The Oldest Disciple: Farming Intimacy to Become Immortal

The Old Tianshi’s expression shifted slightly, a flicker of genuine astonishment passing through his eyes.

He had never expected the young man before him to be from the Masked Moon Peak lineage of the Joyous Union Sect.

Who in the cultivation world did not know of Senior Nangong Wan?

As Li Meng had suggested, in the entire Tianlan Continent, Senior Nangong Wan was perhaps the only person truly qualified to guide Xia Xi.

“Talk is cheap,” the Old Tianshi said calmly, taking a slow sip of his tea to hide his turbulence. “I require proof.”

Li Meng smiled faintly. With a casual flick of his sleeve, a token shot out, gliding through the air to hover before the old man.

The Tianshi reached out and plucked it from the air. He glanced down at the intricate carvings—the insignia of a Supreme Elder.

He nodded, flicking his sleeve to return the token.

The identity of the young man was no longer in doubt. Although he was not a direct True Disciple of Nangong Wan, being the disciple of a True Disciple still placed him firmly within the Masked Moon Peak’s inner circle.

Yet, hesitation warred with necessity in the Tianshi’s eyes.

The reputation of the Joyous Union Sect was… unsavory, to say the least.

Xia Xi possessed a special constitution that held a fatal attraction for male cultivators. Sending her to the Joyous Union Sect was akin to throwing a lamb into a den of wolves.

If she could truly join the Masked Moon Peak lineage, she would be safe. But could this young man guarantee it? He was merely a third-generation disciple, not Nangong Wan herself.

The Old Tianshi turned his gaze away, looking toward the distant horizon.

Seeing the old man’s apprehension, Li Meng’s expression turned thoughtful. He accepted a fresh cup of tea from the quiet woman serving them and smiled.

“Can the Tianshi detect the presence of my Seniors?”

The Old Tianshi withdrew his gaze from the sky, looking at Li Meng with a newfound perplexity.

This young man was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Judging by his appearance—aged and weathered—his aptitude was likely poor. A genius would have retained their youth upon reaching this realm.

And yet…

“Two of your Fellow Daoists have not concealed their auras,” the Tianshi admitted slowly. “There is a third hidden extremely deep. I can sense a presence, but I cannot pinpoint their location.”

The Old Tianshi took another sip of tea, his mind racing.

Truly strange.

It seemed Masked Moon Peak held this disciple in incredibly high regard. An Inner Disciple protected by three Golden Core cultivators? That was unheard of.

Hearing that there were three protectors, a subtle smile touched Li Meng’s lips.

It seemed his nominal Master really was lurking in the void.

“Now,” Li Meng said softly, “does the Tianshi still harbor doubts about this Junior’s standing?”

The Old Tianshi fell silent. This decision would determine Xia Xi’s entire future. He had to weigh it carefully.

He had considered sending Xia Xi to a cultivation sect within the State of Qi, but her constitution was a curse as much as a gift. Her path would never be smooth. Keeping her here, or sending her to a lesser sect, might only harm her in the long run.

“Tianshi, I do not like to beat around the bush,” Li Meng said, his voice calm and direct. “I indeed came for Fellow Daoist Xia’s constitution. ‘Natural Charm Bones’ make for an excellent ‘Cauldron.’ This is an open secret in the cultivation world. However, while I am no saint, I do not force myself on others. If Fellow Daoist Xia is unwilling, no one will compel her. Not even me. On this, you have my word.”

Li Meng’s frankness drew a chuckle from the old man. The Tianshi stroked his white beard, looking satisfied.

“Rest assured, young friend. This poor Daoist will not stand in the way. If that girl Xia Xi is willing, let her follow you up the mountain.”

Perhaps this man was Xia Xi’s best hope.

His aptitude might be poor, having only reached Foundation Establishment in his twilight years, but the fact that the sect sent three Golden Core Elders to protect his path spoke volumes. He clearly possessed unique qualities or immense wealth.

Moreover, Xia Xi seemed quite taken with this ‘Senior.’

As her Master, why should he block his disciple’s Fated Chance?

Li Meng stood and cupped his hands formally. “Thank you, Tianshi, for your fulfillment.”

The Tianshi stroked his beard, eyeing Li Meng with the warm, evaluating gaze of a father-in-law looking at a prospective son-in-law.

Li Meng turned his attention briefly to the woman sitting quietly beside the Tianshi.

[Name: Zhang Tianhua] [Age: 27] [Luck: 5,000] [Cultivation: Mid Foundation Establishment] [Aptitude: Innate Dao Body] [Favorability: 0]

Twenty-seven years old and already at Mid Foundation Establishment?

And an Innate Dao Body?

Li Meng withdrew his gaze without betraying his surprise.

Tianshi Mansion was truly a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. To house two disciples with such supreme constitutions was rare indeed.

It was just a shame about the name. Zhang Tianhua sounded rather masculine; it hardly matched her ethereal, immortal beauty.

Li Meng gathered his thoughts and flicked his sleeve.

A streak of yellow spiritual light shot out from the Sword Nurturing Gourd at his waist. It zipped through the window and out of the mansion, expanding rapidly in the open sky until it transformed into a massive, three-headed, six-tailed demon scorpion.

“Why did you call me out? Where is the ground?! Why am I in the sky?!”

Outside the window, the Yellow Sand King screamed in panic, his multiple legs flailing as he tried to dive toward the earth.

“Come back!” Li Meng called out, exasperated.

Why did this scorpion feel so neurotic lately? Was this just the normal personality of a demon beast?

The Yellow Sand King halted his dive and returned, obediently hovering outside the window on a gust of wind, though he looked sullen.

The Tianshi and the woman on the viewing platform stared at the creature.

“Young friend, this is…?”

The Tianshi Mansion of the State of Qi served a role similar to the Demon Suppression Office in the State of Zhao. Slaying demons was part of their mandate. Releasing a high-level demon beast right outside their window was, strictly speaking, a breach of etiquette.

Li Meng chuckled and smoothed his beard. “This is the Yellow Sand King.”

The Tianshi’s face dawned with recognition, followed quickly by a shake of his head.

“I heard about the events in the Western Desert from Xia Xi. The Yellow Sand King’s power to control the wind came from a Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure. Now that the treasure is lost, the King is merely an ordinary demon beast.”

Li Meng smiled mysteriously and shot a glance at the scorpion hovering outside.

The Yellow Sand King pouted. “This Lord is not a circus performer!”

His voice was a low mutter, but all three people on the platform were cultivators with keen senses. They heard him clearly.

“Fly higher,” Li Meng commanded. “Don’t disturb the mortals.”

“Got it, got it!”

The Yellow Sand King glared at Li Meng but obeyed. His massive carapace rose on a updraft, soaring straight up until he was ten thousand meters in the air.

Ten breaths later, the sky above Linhan City underwent a terrifying transformation.

Wind and clouds churned violently. A storm erupted out of thin air, the dark mass spinning into a vortex dozens of miles wide. Fierce gales swept through the capital, rattling windows and whipping flags into a frenzy.

“This… this is…”

The Old Tianshi shot up from his seat, shock written across his face. He stared incredulously at the tiny silhouette in the eye of the raging storm.

The Yellow Sand King was merely a Foundation Establishment demon. How could he possess such a catastrophic Divine Ability?

“Is that… a Wind Riding Talisman? A Superior… no, that is a Divine Sky Wind Riding Talisman!”

The Dao rhyme emanating from the scorpion was too dense, too profound to belong to the beast itself. It was the power of a high-tier talisman.

“Enough. Come back.”

Li Meng’s Divine Sense transmission cut through the air, making the Yellow Sand King’s pupils contract.

The beast immediately retracted his aura. The storm clouds that had threatened to swallow the heavens dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving the sky clear once more.

Silence reigned on the viewing platform.

“Although he is no longer comparable to a wielder of a Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure,” Li Meng said casually, “he is more than capable of serving as a local Earth God, protecting the soil of the State of Qi from desert erosion. Consider the Yellow Sand King a greeting gift from this Junior to the Tianshi.”