Chapter 587: The Variable
Chapter 587: The Variable
Under Su Zhenren's guidance, Gu An and Xiao Lan successfully joined the Dao Court, becoming true disciples. Xiao Lan became Su Zhenren's direct disciple, enjoying a status and treatment far superior to Gu An.
Xiao Lan's first cave mansion had a vast internal space, similar to the Third Medicine Valley, which made Gu An marvel at the depth of the Dao Court's foundation.
It was common knowledge that although Xiao Lan possessed extraordinary talent, her cultivation was not high enough. There were over a million disciples with better cave mansion accommodations than her.
After settling into her cave mansion, Xiao Lan couldn't hide her excitement, but Gu An sternly criticized her, urging her to focus on cultivation, emphasizing that longevity was the right path. This made her feel ashamed, and she stopped thinking about unnecessary things, instead dedicating herself to earnest cultivation.
Gu An didn't waste time and started helping Xiao Lan by planting medicinal herbs and managing her cave mansion, allowing her to cultivate with peace of mind.
By the time he had filled the entire cave mansion with medicinal herbs and organized it meticulously, Su Zhenren came to visit and was very pleased with his performance.
Suddenly, Su Zhenren felt that Gu An still had many admirable qualities. Perhaps he was bringing positive influence to Xiao Lan, at least now she could cultivate wholeheartedly.
"You're doing well. Help her sincerely, and she will be your greatest fortune on the path of cultivation."
Su Zhenren left after saying this, and Gu An suddenly felt like he was back to his old ways.
He shook his head and chuckled, not taking it to heart. Helping Xiao Lan was something he was willing to do, and he could also seize her lifespan in the process.
Xiao Lan, who cultivated the Primordial Reincarnation Skill, was prone to awakening her past life's memories when faced with stimulation. However, in this life, she had been living a smooth and fortunate life, and there were no signs of memory recovery yet.
Gu An wasn't in a hurry for her to regain her memories. The longer she lived in this life, the deeper her understanding of the Great Dao would become.
Of course, Gu An wouldn't stay in the cave mansion with her all the time. Occasionally, he would switch to his other incarnations, allowing his main body to attend to other matters.
Cultivation was a long journey, and the higher the realm, the more time one needed to spend in seclusion.
In the blink of an eye, a thousand years passed.
Gu An's annual lifespan income increased to forty million years during this period.
After a thousand years, Xiao Lan had reached the Nirvana Realm and was rapidly advancing towards the Scattered Immortal Realm.
During this time, she had returned to Xiao Manor twice, helping it transform into a cultivation family. Unfortunately, the Manor Lord's lifespan limit was too short, and he passed away a few years ago.
One day, Su Zhenren transmitted a message to Xiao Lan, who then found Gu An and left the cave mansion with him.
"There are over ten thousand branches within the Dao Court, and the competition is fierce. It is said that there will be an Enlightenment Assembly soon, and disciples from other sects will also be present. Master wants us to visit the Dao City to broaden our horizons."
Xiao Lan flew through the clouds while smiling at Gu An.
Having achieved the Nirvana Realm, she still exuded a lively temperament. Although she was a thousand years old, she had spent most of her time in seclusion, and it seemed like she had only lived for a year, leaving behind few memories.
"We should take a good look," Gu An smiled.
His gaze penetrated the Dao City, and coincidentally, his descendant, Long Teng, was also in that Dao City, currently engaged in a friendly sparring match with someone.
Long Teng had won ninety-seven consecutive matches against peers of the same realm, and all his opponents were geniuses from various sects, making him famous throughout the city.
Not only was Long Teng there, but Wu Jue was also present.
Gu An had always kept an eye on this brother who achieved enlightenment whenever he felt heartbroken.
A long time ago, Wu Jue had ventured out on his own, enduring numerous hardships, which led him to continuous enlightenment. For this reason, he had not returned to Taixuan Sect.
Wu Jue and Long Teng didn't know each other, and Long Teng didn't reveal his affiliation with Taixuan Sect. At that moment, Wu Jue was in the crowd, watching the match and marveling at Long Teng's talent.
The Dao City was vast, and Gu An wasn't worried about running into Wu Jue. As long as he didn't want to meet Wu Jue, Wu Jue wouldn't encounter him.
Gu An only wanted to accompany Xiao Lan and help her grow.
Along the way, Xiao Lan chattered non-stop. After talking about the Dao City, she began discussing her cultivation progress and even wanted to teach her techniques to Gu An.
Although they had the same master, the legacies they received were different.
They laughed and talked as they flew for an incense stick's duration before finally arriving at the Dao City. Gu An then prepared to relax and accompany Xiao Lan on a leisurely tour.
Xiao Lan cherished this rare opportunity to play, holding Gu An's arm tightly, making others mistake them for Dao companions.
……
Within the Primordial Dao Ground, in Gu An's courtyard.
Tian Xiao'er approached Shen Zhen, observing her manipulating the Grand Cauldron with the Great Dao True Flame. After a while, she asked, "Miss Shen, do you feel that Master's thoughts are elsewhere?"
Shen Zhen replied, "He's definitely thinking about someone outside. Probably, some lady has captured his heart."
Since Gu An didn't need to leave a clone to pretend in front of the disciples within the Dao Ground, everyone could sense his frequent outings.
Tian Xiao'er's eyes widened in surprise and asked, "If that's the case, aren't you worried?"
"Worried about what? We've followed him for an infinite amount of time. Be content. Should we restrict him? Even if we had the ability, why should we?" Shen Zhen casually replied, her gaze fixed on the Great Dao True Flame.
Tian Xiao'er pouted and said, "I wouldn't dare to meddle with Master, I'm just curious."
Shen Zhen smiled and said, "It's probably someone from his past life who has reincarnated. Otherwise, he wouldn't spend so much time accompanying her."
Someone from his past life?
Tian Xiao'er became interested and asked who it was.
Shen Zhen glanced at her and smiled playfully, "The person who can make him accompany her like this is probably one of two people. One is the third Miss Ji, and the other is his junior sister. I guess it's his junior sister, eight or nine out of ten."
She began to narrate the story of Gu An and Ye Lan, and Tian Xiao'er listened attentively.
The story of Gu An and Ye Lan was rather ordinary, but as Tian Xiao'er listened, she felt a sense of warmth.
……
A heart-wrenching love story, one that she had heard many times. After hearing this tale, she suddenly felt that the person Master cherished the most in his heart might be this Miss Ye.
Master was so powerful, unmatched in the world, yet he chose to hide in the mountains. This was enough proof of his temperament.
Suddenly—
"Discussing me behind my back?"
Gu An's voice interrupted the two women, startling them. They turned to see Gu An standing right behind them.
Tian Xiao'er blushed in embarrassment, while Shen Zhen remained composed.
Gu An walked between them and approached the Grand Cauldron. He extended his Divine Consciousness into the cauldron.
The Dao Artifact inside was being refined for Xiao Lan, and it was almost complete.
After reaching the Supreme Purity Golden Immortal Realm, Gu An's speed and strength in refining Dao Artifacts had increased significantly. He was preparing a grand gift for Xiao Lan to aid her on her path to becoming a Heavenly Pride.
Tian Xiao'er moved closer to Gu An and curiously asked, "Master, has Miss Ye really reincarnated?"
"Yes, Shen Zhen's guess is correct."
Gu An replied and then briefly recounted Ye Lan's past reincarnations.
Hearing that Ye Lan had endured over ten reincarnations and still remembered him, even Shen Zhen was moved.
Tian Xiao'er was deeply touched, her eyes welling up, and she expressed her desire to meet Xiao Lan.
"Focus on your cultivation. Don't let her surpass you," Gu An teased instead of agreeing.
Tian Xiao'er laughed proudly, "I'm a Wanderer Immortal. It won't be easy for her to catch up to me."
Shen Zhen, however, asked curiously, "Is her talent in this life very high?"
"Very high," Gu An replied.
Tian Xiao'er felt a sense of urgency and didn't linger. She soon returned to her cultivation.
Shen Zhen also didn't disturb Gu An's artifact refinement any further. Xiao Lan couldn't pressure her. Compared to blindly pursuing cultivation, Shen Zhen preferred Enlightenment, and the Great Dao's true meaning brought her joy.
For the current Gu An, refining Dao Artifacts was simple and didn't require his full concentration. He was paying attention to another person, someone far away in a different Vast Universe.
Zhang Bukou!
He had been sent by the Buddha Immortal to the Great Swamp Grand World to find the Divine Anomaly Spirit. The two had reunited, but they faced a predicament within the Great Swamp Grand World.
This predicament would leave both of them severely injured, but they would eventually escape. Therefore, Gu An didn't plan to intervene.
Even though he knew the future, he continued to observe because an unpredictable variable had emerged in this struggle.
Before this, Zhang Bukou's fate didn't include this person, but now, this individual would frequently appear in Zhang Bukou's future life, and the two would even form an extremely close bond.
(End of Chapter)
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