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'I always feel like these past two years have been like a dream.'
Li Ping'an's father, Li Dazhi, stood in front of a bronze mirror, admiring the brand-new vermilion robe with wide sleeves and short collar he was wearing.
Seeing the slight wrinkles on his plump, fair, and rosy face, Li Dazhi let out a small sigh.
He was indeed getting old.
Li Dazhi was not very tall, slightly overweight, with a beer belly particularly noticeable, and his two and a half years of grown hair added a bit of scholar's air to him.
Li Dazhi chuckled to himself: 'Although I'm not good-looking, my son is famed as a handsome lad in the surrounding villages for miles!'
A guardian in a short shirt and long pants hurried over and bowed:
"Master, the streets are abuzz, several immortals have arrived at the Ascension Platform in the city!"
"They've come so quickly..."
Li Dazhi looked lost and sighed, "Where's Ping'an?"
"The young master is already in line waiting."
Li Dazhi nodded slightly, flicked his sleeves, and placed his hands behind his back, assuming the stance of the master of the house.
"Is the carriage ready?"
"It's ready."
Li Dazhi waved his hand and looked at the bronze mirror, a trace of reluctance flickering in his eyes.
This great city, shrouded in clouds and spanning ten miles, is called Wan'an City, situated in a corner of the middle section of the East Continent, under the secular control of the Wanyun Sect, a major cultivation sect of the human race.
Every ten years, Wan'an City holds a selection for the immortal sects, gathering children from within hundreds of miles who aspire to cultivate immortality.
The Ascension Platform, seeking the Path of Immortality.
His son, Li Ping'an, had made all the arrangements and was about to leave the secular world with these immortals.
Li Dazhi was well aware of it. Ever since they had transmigrated, Li Ping'an had dreamt of cultivating immortality, so how could he stop his son from pursuing his dreams?
"Alas."
With a sigh, Li Dazhi turned and walked towards the front courtyard, appreciating the family business they had built together.
Soon after, Li Dazhi stepped out of the grand entrance, boarded the carriage, flanked by guardians on either side. Creatures resembling mountain goats but about the same size as horses pulled the carriage slowly forward.
Li Dazhi watched the road ahead, his thoughts beginning to drift.
Facing the separation from his son, Lord Li couldn't help but become more emotional.
Their transmigration had been two and a half years ago.
Li Dazhi remembered it clearly.
It was the evening of the twenty-seventh day of the lunar new year; he was returning to his hometown with his only son, Li Ping'an, for the new year celebration when an argument broke out between them on the highway.
Arguments were normal, given the differences in thinking between two generations.
Li Dazhi, who had run businesses in a small town for years, admired the mentality of the younger generation including that of his son more than he was dissatisfied.
But there was no choice, as Ping'an's mother had passed away early, and matters like urging marriage or urging to have children could only be dealt with by Li Dazhi himself.
During a stop at a highway rest area, the two fell into a cold war because Li Dazhi had secretly arranged a blind date for Li Ping'an back in their hometown; neither wanted to back down, and they stubbornly ate two bowls of noodles in silence.
On their way back to the SUV, Li Dazhi, a keen-eyed former soldier, noticed an out-of-control truck that could not slow down, heading straight for a little girl.
Without a second thought, Li Dazhi, a veteran, rushed forward and pushed the girl to safety, but he himself ended up directly in the path of the truck.
As Li Dazhi's mind went blank, he suddenly felt someone pulling him, and turning his head, he saw his son's young face, illuminated by the headlights.
Li Dazhi was frantic, but the next moment he was hit by severe pain, and his consciousness plunged into a dark abyss.
When he woke up again, he was on his son's back as they slowly made their way through a wilderness...
Thinking about what happened afterward, Li Dazhi was filled with immense emotion;
He was emotional that he had indeed grown old and couldn't keep up with the times.
The language system of this world was somewhat similar to the dialect of a remote area in their old home in China, so it was not difficult to learn.
Carrying him, Li Ping'an found a village where Li Dazhi had spent over a month recovering.
Having farmed when he was young, Li Dazhi made a few farming tools and gained some fame in the village, quickly earning the respect of the locals.
By chance, the father and son witnessed several 'immortals' riding clouds across the mountains.
Only then did they realize they were in a world abundant with spiritual energy, where cultivation was possible.
As Li Dazhi saw it, they should be pragmatic, first establish themselves in this world, accumulate some wealth, and then use their mundane riches to pursue the path of immortality.
But Li Ping'an clearly had his own ideas.
Once sure of his father Li Dazhi's recovery, Li Ping'an asked a few familiar young men in the village center to look after his father, then took up his bow and arrows and a machete, and ventured into the vast mountains.
Li Dazhi worried about his son's safety but was unable to overcome his son's stubborn temper, and let him go.
After Li Ping'an entered the mountains, Li Dazhi, still recuperating, prematurely began another entrepreneurial journey in this strange land.
The experience of successfully starting a business back in China gave Li Dazhi a smooth start.
First, by promoting agricultural tools and accumulating some money, he moved to the nearest town from the village, traded goods, and met people. In less than half a year, Li Dazhi was thriving, owning several market stalls and shops.
During this time, every month Li Ping'an would send a letter to report his safety, gradually reassuring Li Dazhi about his son.
Once wealth begins to accumulate, it invariably attracts the eyes of evildoers.
A local bully in the town took a liking to Li Dazhi's business, smashed his shops, severely injured his employees, and even threatened to burn down all of his shops.
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