Pine Mountain

"Immortal? Did Wu Laosan go to the mountains to look for an immortal again?"

A voice came from above, causing Fang Zelin and Zhenke to stop their discussion and listen intently.

"Who can argue with that? That Wu Laosan is now abandoning his enormous fortune, rushing off to the mountains every day to seek immortality. Isn't that ridiculous?"

"Not to mention that immortals are just a legend, has anyone ever actually seen one? Absolutely not!"

"Wu Laosan is currently in charge of such a large family business and enjoys all the riches and honors others have, so why does he insist on searching for something so illusory and unrealistic?"

A diner nearby shook his head at this point, then picked up a bean in front of him and took a bite.

The crisp sound of beans being crushed was quite appetizing.

"Hey, what if he actually finds it? He'll have endless wealth and immortality, you'll be green with envy!"

"If there truly are immortals, I wonder what those immortals look like?"

Upon hearing this, onlookers immediately scoffed.

The conversation included the excuse of "what if the other party finds it?", but the tone of the other party revealed that they had no hope whatsoever.

Immortal?

Just listen to it; who would actually believe it?

How dare you speak like that, showing such disrespect to immortals!

As the group was talking, one of them suddenly stood up and angrily glared at the diners beside him.

Hearing the man's rebuke, the group of people who had been chatting and laughing were all stunned for a moment.

They all looked over and saw that the person who had spoken was just a young scholar, and immediately they all sneered.

"What, do your books of sages teach you to believe in ghosts and gods?"

The diners looked at this young scholar and didn't take him seriously at all.

As for what the other party said, they scoffed at it.

What do you mean by disrespect? This makes it sound like someone who can see immortals is repeating their words to the immortals.

The young man's face flushed red upon hearing this. "It's not in the classics, but it is recorded in the Records of the Prince of Chu!"

"The Records of the Prince of Chu?"

The diners were all taken aback, seemingly unaware of the book.

Seeing that everyone was somewhat stunned, as if they didn't know the book's title, the young scholar immediately said smugly.

"This was written by the King of Chu himself, and none of you knew about it!"

You're talking about the Prince of Chunan, aren't you?

Finally, a diner realized what was happening and said something, which was followed by a burst of laughter.

"That was just something the Prince of Chunan made up himself. He was in trouble at the time, and he fabricated this story to try and get out of his predicament. Who doesn't know that?"

The diners nearby burst into laughter.

The main reason was that at that time, the Prince of Chunan had already been relegated to a local fiefdom, but even so, there were still many people eyeing him covetously.

They were constantly trying to find his weaknesses and then eliminate him directly.

However, that action ultimately failed to save him.

A year after he was enfeoffed, someone leaked information that the Prince of Chunan was plotting a rebellion, and he was eventually killed.

On his deathbed, Prince of Chunan kept calling out that on Pine Mountain north of Dinghe City, there grew Wondrous Blossom with an extraordinary fragrance. He said that if one picked it and consumed it, one would be immune to all diseases and live for over a hundred years.

After shouting several times, he was beheaded by the executioner.

Even so, this story has been passed down.

However, among the books confiscated from the Prince of Chunan, there was one that was exactly the same as the one mentioned above.

And quite a few people actually believed it.

After arriving at Pine Mountain, however, they did not find the Wondrous Blossom the other party had mentioned.

Over time, they came to believe that they had been deceived by the Prince of Chunan.

After that, some people would also go to Pine Mountain to try their luck, but none of them dared to say that they were looking for the immortal Wondrous Blossom.

"That Wondrous Blossom isn't something you can just find whenever you want! If it were, then all the people in the world would be ancient monsters who have lived for hundreds of years!"

"How can you say it's fake if you've never seen it?"

"If the Prince of Chunan hadn't died so young, we would probably know how long he actually lived."

The scholar, upon hearing this, looked indignant.

He was well-versed in history and truly admired the talent of the Prince of Chunan.

Unfortunately, Prince of Chunan was envied, and he spent the rest of his life in fear. In order to save his life, he had no choice but to go into the mountains to seek the protection of immortals.

Finally, in his book, he said that he met immortals and obtained Wondrous Blossom that extended his lifespan.

There are also rumors that the Prince of Chunan possessed another Wondrous Blossom, which he intended to present as tribute.

However, it remains unknown where this Wondrous Blossom ultimately ended up.

"Hmph, what you say, scholar, is not wrong, but since the death of the Prince of Chunan, no one else has obtained the Wondrous Blossom. How do you explain that? I've never heard of anyone living for over a hundred years."

The Great Han beside him snorted a few times, speaking disdainfully.

That might fool a three-year-old.

As for those people, they would never believe such words.

The scholar listened, his lips moved, but he couldn't find the words to refute him.

Judging from the other person's appearance, it was clear that the scholar remained stubbornly opinionated.

"Pine Mountain outside the city?"

Fang Zelin turned around and murmured something under his breath.

Hearing such rumors, perhaps there really are cultivators outside the city.

Some folk tales have some basis in fact and are not entirely baseless.

"I suppose it's one of you, a fellow cultivator, practicing outside the city?"

Zhenke also came to her senses at this moment and said softly.

Those who cultivate immortality also believe in fate. If a mortal sees them, they will think that this person has some kind of destiny with them.

Or perhaps it's said that these mortals are blessed with good fortune.

Those who have been virtuous for generations or are of pure and kind nature tend to have a greater amount of good fortune.

Those who cultivate immortality will naturally treat such people kindly.

Judging from this, perhaps the Prince of Chunan was a good person.

"I should pay them a visit tomorrow, and also see if they know the origin of the dark cloud."

Fang Zelin thought for a moment, then nodded and said.

"Then you may go and pay your respects, senior. I'll go and inquire with other fairies instead."

Zhenke didn't plan to go along; she thought it would be better for her to go and ask some fairies for information herself.

That senior might be in seclusion and unaware of the origin of the dark cloud.

Just like these cultivators, they don't know all the demons in the Great Qian Dynasty.

In fact, it could be said that they were basically unfamiliar with those fairies.

"Hmm, that's fine."

Fang Zelin nodded upon hearing this and then responded with a reply.

Fang Zelin also understood Zhenke's meaning; that fellow Daoist might not truly know the origin of the black cloud.

So it's better to act separately.