A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Immortal Realm

Han Li and Gu Qianxun were led to the top floor of the Molten Flame Pagoda by the portly young man before drawing to a halt in front of a certain room.

"They're here, Mistress Liu Hua," the portly young man declared in a respectful manner.

"Well, what are you waiting for then? Hurry up and bring them inside!"

The portly young man didn't dare to delay, hurriedly pressing hand over several parts of the door in succession, and the stone door slowly slid apart to reveal a large opening, out of which came wafting a fragrant, meaty aroma.

A perplexed look appeared on Han Li's face upon catching a whiff of this smell, and the stone door slowly closed again after he and Gu Qianxun entered the room.

Upon entering the room, the meaty aroma became even more pronounced, and Han Li swept his gaze around the room to discover a large stone table placed next to the window.

There was a large hole at the center of the table, atop which sat a huge pot over a coal flame. The milky white broth in the pot was bubbling incessantly, and some type of beast bone was being cooked inside along with some meat and tendons.

Behind the stone table sat a short yet muscular black-robed elderly man with one sleeve rolled up all the way to his shoulder. Held in that hand was a beast bone that was around the same thickness as his arm, and he was munching on the greasy flesh clinging to the bone while holding the bone badge presented by Gu Qianxun in his other hand.

The elderly man appeared to be no different from a normal human, but his face was bright red, and it was unclear if this was his natural complexion, or if it was simply because he was sitting too close to the coal flame. His head was already displaying signs of balding, but his beard was extremely dense, and it was arranged into three thick braids.

Even though Han Li was already aware that the title of mistress was only a special title granted to a tool refinement master, it still felt quite jarring to see such a title applied to a man of this appearance.

Mistress Liu Hua began turning to Han Li and Gu Qianxun as he raised the bone badge and asked, "Which one of you..."

However, his voice abruptly cut off as soon as he caught sight of Gu Qianxun.

"The resemblance is uncanny! How are you related to the owner of this bone badge?"

The beast bone in Mistress Liu Hua's hand slipped out of his grasp before clattering onto the stone table, following which he rose to his feet before making his way over to Gu Qianxun to scrutinize her face intently.

Gu Qianxun was feeling a little uncomfortable in the face of his intense gaze, and she turned her head slightly to the side as she replied, "The owner of the bone badge was my mother."

"You're Hongyu's daughter? What's your name?" Mistress Liu Hua asked.

"My name is Gu Qianxun," Gu Qianxun replied.

"Your surname is Gu?" A hint of sorrow flashed through Mistress Liu Hua's eyes upon hearing this. "Who is your father?"

"I don't know. I've never seen my father before, and my mother never told me who he was. All she told me was that my father is the former owner of this bone badge, and that my surname comes from this badge," Gu Qianxun replied. [1]

She directed an intrigued gaze toward Mistress Liu Hua as she spoke, and it was becoming clear to her how her mother and Mistress Liu Hua were related.

The same thought had also occurred to Han Li, and he was feeling much more reassured. At the same time, he couldn't help but blame Gu Qianxun for not telling him about this connection earlier. If he had known about this in advance, then he wouldn't have been so worried for so long.

"How is your mother?" Mistress Liu Hua asked as a hint of excitement surfaced in his eyes.

"My mother has... already passed away," Gu Qianxun replied with a grief-stricken expression.

"What? How?" Mistress Liu Hua hurriedly asked as his eyes widened in shock.

"My mother was targeted for her true spirit bloodline and..."

Before Gu Qianxun had a chance to finish her sentence, Mistress Liu Hua began pacing around his room with a furious expression, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles were cracking audibly.

In the end, a hint of remorse flashed through his eyes as he stopped in his tracks, then sat back down behind the stone table as he said, "Come and take a seat."

Han Li and Gu Qianxun sat down across from him, and only then did Mistress Liu Hua notice Han Li, upon which his brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "Who's this? Your dao partner?"

Mistress Liu Hua was scrutinizing Han Li with the disapproval and disdain of a father observing his potential son-in-law, and Han Li hurriedly replied, "You're mistaken, Senior Liu Hua. My name is Li Feiyu, and I'm Fellow Daoist Gu's friend."

"Are you here to purchase or request weapons from me? Let me make this clear in advance: if you want to request weapons from me, then you can only state broad requirements and leave the finer details to me. Don't bother bringing me any designs, I only use my own designs," Mistress Liu Hua said in a cold voice, and it was clear that his animosity was directed solely at Han Li.

"We're not here to purchase or request weapons from you, Senior Liu Hua," Gu Qianxun replied.

"What brings you here then?" Mistress Liu Hua asked as his brows furrowed slightly.

"We've come here to see if we can have the Black Tribulation Centipedes in our bodies removed," Han Li replied.

A complex look appeared in Mistress Liu Hua's eyes upon hearing this, and he asked, "You two must've come from Green Goat City, right?"

"How did you know?" Han Li asked.

"I've only ever passed down the method to raise Black Tribulation Centipede to Du Qingyang, and as long as he's not a complete moron, I'm sure he wouldn't have passed it onto anyone else. Hence, I can only assume that the two of you came from Green Goat City," Mistress Liu Hua sighed.

"That's right, we did indeed come from Green Goat City. The Black Tribulation Centipedes in our bodies were planted by Du Qingyang, and we've come to you today in the hope that they can be removed," Han Li said.

"In that case, the two of you must've played a hand in Du Qingyang's demise as well, right?" Mistress Liu Hua asked.

"You were the one who taught Du Qingyang how to raise Black Tribulation Centipedes?" Gu Qianxun suddenly interjected in a furious voice.

Gu Qianxun's abrupt tonal shift had Mistress Liu Hua feeling a little uneasy all of a sudden, and a slightly sheepish look appeared on his face as he explained, "I owed him a pretty big favor back then, and that's why I taught him the method to raise Black Tribulation Centipedes. As for how he's been using those Black Tribulation Centipedes, that's completely unknown to me."

"He used them on Fellow Daoist Li, he used them on me, and... he also used them on my mother," Gu Qianxun spat through gritted teeth.

"You're saying Du Qingyang was the one who killed your mother?" Mistress Liu Hua asked as a grim look appeared on his face.

"I can't be certain of that, but back then, my mother was abducted by Du Qingyang from Profound End City, so I'm certain that City Lord Qin Yuan must've played a role in her death as well," Gu Qianxun replied.

"Let's discuss this matter another time," Mistress Liu Hua sighed. "The two of you must be carrying Black Tribulation Stones, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to survive to this point. Having said that, Black Tribulation Stones are not a permanent solution."

"What do you mean by that, Senior?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.

"Black Tribulation Stones can place Black Tribulation Centipedes into a deep sleep, but their effects will wane over time, so eventually, the Black Tribulation Centipedes in your bodies will awaken, and once that happens, your fates will be sealed," Mistress Liu Hua explained.

"Please help us remove these Black Tribulation Centipedes from our bodies, Senior Liu Hua," Han Li implored once again.

"If you want me to save you, then you'll have to agree to a condition of mine," Mistress Liu Hua said after a brief moment of contemplation.

"Go ahead, Senior," Han Li prompted.

"You have to accept me as your master and become my disciple," Mistress Liu Hua declared.

An incredulous look appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this, and Gu Qianxun was clearly also very much taken aback to hear this.

"Are you unwilling to become my disciple?" Mistress Liu Hua asked in a cold voice.

"No, it's just that I don't understand. Why me?" Han Li asked.

To this day, Doctor Mo's betrayal was still fresh in Han Li's mind, so he was very reluctant to enter another master and disciple relationship. However, he certainly wouldn't mind the opportunity to learn the art of tool refinement from Mistress Liu Hua. [2]

"Because you're also a human, and I like the look of you. Is that reason enough?" Mistress Liu Hua harrumphed coldly.

"I'm naturally honored to have been able to catch your eye, Senior, but may I ask if there will be any restrictions placed upon me if I were to become your disciple?" Han Li asked.

"Of course. If you become my disciple, you'll have to serve me by my side for at least ten thousand years," Mistress Liu Hua replied.

"I can't leave at all within the ten thousand years?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.

"Ten thousand years is nothing more than the blink of an eye for cultivators like us, surely you have at least that much patience. Countless people have begged me to accept them as their disciple, so I suggest you don't squander this opportunity," Mistress Liu Hua said with a proud expression.

"I don't doubt that at all, but it's just that I've entered the Scalptia Spatial Domain on this occasion to find someone very important to me. Before I find her, I can't stay in Profound City, so I'll have to turn down your kind offer," Han Li said with a shake of his head.

1. Gu Qianxun's surname of Gu (骨) translates to bone in Chinese. ☜

2. For more information on Doctor Mo, check out https://rmji.fandom.com/wiki/Mo_Juren ☜

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