Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

At the temporary residence of the Gu family:

Gu Yu and other Gu family disciples returned from outside. Seeing Gu Yan, Gu Yu exclaimed, “Big Brother, have you heard? Someone outside is selling top-grade Bi Hua Pills. Many sects are investigating who the alchemist is. Big Brother, is this alchemist really that amazing?”

“Sister Yu,” Gu Yang interjected, “there are also rumors that these pills were stolen and sold by the junior of some eighth-grade alchemist, which is why they’re hiding their identity. If that’s the case, it’s not surprising that an eighth-grade alchemist could produce supreme quality (top-grade) Bi Hua Pills.”

It was well-known that eighth-grade alchemists were often Foundation Establishment cultivators who had spent countless years immersed in alchemy.

Although the Gu family elders had repeatedly warned their disciples to act cautiously and avoid arrogance while outside, many of them still believed that with the family’s alchemical skills, they were no weaker than other factions. However, after spending some time in the city, they had to face the reality: while alchemists were indeed in high demand, what people truly valued were those capable of refining high-level ninth-grade or even eighth-grade pills.

Back in Yuanyang Town, they avoided mentioning ninth-grade or eighth-grade ranks, instead referring to alchemists as low, intermediate, or advanced-level alchemists. It was merely self-deception. A low-level ninth-grade alchemist could dominate in Yuanyang Town, but here, even shopkeepers looked down on the low-grade pills they offered. This harsh reality dealt a significant blow to the Gu family disciples.

Hearing that even the Beixing Sect was investigating the alchemist behind the supreme quality Bi Hua Pills, the Gu family disciples couldn’t help but feel envy and resentment.

“Supreme quality Bi Hua Pills!” Gu Yan clenched his fists tightly. Such pills were extremely tempting to him. The Gu family could produce Bi Hua Pills, but only of the low-grade variety; even mid-grade pills were rare and relied on luck. With top-grade Bi Hua Pills, becoming a high-tier Qi Refining cultivator would be a guaranteed outcome. “I think it’s likely some naive junior alchemist secretly selling these pills. After all, cultivating alchemists is no easy task, let alone advanced ones.”

“What about Gu Yao? He’s already an intermediate-level alchemist and frequently produces mid-grade and top-grade pills,” someone muttered softly in the background. This made Gu Yang and the others’ expressions shift between pale and flushed. Gu Yan furrowed his brow as Gu Yao’s image briefly flashed in his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

In his opinion, for someone Gu Yao’s age to even become an intermediate alchemist was already a stroke of luck. There was no way he could be an advanced alchemist, let alone have the ability to refine Bi Hua Pills, given that Gu Yao’s cultivation was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Fortunately, Gu Yan was about to join the Changxian Sect. He believed that a prominent sect like that would not lack top-grade Bi Hua Pills. This thought quickly reinvigorated him.

Gu Yan said sternly, “Enough! This matter has nothing to do with our Gu family. Focus on your cultivation. That’s what truly matters.”

“Yes, Big Brother (Young Master),” the others replied.

Meanwhile, the same scene played out at the temporary residence of the Lu family. The Lu family disciples also speculated that it must have been a junior from an eighth-grade alchemist, expressing similarly bitter remarks.

“I’ll tell you what, those sect cultivators may have higher cultivation levels than us, but isn’t it all thanks to their abundance of pills? If we also had mid-grade and top-grade pills constantly supplied to us, who knows, our cultivation levels might surpass theirs. Don’t you think so, Young Master?”

Lu Minbai wasn’t in the best mood on this trip. Among the three families—Gu Yan, Tian Feiyang, and himself—back in Yuanyang Town, he had always maintained a sense of superiority.

In terms of status, he had always been on par with Gu Yan and Tian Feiyang back in Yuanyang Town. However, with Gu Yan receiving the Changxian Sect token and Tian Feiyang’s reputation rising thanks to his Foundation Establishment aunt, both their cultivation advancements had surpassed his. Along their journey, the two contributed significantly to slaying beasts, earning admiration and even reverence from Lu family disciples in their private discussions. Under such circumstances, how could Lu Minbai feel at ease?

To make matters worse, the latecomers Chi Changye and Gu Yao outshone everyone, stealing the spotlight from the three major family disciples entirely.

Lu Minbai remarked, “Cultivation built on a foundation of pills will never be as solid as ours. I bet the person selling those pills is some ignorant junior from an eighth-grade alchemist. Once their identity is exposed, they’re bound to be severely scolded.”

In his mind, Lu Minbai was convinced it was some spoiled, arrogant descendant who had squandered their spirit stones and resorted to selling pills. If he had such a privileged background and access to top-grade pills, he wouldn’t just be known as the number one young cultivator of Yuanyang Town—he would also be celebrated as a prodigy in Shifang City.

Selling top-grade Bi Hua Pills so carelessly? This type of wastrel deserved nothing better than to drink themselves to death in a brothel!

Lu Minbai’s words gained the approval of many Lu family disciples, who, while envious of the sect disciples, were also filled with resentment and indignation.

When Gu Yao and Chi Changye returned to the inn, they overheard Tian Feiyang’s siblings discussing the top-grade Bi Hua Pills. Upon seeing them enter, Tian Feirong enthusiastically shared the latest rumors the Tian family had gathered:

“…Everyone is saying it’s some second-generation wastrel who ran out of spirit stones and secretly sold pills stolen from their elders. Haha! Can you imagine how unlucky that eighth-grade alchemist must feel to have such an ungrateful descendant? It’s such a pity our Tian family wasn’t fortunate enough to purchase any of those pills. If only we could have gotten hold of pills crafted by an eighth-grade alchemist—what a treasure that would be!”

Gu Yao and Chi Changye exchanged glances, surprise evident in their eyes, though they quickly concealed it. Meanwhile, Xu Chen, listening from within Gu Yao’s sea of consciousness, burst into laughter. He mocked the cultivators here for their lack of experience, amused that they believed only eighth-grade alchemists could refine a top-grade Bi Hua Pill. The alchemical standards in this area, it seemed, were laughably low.

Tian Feirong poured them each a cup of spirit tea. Gu Yao accepted his with a word of thanks, sipping it while smiling. “This news spread fast, didn’t it? Have they found this so-called wastrel yet?”

Had Chi Changye not known the truth, he might have thought Gu Yao’s innocent smile meant nothing. But knowing what he did, he could only watch as Gu Yao calmly talked about the “wastrel,” all the while subtly mocking himself. Chi Changye’s gaze softened with quiet amusement.

Tian Feirong shook his head vigorously. “Of course not! If it’s really some wastrel, they’d definitely be carrying all kinds of treasures. It wouldn’t be so easy to uncover their identity. But honestly,” he clicked his tongue thoughtfully, “those disciples from major sects shouldn’t have much trouble finding out. We don’t know the details, but they’re well aware of which eighth-grade alchemists exist and who among them has an ungrateful descendant. If they investigate one by one, they’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Gu Yao quickly lowered his gaze, pretending to focus on his tea to hide the amusement flickering in his eyes. He wondered who the unlucky soul would be when they finally caught someone, but he was sure it wouldn’t be him.

Tian Feirong excitedly continued, “I’m telling you, there’s no need for us to envy that so-called second-generation wastrel. Once Gu Yao becomes a high-level Qi Refinement cultivator, making top-grade Bi Hua Pills won’t be a problem at all.” That wastrel might have a great elder backing him, but Tian Feirong had an excellent brother by his side. “Gu Yao, let’s join Tianfu Academy together. That way, we can stay together.”

“Sure, Brother Ye and I were already planning to. It’ll be good to have company,” Gu Yao replied with a smile and a nod.

“That’s awesome! Big brother, did you hear that? I’ve decided—I’m definitely going to Tianfu Academy. You can head off to Tianhai Sect without any worries, just visit us when you have the time,” Tian Feirong said enthusiastically. Then, lowering his voice, he added, “If you ever need pills, just come to Tianfu Academy. Gu Yao will surely give you a discount, right, Gu Yao?”

“No problem,” Gu Yao replied with a smile.

Tian Feiyang noticed that Chi Changye also agreed to join Tianfu Academy. Though he didn’t understand why Chi Changye made this choice, he had to admit that their presence reassured him regarding Tian Feirong. Observing how Gu Yao had carried himself in Yuanyang Town, it was clear he was a steady and composed individual. If not for that, his alchemical talents would have been exposed long ago, and he wouldn’t have escaped the Gu family so easily.

Yes, Tian Feiyang was convinced that Gu Yao had started practicing alchemy a long time ago, but because of his awkward position in the Gu family, he had kept it hidden. Tian Feiyang believed that Gu Yao relied on his alchemical skills, which gave him the courage to leave the Gu family, not fearing that he would lose access to cultivation resources.

Once the Tian brothers were out of sight, Gu Yao couldn’t hold back his laughter and bent over. “Oh my, when did I become a second-generation heir with an eighth-grade alchemist as my elder? And apparently I even stole my elder’s pills and sold them for spirit stones while living a lavish life. Are these cultivators so deprived of entertainment that they come up with such elaborate fantasies?”

Chi Changye’s eyes were also filled with amusement. He ruffled Gu Yao’s hair and said, “This is just perfect. But from now on, we can’t release any more pills. Let’s wait until we get to Tianfu Academy.”

Because he was considering the possibility of their identities being exposed, Chi Changye had always made sure his talismans were never sold in the same shop as Gu Yao’s pills, to avoid any associations between the two of them.

Gu Yao nodded, tears of laughter welling up in his eyes. “Now that we have enough spirit stones, it’s more fun to just watch the show.” He wiped away the tear from his eye and grinned. “Brother Ye, you don’t think they’ll actually manage to find some second-generation heir, do you? That would be interesting.”

Chi Changye’s lips curved into a smile. “It’s not impossible. There’s no shortage of second-generation heirs like that anywhere. Otherwise, people wouldn’t be making such connections.”

For the next few days, Gu Yao behaved himself more, since Tianfu Academy was right near Shifang City, and he could visit anytime. So, he stayed quietly in his room, either cultivating or studying alchemy books. During his breaks, he would come out to chat with Tian Feirong, listening to the latest gossip about the city. The Tian family still had some information channels.

For example, there was a young disciple from a certain family who was arrogant and overbearing, bringing his old habits into Shifang City. He became infatuated with a beautiful female cultivator and aggressively pursued her, only to find out that she had a significant background. To avoid trouble, his family had to hurriedly withdraw from Shifang City overnight, even missing the Ascension Conference due to this reckless disciple.

It’s probably safe to say that the family’s disciples would love to tear that guy apart.

Then, there were two male disciples from different sects who, in a jealous rivalry over a female disciple from Beixing Sect, got into a physical altercation. In the end, the city’s guard and elders from both sects had to intervene, taking their disciples back and punishing them.

It was definitely much livelier here than in Yuanyang Town. Tian Feirong spoke animatedly, gesturing with his hands, while Gu Yao listened attentively, savoring the story. They were in perfect sync. Occasionally, Tian Feiyang would overhear, rolling his eyes. He would comment on how he couldn’t understand why Gu Yao particularly favored his younger brother. It seemed the reason was clear now.

“Gu Yao! Gu Yao!” Tian Feirong called out as he rushed in, “The second-generation heir who stole and sold pills has shown up! He’s been caught!”

Gu Yao had just stepped out of his room. Upon hearing this, his jaw nearly dropped. He quickly held it in, blinking his eyes in curiosity and asking, “Who is it? Which alchemist’s descendant is it?”