Longevity starts from having a daughter in old age

Xu Mu could sense that the Fairy You Lan before him had also reached the mid-Golden Core Stage. Her cultivation level was not much inferior to his.

It was the system’s help that enabled him to get from the early Foundation Establishment Stage to mid-Golden Core Stage in less than a hundred years. Though Fairy You Lan was a little bit inferior to him, compared to ordinary cultivators, she was downright terrifying.

“Friend, you’re too modest. I am curious about your current appearance, however,” Fairy You Lan said, perplexed.

Had she not been confident in her own divine skills, she couldn’t have imagined in her wildest dreams that Xu Mu could transform into his present form.

One must know that when they first met, Xu Mu was still a young man who obviously had a great deal of lifespan remaining. He would not have become what he is now even had he failed to breakthrough to the Golden Core.

Furthermore, he had indeed broken through to the Golden Core; he was in the mid-Golden Core Stage. It was known that a cultivator in the Golden Core Stage could live up to seven or eight hundred years. Considering the circumstances when they first met, Xu Mu shouldn’t have become like this.

In her heart, she guessed that Xu Mu might have cultivated through some method which depleted his life force, hence his old appearance.

This guess explained why Xu Mu’s dramatic progress in cultivation did not surprise her too much.

“That’s a long story…”

Regarding this matter, Xu Mu already had a prepared answer. He concocted a half-true, half-fabricated adventure story, claiming that when he was exploring a secret realm, he encountered a demonic enemy. With no other choice, he had to drain his life force.

It was precisely because of that opportunity that he fortuitously managed to break through to the Golden Core Stage. This also explained why he ended up here.

Originally, he was in the region of the Tianhe Sect, millions of miles away from here. If he didn’t provide a suitable reason, he couldn’t guarantee that You Lan wouldn’t harbor any suspicions.

Although the Southern Domain was far from the Eastern Region, given Fairy You Lan’s strength, she must know a bit about the demonic catastrophe.

If she were to associate that with him, it would be troublesome. This was the main reason why he didn’t want to acknowledge her back at the Palm Immortal Office.

“Fate lies in both good and bad, there’s a blessing in every curse. This is how worldly opportunities work. Friend, you must not let your mind subside in worry. As long as you can break through to the Nascent Soul Stage in the future, everything will be fine!” Fairy You Lan reassured.

From her looks, it seemed Fairy You Lan had believed his words.

“The Nascent Soul Stage is no ordinary mark. Given my current situation, I’m afraid the chances are slim!”

If he hadn’t had the system, Xu Mu would have given up with his current condition. So, his words were not an underestimation.

After Fairy You Lan comforted him a few more times, Xu Mu changed the subject and asked her, “I did not expect that Fairy was originally from the Eastern Region. I wonder why you ended up in the Southern Domain?”

“That’s a long story too. If you don’t mind, why don’t we go to my cave and sit for a while?” Fairy You Lan suggested with a smile.

Xu Mu’s eyes flickered and he nodded his head.

Elder Jin’s strength was in the late Golden Core Stage, while Fairy You Lan was in the mid-Golden Core Stage. Both were not weaker than him in cultivation, but Xu Mu was confident that if both moved against him, he would still be able to escape.

Moreover, since they were now on their territory, and he would have to interact with them in the future, it would be inappropriate for him to refuse their invitation.

“Please.”

“After you.”

The three of them turned into three escape lights, heading towards the temporary dwelling place arranged for Fairy You Lan by the Palm Immortal Office.

On the way, Elder Jin, who was guarding behind Fairy You Lan, frequently glanced at Xu Mu. After recognizing him, he was also taken aback by his cultivation level.

When Xu Mu had first met Fairy You Lan, Elder Jin had been present. At that time, Xu Mu had shown potential, but he had never imagined that Xu Mu could advance one major realm and more than ten minor realms within a hundred years.

Such cultivation talent, even if placed in the Da Yuan Dynasty, would be among the top.

If it weren’t for Xu Mu’s appearance, suggesting that he was nearing the end of his lifespan, he would have definitely tried to persuade Fairy You Lan to accept him.

Because of a formation barrier, the three of them landed at the entrance. The gatekeepers were two Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators from the Palm Immortal Office, whom Xu Mu had encountered before. They held quite a high position at the Chi Zhou Prefecture’s Palm Immortal Office. He did not expect that they were now assigned to guard the door for Fairy You Lan.

This strongly suggested that Fairy You Lan was by no means an ordinary envoy from the Palm Immortal Office.

The next moment, the two Foundation-building guards addressed Fairy You Lan’s identity.

“We pay respects to Her Highness the Princess!”

The guards greeted with respect at the entrance.

Xu Mu’s eyes flickered slightly, but his face did not show much surprise.

Nevertheless, Fairy You Lan being a princess of the Da Yuan Dynasty was indeed a surprise for him.

He had suspected her identity to be extraordinary, but he did not expect that she would be a princess of the Da Yuan Dynasty.

Fairy You Lan gracefully nodded her head. She led Xu Mu all the way to her residence. After both of them took their seats, she called for spiritual tea and incense to soothe the mind.

Soon after, the room was filled with spiritual mist and the scent of tea was suffused in the air.

After a few sips of tea, Fairy You Lan started talking, “You must have heard about my identity. I am a princess of the Da Yuan Dynasty. The reason I was in Tianhe City was that I was just passing through on my journey.”

“No wonder, Fairy, you’re so talented. You are of noble descent! I was so blind before, please forgive me if I have offended you!” Xu Mu said.

“Don’t make fun, friend,” Fairy You Lan replied with a smile, “There’s an abundance of princes and princesses in the imperial clan. I am just an ordinary one. Please treat me as a common person without making any fuss about my identity!”

“If a princess with Fairy’s talents is considered ordinary, are there any geniuses in this world? As for the status, I dare not cross any boundaries!” Xu Mu said.

“I guess the friend has never met the real geniuses of our imperial clan. If you did, you wouldn’t say so!”

Fairy You Lan waved her hand, apparently not wanting to dwell on this topic. Instead, she asked Xu Mu why he had ended up being an elder in a minor clan in the Chi Zhou Prefecture.

“When I first arrived here, I was without a place to stay. Therefore, I thought I’d find a secure place first to look at the situation before considering my next move.”

“I see.”

The two sat in the room, sipping tea and chatting about all sorts of things. After a while, Xu Mu broached a subject, “I’m curious about these rogue cultivators that Your Highness is chasing. What kind of terrible crime did they commit that warrants your personal involvement?”

“They didn’t commit any major crime per se. They just kidnapped an offering from the court. Also, their strength is considerable, so I was dispatched here to arrest them.”

Fairy You Lan was extremely intelligent. Upon noticing the change in Xu Mu’s expression, she subtly guessed something.

“Could it be that you have information about these people?”

“That…”

“Please feel free to speak up, friend. If the information is confirmed, I will surely not treat you unfairly! Given their identity, they would certainly allow me to help you find a decent background.”

“To tell you the truth, when I first arrived here, I happened to run into them. Without thinking, I killed all of them!”

“…”