The Oldest Disciple: Farming Intimacy to Become Immortal

Chapter 132: Senior Han’s Request

“What exactly is the deep-seated grudge between you and my Master, Senior Wen?” Li Meng asked, his voice a picture of polite curiosity.

Is it really as simple as Master killing her descendant? he wondered inwardly. There had to be more to the story.

A trace of genuine melancholy flickered in Wen Huanhuan’s eyes. She turned away, her gaze drifting over the serene mountains and mirror-like waters of the lake. When she spoke, her voice was distant and silkily bitter.

“Ever since I climbed the mountain to become a disciple of the Joyous Union Sect, your Master was always one step ahead of me. We both possessed Water Spirit Roots, but the Ancestor of Masked Moon Peak only had eyes for her. He took her as his True Disciple and never gave me a second glance. Instead, I caught the eye of a dying Nascent Soul Ancestor who was rapidly approaching his Sitting Death and Dao Dissipation. He wanted to take me as his concubine.”

She paused, her fingers tightening on the railing. “To avoid offending him, I preemptively discarded my Pure Yin Body, entirely ruining my own reputation. But even after all that self-debasement… I still ended up as his plaything!”

A sudden, jagged laugh escaped her lips. Her tone shifted instantly, dripping with icy resentment and mockery.

“I was jealous! I envied everything your precious Master possessed! I hated that she had the world at her fingertips, yet threw it all away because she let a man shatter her state of mind, destroying her hopes of reaching the Nascent Soul stage. If it were me, I never would have squandered such a Fated Chance!”

Understanding dawned on Li Meng’s youthful face. He stroked his white beard, studying Senior Wen’s beautiful profile thoughtfully.

So that is the root of it, he realized. The descendant his Master had killed at the Qian Family Fortress was likely nothing more than a convenient excuse for Senior Wen to vent her festering, decades-long hatred openly.

Both women had their Dao Hearts ruined by men, but Senior Wen’s trauma ran far deeper. His Master’s cultivation had merely stagnated; Senior Wen’s very soul had been fundamentally mutilated. It also explained her erratic behavior at the fortress. She had probably known his Master was watching the whole time, and threatening to kill him was just a petty, theatrical way to twist the knife. Or, given her fractured sanity, she might have genuinely wanted to butcher him just to see his Master suffer.

“Don’t look at me with that disgusting pity, you mere Foundation Establishment insect! Hmph!” Wen Huanhuan hissed, her eyes snapping to him with sudden, violent anger.

Li Meng simply chuckled, unbothered by her venom. His demeanor remained as placid and accommodating as a tranquil pond. “It is just a mere Longevity Pill, Senior Wen. Why trouble your heart so much? On the day the pill is successfully forged, this junior will naturally present one to you.”

Wen Huanhuan froze. The jagged fury in her eyes dissolved into pure surprise, quickly followed by a heavy dose of suspicion. Why had he suddenly capitulated without bargaining?

Deciding she didn’t care about the method so long as she got the prize, her demeanor shifted yet again. A honeyed, bewitching smile bloomed on her face. She twirled gracefully, her robes fluttering like flower petals in the wind, and threw her delicate body directly into Li Meng’s arms.

“I’ll carve those words into my memory, Junior,” she purred, looking up at him with wide, inviting eyes. “Don’t you dare go back on your promise.”

Li Meng instinctively moved to steady her waist, wrapping his arms around her soft form, but she was already gone. Transforming into a streak of water-blue light, she darted down the corridor and soared toward the landing platform, leaving behind only the lingering scent of her perfume.

Li Meng let out a dry, awkward chuckle, dropping his empty hands. He turned his head and noticed a figure leaning against the railing a short distance away.

It was a man clad in a black martial outfit, staring deeply out at the lake.

Li Meng walked over, stopping a respectful distance away.

He cupped his hands in a deep bow. “Disciple Li Meng pays his respects to Senior Han.”

A flash of genuine surprise crossed the man’s eyes. He raised a hand and wiped it across his face. The illusion instantly warped and twisted, melting away to reveal his true features.

Han Li looked at the young man with deep curiosity. “How did you see through my disguise?”

Li Meng offered an embarrassed, deferential smile. “I happen to have a Junior Sister who practices a Disguise Art quite similar to yours, Senior Han.”

Han Li nodded in understanding. If a technique shared a common root, it wasn’t impossible for someone familiar with it to spot the flaws.

“Junior, come. Let us speak,” Han Li said, a wry smile touching his lips.

Facing that unreadable, half-smiling gaze, Li Meng felt a surge of internal panic. He hadn’t exactly been discreet while holding Senior Wen just moments ago. Still, he had no choice but to brace himself and step forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Golden Core expert at the railing.

Han Li stared at the rippling water, his expression heavy with helplessness. “Although my Junior Sister and I are Dao Companions, we have never held a Dual Cultivation ceremony. We share the title, but lack the reality. You are an Alchemist, Junior Li; you must have sensed that her soul has sustained catastrophic damage. There is a method to treat her, but… I simply lack the ability to do so.”

“Why?” Li Meng asked, genuinely curious. If there was a cure, why would a Golden Core cultivator claim to be powerless?

Han Li shook his head. “Her shattered Dao Heart is inextricably tied to her life experiences. My Junior Sister… she absolutely despises men.”

A bizarre look crossed Li Meng’s face. Senior Wen hates men? The woman who just threw herself into his arms and routinely acted like a hyper-seductive femme fatale loathed men? The contradiction was dizzying.

“The only reason she agreed to become my Dao Companion,” Han Li continued, his voice dropping an octave, “is because I was the only one standing by her side during her darkest hours. She felt a debt of gratitude. After the Ancestor faced his Sitting Death and Dao Dissipation, she used his remaining resources to forcefully push my cultivation to the late Golden Core stage.”

Han Li let out a long, heavy sigh. “My natural aptitude is poor. Whether I can even reach the Grand Perfection of the Golden Core stage before my lifespan runs out is highly uncertain, let alone forming a Nascent Soul. But she is different. Her talent is outstanding. Although her cultivation has stagnated, her foundation remains rock solid. If her state of mind can be repaired—if her Dao Heart can be made whole—she will absolutely soar. She has a true hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage.”

Han Li slowly turned to face Li Meng. His eyes were intensely bright, burning with an unwavering, desperate determination. To Li Meng’s absolute shock, the Golden Core senior suddenly stepped back and bowed deeply to him.

Li Meng nearly jumped out of his skin. He hurriedly bowed in return, dipping even lower. “S-Senior Han, what is the meaning of this?!”

If a Golden Core elder refused to rise, how could a mere Foundation Establishment junior dare to straighten his back? Thankfully, Han Li stood up, allowing Li Meng to breathe a sigh of relief and right himself.

“Junior Li, I have a presumptuous request.”

“Please, Senior Han, speak freely!” Li Meng urged, his nerves fraying. A request delivered with this much solemnity was bound to be monumental.

Han Li looked him dead in the eye. “I must ask you, Junior Li, to shatter my Junior Sister’s Heart Demon.”

Li Meng stared at him, utterly flabbergasted. “Senior Han… are you entirely serious?” he asked cautiously.

Han Li nodded, his expression grave. “She and I share fate, but not destiny. If we cannot change the current board, then in a hundred years, we will simply be two more corpses facing Sitting Death and Dao Dissipation. She is my Heart Demon, Junior Li. If her trauma is not excised, my path is entirely blocked. But if she is cured, my Heart Demon will vanish with hers. Once that karma is settled, life and death will be left entirely to the heavens. Even if I fade into dust, I will perish without a single regret.”