Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 353: Explanation

The elderly man also noticed Qin Sang, who was at the Foundation Building Realm like him, and cast a wary glance in his direction.

Qin Sang paid no heed to the warning in the old man's gaze. He took a step forward, removed his hood, and spoke, "Daoist Han, do you still remember me?"

"Sir, be careful!"

The old man had been on guard against Qin Sang all along. The moment he detected Qin Sang’s movement, he immediately leaped forward, shielding the Han Family's head.

So, he has become the head of the Han Family.

Qin Sang halted his steps and scrutinized the Han Family's head.

As the saying goes, one's environment shapes one's disposition. Compared to the youthful inexperience of their first meeting, the Han Family's head now exuded the dignity befitting a leader.

He vividly recalled that back then, Han’s cultivation was not high, and he had nearly perished alongside a demonic cultivator. Now, he stood as the leader of a clan.

In contrast, Qin Sang had relied on the Yan Luo Banner to cultivate, skipped the Foundation Building process with the aid of the Dragon Ginseng, and consumed a thousand-year-old spiritual herb to reach his current level.

This person must have exceptional talent.

"General Qin!"

He clearly remembered Qin Sang. A look of joy surfaced on his face as he hurriedly extended his hand to stop the old man.

"Elder Liu, stay calm! General Qin once saved my life!"

Ignoring Elder Liu’s obstruction, Han strode forward with an expression of pleasant surprise. "General Qin, it really is you! When did you return to Youshan Market? Why have you been absent all these years..."

Mid-sentence, his expression suddenly stiffened as he finally realized that something was off—Qin Sang’s appearance had barely changed, yet his cultivation was now on par with his own!

At the same time, he noticed the Shaohua Mountain's token that Qin Sang had taken out.

"Shaohua Mountain? Daoist Qin... You are now a disciple of Shaohua Mountain?" his voice was filled with astonishment, but his brows gradually furrowed.

Qin Sang nodded slightly. "I was fortunate enough to acquire a sword will decree from Shaohua Mountain. By a twist of fate, I was accepted as a disciple. This time, I happened to be passing through Youshan Market and decided to visit for old times' sake. I didn’t expect to run into you, Daoist Han."

Han's brows knitted tightly. A vague suspicion had already taken root in his mind. He murmured, "Daoist Qin, your spiritual root..."

Qin Sang’s cultivation was plainly displayed before him—it was undeniably at the Foundation Building Realm.

Yet, he distinctly recalled that back when the celestial crane of the Great Sui delivered the imperial decree to confer the emperor, Zhen Ming had been sent to assess Qin Sang’s aptitude. The result reported back had been clear—Qin Sang had no spiritual root!

Because of this, Qin Sang had pleaded desperately, seeking the Dao with unwavering determination, enduring great hardships.

If he truly had no spiritual root, how could Shaohua Mountain have accepted him as a disciple? And how could he have reached such a high cultivation level?

Unless...

Qin Sang gave a faint hum in acknowledgment. Looking into the Han Family patriarch’s eyes, he spoke in an indifferent tone, "Indeed, I possess a spiritual root, though my talent is far from outstanding. Back then... perhaps Daoist Zhen was careless and failed to detect it."

"Impossible!"

Han rejected the notion outright.

For an immortal cultivator, making an error in something as fundamental as detecting a spiritual root was utterly inconceivable!

His face darkened with killing intent, and a cold glint flickered in his eyes.

Even with his level of composure, he struggled to suppress the rage burning within him.

Part of it stemmed from the shame he felt toward Qin Sang, while the other part arose from the fury of having been deceived.

Han turned to Elder Liu and commanded, "Elder Liu, you will handle the rest. If manpower is insufficient, summon the clan elders in my name. I must return to Han Residence immediately."

Elder Liu was utterly bewildered, unable to make sense of the situation. However, upon seeing his family head's seething fury, he dared not question further and unhesitatingly followed the order.

"As you command, Sir."

Han took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger. With deep remorse in his eyes, he looked at Qin Sang and sincerely said, "Daoist Qin, I was at fault back then! I never imagined he would be so audacious... If you have time, would you be willing to return to the Han Family with me? I must give you a proper explanation!"

Qin Sang had been carefully observing Han's expression. Seeing no signs of deceit, he pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

He was also curious—he had no past grievances with Zhen Ming, so why had Zhen Ming harmed him?

However, his feelings toward Zhen Ming were complicated.

By all rights, he should have been furious at nearly having his path to immortality severed. But when he reflected on his experiences over the years, he had to admit—if not for Zhen Ming, he would not be where he was today.

Because of Zhen Ming’s declaration that he lacked the talent for cultivation, he had been forced to head north, arriving at Youshan Market, where he eventually found his way into Shaohua Mountain.

Although he had endured countless hardships, teetering on the brink of death multiple times, he had, in return, gained his current level of cultivation and several extraordinary treasures.

Had he joined the Han Family back then, he would have only become an outer sect disciple. Without the Dragon Ginseng and a Foundation Building Pill, given his talent, he would likely have remained stuck at the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm even into his sixties or seventies.

Eventually, he would have resigned himself to reality, given up on the immortal path, married, had children, and lived out his days at the Han Residence, leading an unremarkable life.

At most, he would have lived a few decades longer than a mortal.

But he would never have had the limitless future he had now.

It was truly a twist of fate.

The group left Youshan Market. Han gave a few more instructions to his subordinates before summoning a flying boat and inviting Qin Sang aboard. Without delay, they set off southwestward.

It was only aboard the flying boat that they finally had time to reminisce.

"When Daoist Qin saved me that year, I had fought that demonic cultivator to a standstill. I was gravely injured, on the verge of death, my spiritual power completely depleted, and all my medicinal pills exhausted.

"It was only thanks to those few Water Dew Pills that I barely clung to life, managing to return to my clan and seek the help of my elders. I secluded myself for eight years to recover my vital energy."

"When the emperor of Great Sui was conferred, I was still at a crucial stage of my recovery."

"Had I known things would turn out this way, I would have risked aggravating my injuries and personally gone down the mountain. I would never have entrusted such an important task to that wretched Zhen Ming!"

Han sighed deeply, full of regret.

Qin Sang knew he was telling the truth. Though he had lacked experience back then, he could still tell that Han's injuries had been severe.

He had likely been forcing himself to hold on, wary that revealing his condition would attract ill intent from mortals.

"Daoist Han, I had no past dealings with Daoist Zhen Ming. I was always careful with my words and actions and never offended him. He had no reason to harm me," Qin Sang said meaningfully.

Han’s expression darkened. He pondered for a long while before shaking his head slowly. "To be honest with you, Daoist Qin, while there is competition within the Han Residence, our family upholds merit above all else. There are not many schemes or conspiracies."

"Moreover, neither Zhen Ming nor his closest relatives could or would dare to oppose my lineage. He has always followed the rules and never acted out of line."

"That’s why I felt at ease entrusting him with the task of welcoming you. I never imagined he would be so bold as to do something like this behind my back."

Hearing this, Qin Sang nodded slightly. That made sense—Zhen Ming’s actions against him wouldn’t have affected the power struggle for the position of family head. After all, in the world of immortal cultivation, strength ultimately reigned supreme.

Since there was no deep-seated family feud, it seemed more likely that Zhen Ming had acted on impulse.

Qin Sang couldn’t help but feel frustrated. He had always been cautious and discreet—so how had he ended up offending Zhen Ming?