Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost

At noon.

Gu An, Meng Lang, and Li Ya stood before the wooden fence of a garden plot. Meng Lang stared curiously at the white-furred mouse in Gu An's hand.

Li Ya pondered for a moment. "This should be a White Spirit Mouse. They are drawn to heavenly treasures rich in spiritual energy, hence their reputation as treasure-seeking mice. They can barely be considered spirit beasts."

Upon hearing that, Meng Lang could not help asking curiously, "What is the difference between spirit beasts and Demon Beasts?"

"Demon Beasts cultivate on their own, while spirit beasts are born able to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. They can cultivate too, and their aura is not as bloody as demonic aura. Put simply, spirit beasts are not as dangerous as Demon Beasts," Li Ya explained.

Hearing this, Gu An suddenly no longer wanted to kill the mouse.

Meng Lang became even more interested and chuckled. "Gu An, how about giving this mouse to me?"

Gu An raised a brow, silently cursing the bastard. He really dared to ask!

Li Ya said coldly, "White Spirit Mice generally do not live alone. If one appears, it means there is a whole nest nearby. Go catch one yourself. Fighting over even a mouse is rather beneath you."

Meng Lang's cheeks immediately reddened with anger. He snorted. "Then I'll catch one!"

With that, he turned and left.

After he had gone far away, Gu An said to Li Ya, "Thank you."

Gu An realized that though Li Ya looked aloof, he was actually quite easy to get along with. He was generous, never stopped Gu An from watching him practice swordsmanship, and had even spoken up for him today.

If Li Ya had not said anything, Gu An would have been in serious trouble.

If he beat Meng Lang until he cried, with that brat's voice, the commotion would definitely be enormous!

Li Ya looked at Gu An and examined him carefully. He said softly, "Why do I feel like you have suddenly changed a little? But I can't tell exactly what changed."

His right hand suddenly seized Gu An's wrist. To Gu An's eyes, his movements were incredibly slow, but Gu An did not dodge. Instead, he put on a surprised expression.

"Brother Li, what are you doing...?"

"Nothing."

Li Ya withdrew his hand. After hesitating for a moment, he added, "Your aura is steady, and there is no major problem with your body. You simply have no spiritual power. No matter how mediocre your aptitude is, do not forget to cultivate. As long as one works hard, there will eventually be hope."

Gu An nodded and followed his lead into idle conversation.

Li Ya seemed to be in a good mood. He was unusually talkative today, and through him, Gu An gained a deeper understanding of the cultivation world.

It had to be said that members of the Imperial Family were different. Even without traveling the world, they could still be brimming with knowledge.

After the time it took to burn half an incense stick, Meng Lang hurried over.

"Something big has happened!" Meng Lang came to Gu An's side and spoke in a low, nervous voice.

Gu An looked toward the entrance of Medicine Valley.

Li Ya asked, "What happened?"

Meng Lang widened his eyes. "There is a cultivator guarding the valley entrance. I went over and asked him a few questions. He said he is an Inner Sect disciple who accepted our master's bounty mission and came specifically to protect us. He is supposed to guard us for a month."

"I guess our master issued the mission because of the demon he mentioned before. What if that Inner Sect disciple cannot stop it? Wouldn't we be dead meat?"

Gu An had already spotted the Inner Sect disciple in the distance. With his current eyesight, he could clearly see the man's true appearance.

He was a young man in a cyan robe, handsome and spirited, clearly no ordinary person.

[Chu Jingfeng (Foundation Establishment Realm, First Layer): 19/290/870]

Foundation Establishment Realm, First Layer, at nineteen?

A genius!

No wonder he could become an Inner Sect disciple.

Gu An looked at the investigation prompt before him and sighed inwardly.

The Taixuan Sect truly deserved to be called the foremost sect of the Great Cang Dynasty. Geniuses were everywhere.

Li Ya and Meng Lang began discussing the mysterious demon. Meng Lang found it absurd. The Taixuan Sect was so powerful—how could a demon infiltrate it? And it had already been half a month, yet they still had not caught it.

Li Ya thought it was normal. In his words, the Taixuan Sect was too vast, and Medicine Valley was on the outskirts. It was only natural for disciples to encounter danger.

"A hundred years ago, a Demonic Cultivator invaded the Taixuan Sect, slaughtered hundreds of disciples, and departed in grand fashion. That demon may know some secret arts, making it difficult to capture," Li Ya said gloomily.

"Forget the Taixuan Sect. There is no place in this world that is absolutely safe. Every year, the spiritual resources the dynasty provides to the Demon-Suppressing Prefectures across the land amount to a figure beyond estimation..."

Li Ya began talking about the world. Gu An and Meng Lang listened with great interest.

The Ji Family where Gu An had grown up was a cultivation Aristocratic Clan, yet Gu An knew little about the wider world. This was the first time he had learned just how dangerous it was.

Demons were everywhere, evil spirits ran rampant, and three or four out of every ten cultivators died at the hands of demons and evil spirits.

After hearing this, Gu An grew even more afraid.

He absolutely could not leave in the future. He had to remain in the Taixuan Sect and accumulate lifespan!

He would lie low for a thousand, ten thousand years before thinking about anything else—lie low until the Taixuan Sect went bankrupt!

"But Medicine Valley has so many medicinal herbs. It is tremendously important, so why did the sect only send a single Inner Sect disciple?" Meng Lang asked indignantly.

Li Ya shook his head. "There are over fifty medicine valleys like this in the Taixuan Sect. The herbs cultivated here are not particularly precious. Within the Taixuan Sect, there are medicine valleys of even greater value, where nothing but heavenly treasures are planted. Every single plant can change a mortal's fate."

Gu An's eyes immediately lit up, and he began asking about those medicine valleys.

However, Li Ya only knew such valleys existed. He did not know the specifics.

The three chatted for a while longer before dispersing. They each had to inspect their garden plots on schedule to ensure none of the medicinal herbs encountered any accidents.

After finishing their inspections, they each returned to their rooms.

Gu An tied a rope around the White Spirit Mouse's body so it could not escape.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, placed the White Spirit Mouse on his lap, and began cultivating.

He cultivated the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique, which could enhance strength and lifespan. As for other techniques, he could not be bothered to cultivate them. Once he had more lifespan, he could simply spend it directly.

By the time night fell, Medicine Valley had become quieter than ever before.

Gu An's senses were now exceptionally sharp. From over a hundred zhang away, he heard Cheng Xuandan talking with the Inner Sect disciple, Chu Jingfeng. Cheng Xuandan was extremely respectful toward Chu Jingfeng, as though Chu Jingfeng was more than merely an Inner Sect disciple.

Through their conversation, Gu An learned the demon's name.

Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost!

Chu Jingfeng was quite disdainful of the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost. His confident tone reassured Cheng Xuandan, and Gu An could clearly sense Cheng Xuandan's heartbeat returning to normal.

"Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost..."

Gu An's gaze flickered. He was curious whether his Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique could destroy the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost.

According to the inherited memories of the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique, its dragon force could suppress demons and eradicate evil.

He had to prepare for the worst. What if Chu Jingfeng could not hold out!

No matter how long he lived, he only had one life!

He could not afford to gamble!

That night, everyone in Medicine Valley had unstable auras, clearly affected by their emotions. Having sensed this, Gu An became even more nervous.

Only at dawn did Gu An finally fall asleep.

Over the next five days, the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost did not show itself, and Gu An's tightly wound heart gradually relaxed.

On the sixth day.

As usual, Gu An returned to his room after nightfall to rest. This time, he had brought back four travel journals from the library, intending to deepen his understanding of this world.

The White Spirit Mouse darted out from beneath the bed and swiftly leaped onto the table. Ever since it had sensed Gu An's aura while he cultivated the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique, it had become dependent on him. Even without being tied up, it would not run away now.

Gu An came to the table and sat down. He teased the White Spirit Mouse for a while, then began reading a book titled Travels of the Green Hero.

The window was half open. A gloomy night breeze drifted in, making the candle flame on the oil lamp sway and causing the White Spirit Mouse's shadow on the table to stretch long from time to time.

Gu An found the travel journal rather interesting.

There was just too much between men and women in it. As the Green Hero traveled the world and admired the landscapes north and south of great rivers, there were demons to slay and evil to exterminate, as well as fleeting romances.

By the time he had read deep into the night, Gu An felt something was off.

Why did every woman the Green Hero met fall for him? And this bastard even pretended to be troubled, letting the women half-push and half-coax him...

Could this have been written by a scholar?

Gu An secretly looked down on the book's author, yet he continued reading with relish.

Whoosh—

A blast of cold wind blew in through the window. Even Gu An, who had cultivated the Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique, could not help shivering. He set down the book and rose to close the window.

Before he reached it, he suddenly heard a disturbance in the distance. He stopped and listened closely.

"Demon! Die!"

Chu Jingfeng's low shout made Gu An's hair stand on end.

The Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost had come?

But Chu Jingfeng did not seem afraid at all. He even sounded excited—he seemed dependable.

"Ah—"

Gu An had only just begun to calm down when he heard Chu Jingfeng scream. Terrified, he hurried forward to shut the window, then turned and blew out the oil lamp.

Gu An retreated into a corner of the room. The White Spirit Mouse clearly sensed something and quickly leaped into his arms.

This little beast was trembling too!

Its trembling intensified Gu An's fear.

Since childhood, Gu An had never encountered a monster or evil spirit. It could not be helped—the Ji Family had been too safe. When he was young, the most terrifying beings in his eyes had been the Ji Family guards, who looked like Zhang Fei and Li Kui.

Chu Jingfeng, you had better live up to all that boasting. And Li Ya next door—I can see that your talent is extraordinary and your fate is unique. You must be the protagonist of some novel. Slay that demon, and you will transform into a dragon at the first meeting of wind and clouds...

Gu An tried hard to steady his emotions. His fists clenched as he gathered the dragon force within him.

Very soon, he heard the neighboring door being pushed open. It was Li Ya. The fellow had grabbed his sword and rushed out to support Chu Jingfeng.

As for Meng Lang, he was even worse than Gu An. He had actually hidden beneath his bed, nearly making the already anxious Gu An curse aloud.

That turtle bastard usually put on such an act before him and called himself big brother. Who would have thought he would be such a coward when trouble came?

As Gu An thought this, every second that followed felt agonizing.

In his perception, Chu Jingfeng's aura suddenly vanished. He did not know whether Chu Jingfeng had died.

"Demon! Shut your mouth!"

Li Ya's voice reached Gu An's ears, sending chills down his spine.

This demon wanted to eat them too?

Immediately afterward, Gu An heard a bang, and Li Ya's voice abruptly cut off.

Was he done for?

So useless?

Gu An's heart pounded like a war drum, utterly impossible to calm.

Cheng Xuandan and Zhang Chunqiu were both hiding in their rooms. With such a huge disturbance outside, they could still pretend not to hear it. Truly, like master, like disciple...

The outside fell silent. Even Gu An, with his outstanding senses, could no longer detect any movement or aura from the Greed-Hatred Demon Ghost.

Thank you to Dan Cha Bei Xiang for the 1,500 Qidian Coins, Mr. In Place for the 600 Qidian Coins, Star Spirit Blood for the 500 Qidian Coins, Han Liangliang of Self-Improvement and Great Virtue for the 100 Qidian Coins, HAINA for the 100 Qidian Coins, No Umbrella on Rainy Days for the 100 Qidian Coins, and Loves Reading Everything for the 100 Qidian Coins~

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