Taking on the Role of Valley Master

Gu An had indeed underestimated the range of the White Spirit Mouse; he had followed it for over ten miles, yet the creature showed no signs of stopping.

The further he moved from Mystic Valley, the less interest he felt.

Although he had been to the Outer Sect before, that was only a single, known route.

With Mystic Valley as the center, he felt that anything beyond a twenty-mile radius was dangerous, even with his current cultivation at the seventh level of the Foundation Establishment realm.

Fortunately, the White Spirit Mouse did not keep going forever; it stopped just as they reached a distance of nearly twenty miles from the valley.

This was still a mountainous area, with a small stream flowing down from the heights. The White Spirit Mouse stopped by the stream and began to circle around.

Gu An walked over. Both sides of the stream were covered in lush flowers and grass, along with numerous stones of varying sizes.

He picked up the White Spirit Mouse and then swept his right leg out in a horizontal arc.

BOOM—

Grass clippings flew everywhere and stones scattered in all directions; with just that one sweep of his leg, Gu An cleared a large patch of open ground.

He focused his gaze and saw, to his surprise, a square stone slab resting by the stream.

Good heavens!

A manhole cover?

Gu An walked up to the slab and crouched down. The stone was carved with mysterious patterns; he had never seen such characters or drawings before.

He could feel a faint trace of spiritual energy leaking from the edges of the slab, which was perhaps the reason the White Spirit Mouse had been able to find this place.

Those in the Foundation Establishment realm already possessed divine sense—a power that could neither be seen nor touched. When projected, it was like opening a heavenly eye, capable of peering through solid objects.

Gu An rarely used it, but that did not mean he lacked it; in fact, one could begin cultivating divine sense upon reaching the seventh level of the Qi Refining realm.

He immediately condensed his divine sense, intending to pierce through the slab and peer into the space beneath.

However, the moment his divine sense touched the slab, it was repelled by a mysterious force, causing his body to tremble.

It's that strong?

Even the divine sense of a seventh-level Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't penetrate its restriction...

Gu An hesitated. With such a powerful restriction, could there be a grave danger hidden below?

There was spiritual energy surging inside; either some kind of heaven-sent treasure was being nurtured, or someone was in seclusion down there.

No!

Must not be reckless!

I should observe it for a while first!

Gu An released the White Spirit Mouse, then moved surrounding stones and weeds to cover the mysterious slab. Only after he had completely concealed it did he grab the White Spirit Mouse and turn back toward the valley.

The White Spirit Mouse squeaked, but he ignored it.

After returning to Mystic Valley, Gu An did not mention the matter to anyone, as if he had never left the valley at all.

In the nights that followed, in addition to his daily tasks, Gu An would go near the stone slab to observe it.

Night after night, the debris covering the slab showed no signs of having been disturbed.

Beyond that, Gu An discovered that Wuxin would go into the mountain forest every night, though he did not know what he was looking for.

He did not expose Wuxin; his intuition told him that Wuxin's identity was not simple.

To have a lifespan of over three hundred years while only at the second level of the Qi Refining realm—he was likely practicing some kind of extraordinary technique.

Gu An had once specifically used his divine sense to observe Wuxin practicing, but he couldn't make heads or tails of it; it looked just like normal Qi absorption cultivation.

And so, the scorching summer passed.

Mystic Valley was gradually covered in a pale yellow hue. Gu An had opened up seventeen garden plots in the surrounding forests, increasing the workload, and Xiao Chuan and the others had to patrol them every day.

On this evening.

Cheng Xuandan found Gu An and signaled with his eyes for him to follow. The master and disciple walked toward the mountain peak to the north.

Gu An looked at Cheng Xuandan's back, his mood somewhat complicated.

Cheng Xuandan's lifespan had dropped again; his age was now equal to his remaining lifespan, which meant he was nearing death.

Although he had been played by Cheng Xuandan, the man had indeed invested much in him. With death approaching, Gu An could not help but feel a sense of melancholy.

He tried hard to convince himself not to be sentimental.

He was pursuing the path of immortality and cultivation; he would experience many partings in the future, and he would get used to it sooner or later.

Of course, that was assuming he could keep on living.

Wuxin, who was watering the plants, caught sight of the two figures and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

He silently noted the direction they were heading; there must be some secret in that forest.

After entering the forest, Cheng Xuandan spoke: "I am taking you to the entrance leading underground. You must not tell anyone else about this place, including your junior brothers and sisters. They may be close to you today, but once they leave Medicine Valley and gain experience in the outside world, they will become strangers to you."

Gu An did not refute this; he had always been very clear on that point.

As long as Xiao Chuan and the others did not abandon their goal of becoming Outer Sect disciples, they would eventually part ways.

Gu An hesitated for a moment before asking, "Master, were you a member of the Thousand Autumn Pavilion from the beginning, or were you selected by them later on?"

Cheng Xuandan's footsteps were heavier than before as he replied, "My experience was the same as yours; my status was inherited from my master."

Gu An fell silent.

He suddenly felt that Cheng Xuandan was also a pitiful person.

"After I did a few things for my master, I couldn't shed this identity anymore, but I have no regrets."

Hearing his master's words, Gu An wanted to say something but held back.

He hadn't done anything yet; was it possible for him to get out?

Cheng Xuandan began to recount his time with his own master. According to him, his master had a peculiar temperament—sometimes stern, sometimes erratic, like a child.

In his words, his master was like an old child who never grew up.

They circled around to the back of the mountain peak, where Cheng Xuandan stopped in front of a cliff face covered in moss and vines.

"Master, is Grandmaster alive or dead now?" Gu An couldn't help but ask.

He thought of the stone tablet he had been keeping an eye on. That tablet wasn't far from Mystic Valley, and since the master of Mystic Valley was a spy for the demonic path, he had reason to suspect that the tablet had been left behind by Cheng Xuandan's master.

Cheng Xuandan replied, "He took his leave before he passed away, and I will follow his example. I am leaving tomorrow, and everything in Medicine Valley will be handed over to you."

Gu An's brows furrowed tightly. He wasn't thinking about Cheng Xuandan, but rather his master.

In other words, could Cheng Xuandan's master still be alive?

Cheng Xuandan took a compass from his sleeve, pushed aside a patch of vines on the cliff, and found a groove. He pressed the compass into it, and as he channeled his spiritual power into it, the compass began to vibrate, emitting a faint glow.

Gu An clearly felt Cheng Xuandan's aura become even weaker.

He couldn't help but worry that Cheng Xuandan might suddenly die right there.

The cliff began to tremble. The sound wasn't loud, and soon, an opening appeared in the rock face, though Gu An had to stoop to enter.

Cheng Xuandan spoke up, "Go on in; I will wait for you outside."

Gu An hesitated, "Master, give the compass to me. I will go in after you leave."

Cheng Xuandan smiled, then took the compass down and handed it to Gu An.

Inside the cave entrance, a stone door emerged, sealing the opening once again. It was seamless and looked perfectly intact, showing no signs that an entrance had ever existed.

Cheng Xuandan turned and walked down the mountain, with Gu An following behind.

"The underground space has its own complete set of formations. In the future, if you want to grow spiritual herbs or flowers that you don't want others to know about, you can choose to use the space below," Cheng Xuandan said softly, as if he were giving his final instructions.

Gu An listened intently. He felt conflicted; he was grateful for what Cheng Xuandan had done for him, but deep down, there was always a trace of wariness.

He could not let his guard down until the very end.

In any case, Cheng Xuandan was going to die soon; he would relax his guard only after he was dead.

Gu An would offer incense to Cheng Xuandan every year from then on, and only then would he pay his respects.

The walk down the mountain was very slow. Cheng Xuandan's voice was faint as he explained everything about the underground space. Gu An listened carefully, and the details were so numerous that they didn't seem fake.

By the time they reached Medicine Valley, the sky had already turned dark.

Cheng Xuandan said his final words to Gu An: "Life is a long road. Sometimes, having mediocre talent is a good thing; it allows you to do what you want to do."

Gu An watched him walk back to the pavilion. Even after he closed his door, Gu An remained standing in place, staring at it, lost in thought.

After lingering for nearly an hour, Gu An finally walked toward his own courtyard.

His junior brothers were practicing in their respective rooms, and the courtyard was very quiet.

That night, Gu An practiced without pause.

As dawn approached, he heard Cheng Xuandan's footsteps. He walked to the window and watched as Cheng Xuandan went downstairs.

Cheng Xuandan's gait was unsteady, and he walked very slowly.

He did not look in Gu An's direction. After reaching the bottom of the stairs, he walked straight toward the valley entrance.

Gu An watched his back disappear into the valley entrance, yet he still did not leave the window.

When the sun rose from the eastern mountain, the first rays of morning light swept over the peak and shone upon Gu An, stretching his shadow long.

By the time Xiao Chuan, Lu Jiujia, Ye Lan, and Wuxin woke up one after another, they all felt that the atmosphere in Medicine Valley was off.

They quickly realized what was wrong. Usually, at this time, their senior brother would lead them in training, and that body-tempering technique known as the Young Eagle Takes Flight truly held its own mysteries.

Gu An, who never let wind or rain stop him, had not led them in their exercises today.

It wasn't until noon that Gu An finally appeared. He gathered them together and announced that Cheng Xuandan had left, and from this day forward, he was the master of Medicine Valley.

The three of them were quite excited and asked where Cheng Xuandan had gone. Ever since Li Ya had left, Cheng Xuandan had become gentle and treated his disciples very well, so they had a very good impression of him.

Only Wuxin didn't seem to feel much.

After half an hour of commotion, the junior brothers and sister finally dispersed.

Gu An went to the top of the mountain and looked far off in the direction Cheng Xuandan had departed.

Only after he could no longer see a trace of Cheng Xuandan did he finally enter Cheng Xuandan's room.

Cheng Xuandan's pill furnace was still there, and the tabletop beside it was covered with various items, including a Storage Bag, letters, numerous keys, and even a jar of spirit flowers.

He picked up the letter to examine it; the content was simple:

'I only know that you love picking flowers and plants. Before I depart, I leave behind a Grade 5 Tiger Blood Flower for you to pick as a parting gift.'

A smile appeared on Gu An's face, and he then picked up the Storage Bag.

This was the item he was most interested in.

How could a cultivator be without a Storage Bag?

Just like that, he began to inspect the legacy left behind by Cheng Xuandan.

It wasn't until evening that Gu An finally left Cheng Xuandan's pavilion, a purple cloth bag now hanging at his waist—it was none other than Cheng Xuandan's Storage Bag.

He walked toward the northern peak, making his way to the cliff face where the underground entrance was located, and took a compass out from the Storage Bag, pressing it into a groove on the rock wall.

Accompanied by a low rumbling sound, an opening appeared before him.

Gu An removed the compass and lowered his head to walk into the tunnel; after taking only five steps, the passage suddenly widened, and the entrance began to close behind him.

Gu An's life as the Valley Master was about to begin~

Gu An: Fellow Daoists, it's my first day as Valley Master, could you cast some votes to support me as the one in charge?