After spending half the night in the Hidden Spirit Palace, deep into the night, Gu An returned to Mystic Valley.
Most of the buildings in the valley had turned off their lights, and the disciples were practicing in the darkness. Gu An turned his head towards the forests at the edge of Mystic Valley.
He saw a figure practicing swordsmanship.
Jiang Shi!
For some reason, Gu An suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu; he seemed to see a figure from hundreds of years ago.
Back then, he had a disciple who also loved to practice swordsmanship in the forest, similarly burdened by a vendetta.
Gu An watched for a while, then walked towards his own loft.
Back inside his room, he did not watch Jiang Shi practice swordsmanship again. He recalled the prior conversation between Jiang Shi and Lu Jiujia and had no intention of intervening.
The most important aspect of being human is that everyone has their own choices to make. Gu An had already warned them, and Lu Jiujia just needed to make a choice following that warning. Whatever the choice, Lu Jiujia would have to face the consequences.
If Lu Jiujia insisted on suffering, then so be it.
The greatest care Gu An could offer to those around him was to ensure they would not die before their life span ended.
Of course, nothing was absolute. Perhaps Jiang Shi could change for the better. When Gu An pointed out Jiang Shi’s past, he had already altered their destinies—a change for better or worse, time would tell.
Only in the early hours of the morning did Jiang Shi return from the woods, joining the disciples for morning drills, with Gu An joining in, chatting and laughing with the disciples during the drills, even jovially talking with Jiang Shi without dwelling on his past.
Upon learning that Gu An was not willing to accept him, Jiang Shi did not harbor any animosity towards Gu An, indicating that his nature was not beyond redemption. Naturally, Gu An would not deliberately shut him out.
Of course, by doing this, Gu An also hoped to encourage Jiang Shi to improve, and to reduce the chances of him causing trouble for Lu Jiujia.
The day passed, and Jiang Shi became very compliant, no longer pleading for anything.
…
Time flew like an arrow; thirty years passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, Gu An came back early from Heavenly Phoenix Mountain and stood downstairs, waiting for someone’s return.
Ji Xiaoyu walked out from inside the house and stood beside him, her gaze on him, yet she remained silent with a cold expression.
Gu An felt uneasy under her stare and glanced at her, asking, “What’s wrong?”
Ji Xiaoyu said softly, “Gu An, you’re really heartless, not talking to me for so many years?”
Upon hearing this, Gu An quickly turned around, helplessly saying, “I didn’t talk to you? It’s just because of your icy demeanor; I didn’t dare to disturb you, and how often do you even leave the house in a year?”
Ji Xiaoyu huffed, “Don’t give me that. If it were your junior sister ignoring you, you’d definitely rush to appease her.”
“Impossible!”
“Oh, really?”
Ji Xiaoyu wore an incredulous look.
Gu An earnestly said, “My junior sister couldn’t possibly ignore me.”
Ji Xiaoyu’s pupils dilated slightly, and she was tempted to leave but restrained herself.
Gu An asked, “How has your cultivation been these years? I’ve already reached the sixth floor of the Nascent Soul Realm. Impressive, right?”
Ji Xiaoyu, initially annoyed, couldn’t help but chuckle upon hearing this.
“Indeed impressive, almost catching up to me,” Ji Xiaoyu said crisply as she contained her smile and responded coldly.
Gu An followed up, “What realm are you at now?”
“Eighth floor of the Unification Realm.”
“What?”
Gu An widened his eyes in astonishment and asked, “How could you advance so quickly? Is cultivating to the Unification Realm that easy?”
Ji Xiaoyu glanced at him and said, “You think it’s quick because you don’t take cultivation seriously. Regardless of the era, my cultivation speed is never considered top-tier.”
“That’s true.”
“Hmm?”
“I mean, in my eyes, you’ve always had an elite talent.”
Gu An declared seriously, inwardly thinking women are really hard to please; praise you and you mock me, don’t praise you and you get upset.
The two continued to chat, with Ji Xiaoyu intentionally easing their tense relationship, and Gu An naturally went along with it.
Before long, a figure flew in from the horizon—it was the person Gu An was waiting for.
The person flew swiftly and landed behind Gu An, extending a hand towards him. Ji Xiaoyu quickly pulled Gu An towards herself, causing the hand to miss.
Gu An took hold of Ji Xiaoyu’s hand and turned to look.
“Senior Brother Li!” Gu An exclaimed excitedly.
Li Ya’s hand hovered in the air as he looked confusedly towards Ji Xiaoyu, not expecting her to react so quickly.
Ji Xiaoyu felt Gu An squeezing her wrist but did not pull her hand away, and she calmly looked at Li Ya.
Gu An let go, stepping forward to enthusiastically greet Li Ya.
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, with Li Ya guiding Gu An towards his loft, and Ji Xiaoyu followed closely.
As they ascended the stairs, Ji Xiaoyu was still behind them, which made Li Ya puzzled as he looked at Ji Xiaoyu.
“Let her come along; she’s one of us,” Gu An said with a smile.
Ji Xiaoyu’s lips slightly curved upon hearing this.
Li Ya felt awkward but didn’t refuse.
After the three entered the house, Gu An began making tea for Li Ya and inquired about his experiences over the years.
Ji Xiaoyu sat on Gu An’s chair, and Li Ya didn’t sit down immediately, narrating his experiences while scanning the furnishings in the room.
Years had passed, yet there was little change in Junior Brother Gu’s residence, evoking a rush of emotions in him.
After Gu An poured him a good tea, he brought over a chair and sat beside Ji Xiaoyu, listening to him recount his experiences.
Hearing that he had entered the Holy Court, Gu An couldn’t help but exclaim, giving him ample face.
Li Ya then spoke of the Magic Battle Conference between the Holy Court and the Immortal Dynasty, piquing Ji Xiaoyu’s interest.
“Guess who I saw in the camp of the Immortal Dynasty? An Hao! Surprising, isn’t it? He actually joined the Immortal Dynasty!” Li Ya remarked with emotion.
Gu An thought to himself that he was well aware, and he also knew that Li Ya had been defeated by him again.
Li Ya, through fortuitous opportunities, had reached the Mystic Heart Realm, and encountered An Hao in the Magic Battle Conference. An Hao, stubborn as always, refused to use the power of Divine Exotic City and, unsurprisingly, was thoroughly defeated.
It must be said that Li Ya was both fortunate and tragic.
He could always keep up with An Hao’s pace, but he just couldn’t defeat him.
Time and again, he was utterly crushed. Despite being in the same realm, he was no match for An Hao.
Compared to Yang Jian, Li Ya seemed more like An Hao’s destined rival.
“Did you two face off?” asked Gu An.
Li Ya shook his head and said, “Sadly, no. Almost out of luck, I wanted to test his sharpness.”
Puff! A laugh echoed in his heart, the laugh of the Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit.
He pretended not to hear it, continuing with his lamentations, unaware that Gu An could hear the inner voice of Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit, who was debunking his boast to Gu An.
How intriguing!
Li Ya began talking about the exceptional talents from both factions, and Gu An would exclaim from time to time, keeping the atmosphere lively.
Ji Xiaoyu didn’t utter a word, listening quietly all the while.
“You might not believe this, but the Immortal Dynasty actually won the Magic Battle Conference; they won one more match than expected. Who knows what changes this will bring about now? If the Holy Court can’t suppress the Immortal Dynasty, war might be inevitable,” Li Ya sighed.
He even doubted if he had chosen the wrong path.
Why does An Hao always have such smooth sailing?
Ji Xiaoyu spoke up, “The talents of the Immortal Dynasty are naturally superior to ordinary people. Such competitions are advantageous for the Immortal Dynasty; the Holy Court probably let them win deliberately, aiming for a peaceful situation. If it came to a direct war, the Holy Court would win, but it would be a Pyrrhic victory, severely damaging the Holy Court.”
Li Ya looked at Ji Xiaoyu with surprise, not expecting her to make such an astute judgment.
He knew Ji Xiaoyu’s identity, and had initially thought Gu An kept her nearby to remember the third young miss of the Ji Family; now, it seemed, this Ji Xiaoyu was not so simple.
Sensing Li Ya’s amazement, Gu An introduced her, “This lady is no ordinary person; not yet four hundred years old, she has already attained the eighth floor of the Unification Realm, possessing a talent not inferior to An Hao.”
More than being not inferior—Ji Xiaoyu’s true self was a Free Immortal. It would take An Hao and Li Ya at least a million years, maybe even longer, to cultivate to a Free Immortal.
“That impressive?” Li Ya’s expression changed; he was genuinely shocked.
Despite being a cultivator of the Mystic Heart Realm, only he knew the sacrifices he’d made. His rapid increase in cultivation level wasn’t due to innate talent.
How has the Supreme Sect produced another remarkable genius?
Li Ya resignedly said, “Indeed on par with An Hao. An Hao had just achieved the Mahayana Realm a few years ago—reaching it at the age of five hundred. It’s monstrous. Miss Ji might be able to achieve Mahayana Realm at the same age.”
He felt incredibly bitter inside.
He could accept An Hao’s achievements since An Hao, like him, had traveled far and faced life-threatening dangers.
What about Ji Xiaoyu?
Staying by Gu An’s side and she could cultivate so quickly?
Li Ya could hardly stay any longer; he took out two brocade boxes from his Storage Ring, saying, “These are gifts I’ve prepared for you. Luckily, I brought an extra one, as a gift for meeting your younger sister. I have matters to discuss with the Supreme Sect, and I’ll come back another time for a drink.”
With that, he stood up and walked towards the window.
Suddenly remembering Ji Xiaoyu was still there, he turned and headed for the door.
“That much in a hurry?”
“Almost forgot something important, it’s urgent.”
“Alright then.”
Gu An escorted Li Ya to the door and watched him fly away.
He felt regretful; how had he managed to drive Li Ya away?
Li Ya was actually his first true friend in this lifetime, and he quite missed him. If Li Ya didn’t seek him out, he would have to go find Li Ya.
Perhaps it was the presence of a lady that made it awkward between brothers.
Gu An closed the door, returned to the table, and saw Ji Xiaoyu already opening the brocade boxes. There were two jade pendants inside.
“I want this one,” Ji Xiaoyu said undebatably, her cheerfulness undisguised.
Without waiting for Gu An’s response, she began casting spells on the two jade pendants.
Gu An sat down on the chair Li Ya had just vacated, feeling a bit helpless.
Li Ya really was speaking recklessly!
He, Gu An, was meant to be an ascetic cultivator who walked unscathed through a myriad of flowers; how could he possibly tie the knot with a lady?
Thinking of An Hao, Gu An immediately extended his Divine Thought towards him.
An Hao was still inside the Holy Court, in a mysterious secret realm. With Gu An’s current Dao Level, no formation or restriction within the Holy Court could obstruct him; he could even stealthily probe inside without a sound.
Soon, he located An Hao.
Eh?
What’s going on?
Gu An was surprised; what great opportunity had An Hao encountered inside the Holy Court?
