Return of the Immortal Emperor Daddy

Wearing a bronze mask, the Ancestor of Blood Refinement, a man of formidable presence, left with Peony to partake in some "joyful activities."

Lv Baicha remained kneeling.

The gate to the courtyard remained open as Bo Gu and Meng Tian walked out from within.

"Honored Blood Refiners, may I ask, how can we persuade the Ancestor of Blood Refinement to meet with us?" Lv Baicha continued to kneel. Lady Lv, her heart aching for her son, stepped forward to ask Bo Gu and Meng Tian.

Bo Gu sighed. "You’ve offended our Ancestor? At the very least, you must kneel once every three steps."

What? Do I really have to kneel?

The surrounding townsfolk had already gathered, drawn by the sight of the kneeling Lv Baicha. When they heard Bo Gu’s words, they were shocked. This Ancestor of Blood Refinement has quite a temper. If you offend him, is saying sorry not enough? You still have to kneel?

Recalling Wu Tian’s instructions, Meng Tian began to play along with Bo Gu. "Kneeling... is that enough?"

"Of course, it can’t be a simple kneel. Perhaps one must kneel for a full day and night. Have you heard of Great General Ling Tian? He waited for a very long time and was even drenched by the rain," Bo Gu recounted with a sigh.

"I understand. I understand now." Meng Tian glanced at the kneeling Lv Baicha, his words pointed. "While kneeling, one must not move, regardless of wind, rain, or thunder. Only then might the Ancestor offer his forgiveness."

The two of them were intentionally speaking loud enough for others to hear. Naturally, Lv Baicha and his family heard every word clearly.

"Look at the sky. It might rain later," Lv Jieshi said with concern. "Baicha, perhaps we should..."

"No," Lv Baicha interrupted him. "If it rains, all the better. Let the rain demonstrate my sincerity."

In his memories, he was a man named Lv Dongbin, and he had taken a master named Han Zhongli. Back then, Han Zhongli had tested Lv Dongbin ten times.

For the first test, Lv Dongbin returned home one day to find his entire family had inexplicably died. Seeing this, he felt neither sorrow nor regret, simply beginning to arrange their funeral rites in silence. As he was handling the affairs, his family suddenly came back to life, yet Lv Dongbin remained unmoved by joy or grief.

For the second, Lv Dongbin went to the market to sell goods. Although he had agreed on a price, the buyer reneged at the last moment. Still, Lv Dongbin felt no anger or annoyance, allowing the buyer to pay whatever he wished and take the goods.

For the third, while herding sheep, Lv Dongbin encountered a ferocious tiger chasing a lamb. He shielded the lamb with his own body, and the tiger, seeing his resolve, reluctantly departed.

Through ten such trials, Lv Dongbin faced Han Zhongli’s tests with an unwavering state of mind. Finally, Han Zhongli told him, "I have tested you ten times, and you have successfully passed the trials of the mortal world. This shows you are capable of attaining the Dao. However, to become an immortal, you must still perform three thousand meritorious deeds and accumulate eight hundred virtues."

Recalling this now, Lv Baicha was filled with emotion. He had fused with fragments of Donghua’s and Lv Dongbin’s memories, and he could tell that the Ancestor of Blood Refinement was no ordinary man. To request an audience with such a person, it was only right that he should endure some hardship. Rain? Let it come. I would welcome it.

"This..." Seeing their son’s resolve, Lv Jieshi and Lady Lv exchanged a look and sighed. Since he was so determined, they could only let him act as he wished.

"But will kneeling in the rain truly earn the Ancestor’s forgiveness?" Meng Tian suddenly spoke up again.

"Just kneeling is not enough. You must kneel every three steps," Bo Gu added.

Hearing this, Lv Baicha stood up. Lv Jieshi thought his son had finally given up after hearing the new condition.

Indeed, Lv Baicha said, "I’m going home."

Lv Jieshi and the others nodded, but Lv Baicha’s next words stunned them. "I will start from my home and kneel every three steps all the way back here."

"This..." Lv Jieshi and Lady Lv were dumbfounded. What in the world has gotten into our son? Kneeling every three steps! Your knees will be worn to the bone!

"And will kneeling every three steps be enough?" Meng Tian’s voice rang out again, seemingly in conversation with Bo Gu.

Bo Gu played along, replying as if only for Meng Tian’s ears, "Kneeling every three steps may not be sufficient. In my opinion, one should also perform one bow every six steps."

"Three steps to a kneel, six steps to a bow?" Lv Baicha hesitated for only a moment before gritting his teeth. "Fine. I will start from the Lv Residence. Three steps to a kneel, six steps to a bow. It will be a testament to my sincerity."

"Son!"

Heavens, not just kneeling, but bowing too? Can your back handle bending over so many times? Lv Jieshi and Lady Lv were utterly stupefied.

But Lv Baicha’s stride was firm. He was determined to see it through.

"Three steps to a kneel and six steps to a bow... naturally, that can’t be all," Meng Tian mused aloud again, feigning uncertainty. "It feels like something is missing."

"Three steps to a kneel, six steps to a bow, and nine steps to a kowtow," Bo Gu hurriedly chimed in. "If one does that, then it would be complete."

Lv Baicha shuddered. Are they asking me to throw away the very concept of ’face’?

After a moment of thought, he gritted his teeth again. "Very well. From my family’s home, I will make my way here: three steps to a kneel, six steps to a bow, and nine steps to a kowtow."

Lv Jieshi and Lady Lv staggered, nearly falling over. What is wrong with our son? Is he possessed? Should we find a doctor?

Watching Lv Baicha’s departing figure, Bo Gu and Meng Tian exchanged a smile. They hadn’t actually expected that Lv Baicha, merely for a chance to meet the Ancestor of Blood Refinement, would truly be willing to perform such a ritual.

They had investigated Lv Baicha. He was a man obsessed with his reputation, one who would rather fail the imperial exams than perform actions that went against a scholar’s integrity. Bribe an examiner? Lv Baicha would never stoop so low. Yet now, such a man was willing to kneel every three steps, bow every six, and kowtow every nine?

He is truly worthy of being the one who created the Art of Blood Refinement. Bo Gu and Meng Tian looked at each other, a shared sense of wonder in their hearts. This fellow is a prodigious freak. Comparing ourselves to him would be pure masochism!

「Meanwhile」

At that moment, Wu Tian was walking with Peony.

She was nervous, wondering what "joyful activity" the Ancestor of Blood Refinement was leading her to. This joyful activity... what could it be? Although she was anxious, the Ancestor hadn’t done anything to her in the past two days, so her worry was only minor.

Wu Tian’s Spiritual Sense swept over the surroundings. He finally found the place he was looking for and led Peony inside.

It was a tall building covered in green, climbing plants.

This was the Cultivators’ Guild.

The Cultivator was one of the many professions in the Immortal Emperor Realm. Though not on par with Array Masters or Alchemists, it was by no means a simple path.

"Why have you brought me here?" Peony couldn’t help but ask.

"I’m here to become the boss," Wu Tian said. "As for you? You can be my mistress."