A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality (Chapter 1-Chapter 200)

On the mountain peak, Li Feiyu gazed towards the main gate of the Seven Mysteries Sect, only to see a field of green. He was unable to discover a single silhouette, but he waited motionlessly for half a day before drawing in a huge breath. Trembling as emotion showed on his face, he said in a low voice, “Take care of yourself! I wish you well on your future path!”


Only then did Li Feiyu slowly descend from the mountain peak. Depression emanated from his lonely back.

At this moment, a horse-drawn carriage was trotting on the pathway, heading east.

Han Li and Crooked Soul were sitting inside the carriage. Although this four-wheeled carriage was not that cramped, Han Li had spent three taels of silver and temporarily rented the vehicle so that only the two of them were within the carriage.

This wooden carriage appeared worn and tattered on the surface, but the interior was actually extremely clean and tidy. Not only that, the two horses that were pulling the carriage were at the prime of their life, filled with strength and vitality. With vigorous strength, they pulled the carriage along with such swiftness that it could be comparable to flying.

It was precisely because Han Li had noticed these two details that he was willing to spend three taels of silver to rent the carriage. Normally, only one tael of silver would be sufficient to rent this kind of carriage.

The driver was a skinny tanned middle-aged commoner who refused to partake in conversation. Other than the time Han Li had initiated a conversation and asked for directions, he wouldn’t speak any unnecessary words, making Han Li feel satisfied.

Next to Han Li was Crooked Soul, who had an immense stature and a mask to cover its face, making it seem extremely mysterious. If the driver was a gossip, there would surely be many troubles.

The intelligent yellow-feathered Cloud-Winged Bird stood on Han Li’s shoulder. Its eyes were half-closed, as if it were resting.

Crooked Soul, who was in the seat facing Han Li, carried a large package. Other than some clean clothes, the package contained gold, silver, and some bottles that were pretty heavy.

As for the rest, such as Doctor Mo’s will and certain small miscellaneous items, Han Li carried them on his body, out of fear that he would misplace them.

Han Li sat quietly in the carriage, listening to the sounds the wooden wheels made as they turned, with no fluctuation in his expression. There was no reason for him to be downcast about leaving the Seven Mysteries Sect.

The only thing that he would not bear to leave behind was his intimate friend, Li Feiyu. But with the knowledge that his counterpart had received his note and the pills that he had concocted, Han Li hoped that these would be sufficient enough for Li Feiyu to carry out the second half of his life in peace.

Thinking of this, he stretched this body, rested his back on the cushioned seats, and dozed off. As for his destination, he had already informed the driver earlier: the small village from which he had originated.

Although he knew that it was impossible, he hoped beyond hope that, the moment he opened his eyes, he would be able to see the faces of his family surrounding him.

He had left home for so many years that their faces had long blurred in his memory. Thus, before Han Li truly started on the next leg of his journey, he needed to see his family members one last time. If not, his heart would never be at ease.

“I wonder how my little sister is doing right now. She should already be 16 or 17, a grown woman! According to the letters that I received, it seems that she was betrothed to a good family and is currently preparing to get married.” A weak and small figure appeared in Han Li’s mind just as he was falling asleep. The owner of this figure was always behind him, calling out “Fourth brother, fourth brother!”

“Time truly passes by extremely fast!”

In this warm atmosphere with his own memories, Han Li fell asleep. This time, he slept soundly and was at peace, similar to the times when he was young and his parents were beside him, protecting him from danger.

After five days of travelling along the yellow earthen path, Han Li finally saw a village far off in the distance.

There was the low wall made of mud, the rows of rice paddies, and that bumpy road full of potholes. All this had once captivated Han Li so the extent that he had dreamt about it daily; now, it finally appeared in front of his eyes.

Han Li suppressed the excitement in his heart. He allowed the driver to stop the carriage far outside the village, while Crooked Soul remained in the carriage. Then, Han Li walked towards the direction of the village. The closer he got, the faster his heart thumped.

For a time, Han Li become overwhelmed with emotions he had felt only long before.





Chapter 99: Departure


Finally, Han Li entered the village, advancing step by step.

As he walked through the village entrance, he heard a burst of joyous sounds from musical instruments. Strangely, not a single person could be seen as he walked through the village’s small streets.

Han Li’s heart stirred. The empty streets and the joyous sounds were memories from his childhood that he couldn’t be more familiar with. This was clearly someone’s wedding celebration. Everyone in the village would celebrate and join in on the fun.

Han Li lifted his spirits and slowly spread out his spiritual sense. By doing so, he discovered that both young and old had gathered together at the village center as he expected. However, the place they had gathered at felt so familiar to Han Li. Was this not the house where he had lived?

Han Li was surprised by no small amount.

“Could it be…?” Han Li had a faint guess at last.

He sped up his pace, hastily passing by many households and turning many corners until he saw the sight the before him.

Several hundred villagers were surrounding an earthen courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, there were many tile-roofed houses that were in better condition than the houses nearby. A large banner with celebratory words hung from each entrance. In addition, there was a small group of instrumental performers that was making quite a bit of noise at the front of the courtyard.

There were some villagers who stood, others who crouched, and a few who were not paying attention and simply sitting on the ground. Gathered into groups of three and four, they whispered and sometimes engaged in heated arguments. Some continued to look at the courtyard with envy.

In addition, there were many children joyfully chasing one another under adult supervision.

Seeing this familiar scene, Han Li’s mind was distracted for a time. In this split second, it was as if he had returned to his childhood from long ago and was with the other children, chasing them while making lots of noise.

“Zeze! The Han Family’s fourth daughter truly has good fortune. I heard the husband is a state official from the city, a truly studious and scholarly individual.”

(TL: “zeze”- the sound of a tongue clicking.)

“Truly? And she is going to be his legal wife? She’s going to have the status of an official’s wife!”

(TL: Legal wife as opposed to being a concubine.)

“I heard that the Han Family had delivered a frighteningly large dowry: several dozen taels of snowflake silver!”

“They are truly wealthy!”

…………

The village women’s noisy gossiping roused Han Li from his stupor.

“The Han Family’s fourth daughter? Isn’t that my little sister?! Could it truly be the day of my little sister’s wedding?” Han Li felt a burst of vague emotions continuously surging inside him.

Though what he thought remained a mystery, Han Li hid behind a large nearby tree several steps away, attentively and unwaveringly staring at the courtyard gate.

Suddenly, someone shouted from a distance, “The sedan chair has arrived! The groom has come to receive the bride!”

Upon hearing these words, the villagers were in an uproar, instantly becoming a boiling cauldron of voices!

“The bride has emerged!”

“The bride has emerged! Quickly come and see!”

……