Chapter 9

"Are you the one managing Hanje here?"

The young man felt his heart sink. He never expected that such a high-ranking elder would personally come to this place to look for Hanje. At the same time, he remembered how he had mistreated Hanje, and his face turned pale with shock as he began to lie.

"Yes, I am in charge of Disciple Hanje. Hanje is very diligent, learns everything well, and works very hard on all tasks. I always try to emulate him in my heart... but I..."

The elder, Elder Sun, felt a mix of bitterness and satisfaction at his response.

In fact, not all elders are equally powerful. The disciples called the second-generation disciples, who were the masters of the formal disciples, "elders." To the eyes of the trainees, Elder Sun might seem like a god, but in reality, he was a low-ranking second-generation disciple.

Due to his lack of ability, he was not even well-treated by the third-generation disciples. The reason he was assigned to the trivial task of sending trainees home was also because of this.

Elder Sun asked solemnly,

"Where does Hanje stay?"

"That... it's in the north, in the 'Earth' character..."

Before he could finish, Elder Sun drew a rainbow and instantly flew north. The young man's body trembled even more as he watched him go. He thought to himself that he should treat Hanje well from now on. After all, one cannot treat someone whom an elder personally cares for and watches over casually.

Elder Sun arrived at the 'Earth' annex but could not find Hanje. The room was occupied by another child who was asleep, unaware of Elder Sun's presence.

After thoroughly searching the room, Elder Sun frowned and muttered to himself,

"He must have left quickly. Hmm, I'll have to investigate again when he returns."

★ ★ ★

At that moment, Hanje was crossing the mountains. The talisman was indeed a mysterious object. After attaching the talisman, a warm current descended from above and penetrated his body, eventually gathering in his feet.

Then, a white light flashed from his eyes, and his vision extended far. Is this how it feels to be an immortal?

A gentle breeze blew past him. Hanje, feeling elated, ran without stopping.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Hanje drank water from a gourd containing spring water. After regaining his strength and looking back, he found that he had already left the mountains. If he continued a little further, he would see the city, and following the path would lead him to the village.

Hanje hurriedly walked and arrived at the city by the time it was fully light. The city was bustling with a market, and Hanje wandered around, choosing a gift for his parents and quickly leaving for the village.

By noon, he had finally arrived at the village. From a distance, Hanje saw a red banner hanging in front of his house, with a large 'Shou' (meaning longevity) character written on it.

Many carriages were parked outside the house, and people were coming and going, making a lot of noise.

Hanje quickly walked to the door and stopped. Everyone seemed very surprised by his appearance. A white light flashed, and suddenly Hanje appeared before them. They all looked at him with admiration.

"Second Brother, Hanje is here. Look at Hanje. He really stands out. He's almost an immortal."

"Truly a talent among talents. Great! Excellent!"

The oldest uncle in the Han family, the third uncle, stroked his beard and praised loudly, seemingly having forgotten what he said a month ago.

"Hanje was smart even as a child. Didn't I say that Hanje would become an immortal's disciple? The immortals made a mistake last time. Even immortals make mistakes, so what can ordinary people like us say? Hanje, don't blame this fifth uncle too much. I apologize."

The attitude of the relatives gathered at Hanje's house was completely different from before. They all smiled and treated him warmly.

At that moment, Hanje's father came out, took his son's hand, and asked affectionately,

"Hanje, what brings you here? Didn't I tell you not to worry about household matters?"

The wrinkles on his father's face had largely disappeared, indicating that he had been happy recently.

"Father, don't worry. In Dasha Sect, all disciples can visit home three times a year. How could I not come for Father's birthday?"

Hanje smiled, and his father, satisfied, looked around and led his son into the house.

"Dear, come out and see who's here."

Hanje's mother, who was chatting with the women, ran over happily and started asking him various questions.

★ ★ ★

Hanje, who had endured all kinds of contempt and ridicule for a month, felt warmth at home.

"Second Brother, Hanje has become an immortal's disciple. Don't take to heart what I did before. You know, I have a rough mouth but a warm heart. Everything I said was for Hanje's sake."

"Second, this fifth uncle must be too old. Everyone in the Han family is looking up to your family. I've been watching Hanje closely. He will surely succeed."

Hanje's parents' faces were beaming with joy.

Soon, the banquet began, and all the relatives praised Hanje. Some, after a few drinks, even brought up the issue of Hanje's father's property, loudly suggesting that they all help find it for Hanje. Hanje's father just laughed it off. The only important thing to him now was that his son was becoming an excellent person.

The noisy day passed, and the sun set. After the relatives left, Hanje looked at the various gifts piled in the courtyard, feeling a mix of emotions. He realized anew the saying, "When one person prospers, those around him benefit."

In the evening, his parents held him and asked him various questions. Seeing their expectant faces, Hanje had to lie. He told them about the good life and training he was receiving at Dasha Sect, and his parents were so happy they couldn't close their mouths.

'Well, just ten years, ten years more.'

Hanje repeated to himself.

After spending two days with his parents, on the third day at dawn, Hanje left, bidding farewell to his parents and the villagers.

Even after leaving the village and walking quite far, he could still hear the villagers' envious voices in his ears.

The weather was gloomy, with thick clouds and occasional thunder.

The humidity increased, and mist began to rise. Hanje sped up and finally returned to Dasha Sect late at night.

★ ★ ★

Zhang Hu was in a deep sleep.

Hanje lay on his bed but couldn't fall asleep. Thunder continued to rumble outside, and lightning flashed.

Hanje touched the stone pillar he was carrying. When he visited home, he had asked his mother to make a small bag to carry the stone pillar.

When Hanje took out the stone pillar and held it up to the lamp, he was surprised.

'There were definitely five clouds last time. How did they suddenly become six?'

He suspected he might have seen it wrong and counted again, but there were definitely six.

Unable to understand why, he put the stone pillar back in the bag and tried to sleep.

Doubt

Heavy raindrops hit the window of Hanje's room.

Startled by the cold and eerie atmosphere, Hanje woke up, pale. Lightning struck continuously, illuminating the room. The room was filled with thick mist, and the desk, floor, and even the bed were all wet. However, only Hanje's chest was wet, while the rest of his body was dry. He quickly checked on Zhang Hu.

Zhang Hu's body was covered in white frost, and his clothes were completely wet. His body was covered in frost, his eyes were closed, and his face was blue, trembling.

"Zhang Hu! Zhang Hu!"

Hanje, startled, ran to Zhang Hu and shook him, but he showed no signs of waking up. He couldn't even breathe properly.

In a panic, Hanje tried to seek help from others but stopped. He touched his own clothes and felt puzzled.

'Clearly, we were in the same room, and the bed was completely soaked. Why am I only wet on my chest?'

Hanje bent down to look at his chest and quickly took out the stone pillar. At that moment, the water droplets in the room began to move and slowly rose into the air.

Even the frost on Zhang Hu's body rose into the air. Lightning struck again, and the water droplets flashed, suddenly turning into crystal and flying towards the stone pillar, which absorbed them.

Surprised, Hanje dropped the stone pillar, which drew a fan shape in the air and rolled to one side.

All the water droplets in the room stuck to the surface of the stone pillar and were quickly absorbed, and the room returned to its original dry state. The wet bedding dried, and Zhang Hu's breathing slowly returned to normal.

The rain continued for a long time, accompanied by thunder. Hanje got up from his bed, hesitated for a moment, and carefully picked up the stone pillar.

When Hanje examined the stone pillar closely, he was surprised again. The clouds on the surface of the stone had increased to seven.

Hanje now felt both curiosity and fear. If he hadn't woken up quickly and taken out the stone pillar, Zhang Hu might have frozen to death.

Regardless, there was no significant harm to Hanje. He believed it was because he had been drinking the spring water and dew that the stone pillar had been immersed in.

The clouds carved on the stone pillar further piqued his curiosity. He wanted to know what role the clouds played.

Hanje was worried that if he continued to carry the stone pillar and dry up the rainwater, it might raise suspicion among others.

After hesitating for a moment, Hanje carefully put the stone pillar back in the bag. As the sky gradually brightened, he left the room to go to the chores office. At that moment, Zhang Hu woke up from the bed and shouted,

"Water, water, I feel like I'm going to die."