Old Woman Golden Toad Speaks of Gu

Deep within the Money Falling Pavilion, in an exquisite courtyard.

Old Woman Golden Toad removed her hand from Little Frog's belly and let out a long sigh. The middle-aged beautiful woman standing beside her asked with concern, "Grandmother, how is the little ancestor?"

Old Woman Golden Toad rose from the couch. "He's fine. It's just that the fragment of the demon star within him has been completely depleted. The little beast's soul suffered some shock, but he'll be fine after a few days of recuperation."

The middle-aged beautiful woman breathed a sigh of relief, then asked with a hint of confusion, "That demon star fragment was something you obtained at great cost, Grandmother. Its demonic power alone is comparable to that of a Daoist True Man or a Confucian Master. The little ancestor is currently only in the Pure Blood Realm and isn't capable of extracting its demonic power yet, is he?"

A hint of annoyance flickered across Old Woman Golden Toad's usually serene, aged face. "This little beast has undergone Soul Merging with a Human..."

The middle-aged beautiful woman froze, then her entire body exuded murderous intent. "Who dares? This servant will go make him tear his own soul apart..."

Just then, a voice from a young maidservant outside the door called out, "Grandmother, Aunt Bing, the Earl of Wan'an has woken up..."

Chen Luo lay on the soft bed. Since his transmigration, he had lost count of how many times he had opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar place.

His body was covered in a yellow ointment, and a cool sensation seeped into his skin, eliminating any physical pain. Clearly, someone had helped him. Seeing that he was awake, the young maidservant quickly ran out, presumably to notify the masters of the house. However, as the maidservant turned, Chen Luo caught a glimpse of a fox tail behind her.

"Demon!"

Chen Luo blinked, then relaxed. In this Great Xuan Dynasty, all beings coexisted harmoniously. Humans and demons lived together. As long as a demon gained sentience within the borders of the Great Xuan Dynasty and its awakening could be traced back to someone who was not a criminal of the Great Xuan Dynasty, they could be considered citizens of Great Xuan, known as Xuan Demons. Newly awakened Xuan Demons, like ordinary people, worked, did business, or studied, striving to survive. Naturally, some also sold themselves into servitude, no different from humans.

I wonder how long I was unconscious. Chen Xuan must be going crazy with worry back home... Chen Luo mused to himself. I'll ask the masters of this place to send a letter back later to let them know I'm safe.

Also, I can't slack off on the matters concerning Zhong Kui and Dai Zong. Zhong Kui is easier; judging by Wei Yan's intentions, it seems they plan to spread the word throughout the empire. But how to handle The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, I need to think carefully.

Lian Ai and I have already forged a deep enmity. It's either she kills me next, or I kill her. I still need to become stronger...

Thinking of this, Chen Luo suddenly remembered the little frog he had merged with earlier. His heart skipped a beat, and he realized the little frog wasn't by his side. Just as he was about to call out to ask, a knock came from the door.

"My Lord, may this old woman come in?"

"My Lord?" Chen Luo was stunned. Were they calling him? Chen Luo glanced around the room, confirming he was alone.

"Please come in!" Chen Luo replied, and saw an elderly woman leaning on a cane, supported by a middle-aged beautiful woman, walking in.

"This old woman is Jin Sanshun of the Daoist sect. Greetings, Earl of Wan'an!"

"Earl of Wan'an?" Chen Luo looked confused. "Are you referring to me, old madam?"

Granny Jin seemed to recall something and sat down on a chair. "Look at this old woman's memory. The decree to grant you the title was only sent down after you were abducted, my Lord. You naturally wouldn't know."

Chen Luo nodded. "Please enlighten me, old madam!"

Granny Jin glanced at the beautiful woman beside her. The beautiful woman, with a cold expression and no discernible emotion, said, "By the decree of His Majesty of Great Xuan, Chen Luo of Wan'an County is hereby enfeoffed as the Earl of Wan'an for his meritorious service to the court in seeking the Literary Heart and offering valuable treasures."

Granny Jin smiled. "Since His Majesty ascended the throne, you are the third person to be granted a substantive noble title for meritorious deeds. You are truly promising... I have already sent word of your title to the Town Profound Division, and they should be arriving soon."

Chen Luo thought for a moment. Wei Yan had mentioned that the court would grant him a reward, and this must be it. Judging by the title, it seemed Wan'an County had been designated as his fiefdom.

Not bad, this emperor is quite generous!

"Old madam, did you save me? How many days was I unconscious? Also, there should have been a small frog demon with me, about this big..." Chen Luo gestured with his hand. "He's my brother. Have you seen him, old madam?"

Granny Jin and the middle-aged beautiful woman exchanged a glance. Granny Jin said calmly, "The one who saved you was a passerby. They only saved you and did not see any frog demon!"

Chen Luo's expression changed. He got out of bed and started putting on his shoes. "Is that passerby still here? I need to ask him. If not, I'll have to go back to where I was unconscious and search... I don't know if that little guy is injured."

Seeing Chen Luo's genuinely concerned and anxious expression, Granny Jin nodded imperceptibly. The icy aura around the beautiful woman's brows also softened slightly. Granny Jin quickly waved her hand, and a gentle force pushed Chen Luo back onto the bed.

"Don't worry, my Lord. This old woman was just joking with you. That little frog demon is this old woman's own grandson. He is currently resting in his room..."

"Ah?" Chen Luo was surprised and quickly got up again, bowing deeply to Granny Jin. "So it's you, Grandmother. Brother Frog saved my life, and Chen Luo will always remember it."

Granny Jin smiled and nodded. "Since you call my grandson your brother, I will take the liberty of accepting your address as grandmother and will no longer call you 'My Lord'."

"It is only right," Chen Luo replied quickly. "I would like to see him now, if that is convenient?"

"That little beast suffered quite a bit this time and has not yet woken up," Granny Jin shook her head slightly. "Who exactly did you encounter, and what happened? Can you tell grandmother in detail?"

Chen Luo nodded. "It all started with the ceremony of the Literary Heart choosing its master in Wan'an County..."

"Gu Sect? Gu Master?" Granny Jin frowned after hearing Chen Luo's account and murmured, "It was them!"

"Grandma Jin, what kind of power is that?" Chen Luo asked quickly. He didn't know if Lian Ai was alive or dead, and the mysterious woman who appeared later had seen his face. For safety, he naturally needed to understand more. Only by knowing oneself and the enemy could one find a way to deal with them.

Granny Jin pondered for a moment upon hearing Chen Luo's question and then said, "Legend has it that when heaven and earth first opened, the first living being was born."

"This being absorbed the primordial chaos energy of creation, and its strength grew rapidly, almost rivaling the Heavenly Dao."

"It sought to devour the Heavenly Dao and transform the world into its own nourishment. However, it was ultimately defeated by the spirit of the Heavenly Dao. Its laws scattered, and its divine body was shattered into three thousand six hundred pieces. These three thousand six hundred fragments are the Gu! That being was also known as the Gu God."

"The Gu Sect is a sect that takes Gu as its foundation for cultivation, pursuing the path of becoming a new Gu God."

"The Gu Sect does not distinguish between realms but by grades. The highest grade is Gu God, followed by grades from one to nine. To ascend to a higher grade, a sacrifice is required for each."

"In their pursuit of power, the Gu Sect wantonly slaughtered innocent beings, incurring the wrath of all. Six hundred years ago, the founding emperor of the Great Xuan Dynasty, along with the Daoist sect, Buddhist sect, Barbarian tribe, and Demon race, joined forces to completely annihilate the Gu Sect."

"However, in the last hundred years, there have been frequent rumors of the Gu Sect's resurgence. I didn't expect you to run into them."

Chen Luo's heart sank after hearing this. He had initially thought the Gu Sect was an unorthodox path, not aligned with the five major orthodoxies of Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Demon, and Barbarian. He never expected them to have such a powerful background, drawing the combined might of five factions against them! And yet, they hadn't been completely wiped out!

This boss is a bit too overpowered! Chen Luo grumbled inwardly.

Just then, the middle-aged beautiful woman suddenly stepped forward. "My Lord, this humble one has a presumptuous request."

"Hmm? Madam, please speak."

"My young master, being young and ignorant, with a heart full of courage, used the Soul Merging technique to lend his own foundation to Your Lordship to repel the powerful enemy. Now that Your Lordship is safe, can the Soul Merging technique be undone, and my young master's soul be independent again?"

"Ah? There was such a thing? No problem, but how do you undo this Soul Merging technique?"

"That's simple. As long as Your Lordship doesn't resist, I will personally act and split the part of Your Lordship's soul that was merged with my young master's and retrieve it..."

Willows in spring by the Yangtze River, beneath the poplar trees, a pleader for votes.

I didn't write a limerick in the last chapter, and as expected, the votes have decreased