“He is Gu An!”
Du Ye pushed Gu An, who staggered a bit before looking at the summoning cultivator and said, “I am Gu An.”
“Come.”
The cultivator replied, then turned and walked toward the mansion.
Gu An followed his steps, puzzled. What did Ji Xiaoyu want with him?
As a child, he had little interaction with Ji Xiaoyu, given the stark difference in their statuses.
After Gu An left, the Ji Family cultivators guarding the gate surrounded Du Ye, inquiring about Gu An. Du Ye’s expression turned unnatural; he could only reply to each question in turn.
Elsewhere.
Gu An followed the message-carrying cultivator for about two li before finally reaching Ji Xiaoyu’s courtyard.
The message-carrying cultivator stopped at the courtyard entrance, gestured with his hand for Gu An to enter, then turned and left.
Gu An could already sense Ji Xiaoyu’s aura. By his judgment, Ji Xiaoyu was also at the Ninth Layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm but significantly stronger than Ji Lin.
He stepped into the courtyard, which was filled with a bamboo grove that warred with the wintry atmosphere, making it feel like springtime.
Following the small path through the bamboo, he soon saw a pond enveloped in white Spirit Mist; within the mist, a figure was meditating, vaguely discernible as a woman.
As Gu An approached, he saluted Ji Xiaoyu who was in the pond and said, “Gu An pays his respects to the Third Young Miss.”
Ji Xiaoyu, dressed in green, sat cross-legged, floating above the pond’s surface with her fingers intertwined and resting on her knees. Her long hair, held up by three pearl-studded hairpins, framed her shining, jade-like forehead which bore a faint, red mark. In terms of facial features, only Jiang Qiong could compare to her in Gu An’s opinion.
Unlike Jiang Qiong’s enchanting demeanor, which blended innocence and wickedness, Ji Xiaoyu was like a celestial nymph descended from the heavens, her expression impassive and radiating a sanctity that forbade desecration.
Gu An thought back to the first time he had met Ji Xiaoyu as a child; even then, she didn’t seem like a child. Her eyes appeared as if they had been tempered by the ages.
He immediately conducted a Life Span Detection:
[Ji Xiaoyu (Foundation Establishment Realm Ninth Layer):34/830/8900]
What the heck?
An ultimate lifespan of eighty-nine hundred years?
The key point was that she was only at the Ninth Layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm. How could she possibly have eight hundred and thirty years of life expectancy?
Surprised, Gu An suddenly felt Ji Xiaoyu was more than just someone with Dual Spirit Roots.
“You did well earlier. After the banquet, you should meet Gu Zong, and you can take him as your master,” Ji Xiaoyu said without opening her eyes, her voice melodious yet authoritative.
She had actually eavesdropped on the conversation at the mansion’s gate!
Gu An complained inwardly, but verbally responded, “Third Young Miss, honestly, I don’t wish to take him as my master. I can tell that his status is extraordinary and his cultivation level must be very high, but with my mediocre abilities, having a renowned master would only cause me troubles. I wish to stay in my Medicine Valley and live out my life peacefully.
Supplying a batch of medicinal herbs to the Third Young Miss each year is already more than enough to fulfill me.”
Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaoyu opened her eyes. The mist before her dispersed as she turned her head to look at Gu An with a slight upward flick at the corner of her eyes, adding a commanding air to her delicate features. Her bright eyes seemed to be trying to see through Gu An’s heart.
Gu An slightly lowered his head, avoiding her gaze.
It wasn’t that he feared her, but his current public identity was a mere Qi Cultivation Realm house servant. He had to play the part fully.
“Then don’t take a master. However, since Gu Zong wishes to meet you, you’ll have to see him regardless. This matter is indeed difficult for you. Tell me, what can I do for you? As long as it’s within my power, I will make it happen,” Ji Xiaoyu softly said.
Perhaps it was because Ji Xiaoyu had once saved Gu An when he was younger that he held a fondness for her. Hearing her offer, he didn’t hesitate to say, “Third Young Miss, the Mystic Valley where I stay is too small. I wish to cultivate more medicinal herbs. Could you help me acquire another Medicine Valley?
Of course, please don’t move me from Mystic Valley; my heart is tied to that place, and I can’t bear to leave.”
Ji Xiaoyu fell silent upon hearing this.
Gu An was not in a hurry.
If she couldn’t manage it, then he would ask Gu Zong.
He had a rough idea of what Gu Zong wanted from him.
What else could they want from a writer like him?
Ji Xiaoyu finally spoke, “I can’t fully promise the Medicine Valley matter, as this place is not Ji Mansion, and you don’t wish to leave your Valley. I will try my best. Besides this, you may make another request.”
Gu An promptly said, “Could you give me a set of Teleportation Array? I wish to connect the two Medicine Valleys for ease of travel.”
“That is not difficult. After the banquet, I will have someone deliver it to you,” she replied.
“Thank you, Third Young Miss!”
Gu An smiled, saluting her once more.
Ji Xiaoyu closed her eyes then asked, “By the way, what exactly did you write that made Gu Zong hold you in such high regard, even wanting to take you as his disciple?”
Gu An thought for a moment, realizing he couldn’t keep this a secret. After today, Ji Xiaoyu might investigate him. It might be better to be forthright; Ji Family might even protect him in the future.
“Investiture of the Gods.”
When Gu An uttered these four words, Ji Xiaoyu abruptly opened her eyes and turned to look at him, showing a look of surprise for the first time.
“Investiture of the Gods is written by you? How do you know so much?” Ji Xiaoyu asked, frowning.
With a helpless tone Gu An replied, “It’s just my imagination, it’s not real.”
Many were saying that “Investiture of the Gods” was a piece of ancient history, and individuals like Zuo Lin and Wuxin thought the same, which had made him nervous for a while.
If he hadn’t checked in the Book Collection Hall of the Outer Sect and found no records related to Huaxia, he might have actually believed that “Investiture of the Gods” was real.
“Imagined? But the world of ‘Investiture of the Gods’ that you depict is so vast and the Daoist sorcery so captivating,” Ji Xiaoyu whispered softly.
Clearly, she also enjoyed reading “Investiture of the Gods.”
Gu An pretended to be uneasy, appearing unsure of how to continue the conversation.
“You mustn’t speak about this to anyone else. ‘Investiture of the Gods’ has too great an influence, and Pan An’s name has already spread throughout the Taicang Dynasty; other sects all want to find you,” Ji Xiaoyu cautioned.
Thinking it over, she raised her right hand, the jade ring on her middle finger flashing with light, and a small bronze sword appeared in her palm.
“This is a Talisman Treasure. You only need to infuse it with Spiritual Power to activate it. This treasure can slay cultivators in the Core Formation Realm. Keep it to protect yourself,” she said.
Ji Xiaoyu’s words made Gu An take another look at the small bronze sword.
This was his first encounter with such a Talisman Treasure. Previously, Jiang Qiong had mentioned to him that Talisman Treasures do not recognize a master and require stored Spiritual Power to be used, often left by Great Cultivators to protect their juniors. He hadn’t expected that he would get to enjoy this privilege today.
He did not refuse and accepted the small bronze sword.
“Go back to your room and rest. You don’t have to stand guard anymore.”
Ji Xiaoyu closed her eyes again, her tone returning to its previous indifference.
Gu An bowed politely with his hand, then turned and left.
After leaving the courtyard, Gu An curiously pondered the indescribable, inexplicable aura he felt on Ji Xiaoyu, an aura that inexplicably drew one toward it.
He did not think too much of it and walked toward his own courtyard.
As more guests arrived, the Ji Mansion grew lively, bursting with people everywhere.
The Divinity Transformation cultivators were lively and jovial, Nascent Souls keeping them company, while those in Core Formation could only scurry about busily, their status dictated by their cultivation realm blatantly apparent in the Ji Mansion.
As he walked, Gu An suddenly saw someone.
Jiang Qiong.
The two met on a corridor face-to-face; Gu An was very composed, his expression unchanging. Jiang Qiong was the same.
As they brushed past one another, maintaining half a meter distance, Gu An suddenly felt a Jade Pendant being slipped into his left hand.
“Check with Divine Sense once you’re back in your room, and let’s pretend we don’t recognize each other,”
The voice of Jiang Qiong reached Gu An’s ears—she was using the Sound Transmission Skill.
Gu An clenched the Jade Pendant tightly and left without turning back, passing by each other as though they were strangers.
…
Inside his room, Gu An sat cross-legged on his bed, his left hand gripping the Jade Pendant, the back of his hand facing upwards. Even inside, he did not let the Jade Pendant show.
He sent his Divine Sense into the Jade Pendant and soon furrowed his brow.
Inside the Jade Pendant was a vestige of Divine Sense left by Jiang Qiong, informing him of why she had come to the Ji Mansion.
Jiang Qiong’s current target was precisely Ji Xiaoyu.
Not just her, but Thousand-Autumn Pavilion and other Demonic Sects had also sent spies, all aiming to seize the Primordial Daoist Talisman within Ji Xiaoyu’s body.
The Primordial Daoist Talisman was a very special power, like bloodline, innate to one’s birth, but once the owner formed a core, the Primordial Daoist Talisman would emerge on the Golden Core. At that point, if the Golden Core were taken away, the Primordial Daoist Talisman would leave the cultivator’s body.
According to Jiang Qiong, a Daoist Talisman of this nature was a once-in-ten-thousand-years occurrence, rarer even than Heavenly Spirit Roots, and possessed life-altering natural benefits.
No wonder Ji Xiaoyu had such an exaggerated lifespan—it was because of the Primordial Daoist Talisman.
Now, Gu An was in a quandary. On one side was Jiang Qiong, and on the other Ji Xiaoyu. Whom should he support?
Forget it!
He wouldn’t interfere; after all, Jiang Qiong wouldn’t make a move until the banquet was over, waiting for Ji Xiaoyu to accomplish Core Formation. By then, Gu An would have already returned to Mystic Valley.
Gu An was very curious about the Primordial Daoist Talisman; was the special aura he had felt on Ji Xiaoyu the aura of the Primordial Daoist Talisman?
Even he, a Great Cultivator of the Void Crossing Realm, could not help but feel greedy, which showed how powerful the primordial force contained within the Primordial Daoist Talisman was.
As time passed, the banquet proceeded smoothly, and the lurking Demon Cultivators did not act rashly.
At noon, Ji Xiaoyu showcased the Qilin Step for the guests, and Gu An witnessed this scene in the courtyard.
Ji Xiaoyu stepped out from the courtyard, ascending to heaven with each step, creating a Qilin Dharma Aspect beneath her feet. After seven steps, the Qilin Dharma Aspect enveloped her body. At a glance, it appeared as though seven dark-red Qilins stood in the air—a magnificent sight.
With Gu An’s keen vision, he could tell that Ji Xiaoyu could take two more steps—nine steps was her limit for the Qilin Step.
But the ultimate limit of the Qilin Step wasn’t nine steps. Mastered to perfection, one could make a thousand steps, where thousands of Qilin, akin to avatars, could encircle and confuse an opponent.
Regardless, Ji Xiaoyu’s mastery of the Qilin Step at the age of thirty-four was indeed remarkable. With it, she could sweep through cultivators of the same realm.
In the evening, Du Ye came looking for Gu An with Gu Zong and Gu Yu.
Having led the way, Du Ye left, not daring to disturb them.
An Ancient Hour later, Gu Zong left with a smile of satisfaction.
Gu An escorted them to the gate of the courtyard. Gu Yu turned back, winked at Gu An, and said, “Remember, I must have many beautiful ladies as friends in the book. In half a year at most, I’ll come looking for you, and the Medicine Valley you want will definitely not disappoint!”