"He's Gu An!"
Du Ye gave Gu An a push. Gu An pretended to stagger, then looked at the cultivator who had summoned him and said, "I am Gu An."
"Come."
The cultivator responded, then turned and headed into the mansion.
Gu An followed his steps, puzzled. What did Ji Xiaoyu want with him?
He had not interacted much with Ji Xiaoyu when he was young. After all, the gap between their statuses had been enormous.
After Gu An left, the Ji Family cultivators guarding the gate gathered around Du Ye to inquire about Gu An. Du Ye's expression grew somewhat unnatural, and he could only answer them one by one.
Meanwhile.
Gu An followed behind the messenger cultivator. After walking two li, he finally arrived at Ji Xiaoyu's courtyard.
The messenger cultivator stopped outside the courtyard gate, raised a hand to signal Gu An to enter, then turned and left.
Gu An could already sense Ji Xiaoyu's aura. By his judgment, she too was at the Ninth-layer Foundation Establishment Realm, yet she was far stronger than Ji Lin.
He stepped into the courtyard. A grove of bamboo grew within, and spring filled the entire yard, making it seem nothing like autumn.
He followed the path through the bamboo grove. Before long, he saw a pool, its surface shrouded in white spiritual mist. A figure sat meditating within the fog, vaguely discernible as a woman.
After Gu An approached, he clasped his fists toward Ji Xiaoyu in the pool and saluted her. "Gu An pays respects to Third Young Miss."
Ji Xiaoyu wore green robes, her legs folded beneath her as she floated atop the pool. Her hands formed seals atop her knees. Three pearl-studded hairpins held her long hair at the crown of her head, while two locks drifted beside her cheeks. Her forehead was white and lustrous as jade, with a faint red line flickering into view. In Gu An's eyes, only Jiang Qiong could compare to her in appearance.
Unlike Jiang Qiong's charming aura, both righteous and wicked, Ji Xiaoyu was like a celestial maiden descending from the nine heavens. No emotion could be seen on her face, yet she exuded a holy purity that made others not dare profane her.
Gu An recalled the first time he had seen Ji Xiaoyu as a child. Even then, he had felt she was unlike a child. Those eyes seemed to have endured the tempering of countless years.
He immediately cast a Lifespan Inspection:
[Ji Xiaoyu (Ninth-layer Foundation Establishment Realm): 34/830/8900]
What the hell?
An upper limit of eight thousand nine hundred years?
More importantly, she was only at the Ninth-layer Foundation Establishment Realm. Why did she have eight hundred and thirty years of lifespan?
Gu An was astonished. He suddenly felt Ji Xiaoyu was far more than merely a dual Spirit Root cultivator.
"You did well earlier. After the banquet ends, go see Gu Zong. You may take him as your master."
Ji Xiaoyu spoke without opening her eyes. Her voice was pleasant, gentle and soft without losing its authority.
This bastard had actually been eavesdropping on the conversation outside the mansion gates!
Gu An grumbled inwardly, but replied aloud, "Third Young Miss, I truly do not wish to take him as my master. I can tell that his identity is far from ordinary, and his cultivation must be very high. But my aptitude is mediocre. If I take a famous master, I may instead invite trouble. I only wish to remain in my Medicine Valley and live out the rest of my days in peace. Being able to contribute a batch of medicinal herbs to Third Young Miss every year would already satisfy me completely."
Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaoyu opened her eyes. The mist before her dispersed, and she tilted her head to cast Gu An a sidelong glance.
The corners of her eyes seemed to have been traced with a stroke of a brush, rising slightly and lending her gentle eyes an air of imperiousness. Her bright gaze seemed to want to see through Gu An's heart.
Gu An lowered his head slightly and did not meet her eyes.
It was not that he feared her. It was simply that his public identity was that of a Ninth-layer Qi Refining household servant, so he had to see the act through to the end.
"Then do not take him as your master. However, Gu Zong wishes to see you, so you must still make the trip. This matter has indeed put you in a difficult position. Tell me, what can I do for you? So long as it is within my power, I will certainly do it," Ji Xiaoyu said softly.
Perhaps because Ji Xiaoyu had once saved Gu An when they were children, Gu An held a favorable impression of her. Hearing her words, he did not stand on ceremony. "Third Young Miss, the Mystic Valley where I am is too small. I wish to plant more medicinal herbs. Could you see if you can help me obtain another Medicine Valley? Of course, please do not transfer me away from Mystic Valley. My life's work is there, and I cannot bear to leave it."
Ji Xiaoyu fell silent upon hearing this.
Gu An was not in a hurry either.
If she could not handle it, then he would have Gu Zong handle it.
He could roughly guess why Gu Zong wanted to see him.
What could someone who wrote books possibly be wanted for?
Ji Xiaoyu said, "I cannot fully promise you the matter of the Medicine Valley. After all, this is not the Ji Family, and you are unwilling to leave your Medicine Valley. I will try my best. Aside from that, you may make one more request."
Gu An immediately said, "Then could you give me a Teleportation Array? I want to connect the two Medicine Valleys, so travel between them will be more convenient."
"That will not be difficult. After the banquet ends, I will have someone deliver it to you."
"Thank you, Third Young Miss!"
Gu An smiled and clasped his fists in salute again.
Ji Xiaoyu closed her eyes and asked, "By the way, what exactly did you write that made Gu Zong value you so highly, to the point that he even wishes to take you as his disciple?"
Gu An thought about it. He felt he certainly could not conceal this matter. After today, Ji Xiaoyu might investigate him, so he might as well be frank. In the future, the Ji Family could still shield him from wind and rain.
"Investiture of the Gods."
When Gu An spoke those four words, Ji Xiaoyu abruptly opened her eyes, turned to look at him, and revealed astonishment for the first time.
"You wrote Investiture of the Gods? How do you know so much?" Ji Xiaoyu asked with a frown.
Gu An said helplessly, "I made it all up. It is not real."
Many people now claimed that Investiture of the Gods recorded a segment of ancient history. Zuo Lin, Wuxin, and the others thought so as well, making him nervous for a time.
Had he not searched the Outer Sect's Library Hall and found no records related to Huaxia at all, he would nearly have believed Investiture of the Gods was real.
"You made it up? Yet the world of Investiture of the Gods that you depicted is so vast, and those Dao arts make one's heart race with longing," Ji Xiaoyu said softly.
Clearly, she liked reading Investiture of the Gods too.
Gu An pretended to be at a loss, wearing the look of someone who did not know how to respond.
"You must not tell anyone else about this. Investiture of the Gods has had too great an impact. The name Pan An has already spread throughout the Great Cang Dynasty, and other sects all wish to find you," Ji Xiaoyu instructed.
After thinking for a moment, she raised her right hand. The jade ring on her middle finger flashed, and a small bronze sword appeared in her palm.
"This is a Talisman Treasure. You need only inject spiritual energy into it to activate it. This treasure can kill Golden Core Realm cultivators. Keep it to protect your life."
Ji Xiaoyu's words made Gu An take another look at the small bronze sword.
This was his first time coming into contact with such a Talisman Treasure. Jiang Qiong had mentioned them to him before. Talisman Treasures could not be bound to an owner and required stored spiritual energy to be used. They were often left by Great Cultivators for their juniors to preserve their lives. He had not expected to enjoy such treatment today.
He did not refuse and accepted the small bronze sword.
"Return to your room and rest. You need not guard the gate anymore."
Ji Xiaoyu closed her eyes again, her tone returning to its prior indifference.
Gu An raised his hand in salute, then turned and departed.
After leaving the courtyard, Gu An secretly felt curious. He had sensed an indescribable aura from Ji Xiaoyu, one that made him inexplicably want to possess it.
He did not dwell on it and headed toward his own courtyard.
As more and more guests arrived, the interior of Ji Mansion grew livelier, with figures everywhere.
Spirit Transformation cultivators chatted and laughed freely, Nascent Soul cultivators attended them from the side, while Golden Core cultivators could only run about busily. The disparity in status brought by cultivation realms was displayed vividly within Ji Mansion.
As he walked, Gu An suddenly spotted someone.
Jiang Qiong.
The two met face-to-face in a corridor. Gu An remained calm, with no change in expression, and Jiang Qiong was the same.
They brushed past one another, separated by half a meter. Gu An suddenly felt a jade pendant slipped into his left hand.
"Return to your room and inspect it with your divine sense. Pretend we do not know each other."
Jiang Qiong's voice entered Gu An's ears. She had used the Sound Transmission Technique.
Gu An clenched the jade pendant in his hand and left without turning his head. The two passed each other just like that, as though they had never known one another.
Inside the room, Gu An sat meditating on the bed. His left hand gripped the jade pendant, the back of his hand facing upward. Even indoors, he did not allow the jade pendant to be exposed.
He sent his divine sense into the jade pendant, and before long, his brows furrowed.
Within the jade pendant was a fragment of divine sense left behind by Jiang Qiong, telling him why she had come to Ji Mansion.
Jiang Qiong's target this time was none other than Ji Xiaoyu.
She was not the only one. Thousand Autumn Pavilion and other Demonic Path sects had also sent spies, all seeking to seize the Innate Dao Talisman within Ji Xiaoyu's body.
The Innate Dao Talisman was an exceptionally special power, like a bloodline, innate from birth. Yet once its bearer formed a Golden Core, the Innate Dao Talisman would manifest upon the Golden Pill. At that point, so long as the Golden Pill was seized, the Innate Dao Talisman would leave the cultivator's fleshly body.
According to Jiang Qiong, Dao Talismans appeared only once in ten thousand years. They were rarer even than Heavenly Spirit Roots and held a great fortune capable of changing one's fate.
No wonder Ji Xiaoyu's lifespan was so outrageous. It turned out to be because of the Innate Dao Talisman.
Gu An found himself in a difficult position. One side was Jiang Qiong, and the other was Ji Xiaoyu. Whom should he support?
Forget it!
He would ignore them all. In any case, Jiang Qiong would not make a move until the banquet ended. She had to wait until Ji Xiaoyu formed her Golden Core, and by then, Gu An would already be back in Mystic Valley.
Gu An was very curious about the Innate Dao Talisman. Could the special aura he had sensed from Ji Xiaoyu earlier have been the aura of the Innate Dao Talisman?
Even a Void Crossing Realm Great Cultivator like him could not help but give rise to greed, which showed just how powerful the Innate Dao Talisman was.
As time passed, the banquet proceeded smoothly. Those Demonic Cultivators lying in ambush did not act rashly.
At noon, Ji Xiaoyu even demonstrated the Qilin Step for the guests. Gu An witnessed the scene from the courtyard.
Ji Xiaoyu stepped out from the courtyard and ascended into the sky step by step. With every step, a Qilin manifestation formed beneath her feet. After seven steps, Qilin manifestations covered her body. At first glance, it seemed as though seven dark-red Qilins stood in the air, a magnificent sight.
With Gu An's eyesight, he could tell that Ji Xiaoyu could still take two more steps. Nine steps were the limit of her Qilin Step.
But the limit of the Qilin Step was not nine steps. When cultivated to the pinnacle, one could take a thousand steps. A thousand Qilins, like avatars, could besiege an enemy or confuse one.
No matter what, Ji Xiaoyu's ability to master the Qilin Step at thirty-four was truly remarkable. Relying on the Qilin Step, she was more than capable of sweeping aside all opponents in the same realm.
At dusk, Du Ye brought Gu Zong and Gu Yu to find Gu An.
After leading the way, Du Ye left, not daring to disturb them.
An hour later, Gu Zong left wearing a satisfied smile.
Gu An escorted them to the courtyard gate. Gu Yu turned back, winked at Gu An, and said, "Remember, I must have many beautiful confidantes in the book. In half a year at most, I will come find you. The Medicine Valley you want certainly will not be small!"
Before you continue