Li Ya Returns, the Li Family Divine Weapon

The moment Gu An took his first bite of the Azure Vine Fruit, he felt a surge of heat flow into his belly, warming his entire body.

It works!

He immediately began to devour it in large mouthfuls, and before long, the massive Azure Vine Fruit was completely gone.

As he digested it, he pulled up his attribute panel, eagerly anticipating an increase in his lifespan.

However, he waited for half an hour.

His lifespan hadn't budged at all!

His blood energy had increased significantly, however, and his physical strength had grown stronger.

What's going on? Is my cultivation realm too high, or is this fruit only suitable for spirit beasts and demonic beasts? Gu An wondered to himself.

He looked at the White Spirit Mouse on the table; it was still fast asleep. Its lifespan had stopped increasing, but its aura was steadily rising.

I'll wait and see!

The White Spirit Mouse slept for three full days. When it finally woke up, it was as large as an adult cat. It pounced into Gu An's arms, rubbing against him affectionately, though its eyes kept darting toward the cabinet behind him.

"No more eating!"

Gu An, who was reading a book, huffed. If he let it keep growing, it would surely invite trouble, especially since Xiao Chuan and the others would get curious.

People like Lu Jiujia and Ye Lan would eventually head to the Outer Sect, and Gu An didn't want them to know too many of his secrets.

The White Spirit Mouse looked at Gu An with a pitiful expression and actually nodded, which made Gu An's eyes widen.

It actually understood him?

Gu An pointed his right hand to the side and said, "Come over here."

The White Spirit Mouse jumped over immediately, without a hint of hesitation.

He continued to issue commands, and as long as they weren't complex, the White Spirit Mouse could follow them, which made him grow even fonder of it.

Finally, it's starting to act like a real spirit beast!

Gu An picked up the White Spirit Mouse and left the house with it.

It was currently autumn, and the various gardens were piled high with fallen leaves. Xiao Chuan and the others were busy cleaning up, and Medicine Valley was peaceful and serene.

Gu An walked down the stairs, set the White Spirit Mouse down, and said, "Don't go eating random things."

After speaking, he pointed at the White Spirit Mouse's mouth. It nodded as if it understood, then turned and hopped away.

Gu An's expression turned strange as he watched it go.

Why does it look like a rabbit?

Could it be that it didn't just increase its lifespan, but also altered its genes?

Ye Lan was the first to notice the White Spirit Mouse, mainly because her gaze had been drawn to Gu An, and then she saw a giant white rat running toward her, scaring her so badly her face changed color.

"There's a rat demon!"

Ye Lan shrieked, instantly drawing the attention of Lu Jiujia, Xiao Chuan, and Wuxin.

As soon as they saw the White Spirit Mouse, they were terrified; they had never seen a rat that large before.

"White Spirit Mouse, slow down!"

Gu An's voice rang out. Upon hearing it, the White Spirit Mouse stopped immediately, glanced back at him, and then turned to head toward the mountain forest, its speed not as frantic as before.

Seeing this, Ye Lan and the others put down their tools and ran toward Gu An.

"Senior Brother, is that the White Spirit Mouse you raised? Why is it so big?"

"Could it be a different White Spirit Mouse?"

"It feels a bit clumsy, like its legs aren't working right."

"This spirit beast's bloodline must be extraordinary."

Listening to the chatter of his junior brothers and sisters, Gu An smiled without saying a word. Let them guess.

Gu An looked at the group and said, "In a while, I plan to make a trip to the Outer Sect. Who wants to come with me?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone except Wuxin wanted to go.

A good opportunity! Wuxin kept his expression neutral, but he was thrilled inside.

After some deliberation, Gu An ultimately chose to take Ye Lan and Xiao Chuan to the Outer Sect, with the departure set for seven days later.

Why seven days?

Because he planned to fully explore the Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven first.

Gu An turned his head toward the entrance of the valley, where a figure was walking in—it was Li Ya.

Years had passed, and Li Ya had gained a sense of weariness and cold sharpness. His black robes fluttered in the autumn wind, and paired with the sword at his waist, an aura of a cold, arrogant swordsman was impossible to suppress.

Xiao Chuan and the others also noticed Li Ya, and his presence made them nervous.

Whoever came to their Medicine Valley generally held a higher status than them, and this man, in particular, looked like someone not to be trifled with.

Gu An checked Li Ya's lifespan and discovered that he had already reached the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment realm.

That was fast!

As expected of the first person with a protagonist's destiny I've discovered!

Gu An immediately walked over, with the others following closely behind.

Li Ya scanned everything within the Medicine Valley, and when his gaze landed on Gu An, he felt a bit dazed.

Back in the day, Gu An had always followed behind others, but now he was able to lead other chore disciples; it truly was a case of things remaining the same while people had changed.

Gu An arrived before him, cupped his hands, and smiled, "Brother Li, long time no see."

Injured?

Gu An could sense his chaotic blood energy and shallow breathing; he clearly had internal injuries.

Li Ya smiled, "It has indeed been many years. Where are Master, the senior brother, and Meng Lang?"

Gu An said helplessly, "Master's time was approaching, so he left a while ago. After you left, the senior brother also departed the valley. As for Meng Lang, he went to participate in the Outer Sect assessment and never returned."

Upon hearing this, Li Ya froze.

Xiao Chuan and the others stood behind, whispering to each other. They had roughly guessed Li Ya's identity, as Meng Lang had often spoken of a royal family member who worked here as a chore disciple and called him brother.

Li Ya sighed with emotion, "So, only you are left."

Gu An asked, "Want to go inside the pavilion and sit?"

Li Ya nodded.

The reason he came here, besides wanting to return to his old home, was that he wanted to recuperate from his injuries; only here could he feel a sense of security.

Gu An led Li Ya toward the pavilion while signaling the others to continue clearing the fallen leaves.

As they reached the valley master's pavilion and Li Ya stepped onto the stairs, the emotions in his heart reached a peak. He couldn't help but cough, his face turning pale as a result.

Gu An, walking in front, had his expression shift slightly.

He sensed a faint trace of soul fluctuation coming from Li Ya.

Good heavens!

Does this guy really have a "grandfather" living inside him?

Gu An turned back and asked with concern, "Brother Li, what's wrong?"

Li Ya waved his hand, "It's nothing, just sustained some injuries."

"Injured? Then stay here for a while; there are plenty of places to live in the Medicine Valley," Gu An said immediately.

Li Ya nodded with a smile, thinking to himself, Junior Brother Gu is still as thoughtful as ever. I must help him out this time.

The two walked into the room. After Gu An had Li Ya sit down, he began to brew tea for him.

Li Ya looked around the room, his gaze quickly drawn to the Azure Vine Fruit inside the wooden cabinet.

Over the past three days, Gu An had stored most of the Azure Vine Fruit in his Storage Bag, leaving only two in the cabinet to prevent the White Spirit Mouse from stealing them.

If the White Spirit Mouse really did eat them, he wouldn't have the heart to kill it, so he simply hid the fruit away.

"This fruit..."

Li Ya narrowed his eyes, but he didn't look for long, his gaze quickly returning to Gu An.

After not seeing him for many years, he was actually stunned by Gu An's temperament. Although the Gu An of the past was handsome, he lacked the eye-catching aura he had now, which resembled a great cultivator of the Inner Sect—composed and possessing a touch of otherworldly grace.

If not for the fact that he could sense Gu An's cultivation was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, he would have truly doubted whether this person was the Gu An he knew.

While the water was boiling, Gu An sat down at the table to exchange pleasantries with Li Ya.

To keep the atmosphere from turning cold, Gu An asked about the life of an Outer Sect disciple, and Li Ya answered them one by one.

"To become an Outer Sect disciple, you must complete one Outer Sect bounty mission every year?" Gu An asked curiously.

Li Ya smiled, "That's right, and it's an outdoor mission at that."

"Have you ever encountered demons?"

"I encounter them almost every time I go out. The Great Cang Dynasty is too vast, and there are always places being ravaged by demons. I almost died out there last year; it was a third-tier demonic beast, comparable to the Golden Core realm. I fought it with several good friends, but one of us died, and the rest of us escaped with heavy injuries," Li Ya replied. As he spoke, a look of lingering fear appeared on his face.

"Third-tier? Golden Core realm?"

Gu An feigned a look of astonishment, which dispelled the gloom in Li Ya's heart.

He began to talk and laugh about the specific experience, and Gu An listened like he was hearing a story, providing plenty of emotional feedback.

In fact, he was genuinely curious about Li Ya's experiences.

After listening, he only had one feeling.

It's too dangerous!

It's a good thing he didn't become an Outer Sect disciple.

"Besides demons, you also have to be careful of other cultivators. During a treasure hunt, I had a conflict with disciples from another sect and we were entangled for half a month. I finally managed to kill him, but guess what happened?" Li Ya was in high spirits and began to recount another experience.

Gu An guessed, "His dad showed up?"

Li Ya looked at him in surprise and shook his head, "Not his dad, but it was pretty much the same—his master showed up!"

Good heavens!

Gu An felt even more fortunate that he hadn't joined the Outer Sect.

If the Outer Sect was already like this, wouldn't the Inner Sect disciples be in even greater danger?

Li Ya continued to recount the process of outwitting and battling his enemy's master, making Gu An feel as if he were listening to a storyteller.

It was quite thrilling!

Once the water boiled, Gu An stood up to brew some tea.

Li Ya asked nonchalantly, "Junior Brother Gu, are the fruits in the cabinet left behind by Master?"

With his back turned to him, Gu An replied, "I found them outside. Have you forgotten? The White Spirit Mouse is a Treasure-Seeking Mouse."

Upon hearing this, Li Ya couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

It could actually seek treasures?

He suddenly wanted to raise a White Spirit Mouse himself.

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Junior Brother Gu, could you give me one for my injuries? I won't treat you unfairly. Do you want a secret manual or a magic tool?"

Gu An turned around, brought the tea over, and set it down in front of him. He said in an indifferent tone, "I'll just give you one. You don't need to give me anything. What kind of relationship do we have?"

Hearing this, Li Ya was deeply moved.

In all his years in the Outer Sect, although he had friends, they were all based on mutual interests. No one had ever treated him this well without asking for anything in return.

After speaking, Gu An walked to the wooden cabinet, took out an Azure Vine Fruit, and placed it next to Li Ya's teacup.

His actions made Li Ya feel even more ashamed.

Li Ya, oh Li Ya, to think you previously looked down on him and looked down on Medicine Valley. Even though you joined the Outer Sect, in the end, aren't you still relying on him to save you...

Li Ya mocked himself inwardly. He then raised his hand and took a precious sword out of his Storage Bag.

The scabbard was cyan, inlaid with various gemstones, and featured exquisite patterns, appearing opulent and magnificent. The hilt looked as if it were coiled by a dark golden dragon.

Li Ya placed the sword on the table, producing a heavy yet crisp sound.

Caressing the sword, Li Ya said softly, "This was given to me by my mother. I shall gift it to you. Perhaps this sword will be able to save your life one day."

Gu An was stunned by the sword. Although he only saw the scabbard, he could sense the power contained within it. After all, he was a cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm; he could see much more than Li Ya could.

This was definitely a divine weapon!

Damn, I forgot to set the timer. This weather is hot and cold at the same time!