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Chapter 40: The Return of the Flying Leaf, One Hundred Thousand Years of Lifespan
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 09:00:53 +0000 UTCGu An closed The Adventures of the Green Hero and asked calmly, "Don’t they spar often? What made them fight this time?"
Zhen Qin withdrew her gaze and said anxiously, "Second Senior Brother used a new sword technique, and First Senior Brother mocked it for being too soft. Second Senior Brother got angry and attacked him. He’s already injured First Senior Brother and won't stop!"
Hearing this, Gu An immediately stood up.
Master and disciple quickly descended the stairs.
At this moment, the surrounding disciples were no longer cheering. Instead, they were frantically trying to stop Su Han.
Under the night sky, Su Han’s hair was disheveled, and he swung his sword madly like a vengeful ghost. His eyes gleamed with a bloody light. In front of him, Tang Yu looked miserable, his robes shredded and his chest bearing two deep wounds, bleeding profusely and staining his pants red.
Wu Xin and Xiao Chuan wanted to step forward to stop him, but Su Han's swordplay was too fierce, preventing them from getting close.
Seeing Gu An approach, the disciples quickly stepped aside.
With just two steps, Gu An was between the two. He grabbed Su Han’s wrist with his left hand and blocked Tang Yu’s leg with his right arm.
Tang Yu was sent staggering backward, shocked by the hardness of his master’s arm.
But he also breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Su Han with fear in his eyes.
Su Han, his wrist firmly held by Gu An, couldn’t move. With a forceful squeeze from Gu An, Su Han’s sword fell to the ground with a clatter.
"Wake up!" Gu An shouted sternly, and Su Han’s body trembled as the bloodthirsty rage in his eyes began to fade.
Not far away, Wu Xin was secretly stunned.
Master’s speed was so fast!
Although Gu An had already reached the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm, they never saw him as particularly strong, mostly because Gu An often belittled himself.
But seeing Gu An in action just now shattered Wu Xin’s previous perception.
He suddenly realized that his Master was far from ordinary.
As for Xiao Chuan, he was already used to it. Gu An had once subdued the frenzied Meng Lang, after all.
Even if Gu An’s spiritual root was mediocre, Xiao Chuan had always felt that Gu An was reliable, at least in practical combat.
The other disciples were also shocked by Gu An’s display. It was the first time they had seen him take action, and he effortlessly suppressed both Tang Yu and Su Han, who were at the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm.
Zhen Qin was the first to cheer, breaking the tense silence, and the other disciples quickly gathered around.
"Master, you’re amazing!"
"Second Senior Brother, wake up!"
"Master, did Second Senior Brother go mad from cultivation?"
"It’s all First Senior Brother’s fault for mocking him! I’ve never seen Second Senior Brother this angry before."
The disciples chattered away, but Gu An kept his eyes on Su Han.
Su Han was breathing heavily, and his body suddenly went limp like a pile of mud. However, his right hand was still held by Gu An, preventing him from collapsing.
He looked up weakly at Gu An and whispered, "Master, I..."
Before he could finish, his head slumped to the side, and he passed out.
Gu An instructed two disciples to help Su Han back to his room, and then turned to look at Tang Yu.
Facing his master’s gaze, Tang Yu’s face turned bright red. He didn’t know how to explain himself, but he felt wronged. After all, he was the one who had been injured.
"Go back and treat your wounds first," Gu An said expressionlessly.
Tang Yu bowed quickly and left.
Gu An turned to the rest of the disciples. "Why are you still standing around? Are you not going to cultivate today?"
With that, he turned and headed back to the pavilion.
The disciples exchanged glances, feeling uneasy as they watched his retreating back.
Although Gu An hadn’t spoken harshly, they all believed that he was angry.
In truth, Gu An was simply not in the mood for lectures.
That night, every disciple in the valley was preoccupied, unable to focus on their cultivation.
Gu An remained alone in the pavilion. In the middle of the night, he sensed several powerful divine senses sweeping through the area.
His fight with Lin Futian had finally attracted the attention of Tai Xuan Sect.
The next morning, Su Han came to visit Gu An, intending to apologize.
"Why are you apologizing to me? You didn’t hurt me," Gu An said calmly, looking at him.
Su Han gritted his teeth and replied, "But he was the one who mocked my swordsmanship first."
Gu An asked, "Did you ever tell him where your sword technique came from?"
"I..."
"You and Tang Yu entered the Medicine Valley on the same day, and you were the closest of friends. You know what kind of person he is—he speaks without thinking, but he doesn’t have a bad heart."
Gu An’s tone grew heavier. After spending so many years together, he didn’t want his disciples to turn against each other.
He hadn’t forced Su Han to stop practicing the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword. After all, trying to stop him would likely damage their relationship as master and disciple.
Reflecting on his years with Tang Yu, Su Han began to feel guilty.
At first, Tang Yu had merely teased him about his sword technique. Already frustrated with his inability to master the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword, Su Han had taken the words to heart. The argument escalated, and when Tang Yu’s words became more hurtful, Su Han had lost control and succumbed to anger.
"Master, I was wrong. I’ll go apologize to First Senior Brother right away," Su Han said earnestly after taking a deep breath.
Gu An responded, "No need to wait. Go now. I need to check on the herbs anyway."
He stood and started walking, with Su Han following behind. After closing the door, Su Han caught up with Gu An and couldn’t help but ask, "Master, aren’t you curious why I lost control last night?"
Without turning back, Gu An replied, "It probably has something to do with your Heaven-Hating Divine Sword. That sword technique was passed down to you by your father. Whether you choose to practice it or not is entirely up to you. I won’t make that decision for you. Just think carefully about what matters most in your heart."
Su Han slowed his pace, standing at the base of the stairs and staring blankly at Gu An’s retreating figure.
What matters most?
Gu An had no time to worry about his disciples’ conflicts. He had already said what needed to be said. If they couldn’t get along, then he’d eventually have them leave the valley, never to meet again.
Gu An began checking the herb gardens to see which plants were nearing maturity.
He needed to reach one hundred thousand years of lifespan as soon as possible, so for herbs that were close to maturity, he harvested them directly.
Of course, he left alone any plants that still had a long way to go. He wasn’t so desperate as to destroy his own future resources.
Now that he had multiple sources of lifespan, he wasn’t too worried.
...
High above the forest, a group of cultivators hovered in the air atop their flying tools, watching as the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall searched below. Among them was Ye Lan.
Chu Jingfeng stood on his flying sword, his right sleeve billowing in the wind. He exuded a weathered, solemn aura, a far cry from his former youthful confidence.
An old man flew over on a gourd, handing a leaf to Chu Jingfeng. "It’s likely the work of the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal. We found Lin Futian’s Wine Soul Gourd nearby, with the souls of fifteen Tai Xuan Sect disciples trapped inside."
Chu Jingfeng took the leaf and examined it carefully. The surface of the leaf was covered in minute sword marks, barely visible to the naked eye.
He muttered, "So, the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal really is one of us?"
The old man nodded. "It seems so. The previous attack on Zuo Yijian was probably part of the factional strife. With the ease with which he killed Lin Futian, if he had truly wanted to kill Zuo Yijian, there’s no way Zuo Yijian would have survived."
Chu Jingfeng remained silent.
The old man glanced at Chu Jingfeng’s right sleeve, which fluttered emptily in the wind, and said, "Jingfeng, you should let go of your grudge and get your arm replaced. If you keep using only your left hand to practice swordsmanship, it will become an ingrained habit that you won’t be able to undo."
"Why should I get a new arm? The Flying Leaf Sword Immortal can use leaves as swords. Why must I rely on my right hand to wield a sword?" Chu Jingfeng retorted.
Hearing this, the old man shook his head with a bitter smile and said no more.
In the forest below...
Ye Lan stood at the edge of a massive trench. She looked toward the far end, where the trench seemed to stretch to the horizon. Her eyes were filled with astonishment.
"I heard it was the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal. This terrifying scene was caused by a single leaf," said a female disciple who approached, marveling at the sight.
Other disciples nearby also voiced their admiration for the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal’s strength. Ye Lan couldn’t help but be in awe as well.
How powerful must one be to achieve such a feat?
Ye Lan turned her gaze in another direction, a hint of worry in her eyes.
...
Ever since Lin Futian’s death, groups of cultivators had flown over Xuan Valley every few days, most of them at the Foundation Establishment level. Gu An occasionally spotted Ye Lan among them.
She never came down to visit, acting as if she was merely passing by.
Yet over the course of a month, she passed over Xuan Valley four times. How could Gu An not understand her intentions?
"This girl..."
Standing by the window, watching the cultivators vanish into the distance, Gu An felt a warmth in his heart.
He pulled up his status panel and saw his lifespan had reached 99,990 years. Clenching his fists inside his sleeves, he thought, It’s almost time!
Tonight, he would break through!
Because of his forced harvesting over the past month, his lifespan gains for the next year would drop, but in another year, everything would recover and continue to grow.
He had deliberately left a gap of ten years of lifespan, ready to fill it tonight.
He couldn’t wait to feel the rush of extending his life again!
The sky was still bright, but Gu An couldn’t sit still any longer, so he went downstairs.
In the courtyard, he spotted Su Han practicing his sword atop a mountain peak to the east. Ever since that night’s incident, Su Han had become reclusive, and the others were too afraid to disturb him, worried he might lose control again.
Tang Yu and Su Han had reconciled, though. After learning the origins of the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword, Tang Yu had apologized to Su Han. However, since then, Tang Yu had become even more diligent in his cultivation.
Though he apologized, he didn’t want to lose to Su Han again. After all, he was the Senior Disciple.
Gu An stood at the fence of the herb garden, gazing out with a smile on his face.
"Master, what’s making you so happy?" Zhen Qin ran over, curious.
Gu An ruffled her hair with a smile. "What, do I not smile often?"
Zhen Qin giggled, "Master, since you’re in such a good mood today, how about teaching me the Remnant Wind Kick technique?"
Gu An raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Didn’t you hate practicing swordsmanship and martial techniques? What changed?"
"I want to be like Aunt Ye Lan and join the Law Enforcement Hall!" Zhen Qin said excitedly, clenching her fists.
It turned out that earlier, Wu Xin and Xiao Chuan had also spotted Ye Lan flying by. They had discussed it among themselves, and Zhen Qin overheard while pulling weeds nearby. When she learned that Ye Lan’s robe was from the Law Enforcement Hall, she was filled with admiration for her.
Gu An laughed, "Alright, I’ll teach you."
It’s better to get this girl trained and sent off sooner. She’s always interrupting my reading!
And so, Gu An began teaching Zhen Qin the Remnant Wind Kick technique.
By nightfall, after all the disciples had returned to their rooms, Gu An quietly left Xuan Valley. Before leaving, he stopped by the herb garden and plucked two third-tier herbs.
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