Looking back, it was all like a fairyland.

Wei Zhao's resentful gaze made Wei Ming wave his hands repeatedly: "It's been too long since I've checked on you, so I was just asking how you are. Alright, ask whatever you want."

"Father, your friend isn't an ordinary person, is he?"

"Of course, otherwise why do you think I still look like a middle-aged man? It's all thanks to that old friend." These words immediately chilled the atmosphere.

"Okay, stop overreacting. I'm just telling the truth, but let me explain, it's not what you're thinking. Although my friend wouldn't mind helping if I wanted to, the most important thing in life is to be healthy."

"Actually, thanks to my old friend, you will all enjoy the same thing—health and longevity."

"Why?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Do you remember receiving some fruits and vegetables every now and then? You ate quite a lot of them. Actually, those fruits and vegetables weren't ordinary; even the current emperor might not have the opportunity to eat them, yet you've been eating them since you were little."

"Perhaps you'll outlive your father," Wei Ming joked, stroking his beard.

"This...that is..." Wei Zhao seemed to remember something. No wonder, no wonder he had never tasted those fruits and vegetables anywhere else except at home. He had only been thinking about them because of some fruits and vegetables.

"Yes, shocking, isn't it? Just as you thought. What you consider ordinary things are anything but ordinary outside. Spiritual fruits and vegetables—that's what those strange people from the Demon Slayer Division call them."

After careful consideration, Wei Zhao finally understood the extravagance involved.

Wei Ming continued, "Don't look so flattered. You're only benefiting from your father's influence. Besides, these things mean nothing to my old friend."

"Speaking of which, you were born at the wrong time. Wei Qian was born at a good time, though. Remember the safety amulet he always wore? That was something extraordinary."

Seeing his father's mysterious expression, Wei Zhao really didn't know what to say.

So he is...?

"Is it an immortal?" Wei Ming thought for a moment and said.

Even though he had already guessed it in his heart, Wei Zhao still took a deep breath when he heard his father admit it without hesitation.

"Immortals?! Do immortals really exist in this world?"

"How could there not be? You should understand that rumors don't come from nowhere, let alone legends. Besides, aren't there many like this in the world? That one from the Demon Slayer Division is probably close to becoming an immortal, and there's that fragment of the immortal book that Prince Cheng obtained—it's covered in traces. Actually, immortals are very close to us."

The truth is this.

But Wei Zhao couldn't understand why his father and the legendary immortal were old friends. They were completely unrelated, and it could be said that they were from two completely different worlds.

"Does making friends depend on social status? Back then, I was just a poor scholar taking the imperial examinations; wouldn't I have been even worse off? If I had been in a high position then, we probably wouldn't have become friends either. Fate is sometimes so wondrous." Wei Ming seemed to be talking to Wei Zhao, but he was actually reminiscing about the past.

"I understand. Then, Father, this invitation..." Wei Zhao placed the invitation on the table and inquired.

"Do you want to go? It'll help expand your network outside of officialdom."

"I'll consider it." Wei Zhao didn't answer immediately, but said he would think about it.

Wei Ming nodded.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Wei Zhao shook his head. He needed to digest his conversation with his father today before making any further preparations. This sudden arrival of information had left him in a trance, a sense of unreality. This sudden encounter with the other side of the world had left him unable to adjust for a while.

Wei Ming waved his hand. He didn't care about any of this. Su Mu was his old friend, and there was no doubt about that. It was fine for Wei Zhao to know about it today. Speaking out at this time wasn't a bad idea, and Wei Zhao was already capable of standing on his own.

No matter how unbelievable it was, Wei Zhao had to accept this as reality. Furthermore, it wasn't a bad thing.

Wei Zhao was resistant to the notion of gods, ghosts, and immortals. This might have been because the people he'd met at the Demon Slayer Division were all strange and eccentric, leading to a natural aversion to such things. Perhaps it was because he'd seen the Kingdom of Yan as his own, or perhaps, as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he disliked, or perhaps feared, such uncontrollable things.

He was a bit pessimistic, always thinking of the worst-case scenario. If such a person attacked the State of Yan, would this hard-won prosperity be destroyed? He rationally believed that this was impossible, but nothing was absolute.

He knew he was being overly anxious, and his father knew it, so he asked if he needed to go. And that so-called expanding his network might actually be literal. If he really encountered something beyond human control, his father's friends might be the ones he would turn to for help.

He had never encountered an immortal. He had heard some people call the Demon Slayer's chief commander a Corpse Reincarnation Immortal, but he didn't know what state his father's old friend was in. Perhaps he was even more powerful. He had heard that if the Demon Slayer's chief commander lost control, even a hundred thousand elite troops might be unable to stop him.

Is there really such a powerful being in this world? He didn't know. Perhaps he should listen to his father and go see for himself.

My mind was in a mess, completely lacking the excitement that ordinary people would feel when hearing about an immortal. A chaotic stream of thoughts streamed into my head.

With a long sigh, Wei Zhao saw Wei Qian. This second brother had been intelligent since childhood, well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, and possessed a gentle personality, a natural for studying. He himself enjoyed reading, so his father's intention was for him to pursue the path of imperial examinations.

"Second brother," Wei Zhao called out to the other person. This was quite unusual; he wasn't reading in the study but in the courtyard.

Wei Qian turned around and saw that it was his elder brother.

"Big brother," Wei Qian called out.

"He should get some fresh air more often, instead of staying in the study all the time." He wished his younger brother would stay put, but his second brother was the complete opposite; he didn't like to move around and spent all day reading in the study. He worried that his brother might become stupid from reading too much.

Wei Qian laughed when he heard this. His eldest brother was just too worried, even more so than his own father. Although he loved reading, he wasn't a bookworm. He understood the principle of combining work and rest, but his eldest brother was usually too busy to notice.

He looked at the bushes in the distance for a while. However, he didn't come out this time because he was tired. It was because just now, the jade pendant he had been wearing had flashed for a moment. This was something that had never happened in all these years.