Chapter 289: Immortal Master

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he naturally had no regard for mortal elixirs. However, at this moment, he certainly couldn't refuse the offer. He reluctantly accepted the item with an embarrassed look.

"Haha, Nephew Han!" Qin Yan exclaimed. "This Heart Protection Pill is Brother Hua's secret concoction; he doesn't easily part with it. It's truly generous of him to offer it as a gift today!" Qin Yan knew Han Li wouldn't value the item, but he still spoke highly of it on behalf of his friend, hoping the old man, Hua, would leave a good impression on Han Li.

The old man looked at Qin Yan strangely, unsure what he meant by saying this in front of Han Li.

He had given the extremely valuable pill to the young man purely out of respect for Qin Yan. Otherwise, this priceless medicine, which was nearly impossible to acquire, would never have been given to a stranger he had just met.

Just as the old man, confused, was about to ask a couple of questions, a sharp voice rang out.

"Prince Xin has arrived!"

This announcement from a servant immediately silenced the noisy hall. Everyone soberly watched the side door.

From the side door, four maids first emerged, taking their places on either side of the main seat. Then, a man and a woman unhurriedly entered.

The man was a middle-aged individual over forty with a short, several-inch beard. He had a square face and a pair of tiger-like eyes, exuding an imposing aura without even needing to show anger. The woman was a stunning beauty in her early twenties, dressed in palace attire with a long, trailing skirt.

Upon seeing this, all the seated guests immediately rose and bowed to the man and woman, saying:

"Greetings, Your Royal Highness and Madam!"

Since the young woman was not Prince Xin's original wife but a recently favored concubine, the guests could only address her as "Madam."

"You are all my good friends," Prince Xin announced. "There's no need for such formality. Come, please be seated."

Prince Xin's manner of speaking was quite different from his imposing appearance; he was very straightforward and amiable, which instantly endeared him to people. His favored concubine beside him merely offered a charming smile and said nothing.

The others heard this, exchanged glances and smiled, then took their seats as instructed.

"I am a straightforward person, so I will speak plainly with all of you!" Prince Xin declared with a smile, having just settled into his seat.

These words immediately prompted the people opposite him to start speaking animatedly, all at once.

"Your Royal Highness, please speak your mind."

"Indeed," another added, "we've known Your Royal Highness for many years. Everyone knows your temperament."

Evidently, some remarks were sincere, while others were blatant flattery directed at Prince Xin.

"The reason I invited you all here today," Prince Xin began, "is twofold. Firstly, my beloved concubine Qing'er's strange illness has now fully recovered, and given my nature, I naturally wanted to celebrate it grandly! Secondly, I have an immense benefit I wish to bestow upon all of you. As for whether you have the fortune to receive it, that will depend on your own destiny."

Prince Xin's words greatly exceeded everyone's expectations, causing them to exchange bewildered glances.

This prince had gathered them all together, but for him to actually give them benefits seemed too incredible!

"Hehe, Qing'er, look," Prince Xin chuckled, turning to his beautiful concubine. "Aren't they all surprised, just as I predicted?" He was not angry at their reaction.

The beautiful woman named Qing'er chuckled lightly, then replied in a charming voice:

"Your Royal Highness, anyone who hears such words would likely be surprised! This reaction is quite normal."

Prince Xin chuckled at her words. After stroking his short beard, he turned back to the somewhat awkward guests and explained:

"There's no need to be confused, everyone! The situation is this: Qing'er's strange illness was actually cured by a master who recently arrived at my residence. This master can summon wind and rain, breathe fire and ice – he is truly an immortal being. Furthermore, after curing Qing'er's illness, this living immortal immediately discerned that my youngest son possesses immortal roots and can comprehend immortal arts. So he took my son as his disciple, and soon my son will depart with him to cultivate immortality and learn the Dao."

At this point, Prince Xin could no longer suppress the joy on his face, revealing an expression of triumph.

Upon hearing this, a corpulent person in the hall immediately blurted out:

"A cultivator? Is this person the legendary cultivator?"

These words immediately caused a stir among the people in the hall.

Although cultivators were very mysterious to ordinary mortals in the secular world, the people present were not common folk. Naturally, they had heard rumors about them to varying degrees; some even had ancestors who had encountered rogue cultivators. Even now, rumors persisted that cultivators guarded the imperial palace, which made everyone even more awestruck.

Now, having heard that such a living immortal had actually arrived at Prince Xin's manor, most of the guests in the hall instantly showed expressions of extreme excitement.

Qin Yan was startled upon hearing this and involuntarily turned to glance at Han Li.

However, Han Li's expression remained as usual, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Seeing this, Qin Yan dared not ask further and could only turn his head back to listen to Prince Xin's next words.

At this point, Prince Xin chuckled, seeing that everyone before him was stunned by his words, and continued:

"Of course, I asked this master, and he indeed admitted to being a cultivator. Furthermore, at my earnest request, he agreed to stay at my residence for several months and instruct me on some ways of preserving health. During our casual conversations, I learned that this immortal being came to the mortal world specifically to take disciples with immortal destiny. Upon learning this, I immediately thought of all of you, my good friends. That's why I invited your nephews and nieces here, as this immortal master accepts both male and female disciples. In a moment, I will invite Master Wu out to meet everyone. As for whether they have this fortune, that will depend on their immortal destiny."

If his previous words had only made the attendees envious, then Prince Xin's subsequent announcement was like a massive gift dropped from the sky, filling them all with a mix of surprise and delight. Instantly, a chorus of grateful and thankful voices erupted.

Cultivators! They were like living immortals on Earth. It was said that successful cultivators could live for several hundred years and wield immortal techniques and arts! If any of their children or nephews/nieces were fortunate enough to become a disciple, what a powerful backing that would be for their families!

Han Li, upon hearing this, still maintained a blank and wooden expression, but inwardly, he felt a little strange.

Originally, when he heard Prince Xin mention a living immortal, he thought he had found traces of a demonic cultivator.

But now, hearing that this person was openly taking many disciples, that didn't seem right. What cultivator infiltrating another country for sabotage would so brazenly draw attention to themselves? Wouldn't that just make them a target? Unless this cultivator was...

As Han Li pondered this, amidst the excitement of the crowd, the living immortal finally appeared grandly in the hall.

Dressed in a gray Daoist robe, with white hair and beard, and a face as rosy as a baby's, he looked exactly like the enlightened masters of legend. With such an appearance, even before the immortal master performed any magic, more than half of those present already believed him.

However, when Han Li clearly saw this immortal master, who looked almost exactly like a painting, he was speechless for a long time.

This person was clearly only a minor cultivator at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Condensation. If Han Li extended just one finger, he could probably easily crush him.

Yet, before this "master," these highly esteemed figures among mortals all flocked around him, constantly flattering him, hoping this old immortal would be merciful and accept their children, nephews, and nieces as disciples.

Qin Yan, standing in front of Han Li, couldn't help but feel a stirring desire upon seeing this scene, while the younger generation behind him looked even more anxious. They were afraid that if they went too late, all the immortal opportunities would be snatched up by others.

Just as Qin Yan was hesitating, Han Li's voice suddenly came to his ear.

"Don't worry, this person is not a demonic cultivator!" Han Li's voice echoed in Qin Yan's ear. "As for whether you want your grandchildren to become this person's disciple, that's up to you! I am merely here to protect the safety of your Qin family! However, this immortal master's cultivation... hehe!"

With a few cold chuckles, Han Li's voice suddenly vanished.

Qin Yan was startled and quickly looked around, but he found that no one else seemed to have heard these words besides himself. Old Brother Hua even asked him with a bewildered expression why he wasn't going up to the immortal master to let the younger generation try their immortal destiny.

At the same time, Old Man Hua kept exclaiming in realization, saying that it was no wonder the strange illness he couldn't cure could be miraculously healed by this person. "So he was a cultivator!"

After saying this, the old man also paid no attention to Qin Yan and his group and likewise moved closer to the white-haired old Daoist. His grandson and granddaughter naturally followed closely behind him.