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Chapter 10: Alchemy, A Jade and A Promise
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 08:50:46 +0000 UTCGu An made an effort not to dwell on Cheng Xuandan's thoughts, focusing instead on watching the valley entrance to guard against any potential enemies.
He stood watch the entire night.
It was nearly dawn when Gu An quietly returned to his room.
Though he wanted to check the battlefield, he feared it might be a trap and chose to remain patient.
The addition of Ye Lan and Lu Jiu Jia brought more vitality to the Medicine Valley. The two of them dragged Xiao Chuan around the valley all day. Being young and full of energy, even the usually quiet Xiao Chuan became more lively under their influence.
Leaning against a wooden fence in one of the garden areas, Gu An held a copy of The Adventures of the Green hero in his hands, enjoying the cool autumn breeze.
His gaze occasionally shifted to Cheng Xuandan’s pavilion.
The previous night’s eye contact lingered in his mind, making him want to talk to Cheng Xuandan, though he feared disrupting the delicate balance between them.
At that moment, Lu Jiu Jia approached Gu An with an eager expression. “Senior Brother, I heard from Senior Brother Meng that you’ve mastered an impressive leg technique. Could you teach me? I’d be willing to take on all your harvesting duties in return.”
Gu An glanced at him, smiling. “I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered it. But if you want to learn, I’m happy to teach you. As for harvesting, leave that to me. I enjoy it, and I should still contribute to the work.”
Lu Jiu Jia admired Gu An even more upon hearing his response.
Senior Brother really is a good person!
He was thrilled.
Gu An put the book away and began teaching Lu Jiu Jia the Remnant Wind Kick technique.
Not long after, Xiao Chuan and Ye Lan also came over to learn. As for Meng Lang, he was too proud to join. He believed that Gu An wasn’t as strong as him, and only told Lu Jiu Jia about Gu An’s leg technique to avoid being pestered.
Even though Gu An held back, the sharp and fierce moves of the Remnant Wind Kick left the young trio in awe.
An hour later, just as Gu An was thinking of an excuse to slip away, a voice called out from the distance:
"An'er, come here."
Gu An turned to see Cheng Xuandan standing by his window, beckoning him over.
Here it comes!
Gu An immediately headed toward Cheng Xuandan’s pavilion. Xiao Chuan and the others continued practicing the leg technique without overthinking his departure.
Upon entering Cheng Xuandan’s room, Gu An closed the door and quickly walked over to him, bowing respectfully.
Cheng Xuandan was seated by the alchemy furnace. He gestured to a spot on the other side of the furnace and said, "Sit."
Gu An sat cross-legged where he was directed, all the while thinking of how to phrase his words.
"You contacted Chu Jingfeng?" Cheng Xuandan’s first question abruptly interrupted Gu An’s thoughts.
Straight to the point, huh?
Gu An dropped any pretense and answered, "Yes. He found me earlier, asking me to contact him if I had any information about the Demon of Greed and Rage. Senior Brother Zhang recommended me to help an outer sect disciple named Zhu Moya with his cave estate. When Zhu Moya returned, I went to hand over the task and saw the Demon of Greed and Rage hidden behind some vines in his cave. His estate was too close to us, so I had to contact Chu Jingfeng."
Cheng Xuandan nodded. "You did the right thing. Only Chu Jingfeng could handle this. He’s not just a talented individual—he also has a powerful background. That’s how he could become an inner disciple while still at the Foundation Establishment stage."
A powerful background?
No wonder he dared to investigate the Demon of Greed and Rage!
Gu An felt more at ease. He had worried that if Chu Jingfeng failed, the powerful cultivator behind the demon would track him down.
"Chu Jingfeng has been investigating the Demon of Greed and Rage for a while. That’s why he took on the task of guarding our Medicine Valley. It’s part of a power struggle between his father and a high-ranking figure in the sect. However, I’m still curious—why did you wait several months after returning from Zhu Moya’s cave to contact Chu Jingfeng?" Cheng Xuandan asked, his gaze fixed on Gu An.
Gu An sighed. "Master, you know me. I avoid trouble and conflict. I didn’t even argue with Meng Lang when he bossed me around. I initially wanted to pretend I hadn’t seen anything. But after you brought our new junior disciples into the valley, I couldn’t stay silent and had to contact Chu Jingfeng."
His response was sincere; those were his true reasons.
Cheng Xuandan stared at him for a long moment before shifting his gaze to the alchemy furnace. "You’ve done well. From now on, you will be my true disciple, and I’ll teach you everything I know."
"As for this matter, let’s forget about it. Neither Chu Jingfeng’s father nor the powerful figure behind the Demon of Greed and Rage are forces we can afford to provoke."
Gu An was stunned. He looked at Cheng Xuandan’s profile and realized he had misunderstood his master.
"Master!"
Gu An stood up and bowed deeply to Cheng Xuandan, his gesture full of solemnity and respect.
Cheng Xuandan looked at him with a kind expression, quite unlike his usual demeanor.
"From now on, if there’s anything you want to learn or know, don’t hesitate to ask me. Don’t worry about bothering me. I don’t have many years left, so I won’t have much time to teach you," Cheng Xuandan said, his tone and gaze softer than ever before.
Gu An hesitated, then cautiously asked, "Master, can you refine a Youth Retaining Pill?"
In cultivation stories, the protagonists often begin by taking Youth Retaining Pills to stay forever young. Gu An didn’t want to end up as an old, white-haired man.
Cheng Xuandan shook his head with a smile and raised his hand. With a gesture, a jade bottle flew into his hand from across the room. He poured out a single pill and handed it to Gu An.
Gu An didn’t hesitate and swallowed it immediately.
He dared to do so because the Divine Wood Pure Yang Technique and Dragon Force Divine Essence Art both had detoxifying properties. Describing him as immune to all poisons would not be an exaggeration.
Seeing that Gu An trusted him so completely, a look of satisfaction appeared in Cheng Xuandan’s eyes.
After taking the Youth Retaining Pill, Gu An didn’t feel any immediate effects. It was as if he had just eaten a piece of candy that melted in his mouth.
"What are your thoughts on alchemy?" Cheng Xuandan asked.
Gu An’s eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly. "To be honest, Master, I’ve wanted to learn alchemy from you for a long time but was too shy to ask."
Cheng Xuandan laughed heartily, stroking his beard with joy.
The atmosphere in the room became very warm, and Cheng Xuandan began teaching Gu An alchemy, starting with how to control the fire in the furnace. Having already learned the Fire Control Art, Gu An picked it up quickly, which made Cheng Xuandan mistakenly believe he had a natural talent for alchemy.
However, once the lessons moved beyond fire control, Gu An began to struggle, which left Cheng Xuandan in silence for a while.
...
Since Gu An and Cheng Xuandan solidified their master-disciple relationship, the Medicine Valley became much livelier. Cheng Xuandan, who usually remained cooped up in his room, started coming out more often to guide Gu An and the others on how to cultivate herbs.
Lu Jiu Jia and Ye Lan became increasingly fond of Cheng Xuandan, frequently praising their kind-hearted master. Meng Lang, however, scoffed at their words.
After that fateful night of battle, there were no more disturbances outside the valley.
Neither Chu Jingfeng nor Zhu Moya came to the Medicine Valley, and Gu An didn’t dare to investigate what had happened, burying the matter in his heart.
Time flew by.
A year passed in the blink of an eye.
Gu An turned twenty and now had a lifespan of over 2,800 years.
One noon, Gu An lay on a cliff halfway up the mountain, reading a book. Below him, the Medicine Valley stretched out, and he could see Xiao Chuan and Lu Jiu Jia practicing leg techniques.
Ever since "alchemy" appeared on his attribute panel, Gu An stopped pestering Cheng Xuandan.
Learning alchemy was far too boring.
It was worth mentioning that, at Gu An’s suggestion, Cheng Xuandan had exchanged for more seeds from the outer sect. After formally becoming his disciple, Cheng Xuandan proved to be quite a responsible master.
Gu An rested his head on his left hand and held his book with his right. With a gentle puff of breath, he turned the page.
His eyes suddenly widened, and he quickly sat up.
The latest edition of The Adventures of the Green hero had illustrations!
Interesting!
Gu An studied the pictures closely, all the while critiquing them.
Suddenly, a sharp screech sounded from above. Gu An looked up, his gaze turning sharp.
A white eagle with a wingspan of nearly ten feet descended. When it was about two lengths away from Gu An, it released a letter, which Gu An caught effortlessly.
The eagle arced gracefully through the air before swiftly disappearing behind the mountains.
What a fine bird!
Gu An couldn’t help but think about his White Spirit Mouse, which, palm-sized and quite useless, couldn’t compare.
He opened the letter to find not only a message but also a jade token engraved with the character "Chu."
He attached the jade token to his belt, tucked the book into his robe, and then opened the letter.
The letter was from Chu Jingfeng.
Chu Jingfeng briefly recounted the events of the battle, explaining that Zhu Moya had fallen to his sword. Over the past year, he had gathered enough evidence to bring down the powerful cultivator behind the Demon of Greed and Rage, and Gu An no longer needed to worry.
The jade token was a symbol of the Chu family. If Gu An ever faced a problem he couldn’t solve, he could use the token to seek help from Chu Jingfeng or any member of the Chu family.
The Chu family recognized the token, not the person. One jade, one promise.
Gu An’s opinion of Chu Jingfeng skyrocketed. He hadn’t expected such a proud inner disciple to be so loyal and honorable.
Even if Chu Jingfeng hadn’t given him anything in return, Gu An would have had no complaints. After all, he had previously told Chu Jingfeng not to contact him again.
After reading the letter, Gu An tore it into pieces, scattering them on the ground. With a slight twist of his right foot, his spiritual energy surged, and the fragments turned to dust.
The power of eighth-layer Qi Refining Realm spiritual energy was no joke!
Gu An smiled as he leapt into the air like a wild goose. As he glided down the mountainside, his toes lightly tapped leaves and branches, carrying him along with grace.
Xiao Chuan and Lu Jiu Jia were no longer surprised by such displays.
Gu An kept his cultivation level at the second layer of Qi Refining, and since he had already shown off his Remnant Wind Kick technique, Cheng Xuandan frequently praised him. Now, Gu An seemed like a powerful martial artist rather than a cultivator.
Although Gu An preferred to keep a low profile, he knew that occasionally revealing a bit of strength would help him live a more peaceful, farming-focused life.
Just as he landed, his White Spirit Mouse scurried up his leg and settled on his shoulder.
"I haven’t tested your progress in a few days. Come, let’s spar. You two can take me on together." Gu An smiled at Xiao Chuan and Lu Jiu Jia.
The two exchanged glances before charging toward Gu An.
The trio sparred on the grassy field outside the garden, their movements swift and fluid. Their legs flew like whips, whipping up gusts of wind and scattering blades of grass in every direction.
Gu An fought the two with ease, countering their combined attacks with a single leg.
While Xiao Chuan’s legwork was solid, it was somewhat clumsy. Lu Jiu Jia, on the other hand, was far more gifted. His kicks carried the aura of the Remnant Wind Kick but were still a step behind Gu An’s.
After half a cup of tea’s time, Xiao Chuan and Lu Jiu Jia were both panting heavily. They exchanged looks and simultaneously admitted defeat.
Gu An slowly lowered his leg from mid-air, smiling. "You’ve both improved a lot. You really gave me a hard time this time. At this rate, it won’t be long before you surpass me."
"How long exactly?" Xiao Chuan asked bluntly.
Gu An patted the dust off his pants and smiled. "That depends on how hard you work."
The White Spirit Mouse perched on his shoulder squeaked, almost as if it were laughing.
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