“Gu Brother, I’ve been waiting for you!”
“Yes, we wanted to visit you earlier, but we had too many things on hand and couldn’t get away for a while. Please don’t blame us, Gu Brother!”
“…”
The few of them chattered, afraid of displeasing Gu Han.
They were the Family Heads of the various families in the city.
“What are you doing?!”
Gu Han’s vigilance surged.
“Gu Brother.”
The Zhang Family Head quickly cupped his hands, a smile plastered on his face.
“We came with no ill intent!”
“That’s right, Gu Brother, we know you’re going to the Martial Academy, and we specially came to see you off!”
Beside him,
The Wang Family Head quickly took out a Storage Pouch.
“A small token of our regard, please accept it, Gu Brother.”
Gu Han took it suspiciously, and his gaze swept over it, secretly astonished. Inside the Storage Pouch, neatly stacked, were all yuan crystals. A rough estimate showed there were over ten thousand!
These yuan crystals,
were naturally a portion of the benefits they had gained from dividing the Gu Family’s assets.
If Gu Han had been captured by Liu Yuan earlier, they would naturally have chosen to monopolize it.
But now, Gu Han had not only secured his Martial Academy qualification but also had a connection with the Seventh Prince. They could no longer ignore it. After all, most of the Gu Family’s assets had been accumulated by Gu Tian and Gu Han, father and son.
Sending yuan crystals,
besides currying favor,
also served to ease their minds.
“You’re thoughtful.”
Gu Han naturally wouldn’t sympathize with the Gu Family and put away the Storage Pouch.
“I accept this gift.”
He was currently lacking Cultivation resources, so he naturally wouldn’t refuse such a readily available benefit.
“Hahaha, Gu Brother is a straightforward person!”
“May Gu Brother have a bright future and make a name for himself in the Imperial Capital!”
“…”
Amidst a chorus of flattery, Gu Han resumed his journey.
Seeing him leave,
the few of them completely relaxed and no longer delayed, hurrying back.
The vast Gu Family,
naturally wouldn’t have just this little benefit.
This time, each of them would earn a fortune.
…
As night deepened,
Gu Han had traveled for almost a day. Although he didn’t feel tired, he still found a secluded place to rest and sort out his resources.
One hundred forty to fifty first-tier Yao Beast cores.
Over fifty second-tier Yao Beast cores.
Over ten third-tier Yao Beast cores.
One High Grade Spiritual Artifact.
Plus over seventeen thousand yuan crystals.
These were all of Gu Han’s current possessions, including the resources he had obtained after killing Gu Chang that day.
“Alas…”
He couldn’t help but sigh.
“Young Master.”
A Sha put down the fragrant roasted beast meat.
“What’s wrong?”
“A Sha, we’re so poor!”
If an outsider heard that,
they would surely curse him for being ungrateful.
So many resources were enough to rival all the possessions of a small Family in Tianwu City, and he was still complaining about being poor?
But Gu Han understood in his heart.
Given his whale-like consumption rate of resources during Cultivation, these few items wouldn’t last long at all. At that time, he would become a complete pauper.
Although he would receive resources regularly after going to the Martial Academy,
for him, it would still be a drop in the bucket, completely insufficient.
“If only I had known…”
He gave a wry smile.
“I wouldn’t have been so generous.”
Thinking of how he had so casually given a Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique to the Seventh Prince earlier, his heart suddenly ached a little.
“Young Master!”
A Sha suddenly found the beast meat in her hand unappetizing, her small face full of seriousness.
“I want to help you earn money!”
“Good!”
Gu Han patted her head.
“I believe you!”
Shaking his head, he temporarily cast aside these worries and picked up the map again to look at it.
The terrain of the Great Qi Dynasty resembled a crescent moon, with its border adjacent to the Barren Forest. Tianwu City and the Imperial Capital were located precisely at the two tips of the crescent moon.
If he traveled straight,
he would inevitably have to pass through the Barren Forest. Although it was only the outer perimeter, it would add many variables and dangers.
If he took a detour,
although it would reduce some dangers, the journey would increase by more than three times, and he would also have to pass through many checkpoints and cities along the way, which would take a considerable amount of time.
For a moment,
he fell into contemplation.
“Young Master.”
After finishing the beast meat, A Sha’s small head leaned over again.
“What are you looking at?”
“A Sha.”
Gu Han explained the situation to her.
“If it were you, which one would you choose?”
“This one!”
A Sha pointed directly to the route through the Barren Forest without any hesitation.
“Why?”
“I can help Young Master find Spirit Medicine! Didn’t you say we’re very poor? These Spirit Medicine can sell for a lot of money, right?”
“Smart.”
Gu Han smiled.
“Alright then, we’ll take this path!”
A Sha’s idea naturally coincided with his own.
After making a decision, he put away the map and once again used his Cultivation to help A Sha clear some of her Meridians, guiding her to find her Qi sense to prepare for her upcoming Cultivation. After that, he also began to Cultivate himself.
…
The next morning,
Gu Han slowly opened his eyes.
After a night of Cultivation, another thousand yuan crystals were gone, and his Cultivation was still a considerable distance from the Meridian Opening eighth stage.
At this moment,
his desire to earn yuan crystals became even more urgent.
Carrying A Sha on his back, it only took him half a day to reach the fork in the road, and he plunged into the Barren Forest.
…
In a flash,
several more days passed.
“This is it!”
Watching Gu Han put a fist-sized green fruit into his pouch, A Sha smiled happily.
In her heart,
nothing was happier than being able to help Gu Han.
Not even a drumstick could compare.
After picking the spiritual fruit,
Gu Han’s mood was naturally extremely cheerful.
This area was quite far from the major cities and checkpoints, and mostly third-tier Yao Beasts roamed here, so there were naturally fewer people. After a few days, he had only seen two groups of people from a distance.
Correspondingly,
there was naturally a lot more Spirit Medicine here.
With the help of A Sha’s ability, including this green fruit, he had already collected five Spirit Medicine. And among them, two were worth much more than that Xuan Shen just from their appearance. Coupled with the Yao Beast cores obtained from killing Yao Beasts along the way, his gains in these few days were enough to match half a year of hard searching for an ordinary person.
Of course,
while searching for spiritual fruits,
he didn’t neglect his Cultivation. He had now successfully entered the Meridian Opening eighth stage, and the yuan crystals consumed… were over four thousand!
“Still very poor.”
He shook his head with a wry smile.
He continued to move forward.
A Sha also perked up, her bright, watery eyes scanning everywhere non-stop, afraid of missing any Spirit Medicine.
After half a day,
“Huh?”
After a long period of concentration, A Sha, who was originally a bit tired, suddenly had her eyes light up.
“Young Master! Ahead! There’s something ahead!”
“Such a big ball of light, this must be very valuable!”
“Where?”
Gu Han also became energized and galloped in the direction she pointed.
Now,
he firmly believed A Sha’s words.
If A Sha said it was very valuable, it must be an extraordinary treasure!
“Here, here!”
A moment later, a vine as thick as an arm, covered in sharp thorns over half an inch long, appeared before the two of them.
“Young Master!”
A Sha pointed at the head-sized purple flower bud on the vine.
“It’s inside!”
Gu Han let out a slight sigh of relief, finally understanding why such a precious Spirit Medicine hadn’t been discovered by anyone.
In the Barren Forest, there were many strange-looking but worthless exotic flowers. No one would ever give them a second glance. And this vine looked utterly ordinary. Except for someone as knowledgeable as Dr. Xue, how could an ordinary Loose Cultivator possibly discern its abnormality?
Without hesitation,
he gently put down A Sha and reached out to pluck the flower.
Suddenly,
a sudden change occurred!
The vine seemed to sense the danger, as if it had come alive. Its thick body, like a giant snake, coiled towards Gu Han!
“Young Master, be careful!”
A Sha couldn’t help but exclaim.
“It has consciousness?”
Gu Han’s heart was filled with joy.
This was the first time he had seen a Spirit Medicine react this way, which was enough to show that the treasure inside that flower bud was far more valuable than he had imagined!
Swish!
A flash of sword light!
The vine instantly broke into several pieces, twisting on the ground.
At the same time,
streams of dark purple liquid continuously flowed from the broken parts, turning into wisps of purple smoke that diffused outwards!
“Oh no!”
Just one breath,
and Gu Han felt dizzy, even the movement of his spiritual power was somewhat sluggish.
“A Sha!”
He didn’t care about collecting the Spirit Medicine and instantly picked up A Sha, retreating far away!
“Whoosh…”
Once out of the purple mist’s range, he broke out in a cold sweat.
He hadn’t expected that the thorns on those vines were just a disguise. What was truly powerful were these highly toxic purple liquids. Even with his Cultivation, he couldn’t resist them. If A Sha had inhaled even a trace, the consequences would be unimaginable!
At the same time,
his heart felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over it, and he instantly sobered up.
Careless!
The Barren Forest was full of dangers, and that was absolutely no joke!
Just a seemingly ordinary vine was so strange; the hidden dangers ahead… must be even greater!
“A Sha.”
Thinking of this,
his excitement diminished considerably.
“You wait for me here.”
As he spoke, without waiting for A Sha to respond, he moved in and out, once again plunging into the purple mist that had already spread for several feet in circumference!
“Young Master…”
A Sha’s heart instantly tightened.
Just as he entered the mist, the dizzying sensation returned. Gu Han quickly held his breath and decisively swung his long sword, cutting down the flower bud!
In a trance,
he seemed to hear a sharp shriek!
The next moment,
the concentration of the purple mist suddenly intensified several times over!
Even though he held his breath, the purple mist continuously seeped into his body through his pores, spreading into his flesh and internal organs, and extending towards his Meridians!
Just as he was struggling to move and was about to collapse, the silver vortex in his Meridians once again began to spin, drawing all the purple mist within his body, neutralizing the toxins, and transforming them into wisps of refined Spiritual Qi, which then blended into his spiritual power.
An opportunity!
Gu Han’s mind cleared, and with a step, he instantly passed through the purple mist’s blockade!
“Young Master!”
A Sha finally let out a long sigh of relief.
“Are… are you alright?”
“I’m fine!”
At this point, Gu Han finally confirmed one thing.
His newly formed Meridians were too extraordinary, and what came with them was a body immune to all poisons, something countless people would envy!
“This thing…”
He calmed his mind.
Only then did he have a chance to carefully examine the unremarkable flower bud in his hand.
Just then!
A figure suddenly flashed past him!
The figure was too fast, so fast that he had no time to react at all. Even his powerful spiritual sense didn’t give the slightest warning.
There was only one reason!
The person’s Cultivation was far higher than his!
Gu Han broke out in another cold sweat.
Fortunately, it was just passing by.
Otherwise…
Swish!
Who would have thought?
Before he could even sigh in relief, the figure actually returned, appearing before him again!
And Gu Han also saw his appearance clearly.
He was in his twenties, dressed in white, with a long sword on his back, and had a distinguished appearance.
Oh no!
Gu Han’s heart tightened, and he quickly pulled A Sha behind him.
He instantly had a guess in his heart: this person had returned for the Spirit Medicine in his hand. After all, judging by the potency of that purple mist, the value of this Spirit Medicine was definitely no less than that yang fruit!
Give it…
Or not give it…
“Little brother.”
Just as Gu Han was struggling, the young man spoke.
Unexpectedly, he didn’t even glance at the Spirit Medicine in Gu Han’s hand. He suddenly cupped his fists, his expression full of shame and indignation.
“Help me out!”
