After receiving a spare dress from the Hunters, Immortal Lu ran to an isolated area and put on the robe. It was only after solving his dress crisis did he relax. He, who became an Immortal, went through one of the most embarrassing moments of his whole life.
Very contrary to his expectations, the minute he came down the volcano, he encountered a girl who saw through his solidified Qi armor.
What he feared will happen with the arrival of the stronger cultivators, had happened the minute he came down the volcano.
The girl amongst the hunters was very special. She had a low cultivation level, but she had an innate special skill that helped her see-through most things.
Immortal Lu regretted not using his full power Qi armor, and this made him want to run away in embarrassment.
He was already in deep water, soaking wet. There was nothing he could do to erase what happened, but he could go deeper and take a thorough bath.
Thus he met with the hunters, who assumed him to be a cultivator who attempted to go inside the volcano. As he conversed with them, he realized that the lady was shy, and thus she most likely won't tell others about this shameful event.
Even if she did, it will be hard for them to find his identity. The only thing he could do was to not publicize that he was in the Volcano all these years.
He never went there. He never even heard of the place.
Immortal Lu decided to wait and see what will happen.
Fortunately, he received a spare cloth from the hunters. The leader of the hunters was a wise man, who with a glance, recognized his high cultivation. But, he also felt the subservient nature of the leader very uncomfortable, and after suggesting that they should keep their meeting a secret, he left.
What else could he do? Punish them for the mistake he made?
After resolving his cloth problem, Immortal Lu was in a happy mood. Going back into society after a breakthrough was always fun, but it was also depressing.
He realized that it was him cultivating in the volcano that brought spiritual Qi to this once barren Northern land and enabled a forest to grew around. It also worried him about what will happen to the forest and the people, when the Spiritual Qi start to die down.
Immortal Lu observed a nearby town from a distance. Observing how the world changed over the years, fascinated him. As people change, everything they deal with changes, which included the features of the land they live on to the royalty that ruled them.
Going back to the society was also depressing to Immortal Lu, because some people he was familiar with may not be alive now. It was a hard truth that cultivators often faced, and it caused many powerful cultivators of his time to distance themselves from the world.
People wore sophisticated ornaments and dresses, and many stores sold materials he didn't recognize. He had no money on him, and even if he had some, he realized he may not be able to use them. It was because he didn't recognize the gold coins people used in the town.
He didn't want to make a fool of himself, so he decided to get his Spirit garment first.
To avoid the incoming cultivators, Immortal Lu flew through the dangerous Grand Demon Forest. As his destination was on the other side of the forest, it was also the fastest route.
As he got closer, he was able to sense the Spirit garment and confirmed that he was going to the right place.
After 10 minutes of flight, Immortal Lu spotted the high cliff that ended the expanding forest like a wall. The ten thousand feet tall cliff stretched over 100 km. Jike like the area around the volcano, this hilly area changed as well. It used to be an isolated area with a single hut, where the brat with the Zhao surname used to live alone.
Now, tens of thousands of people lived in the area, and buildings occupied three-fourth of the plateau.
"What is he doing?" Flying towards the cliff, Immortal Lu noticed that there was a young teen at the edge of the cliff along with an animal.
It piqued his interest and made him observe the youth.
'He wants to die.' He recognized the youth's intention within a moment.
The lad walked forward and started plummeting towards the bottom with exponential speed.
"Damn."
Immortal Lu, who flew leisurely till now, unleashed his full power, and like a flash of light moved under the falling teen and caught him right before he hit the rocks at the bottom.
The boy was unconscious and Immortal Lu placed his hand on the chest to check his conditions. He looked like he was in his late teenage years with short black hair and fair skin. His body had multiple injuries all over his body, which included swelling on the cheeks, bruises on his arms and chest, and small cuts throughout the body.
Immortal Lu felt pity for the boy and used his Qi to heal his wounds.
"Kid, what is it that made you want to die?"
He wondered. The kid did go through some torture before he decided to take his own life.
He gently placed the boy on the ground.
'Life is very easy to end, hard to sustain, impossible to regain.'
"Ehm. You look very similar to that little brat. You must be the descendant of him." Upon taking a closer look at the kid, Immortal Lu found him familiar. He shared similar features with the Zhao brat that took his Spirit garment.
'Why didn't he wake up already?' Even though he didn't use his Immortal Qi to heal the kid, it should be enough to heal most injuries.
He could use two different types of Qi: the immortal Qi, which he didn't want to use often, and his Spiritual Qi, which he can adjust realm and power.
Immortal Lu bent down and took a closer look at the boy with his senses. And, he saw something that startled him.
"Oh, his soul is dying. It's like his consciousness had no will to live and chose death."
It disappointed him to see that his efforts to save the kid's life became fruitless. But it also surprised him to see a weak kid with no cultivation could 'will' his soul to die. Only after a cultivator reached the Nascent Soul realm could they gain better control of their soul and 'will' their soul for eternal slumber. It didn't make sense.
It wasn't the end of his surprise as he saw something that baffled him again.
"Another consciousness? His soul is very similar to that of the Zhao brat." There was another consciousness inside his soul. Both consciousnesses shared the same roots, and he felt that they felt very similar to the Zhao brat he knew well. Inspecting the soul closer, Immortal Lu discarded the inhibition on his mind and realized what was happening. That possibility always existed and it was just him who didn't want to believe it.
He underestimated, both the kid in front of him and the Zhao brat.
A slight smile appeared on his face as he lifted the boy on to his shoulder.
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