It was noon.
Gu An, Meng Lang, and Li Ya stood in front of a wooden fence in a garden. Meng Lang stared curiously at the white-haired mouse in Gu An's hand.
Li Ya pondered and said, "This should be a White Spirit Rat. They are very interested in treasures filled with spiritual energy, hence the name Treasure Hunting Rat. It can barely be considered a Spirit Beast."
Hearing this, Meng Lang couldn't help but ask, "What's the difference between a Spirit Beast and a Demon Beast?"
"Demon Beasts are formed through self-cultivation, while Spirit Beasts are born with the ability to perceive nature's spiritual energy. They can also cultivate, but their aura isn't as bloody as demon energy. To put it simply, Spirit Beasts are not as dangerous as Demon Beasts," Li Ya explained.
Upon hearing this, Gu An suddenly didn't want to kill the mouse anymore.
Meng Lang became more interested and chuckled, "Gu An, why not give me this mouse?"
Gu An raised an eyebrow, inwardly cursing the audacity of the beast!
Li Ya said coldly, "White Spirit Rats generally don't live alone. If there's one, it means there's a nest nearby. Go catch one yourself. It's a bit degrading to snatch a mouse."
Meng Lang's face turned red with anger and he snorted, "Catch it? I will catch it!"
With that, he turned and left.
Once he was far away, Gu An said to Li Ya, "Thank you."
Gu An found that although Li Ya appeared cold, he was actually quite easy to get along with. He was generous and didn't mind Gu An watching him practice swordsmanship. Moreover, today he spoke up for him.
If Li Ya hadn't said anything, Gu An would have been in big trouble.
If he had made Meng Lang cry, the commotion would definitely have been huge because of the boy's loud voice!
Li Ya looked at Gu An, studying him carefully, and said softly, "It feels as if you've had some changes lately, but I can't pinpoint exactly what."
He suddenly grabbed Gu An's wrist with his right hand. His speed seemed slow in Gu An's eyes, but Gu An didn't dodge. Instead, he pretended to be surprised.
"Brother Li, what are you doing?"
"Nothing."
Li Ya withdrew his right hand. After hesitating for a moment, he added, "Your aura is stable and your body has no major issues, except you have no spiritual power. Even if your aptitude is mediocre, don't forget to cultivate. As long as one works hard, there is hope."
Gu An nodded and began to chat casually with him.
Li Ya seemed to be in a good mood and was very talkative today. Through him, Gu An gained more knowledge about the world of immortal cultivation.
One had to admit, imperial family disciples were different. Even without traveling the world, they were still well-read and knowledgeable.
Half an hour later, Meng Lang walked rapidly towards them.
"Something big has happened!" Meng Lang said in a low, tense voice as he approached Gu An.
Gu An looked up towards the entrance of Medicine Valley.
Li Ya asked, "What happened?"
Meng Lang's eyes widened as he said, "There's a cultivator guarding the valley entrance. I went up to ask a few questions, and he said he's an Inner Sect disciple and has taken up our master's bounty mission to guard us for one month."
"I guess our master issued the mission because of the mysterious demon mentioned earlier. If that Inner Sect disciple can't stop the demon, wouldn't we be doomed?"
Gu An could already see the figure of the Inner Sect disciple from a distance. With his current eyesight, he could make out the man's features.
It was a young man wearing a blue robe. He looked graceful and distinguished, obviously not an ordinary person.
[Chu Jingfeng (Foundation Establishment Realm, First Layer): 19/290/870]
Nineteen years old and already at the Foundation Establishment Realm, First Layer?
A genius!
No wonder he became an Inner Sect disciple.
Gu An looked at the probing prompt in front of him and was filled with emotion.
The Supreme Sect indeed lived up to its reputation as the foremost sect of the Taicang Dynasty, filled with geniuses.
Li Ya and Meng Lang began discussing the mysterious demon. Meng Lang thought it was absurd. How could there be a demon in such a powerful sect as the Supreme Sect? It's already been half a month, and they haven't caught it yet.
Li Ya thought it was normal. According to him, the Supreme Sect was too big and Medicine Valley was in a remote area. It was normal for disciples to encounter danger.
"A hundred years ago, there was an instance where a demon cultivator invaded the Supreme Sect, killing hundreds of disciples before leaving at will. That demon might know some secret techniques, making it hard to capture," Li Ya said with a melancholic tone.
"Not only in the Supreme Sect, but there's no absolutely safe place in the whole world. Every year, the dynasty provides enormous amounts of spirit resources to the Demon-Suppressing Mansions across various regions..."
Li Ya began talking about the world, which intrigued Gu An and Meng Lang. They listened intently.
Gu An's Ji Family was a cultivation family, so Gu An, who grew up in the Ji Family, had little knowledge of the world. This was the first time he realized how dangerous the world was.
Demons and evil spirits were everywhere, and seven out of ten immortal cultivators died at the hands of demons and evil spirits.
After hearing this, Gu An became even more fearful.
In the future, he absolutely couldn't venture out. He had to stay in the Supreme Sect and accumulate life span!
Live cautiously for a thousand or ten thousand years until the Supreme Sect collapses!
"But our Medicine Valley has so many medicinal herbs and is very significant. Why did the sect only send one Inner Sect disciple to protect us?" Meng Lang said indignantly.
Li Ya shook his head, "There are more than fifty such Medicine Valleys in the Supreme Sect. The herbs grown here are not considered precious. Inside the Supreme Sect, there are more valuable Medicine Valleys where every plant can change a mortal's fate."
Hearing this, Gu An's eyes lit up, and he began to inquire more about that Medicine Valley.
However, Li Ya only knew of its existence and wasn't clear about the details.
The three chatted for a while before parting ways. They each had to inspect their respective areas regularly to prevent any unexpected situations with the herbs.
After the inspections, they returned to their rooms.
Gu An tied a rope around the White Spirit Rat to prevent it from escaping.
He sat cross-legged on the bed with the White Spirit Rat on his leg, and then began to cultivate.
He practiced the Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill, which could enhance qi and life span. As for other cultivation techniques, he couldn't be bothered. Once he extended his life span, he could sacrifice it directly.
When night fell, Medicine Valley became unusually quiet.
With his heightened senses, Gu An could hear Cheng Xuandan and the Inner Sect disciple Chu Jingfeng having a conversation a few hundred feet away. Cheng Xuandan was very respectful to Chu Jingfeng, as if Chu Jingfeng was more than just an Inner Sect disciple.
Through their conversation, Gu An learned the name of the demon.
Demon of Greed!
Chu Jingfeng was very disdainful of the Demon of Greed, and his confident tone reassured Cheng Xuandan. Gu An could clearly feel Cheng Xuandan's heartbeat returning to normal.
"Demon of Greed..."
Gu An's eyes flickered with curiosity, wondering if his Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill could eradicate the Demon of Greed.
According to the inherited memory of the Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill, its dragon strength could subdue demons and exorcise evil spirits.
He had to prepare for the worst. What if Chu Jingfeng couldn't hold them off!
No matter how long his life span was, he had only one life!
He couldn't take the risk!
That night, everyone's aura in Medicine Valley was unstable, clearly affected by their emotions, which made Gu An even more nervous.
It wasn't until dawn that Gu An finally fell asleep.
In the following five days, the Demon of Greed did not appear, and Gu An gradually relaxed.
On the sixth day.
As usual, Gu An went back to his room to rest after nightfall. This time, he brought back four travelogues from the library to learn more about the world.
The White Spirit Rat scurried out from under the bed, quickly jumped onto the table. Ever since it experienced the aura of Gu An cultivating the Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill, it became reliant on Gu An. Now even if it wasn't tied, it wouldn't run away.
Gu An sat at the table, teased the White Spirit Rat, and then began reading a book titled "Green Hero Travelogue."
The window was half-open, and the eerie night wind blew in, causing the oil lamp flame to flicker and the shadow of the White Spirit Rat on the table to stretch and contract.
Gu An found the travelogue to be quite interesting.
Though it was filled with tales of men and women's affairs, the Green Hero traveled the world, appreciated the scenery from north to south, vanquished demons, and had many fleeting romances.
By late at night, Gu An felt something was amiss.
How did every woman the Green Hero met fall for him? This guy always pretended to be troubled, yet willingly went along with them...
Was this written by a scholar?
Gu An silently despised the author but still read with great interest.
Whoosh——
A blast of cold wind blew in from the window. Even Gu An, who had cultivated the Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill, shivered. He put down the book, got up to close the window.
Before he reached the window, he suddenly heard some noise from afar. He stopped and listened carefully.
"You demon! Die!"
Chu Jingfeng's low shout made Gu An's hair stand on end.
The Demon of Greed had arrived?
But Chu Jingfeng didn't seem scared, he was excited and reliable.
"Ah——"
Gu An's heart had just started to settle when he heard Chu Jingfeng's scream. Frightened, he rushed to close the window and blew out the oil lamp.
Gu An retreated to a corner of the room. The White Spirit Rat sensed something, quickly jumping into his arms.
The little beast was trembling too!
Its trembling intensified Gu An's fear.
From childhood to adulthood, Gu An had never encountered a demon or evil spirit. The Ji Family was too safe. As a child, the scariest thing he encountered were the court guardians, who were like Zhang Fei and Li Kui.
"Chu Jingfeng, you better live up to your boasts. And Li Ya next door, I see you have unique talent and a special life grid. You're like the protagonist from a novel, slaying that demon and rising to greatness..."
Gu An tried to calm himself. He clenched his fists, already gathering dragon strength within himself.
Soon, he heard the door next door being pushed open. It was Li Ya, who charged out with a sword to assist Chu Jingfeng.
As for Meng Lang, he was even more pathetic than Gu An, hiding under the bed, making Gu An almost curse out loud in his panic.
This guy usually put on such airs, calling himself the big brother, but turned out to be a coward in real danger.
Thinking of this, Gu An felt each passing second was a torment.
In his perception, Chu Jingfeng's aura suddenly vanished, whether dead or alive unknown.
"Demon! Stop right there!"
Li Ya's voice was caught by Gu An, making him shiver.
Was the demon planning to eat them?
Then there was a loud thud, and Li Ya's voice went silent.
Game over already?
So weak?
Gu An's heart pounded like a drum, impossible to calm down.
Cheng Xuandan and Zhang Chunqiu hid in their respective rooms, pretending not to hear anything despite the commotion. Like master, like disciple...
Outside, there was an eerie silence. Even with Gu An's heightened senses, he couldn't detect the movements and aura of the Demon of Greed.