Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 149 Entering the Mortal World

"Indeed, even setting aside interests, I also favor Elder Du based on feelings alone. I think you two have also noticed that Elder Du is different from other cultivators. He is kind-hearted and benevolent, which is very rare."

Although his aptitude is somewhat lacking, his cultivation speed is quite fast, which shows that he has good fortune. In addition, with the connection to the Seven Star Merchant Alliance, if both children agree, I have no objections.”

The Maple Leaf Sect Master smiled slightly, shook his head, and said, looking extremely satisfied with Du Fan.

"By the way, Sect Master, I heard that the Song family sent someone over some time ago to discuss a marriage alliance. The Song family is the number one cultivation family in Zhongzhou. Their strength is comparable to, if not greater than, that of large sects."

Moreover, their young master, Song Jie, possesses the astonishing talent of five spiritual roots, making him a cultivation prodigy. It is said that ever since Song Jie narrowly lost to Ru'er in the last Heavenly Pride Competition, he has been unable to forget our Ru'er.

The Song family patriarch is a peak late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, only one step away from the Great Perfection realm. Overall, we must handle the Song family with caution. I wonder how Senior Brother responded to them regarding this matter?

Ouyang Xuan suddenly changed the subject and asked about something else.

"How else can I answer? How many people have proposed marriage to me over the years? Even the Wentian Sect is willing to bury the hatchet with our Qixia Sect over this matter. As for the Song family, I will, of course, give them a vague answer as always."

The Maple Leaf Sect Master rolled his eyes and said helplessly.

"Elder Du is really lucky this time. We can all see Ru'er's feelings for him. However, it seems that Elder Du has someone else in his heart." Peony Fairy said with a slight frown.

"Even if he has someone he loves, judging from his appearance, they are probably no longer alive. Besides, Elder Du is not very old, so even if he has some feelings for someone, they can't be very deep. I still think these two are more promising."

Ouyang Xuan suddenly chuckled and said with considerable confidence.

"Let these young people handle their own love affairs. We old folks who have lived for hundreds of years should not gossip about them here. If the other elders find out, they'll laugh their heads off."

The Maple Leaf Sect Master shook his head with a wry smile, and a moment later, the three faintly visible figures disappeared.

……

Du Fan, who was already feeling depressed because he couldn't go to see Ruoxi and Xiaohu, became even more frustrated and even manic when Chen Ru's situation came into play.

Actually, he didn't know if he had ever liked Chen Ru; he could only be sure that he didn't dislike her.

Whenever Du Fan recalls Chen Ru's words when she silently poured out her inner demons, and the extremely lonely look in her eyes as she left, his heart... feels as if it is being pricked by needles. He doesn't know if this is love.

At this moment, he had no interest in cultivating the Water Shadow Sword. He sat in the pavilion of the secluded courtyard, lost in thought, pondering many things, from his past life to this one, from Qingzhou to Zhongzhou, from Liang Xin to Chen Ru...

The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became. I felt like my head was about to explode, my heart was aching, and even my breathing seemed to be getting difficult.

Du Fan sat there all night until the next morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone on his face. Then he suddenly jumped up, ran to the edge of the cliff behind the villa, and roared a few times, feeling much better afterward.

After calming down, Du Fan decided to go find Chen Ru and talk things out with her.

A short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one. Chen Ru is an exceptionally good girl in every way; she's capable in all aspects of life—elegant in public, skilled in the kitchen, and equally adept on the battlefield…

Moreover, she is beautiful, generous, gentle, understanding, and exceptionally talented. Her suitors could probably line up all the way to Hundred Flowers Valley. Don't let your blindness prevent you from seeing her.

Du Fan had already thought it through. Even if Chen Ru was so angry that she wanted to take his life, he wouldn't even flinch. However, he really couldn't accept this relationship.

But when Du Fan rushed to Chen Ru's residence, he received news that surprised him: Chen Ru had left the sect the night before to enter the mortal world and begin her life...

It turns out that the sect has a rule that every newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator must imprison their magical power and enter the mortal world to truly immerse themselves in the lives of ordinary people, personally experience the myriad aspects of the world, and thus see through the mundane world and gain profound enlightenment. Only in this way can they strengthen their heart towards the Dao.

Because inner demons exist when breaking through to the Golden Core stage, if one's resolve to cultivate is not firm enough, one can easily be devoured by these inner demons. Therefore, arranging for disciples within the sect to enter the mortal world is a common practice among major sects.

For some reason, Du Fan felt relieved to hear that Chen Ru was not there.

Then his eyes suddenly lit up. He thought about how he was currently in a state of distress and unable to carry out either cultivation or scientific research. He decided that he might as well enter the mortal world for a while.

Even if I don't gain any insights in the end, I can still treat it as a relaxing trip. It's better than staying in this secluded courtyard all day feeling depressed.

Having made up his mind, Du Fan immediately greeted the Maple Leaf Sect Master and used the sect's one-way teleportation array to teleport directly to Jinling City.

As for the Seven Star Merchant Alliance, Du Fan doesn't need to worry. As long as he remains within the Qixia Sect's sphere of influence, even if there are people monitoring him, they probably won't bother with him.

After the message reached Jinling City, Du Fan first went to the Seven Stars Branch Alliance. However, the person in charge seemed a bit off. After a brief conversation, he learned that Xiao Yan had already issued an order forbidding him from using any of the Alliance's teleportation arrays.

Du Fan inwardly cursed the woman for being ruthless, but he hadn't come here to teleport. With a sigh, he took out a low-grade spirit stone, exchanged it for a thousand taels of silver, and hurriedly left the place.

He first went to a restaurant for a big meal, then went to watch a play. When he came out, he heard two people talking about an underground gambling den. Du Fan smiled slightly and followed the two to a small alley.

As it turned out, beneath a dilapidated house was a gambling den covering an area of ​​five or six acres. Inside, people were thronging around, shouting and making a racket. It was lively and chaotic, with all sorts of people from different walks of life present.

Without saying a word, Du Fan tried every kind of gambling. In less than an hour, he had lost almost all of the nearly 1,000 taels of silver he had on him.

His luck wasn't that bad, of course. There were obviously cheaters among them, but Du Fan didn't care. He smiled nonchalantly and left.

As he stepped out of the underground gambling den, he saw an elderly man in his seventies, dressed in rags and with a gaunt figure, struggling to push a wooden cart piled high with woven wooden puppets and other items.

Du Fan quickly went to help, and the two of them pushed the cart to a bustling market. With Du Fan's help, the entire cart of trinkets was sold.

It was getting late, and the old man earnestly invited Du Fan to his home as a guest to express his gratitude. Du Fan did not refuse and pushed his cart back to the old man's house.

It was an area resembling a slum. The old man's home was a thatched hut about ten feet long and wide, with a hole in the roof about the thickness of an arm. Inside the hut was only a straw bed, and of course, an unconscious old woman on the straw bed.

After arriving home, the old man first gave Du Fan an apologetic smile, and then went outside to light a fire to brew the medicine.

An hour later, the old man brought a steaming bowl of medicine to the old woman's bedside and carefully woke her up. On the old man's wrinkled face and in his eyes that had lost their sparkle, a tenderness that shocked Du Fan was deeply moved.

Du Fan's divine sense swept over the old woman in an instant, and he immediately sighed. The old woman's vitality was withered, and her whole body was surrounded by death energy. She was probably nearing her end and could not be saved by human power.

To Du Fan's surprise, neither the old woman nor the old man showed a trace of complaint or despair on their wrinkled faces. When their eyes met, there was only warmth and contentment between them. It was as if they were not suffering, but savoring life.

After the old woman fell asleep again, the old man cooked a pot of thin porridge for Du Fan, took out a sealed dish of pickled vegetables, and dug up the soil on the ground to take out a jar of old wine.

Du Fan noticed that the sealed dish of pickled vegetables must have been unopened for a long time. Looking at the old man's simple and warm smile, Du Fan's eyes welled up with tears. He smiled and drank with the old man, but he only took one bite of the dish of pickled vegetables.

At midnight, Du Fan lay on a straw mat, glanced at the old man who was fast asleep, sat up, gently patted the storage bag at his waist, and several silver ingots appeared in his hand.

Looking at the silver ingot in his hand, and then at the old man and woman in the thatched hut, Du Fan shook his head, put it away, and exchanged it for two jars of fine wine and a raw lamb leg. He rolled them up in a straw mat, gently placed them on the ground, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and turned to leave.

For these two elderly people who had grown old together and remained inseparable, leaving them money would be an insult. Besides, they didn't need it; what they needed, they already had. They were the richest people in the world...

Du Fan looked at the crescent moon on the horizon and suddenly had a realization. Many years later, the feelings between the two people were no longer passion and fervor, but mutual support, mutual respect, vows hidden in their hearts, and a lifelong responsibility.

At that moment, Chen Ru's image appeared in his mind.

Du Fan left the slum area and came to the most lively fireworks area at night. No matter where or what era, a prosperous city will always have bright lights and bustling nightlife.

"Throughout history, fireworks have often depicted beautiful women, and beautiful women have often met tragic ends..."

Du Fan muttered something to himself and stepped into a brothel called "Yichun Garden." He found a courtesan of little fame, sat in an ordinary room, and quietly listened to her playing the guzheng and singing a mournful and plaintive song.

As dawn broke, Du Fan sighed softly, left all the silver he had on him, and quietly departed.