The Oldest Disciple: Farming Intimacy to Become Immortal

Chapter 247: The Mountain God Temple on the Mountain

Mountain-dwellers were enigmatic, terrifying existences to mortals.

General Chai Jin had lived for over 40 years, yet this was his first direct encounter with one. In the past, they were legends, whispered about by high officials but never seen. But tonight, having witnessed the casual power of Immortal Master Yu, Chai Jin understood the depth of the chasm between mortal and immortal.

“General, the mission absolutely must not fail!”

A cavalry officer urged his horse forward, stopping beside Chai Jin. His face was twisted with urgency. “While Immortal Master Yu has lured that person away, let us charge up Great Qu Mountain and execute Prince Qi!”

Chai Jin glanced at the man—Gu Ming, a loyalist inserted into his ranks by Prince Yan.

Chai Jin remained silent, his brows furrowed tightly.

“General, what are you hesitating for?” Gu Ming pressed, his voice hardening. “For the great cause of Prince Yan, sacrifices are unavoidable.”

Seeing Chai Jin unmoved, Gu Ming’s expression turned cold.

“General, if Prince Yan learns that you hesitated at the critical moment, missing the opportunity to execute Prince Qi… how could he possibly spare you?”

The blunt threat caused the other officers to bristle. They were Chai Jin’s men, veterans who had bled together for years. Gu Ming was an outsider, a political watchdog.

Chai Jin stared down the dark official road.

This was the perfect opportunity to kill Prince Qi. But if he died on this mountain, his family in Lin’an City would have no protection. Prince Yan was ruthless; to eliminate future trouble, he would wipe out the entire Chai clan.

He needed a third option. A way to survive this without sacrificing his family. But trapped between a Prince and an Immortal, he saw no way out.

“General, don’t forget your wife and children in Lin’an,” Gu Ming sneered, dropping all pretense.

Chai Jin’s fists clenched on his reins, his face turning ashen. The surrounding officers glared, hands drifting to their sword hilts.

“Chai Jin, deploy the troops immediately!” Gu Ming shouted, his eyes full of mockery.

To him, Chai Jin was just a dog raised by Prince Yan. A useful tool, nothing more. Prince Yan needed a loyal dog, not a man with his own thoughts.

“Kill him, and I will help you break this deadlock.”

A voice, calm and familiar, cut through the rain-soaked silence.

Chai Jin froze.

Li Meng, who had vanished moments ago, had reappeared in the same spot on the road. His white robes were pristine, untouched by the mud or rain. There was no sign of Immortal Master Yu.

Whether the rogue cultivator was alive or dead, only the mountain-dweller knew.

Li Meng narrowed his eyes, looking directly at Chai Jin.

Chai Jin’s expression shifted. He looked at Gu Ming, then back at Li Meng.

Clang!

The decision was made in a heartbeat.

Chai Jin’s longsword left its sheath with a ringing cry. Blade light flashed in the darkness.

Thud.

A head flew high into the air, spinning twice before rolling into the mud. Gu Ming’s headless corpse sat upright in the saddle for a second, blood fountaining from the neck, before toppling sideways.

“Kill them!” Chai Jin roared.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

His officers didn’t hesitate. They drew their swords and turned on Gu Ming’s personal guards.

The commotion lasted less than five breaths. Caught off guard and outnumbered, Prince Yan’s loyalists were cut down before they could even draw their weapons. The smell of fresh blood mixed with the scent of rain and pine.

Chai Jin held his bloody sword, his chest heaving. He looked at Li Meng with burning intensity.

“Does the Immortal Master keep his word?”

“Turn back,” Li Meng said, his voice echoing with supernatural authority. “Return to the capital. Execute Prince Yan. Only then can you break this deadlock.”

With that, Li Meng soared into the sky. His white-robed figure rose straight up like a kite, vanishing into the night clouds in the blink of an eye.

Chai Jin looked up at the full moon, which had emerged from behind the storm clouds.

“General,” a trusted lieutenant whispered, riding up beside him. “Since we have killed Gu Ming, there is no turning back.”

“If we want to switch allegiance to Prince Qi, now is the best time to go up the mountain and pledge loyalty,” another officer suggested.

“No,” a third countered. “That Immortal Master told us to turn back. We should listen to him.”

“Don’t forget, Prince Yan might have other cultivators. Killing him won’t be easy.”

“The Immortal Master must have a plan. His attitude is Prince Qi’s attitude.”

The generals argued, their voices hushed.

Chai Jin stared at Gu Ming’s corpse.

Did he still have a choice?

No. The moment his blade touched Gu Ming’s neck, he had declared war on Prince Yan. If he didn’t find a new master, he and his family were dead. And the Immortal Master had given him a clear path.

Chai Jin sheathed his sword with a sharp click.

“Turn back!” he bellowed, his voice carrying over the ranks. “Return to Lin’an City!”

The army turned. The thunder of hooves resumed, fading into the distance as they marched south, leaving the mountain silent once more.

Great Qu Mountain, Mountain God Temple

Great Qu Mountain was not a jagged peak, but a massive, sprawling gentle giant. The Mountain God Temple sat nestled in a flat forest on the mountainside, a sanctuary on the road between the capital and the border.

Tonight, the temple was noisy. Prince Qi’s exhausted cavalry filled the courtyard, resting under the eaves and along the corridors, too tired to speak.

Inside the main hall, Prince Qi held three sticks of incense above his head. He bowed three times to the clay statue of the Mountain God.

Smoke curled upward, carrying his silent prayers.

He placed the incense in the burner. “Tonight, we disturb out of necessity. Please, Mountain God, do not blame us.”

Just then, a scout sprinted into the hall, dropping to one knee.

“Your Highness! The cavalry attacking from the foot of the mountain… they have suddenly withdrawn!”

Prince Qi’s expression froze. He took three steps back, putting distance between himself and the hope of good news.

“Withdrawn?”

“Yes, Your Highness. They turned around and headed back toward Lin’an at full speed.”

“Scout again,” Prince Qi ordered sharply. “Verify their movements. Do not let your guard down.”

“Yes!”

The scout ran out.

Prince Qi walked to the temple doors, looking up at the moon. Confusion warred with suspicion in his eyes.

He was trapped. The border was only three days away. If they missed tonight, they couldn’t stop him from rallying his armies in the North. Prince Yan’s forces had no reason to give up.

“Could it be a trap?”

He frowned. Perhaps they thought the mountain was too hard to attack? Or perhaps… something had happened in the capital?