Alchemy, One Jade One Promise

Gu An tried hard not to dwell on Cheng Xuandan's thoughts, keeping his attention focused outside the valley to prevent any enemy incursions.

He kept watch for the entire night.

Just as dawn was about to break, Gu An quietly returned to his room.

Gu An wanted to go to the battlefield to take a look, but fearing traps, he could only restrain himself.

The arrival of Ye Lan and Lu Jiujia brought new life to Medicine Valley. The two of them dragged Xiao Chuan all over the valley; being in the prime of their youth and full of energy, they even made the usually taciturn Xiao Chuan become more lively.

Gu An leaned against the wooden railing of a garden area, holding Travels of the Green Hero in both hands, enjoying the caress of the autumn breeze.

His gaze drifted toward Cheng Xuandan's pavilion from time to time.

The eye contact from last night lingered in his mind; he wanted to talk to Cheng Xuandan, yet he feared breaking the delicate balance.

At this moment, Lu Jiujia approached Gu An and asked with an expectant look, "Senior Brother, I heard from Senior Brother Meng that you are proficient in a profound leg technique. Could you teach me? I am willing to take over all your harvesting tasks."

Gu An looked at him and smiled, "It's not quite 'proficient,' but if you want to learn, I can certainly teach you. As for the harvesting, leave that to me; I need to do something, and besides, harvesting is my hobby."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiujia felt even more awe toward Gu An.

Senior Brother is truly a good person!

He was extremely excited.

Gu An tucked the book into his robes and began teaching Lu Jiujia how to practice the Residual Wind Leg.

Not long after, Xiao Chuan and Ye Lan also ran over to learn. As for Meng Lang, he couldn't bring himself to lower his pride, and he felt that Gu An wasn't as strong as he was; the only reason he had mentioned Gu An's leg technique was to stop Lu Jiujia from pestering him.

The moves of the Residual Wind Leg were sharp and fierce, and even though Gu An held back his strength, it still left the three youths amazed.

An hour later, just as Gu An was thinking of an excuse to slip away, a voice came from afar:

"An'er, come here."

Gu An turned his head and saw Cheng Xuandan standing by the window, beckoning to him.

Here it comes!

Gu An immediately walked toward Cheng Xuandan's pavilion. The three youths didn't think much of it and continued practicing the Residual Wind Leg.

He walked into Cheng Xuandan's room and, after closing the door, hurried to Cheng Xuandan's side and bowed.

Cheng Xuandan was sitting cross-legged in front of a pill furnace. He pointed to the other side of the furnace and said, "Sit."

Gu An walked to the spot indicated and sat down cross-legged, preparing his words in his mind.

"You sought out Chu Jingfeng?" Cheng Xuandan's first sentence interrupted Gu An's train of thought.

Good grief, straight to the point!

Gu An stopped acting and replied, "Yes. He found me previously and said that if I had any leads on the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost, I should contact him. Senior Brother Zhang recommended me to manage a cave dwelling for an outer sect disciple named Zhu Moya. When Zhu Moya returned, I went to hand over the duties and saw the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost hidden behind the vines. His cave dwelling is too close to ours, so I had no choice but to find Chu Jingfeng."

Cheng Xuandan nodded, "You did the right thing. This matter could indeed only be handled by Chu Jingfeng. Chu Jingfeng is no simple person; not only is he exceptionally gifted, but he also has a prominent background, which is why he was able to become an inner sect disciple while still at the Foundation Establishment realm."

He has a powerful background?

No wonder he dared to investigate the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost!

Gu An felt relieved; he had been worried that if Chu Jingfeng failed, the powerful cultivator behind the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost might eventually track it back to him.

"Chu Jingfeng has been investigating the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost, which is why he took our Medicine Valley mission. This is a game of chess between his father and a major figure in the sect. However, I am still puzzled—you returned from Zhu Moya's place months ago, so why did you only contact Chu Jingfeng recently?" Cheng Xuandan stared at Gu An and asked.

Gu An said helplessly, "Master, you should know me. I fear trouble and even more so, I don't want to get into conflicts with others. No matter how Meng Lang orders me around, I'm too lazy to argue with him. So, I originally intended to pretend I hadn't seen anything, but since you brought the junior brother and sister into Medicine Valley, I had no choice but to contact Chu Jingfeng."

These words were sincere; this was indeed his reason.

Cheng Xuandan looked at him deeply, then shifted his gaze to the pill furnace at the side, saying, "You did very well. From now on, you are my true disciple, and I will pass on everything I know to you."

"As for this matter, let us both forget it. Whether it is Chu Jingfeng's father or the major figure behind the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost, neither is someone we can afford to provoke."

Hearing this, Gu An was stunned. He looked at Cheng Xuandan's profile and suddenly felt that he had misunderstood this master of his.

"Master!"

Gu An immediately stood up and bowed to Cheng Xuandan, looking very solemn.

Cheng Xuandan looked at him again, his expression kind and gentle—a completely different person from his usual self.

"In the future, if there is anything you want to understand or learn, you can come to me. Do not feel like you are bothering me; I don't have many years left to live, and there aren't many days left for me to teach you." Cheng Xuandan's eyes and tone were softer than ever before.

Gu An sat down and asked cautiously, "Master, can you refine a Youth-Preserving Pill?"

The standard equipment for a cultivation protagonist is to take a Youth-Preserving Pill at the start to maintain eternal youth. Gu An didn't want to be a white-haired, elderly man in the future.

Cheng Xuandan shook his head and chuckled, then raised his hand. With a beckoning motion, a jade bottle appeared in his hand. He poured one out and handed it to Gu An.

Gu An did not hesitate and swallowed it immediately.

The reason he was so bold was that both the Divine Wood Pure Yang Technique and the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique had detoxifying effects; to describe him now as immune to all poisons was no exaggeration.

Seeing that Gu An had no defenses against him, a look of gratification appeared in Cheng Xuandan's eyes.

After taking the Youth-Preserving Pill, Gu An didn't feel anything special, as if he had just eaten a piece of rock candy that melted in his mouth.

"Do you have any interest in alchemy?" Cheng Xuandan asked.

Gu An's eyes lit up, and he nodded quickly, "To tell you the truth, Master, I have long wanted to learn alchemy from you, but I was too embarrassed to ask."

Cheng Xuandan stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

The atmosphere in the room became very harmonious. Cheng Xuandan began to teach the art of alchemy, starting from how to ignite the furnace. Having already learned the Fire Control Art, Gu An picked it up quickly, leading Cheng Xuandan to mistakenly believe he had a natural talent for alchemy.

Later, when Cheng Xuandan's topic drifted away from fire, Gu An began to look confused, which caused Cheng Xuandan to fall into a rare silence.

Ever since Gu An and Cheng Xuandan established a true master-disciple relationship, Medicine Valley became much livelier. Cheng Xuandan, who had spent years locked in his room, began to come out and move about, taking the opportunity to instruct Gu An and the others on how to cultivate medicinal herbs.

Lu Jiujia and Ye Lan grew increasingly fond of Cheng Xuandan, often praising their master for being kind and approachable, which made Meng Lang scoff.

Following the great battle that night, there had been no signs of combat outside the valley.

Neither Chu Jingfeng nor Zhu Moya had come to Medicine Valley. Gu An dared not investigate the situation, so he could only bury the matter deep in his heart.

Time flew by.

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

Gu An crossed the threshold of twenty years old, and his lifespan increased once again to over two thousand eight hundred years.

At noon on this day, Gu An was lying on a cliff halfway up the mountain reading a book. Looking down at Medicine Valley, he could see Xiao Chuan and Lu Jiujia sparring with their leg techniques.

Ever since the word "Alchemy" appeared on his attribute panel, he stopped pestering Cheng Xuandan.

The process of learning alchemy was simply too tedious.

It is worth mentioning that, at Gu An's suggestion, Cheng Xuandan had exchanged for more seeds from the outer sect. It must be said that after truly becoming master and disciple, Cheng Xuandan was quite conscientious.

Gu An rested his head on his left hand and held the book in his right. He exhaled a breath, using the air to flip the page.

His eyes suddenly widened, and he immediately sat up.

The latest issue of Travels of the Green Hero actually included illustrations!

Now that's something!

Gu An carefully admired the pictures in the book, criticizing them incessantly under his breath.

A screech descended from the sky. He looked up abruptly, his eyes turning sharp.

A white eagle with a wingspan of over a zhang landed. When it was nearly two zhang away from Gu An, it loosened its claws, dropping a letter that he caught with ease.

The white eagle traced a perfect arc in the air and quickly disappeared over the other side of the mountain.

What a handsome eagle!

Gu An couldn't help but think of his White Spirit Mouse, which was only the size of a palm and completely useless.

He opened the envelope and found that, besides the letter, there was a jade pendant with the character "Chu" carved into it.

He tucked the pendant into his belt and shoved the Travels of the Green Hero into his robes before reading the letter.

This letter was actually written by Chu Jingfeng.

Chu Jingfeng first briefly explained the previous battle: Zhu Moya had already died by his sword. Over the past year, he had been collecting evidence everywhere and had successfully toppled the great cultivator who was manipulating the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost. He told Gu An not to worry about the matter anymore.

The jade pendant was a token of their Chu Clan. If Gu An ever encountered a problem he couldn't solve, he could use this pendant to find him or his clansmen.

The Chu Clan recognized the jade, not the person; one jade meant one promise.

Gu An's favorability toward Chu Jingfeng rose sharply. He hadn't expected this proud inner sect disciple to be so loyal and righteous.

Even if Chu Jingfeng hadn't repaid him, there was nothing he could do, and he had previously told Chu Jingfeng not to contact him again.

After reading it, Gu An tore the letter to shreds and scattered them on the ground. He twisted his right foot slightly, and spiritual power surged beneath it, turning the fragments of the letter into dust.

The spiritual power of the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage was truly this strong!

Gu An's lips curled upward. He then leaped up, soaring away like a wild goose. Along the way, he stepped on the leaves of the trees on the hillside, landing gracefully at the end.

Lu Jiujia and Xiao Chuan were already used to this.

Gu An kept his aura controlled at the second level of the Qi Refining stage, and he had long since revealed his Residual Wind Leg, which had earned him high praise from Cheng Xuandan. To them, he was now like a formidable martial arts expert.

Gu An acted with a low profile, but he felt he couldn't hide forever; appropriately revealing a portion of his strength would help him lead a better life of farming.

As soon as he landed, the White Spirit Mouse scurried over and climbed up his leg onto his shoulder.

"It's been several days since I checked your leg techniques. Come on, let's spar. Both of you together," Gu An said with a smile toward Xiao Chuan and the other.

Xiao Chuan and Lu Jiujia exchanged a glance and immediately charged at Gu An.

The three of them fought on the grass outside the garden, their bodies shifting and their long legs whipping through the air. For a time, the wind whistled, and grass clippings flew everywhere.

Gu An fought two against one, parrying their leg techniques with a single leg.

Although Xiao Chuan's leg technique was decent, it was slightly clumsy. Lu Jiujia had high talent, and his kicks already carried the momentum of the Residual Wind Leg, but every one of his moves was slower than Gu An's.

After half a cup of tea, Xiao Chuan and Lu Jiujia were panting heavily. The two looked at each other and simultaneously admitted defeat.

Gu An slowly retracted his leg from the air and smiled. "You've both improved a lot. You made it quite difficult for your senior brother to handle. I reckon it won't be long before you surpass me."

"How long is 'not long'?" Xiao Chuan asked bluntly.

Gu An patted the dust off his trousers and smiled. "That depends on how hard you work."

The White Spirit Mouse lay on his shoulder, letting out a squeak as if it were laughing.

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