The Oldest Disciple: Farming Intimacy to Become Immortal

Chapter 216: From Greeting Moon Peak to Spirit Stream Peak

The two women walked out of the room, one following the other.

Listening to the soft rhythm of their footsteps fading into the distance, Li Meng lay atop the bed, a flicker of curiosity dancing in his eyes. He had never met Li Qiulan, the Headmaster’s younger sister.

Should he sneak a glance?

“She’s a Golden Core cultivator. Better not go looking for trouble,” he murmured to himself. The five senses of a Golden Core expert were preternaturally sharp; even without deploying her Divine Sense, she would likely detect a voyeur the moment he drew near.

Out in the pavilion, the world was transformed. Brilliant moonlight cascaded from the heavens, draping the sprawling sea of flowers in a shimmering veil of silver. The vibrant petals took on a dreamlike, ethereal quality in the lunar glow.

Inside the pavilion, two graceful figures sat by a stone table.

“Travel afar? Why would you suddenly make such a decision?” Li Qiushui’s hand trembled, the tea within her cup rippling. Her sister actually intended to leave the Sect to wander the world?

Li Qiushui’s expression darkened instantly. “Do you have a death wish?”

Facing her sister’s burgeoning anger, Li Qiulan remained composed. She lifted her teacup with practiced elegance and took a slow, measured sip.

“Staying within the Sect is meaningless now,” Li Qiulan replied softly. “Only by traveling the world in search of a Fated Chance is there any hope for me to break through and reach the Nascent Soul stage.”

Shadows of conflicting emotions played across Li Qiushui’s face. After a long silence, she let out a bitter laugh and shook her head, draining her tea in a single, desperate gulp.

“Even if you find the chance to break through, then what? You are already 432 years old. Unless you find a Longevity Fruit to extend your life, you won’t have the time required to complete the breakthrough. Wandering now is a fool’s errand. Sister… please, stay. I do not want to be alone when my time comes. I don’t want to face my own Sitting Death and Dao Dissipation without seeing your face one last time, nor do I want to wake up one day to the news that you have Perished in some godforsaken land.”

Li Qiushui’s gaze was raw and pleading. Li Qiulan was her only sibling, her only remaining family in this cold world of cultivation. They had ascended the mountain to cultivate together as children and had never truly been apart. Even at the end of her path, Li Qiushui wanted her sister by her side.

Li Qiulan opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat. This wasn’t a whim; she had weighed this decision for years. She could still endure for another century, and if she scoured the peaks and valleys of the Tianlan Continent, perhaps she could find a Longevity Fruit.

But she hadn’t expected her sister’s reaction to be so visceral. She knew Qiushui was right—Fated Chances were always guarded by mortal peril, and the heavens were rarely kind to the desperate.

As the night deepened, a soft click echoed through the quiet room.

Li Meng heard the light tread of footsteps approaching the bed. A moment later, the silk curtains were pulled aside, and a delicate shadow slipped under the covers, burrowing into his arms.

“Junior Nephew Li…” the Headmaster’s voice was a soft, fragile whisper.

“Mmm?”

“Hold me. Just hold me.”

“I will.”

Li Meng wrapped his arms around her, pulling her warm, supple body close to his chest. They didn’t speak; they simply let the silence of the night wash over them as the hours slipped away.

The next morning, the mist around Greeting Moon Peak swirled and parted. A solitary figure emerged from the white haze, riding the wind toward the horizon.

Li Meng glanced back at the receding peak, his brow furrowed. He didn’t know the specifics of what the two sisters had discussed, but Li Qiushui had returned to him looking helpless, her eyes dazed even as the sun rose. He didn’t pry; it was a family matter, and for all their intimacy, he was still an outsider to their shared history.

“It’s him!”

On a neighboring peak, a graceful figure stood at the edge of a precipice. Li Qiulan watched Li Meng’s departing streak of light, her delicate brows knitting together. She hadn’t expected the man in her sister’s chambers to be the famous Junior Nephew from Moon Gaze Peak.

She knew him by reputation, of course. Li Qiushui often spoke of this alchemy prodigy whose talent was nothing short of monstrous.

“Could it be… that Sister has placed all her hopes on him?” Li Qiulan’s eyes clouded with bewilderment.

Li Meng possessed the Five Spirit Roots—the quintessential “waste” physique. No matter how brilliant his talent for alchemy, his cultivation base would eventually become an insurmountable chasm, halting his progress forever.

“Sister… I hope your expectations do not end in a hollow dream.”

A faint, melancholy sigh lingered in the air as Li Qiulan vanished in a flash of light.

Joyous Union Sect, Spirit Stream Peak.

In the courtyard of a quiet pavilion, Li Meng sat at a tea table with Junior Sister Yuan nestled in his lap.

“Relax. You know my capabilities better than anyone,” Li Meng said, reaching out to playfully flick Yuan Baobao’s nose. “When it comes to the art of running away, I suspect even a Golden Core expert would struggle to catch me.”

A trace of melancholy flickered in Yuan Baobao’s eyes. In the world of cultivation, peril was a constant companion, but understanding the danger didn’t make the worry go away.

“Focus on your cultivation,” Li Meng encouraged. “By the time I return, I expect you to have reached the mid Foundation Establishment stage.”

The expedition to Kongming Hall would be an arduous one. Two centuries ago, the Sect’s team had taken 13 years to complete the journey, with half that time spent merely traversing the distance.

Yuan Baobao forced the sadness from her face. She didn’t want to burden him with her fears. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink as she leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek.

“Senior Brother, I promise. When you return, I will be at the mid Foundation Establishment stage!”

He had left her a mountain of resources. Even with her mediocre aptitude, she would pour every ounce of effort into her training. And if she failed? Well, then she would just have to let him “Penalize” her properly. She didn’t exactly mind his bullying, anyway.

A sly, beautiful smile touched her lips. No matter the outcome, she would win.

Li Meng saw the look and chuckled. “It’s a deal, then. But be warned—if you fall short, the Penalty will be severe.”

Yuan Baobao giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck and blinking playfully. “If I fail, I shall accept my punishment willingly!”

They spent the afternoon sipping tea and discussing the Dao, the courtyard filled with her bright, melodic laughter. It wasn’t until the sun touched the horizon that Li Meng finally took his leave.

He streaked across the sky like a golden arrow, piercing the twilight.

“Parting is always such a sorrowful business,” Li Meng mused as he rode the wind. “I suppose no matter how high my realm climbs, I’ll never be truly detached and desireless.”

Such a temperament was considered a taboo among high-level cultivators, who sought to sever mortal ties. But Li Meng simply gave a cold, mocking laugh.

So what if it was a taboo? His Thoughts were clear.

He didn’t need to mimic the path of ancient hermits or blend into the cold indifference of the world. He would do as he pleased, protect those he loved, and climb the peak of immortality alongside his companions. To him, that was the only way cultivation had any meaning at all.

Joyous Union Sect, Sunset Glow Peak.

Night fell, and a full moon claimed the sky.

Tonight, the quiet bamboo forest was disturbed by a persistent clamor. In the upper room of the pavilion, the sounds of “cultivation” and spirited commotion continued for a very, very long time.