Saint Who Lay Low

Gu An held the Demon-Slaying Hall token in his hand but didn't refuse. Smiling with a hint of satisfaction, he looked at Lu Jiujia and said, "Not bad, you've really become the person you wanted to be."

Hearing this, Lu Jiujia's mood brightened further. He chuckled, "These past few years have been like walking on thin ice. I didn't dare contact you because I was afraid of implicating you. But now, the storm has passed. We can stay in touch more often."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Lu Jiujia quickly departed with his group, saying they were off to capture some demonic spies.

Watching his departing figure, Gu An felt a slight mix of emotions.

The reputation of the Demon-Slaying Hall wasn't great. Though it was the most powerful hall in the outer sect, it was also the most despised. It was said that once someone offended the Demon-Slaying Hall, they would just need to be branded a "demonic spy," and their fate would be sealed.

Gu An could clearly feel the disdainful and hostile looks people were giving him as they passed by.

He sighed and put the matter out of his mind, turning away to leave.

Half an hour later.

Gu An arrived at the Third Medicine Valley. As soon as he reached the valley entrance, he saw Old Tian standing by the stone tablet, stroking his beard and deep in thought.

Over the years, Gu An had grown quite familiar with Old Tian. The old man behaved just like any other servant disciple, and neither Zhen Qin, Su Han, nor Ye Yan had noticed anything peculiar about him. Gu An had also been treating him as nothing more than a regular disciple.

"Old Tian, why are you standing here?" Gu An called out as he walked toward the old man.

Old Tian looked over, his face soft with a kind smile. His eyelids were half-closed, giving off the appearance of someone with one foot already in the grave.

"Valley Master, I've been wondering, why is this place called the 'Third Medicine Valley'? Do you have two other valleys?" Old Tian asked with a chuckle.

Standing next to the stone tablet, Gu An laughed, "Not at all. Besides this, I only have one other valley. I call it the Third Medicine Valley as a principle I follow in life—to never strive for first or second place. Third is good enough. First and second attract too much attention and trouble. While being in the top three is impressive, the third spot is the safest."

Old Tian's eyelids lifted slightly as he fell into contemplation over Gu An's words.

Gu An patted him on the shoulder and smiled, "Come on, I've brought some roast chicken and fine wine today. Let's enjoy it together. It's a spirit chicken raised by the outer sect—it cost me ten low-grade spirit stones for just one."

Old Tian snapped out of his thoughts and followed Gu An's lead.

Ye Yan wasn't practicing his spear at the valley entrance this time. Instead, he stood straight in the middle of the pathway, holding his spear with one hand and meditating. According to him, he was contemplating the connection between himself and the spear.

Gu An hadn't taken much interest in Ye Yan's spear techniques or his body-refining methods, mainly because Gu An didn't care for spearmanship. Besides, his practice of the Mysterious Yellow Dragon Qi Technique was enough for his body refinement needs.

"Ye Yan, come join us for some wine. Let's celebrate your senior brother and sister becoming outer disciples," Gu An called out.

Curious, Old Tian asked, "Over the years, you've given all the herbs you've grown to refine pills for your disciples. What's in it for you? Even if they're grateful now, their gratitude will fade with time. Wouldn't it be better to use those resources on yourself?"

"And me? I'm an old man with one foot in the grave. Isn't giving me pills a waste?"

After several years of getting to know Gu An, Old Tian had grown fond of him. Gu An had treated him well, unlike the other disciples who often ignored him. Gu An even shared pills with him to help him strengthen his cultivation.

Before his fall in cultivation, Old Tian would never have imagined that someone in Tai Xuan Sect could be this selfless.

He even regretted how he had neglected the outer sect before.

Gu An smiled and replied, "I have mediocre talent. If I focus too much on increasing my cultivation, it will only bring me more suffering. Instead, I'd rather give those opportunities to the younger generation, those who still have hope. As for you, Old Tian, though you're older than me, you're still one of my disciples. I treat everyone equally. Even if the pills don't increase your cultivation by much, they can still boost your vitality and make your remaining years more enjoyable, right?"

Gu An's gaze shifted toward Ye Yan, his face bathed in sunlight, radiating warmth.

The light cast on his profile stirred something in Old Tian's heart.

Suddenly, Old Tian recalled the words of Gu Zong when he had recommended Gu An to him.

"Don't be fooled by his low cultivation. Anyone who can write Investiture of the Gods must have a vast heart. Even after gaining fame and wealth, he remains in the Medicine Valley, tirelessly contributing to Tai Xuan Sect. In terms of character and temperament, he surpasses even Divine Transformation cultivators."

As these thoughts passed through Old Tian's mind, a smile crept onto his face, as though Gu An's own cheerfulness had infected him.

Soon, the three of them were gathered around the stone table, drinking wine and eating roast chicken.

Gu An shared the events of the day, including what had happened with Zhen Qin and Su Han, as well as his encounter with the Demon-Slaying Hall. He was curious to see how Old Tian would react.

But Old Tian showed no reaction at all, simply gnawing on a chicken leg.

Ye Yan, however, spoke up. "I think the Demon-Slaying Hall is good. Back when we were in Xuan Valley, we encountered demonic cultivators several times. The outer sect is a mess. The hall's bad reputation is probably because of demonic spies fanning the flames in secret."

Gu An nodded thoughtfully. That could very well be true.

Since the Demon-Slaying Hall had been established, he hadn't encountered any more demonic cultivators, nor had any spies from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion come looking for him.

"Master, after I reach Foundation Establishment, I don't want to stay in Tai Xuan Sect. I want to join the army," Ye Yan suddenly declared.

Good heavens!

Talking about leaving the sect right in front of the former sect master?

Gu An asked, "Why?"

Ye Yan's expression was resolute. "Tai Xuan Sect puts too much emphasis on spiritual root aptitude. For someone like me, it's hard to rise. But in the army, I can slay demons and save people. My parents were killed by monsters when I was young. I swore then that once I learned cultivation techniques, I'd travel the world and rid it of demons."

Old Tian glanced at him approvingly, nodding slightly.

Gu An smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to have such lofty ambitions. I support you."

Ye Yan smiled, raised his wine cup to Gu An, then poured another cup to toast Old Tian.

The atmosphere grew warmer, and after opening up about his goals, Ye Yan became more talkative than usual. Even Old Tian seemed to loosen up and speak more.

"Master, should we transfer more disciples from Xuan Valley to help with the work?" Ye Yan asked.

Gu An shook his head. "We'll wait until you reach Foundation Establishment. I don't want anyone disturbing your cultivation insights. With Old Tian and me, we can manage."

The various areas of the valley were running smoothly, and there wasn't much daily work to be done.

Hearing this, Ye Yan felt even more moved.

Gu An began chatting with him about the future, drinking one jar of wine after another, until Ye Yan was thoroughly drunk.

...

As summer neared its end, the intense heat of the world began to dissipate.

Gu An stood on the grass in Xuan Valley, watching as four Demon-Slaying Hall disciples flew away. He remained silent for a moment.

Wu Xin came over and said, "Senior Brother, what are you standing there for? We've got so many boxes here, aren't you going to inspect them?"

Those four disciples had been sent by Lu Jiujia, delivering gifts to Xuan Valley. They had waited half a day for Gu An to return before leaving.

Gu An pulled his gaze away and looked at Wu Xin, smiling, "You handle the inspection. It's probably all herbs."

Wu Xin's face lit up with a smile. Being trusted with such a task felt incredibly rewarding.

Gu An had already delegated full authority over Xuan Valley's management to Wu Xin. He only came by to help with the harvesting. Wu Xin had no objections to this arrangement—having Gu An shoulder part of the labor was something he welcomed.

What Wu Xin craved was power, not Gu An's departure. If Gu An were gone, Wu Xin would feel as though something vital was missing from Xuan Valley. That's why, in Gu An's absence, Wu Xin spent most of his time cultivating.

Gu An turned and walked toward the teleportation array.

A short while later, he arrived at the Third Medicine Valley.

Since Zhen Qin and Su Han had become outer disciples, the valley had grown quite quiet. Once Ye Yan finished his chores, he would practice his spear techniques, and Old Tian, being a man of few words, also kept to himself.

As Gu An stepped down from the array platform, he saw Old Tian squatting in the herb field, gazing intently at a fourth-grade herb.

The old man often drifted into his own thoughts, and Gu An had long since grown used to it.

He made his way up to his study and pulled out the Ziwei Formation Manual to read.

For the past year, Gu An had quietly been researching the manual and had made considerable progress.

After several hours, Gu An sensed something and quickly put the manual away, remaining seated in the study.

"Gu An! Gu An! Come out here!"

Gu An heard Gu Yu's voice shouting from outside, growing louder as he approached. It seemed he had started calling out even before landing.

Gu An stood up and walked to the second-floor balcony, watching as Gu Zong and Gu Yu descended on a golden disc, flying swiftly toward him.

As they landed, Gu Zong waved his sleeve to store the flying disc. Gu Yu took a step forward, brimming with excitement. "Gu An, your—"

"Ahem!"

Gu Zong's cough cut him off, and Gu Yu quickly clamped his mouth shut.

Gu An chuckled, "Come upstairs, both of you."

Gu Yu nodded and rushed up the stairs, while Gu Zong gestured for Old Tian to follow.

The four of them gathered in the second-floor study, where Gu Zong raised his hand and cast two restrictive spells on the windows.

Gu Yu excitedly pulled Gu An down to sit and burst out, "Tai Xuan Immortal Lord is a massive hit! The entire cultivation world is talking about it! Not only that, but other surrounding empires and sects are buying it from Tai Xuan Sect too!"

"Hahaha! A few years ago, when Tai Xuan Immortal Lord first came out, people mocked you, saying Pan An had run out of ideas. Who would have thought that just a few years later, they'd all be eagerly waiting for more, cheering for my rise as a genius!"

Gu An couldn't help but laugh at Gu Yu's enthusiasm.

He wasn't surprised that Tai Xuan Immortal Lord had become a sensation. After all, the story of an underdog rising to defy the heavens and slap down the powerful was the kind of emotional thrill the cultivation world craved.

Gu Zong spoke up, "We didn't just come here to tell you about that. This is also connected to another matter—the Saintess of the Dao Tian Sect plans to come to Tai Xuan Sect to cultivate. She's coming specifically to meet you. Dao Tian Sect is the premier sect of the neighboring Da Yu Empire, and their Saintess is the daughter of the Dao Tian Sect Master. Her visit could lead to a long-term alliance between Tai Xuan Sect and Dao Tian Sect."

"When she arrives, I'll be escorting her to meet you. Don't worry, this won't be made public. You'll only need to meet with her privately. She's promised not to reveal your identity."

Gu An's head spun.

I'm part of a diplomatic mission now?

Gu Zong stroked his beard and smiled. "Tai Xuan Immortal Lord has greatly boosted Tai Xuan Sect's influence. The Elder Hall admires you. If you can ensure the Saintess stays, the Elder Hall will reward you with a sapling of a seventh-grade spirit tree. Once it grows, it will significantly enhance the spiritual energy in the area. Even with your modest talent, reaching the Core Formation stage will no longer be difficult."

"They wanted to offer you techniques and high-grade artifacts, but Gu Yu told them you're averse to fighting and prefer to tend to your plants. That's why they chose the seventh-grade spirit tree instead. The tree will also benefit the valley's harvests, bringing untold advantages."