The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Chapter 168: The Story of Elder Long

"Wait a minute, what did Elder Long mean by that statement?"

"Ziyan has a short lifespan, could he be after that living wood?"

"Is that the real reason he came here today? He better not be acting recklessly."

Long Xuan was startled and hurriedly asked, "You’re not seriously thinking about that living wood, are you?"

"You must be aware of your own limitations! Even countless Gu Kings have a hard time obtaining that, so don’t get involved as just a Spiritual Sea-stage Gu cultivator."

"Take my advice! Turn back before it's too late!" Long Xuan, shocked, anxiously urged him.

Elder Long rolled his eyes at him and said disdainfully, "Do you really think I’m a fool? That kind of heaven-defying treasure isn't something a mere Spiritual Sea-level Gu cultivator like me could covet."

"I don’t need your reminder. I know my limits. Do you think I, Long Ao, don’t understand my boundaries?"

"I didn’t bring this up to show interest in the living wood. I wanted to tell you that Ziyan’s lifespan is very short, and you should mentally prepare yourself for her aging rapidly."

"If one day you notice her growing old, will you change your heart? Look into my eyes and answer!" Elder Long stared directly into Long Xuan’s eyes, his tone heavy with accusation.

"How could that be possible? I’ll love her no matter how old she gets. I actually like older women!" Long Xuan responded instantly without even thinking.

Joking aside, Long Ziyan wouldn’t age as long as she was with him. He had plenty of ways to extend her life. Extending one’s lifespan wasn’t that difficult, after all.

Seeing Long Xuan's firm response without a moment of hesitation, Elder Long nodded and said, "Then remember what you said today. Don’t let her down, or I won’t spare you."

"I know your character well enough. Trusting Ziyan with you puts me at ease. From now on, I entrust her to you. Don’t disappoint me."

After speaking, Elder Long rummaged through his storage pouch. Just as Long Xuan wondered if he was digging out a dowry, Elder Long pulled out a few sheets of paper and solemnly handed them to him.

Elder Long’s face showed a pained expression, as if recalling something, and he sighed, "This is the formula for the Longevity Gu that I created, though it’s only half complete. It can only be considered a fragment."

"It’s not that I don’t want to complete the formula, but my strength is simply insufficient. I overestimated my abilities. With my current power, I can’t deduce the materials needed for the rest."

"Your talent for creating Gu Recipes is unparalleled. I believe no one in the world can surpass you in this field."

"I’ve reached my limit with this Longevity Gu formula. Since Ziyan is now with you, I’ll entrust this fragment to you, a genius in creating Gu, to complete it."

"I trust in your abilities. Once you complete the formula, Ziyan won’t have to worry about her lifespan anymore."

Elder Long’s expression became distant, and a tender smile appeared on his face, as though lost in memory.

Seeing this, Long Xuan could tell that Elder Long had a story behind him. As he took the fragment with both hands, his curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "Did you create this Gu formula specifically for Ziyan?"

Long Xuan glanced at the Longevity Gu fragment in his hands and found that it was indeed complete up to that point, with all the materials listed correctly. If the remaining ingredients could be figured out, the formula could indeed produce the Gu.

He was astonished. The number of materials required for this Gu formula was in the thousands. Even though Elder Long had only researched half of it, completing that much already showed he was an exceptional talent. Most people wouldn’t even be able to develop one-tenth of it.

Long Xuan looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t realized Elder Long had such talent.

However, Elder Long wasn’t paying attention to Long Xuan’s gaze. He continued staring at the starry sky, his tone melancholic, "You guessed wrong! This Gu formula wasn’t created for Ziyan but for her mother, Hongyu."

"I just… failed. Even by the time Hongyu passed away, I still hadn’t managed to complete the Longevity Gu Recipe."

Hearing this, Long Xuan was shocked and instinctively asked, "So, was Master’s wife also born with a short lifespan and in need of life-extending treasures?"

Elder Long nodded, his expression filled with reminiscence. He sighed, "Hongyu had the same Nine Yin Severing Body as Ziyan, a constitution that comes with a short lifespan. I exhausted myself trying to find a way to extend her life."

"Do you know why I’m so deeply in debt, unable to repay it even to this day?"

Suddenly, Elder Long looked at Long Xuan with a bitter smile, "I spent my entire fortune searching for a way to extend her life. I even sacrificed my cultivation time to study alchemy, naively thinking I could create a pill to increase her lifespan."

"I was foolish back then. Although life-extending pills theoretically exist, they require heaven-defying materials, far beyond what someone at the Marrow Cleansing stage like I was could ever hope to gather."

"That path was a failure. Not only did it waste a huge amount of my cultivation time, but it also drained all my resources, slowing my progress. Otherwise, with my talent, I would be a Gu King by now."

"Sigh! The alchemy path failed, so I turned to creating Gu. I foolishly thought I could invent a Gu that would extend lifespan."

"But I greatly overestimated my abilities. I had no sense of self-awareness back then. Creating such a heaven-defying Gu was something far beyond what an ordinary person like me could achieve."

"My ideas at the time were nothing but daydreams. Looking back now, it’s almost laughable."

Elder Long laughed at himself and then suddenly tilted his head back, taking a deep swig of wine.

"I failed again this time, wasting more time for cultivation. I squandered all of my parents’ savings and left myself deep in debt, so much that it was impossible to repay."

"Heh, do you know how enormous the resources required to research a Gu recipe are? I was truly foolish back then."

Elder Long let out a bitter laugh, took a big gulp of wine, and continued, "Do you know that all the things I did during those years were completely pointless?"

"Not only did I fail to discover anything, but I also wasted precious cultivation time and drained all my resources. As a result, my cultivation speed slowed, and I exhausted my potential, making it difficult for me to advance further on the path of strength."

"What hurt me the most was that Hongyu never understood my actions. I was trying to research something to extend her lifespan, and I had no time to be with her. She thought it was because she had aged, and that’s why I didn’t want to touch her."

"She became paranoid and constantly argued with me. Whenever she saw me getting close to another woman, she would assume there was a third party involved."

"Because of my repeated failures in the experiments, I became frustrated. We had a huge argument, and in a fit of anger, I told her I had someone else and left to clear my mind. But I never expected that leaving would be our final farewell. I never got to see her one last time. I regret it so much..."

Elder Long's face showed immense pain, his eyes turned red, and he quickly shifted his gaze away.

Long Xuan looked at him with a complicated expression, wanting to comfort him but not knowing how. In the end, he could only sigh and shift his gaze to a random spot in the starry sky.

He never imagined that Elder Long had such a story, nor that Long Ziyan had such a past. No wonder their relationship was so strained.

It was truly a tragic story—like something out of a melodrama.

Elder Long wasted all his wealth and resources in a desperate attempt to find a way to extend her lifespan, even falling into endless debt. It was absurd, yet there was no laughter, only sorrow. Perhaps this was love taken to its extreme. After all, how many couples in love remain rational?

At this moment, Long Xuan had made up his mind. He would complete the remaining parts of the Longevity Gu formula as quickly as possible to help fulfill Elder Long's dream. If Elder Long saw the Longevity Gu formula he had spent his entire life working on finally being completed, he would surely be moved to tears. That way, there would be one less regret in his life.

…

Meanwhile, in a secret chamber at the Qian Auction House.

"Young Miss, the Living Wood is about to go on auction. Are we really not doing anything?"

"How about I disguise myself as a buyer and bid for it? With the wealth of the Qian Chamber Of Commerce, we can definitely buy the Living Wood."

Qian Duoduo looked respectfully at the beautiful woman sitting on a red chair as he spoke.

Qian Jinjing glanced at him and said helplessly, "Are you addicted to disguising yourself as a buyer? I saw you pretending to be a buyer during the auction for the Spirit Wine today."

"Even though it’s a loophole we can exploit, you’re not allowed to do it again, understand?"

"If anyone discovers the deception, it will damage the reputation of the Qian Clan."

Hearing this, Qian Duoduo looked embarrassed. He hadn’t expected his ‘perfect’ disguise to be seen through so easily by the young miss. Her sharp eyes really were like torches.

If Qian Jinjing knew his inner thoughts, she would definitely mock him. With his round physique, how could he have ‘perfectly’ disguised himself? It was way too obvious!

"Are we really going to give up on a treasure as powerful as the Living Wood? Even if we just chip off a small piece of its bark, it would still be worth it."

Qian Duoduo persisted, showing an extremely reluctant expression.

Qian Jinjing immediately fixed him with a sharp gaze and said sternly, "Don’t do anything unnecessary, understand?"

"It’s not my decision to do nothing—it’s the decision of the entire clan."

"The clan already convened a meeting of the elders, and the final unanimous vote was to give up on the Living Wood."

"All the senior members of the family believe that fighting over the Living Wood will bring more harm than benefit."

"The clan’s reputation is the foundation of our prosperity. With a good reputation, we will have an endless stream of wealth. For our clan, reputation is far more valuable than ten Living Woods."

"Even the many Gu Kings in our clan who are on the verge of reaching the end of their lifespan have painfully given up their desire for the Living Wood. Yet you, a mere steward, dare to set your sights on it?"

"Put away all your little schemes. No matter how reasonable your explanations are, the moment you make a move on the Living Wood, others will surely become suspicious. Don’t take the world for fools, understand?"

Qian Jinjing’s tone was severe, and she looked at Qian Duoduo with a scolding gaze.

…