Chapter Thirty-Nine: Meeting Elder Lin

Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, a day had passed.

At dawn, Liu Pan opened his door, inhaled the crisp morning air, then turned and made his way up to the summit of Medicine Peak.

There was no suspense or unexpected twist with the Frost Jade Art—Liu Pan had reached the third layer in his cultivation. Thanks to the unique nature of the technique, he could now directly harness the elemental force of both water and ice.

Yet Liu Pan wasn’t surprised by his rapid progress. As his elemental force coursed through his meridians, he still sensed no obstruction. As long as he guided the flow to complete a full revolution, the technique would naturally be mastered.

In truth, Liu Pan had grown numb to the mysteries of his own body. He simply could not make sense of it, nor could he find any clues. He believed that the key to unraveling the secret lay with the parents he had never met in this world, but when it came to them…

Liu Pan was desperate to know what secrets his body held. After all, having transmigrated into this body, those very secrets might point to a way back to Earth or even provide the answer outright.

However, despite understanding this, Liu Pan was hesitant to seek out his parents in this world—or rather, he didn’t know how to face them.

Although the memories of this body’s former self lingered in his mind, it was the thoughts and will of an Earthling that now drove him. The mere idea of meeting these parents gave him the unease of a “shy bride meeting her in-laws,” leaving his heart in chaos and at a loss for how to proceed.

Ultimately, there were two reasons why Liu Pan, upon first leaving the Liu Clan, believed he would never return.

The first was because he knew the “storyline” of this world; he was certain he would rise to the pinnacle. In the novel, after Liu Kuang was deeply hurt by the clan, he never looked back once he reached the peak. So Liu Pan assumed he, too, would never return to the Liu Clan.

The second reason was that there were too many “acquaintances” in the Liu Clan. He had no desire to return, for he did not want to see those people. He was Liu Pan from Earth, not the Liu Pan of this world.

Yet, to his surprise, less than two months after leaving, the secrets emerging from his body made him realize he needed to investigate his lineage. And to do so, he would have to return to the Liu Clan.

Every time he thought of this, Liu Pan felt a surge of frustration, and in the end, the matter was left unresolved. The truth was, he had no choice but to let it be—for now, he simply lacked the strength to pursue his origins. He was not yet strong enough; if he returned to the Liu Clan now, the Second Elder would surely make his life a living hell.

Understanding his own limitations, whenever this issue arose, Liu Pan would push his thoughts forward. Regardless of whether he sought his lineage or a way home, his survival had to come first.

He ascended the summit of Medicine Peak without delay and entered the main hall. Trusting that Elder Lin was a good man, Liu Pan did not want to waste any more time—he wanted to begin studying the Way of Alchemy as soon as possible, to learn the use of spiritual power. This was not only to gain the ability to investigate his origins, but also to improve his cultivation so that he could protect his life.

After all, the elder from the Scripture Pavilion and Elder Lin had already discovered that he possessed spiritual power; who could say others wouldn’t discover it as well? The elder and Elder Lin might not care, but what about the rest?

As an author, Liu Pan understood well: if everyone in this world were good, his protagonist Liu Kuang would never have suffered so much. Encountering a good man like Elder Lin now was no guarantee the next person would also be kind.

This was Liu Pan’s second time entering the main hall of Medicine Peak. As before, a faint herbal fragrance lingered in the air—not pungent, but soothing.

Only Elder Lin was present, seated behind a desk, leafing through a book, though appearing somewhat distracted, as if lost in thought.

“Master.” Liu Pan bowed respectfully and greeted him.

At the sound of Liu Pan’s voice, Elder Lin started, then looked up with delight.

In that instant, Liu Pan felt a surge of spiritual awareness lock onto him, but he remained calm, unruffled. He knew that if something untoward were to happen, it would have happened yesterday.

“You’ve arrived,” Elder Lin said, his tone tinged with excitement, his voice trembling ever so slightly.

Liu Pan nodded, but before he could speak, a set of footsteps echoed from the entrance. Liu Pan turned to see his second senior brother, Zhu Jiangyang.

At the sight of Liu Pan in the hall, Zhu Jiangyang was momentarily surprised, but quickly composed himself and stepped to Liu Pan’s side, bowing to Elder Lin. “Master.”

Elder Lin nodded and said, “Jiangyang, go to the Outer Sect’s mission hall and post some tasks. The green jade magnolias at the foot of the front mountain, the white ginseng not far from the hall, and the chestnut-red flowers midway on the back mountain all need tending these days. Recruit thirty people in total; upon completion, each will be rewarded four contribution points.”

“Yes, Master.” Zhu Jiangyang bowed again, then glanced at Liu Pan, his eyes flashing with some unfathomable light, before turning and leaving the hall.

Yet before Liu Pan could speak, another set of footsteps approached the entrance. Liu Pan raised an eyebrow and turned, only to be taken aback.

The newcomer was a young man clad in gray, with an honest and sincere face, though his complexion was pale, as if worn down by long toil.

At the sight of this man, Liu Pan paused but quickly realized it was his senior brother Zhou Qin, whom he had not seen since arriving at Medicine Peak.

Zhou Qin, seeing a stranger in the hall, was also momentarily surprised, but then stepped to Liu Pan’s side, bowed to Elder Lin, and said respectfully, “Master.”

“Mm.” Elder Lin nodded, then said, “Zhou Qin, you’ve been immersed in alchemy for a month now, working yourself too hard and not resting. Today, I permit you to take a break. Remember, balance between diligence and rest is key to reaching higher realms in the Way of Alchemy.”

“Yes, Master.” Zhou Qin responded, his whole body visibly relaxing at Elder Lin’s words; clearly, the recent days of alchemy had left him exhausted.

However, though he answered, Zhou Qin did not immediately withdraw. Instead, he looked at Liu Pan and asked, somewhat puzzled, “Master, this is…?”

“This is my new disciple, your junior brother.” Elder Lin smiled. “You’ve been so absorbed in alchemy these past days, it’s only natural you didn’t know. In the future, you’ll have to look after—”

But as he spoke, Elder Lin suddenly remembered something and abruptly stopped, his gaze shifting to Liu Pan.

Elder Lin had already learned from the Scripture Pavilion elder that Liu Pan possessed spiritual power. Because of this, the word “look after” caught in his throat—after all, with spiritual power, it was likely that one day Liu Pan would be the one looking after his senior brothers, or even Elder Lin himself.

In truth, there was little Liu Pan needed from his senior brothers by way of care.

Perhaps it was the fatigue of recent days clouding his attention, but Zhou Qin didn’t notice Elder Lin’s sudden change in tone.

Upon hearing that Liu Pan was his junior brother, Zhou Qin immediately turned to him with a hearty smile. “So you’re the junior brother! I’m your eldest brother, Zhou Qin.”

Seeing Zhou Qin’s cheerful face, Liu Pan’s mood brightened. He bowed slightly. “Hello, Eldest Brother. My name is Liu Pan, but you can just call me Xiao Pan.”

Zhou Qin took no issue with Liu Pan’s reply, but Elder Lin felt a strange sense of relief. The warmth in Elder Lin’s gaze deepened, and in that moment, he even felt that taking Liu Pan as a disciple was the best decision of his life.

After exchanging a few words, Zhou Qin left the hall.

Elder Lin looked at Liu Pan, his eyes flickering, then said, “Come with me.”

With that, Elder Lin strode toward the rear hall.

Not far from the main hall, Zhou Qin walked straight toward his own courtyard. Zhu Jiangyang, watching him go, had a glint in his eye and his expression shifted. Then, without hesitation, Zhu Jiangyang turned and hurried off in another direction.

Half an hour later, in a small courtyard on Medicine Peak—

“What did you say?! That Liu brat has started learning alchemy? How is that possible!” Wang Dadao shot to his feet, staring at Zhu Jiangyang in shock.

“I can’t say for sure,” Zhu Jiangyang replied, catching his breath. “But when I went to the main hall earlier, I saw Liu Pan there. After receiving Master’s orders, I left and saw Zhou Qin enter. But less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, Zhou Qin left and returned to his courtyard, while Liu Pan remained inside. So I suspect—”

Wang Dadao’s eyes flashed at Zhu Jiangyang’s words. After a moment’s thought, he said, “No, I need to—”

He broke off, then looked at Zhu Jiangyang. “I’m going out for a bit. You keep watch outside the main hall. If anything happens, report to me as soon as I return!”

With that, Wang Dadao paid Zhu Jiangyang no further heed and hurried out of the courtyard, making his way straight down Medicine Peak.