The Path to Immortality Begins as a Sect's Menial Servant

"Alright."

Li An agreed.

Several disciples then carried Tan Qingxue into her private chamber.

Zhao Gang gave some instructions, and Jing Ao also reminded Li An of a few things before they both took their leave.

Li An walked over to Tan Qingxue’s bedside and examined her carefully. On the sickbed, her face was as pale as paper, her breathing faint. In just a few days, she had become noticeably thinner.

Li An placed his fingers on her wrist, quietly sensing.

"Her body has barely recovered, but due to the severity of the injuries and the depth of the poisoning, she’s fallen into Death Trance..."

He murmured.

In truth, he felt hesitant. With his understanding of the Life Nursing Immortal Forging Art, if he activated the power of his Life Seed, he would likely be able to save her.

Back when they were in the Spirit Beast Mountains, Tan Qingxue had chosen not to save Li An after he fell into the ravine, but Li An never truly held it against her.

After all, at that time, he had deliberately concealed himself and distanced himself from Tan Qingxue.

If the roles had been reversed and she had fallen instead, he might have made the same choice.

Over the past few years, Tan Qingxue had always been trusting and generous toward Li An. But even so, Li An never developed any special feelings in return.

To Li An, Tan Qingxue was no different than Wang Zilin or Zhang Susu from the Spirit Herb Mountain.

Just another passerby on the path to Immortality.

Thus, Li An’s attitude toward them was simple: he would only help or save them if he could guarantee his own absolute safety.

Just like back on Spirit Herb Mountain, Li An had been too weak. A single Fan Jie had posed a life-or-death threat to him. Even though he foresaw Zhang Susu’s fate, he was powerless to interfere.

Now, as he considered saving Tan Qingxue, his only concern was whether it would bring him trouble.

After pondering for a while, he did not make an immediate decision.

In the days that followed, Li An continued his normal cultivation and daily life. He hired a maidservant to help care for Tan Qingxue—cleaning and tending to her basic needs.

At the same time, every evening, he brought Gu Hong food and feminine essentials. The two became increasingly familiar.

One day, Li An received a letter from the sect.

Since arriving here, Li An had occasionally exchanged letters with Wang Dazhu and Zhao Xianchuan, but this time, the letter came from Xu Qiuhui.

In the letter, Xu Qiuhui expressed deep concern for Tan Qingxue and entrusted Li An with taking good care of her.

She also mentioned she was preparing for Foundation Established and would visit personally after her breakthrough.

Additionally, enclosed in the letter was another High-Grade talisman brush—a gift for Li An from Xu Qiuhui.

After reading the letter, Li An sat in deep thought for a long time.

That night, Li An entered Tan Qingxue’s room and sat quietly at her bedside. After a long while, he gently lifted her up and placed his palm against her back.

In his dantian, the four leaves of the jade-green Life Seed trembled softly, and a wisp of ancient green energy flowed from his palm into Tan Qingxue’s body.

…

Darkness.

Tan Qingxue’s consciousness drifted in endless darkness. She felt colder and colder.

It seemed she would never escape, as though bound by the ropes of death—she could not flee, could not breathe.

It was as if she were falling endlessly through a void with no bottom.

This had gone on for a long time.

Am I going to die?

This thought echoed repeatedly in her mind.

As death approached clearly, and she still retained awareness, her life flashed before her eyes.

A girl from the mundane world, chosen by the Clear Sun Sect for her decent talent, she had shown promise in the path of talismans and entered the Talisman Hall...

But her life had been so plain, so simple...

A life spent cultivating—was it really worth it? Endless hardship along the path to Immortality, scheming against others, being schemed against... When she died, would anyone even cry for her?

What did this path bring her in the end? If she hadn’t joined the Immortal sect and instead lived a normal life—married, had children, grew old—perhaps she would have tasted some joy in life?

As her consciousness faded, regret welled up in her heart.

She also thought of Xu Qiuhui. Sister Xu was a good person—she would surely grieve for her.

And... would Li An?

No, he wouldn’t.

He only had eyes for Sister Xu. Only if something happened to her would he feel sorrow, right?

Her consciousness faded and faded...

But then—

In the midst of this freezing darkness, she suddenly felt a warm current, as though it pierced through everything, melting the cold and wrapping around her.

She saw a green hand—large, gentle—reaching out from the void and pulling her out of the darkness…

She tried hard to open her eyes, to see clearly—

…

“No...”

On the embroidered bed, Tan Qingxue suddenly opened her eyes, letting out a faint cry.

The dim candlelight in the room filled her vision. She was momentarily dazed—this place...

She turned her head and saw Li An sitting at her bedside.

“You’re awake.”

Li An spoke calmly, with a slight smile. “You’ve been unconscious for many days.”

Seeing Li An, Tan Qingxue was inexplicably overwhelmed with emotion. Her heart surged. She threw herself into Li An’s arms and sobbed.

Li An stiffened slightly but did not move.

“Junior Brother, I thought I’d never see you again…”

Tan Qingxue cried, “I regret it so much! I’m so sorry—for the Spirit Beast Mountains, for not saving you when I went searching for herbs. Please forgive me, please forgive me...”

She raised her tearful eyes, filled with pleading.

Li An sighed softly. “Sister Qingxue, it’s all in the past. Rest well. I’ll take my leave.”

He gently removed Tan Qingxue’s hands, stood up, and walked away.

In the dim candlelight, Tan Qingxue watched his departing figure, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Yes... you love Sister Xu…

But how can I repay you, Li An, for saving me twice?”

…

The next day, Li An invited Zhao Gang to re-examine Tan Qingxue.

Seeing that she had truly awakened, Zhao Gang clicked his tongue in amazement. He left behind many pills and reminded her to take them regularly before departing.

“Sister Qingxue, the medicinal soup is ready. Drink it while it’s hot.”

Li An brought in the soup and placed it on the table.

“Thank you, Brother Li…”

Tan Qingxue said gratefully.

“No need to thank me. I didn’t do anything,”

Li An waved it off with a smile. “It was Senior Brother Jing Ao who brought you back, and Shopkeeper Zhao whose medical skills are excellent...”

Hearing this, Tan Qingxue merely sighed inwardly and said nothing more.

Just like back then, Li An had quietly saved her, yet refused to take credit.

Was it really just because of Sister Xu?

She forced herself to write a letter and had someone deliver it to Xu Qiuhui. In it, she expressed her gratitude and described her current condition. She also mentioned, briefly, that Li An had saved her.

Three days later, she received a reply.

That evening, after reading the letter, her face turned crimson.

“…Li An has an excellent temperament. Since he’s already saved your life twice, why not consider walking the path together? If you could win such a worthy partner, I would rest easy.”

She stared at the letter, deep in thought.

Then she got up, tied on an apron, and cooked a large table of dishes. She even went to the Market District to buy two large jars of spirit wine.

That night, she invited Li An over for dinner.

The table was filled with exquisite food. Though Tan Qingxue wasn’t very skilled at cooking, the ingredients were high-quality and full of spiritual essence—the fragrance was delightful.

Li An found it all rather odd but said nothing and sat down.

“Sister Qingxue’s cooking is very good.”

“Truly good, or just flattery?”

“Of course it’s truly good.”

“Well then, I’ll cook every day from now on. You come to eat every day, alright?”

Li An was a little stunned.

“What? Brother Li is not willing?”

Tan Qingxue blushed deeply and looked extremely awkward, having summoned all her courage.

“That would trouble you too much. It might interfere with your cultivation—I wouldn’t dare,” Li An replied.

“It’s no trouble at all...”

Tan Qingxue smiled slightly, then got up and poured him some wine. “Brother Li, let’s have a drink?”

…

(End of Chapter)