An Encounter on the Road

"The Daoist scriptures you all possess this time are extraordinary; they were written with the utmost care and dedication by the Immortal Master over a century."

"Even for ordinary demons, obtaining this would be an immense stroke of luck. Some time ago, for some reason, some demons secretly got wind of the matter of this scroll."

"Your journey back may be somewhat turbulent."

Bai Lu, acting on behalf of Fang Zelin, greeted the guests while giving them some instructions.

The scrolls written by the immortal master can enable any demon with even a little bit of cultivation to comprehend the Dao.

Such a bounty is enough to attract some demons to come and snatch it away.

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, the disciples of Jade Void Mountain were taken aback, and then their expressions turned solemn.

"Therefore, I would like to ask you all to make a trip to Jade Void Mountain. Please have the senior disciples there escort you back."

Now that they've heard about this, they naturally can't just stand by and do nothing.

The disciples of Jade Void Mountain immediately made preparations to invite more senior brothers to come down the mountain and help protect them along the way.

Since it was indeed a Daoist text written by an immortal, the cultivators of Northern Liang dared not be negligent.

After glancing at the scroll briefly, I could feel the profound Daoist spirit emanating from it.

Such profound Daoist principles, if a demon were to learn of them, would certainly not let them go.

"In that case, thank you very much, fellow Daoist."

Upon hearing this, the cultivators from Northern Liang immediately expressed their sincere gratitude.

Bai Lu, following the immortal's instructions, also treated the distinguished guests well.

Immortal-Welcoming Tavern?

Fang Zelin stood to the side, looking at the tavern in front of him with a hint of surprise on his face.

The aroma of wine wafting from this tavern is as Clear as Empty.

After careful consideration, it seems that his Clear as Empty only stayed in the mortal realm twice.

He gave it once to his best friend, and once to a mortal who stumbled into his cultivation grounds.

And this place isn't too far from Yingping Peak, so it must be the person who was destined to meet you back then.

Fang Zelin didn't think much of it after taking a quick look from afar, and then prepared to turn and leave.

Clear as Empty was originally his brewed wine, but now it's been diluted with a lot of water, so naturally there's nothing to see.

"Sigh, the wine at Immortal-Welcoming Tavern is getting worse and worse!"

"That's right. In the old days, the aroma of this wine lingered all day long. But this year, although the aroma is still the same, it's too faint."

As Fang Zelin turned to leave, several drinkers approached from behind.

She shook her head as she spoke, and then followed him down the same path as he left.

"Alas, this tavern built by the fathers just can't keep up with its son. If this continues, it'll be ruined by him sooner or later."

The drinker, looking indignant, exclaimed, "What a waste of such good wine!"

The fine wine, once it reached his son's hands, looked like it was about to spoil.

Once we get there, we may never be able to drink such good wine again.

This naturally made the regular customers who always came here to drink very dissatisfied.

They had tasted so many fine wines, but the wines here were the most to their liking!

And after drinking for a long time, one's palate becomes more discerning.

I really can't drink the other kinds of alcohol.

"Alas, it's such a waste to have such fine wine. Many of our regular customers are complaining; perhaps their reputation has made them arrogant and unfair to their customers!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance back.

Although it was quite far away, one could still faintly hear the sounds of arguing coming from the tavern.

It seems that some drinkers have complained because the taste of the wine has declined.

Fang Zelin stood aside listening to these words, but he already had a guess in his heart.

If I'm not mistaken, it's probably because there's not much of that jar of Clear as Empty left now.

Clear as Empty the tavern were to be diluted with water and become empty, it would naturally cease to operate.

Even if you sell other types of alcohol, no one will buy them.

However, selling that jar of Clear as Empty with water would be enough to make the whole family very rich.

Presumably, this family must have become one of the wealthiest in the area.

Fang Zelin didn't pay any more attention and continued walking forward.

He had spent too much time cultivating at Yingping Peak, so this time he went out for a journey to see if he could gain anything.

Incidentally, let's also see what the Great Qian is like more than two hundred years later.

After making a few inquiries, I found out where my old friend was buried and went to burn some paper money for him.

Fang Zelin paused slightly, then walked several hundred meters away.

The person who had been traveling with Fang Zelin just moments before seemed completely oblivious, as if Fang Zelin wasn't even there.

"It does feel somewhat familiar."

Fang Zelin walked towards Youjing City, and seeing the Great Dao under repair, he couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

This official road is already very wide, but it is still somewhat insufficient.

At this moment, Fang Zelin saw that the wide official road was being repaired.

This scene reminded Fang Zelin of his time on Earth.

Even without Earth's technology, everything here still reflects Earth's image.

After stopping to look around a few more times, Fang Zelin slowly walked towards Youjing City.

He didn't rush along the way, but instead strolled along as if he were enjoying the scenery.

When I hear about a scenic spot nearby that is breathtakingly beautiful, I'll make a special trip there.

As the sun set, Fang Zelin was still on the path.

Seeing the bright moon and sparse stars, Fang Zelin didn't continue on his way, but instead found a random place.

They gathered some branches and started a campfire.

"We haven't really seen many demons along the way. It seems that due to the suppression of the Great Qian Human Race Karmic Fortune, most of these demons have left the Great Qian."

Fang Zelin thought about how he hadn't seen any Yao Qi aura along the way.

My mental deduction is roughly this:

However, the cultivators had already anticipated this situation long ago.

Only now has Fang Zelin confirmed it.

"Throughout our journey, the various regions have been prosperous, with no signs of chaos. The Human Race Karmic Fortune is concentrated, a fortune that even I dare not touch, let alone those demons."

"A dynasty lasting a thousand years, that's certainly a possible timeframe."

Fang Zelin carefully recalled what he had seen along the way.

Then, remembering the task that his friend had entrusted to him years ago, he couldn't help but smile.

The other party said that when the dynasty falls, he should take good care of his descendants.

But as he traveled along the way, he heard that the other party's descendants now numbered in the hundreds.

If we wait a little longer, we'll have even more offspring.