What happens in Yuanyang Town has no impact on Guyao. Even if news about it reaches him, he has no intention of worrying about them. Now that he is in his current position, as long as he issues a statement, there will definitely be people willing to assist him and teach the Gu and Lu families a profound lesson.
Worrying about them would be a waste of time. Guyao values his own time, and in the future, when he has free time, he can go there to settle old matters and provide an explanation.
Cuiyan Valley."
"Grandfather."
"Siqing is here, come in quickly."
Wan Changlao, the elder of Cuiyan Valley, saw his granddaughter with a worried expression and quickly asked, "What's the matter? Did that guy named Gu from Tianfu Academy upset you? Hmph, I don't know what Hutin is thinking. He went so far for an unrelated alchemist. Instead, he should have focused on cultivating you, Siqing. Your talent is not necessarily inferior to Hutin back then. If we keep nurturing others, how will Cuiyan Valley maintain its position in the future?"
Wan Siqing approached Wan Changlao and said discontentedly, "I don't know what our master is thinking either, grandfather. He brought up that useless Hu Weicai again. I have realized that Hu Weicai is of no use anymore, no matter how bad his reputation is. Just because he is our master's grandson, even if he makes big mistakes, our master will not abandon him." Wan Changlao frowned and stroked his beard, saying, "I thought Hutin would have forgotten about that kid, focusing only on alchemy. It seems we have to send more people to find him."
Wan Siqing, shocked, exclaimed, "Grandfather, do you really want to bring that useless person back?"
Elder Wan spoke with great sincerity, saying, "Who said that I want to bring him back? There are too many possibilities of accidents outside. Perhaps, all I can find is a corpse. This way, that guy Hutin can completely abandon distractions and focus on alchemy and nurturing you and Sang Shuo. As long as your alchemy surpasses that kid Sang Shuo, Cuiyan Valley will belong to our Wan family in the future."
Wan Siqing gritted her teeth and said, "Alright, I will strive for it. I won't lose to Senior Brother."
As for the life or death of that useless person, she didn't care at all. After Elder Wan's reminder, she realized that it would be better for him to die outside. As for their master, they have always trusted him.
Unaware of a fleeting shadow in the corner, the two descendants envisioned a bright future.
On the other hand, Sang Shuo was discussing important matters with Elder Shi, with whom he had formed an alliance. He didn't have the natural advantage Wan Siqing had. The Wan family was already a strong force in Cuiyan Valley, but he could choose to align himself with another force equally strong. Ultimately, he chose Elder Shi, whose eldest granddaughter became his Dao companion.
"Is Hutin thinking about his useless grandson again?" Elder Shi's eyes flickered. Although he was far from being a match for Hutin, he wouldn't easily lose to him. What pleased him even more was that Hutin only had Hu Weicai as his descendant, whose aptitude was so poor that even building a foundation would be difficult if the current trend continued. It seemed that Hutin might be passing his torch from one generation to another.
"That's right. Something unusual is happening this time. Master is willing to put aside the treasures he obtained outside and is single-mindedly searching for that useless person. Compared to his past behavior, it's somewhat out of character. Could it be that Master has discovered something?" Sang Shuo expressed his concerns.
Elder Shi furrowed his brow and said, "What can he discover? If he had the heart to pay a little attention to matters other than alchemy, his son wouldn't have died so early, and his grandson wouldn't have such a reputation. Don't worry, those with the surname Hu are narrow-minded. If he asks you to find him, send people to search for him. Keep an eye on Elder Wan, there. Maybe they won't be able to resist taking action. Once they do, hehe, I have a way to let that guy Hutin know the truth. In that case, Hutin will undoubtedly spare no effort to cultivate you alone."
Sang Shuo thought about it, too. When it comes to alchemy, he doesn't have Wan Siqing's impatience. So, at this moment, it should be Wan Siqing who is in a hurry, not him. It would be better to make an impression by putting in all his effort to find that waste.
"I know what to do."
Similarly, a shadow flashed in the corner.
Hu Guzhu's face was grim as he looked at the two Yin Puppets in front of him. He had never thought of using such things on trusted people. But this incident made him suspicious, suspecting himself and the people around him. He told himself to only investigate once. If there were no issues, he would no longer suspect those around him.
The two Yin Puppets were obtained during his great opportunity in the secret area. An important characteristic of Yin Puppets is that they can exist between reality and illusion. Since Hu Tin's combat prowess was lacking, the Yin Puppets were almost always unused. It was only now that he thought of releasing them to gather information. He didn't expect his two good disciples to view his grandson in such a way. They truly were good disciples!
"Poof!" A mouthful of blood spurted out, and Hu Guzhu's face turned pale. His figure swayed, and it took him quite a while to suppress the surging blood qi.
He couldn't have any issues, he needed to investigate thoroughly. What exactly did these people do behind his back? What had his grandson experienced in the valley all these years? It forced him to stay away from Cuiran Valley, the place he thought was the best home and the safest place for his grandson.
After resting, Elder Hu called his two disciples and announced that he would seclude himself for a while, instructing them to continue searching for his grandson's whereabouts. Then he waved his hand, dismissing them.
Wan Siqing and Sang Shuo didn't notice anything unusual about Elder Hu. Upon hearing his decision to seclude himself, they felt relieved. It seemed everything was normal. Even if their master worried about that worthless person, he wouldn't be able to hold on for long. In their master's eyes, nothing could compare to his obsession with alchemy.
Little did they know that this time their master used his cunning. While appearing to seclude himself, he actually allowed those with ulterior motives in the valley to act freely, secretly investigating the truth behind it all.
After resting for two days, Grand Elder Hu invisibly left his seclusion and quietly departed from Cuiran Valley. He changed his appearance and arrived at a cultivation clan that was affiliated with Cuiran Valley. He remembered that the reason for his grandson's escape from Cuiran Valley was due to offending a female cultivator from this clan.
What did he do at the time?
He was furious upon hearing about it. He didn't expect his grandson to be exceptionally talented, but he at least hoped for him to conduct himself properly. Becoming a wealthy man for his entire life would be a decent outcome. However, he never expected his grandson's conduct to be so atrocious. He had tried to force himself onto that female cultivator, an act he couldn't tolerate. So, without investigating further, he immediately punished his grandson.
Now, standing outside the clan, Grand Elder Hu had to reconsider. According to his position, wasn't his grandson worthy of the female cultivator in this small clan attached to Cuiran Valley?
According to common sense, it was the other way around. If he spread the word, many forces would vie to send talented female cultivators. However, the result was that this clan went to Cuiran Valley and accused his grandson of wrongdoing. At that time, he felt deeply ashamed and his anger surged.
The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he felt. Grand Elder Hu swiftly infiltrated, recognizing that he wasn't necessarily a truly virtuous person in his position. Without hesitation, he probed into people's minds and accurately located the position of that female cultivator.
"Who? Who are you? How dare you trespass into my chamber? Help! Someone!" Upon seeing the unfamiliar man suddenly appear in her room, Guan Yingying screamed in panic.
However, no one appeared after her cries. Afraid, Guan Yingying spoke sternly, "Our Guan family is attached to Cuiran Valley. If you harm me, you will offend Cuiran Valley. Moreover, the senior disciple of Grand Elder Hu, the future inheritor of Cuiran Valley, Young Master Sang Shuo, has already agreed to take me as his concubine. Leave quickly, and I won't pursue this any further!"
She was the future wife of Cuiran Valley's Valley Lord. How could she be restrained by a stranger like this? When she escaped from this danger, she would definitely investigate who dared to intrude upon her chamber and harm the future Valley Lord's wife! A fierce determination flashed in Guan Yingying's eyes.
Unfortunately, the next moment her vision darkened, and she lost consciousness. When Grand Elder Hu heard her previous words, he had already guessed the likely situation. Needless to say, it was Sang Shuo who conspired with this woman to frame his grandson, tarnishing his already unfavorable reputation even further.
Grand Elder Hu directly probed her mind, and after doing so, he trembled with anger. How many people inside and outside the valley dared to underestimate his grandson? He had thought that with his support, his grandson would live carefree. Yet, these people who underestimated his grandson couldn't possibly treat him kindly.
Not only did the senior disciple personally scheme, but even the second disciple, Wan Siqing, also had a hand in it. Well, well, one by one they couldn't wait for his death to count their gains. In the end, they implicated his grandson.
The second day, someone from the Guan family discovered that their daughter had become mentally impaired, obviously due to her spiritual sea being destroyed and her soul damaged. Who could have done such a thing? While the Guan family reported the incident to Cuiran Valley, they actively searched for individuals with suspicious movements, including investigating their own family thoroughly. After all, Guan Yingying was an important person connected to Sang Shuo. Would Sang Shuo still value the Guan family without her?
When Sang Shuo received the news, he was initially shocked. However, upon realizing that his master was still in seclusion without any changes, he relaxed. Perhaps it was just an accident. After all, she was just a woman. He had noticed her usefulness and her somewhat attractive appearance before, but there were plenty of women like her. It wasn't significant.
Lin*.
Winter came and spring arrived again. Gu Yao's cultivation and alchemy were steadily progressing. Many people who paid attention to him noticed this. They were puzzled by how he, with only a quadruple spiritual root aptitude, was steadily advancing in his cultivation. However, they attributed it to his talent as an outstanding alchemist. He was never lacked the medicinal pills necessary for breakthroughs in his cultivation.
Few alchemists could match his excellence. When he was at the sixth level of Qi refining, he could already refine high-grade medicinal pills. With a supply of high-grade Bihua Pills and Hua Jing Pills, even someone with poor aptitude could cultivate to the higher stages of Qi refining. When he reached the eighth or ninth level of Qi refining, it was believed that he could refine Foundation Establishment Pills without any trouble. While others struggled to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills, he could simply pop them like candy. It was almost guaranteed that he would enter the Foundation Establishment stage himself.
Other alchemists couldn't advance like him. They could only refine pills corresponding to their current level. Even that was considered a good achievement. If they wanted to break through, they still needed higher-level pills provided by their mentors.
Therefore, everyone who paid attention to Gu Yao eagerly awaited the moment he would enter the Foundation Establishment stage. The required pills for the Foundation Establishment stage were scarce, especially since he almost always used high-grade and middle-grade pills. Even big shots couldn't help but make a move when they saw them.
"Have you heard? Gu Yao, the alchemist, has reached the ninth level of Qi refining since coming out of seclusion. He's about to enter the Foundation Establishment stage. I envy Gu Master so much. Even if he's a single spiritual root cultivator, his cultivation speed might surpass others," the rumors spread.