I took a sip of red tea. The taste was indeed excellent. Once again, I looked at Lao Chongyuan. He wore a nostalgic expression, gazing at the distant sky. After a long while, he finally collected his thoughts, smiled, and looked at me.
Throughout the dynasties, we have always played the role of shadows, clinging to the emperor's side. We never interfered with history for the sake of power; we only pursued immortality. But everything changed, ever since those Seven Ghost Lords claimed supremacy.
Right now, I feel as if I'm listening to an old man telling a story—a story likely never recorded in history. The tale of Xu Fu seeking the elixir of immortality ends only in disappearance, branded with ignorance and foolishness, burying countless lives.
"Back then, starting from the Eastern and Western Zhou periods, the profession of fangshi had many practitioners, but most were actually frauds. In the Qin Dynasty, we were also frauds, relying on chemistry to deceive and survive. After Qin unified the country, the dream of immortality represented by fangshi surged nationwide. Most fangshi simply sought to cling to royalty and officials, hoping for a better life for themselves."
As Lao Chongyuan spoke, his tone carried a sense of nostalgia.
"Why did you establish the Immortality Society?"
I asked, word by word. Lao Chongyuan nodded, then shook his head.
"I was fortunate to be chosen by Xu Fu as a subordinate. For the sake of the Wang family's immortality, we spent our days and nights refining pills and conducting experiments. Yet, in modern society, all of this seems absurd. Hahaha..."
As he spoke, Lao Chongyuan let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"You still haven't answered my question."
"Hmm, as for that, there's a rather long and heavy story. Next time, when there's time, I'll tell you the whole reason behind it. In the end, what led to the founding of the Immortality Society, and its continued existence, is human desire. Within this vast, eternal, and illusory dream called immortality, as I've said before, the thirteen of us were the sacrifices."
"Sacrifices?"
I laughed, then looked at Lao Chongyuan.
"Don't make me laugh. The ones who were driven mad, killed, or lost their minds to help you achieve your goals—aren't they the real sacrifices?"
"That's true. We simply swapped places—sacrificed before others, and now we've become killers. It's just a shift in roles. In our ignorance and foolishness, we pursued a long, heavy dream called immortality. I still remember, back then, I used my own daughter and son as ingredients for the medicine, watched them die before my eyes, yet still clung to that dream. Even now, I'm still chasing immortality."
Madness. I felt that everyone in the Immortality Society was abnormal—completely insane, a bunch of lunatics.
"We can't let the sacrifices of those who already gave everything be in vain, Ethan Zhang. Maybe you can't understand, but their sacrifices meant something. For people to gain immortality, their sacrifices can't be wasted. So we pursue immortality. From that day on, the thirteen of us swore a blood oath and founded the Immortality Society."
When he spoke of that day, Lao Chongyuan's voice grew heavier. I still didn't know what had happened back then.
Lao Chongyuan continued. At that time, he and eleven others were chosen by Xu Fu to be subordinates. By then, Qin Shi Huang was aging and desperately needed the elixir to prolong his life.
The thirteen of them, appointed by the First Emperor as fangshi, after collecting many ancient texts and rumors, decided to embark on a massive adventure.
After gathering an enormous amount of information, Xu Fu reported that there were three immortal islands in the sea—Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou—where immortals resided. He planned to seek the elixir of immortality for the First Emperor.
Soon after, the First Emperor issued an order to search the entire nation for three thousand boys and girls, as specified by Xu Fu, to seek the elixir. The country fell into chaos as the army scoured everywhere, seizing all children under the age of ten, regardless of gender, and handing them over.
Under Xu Fu's command, carpenters and workers began building large ships, and routes were established across various provinces to ensure the plan could proceed smoothly when the time came.
The whole country was filled with complaints and resentment. People said the emperor had gone mad, but Xu Fu always believed in the existence of the three immortal islands beyond the sea. I clenched my fists as I listened to all this, feeling helpless as I looked at Lao Chongyuan.
"Actually, it all started from a dream."
Lao Chongyuan said. I looked at him in surprise, and he continued speaking.
Back then, when the First Emperor's health began to decline, Xu Fu was searching for a way to concoct a life-extending elixir. But every attempt ended in failure, no matter how many times he tried. By then, the emperor's orders had already come down.
Xu Fu was required to produce the life-prolonging elixir as soon as possible, or he would be executed. In his anxiety, he was like an ant on a hot pan, losing his appetite and sleep.
One night, Xu Fu had a dream. In the dream, he saw an old immortal with a celestial aura, who bestowed upon him a golden elixir of immortality. Xu Fu woke up with a smile.
But when it came time to report back, Xu Fu still hadn't succeeded. He was supposed to be executed, but having investigated many things and told the First Emperor about his dream, he claimed it was a sign from heaven—that the old immortal was waiting for him to seek the elixir.
The First Emperor was overjoyed. Persuaded by Xu Fu's words, he allowed Xu Fu to go overseas to seek the elixir of immortality for him.
Hearing this, I could only think of two words: ignorance and absurdity.
"Ethan Zhang, you find it absurd too, don't you? Heh... Xu Fu's accidental dream ended up becoming the catalyst for the Immortality Society's existence. At the time, he was just trying to save his own neck, but the emperor believed him, so he started gathering fangshi to join the quest for immortality overseas."
As Lao Chongyuan spoke, he seemed a bit sorrowful. He smiled and shook his head.
What happened next was just as history recorded—Xu Fu left with a massive entourage, but never returned, not even a trace.
"What really happened? So many people..."
"Alright, Ethan Zhang, that's where the story ends for now. When there's time, I'll tell you more. The only thing I can tell you is that the people we took with us were the first sacrifices in the name of immortality. Only the thirteen of us survived. After that, we went into hiding and founded the Immortality Society."
I stood up. At that moment, Ranran had already returned. Although she'd eaten some bread earlier, it was nowhere near enough to fill her stomach.
"Just now, you said that it was because of the appearance of the Seven Ghost Lords that things changed for you."
"Oh, right, I almost forgot. Our existence was unearthed by that evil spirit, Yin Choujian. That scheming, sinister guy nearly drove us to total collapse. The Seven Ghost Sovereigns filled our journey to immortality with thorns, especially Yin Choujian—he ruined someone who was on the verge of achieving immortality."
I stared wide-eyed at Lao Chongyuan.
"Xu Fu—that guy still hasn't woken up. After his great battle with Yin Choujian back then, he's been asleep for hundreds of years."
After Lao Chongyuan finished speaking, he stood up and made a gesture of invitation.
"Let's eat first. Later, I have a way to take you into the Vermilion Bird Sacred Realm that Lan Yin set up."
I looked around. Lao Chongyuan's subordinates, along with his steward—sixteen people in all—were all members of the Immortality Society.
"As for that, you don't need to worry. I just want to resolve this matter. We won't get involved. When children fight, adults usually don't interfere."
Half-believing, I walked over. Ranran, looking puzzled, held her boxed meal and stared at me.
"Ethan, those people..."
"They're from the Immortality Society."
Ranran was stunned, exclaiming in surprise. I shook my head—I hadn't told Ranran much. Probably only the Seven Ghost Sovereigns knew the secrets of the Immortality Society. The key was Yin Choujian; he just joked around with me all day and had no intention of telling me anything. Just thinking of him made me angry.
I noticed that these boxed meals were filled with seafood, all fresh. My appetite instantly returned. There was also cold beer. Ranran grinned at me.
"From now on, we can eat like this every day! After all, your big sister has money now—someone likes to give it away."
I couldn't help but laugh. After eating, I rested for a while. Lao Chongyuan didn't look like he was here to fight, but I was still worried. Now that the powerful people of the Immortality Society had arrived, I could only rely on Zhuang Bo.
Yin Choujian had said before that three days were needed, and today was the third day. After midnight tonight, Zhuang Bo should appear.
All I could do now was pin my hopes on Zhuang Bo.
After resting for a while, I walked over to Lao Chongyuan. He stood up and pointed into the distance, at the place that used to be the Ghost Burial Squad headquarters. Now, there weren't many people left; most had already gone home.
"Let's wait a bit. Once these onlookers leave, we can go in."
We waited until after 3 p.m. By then, everyone else had left except for us. Suddenly, I saw that, besides Lao Chongyuan, all the other men in suits—including his steward—put on blue masks. There were seventeen Blue-Faced Men. I swallowed hard.
At that moment, Lao Chongyuan slowly reached into his pocket and took out a golden mask, which he put on.
"Alright, Ethan Zhang, it's time. Consider this a kind of ritual—these are the masks of the Immortality Society."