Chapter 5: Is That All?
Chapter 5: Is That All?
The night was quiet, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Leaning against the wall, Gu An cursed inwardly as he felt his heart racing. For some reason, though he couldn't hear any noises from outside, he had an eerie feeling that the Greedy and Hateful Demon Ghost was approaching his house.
His gaze shifted back and forth between the door and the window. Moonlight seeped in through the cracks, casting an unnervingly bright glow.
The White Spirit Mouse was trembling, and its movement tickled Gu An's chest, making him want to throw it out. But he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Time passed slowly as Gu An held his breath and focused his attention.
He had never longed for daylight as much as he did now.
Tai Xuan Gate was not safe at all! From now on, he would have to accumulate more lifespans, stay low-key, and continue to strengthen his powers! Gu An's thoughts were in a muddle, and he didn't know how much time had passed when his gaze suddenly fixed on the threshold of the door.
The door was less than a meter to his left. The threshold was illuminated by the moonlight, and a shadow appeared in the door crack. At that moment, Gu An's scalp went numb.
The Greedy and Hateful Demon Ghost!
He's coming!
Gu An's heart leaped to his throat, and his whole body tensed up.
He even had the urge to rush out!
Suddenly!
Gu An's body stiffened as he felt a wet hand resting on his head. Sharp fingermarks pressed into his forehead, sending chills down his spine.
His mind went blank for a moment, and he cautiously lifted his eyes. Above him, a pale arm emerged from the darkness, resembling a woman's. The palm rested on his head, and the fingernails were sharp like claws.
The owner of the arm stepped out from the darkness, her disheveled hair framing a hideous face that was difficult to discern. All he could make out were the fangs dripping with blood.
She was smiling!
Damn!
Gu An was so terrified that he lashed out, slapping the Greedy and Hateful Demon Ghost across the face.
Boom!
The roof of the house was blown open, and flesh and blood splattered inside. The tiles and grass on the roof were sent flying dozens of feet into the night sky, disappearing from view.
The night sky was dark, and the mountains surrounding Yaogu seemed to be inhabited by demons and ghosts.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Gu An panted heavily, his raised right arm trembling. His palm was covered in blood, and the demon ghost's blood had splattered all over his face.
Even when everything fell silent, Gu An still couldn't calm down.
Moonlight poured in, illuminating the room.
There was a huge splatter of blood on the wall, creating a gruesome sight. A pale, severed arm lay at Gu An's feet.
After a dozen breaths, Gu An finally calmed down.
[You have successfully taken 52 years of lifespan from the Greedy and Hateful Demon Ghost (Second-rank)]
Seeing the prompt that appeared before him, he continued to pant heavily, but his eyes took on a strange gleam.
"Is that all?"
Gu An felt absurd. Was he too strong, or were Chu Jingfeng and the others too weak?
As he was pondering this, he vaguely heard the sound of a door opening. He immediately lay down, closed his eyes, and casually draped the demon ghost's arm over himself.
This was not enough. He lifted his hand again, prying open the demon ghost's palm, and then grabbed his own neck. After doing all this, he spread his hands out, pretending to have fainted.
...
Autumn was approaching, and the weather was no longer scorching.
Gu An was harvesting Quietheart Grass in the garden, while Li Ya and Meng Lang stood by the wooden fence, watching him work.
Half of Li Ya's body was wrapped in white cloth, and there were two shocking scars on his face, barely missing his right eye. It was hard to imagine what he had gone through.
Meng Lang, on the other hand, seemed unscathed. He stared at Gu An, marveling, "This kid actually looks happy while picking medicinal herbs. It's as if he didn't just encounter the Greedy and Hateful Demon Ghost the other day."
Li Ya was expressionless, but the scars on his face added a touch of fierceness to his appearance. He said calmly, "Maybe he's making the best of a bad situation. How do you know he's not putting on a brave face after closing the door?"
The night of four days ago felt like it had just been last night. Li Ya recalled his encounter with the Greedy and Hateful Demon Ghost and felt a chill run down his spine.
He had survived purely by luck.
Chu Jingfeng's injuries were even more severe than his—he had an arm torn off. As for Cheng Xuandan, Zhang Chunqiu, and Meng Lang, they had escaped unscathed.
The next morning, several cultivators from Tai Xuan Gate had arrived, all of them more powerful than Chu Jingfeng, with the highest being at the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. They questioned Gu An about the details of what had happened, and he pretended to be traumatized and ignorant of everything. In the end, the cultivators concluded that someone else had intervened and saved the Yaogu disciples, as it was impossible for Gu An, who had no spiritual power, to have slain the demon ghost.
After that incident, Gu An deliberately moved to another house, and Zhang Chunqiu treated him even better, seemingly feeling guilty.
As Li Ya and Meng Lang discussed Gu An, he was relishing in the joy of taking the lifespans from the second-rank medicinal herbs.
The Quietheart Grass could give him two to five years of lifespan, and he was helping Li Ya and Meng Lang by harvesting them. This time, he would be able to pick sixty plants, which was incredibly satisfying.
At the same time, he thought about the Greedy and Hateful Demon Ghost.
Killing it had granted him fifty-two years of lifespan, which meant that slaying demons and eliminating evil beings could potentially bring him even more lifespans.
However, when he recalled the terrifying experience of that night and the injuries suffered by Chu Jingfeng and Li Ya, he immediately dismissed the idea.
There was no need! He wasn't in a hurry to become stronger, so why risk his life?
Yes, he shouldn't be reckless. It was better to play it safe and focus on his cultivation.
After a while,
Gu An finally finished harvesting the sixty Quietheart Grass plants. With the bamboo basket on his back, he approached Meng Lang, ready to hand over the harvest.
Meng Lang coughed awkwardly and said, "This time, you can deliver it to Big Brother Zhang." Recalling his own pathetic display that night, he felt too ashamed to take credit for Gu An's achievements.
Gu An didn't refuse and cheerfully agreed, "Alright." He nodded politely at Li Ya and then walked towards Zhang Chunqiu's loft.
Li Ya didn't linger either and soon turned towards the distant woods. Meng Lang looked back and forth between the two, feeling embarrassed and rubbing his nose.
In the main hall, Gu An handed over all the Quietheart Grass to Zhang Chunqiu. Instead of letting him leave right away, Zhang Chunqiu detained him, inquiring about his well-being and whether he had been sleeping well lately.
Every time Zhang Chunqiu thought about how Gu An had been choked by the Greedy and Hateful Demon Ghost, he felt a surge of guilt. As the senior disciple, he had failed to protect his junior, and he felt utterly incompetent.
Gu An was usually so obedient and well-behaved that Zhang Chunqiu knew he would be truly saddened if something happened to him.
"By the way, regarding the matter with the Greedy and Hateful Demon Ghost, don't mention it again. When I went to the outer sect today, I heard that the demon was being kept by one of our predecessors. We must keep this matter under wraps, as if it never happened," Zhang Chunqiu said seriously.
Upon hearing this, Gu An frowned.
So that was the case. No wonder the demon had been able to wreak havoc for so long.
Zhang Chunqiu seemed uneasy and added, "That kind of predecessor is not someone we can afford to offend. A single word from them could make our entire Medicine Valley disappear. You, coming from a humble background, should understand the disparities that status and identity bring. Only by keeping a low profile can you survive."
He reached into his bosom and pulled out a secret manual, saying, "This is a secret technique that Master prepared for you. It took Master five years' worth of sect contribution points to obtain it. After all, you have suffered an injustice."
Gu An's eyebrows arched in delight as he took the manual, seeing three words inscribed on the cover.
Residual Wind Leg!
"Thank you, Big Brother Zhang, and thank you, Master!" Gu An immediately bowed to express his gratitude.
Zhang Chunqiu blinked and smiled, "When you have free time, practice this technique more often. Perhaps in the future, it will help you protect yourself. Don't give this manual to Meng Lang, and as for Li Ya, he has demonstrated extraordinary talent. Master has decided to help him break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. I estimate that in at most two years, he will leave Medicine Valley."
Upon hearing this, Gu An remained unfazed, knowing that it would indeed be a waste for someone with Li Ya's talent to remain in Medicine Valley.
After some casual conversation, Zhang Chunqiu bid Gu An farewell.
As Gu An closed the door, Zhang Chunqiu sighed softly, "He's truly an honest child. In the future, he'll definitely be able to take care of Master for me, and then I can finally descend the mountain... Xiao Lian, wait for me..."
Gu An, who was descending the stairs, paused for a moment before continuing down.
...
Although the attack by the Greedy and Hateful Demon Ghost hadn't resulted in any casualties in Medicine Valley, it had left an indelible mark on the valley's atmosphere. Li Ya became even more enigmatic, often disappearing into the woods after finishing his chores. Even Meng Lang started to diligently cultivate.
Gu An practiced the Residual Wind Leg technique for a month, but he could only barely manifest it on the ability panel, which was a huge blow to his confidence. As a result, he gave up on cultivating it and decided to rely on spending spirit stones in the future.
Time passed, and autumn leaves blanketed Medicine Valley.
Gu An's figure could be seen everywhere in the various gardens, making him the busiest person in the valley. Zhang Chunqiu grew to trust him even more and no longer supervised his work. As for Cheng Xuandan, he secluded himself in his room to refine pills, rarely showing himself for an entire month.
Winter arrived, bringing with it a blanket of white snow that enveloped Medicine Valley in a serene whiteness.
A new year dawned amidst the heavy snowfall.
It wasn't until the initial melting of the winter snow that visitors from outside the valley finally arrived, specifically to look for Gu An.
In his house, Gu An closed the door and walked to the table, pouring hot tea for the young man who had already seated himself.
The young man wore the cyan robe of an outer sect disciple of Tai Xuan Gate. He surveyed the room and asked, "How have you been doing this past year and a half?"
Among those who followed Ji Xiaoyu to join Tai Xuan Gate, there were five servants, including Gu An and the young man before him, named Du Ye.
Du Ye possessed a four-spirit root talent, and with the help of the Ji family, he was able to join the outer sect of Tai Xuan Gate. After not seeing each other for over a year, his entire demeanor had changed.
"It's been alright," Gu An replied casually.
Du Ye looked at him and shook his head, "You, ah, you. Back then, you insisted on coming here. With Third Young Miss Ji and the Ji family's influence, it wouldn't have been difficult to find you a place in the outer sect. Why did you insist on coming to this place to suffer, and on top of that, you can't even see any hope for cultivation?"
Gu An looked at Du Ye's lifespan of less than 150 years and then at his own, which was close to a thousand years. He smiled and said, "My talent is originally mediocre, and I'm also afraid of death and pain. A quiet place like this suits me better."
Du Ye shook his head and chuckled, offering a few more words of criticism before revealing the purpose of his visit. "Ji Lin intends to build momentum for Third Young Miss Ji within Tai Xuan Gate and expand her connections. We should also contribute. During your free time, try to collect medicinal herbs, and I will come to collect them from you every six months. These herbs can be used by Ji Lin to curry favor with other disciples."
"Alright, no problem," Gu An readily agreed. After all, medicinal herbs weren't that important to him.
Seeing Gu An's easy-going attitude, Du Ye revealed a smile.
The two chatted for a while longer, and then Gu An accompanied Du Ye to the valley entrance before turning back.
As soon as he returned to the courtyard, he saw Li Ya waiting for him.
Li Ya approached Gu An and pressed a secret manual against his chest. "I'm leaving," he said. "Take this sword technique as a farewell gift, in gratitude for what you've done for me during this year and a half."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
