521: Chapter 521 When you're under a tree, have you ever thought that there's a sky above the tree?

The alley in front of the house was as cold and quiet as usual.

Thinking back, when choosing this place years ago, the aspect of peace and quiet was indeed taken into consideration.

Mother Qin was someone who liked peace and quiet.

He didn't know if the lights were already out at Uncle Zhao's house next door, or if there was simply no one at home.

Qin Wangchuan guessed it was the latter; after all, they always rested early. People who did physical labor usually went to sleep before it even got dark.

The Wen family home on the right, however, still had its lights on. An orange glow seeped through the window paper, making the small patch of ground at the courtyard entrance look warm.

As he passed the Wen family courtyard, his gaze inadvertently swept over and met a pair of eyes.

Wen Zhaoer.

He didn't know how long she had been standing by the window. Seeing him look over, the tension on her face finally relaxed, as if she had finally waited for something.

But she didn't speak; she only gave him a look before pulling the window shut.

Qin Wangchuan didn't stop either, walking straight to his own front door.

Unlocking it, he pushed the door open.

He set down the things he had brought.

He wasn't in a rush to go into the inner room. Instead, he found a nail and walked to the jujube tree in the front courtyard.

This tree had no branches; if he wanted to hang anything on it, he would have to use a nail.

And this position was the best.

Right in the center of the courtyard, hanging it there would illuminate the entire area.

He gripped the nail in his hand, remaining motionless for a long while.

After a long pause, Qin Wangchuan whispered.

"Forget it."

He turned and hung the lamp on the courtyard wall nearby.

"Vegetation has spirit; how can a human be heartless?"

As he hung it, he muttered to himself, "A small hole from a nail wouldn't matter, but I mustn't let it set you on fire."

"It's certainly annoying that you don't bear fruit, but if you burn down, who will live on in their stead?"

"From now on, every night, I'll provide you with some light."

This position in the middle of the courtyard wall wasn't ideal; it only lit up a small portion of the courtyard.

But at the same time, it also illuminated the jujube tree—without harming it in the slightest.

It was enough.

Having finished all this, the door was still open.

It wasn't that he liked leaving the door open, but rather that there was still a guest outside.

"Senior, the door is open."

As his voice fell, there was no reaction from outside.

It wasn't until dozens of breaths later.

Elder Lu, who had been waiting for a long time, emerged from the alley opposite the door, his eyes shining with a faint light.

His aura was steady and his footsteps silent; clearly, his cultivation was not weak.

But at this moment, the shock in his heart was impossible to suppress.

This youth's aura was ordinary; he didn't seem like a swordsman or a Daoist Cultivator. How could he have discovered him?

With a hint of doubt, he stepped forward.

His gaze swept past Qin Wangchuan and landed on the jujube tree in the courtyard, and he immediately couldn't look away.

After more than half a day of absorption, quite a bit of Spiritual Qi had gathered around, winding through the branches and leaves in threads and filaments, emitting a hazy glimmer in the night.

The entire tree was brimming with Spiritual Qi, just like an Immortal tree.

Elder Lu's pace subconsciously quickened by a few steps. His vision was firmly captured by the jujube tree, and an uncontrollable hint of greed welled up in his heart.

'As long as I have this Immortal tree, stepping into the Heaven-Man realm is only a matter of time!'

Cultivators have ninth realm, and beyond the ninth realm is the Heaven-Man realm.

With a lifespan of over two hundred years, one transcends the Mortal body.

That is the dream of every Cultivator.

Elder Lu was one hundred and ten years old this year.

He had been stuck at the ninth realm for a full twenty years. He had tried countless methods, visited mountains, and sought medicine, but he still couldn't touch the threshold of the Heaven-Man realm.

And this tree stood right here, as if saying: I am here, take me.

His breathing grew a bit heavy.

But in the end, reason suppressed greed.

Elder Lu's gaze moved away from the tree and turned to Qin Wangchuan, carefully sizing up this mysterious youth.

"Qin Chuan... or rather, Qin Wangchuan."

He spoke slowly, his voice much steadier than when he arrived, with less of a condescending tone.

"I've gathered some information about you. It's very normal—beyond imagination how normal it is."

"If you hadn't left that 'Sword' character at the paper shop earlier, I wouldn't waste any words; I would have used any means necessary to get this tree."

Qin Wangchuan didn't respond.

He sat down on the stone steps in front of the inner room and slowly unwrapped the oil paper package. The aroma of pastries drifted through the night air.

He took a light bite and nodded slightly.

The taste was truly good, and the inside was still warm.

Chewing, he looked up at Elder Lu with an expression that said he was listening.

Elder Lu paused, meeting his gaze.

"As the saying goes, one sees further from a higher vantage point, and what one sees is different. Others cannot see your uniqueness because their 'height' is not enough."

"I stand high enough, so I saw it."

"But it is precisely because I stand high enough that I find it even more strange."

Qin Wangchuan took another bite of the pastry, his face expressionless.

"Rumor has it that in Qingzhou, there was once a fool who lived in a daze for over twenty years. Suddenly, one night, his intellect opened. Not long after, he stepped into the realm of Cultivators and advanced rapidly all the way to the peak of the Heaven-Man realm. There are many theories in the Mortal world about this, but the most likely guess is that the person was not a Mortal, but a banished Immortal's Reincarnation, returning after undergoing a tribulation and Awakening to their past life."

After Elder Lu finished speaking, he stared at Qin Wangchuan.

The meaning was self-evident.

Qin Wangchuan swallowed the last bite of the pastry and brushed the crumbs off his hands.

"So, you think I am also that fool, the Reincarnation of a banished Immortal?"

Elder Lu did not deny it.

"Other than that, I can't think of any other reason why a youth who has been normal his whole life would suddenly produce an Immortal tree."

"Immortal tree?"

Qin Wangchuan looked up at the jujube tree, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Spiritual Qi flowed through the branches and leaves, shimmering faintly under the moonlight; it did indeed look somewhat like an Immortal tree.

But in reality, it was all thanks to the talismans.

"If you were aware that you were being called an Immortal tree, you'd probably be so happy you'd start flowering and bearing fruit."

He withdrew his gaze after speaking.

There was one piece left in the oil paper. He didn't take it but stood up, walked to Elder Lu, and handed over the paper.

Elder Lu frowned and looked at it, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took it.

Qin Wangchuan didn't care whether he ate it or not and turned to close the door.

The wind poured in from the alley entrance, making the door panels bang.

He pulled it shut with force and slid the bolt into place.

When he turned back, Elder Lu had already picked up the pastry and taken a bite.

"How is it?" Qin Wangchuan asked.

"A common rustic item, slightly sweet and a bit dry. It can't be considered good."

"But I think it's quite good."

Qin Wangchuan said as he stood under the jujube tree, the night wind fluttering the hem of his clothes.

"The pastry alone is indeed not a delicacy, but paired with this evening breeze, the flavor is completely different."

Elder Lu frowned; he didn't sit but just stood there watching him.

Qin Wangchuan didn't mind and started talking about the origin of the pastry on his own.

As Elder Lu listened, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

He didn't understand why this youth was telling him these things.

What did the trifles of daily life and domestic trivialities have to do with him?

Qin Wangchuan observed this and shook his head slightly.

"Sir, as a Cultivator and an Immortal, common Mortal things naturally don't catch your eye."

His tone was flat.

Halfway through, he suddenly turned his head and looked straight at Elder Lu. "But regarding what you just said—do you really stand high enough?"

That gaze wasn't heavy, yet it carried an indescribable pressure.

It wasn't killing intent, nor was it a display of power, but something more fundamental.

Like someone standing at a great height, looking down once.

Hearing this, Elder Lu's brow furrowed even more.

"What do you mean?"

Qin Wangchuan did not answer.

The night wind happened to blow past, and a leaf swirled down from a branch.

He reached out to catch it and then held the leaf out in front of Elder Lu.

"I give this leaf to you."

"Sir, please do not come again."

Elder Lu looked at the leaf, but didn't take it, nor did he move.

He couldn't understand; he couldn't see through him.

Just what was this kid's background?

Was he truly a Reborn banished Immortal?