https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-93-The-Awakening-of-the-Azure-Vine-A-Realm-Beyond-Fusion/12575247/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-95-A-Million-Years-of-Lifespan-the-Five-Elements-Treasure-Body-/12575249/
Chapter 94: Gu An's Background
Chapter 94: Gu An's Background
"Isn't the Crown Prince a virtuous and wise man? Senior Brother Li speaks highly of him, indicating that they must have a good relationship." Gu An transmitted his confusion via sound transmission.
Yang Ni scoffed, "That's just Li Ya being naive. Over the years, the Crown Prince has sent numerous assassins after him, and I've helped fend them off."
"Then why don't you tell Senior Brother Li so he can be more cautious?" Gu An asked.
"It's because of his father. His father fears that making a fuss would only alert the enemy. If they were to fall out, the Crown Prince would undoubtedly force his father to abdicate. With his mediocre cultivation, he is no match for the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince were to succeed, it would only spell more danger for Li Ya," Yang Ni explained.
Yang Ni's response made Gu An want to laugh.
Li Xuandao was about to reach the Crossing Tribulation Realm, and he was no match for the Crown Prince?
Thinking about it, Li Xuandao turned out to be a fellow cultivator of Gu An.
Up till now, Li Xuandao had not revealed his true cultivation level, and Gu An only knew of it because he had 'cheated' by using the Golden Finger.
"I understand. I'll be careful of the Crown Prince," Gu An replied through a sound transmission.
Yang Ni nodded, no longer stopping him.
Watching Gu An's departing figure, Yang Ni shook her head slightly.
"Why am I starting to truly care about this boy's safety?"
Ever since Yang Ni found out that Gu An had a Spirit Flower Garden within the Inner Sect, she felt that his background was not simple. At the very least, within the Tai Xuan Gate, he was surely well-protected and unlikely to come to harm.
Soon after, Yang Ni stopped thinking about it. In recent days, the Dusk Flowers she had planted with her own hands were about to bloom, and she was eagerly anticipating the sight.
On the other side.
Gu An arrived at the Third Spirit Flower Garden and made his way to the Xuan Qing Tree.
The Xuan Qing Tree had grown into a large tree with dense foliage, and the White Spirit Mouse was napping beneath it. Ever since the Xuan Qing Tree had provided shade, the mouse rarely wandered off, spending its days sleeping beneath the tree.
Far from being annoyed by this, Gu An was actually looking forward to it.
Lu Baitian had once said that the Xuan Qing Tree could not only enhance the spiritual energy of its surroundings but also enhance one's understanding of the Dao while meditating beneath it.
The White Spirit Mouse spent its days sleeping under the Xuan Qing Tree. Could it be that it would enter the Dao in its dreams?
It was worth experimenting! If it worked, he would take naps under the tree as well!
Gu An took out a Taigu Tunjin Worm from his waist pouch and let it fly onto the tree. Then, he found Xiao Chuan and instructed him to place a hundred pounds of iron ore under the tree every month to nourish the Taigu Tunjin Worm.
One good thing about Xiao Chuan was that he didn't ask unnecessary questions and simply agreed to the task.
After inspecting the Xuan Qing Tree, Gu An proceeded to check on the Human-Faced Tree and the Purple Mist Bamboo, ensuring that these treasures were growing well. Then, he began to inspect the Third Spirit Flower Garden.
The Third Spirit Flower Garden now cultivated many high-grade spirit herbs. Last year, when Lu Baitian had come to find him, Gu An had specially requested an increase in the number of menial disciples, and Lu Baitian had readily agreed, increasing the number to three hundred.
Even with three hundred disciples, Gu An still felt that the manpower was insufficient. However, if he wanted to increase it further, he would have to prove his worth by showing sufficient results.
It was only towards evening that Gu An returned to his pavilion.
He had harvested another batch of spirit herbs that day, gaining a few thousand years of lifespan and drawing closer to the million-year mark.
...
On a morning a month later, after leading the Xuan Valley disciples in their morning exercises, Gu An returned to his pavilion and spread out the map on the table.
This map had been personally drawn by a great cultivator of the Tai Xuan Gate, and it even contained restrictions. When one probed it with their spiritual sense, they could see detailed terrain, giving one the feeling of experiencing a VR map from their previous life.
No wonder this map cost five pieces of high-grade spirit stones; it was indeed worth every penny.
Gu An immersed himself in the map, searching for a suitable breakthrough location.
It was only around noon that a visitor from the Xuan Valley arrived. Yang Ni transmitted her voice to Gu An, "The Crown Prince is here. Be careful on your own, I can't show up."
Upon hearing this, Gu An slowly put away the map and got up to leave the pavilion.
He stepped out and looked up to see a white-robed man with a folding fan in his hand, walking with graceful demeanor and a smile on his face, looking like a gentle scholar.
Gu An sent out a probe to check the man's lifespan.
Li Dai (Nascent Soul Realm, First Layer): 189/960/1250
He had not cultivated any special techniques, and his cultivation was genuine.
A Nascent Soul cultivator under two hundred years old was indeed a genius.
Li Dai did not walk towards Gu An but instead greeted Chu Jingfeng, who was inspecting the garden by the wooden railing.
"Chu Jingfeng, long time no see," Li Dai called out from a distance.
Chu Jingfeng turned and frowned slightly.
The two men greeted each other, and Li Dai's laughter was very hearty, attracting the attention of the other disciples in the valley.
Facing Li Dai, Chu Jingfeng was tense, and it was mostly Li Dai chatting about past events, with Chu Jingfeng merely responding.
The two men chatted for a while before Li Dai finally walked towards Gu An.
He came to the pavilion, cupped his fists in salute to Gu An, who was standing upstairs, and said, "My name is Li Dai, from Cangzhou. May I ask if you are Valley Master Gu An?"
Gu An returned the salute and said, "I am Gu An. Please come upstairs."
Li Dai smiled and nodded, then went upstairs.
The menial disciples were excited, never expecting this man to be the Crown Prince.
Although they had already joined a cultivation sect, they were still curious about the Crown Prince. Why had the Crown Prince come to visit the Valley Master?
A few disciples gathered around Chu Jingfeng, asking how he and the Crown Prince knew each other.
Gu An and Li Dai chatted in the pavilion for a full half-hour. When Gu An saw Li Dai downstairs, he had a smile on his face, and before they parted, he even held Gu An's hand, which made Gu An feel awkward.
"Junior Brother Gu, we really hit it off. The next time I return to the Tai Xuan Gate, I must find you for a chat." Li Dai smiled warmly, appearing sincere and open.
Gu An agreed, and then watched as Li Dai flew away from Xuan Valley.
The two had not discussed much, and Li Dai seemed to have come purely to make a friend. They even chatted about Li Ya, and Li Dai's words were filled with concern. If not for Yang Ni's prior warning, Gu An would have truly believed them to be close brothers.
Even as he left, Li Dai did not make any demands or attempt to recruit Gu An.
Gu An could sense a Hidden God Realm cultivator hiding in the nearby mountains, likely there to protect Li Dai.
About ten miles away from Xuan Valley, the smile faded from Li Dai's face, and his expression turned gloomy.
An elder in a green robe flew to his side and whispered, "Your Highness, there is a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in the valley."
"Mhm, I sensed it. It's Yang Ni. The Emperor has sent her to watch over him, so his background must be extraordinary. We must investigate his identity within the Tai Xuan Gate." Li Dai replied coldly, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he mentioned Yang Ni.
The green-robed elder asked, "If he has no backing, shall we capture him?"
"Let's wait until I meet the Sect Master. The Sect Master's attitude will be crucial. If the Sect Master supports me, we can directly kill Li Ya and Gu An, cutting off the Emperor's eyes and chess pieces." Li Dai answered.
Unbeknownst to them, their conversation was overheard by Gu An.
To Gu An, a cultivator at the Hidden God Realm was no different from an ant on the side of the road.
"You want to kill me? Now that's interesting."
Gu An smiled. He did not take their threat to heart.
Even if he just stood there and did nothing, Li Dai and the green-robed elder would not be able to kill him.
Gu An turned and went upstairs. Not long after, Yang Ni leaped through the window.
Yang Ni's face was somber as she said, "He must have sensed my presence. This boy's cultivation technique seems to have reached the realm of perfection."
Gu An asked in confusion, "Do you have a grudge against each other?"
"Of course, my sister's death is related to his mother. How could I not hold a grudge?" Yang Ni replied.
"Does Li Ya know about this?" Gu An inquired.
"No, it's just my suspicion. I have no evidence. This guy came to the Tai Xuan Gate, most likely to build connections with the Sect Master or the Sect Elders. Since Chu Tianqi, who supported him before, has already fled, he must be seeking new backers." Yang Ni explained.
"Let it be," Gu An said as he took out a book and started reading.
Yang Ni stood beside him, puzzled, and asked, "Aren't you worried that he'll capture you to scheme against Li Ya?"
"What can I do? I'm no match for him. The Emperor has asked you to watch over me, and I can't refuse. If he wants to kill me, I can't stop him either. It's better to just pretend nothing happened and enjoy my days here." Gu An replied casually, his nonchalant attitude earning him a newfound respect from Yang Ni.
Yang Ni comforted him, "Don't worry, if he really tries to harm you, I will definitely protect you, as long as you don't run around recklessly."
Gu An had been too restless lately, sometimes going to the outer city and other times to his Inner Sect medicine valley. Yang Ni dared not intrude on either of those places.
"Thank you for your protection, Senior. Rest assured, under the Tai Xuan Gate's watch, he probably won't dare to do anything reckless." Gu An smiled at Yang Ni.
Yang Ni nodded and left without another word.
Gu An sensed that she hid in the woods to cultivate. Apparently, the pressure on her was not small, as she only dared to cultivate secretly at midnight in recent years.
Gu An also wanted to become stronger. He brought up his attribute panel and looked at his lifespan, a smile forming on his lips.
It won't be long now!
...
In a mansion surrounded by birdsong and flowers, with trees bearing all sorts of vibrant blossoms and a small stream flowing around a pavilion...
Lu Baitian and Li Dai sat across from each other in the pavilion, with Li Dai pouring wine for Lu Baitian.
"Being the Crown Prince for a hundred years has truly been difficult for you. In recent years, some voices of the people have also reached my ears." Lu Baitian took the wine cup and said casually.
Upon hearing this, Li Dai sighed and said, "The Emperor has actually done quite well. It's just that his cultivation is too weak to suppress the various state shepherds and aristocratic families. Under the prosperous facade of the Great Cang Empire lies suffering and darkness. I want the people of the world to live a better life, and my mother's family has promised to support me fully."
Lu Baitian looked at the stream beside them, not meeting Li Dai's gaze, and said indifferently, "Whoever becomes the emperor is not important to the Tai Xuan Gate. What's important is that they must live up to the trust of the Tai Xuan Gate."
Li Dai quickly assured, "The Tai Xuan Gate is the orthodox sect of the world. If I become emperor, the Tai Xuan Gate can oversee my actions!"
"Tell your people to stop investigating Gu An. No matter how the royal family struggles, it must not involve him." Lu Baitian said casually, and as soon as these words left his mouth, Li Dai's face changed drastically.
At that moment, Li Dai thought of many possibilities.
He asked cautiously, "What sort of background does Gu An have?"
Since Gu An's cultivation was so low, Li Dai subconsciously thought that he must be from some aristocratic family, and due to his mediocre talent, he had come to the Tai Xuan Gate to live out his life.
"He doesn't have an aristocratic background. His background is just one person, and that person is me. Is that enough?" Lu Baitian said, his eyes fixed on Li Dai, startling him so much that cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
(End of Chapter)
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