Gu An took his first bite of the Green Vine Fruit and immediately felt a warm energy flowing into his stomach, warming his entire body.
It's working!
He began to eat it greedily, and in no time, the huge Green Vine Fruit was all gone.
As he digested the fruit, he accessed his Attribute Panel, eagerly anticipating an increase in his life span.
However, he ended up waiting for an entire hour.
His life span didn't increase at all!
His Qi-Blood, on the other hand, had increased significantly, and his physical strength was greater.
"What's going on? Is my realm too high, or is this fruit only suitable for spirit beasts and demon beasts?" Gu An wondered privately.
He looked at the White Spirit Rat on the table, which was still sound asleep. Its lifespan hadn't increased further, but its aura was steadily growing stronger.
Just wait and see!
The White Spirit Rat slept for three days, and when it woke up, it was as big as an adult cat. It leaped into Gu An's arms, affectionately nuzzling him, but its eyes were looking towards the cabinet behind them.
"No more eating!"
Gu An, who was reading a book, huffed, knowing it would cause trouble if it kept growing, especially with Xiaochuan and others getting curious.
People like Lu Jiujia and Ye Lan would eventually go to the Outer Sect, and Gu An did not want them to know too many of his secrets.
The White Spirit Rat looked pitifully at Gu An and even nodded its head, making Gu An widen his eyes in surprise.
It actually understood?
Gu An pointed his right hand to the side and said, "Come over here."
The White Spirit Rat immediately jumped over without hesitation.
He continued to issue commands, and as long as they were not complicated, the White Spirit Rat followed them, which made him grow increasingly fond of it.
It's finally acting like a spirit beast!
Gu An picked up the White Spirit Rat and left the house with it.
It was currently autumn, and all the gardens were filled with fallen leaves. Xiaochuan and the others were cleaning, and Medicine Valley was peaceful.
As Gu An walked down the stairs, he set the White Spirit Rat down and said, "Don't eat randomly."
After saying that, he pointed at the White Spirit Rat's mouth. It seemed to understand and nodded, then turned and hopped away.
Gu An watched, his expression bemused.
Why does it look like a rabbit?
Could it be that not only its lifespan but also its genes had been altered?
Ye Lan was the first to notice the White Spirit Rat, mainly because she was drawn by Gu An's gaze and then saw a large white rat running toward her, which shocked her so much that her face paled.
"There's a rat demon!"
Ye Lan exclaimed aloud, drawing the attention of Lu Jiujia, Xiaochuan, and Wuxin.
They too were startled upon seeing the White Spirit Rat, having never seen such a large rat before.
"White Spirit Rat, slow down!"
At the sound of Gu An's voice, the White Spirit Rat immediately stopped, turned to look back at him, then turned again and walked towards the forest, its pace slower than before.
Seeing this, Ye Lan and the others put down their tools and ran toward Gu An.
"Senior Brother Gu, is that your White Spirit Rat? How did it get so big?"
"It must be another White Spirit Rat, right?"
"It seems a bit clumsy, and its legs don't seem very good."
"That spirit beast's bloodline is no simple matter."
Hearing the discussions of his junior brothers and sisters, Gu An smiled but remained silent, letting them speculate.
Gu An looked at everyone and said, "In a while, I plan to make a trip to the Outer Sect. Who wants to come with me?"
As soon as he spoke, everyone except Wuxin wanted to go.
"What an opportunity!" Wuxin kept his expression unchanged, but inside, he was thrilled.
After some competition, Gu An finally chose to take Ye Lan and Xiaochuan to the Outer Sect, scheduling it for seven days later.
Why seven days?
Because he planned to thoroughly explore the Eight Scenic Caves first.
Gu An turned to look towards the entrance of the valley, where a figure was approaching—it was Li Ya.
After many years, Li Ya had gained a more weathered and stern appearance. The black clothes flapped in the autumn wind, complemented by the sword at his waist, giving off an undeniable aura of a proud swordsman.
Xiaochuan and the others also noticed Li Ya, and his appearance made them nervous.
Whoever came to their Medicine Valley generally had a higher status than them, especially someone who looked as formidable as this man.
Gu An checked Li Ya's lifespan and discovered he had reached the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
That was really fast!
No wonder he was the first protagonist I discovered with a protagonist's fate!
Gu An immediately walked over, and the others quickly followed him.
As Li Ya scanned everything in Medicine Valley, his gaze fell on Gu An, and he appeared somewhat dazed.
In the past, Gu An would always be at the back of the group, but now he was capable of leading the other servant disciples—it was indeed a changing of the guard.
When Gu An approached him, he greeted with a clasped fist and a smile, "Brother Li, it's been a long time."
Injured?
Gu An could feel that his Qi-Blood was in disorder, his breathing shallow, clearly indicating internal injuries.
Li Ya smiled and said, "Indeed, it's been many years. How's master, and what about the senior brother and Meng Lang?"
Gu An replied helplessly, "Master was approaching his end, so he passed away a while ago, and the senior brother left the valley after you did. As for Meng Lang, he went to take the Outer Sect examination and never returned."
At these words, Li Ya was stunned.
Xiaochuan and the others, standing behind, whispered among themselves, deducing Li Ya's identity. Meng Lang had often mentioned that there had been a member of the Imperial Family who worked as a servant with him."
Meng Lang lamented, "So you're the only one left."
Gu An asked, "Would you like to come inside and sit?"
Li Ya nodded.
The reason he came here was not only to revisit this place but also to heal his injuries, as only here did he feel safe.
As Gu An led Li Ya towards the loft, he signaled to the others to continue clearing the fallen leaves.
As they reached the Valley Master's loft, Li Ya set foot on the stairs, and his emotions peaked. He couldn't help but cough, and his complexion turned pale.
The color on Gu An's face, who was walking ahead, changed slightly.
He sensed a faint soul fluctuation emanating from Li Ya.
Good Lord!
This guy really does have a grandfather-like figure with him?
Gu An turned back and asked with concern, "Brother Li, what's wrong?"
Li Ya waved his hand and said, "Nothing, just a minor injury."
"Injured? Well, you should stay then; Medicine Valley has plenty of living accommodations," Gu An immediately said.
Li Ya nodded with a smile, thinking to himself, "Junior Brother Gu is still as considerate as ever, I must support him this time."
After the two entered the house, Gu An had Li Ya sit down and then began to brew some tea.
Li Ya surveyed the room, and his gaze was quickly drawn to the Green Vine Fruits in the wooden cabinet.
Over the past three days, Gu An had placed most of the Green Vine Fruits into his Storage Bag, leaving only two in the cabinet to prevent the White Spirit Rat from stealing them.
If the White Spirit Rat really did steal, he could not bear to kill it, so he simply hid the fruits.
"This fruit..."
Li Ya squinted his eyes, but he did not look for too long. His gaze soon fell on Gu An.
After many years, on seeing Gu An again, he was actually stunned by Gu An's demeanor. Although Gu An used to be good-looking, he did not have the impressive aura he now possessed, resembling a Great Cultivator from the Inner Sect, composed and with a touch of transcendence.
If he hadn't noticed that Gu An's aura was only at the fourth level of Qi Cultivation Realm, he would have doubted that this person was the Gu An he knew.
Taking advantage of boiling water, Gu An came to sit at the table to chat with Li Ya.
In order not to let the atmosphere turn cold, Gu An inquired about the life of an Outer Sect Disciple, and Li Ya answered each question.
"As an Outer Sect Disciple, you must complete one Outer Sect bounty mission every year?" Gu An curiously asked.
Li Ya smiled and said, "That's right, and it's an away mission too."
"Did you ever encounter any demons?"
"Nearly every trip out I encountered them. The Taicang Dynasty is so vast; there's always some place overrun by demons. Last year, I nearly died there; it was a third-level Demon Beast, comparable to the Core Formation Realm. I and several friends fought fiercely, but one died, and the rest barely escaped with serious injuries," Li Ya explained, his face showing a hint of palpable fear toward the end.
"Third level? Core Formation Realm?"
Gu An feigned a shocked expression, dissipating the gloom in Li Ya's heart.
He then started to recount the specific details of that time, with Gu An listening as if to a thrilling story, providing very responsive feedback.
In fact, he was indeed curious about Li Ya's experiences.
After listening, he only had one thought.
Too dangerous!
He was glad he had not become an Outer Sect Disciple.
"Aside from demons, I also had to be wary of other cultivators. While treasure hunting, I clashed with disciples from another sect for half a month. It was tough to kill him, and guess what happened next?" Li Ya said enthusiastically as he began recounting another experience.
Gu An guessed, "Did his father come?"
Li Ya looked at him surprised and shook his head, "Not his father, but almost; his master came!"
Good lord!
Gu An felt even more fortunate not to have joined the Outer Sect.
If the Outer Sect was so dangerous, wasn't the Inner Sect even more perilous?
Li Ya continued recounting his cunning and fierce struggle with the enemy's master, giving Gu An the feeling of listening to a storyteller.
Very thrilling!
When the hot water was ready, Gu An got up to brew the tea.
Li Ya casually asked, "Junior Brother Gu, are the fruits in the cabinet left by your master?"
Gu An, with his back turned, answered, "I found them outside; have you forgotten? The White Spirit Rat is a Treasure Hunting Rat."
Upon hearing this, Li Ya raised his eyebrows.
Can it really find treasure?
Suddenly, he also wanted to raise a White Spirit Rat.
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Junior Brother Gu, could you give me one of those fruits to heal my wounds? I won't leave you uncompensated; do you want a secret manual or a magic artifact?"
Gu An turned around, carrying the tea, and set it down in front of him, speaking in an indifferent tone, "I'll just give you one; don't give me anything. What's our relationship?"
Upon hearing this, Li Ya was deeply moved.
In his years in the Outer Sect, although he had friends, they were all relationships based on interests; no one had ever treated him so well without expecting anything in return.
After speaking, Gu An went to the wooden cabinet, took out a Green Vine Fruit, and placed it beside Li Ya's teacup.
His actions made Li Ya feel even more ashamed.
"Li Ya, oh Li Ya, to think you once looked down on him and on Medicine Valley, even though you joined the Outer Sect, in the end, you still rely on him to save you..."
Li Ya mocked himself inwardly. Following that, he raised his hand and took out a treasured sword from his Storage Bag.
The sword sheath was blue, embedded with numerous gems and had an exquisite design, making it appear rich and splendid. The hilt seemed to be coiled with a dark golden dragon.
Li Ya placed the sword on the table, its weight making a heavy and clear sound.
He caressed the sword and softly said, "This was given to me by my mother; I'll give it to you, it might save your life one day."
Gu An was dazzled by the sword; although he only saw the sheath, he could feel the power contained within the sword. After all, he was a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, and he saw more than Li Ya did.
This was definitely a Divine Weapon!