Gu An had indeed underestimated the range of the White Spirit Rat's activity. He followed it for over ten miles, yet it showed no signs of stopping.
The further he strayed from Profound Valley, the less interested he became.
Though he had visited the Outer Sect, that was only one path.
Centering Profound Valley within a twenty-mile radius, he felt danger lurking, even though his cultivation level was at the seventh tier of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Fortunately, the White Spirit Rat did not continue indefinitely. Roughly twenty miles away from Profound Valley, it stopped.
It was still a mountainous area with a stream flowing down from the mountain. The White Spirit Rat stopped by the stream and began to walk in circles.
Gu An walked over. The stream was bordered by an abundance of flowers and grass, as well as numerous rocks of various sizes.
He picked up the White Spirit Rat, then swept his right leg across the ground.
Boom—
Grass and debris flew in all directions, and rocks scattered everywhere. With just a sweep of his leg, Gu An had cleared a large area.
He looked closely and saw a square stone slab on the edge of the stream.
Good heavens!
A manhole cover?
Gu An squatted down in front of the stone slab. It was carved with mysterious patterns, neither text nor drawings he'd ever seen before.
He could feel wisps of spiritual power leaking from the edges of the slab. Perhaps that was why the White Spirit Rat had found this place.
At the Foundation Establishment Realm, one possessed Divine Sense, an unseen and intangible force. With Divine Sense, similar to opening the Heavenly Eye, one could peer through objects.
Gu An rarely used it, but that didn't mean he lacked Divine Sense. In fact, reaching the seventh tier of Qi Cultivation allowed one to cultivate Divine Sense.
He immediately concentrated his Divine Sense in an attempt to penetrate the stone slab and spy the space beneath it.
However, as soon as his Divine Sense touched the slab, it was repelled by a mysterious force, causing his body to tremble.
So strong?
Even the Divine Sense of the seventh tier of Foundation Establishment couldn't penetrate its restriction...
Gu An hesitated. With such a strong restriction, could there be substantial dangers below?
With spiritual energy surging inside, either it was cultivating some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, or someone was secluded in meditation below.
No!
He couldn't be reckless.
He would observe for some time.
Gu An released the White Spirit Rat and then used the surrounding rocks and weeds to completely obscure the mysterious stone slab. After concealing it, he grabbed the White Spirit Rat and turned to return to the valley.
The White Spirit Rat squeaked, but he ignored it.
After returning to Profound Valley, Gu An mentioned nothing about this incident, as if he had never left the valley.
During the following nights, besides his daily tasks, Gu An also visited the area near the stone slab to observe.
Night after night, there were no signs of anyone disturbing the coverings around the slab.
Furthermore, Gu An noticed that Wuxin went to the forest every night, seemingly in search of something.
He didn't expose Wuxin, his intuition telling him that Wuxin's identity was not simple.
At the second tier of Qi Cultivation, having a life span of over three hundred years likely meant he had cultivated some Miracle Skill.
Gu An had specifically observed Wuxin's cultivation using Divine Sense, but he couldn't see anything noteworthy; it seemed just like regular Qi Absorption Cultivation.
Just like that, the scorching summer passed.
Profound Valley was gradually covered in a yellowish hue. Gu An had cleared seventeen plots of land in the surrounding forest, increasing the workload, and Xiaochuan and others had to patrol daily.
This one evening,
Cheng Xuan Pill approached Gu An, signaling with his eyes for Gu An to follow, and they walked towards the northern peaks.
Gu An watched Cheng Xuan Pill's retreating figure, feeling conflicted.
Cheng Xuan Pill's life span had decreased further, equaling his current age, signaling his impending death.
Despite having been deceived by Cheng Xuan Pill, Cheng Xuan Pill indeed had made many contributions to him. As death approached, it was hard for him not to feel sad.
He tried to convince himself not to be sentimental.
His goal was the path of longevity and immortal cultivation, and separations due to life and death would not be rare in the future. He would eventually get used to them.
Of course, that was predicated on him managing to stay alive.
Wuxin, who was watering plants, saw the two figures of Gu An and his master and raised his eyebrows.
He silently noted the direction they had taken; that piece of forest surely held some mysteries.
After entering the forest, Cheng Xuan Pill spoke, "I'm taking you to an entrance that leads underground. This place must not be revealed to anyone else, including your junior brothers and sisters. Today they might be close to you, but once they leave Medicine Valley to gain experience, they will become strangers to you."
Gu An didn't argue. He had always been clear about this fact.
As long as Xiaochuan and the others didn't give up their goal of becoming Outer Disciples, they would inevitably part ways.
Gu An hesitated for a moment then asked, "Master, were you originally from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion, or were you chosen by them later?"
Cheng Xuan Pill's steps were heavier than before, and he answered, "My experience is the same as yours, and my identity is inherited from my master."
Gu An fell silent.
He suddenly felt that Cheng Xuan Pill was also a pitiful person.
"I've done some things for my master, and since then, this identity can't be shed, but I don't regret it."
Hearing his master's words, Gu An wanted to speak but stopped.
He hadn't done anything yet, could he get ashore?
Cheng Xuan Pill began to recount his experiences with his master, describing him as quirky, sometimes stern, sometimes flighty, like a child.
In his words, his master was like an old child who never grew up.
They went around to the back of the mountain peak, and Cheng Xuan Pill stopped in front of a cliff covered in moss and vines.
"Master, is Ancestor alive or dead?" Gu An couldn't help but ask.
He thought of the stone slab he had been paying attention to, which was not too far from Profound Valley, and with the Master of Xuan Valley being a spy from the Demon Dao, he had reason to suspect that the stone slab was left by Cheng Xuan Pill's master.
Cheng Xuan Pill replied, "He had left before he passed away, and I will follow in his footsteps; I am leaving tomorrow. I leave everything of Medicine Valley to you."
Gu An furrowed his brow—not considering Cheng Xuan Pill, but his master.
That is to say, could Cheng Xuan Pill's master still be alive?
Cheng Xuan Pill took a compass out of his sleeve, moved aside some vines on the cliff, found a groove, and then pressed the compass into it. As he injected Spiritual Power into it, the compass began to tremble and emitted a faint glow.
Gu An could clearly feel Cheng Xuan Pill's aura becoming weaker.
He couldn't help worrying that Cheng Xuan Pill might suddenly die here.
The cliff began to tremble; the sound was not loud. Soon, a hole appeared in the cliff, and Gu An had to duck to enter.
Cheng Xuan Pill spoke up, "You go in, I will wait for you outside."
Gu An hesitated, "Master, give me the compass. I will go in after you leave."
Cheng Xuan Pill smiled, took the compass off, and handed it to Gu An.
A stone door emerged inside the cliff hole, blocking the entrance perfectly, looking intact as if there had never been a hole.
Cheng Xuan Pill turned and walked down the mountain, followed by Gu An.
"The underground space has its own complete Formation; if you ever want to grow Spirit Grass or Spirit Flowers that you don't want others to know about, you can choose below," Cheng Xuan Pill said softly, as if making his last arrangements.
Gu An listened carefully, conflicted within—grateful for Cheng Xuan Pill's actions but still keeping a hint of guard.
Not to relax until the very end.
After all, Cheng Xuan Pill was about to die. Once he died, then he could relax.
Each year thereafter, Gu An would offer incense to Cheng Xuan Pill in respect.
The descent from the mountain was slow. Cheng Xuan Pill's voice was very faint, describing the details of everything underground; Gu An listened attentively—the details were plentiful and did not seem fabricated.
By the time they reached Medicine Valley, it was already dark.
Cheng Xuan Pill spoke his last words to Gu An, "Life is long, and sometimes being mediocre is a blessing; you can do what you wish to."
Gu An watched him walk back to the pavilion, waiting till he closed the door. Gu An still stood there, lost in thoughts.
After standing for half an hour, Gu An finally walked towards his own courtyard.
Disciples were cultivating in their rooms; the courtyard was silent.
That night, Gu An continued to cultivate.
As dawn approached, he heard footsteps from Cheng Xuan Pill, walking to the window to watch him descend the stairs.
Cheng Xuan Pill's steps were faltering, very slow.
He did not look towards Gu An's direction, and after descending, he headed straight for the valley entrance.
Gu An watched his figure disappear at the mouth of the valley, yet stayed by the window.
When the sun rose from the eastern mountain, the first rays of dawn stretched Gu An's shadow.
As Xiaochuan, Lu Jiujia, Ye Lan, and Wuxin gradually woke up, they all sensed something was off in Medicine Valley.
They soon realized what was wrong; usually, at this time, their senior brother would lead them in practicing body-strengthening skills, known for their subtlety.
The usually reliable Gu An, however, wasn't leading them today.
It wasn't until noon that Gu An appeared and gathered them to announce that Cheng Xuan Pill had left and that he was now the Master of Medicine Valley.
Xiaochuan and the others were somewhat excited, inquiring about where Cheng Xuan Pill had gone. Since Li Ya had left, Cheng Xuan Pill had become gentler, treating his disciples well, so they viewed him very favorably.
Only Wuxin was less affected.
After causing a stir for half an hour, the younger brothers and sisters finally dispersed.
Gu An went to the mountaintop, looking far in the direction Cheng Xuan Pill had left.
After he could no longer see Cheng Xuan Pill, he went into Cheng Xuan Pill's quarters.
Cheng Xuan Pill's Pill Furnace was still there; various items, including a Storage Pouch, letters, many keys, and even a jar of Spirit Flowers, were laid out on the table.
He picked up the letter and read it; the content was simple:
'I know you love picking flowers and plants, so as a farewell gift, I leave you a fifth-grade Tiger Blood Flower to pick.'
Gu An smiled, then picked up the Storage Pouch.
He was most interested in this object.
How could a Cultivator be without a Storage Pouch?
So, he began examining the inheritance Cheng Xuan Pill had left behind.
He didn't leave Cheng Xuan Pill's quarters until evening, now with a purple cloth pouch at his waist, the very Storage Pouch of Cheng Xuan Pill.
He walked towards the northern peak, arriving at the underground entrance in the cliff. He took a compass out of the Storage Pouch, pressing it into the groove in the cliff.
Accompanied by a deep rumbling sound, an entrance appeared before him.
Gu An removed the compass, then ducked and walked into the entrance, which widened after five steps, while the entrance began to close.