"Yes." Lu Yuan nodded.

"A naturally filial disposition, quite commendable." Li Yuanbai nodded in approval. "Very well, you may descend. However, you cannot be gone too long; one year shall be the limit. You must return within that time." What Li Yuanbai did not say aloud was that his body could certainly hold out for another year, but beyond that, he had no certainty. If he were to die, Lu Yuan absolutely needed to be on the mountain; otherwise, he feared his entire inheritance would be seized, and would never fall into the hands of his disciple.

Lu Yuan nodded. One year would certainly be enough time. He merely wished to visit his parents.

Seven years had passed since he last saw them, and he missed them quite a bit.

Seven years ago, knowing nothing, he had heard he might become an immortal cultivator, and happily bid farewell to his family without a second thought.

But now, only by leaving home did he feel the longing even more acutely.

"You must be very cautious on this trip down the mountain," Li Yuanbai cautioned. "Do not provoke conflicts with those from the other four great Immortal Sects lightly."

"Understood." Lu Yuan nodded.

"Also, go less often into the subterranean world on this trip. The world beneath is chaotic beyond measure, filled with demon masters; even I would not be entirely confident venturing there." The Great Jin Kingdom was divided by two major forces: the Five Great Immortal Sects on the five Immortal Mountains above, and the demons and fiends below. The subterranean fiends were no fewer in number than the cultivators of the Five Great Sects, and it was not easy for a cultivator to survive down there.

"Understood." Lu Yuan nodded. "I certainly won't go exploring the depths; I'm afraid of death too."

"That is also true," Li Yuanbai said. "You should be well aware of the sect's precepts: no consorting with the Demonic Path, and no slaughtering fellow righteous sect members. There is no need for this teacher to reiterate them." Li Yuanbai spoke a great deal in one breath and began to cough again.

In truth, standing nearby was a thin, white-haired old man named Elder Song.

Elder Song had served Li Yuanbai for many years. His aptitude was lacking, so Li Yuanbai had not taken him as a disciple, but he was unfailingly loyal and had served Li Yuanbai diligently. Lu Yuan looked toward Elder Song. "Elder Song, while I am away from the mountain, I must trouble you to look after Master."

Elder Song nodded. "Young Master, rest assured." He called Li Yuanbai 'Old Master,' so naturally, he called Lu Yuan 'Young Master.'

Seeing this, Lu Yuan did not say much more and began packing his belongings.

——————

Descending the mountain was not an easy feat.

Don't assume the mountains of the Mount Hua Immortal Sect are so easily descended.

The Mount Hua Immortal Sect was one of the Five Great Righteous Immortal Sects of the Great Jin Kingdom. Such a sect was heavily fortified. When Lu Yuan first entered Mount Hua with his master, Li Yuanbai, he had seen countless streams of colorful light and endless ethereal radiance. While these lights and radiance appeared beautiful on the surface, they were actually layers upon layers of restrictive formations.

Once the great protective array of the Mount Hua Immortal Sect was activated, even if the North Peak Master, Venerable Yuan Yuan, personally intervened, they likely could not pass.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan was now one of the ten core disciples of the North Peak and his name was registered. After presenting his credentials, he was granted a small path. On either side of this path were shifting, multi-colored rays of light. Lu Yuan knew well that these were terrifyingly lethal restrictions; touching one meant utter annihilation.

Finally, he was off the mountain.

Looking back, the Mount Hua Immortal Sect was a colossal behemoth.

He was finally down the mountain.

He had been on the mountain too long and grown restless. More importantly, the food on the mountain was bland beyond description. Only what he personally grilled was palatable, but he knew his own cooking skills were mediocre—somewhere between second-rate and first-rate. Some chefs in the mortal realm, however, reached a truly top-tier level.

He soon arrived at a nearby city and found an eatery. He ordered quite a few of their specialties, requesting eighteen of the restaurant's signature dishes—pickled fish in sour brine, vegetarian fatty intestines in red oil, Dry-Fried Fish in the style of Qian—beggar's chicken, special-flavor mutton, stir-fried prawns… He ate until his mouth was slick with grease, drank a few pints of yellow wine, which he casually poured into the purple gourd he had recently purchased, and only then left, fully satisfied.

His current appearance was quite good.

A simple green robe, a sword on his back, and a purple gourd hanging from his waist—this ensemble was rather dashing. Lu Yuan was quite pleased with his current look.

He walked unhurriedly, strolling along at leisure.

Since he had only been gone seven years, his parents' health had been good then, so he didn't feel an overwhelming sense of melancholy about leaving home. He spent his time enjoying the splendor and temptations of the mortal world before slowly making his way to Donglin Town.

Donglin Town was much as it had been before; there were no new buildings, only more decrepitude. The town still only had a single central road paved with smooth bluestone slabs; all other paths were unevenly laid stones. Fortunately, it wasn't raining today, or else he would certainly have been covered in mud.

Lu Yuan walked along the familiar streets and alleys. Few of the people around recognized him.

Lu Yuan had changed.

The years between ten and seventeen marked a period of extreme change in one's appearance. More importantly, however, was the temperament. Lu Yuan's features had altered considerably over these seven years, but the change in his bearing was even more profound. Having lived in a place like the Mount Hua Immortal Sect for so long, even though he remained cunning and somewhat lazy, his fundamental nature hadn't shifted much, his aura now carried a faint trace of the ethereal.

Many people looked at him curiously as he passed, but not one recognized him. Those who saw him wondered—with such an extraordinary bearing and fine clothing, was he perhaps the son of some noble Duke or Prince from the Royal City?

Lu Yuan surveyed his surroundings and did recognize a few people.

Hmm, wasn't that the young wife of the Xie family? When he was a mischievous boy, he had once snuck a peek at her bathing. At that time, he thought anyone this beautiful must be the pinnacle of perfection. He had even fantasized that when he grew up, he would marry a wife as beautiful as her. Seven years had turned the Xie young wife from a girl of sixteen or seventeen into a woman in her early twenties—she was arguably even more alluring now. However, having spent so long on Mount Hua, his standards had naturally risen. Now, looking at the Xie young wife, he judged her to be merely at the level between second-rate and first-rate. He saw women of this caliber often on the North Peak, so he felt no stirring of interest.

Hmm, that plump, doughy figure—he looked somewhat familiar. Could that be Old Third Jia? They used to play together constantly. Once, when a wild tiger appeared, Old Third Jia hadn't climbed the tree fast enough and was nearly eaten. At that time, Lu Yuan slipped, and Li Yuanbai happened to see it, mistaking the incident as Lu Yuan risking himself to save another, concluding he had an excellent heart, and thus accepted him as a disciple. His entry into the Immortal Sect was, in fact, largely thanks to Old Third Jia.

Walking through the familiar streets and alleys, the feelings swelling in his heart were immense.

Even the longest road eventually reaches its end.

Soon, the bluestone road was nearing its conclusion.

This was the eastern edge of Donglin Town.

His home was here.

Seven years. It had been a full seven years since he left.

Now, he was finally home. (Oh, by the way, the rankings changed tonight, marking another week. Calling for recommendation votes! The collections gained from the special recommendation slot this week weren't strong enough, so let's make the votes more enthusiastic. The more recommendation votes there are, the more I will post.)