Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 23 Immortal-Mortal Contract

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a troop of armored cavalrymen slowly made their way toward the gate of Xinghuo Town. The troop of armored soldiers were in neat formation, exuding a menacing aura, and their helmets were adorned with red feathers.

At the very front of this cavalry unit stood two tall warhorses, one black and one brown, carrying the golden-armored man and Du Fan. Han Xuan'er was riding alongside the golden-armored man, nestled in his arms, peeking out with her head to look at Du Fan.

"So it's Brother Du. I am Guo Xiong, the Great General of Huoyu Kingdom. I apologize for my earlier offense. Please don't take it to heart. I will definitely host a banquet for you later and offer you a penalty drink as an apology!" Guo Xiong held the reins in one hand and protected Han Xuan'er with the other, smiling at her.

"General Guo, there's no need for that. I've never suffered a loss before. I'd rather trouble you to escort me." Du Fan waved his hand dismissively. Along the way, Du Fan had already told the other party about the series of events before and after discovering the princess, half true and half false. Of course, he omitted the part about Chu Liantian and the Thousand-Eyed Gluttonous Beast.

"Young brother, what are you saying? You saved the little princess and took good care of her for many days. The entire Fire Feather Kingdom owes you a great favor. Don't mention such a trivial matter as seeing her off. You'll find out after you enter the city that there's a big gift waiting for you, haha..." Guo Xiong spoke magnanimously and sincerely, laughing heartily.

"Oh? General, you've certainly piqued my interest." Du Fan's eyes showed curiosity, but he didn't refuse.

Half an hour later, General Guo and Du Fan's group entered Xinghuo Town. The guards all knelt down and paid their respects to the little princess and General Guo.

After a while, Du Fan and his group passed through the gate of Xinghuo Town and rode their horses along the wide and bustling main street of the town. On both sides were various shops and bustling crowds. Du Fan was somewhat taken aback. This town was too prosperous. It was not much inferior to Licheng, the second largest city in Tianxiang Kingdom. He made a comparison of the national strength of the two countries in his mind.

When people saw General Guo, they all showed respect and bowed. Du Fan could feel their strong admiration and gratitude in their eyes.

General Guo greeted the onlookers with a gentle smile, returning their greetings one by one without any airs of a high-ranking official. It should be noted that the title of General is the highest among military officers in a country, commanding the three armies and holding an extremely prominent position. Yet, such a great figure could still be approachable to the humble people. Even Du Fan, who was standing beside him, felt admiration for him.

"Fortunately, we have General Guo to guard our borders and resist foreign enemies, which is why we can live a peaceful and prosperous life."

"Indeed, General Guo's military strategy is divine, his plans are brilliant and his victories are decisive, making the enemy armies of the foreign states tremble with fear, truly awe-inspiring to our nation!"

"I also heard that General Guo was brave and invincible in battle, always leading from the front. After the battle, he kept himself clean and set an example, eating and living with his soldiers. He was deeply loved by officers and soldiers throughout the army."

"It is truly a great fortune for our Fire Feather Kingdom to have General Guo, a blessing for our nation and its people!"

The sounds of ordinary people talking reached Du Fan's group, causing the knights following General Guo to stand tall and excited, as if following the general was an extremely proud and honorable thing.

General Guo himself, however, smiled calmly, without the slightest hint of smugness or complacency.

Du Fan felt even more admiration for him.

When the group arrived at a bustling square, they saw an imperial edict posted in the center of the square, surrounded by a crowd of people all looking at it. Some were whispering, while others were shouting, making the place look somewhat chaotic.

"What?! Our little princess has gone missing! She's suspected of being kidnapped! Who would dare to do that?"

"It must have been done by traitors from the vassal state. They're afraid of General Guo and dare not confront him directly, so they resorted to such despicable means. How utterly vile!"

"The imperial edict states that anyone who provides clues will be richly rewarded, and those who make the greatest contribution will be granted a noble title; if the little princess can be rescued, a national treasure will be bestowed upon them, along with a celestial-mortal contract!"

"Everyone in the country knows that the little princess was the emperor's most beloved daughter. The emperor is wise and has made great use of capable ministers and generals such as General Guo and Lord Lin, which has brought peace and prosperity to the country. Even without a reward, we should still share the burden for the country!"

"That's right! But what exactly is this Immortal-Mortal Contract? I've never heard of it before."

"You don't even know about the Immortal-Mortal Contract! More than ten years ago, a royal spy found a rare spiritual flower for the Kongsang Sect, the number one immortal sect in my Fire Feather Kingdom. An elder of the Kongsang Sect was very happy and bestowed upon the royal family a scroll of the Immortal-Mortal Contract. With this contract, one person can become a disciple of the Kongsang Sect. Of course, the minimum standard for this person is to meet the basic qualifications for cultivation."

"Kongsang Sect? Are you sure it's Kongsang Sect? That's a celestial sect!"

"It's not just immortal sects. There are four immortal sects in my Fire Feather Kingdom: the Nine Hua Sect, the Huai Mountain Sect, the Heavenly Water Sect, and the Kong Sang Sect. You may have noticed that the names are different. The first three are sects, while Kong Sang is a sect. Let me tell you, in the cultivation world, sects are only small immortal sects, while sects are medium-sized immortal sects. Above that are the legendary clans. Among the dozens of countries around my Fire Feather Kingdom, there are no clans, only two sects. Therefore, the Kong Sang Sect is an extremely high-end existence among the immortal sects in the cultivation world."

"How do you know so much? I don't even know if it's true or not."

"Why would I lie to you? I'm not afraid to tell you, my cousin works as a handyman in the Kongsang Gate, and that's what he told me!"

"What? Working in the Kongsang Sect!"

This person immediately attracted envious glances from those around him.

Du Fan couldn't hear all the chatter in the crowd, but he got the gist of it. He knew that the imperial edict was a bounty for finding the princess, and the great gift that General Guo mentioned should be the immortal-mortal contract mentioned in the edict.

"Brother Du, please settle in my temporary residence in Xinghuo Town first, and then we can talk about other things, shall we?" Guo Xiong smiled slightly.

"Thank you for your trouble, General Guo!"

After a short while, Du Fan sat in a living room chair, chatting casually with Guo Xiong. Princess Han Xuan'er wasn't there. The living room was decorated rather simply, but it was clean, tidy, and had a minimalist feel.

"Report!" a guard shouted.

"Come in!" Guo Xiong, who was sitting at the head of the living room, gave the order.

"General, the Immortal-Mortal Contract has been brought!" The guard said respectfully, holding a round plate on which lay a roll of golden silk. The roll was now obscured from view, but the faint glow emanating from its surface indicated that it was no ordinary item.

Guo Xiong gave a slight gesture, and the guard handed the plate to Du Fan.

Du Fan hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took the golden silk roll in his hand. The item was silky and soft to the touch.

After the guards bowed and left, Du Fan glanced at Guo Xiong and then slowly opened the Immortal-Mortal Contract.

As soon as it was half-opened, a soft light emanated from it. Du Fan subconsciously narrowed his eyes. When it was fully opened, two palm-sized mulberry leaves were clearly imprinted on the contract. The leaves were raised, with a strong three-dimensional effect, lifelike, as if they were real. On the two mulberry leaves, the words "Immortal" and "Mortal" were engraved in gold, radiating golden light, like objects from the celestial realm.

Du Fan's breathing first slowed down, then became somewhat rapid. His expression changed several times before he rolled it up again.

"General Guo, when I rescued the princess, I did not accept the imperial edict. Besides, this item is too heavy. Please take it back. I have other matters to trouble you with, General. If you can, I will be extremely grateful."

"Brother Du, what do you mean by this? I was just praising you quite a bit, but I didn't expect you to be such a fussy and vulgar person! You didn't know about the imperial edict when you saved the princess, which makes your act all the more commendable. If you don't accept this gift, once the news gets out, won't you be putting the entire Huoyu Kingdom royal family in an unjust position?" Guo Xiong's face showed a hint of anger, which did not seem to be fake.

"Since General Guo has said so, then I will not stand on ceremony any longer. Thank you!" Du Fan smiled wryly and had no choice but to accept the gift, besides, he was also quite tempted.

"That's right! His Majesty offered this item as a reward to attract the loose cultivators of the Fire Feather Kingdom, but unexpectedly, it was obtained by Brother Du. Don't worry, if you don't need this item yourself, the Fire Feather Kingdom can hold a special auction for you to auction it off to the disciples of cultivation families or loose cultivators. I believe they will all be very interested. Everything that is obtained will be yours. What do you think?" Seeing that Du Fan accepted it, Guo Xiong smiled and spoke again.

"Ahem... To be honest, I am not very talented, but I possess spiritual roots and am quite interested in this item. I would be grateful if General Guo could think of something for me." Du Fan coughed lightly and said something that greatly surprised Guo Xiong.

"What? Brother Du possesses spiritual roots? Doesn't that mean you're a cultivator? But... forgive me for speaking frankly, I've had contact with cultivators before, and I haven't observed any special aura on you." Guo Xiong's eyes widened suddenly, shocked and filled with questions.

"I only recently learned that I possess spiritual roots by chance, but I haven't had the opportunity to cultivate them," Du Fan explained.

"If that's the case, then this Immortal-Mortal Contract is perfect for Brother Du. If the Fire Feather Kingdom falls into crisis in the future, I hope Brother Du can lend a hand." Guo Xiong's eyes lit up, his expression turned serious, and he clasped his hands in greeting.

"No, no," Du Fan said with a wry smile, waving his hands repeatedly.

"By the way, Brother Du just said there are other things he needs help with. Don't worry, let's talk about them now." Guo Xiong suddenly remembered something and spoke up to him.

"Alright, here's the thing. I arranged to meet two friends in Xinghuo Town. I originally thought Xinghuo Town wasn't very big, and I could find them by asking around at two inns. But I never expected Xinghuo Town to be so huge and prosperous. It's quite a surprise. At the same time, finding them won't be easy. I wonder if the General could handle this matter?" Du Fan briefly explained the situation and asked cautiously.

"Heh, this is nothing. I'll send someone to your room later, and you can describe the situation to them in detail. After that, I'll have someone handle the matter myself. As long as the person you're looking for is in Xinghuo Town, they'll satisfy you within two days. Brother Du, please go back to your room and rest now. I'll host a banquet for you tonight and we'll drink a few more cups together as a token of my gratitude. It's a time of war, and a major battle with the Fanli Kingdom is imminent. I shouldn't be drinking, but Brother Du, you saved the princess. This is not only a matter of national importance, but I also particularly like the little princess and consider her my own daughter. So tonight, we must drink until we're completely drunk! Haha..." Guo Xiong laughed heartily.