Crack—
A shriveled foot stepped out from the coffin, crushing a piece of charcoal beneath it.
Gu An saw that it was a woman in tattered clothes, her hair disheveled and her body emaciated to the point of exaggeration, as if all her flesh and blood had been drained. The robe on her body, though in tatters, vaguely revealed a white garment. She wobbled out like a malicious ghost.
Jiang Qiong slowly lifted her face, her features equally shriveled, with deep-set eyes and bulging pupils, looking terrifying.
Her gaze fell on Gu An, scaring him so much that he quickly lowered his head.
"Good grand-disciple, thanks to your help in alchemy these past five years, I've recovered quickly…" Jiang Qiong forced a smile, which looked even more horrifying, with foul air still spraying out from her mouth.
She no longer referred to herself in the grandiose manner but simply as "I," closing the gap between them considerably.
Gu An forcibly held back his discomfort and said, "This is what a grand-disciple should do, though I am perplexed about one thing."
"Ask away."
Jiang Qiong replied as she staggered toward the pill furnace.
Gu An watched her and asked, "Since refining elixirs can help you recover quickly, why didn't you let my master help you before?"
Cheng Xuandan thought Jiang Qiong had been dead for seventy years, meaning she had been hiding here for that long, and Cheng Xuandan had never discovered she was still alive.
Jiang Qiong replied with a grim smile, "Because I didn't trust him. Your master was forced to become my disciple; his heart wavers. Who knows when he might betray me? Half of the coffins in this cave are filled with his disciples."
Gu An remained silent.
He believed Jiang Qiong was telling the truth, as Meng Lang had met such an end.
Jiang Qiong sat in front of the pill furnace, waving her hand. The medicinal herbs piled nearby flew into the furnace one by one.
"Five years have passed. What layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm are you at now?" Jiang Qiong asked.
Gu An's outward cultivation level was at the fifth layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, but Jiang Qiong believed he was at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Gu An replied, "Almost at the third layer."
"Too slow. Don't slack off in your regular cultivation. When I was your age, I established my foundation at eighteen and formed my core at forty. If I hadn't spent decades studying the Alchemy Dao and array formations, I would've been at the Nascent Soul Realm by now. Have you heard of the Nascent Soul Realm?" Jiang Qiong absentmindedly asked while staring at the pill furnace.
Gu An hurriedly nodded and said, "Those in the Nascent Soul Realm are immortals; rarely seen in the Outer Sect."
"Hmph, what immortals, just stronger cultivators. When I fully recover, I'll find a place to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. By then, you'll have a Nascent Soul Realm powerhouse backing you. Are you excited?" Jiang Qiong said with a gleeful tone towards the end.
Her voice sounded charming, completely at odds with her horrific image.
"Thank you for your care, Master. Do you need any help?" Gu An stepped forward and asked.
Jiang Qiong replied, "Just watch me refine the elixir, and we can chat."
She patted her hand, motioning Gu An to sit beside her.
Gu An sat down, keeping his distance, while maintaining his vigilance.
No matter how kind Jiang Qiong was, he would not let his guard down until she left.
Meng Lang's fate served as a warning; he likely never suspected Cheng Xuandan until his death.
Jiang Qiong inquired about his background, and Gu An gave a brief overview of his early life, omitting his connection to the Ji Family, instead saying he was born a house servant who, after discovering his spirit root, joined the Supreme Sect.
After a lengthy conversation of nearly an hour, Jiang Qiong finally let Gu An go, instructing him to come back for the next three nights, promising great rewards upon success.
Gu An arrived as scheduled.
The third night arrived.
Gu An sat opposite the pill furnace meditating, holding the "Yin Yang Art," occasionally asking Jiang Qiong questions.
Jiang Qiong, growing annoyed, couldn't help but scold, "Are you deliberately deceiving me? How could someone so young reach the Foundation Establishment Realm and yet be so dull-minded?"
Gu An replied, feeling wronged, "Alchemy is alchemy, and energy absorption is energy absorption."
Jiang Qiong suddenly had nothing to say, then her attention was drawn to the pill furnace.
Steam poured increasingly from the furnace; the vent hole turned dark green, appearing eerie.
Gu An felt a chill; what elixir was she refining?
It felt like a poison elixir.
Jiang Qiong's eyes shone with excitement as she fell silent, focusing on the pill furnace.
Time passed second by second.
Gu An remained on guard, ready to fend off any sudden moves from Jiang Qiong.
Who knows how much time had passed.
The pill furnace emitted a muffled sound, and a grin, more horrifying than a cry, spread across Jiang Qiong's face.
She raised her right hand, and with two fingers, the furnace lid flew off. A pill shot out, which she caught and instantly swallowed.
So fast!
As if afraid Gu An would snatch it.
After swallowing the pill, Jiang Qiong immediately sat cross-legged to cultivate. Within three breaths, wisps of white steam emanated from her body.
Gu An stood up and cautiously retreated, keeping his distance.
The white steam increasingly surrounded Jiang Qiong, making her figure blurry, resembling a zombie shrouded in mist.
Gu An continually monitored her life span, wary of her sudden breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm.
Jiang Qiong's lifespan began to grow, the sight of which amazed Gu An for it to be represented in numbers.
He suddenly became very interested in Jiang Qiong's elixirs; what miraculous elixir was this?
Jiang Qiong wasn't just increasing her lifespan; her aura was rapidly rising, soon surpassing that of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
A true Core Formation Realm cultivator!
Gu An keenly observed Jiang Qiong's body recovering, her physique growing denser like a balloon inflating.
Impressive!
He patiently waited.
Soon, the cave echoed with Jiang Qiong's increasingly heavy breathing, resembling the roars of a wild beast towards the end.
After a long while.
Jiang Qiong's breathing suddenly stopped; Gu An realized she had not broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm and thus felt less tense.
From within the white mist, Jiang Qiong stretched, her graceful figure emerging, starkly different from before.
She walked out of the mist, still with disheveled hair and wearing tattered clothes, but the pale skin beneath her rags made Gu An's face flush in the dim cave, causing him to avert his gaze.
"It's been so long since I walked like this."
Jiang Qiong said nostalgically, striding up to Gu An, leaning forward, brushing her hair aside with both hands, "Well, good grand-disciple, is your master beautiful?"
Gu An stole a glance and, despite her dirty face, saw her features were indeed those of a rare beauty, comparable only to the Third Miss of the Ji Family, Ji Xiaoyu, and the Outer Disciple, Li Xuanyu.
"Master is indeed one of the most beautiful in the world, but I am more concerned about your health. Have your injuries healed?"
Gu An asked with genuine concern as he cupped his hands.
If she recovered, she should hurry and leave!
"Recovery will take more time, I still need to rest for another five years." Jiang Qiong smiled, her bright eyes studying Gu An thoughtfully.
Suddenly, she struck at Gu An with a palm, swift as lightning, stopping just short of his chest, the force of the wind pulling his robe backward.
Jiang Qiong asked with a faint smile, "Why didn't you dodge?"
Gu An's face stiffened as he replied, "I couldn't react in time…"
In truth, it was not so. To him, Jiang Qiong's actions were too slow; in that instant, his Dragon Strength could have repelled her spiritual power.
She had not spared Gu An's life but rather saved herself.
Jiang Qiong couldn't help but laugh, her laughter as captivating as flowers in bloom, even clutching her stomach in the end.
Gu An watched her laugh without interrupting.
After a while, Jiang Qiong turned back to the pill furnace and said, "Don't worry, I won't kill my own disciples and grand-disciples. When Cheng Xuandan tried to betray me, I spared his life and even used his protection to hide within the Supreme Sect. As long as you are devoted to me, I will never forsake you. If anyone bullies you, I won't stand by."
Gu An couldn't help but laugh at her words.
Jiang Qiong stood before the pill furnace, turning to Gu An, "Leave a set of new clothes. You may go now. Come back tomorrow night and I will teach you some spells."
Gu An immediately took a set of his own white robes from his storage bag, gently placing them on the ground, then bowed to Jiang Qiong and took his leave.
Once he disappeared into the darkness, Jiang Qiong turned around. Approaching the white robes, she raised her hand and telekinetically picked them up, inhaling their scent with a chuckle.
...
At dawn, Gu An was leading the people of Medicine Valley in exercises.
Someone approached the entrance of the valley.
It was Li Ya.
Li Ya was still dressed in black. Compared to five years ago, he exuded an overwhelming aura of strength.
His arrival instantly grabbed everyone's attention.
"It's Senior Brother Li Ya!" Xiaochuan exclaimed in delight.
Gu An immediately walked toward Li Ya, instructing everyone to continue with their exercises.
He reached Li Ya and was about to speak when Li Ya cut in first, "Let's talk upstairs."
Hmm?
Something urgent?
Gu An instantly grew tense. What matter required Li Ya to come personally?
He led Li Ya to the pavilion, ascending the stairs and entering the room before closing the door.
Li Ya walked to the table, with a wave of his hand, a Green Vine Fruit appeared on it, leaving Gu An astonished.
"Four years ago, the Elixir Hall in the Outer Sect acquired a Green Vine Fruit. I bought it, but due to heavy tasks, didn't get a chance to give it to you." Li Ya smiled.
Gu An's expression turned strange.
Li Ya asked, "What's the matter?"
Feeling that he couldn't hide it, Gu An cleared his throat and said, "I was the one who sold that fruit to the Elixir Hall."
To avoid suspicion, he had sold it at a low price, earning praise from the Elixir Hall elder for his gratitude towards the sect.
Gu An, emboldened by Li Ya's assurance that Green Vine Fruits were not rare in the Supreme Sect, had sold it. The Outer Sect had none, but the Inner Sect had plenty, and the Inner Sect possessed many miraculous treasures.
Unexpectedly, Li Ya had bought it back...
Li Ya sighed and said, "This is quite a mess... This fruit can boost qi-blood, a precious natural treasure. How could you sell it? For how many spirit stones?"
"Twenty mid-grade spirit stones..."
"What? I paid ten top-grade spirit stones!" Li Ya's eyes widened.
One top-grade spirit stone was equivalent to a hundred mid-grade spirit stones.
The two fell into silence simultaneously.
In truth, Gu An felt it wasn't a loss. Using the Green Vine Fruit, he had forged a good friendship with Zhu Qinglu at the Elixir Hall, who had provided him many conveniences over the past four years. But facing Li Ya, he felt a bit embarrassed.
Li Ya finally said, "Forget it, consider it our contribution to the sect. Besides this fruit, I have another matter to discuss with you."