Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Primordial Daoist Talisman, Demon Path Ambition

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“He’s Gu An!”

Du Ye gave Gu An a push, making Gu An stagger slightly. Then he looked at the summoning cultivator and said, “I’m Gu An.”

“Come on.”

The cultivator responded, then turned and walked toward the mansion.

Gu An followed his steps, puzzled, wondering what Ji Xiaoyu wanted with him?

He had very little interaction with Ji Xiaoyu in his childhood since their statuses were vastly different.

After Gu An left, the Ji family cultivators guarding the gate gathered around Du Ye, inquiring about Gu An. Du Ye’s expression became somewhat unnatural as he answered them one by one.

Meanwhile.

Gu An followed the summoning cultivator for two miles before arriving at Ji Xiaoyu’s courtyard.

The summoning cultivator stopped outside the courtyard gate, raised his hand to signal Gu An to enter the courtyard, then turned and left.

Gu An could already sense Ji Xiaoyu’s presence. By his judgment, Ji Xiaoyu was also at the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm but was much stronger than Ji Lin.

He stepped into the courtyard, which was filled with a bamboo grove and spring scenery, although it was autumn.

Walking along the bamboo grove’s path, he soon saw a pool surrounded by white spirit mist. In the mist, a figure was sitting and cultivating, vaguely revealing it to be a woman.

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As he approached, he clasped his hands in salute toward Ji Xiaoyu in the pool and said, “Gu An greets the Third Miss.”

Ji Xiaoyu, dressed in green, sat cross-legged, hovering above the pool’s surface, her hands forming a mudra on her knees. Her long hair was tied atop her head with three pearl-inlaid hairpins, with two strands of hair drifting beside her cheeks. Her forehead was white and bright like jade, with a faint red line appearing indistinctly. In terms of features, only Jiang Qiong could compare in Gu An’s mind.

Unlike Jiang Qiong’s ambiguous, enchanting aura, Ji Xiaoyu was like a celestial maiden descended from the heavens. There was no emotion on her face, exuding an untouchable, sacred aura.

Gu An recalled the scene when he first met Ji Xiaoyu as a child. Even then, he felt Ji Xiaoyu was not like other children—her eyes seemed seasoned by the years.

He immediately used a life span detection skill:

[Ji Xiaoyu (Foundation Establishment Realm Level 9): 34/830/8900]

What the hell?

An extreme lifespan of 8,900 years?

The most crucial part was that she was only at the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. How could she have an 830-year lifespan?

Gu An was shocked, suddenly thinking that Ji Xiaoyu was not just a dual spirit root.

“You did well earlier. After the banquet, you should meet Gu Zong. You can apprentice under him.”

Ji Xiaoyu spoke without opening her eyes. Her voice was melodious, gentle, yet authoritative.

This guy actually eavesdropped on the conversation at the gate!

Gu An inwardly scoffed, but outwardly he replied, “Third Miss, I truly do not wish to apprentice under him. I can see his identity is not simple, and his cultivation must be high. However, I have mediocre talent. If I apprentice under a renowned master, I might get into trouble. I just want to stay in my Medicine Valley and live out my days peacefully, contributing a batch of medicinal herbs to Third Miss annually, which already satisfies me.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaoyu opened her eyes. The mist before her dispersed, and she turned her head, giving Gu An a sideways glance.

The corners of her eyes seemed drawn with a single stroke, slightly raised, adding a touch of intensity to her soft eyes. Her bright eyes seemed to want to see through Gu An’s heart.

Gu An slightly lowered his head, avoiding direct eye contact.

It wasn’t out of fear; it was just that his current apparent identity was a house servant at the ninth level of the Energy Cultivation Realm. He had to keep up the act.

“Then don’t apprentice, but you still have to meet Gu Zong since he wants to see you. This matter proves to be difficult for you, so tell me—is there anything I can do for you? I’ll certainly help if I can,” Ji Xiaoyu said softly.

Perhaps it was because Ji Xiaoyu saved Gu An when they were young that Gu An had a favorable impression of her. Hence, after hearing her words, he didn’t hold back, saying, “Third Miss, my Mystic Valley is too small. I want to plant more medicinal herbs. Can you help me get another Medicine Valley? But please, don’t move me from Mystic Valley. I can’t bear to leave my hard work behind.”

Hearing this, Ji Xiaoyu fell into silence.

Gu An wasn’t in a hurry, patiently waiting for her response.

If she couldn’t help, he could always rely on Gu Zong.

He could roughly guess why Gu Zong wanted to meet him.

What would a writer be needed for?

Ji Xiaoyu finally spoke, “I can’t fully promise regarding the Medicine Valley. This area isn’t the Ji Family’s land, and you don’t want to leave your Mystic Valley. I will give it my best shot. Besides, you can make another request.”

Gu An immediately said, “Could you get me a teleportation array formation to connect both Medicine Valleys, making travel easier?”

“That’s not difficult. After the banquet concludes, I’ll have someone deliver it to you.”

“Thank you, Third Miss!”

Gu An smiled, clasping his hands in a salute again.

Ji Xiaoyu closed her eyes and asked, “By the way, what exactly did you write that made Gu Zong value you so much, even wanting to accept you as his disciple?”

Gu An thought for a moment, realizing that there was no hiding it. He decided to be honest since Ji Xiaoyu might investigate him later anyway. By being straightforward, he could have the Ji Family’s protection.

“Investiture of the Gods.”

When Gu An uttered these four words, Ji Xiaoyu’s eyes widened, looking at him with amazement.

“You wrote Investiture of the Gods? How do you know so much?” Ji Xiaoyu asked with a frown.

Gu An sighed helplessly, “I made it up. It’s not real.”

Currently, many people believed that Investiture of the Gods depicted ancient history. Even people like Zuo Lin and Wuxin thought so, and it made Gu An anxious for a while.

If he hadn’t checked the Outer Sect’s Book Collection Hall and found no records related to Huaxia, he might have believed Investiture of the Gods was real.

“Made up? But the world you describe is so vast, and those Daoist sorceries are fascinating,” Ji Xiaoyu said softly.

Clearly, she also enjoyed reading Investiture of the Gods.

Gu An pretended to be awkward, unsure of how to respond.

“You mustn’t tell anyone else about this; the impact of Investiture of the Gods is immense. The name of Pan An has spread throughout the Taicang Dynasty, and other sects are looking for you,” Ji Xiaoyu warned.

She thought for a moment, then raised her right hand. The jade ring on her middle finger glowed, and a small bronze sword appeared in her palm.

“This is a talisman treasure: you only need to infuse spiritual power to activate it. It can kill Core Formation Realm cultivators; keep it for self-defense.”

Ji Xiaoyu’s words made Gu An take a closer look at the bronze sword.

It was his first time encountering such a talisman treasure. Jiang Qiong had once mentioned that talisman treasures couldn’t acknowledge a master and required stored spiritual power to be used. They were usually given by great cultivators to their juniors for protection. He hadn’t expected to receive one today.

He didn’t refuse and accepted the bronze sword.

“Go rest in your room. You don’t need to guard the gates anymore.”

Ji Xiaoyu closed her eyes again, her tone returning to its earlier indifference.

Gu An raised his hand in a salute, then turned and left.

After leaving the courtyard, Gu An was secretly curious. He sensed something indescribable and elusive from Ji Xiaoyu that made one inexplicably want to possess it.

He didn’t dwell on it further and walked toward his own courtyard.

As more guests arrived, the Ji Mansion became livelier, with people everywhere.

Cultivators in the Divinity Transformation Realm chatted and laughed with Nascent Soul cultivators accompanying them, while those in the Core Formation Realm bustled about, highlighting the stark status differences brought by cultivation levels in the Ji Mansion.

As Gu An walked, he suddenly saw someone.

Jiang Qiong.

The two met in a corridor, facing each other. Gu An remained calm, his expression unchanged, and Jiang Qiong did the same.

They brushed past each other, their shoulders almost touching. Suddenly, Gu An felt a jade pendant being slipped into his left hand.

“Use your divine sense to examine it in your room. Pretend we don’t know each other.”

Jiang Qiong’s voice echoed in Gu An’s ear; she used the Sound Transmission Skill.

Gu An clenched the jade pendant in his hand and walked away without looking back. The two parted ways as if they were strangers.

…

In his room, Gu An sat in meditation on his bed, clutching the jade pendant in his left hand with the back of his hand facing upwards. Even inside, he didn’t let the pendant be exposed.

He directed his divine sense into the jade pendant, soon frowning.

Inside the pendant was a remnant of Jiang Qiong’s divine sense, explaining why she had come to the Ji Mansion.

Jiang Qiong’s target this time was Ji Xiaoyu.

Not only her, but the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion and other Demonic Path sects had also sent spies to seize the Primordial Daoist Talisman within Ji Xiaoyu.

The Primordial Daoist Talisman was a unique power akin to a bloodline, inherent from birth. But once the possessor formed a core, the talisman would appear on the golden core. At this point, if the golden core was snatched, the talisman would leave the cultivator’s body.

According to Jiang Qiong, the Daoist Talisman was an extremely rare phenomenon, encountered once in a millennium, even rarer than the Heavenly Spirit Root, and held profound fate-altering capabilities.

No wonder Ji Xiaoyu’s lifespan was so absurd; it was because of the Primordial Daoist Talisman.

Gu An found himself in a dilemma—on one side was Jiang Qiong, and on the other was Ji Xiaoyu. Who should he support?

Forget it!

He decided not to get involved. Jiang Qiong wouldn’t act until Ji Xiaoyu formed her core, and by then, he would be back in the Mystic Valley.

He was very curious about the Primordial Daoist Talisman. The mysterious energy he had sensed from Ji Xiaoyu—was that the talisman’s aura?

Even a great cultivator in the Void Crossing Realm like him couldn’t help but desire it, indicating the immense power contained within the talisman.

As time passed, the banquet proceeded smoothly, with the lurking demon cultivators making no rash moves.

At midday, Ji Xiaoyu demonstrated the Qilin Step for the guests, and Gu An witnessed this from the courtyard.

Ji Xiaoyu stepped out from the courtyard, each step ascending towards the sky. With every step, a Qilin Dharma Aspect appeared beneath her feet. After seven steps, the Qilin Dharma Aspect enveloped her figure, making it seem like seven dark-red qilins stood in the air—quite a spectacular sight.

With his enhanced vision, Gu An could tell that Ji Xiaoyu could take two more steps; nine steps were her current limit with the Qilin Step.

However, the ultimate limit of the Qilin Step wasn’t nine steps. When practiced to the Peak Creation Realm, one could take a thousand steps, with a thousand qilins acting like clones to either attack or confuse the enemy.

Nevertheless, Ji Xiaoyu achieving the Qilin Step by thirty-four was indeed impressive. With it, she could easily dominate those at the same cultivation level.

In the evening, Du Ye brought Gu Zong and Gu Yu to find Gu An.

Du Ye left after showing the way, not daring to interfere.

An hour later, Gu Zong left with a satisfied smile.

Gu An escorted them to the courtyard gate; Gu Yu turned back, winking at Gu An, “Remember, in my story, I must have many beautiful companions. I’ll find you within half a year, and the Medicine Valley I promised won’t be small!”