Chapter 77

"Really?" Shen Xian'er’s bright eyes sparkled. "Food so delicious that even immortals would be tempted!"

She immediately stood up, clasping her hands together, her mind filled with images of steaming, fragrant dishes. Drooling like a true foodie, she looked so adorable that even Du Ming and Lan Caicai were taken aback.

Especially Du Ming.

He knew Shen Xian'er loved to eat, but he hadn’t expected her to be this gluttonous—it was almost on par with his own obsession with reading people's fortunes.

"Of course. That kind of food is so rare even I haven't had the chance to taste it," Han Luo said, picking up a cup of tea and sipping it leisurely, his movements unhurried. Seeing the eagerness in Shen Xian'er’s expression gave him an inexplicable sense of achievement.

"Then... then... senior brother..." Shen Xian'er, her face flushed red, puckered her lips and scooted closer to Han Luo, subtly nudging his arm with her flat chest, trying to hint at her thoughts without saying them aloud. After all, she had just said she didn’t want to attend the Luoxian Assembly, but now, with the promise of delicious food, she was tempted again—too embarrassed to ask directly, she could only act coyly.

Of course, her little scheme was obvious to everyone present, whether it was the two humans, the cat, or the dog.

"Don’t worry," Han Luo chuckled, agreeing readily. "I know your love for good food. I wouldn’t dream of competing with you for it."

"Mm, mm, mm! Senior brother, you’re the best! You’re the best in the whole wide world!" Shen Xian’er beamed with joy, grabbing the unwilling Xiaobai and spinning around in circles.

Du Ming and Lan Caicai could only shake their heads at the sight. Since they were about to leave and might never return, they said nothing more—but inwardly, they worried for the naive Shen Xian'er. Judging by the conversation just now, she was completely wrapped around Han Luo’s little finger. They could only hope Han Luo wasn’t a scumbag.

"Please don’t worry," Han Luo said, easily catching the concern in their eyes. "Xian'er is my junior sister. How could I ever harm her? As the most talented disciple of Luoxian Sect, it would be unthinkable for her not to participate in the Luoxian Assembly. Besides, even if I wanted to harm her, Master would hunt me to the ends of the earth and skin me alive."

He spoke steadily and calmly, answering their unspoken worries.

Yet inwardly, he thought to himself—whether it was Shen Xian'er or these two seniors who were about to leave, they were already within the palm of his hand.

As always, there were only two real choices in life: either develop stealthily, hiding away and growing stronger until fully equipped to dominate—or simply gain enough power to crush everyone from the start.

Most would pick one of these paths. Han Luo? Naturally, he chose both.

"Since it’s settled, make sure you don’t miss the timing for the Luoxian Assembly," Du Ming said, standing up. After exchanging a few polite words with Han Luo and Shen Xian'er, he left with Lan Caicai.

"Goodbye, senior brother and sister!" Shen Xian'er waved at them before quickly turning back to prepare for the assembly.

On the road—

"Senior brother, this Han Luo is so strange," Lan Caicai said, frowning. "He clearly only has the cultivation of the seventh stage of Qi Refining and has refined his spirit body just five times. By all logic, he shouldn’t give off that kind of deep, unfathomable feeling."

Despite their brief interaction, Lan Caicai couldn’t shake the sensation that everything had unfolded precisely according to Han Luo’s intentions. Even now, after putting a considerable distance between themselves and Luoxian Mountain, she still felt faintly controlled.

"Han Luo is definitely not simple," Du Ming said, twirling his folding fan. "He’s the kind of cultivator who, like me, acts with flair and leaves without leaving a trace, hiding all his accomplishments."

The first part sounded decent, but the second half revealed his shameless nature. Lan Caicai couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.

Still, thinking about it carefully, their levels of shamelessness were indeed comparable.

"Silly girl," Du Ming said, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "The world is vast, filled with countless people and countless things we don’t know. So, it’s best to focus on doing what we should, walking our own path. As for the character and choices of others, it's neither our responsibility nor within our control, right?"

He looked at her warmly, the setting sun casting a soft glow over them, making him appear affectionate and sincere.

"Hmph, acting like you know everything," Lan Caicai huffed—but she still wrapped her arm around his without hesitation.

The two of them, bathed in the sunset, disappeared slowly over the horizon.

Back on the peak of Luoxian Mountain, in front of an ancient bronze mirror, Han Luo muttered to himself, "Not my business, not my business, not my business..."

Watching the mirror’s image of the departing pair, he replayed their conversation in his mind.

To be honest, Du Ming was quite similar to him—unrestrained, carefree, good at offering comforting words, and very effective at it, too. The only difference was that Du Ming lacked his own level of caution—or perhaps, he was just cautious enough that even Han Luo hadn't been able to detect it.

"Ahhh—" Stretching lazily, Han Luo shook out his stiff limbs. Lately, he had been so busy he hadn’t had a proper night's sleep.

He decided: today, he would do absolutely nothing but catch up on his rest, replenishing his energy for the long road of cultivation ahead.

After having dinner with Shen Xian'er, he went into his secure house and slept like the dead for two whole days and nights, completely oblivious to the passage of time.

When he finally woke up, the morning sun shone with the same fresh vitality as it had for countless years before, bringing with it the hope of new beginnings.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Han Luo felt thoroughly refreshed. With the Luoxian Assembly still a few days away, he headed to the library.

According to his ten-year plan, he needed to master formations, alchemy, and talisman crafting.

He had already reached a bottleneck in formations; progress would now depend on long-term accumulation and practice to create more advanced arrays. Alchemy was the same—each pill formula and spirit herb was different, requiring endless study and hands-on testing.

Thus, the focus shifted to talismans.

Talismans were one of the most commonly used tools for cultivators and also one of the skills Han Luo was most familiar with. Many of his powerful trump cards were linked to talismans.

In truth, the basic principle behind crafting talismans was simple: using a carving knife to inscribe spiritual energy onto special materials.

But as always, the simpler something seemed, the harder it was to truly master.

Han Luo made his way to the talisman section, picked out a few foundational manuals, and began studying.

Several days later, after grasping the basics, he selected a few commonly used talismans to practice carving.

The carving process was painstaking and monotonous—on par with extracting spirit herbs during alchemy—but Han Luo found it refreshingly new and fascinating.

With just a knife, he could create talismans capable of producing incredible, almost magical effects. The possibilities broadened his horizons immensely.

Time flew by like an arrow.

Before he knew it, a month had passed, and the day of the Luoxian Assembly had finally arrived.