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Chapter 52: Internal Strife and the Third Medicine Valley
🕑 Added 2024-12-10 11:15:54 +0000 UTCWinter faded, and spring arrived once again, signaling the start of a new year.
As Xuan Valley prepared for the Spring Festival, the disciples were busy with various tasks, while Gu An wandered around the different garden areas, holding a White Spirit Mouse in his arms.
The White Spirit Mouse enjoyed being held by him, its eyes closed as if it were asleep.
A sharp sound of something cutting through the air came from the horizon. Gu An turned to look and smiled.
Ye Lan had returned.
She quickly landed beside Gu An, stowing her flying sword back into her storage pouch. With a sweet smile, she said, "Senior Brother, I've come back for the festival. Surely, you won’t mind, right?"
Gu An looked at her and asked with a smile, "Is the Law Enforcement Hall not keeping you busy?"
"No matter how busy it is, I can always take a few days off. A little relaxation helps with cultivation, remember? You’re the one who taught me that, and I’ve kept it in mind ever since."
Ye Lan winked playfully as she spoke.
After a few moments of exchanging pleasantries, Ye Lan pulled Gu An towards the pavilion, saying, "Senior Brother, let’s go to your room. I have something to show you."
Something to show him?
Gu An put the White Spirit Mouse down, then followed Ye Lan inside.
Once they were in the room, Ye Lan didn’t close the door, which made Gu An feel a bit more at ease.
She walked to the table and pulled out a brocade box from her storage pouch. Turning to Gu An with a proud smile, she said, "Senior Brother, this is a Foundation Establishment gift I prepared just for you."
"That’s too much! I didn’t give you a gift when you reached Foundation Establishment."
"Without your Foundation Establishment Pill, would I have even succeeded? I'm not like those geniuses who can rely on their innate spiritual roots to force a breakthrough." Ye Lan shook her head with a smile.
Seeing her reasoning, Gu An no longer declined. He walked over to her, curious about what was inside the brocade box.
When Ye Lan opened it, it revealed a root resembling ginseng. Its spiritual energy was faint, almost unnoticeable unless one carefully observed it.
【Human-Faced Tree (Dormant State): 0/600/22000】
A lifespan of 22,000 years?
Gu An raised an eyebrow. This was the first time he had seen the term "Dormant State."
Ye Lan explained, "This is the root of a sixth-tier spiritual tree. If you plant it in the ground, it will regrow within a few years and can even enhance the spiritual energy of the area."
Gu An curiously asked, "Such a precious treasure, where did you get it?"
Ye Lan blinked and replied, "A while ago, we captured a demonic spy. I found this in the lair of one of the spies from Thousand Autumn Pavilion. I didn’t hand it over."
"Isn’t that... improper?"
"Don't worry. Other disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall keep a few things for themselves as well. The higher-ups tolerate it as long as we don’t take too much. And no one else knows about this treasure."
With Ye Lan’s reassurance, Gu An’s concerns lessened. He thought for a moment and said, "If you ever need any herbs, just let me know. I’ll soon have a second Medicine Valley, and we can help each other out."
Ye Lan smiled. "Sounds good. I’ll go visit the others now; I brought gifts for them too."
Gu An nodded as Ye Lan left.
He looked at the brocade box on the table, contemplating where to plant the root.
After some thought, he decided to save it for his third Medicine Valley. The new valley would need enhanced spiritual energy, and the faster the spiritual herbs could grow, the better.
Xuan Valley already had its own rhythm and didn’t need the spiritual tree. As for Tianya Valley, there was no reason for him to spend his own resources there. After all, Tianya Valley was Li Xuandao’s Medicine Valley, and if he ever needed anything there, he could simply ask Li Xuandao.
Gu An stored the brocade box in his storage pouch, then walked over to his desk, picking up a brush and ink to start writing.
Ye Lan’s arrival lifted the spirits in Xuan Valley even more.
As night fell, the festivities for the Spring Festival began, and the atmosphere grew lively. After everyone sat down and started drinking, Zhen Qin urged Ye Lan to tell them about her experiences as an outer disciple on missions. Ye Lan didn’t refuse.
As a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall, Ye Lan not only protected the outer sect but also had to go out for training missions.
"Back then, we took on a mission to eliminate evil forces in a small mountain town. Nearly a thousand households in the town had died within a few short days. To prevent further harm, the local government requested help from Tai Xuan Sect. There were seven of us sent on the mission..."
Ye Lan vividly recounted her experience, and since it was nighttime, the disciples listened with rapt attention. The female disciples huddled together in fear as she described the eerie events.
Watching Ye Lan, who used to trail behind him as a little girl, now standing on her own, Gu An couldn't help but smile, his expression never fading.
When Ye Lan spoke of ghosts, the disciples were on edge, their hearts racing. Even Xiao Chun, Wu Xin, and Su Han were visibly nervous.
It wasn’t until late into the night that the disciples finally dispersed.
Ye Lan followed Gu An back to the pavilion, where Gu An handed her a manual he had written, saying, "This is a leg technique manual I found in the inner sect. You can practice it when you have time."
The Gale Phantom Kick!
Ye Lan took the manual but didn’t open it. Instead, she tucked it into her storage pouch and looked at Gu An. "Senior Brother, you should be careful when dealing with Lu Jiujia in the future."
"What’s wrong with him?" Gu An asked, puzzled.
Ye Lan sighed, "We’ve talked before about the internal conflicts in Tai Xuan Sect. Some elders are secretly opposing the Sect Master, and they’re recruiting disciples to their side. Lu Jiujia has taken one of the outer sect elders as his master, and that elder supports the faction against the Sect Master. If this continues, Tai Xuan Sect will eventually descend into chaos. If the Sect Master prevails in the end, he will undoubtedly punish the rebellious disciples, and Lu Jiujia won’t be spared."
"I’ve tried to persuade him, but he won’t listen. He says that the path of cultivation is all about competition, and rather than living a mediocre life, it's better to take a gamble. His choice isn’t wrong, but I’m worried that if you stay too close to him, you might get dragged into the conflict. He’s probably thinking the same, which is why he hasn’t returned to Xuan Valley."
Gu An fell silent after hearing this.
He couldn’t interfere with Lu Jiujia’s choice because Lu Jiujia was right—cultivation was indeed a competition.
Gu An chose not to compete because he had the ability to extend his lifespan, and thus, he didn’t feel qualified to tell others how to cultivate.
Ye Lan soon shifted the conversation to other topics, discussing matters related to the outer sect and the internal struggles of Tai Xuan Sect, which even involved the Ji family and royal family members. Gu An listened with great interest.
It wasn’t until dawn that Gu An finally saw Ye Lan off.
The two had talked throughout the night, yet they still felt energetic.
Before leaving, Gu An reminded Ye Lan not to forget to practice the Gale Phantom Kick. Ye Lan nodded, though her gaze held a trace of melancholy.
After she left, Gu An gathered the disciples for their morning exercises.
…
Summer arrived with scorching heat. Now 35 years old, Gu An stood by the window, gazing at the sky, his brow furrowed.
He was waiting for Gu Yu.
The half-year deadline had passed—why hadn’t he come?
Gu An eagerly anticipated his third Medicine Valley. He had already prepared the seeds and was just waiting to plant them.
Could something have happened?
Gu An felt uneasy. When he visited the outer sect last month, he sensed that something was off. There was an influx of disciples in black robes in the city, supposedly members of the newly established Demon-Suppressing Hall, which was directly under the control of the new Grand Elder of the outer sect.
The Demon-Suppressing Hall was under the Grand Elder’s jurisdiction, and the minimum cultivation requirement to join was the fifth level of Foundation Establishment. The hall’s members received better treatment than those of other halls.
Tai Xuan Sect had eight outer sect cities, and if this was the situation in the outer sect, it was likely even worse in the inner sect and the main sect. This internal conflict would undoubtedly affect Gu Zong as well.
Sigh! How annoying!
It’s getting in the way of my herb planting!
Gu An suddenly felt the urge to punch those troublemakers.
At that moment, he sensed something, and his previously gloomy expression brightened.
Finally! He’s here!
Gu An detected Gu Yu’s presence and calmed himself, resisting the urge to rush downstairs.
After a while, Gu Yu landed in Xuan Valley.
"Gu An!"
Gu Yu called out loudly, drawing the attention of the disciples in the valley.
Gu An opened the door and called back, "Brother Gu, come upstairs."
Gu Yu stored his compass in his storage pouch and went upstairs.
Once inside, Gu An closed the door and poured tea. But instead of sitting down, Gu Yu began browsing through the books on the shelf, seemingly searching for something.
"The final volume of Investiture of the Gods isn’t finished yet," Gu An remarked.
Hearing this, Gu Yu sighed with disappointment and turned to sit at the table. He pulled out several books and, lastly, a token from his storage pouch.
"This is your Valley Master Token. Your new Medicine Valley is between the outer and inner sects, less than a hundred miles from the outer sect city. For someone at your Foundation Establishment level, it shouldn’t be too difficult to travel back and forth. These books are notes written by my father about his life experiences. You can use them as reference. My father said you don’t need to stick to the facts—feel free to modify the stories or even create fictional ones based on his experiences."
Gu Yu’s expression became somewhat playful as he explained, giving Gu An a knowing look.
Gu An set the tea down in front of him and picked up the Valley Master Token. Unlike the bronze token of Xuan Valley, this one was silver-white and contained multiple layers of restrictions.
"I’ll take you to the Medicine Valley in a bit. If you ever get lost, just channel your spiritual sense into the token, and it will guide you." Gu Yu drank his tea and continued speaking.
Gu An nodded, eager to see his new Medicine Valley.
Gu Yu suddenly remembered something. "By the way, when you write about me, make sure to include Zhou Tongyou, but make it clear that he’s the strongest young genius in the cultivation world and that he idolizes me. He should follow my every command."
Gu An’s face twitched as he replied, "That doesn’t seem appropriate. I might get into trouble for writing that."
"Name your price. I’ll meet it."
"It’s not about the price..."
"A hundred top-grade spirit stones!"
"If he sees it, he’ll definitely come after me..."
"A thousand top-grade spirit stones! That’s all I have!"
"What if I change the name slightly?"
Hearing this, Gu Yu raised an eyebrow. "Alright, but you can only change one character."
"Deal!"
Gu An agreed, though he wasn’t planning to slander Zhou Tongyou in the book. He was considering making them brothers who shared a rivalry—this way, he wouldn’t offend either side.
He could tell that Gu Yu didn’t harbor any real animosity toward Zhou Tongyou. If anything, he seemed jealous. If they could be portrayed as rivals with emotional tension in the story, Gu Yu would likely be satisfied.
After resting for half an hour, the two set off, flying on their swords and leaving Xuan Valley behind.
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