Cultivation: Being Immortal

Zhongzhou, Shenmu City

"Ah, Qiao!"

"Oh my gosh, who’s talking about me like that? It must be Small Shadiao saying bad things about me again."

Lin Jiang sneezed and immediately started muttering. This Small Shadiao hasn’t stopped badmouthing him behind his back. Ever since Lin Jiang discovered Small Shadiao writing the word "endure" in his diary, he stopped writing it himself. But he couldn’t tolerate being insulted in secret. He had to catch him and teach him a lesson.

"Oh, bro, what are you doing here?"

Small Shadiao happened to stumble in, and Lin Jiang grabbed him without thinking.

"Are you talking bad about me again?"

"How could it be? You’re my dear older brother."

"Really? Then why did someone point and talk about me at the market last time, saying I abandoned 108 women?"

"Is that true? Impossible! Dear brother, you are so pure-hearted. You haven’t even talked to the little fairy in all these years. It must be others’ jealousy. I’ll go talk to them."

Small Shadiao immediately wanted to run away. Oh no, how did someone find out about this? Who can’t keep their mouth shut?

"Go back!"

"If you don’t hit me, I’ll come back."

"If you don’t come back, you won’t get your allowance next month."

"Brother, be gentle. Don’t hit my face. I rely on this face to make a living now."

Small Shadiao became cowardly. In order to get the allowance, I’ll just endure it. Getting hit is nothing new.

Lin Jiang gave him a few taps on the head and then said. Did you find out any news about that fat guy who died?

"There isn’t much information. All I know is that Bai Yu was a regular disciple of the Holy Heavenly Sect, and then Yang Luo recognized his potential and took him in as a disciple. She taught him special body techniques, and now he has become a core personal disciple of the Holy Heavenly Sect."

"Is that all the information you have?"

Lin Jiang became very angry. Over the years, he had assigned Small Shadiao many tasks. Besides selling spiritual talismans, Small Shadiao was also responsible for gathering information. Small Shadiao had successfully infiltrated an organization that traded information and became a minor leader there, bringing back a lot of valuable information for Lin Jiang, so he wouldn’t be completely clueless about the outside world.

"I really don’t have anything else. Yang Luo’s disciples are all very secretive. They even have their own secluded places for cultivation. Right now, information about Yang Luo and her disciples is highly sought after in the intelligence market. I can’t even get some pocket money out of it."

"What are Bai Yu’s hobbies?"

"He likes food, wine, and beautiful women. He’s even more conventional than me."

"Indeed, he’s quite conventional."

"Bai Yu came from a poor background and used to live a difficult life. Now, he’s desperately making up for the past. That’s what he himself said."

Little Shadiao said that because he owed himself too much in the past, he was now enjoying crazily.

"He’s so fat, how can he have a heart-to-heart conversation with the little fairy?"

"I don’t know, but he spent a lot of money to make those little fairies keep quiet. For now, the news hasn’t been leaked yet. But even if someone finds out, it won’t do any harm to him, right?" ʀΆ𝐍ƟʙËṦ

"You’re not human, you wouldn’t understand."

Lin Jiang rolled his eyes. This is about a man’s dignity and bottom line, okay? You can say a man is poor, you can say a man is messy, you can say a man is uneducated, but you can’t say a man is incapable, even if it’s true.

"Bro, you also need to regularly wipe your spear, otherwise it’ll rust and break."

"Go away."

"Okay."

"Come back and tell me which house Bai Yu frequently visits. I’ll try to bump into him by chance."

Lin Jiang said that he had met Bai Yu before, but Bai Yu didn’t notice anything strange about him. So, Lin Jiang wanted to join in and see if he could find out Yang Luo’s secret. He was quite upset that he had spent so much effort but still couldn’t defeat Yang Luo.

·······

In Shenmu City, the entertainment industry is very competitive, just like the waves on the Yangtze River. Over hundreds of years, the places where Lin Jiang used to play have disappeared and been replaced by new buildings and new fairies.

In this era, the Little Red Mansion has become the top entertainment venue in Shenmu City, with a larger scale and better quality than ever before.

Lin Jiang sat in the hall upstairs, chatting with a few unfamiliar Taoist friends about food. When it came to food, Lin Jiang became very enthusiastic. After years of traveling, he had tried various local specialties and described them vividly. This made some Taoist friends drool, as if the fairies in the room no longer smelled as good.

"Knock, knock, knock…"

As they were talking, the floor made a heavy sound. Everyone looked up and saw a huge man approaching slowly. Each step he took caused the floor to shake. Lin Jiang worried that Bai Yu would be held responsible for paying for the damaged floor by the Little Red Mansion. Of course, he was even more concerned about the fairies in the room behind him. He didn’t know if they had already turned into minced meat.

"Taoist friend Yun?"

"Yes, it’s me, Taoist friend Bai."

"Haha, I didn’t expect my friend from Cloud Sect to be on the same path as me."

Bai Yu saw Lin Jiang and smiled. They had exchanged talisman techniques a few times before, and Bai Yu remembered Lin Jiang.

Bai Yu sat down next to Lin Jiang, who felt a sense of pressure. Lin Jiang began to pray for the little fairies once again.

"Brother Yun, continue! I love hearing you talk about delicious food."

"Bai Taoist friend, that’s just joking. Besides, when it comes to food, it only counts if you taste it, right?"

"Haha, that’s exactly right. But the things Brother Yun mentioned are spread throughout different states in the cultivation world. They’re not just easily available."

"Bai Taoist friend, you’re mistaken. In this world, there’s nothing that money can’t achieve; it’s just that sometimes we don’t have enough money."

"Um…"

Bai Yu disagreed a little. If money was all-powerful, why bother cultivating? Just earning money would be enough.

"Dear Taoist friend, why do we live in this world? Is it to cultivate ourselves? And what is the purpose of cultivation? Is it just for a lonely eternal life? If you couldn’t eat, drink, play, or move, but could live forever, would you be willing to do so?"

"Of course not, then we would become stones."

"Yes, our ultimate goal in cultivation is for immortality. But what is immortality for? It’s for better enjoyment, like eating the best food, wearing the finest clothes, sleeping with the most beautiful women. Without these things, immortality is worthless."

"Brother Yun is absolutely right."

"Therefore, coming back to the point, immortality is elusive. No one knows if they can really attain it. If one dedicates their whole life to cultivation, the most tragic thing could happen. Do you know what that is?"

"What is it?"

"When a person dies, their money remains, but what if their wife remarries and another man spends their money, sleeps with their wife, and beats their son?"

"Oh my goodness, that’s horrible."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yu shuddered and thought, "That’s too tragic, I can’t bear it."

"So, our current attitude is to save enough money for cultivation, and spend the rest. Even if we can’t become immortals, it’s still worth experiencing in this lifetime. At least we get to eat and have fun."

"Brother Yun, stop talking. I understand now. Let’s spend this money."

"That’s right. Money, if we run out, we can earn more. It’s just a matter of drawing a few symbols."

"Yes, now the new style talismans are so expensive. We can have some by drawing a few."

Bai Yu strongly agreed. This Xiao Hong Lou is quite expensive. He can make several trips by drawing fourth-grade new style talismans in one day. It’s a good deal.

"Brother Bai, since you’re also a fellow cultivator, let’s meet again later and taste all the delicious food in Shenmu City. If we can buy things from other places with money, we’ll buy them. If we can’t, we’ll find a way."

"We can do that in Shenmu City, but we can’t leave. My master asked me to stay here for ten years."

"That’s fine. We are Nascent Soul cultivators and have long lifespans. We can take our time."

"Yes, in the future, can I bother you more, Brother Yun?"

Bai Yu nodded his head. He thought that Lin Jiang must be a fun-loving person. Although he didn’t have anything else right now, he had a bit of money and free time, so he wanted to enjoy himself. After all, he had been working hard for many years and deserved to enjoy life.

A few days later, Lin Jiang arranged a top-class restaurant in Shenmu City, booked a private room, and invited Bai Yu as his guest. Lin Jiang had planned everything carefully, so there would be no mistakes. The delicious food was prepared by a skilled chef, and the environment was specially decorated. There was also a beautiful female companion who knew how to socialize. They had a great time together. After the meal, they even played a game of blindfolded catch with the ladies, which made Bai Yu very happy.

They enjoyed good food, drinks, and entertainment. Lin Jiang also explained the recipes and characteristics of the dishes to Bai Yu, as well as recommended fun places to visit. Bai Yu admired Lin Jiang’s rich experiences.

Through their interactions, their relationship naturally became closer. Bai Yu also invited Lin Jiang multiple times in return. In no time, they became the talk of the town in Shenmu City.

"Brother, it seems like Bai Yu has fallen into your trap."

"Not bad, I have him under control."

Lin Jiang said that Bai Yu was quite easy to manipulate. He came from a poor background and suddenly became rich with the help of a benefactor. He hasn’t fully adjusted to his new life yet, so it’s easy to take advantage of this vulnerability.

"Hehe, teach me, brother. How did you do it?"

"Just observe others and adapt to the situation. It’s not difficult. If you spend a few more years mingling in society, you’ll learn it too."

Lin Jiang said that he has been a businessman for many years, and it’s important to interact with others in the business world.

"It’s easier said than done, with my limited abilities, I can only handle women."

"·····"

"Really, I can only manage women, not men."

"Why would you say such things when we’re so happy? It’s asking for trouble."

Lin Jiang immediately felt unhappy. Small Shadiao can find women without spending money, but Lin Jiang spends a lot of money on spirit stones, which makes him sad.

"Oh, then I won’t say anything. I won’t say anything."

"Go away and investigate things according to this."

Lin Jiang took out a paper and gave it to Small Shadiao, then kicked him out.

"When you first meet someone and can chat freely, making you feel like you’ve found a kindred spirit, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve found a soulmate. It could be that the other person is just more experienced and sees through things, making you feel a refreshing breeze."

Lin Jiang remembered his friendship with Bai Yu and thought of a sentence he saw online that perfectly described the situation.