leaving their eldest brother a lonely old man.
In private, they were somewhat worried about how he was doing.
Zhang Tie entered the cave abode and only smiled when he saw that his eldest brother looked as normal as ever. "Eldest Brother."
Behind him, Gu Musheng and the other two also entered, smiling as they greeted him. "Eldest Brother."
All four wore cheerful smiles, though Bai Qing looked a little awkward.
"Come in, and we'll talk." Li Ping invited them to sit in the pavilion.
A puppet soon brought them spirit wine and spirit fruit.
At first, the four thought the puppet before them was a servant Li Ping had recently hired and paid it little mind.
But Gu Musheng soon noticed something amiss. "Hmm? Brother, why isn't this servant breathing?"
Hearing that, the other three hurriedly looked at the puppet, then froze.
Zhang Tie said urgently, "Eldest Brother, how could you be so foolish? You can't use corpse refining inside the