Crack—
A withered foot stepped out from the coffin, pressing down on a piece of charcoal, snapping it in half.
Gu An saw that it was a woman in ragged clothes, her hair disheveled, her body emaciated to an extreme, as if drained of flesh and blood. The robe on her body vaguely appeared to be white, with sleeves and pant legs tattered. She staggered out like a ferocious ghost.
Jiang Qiong slowly lifted her face, her features similarly gaunt, eye sockets sunken, eyes bulging, very frightening.
Her gaze fell on Gu An, scaring him into quickly lowering his head.
"Dear disciple grandson, thanks to you helping me in alchemy these five years, I've recovered quickly..." Jiang Qiong forced a smile that was even more horrifying, with foul breath escaping her mouth.
She no longer referred to herself as this seat but as I, bringing the two of them a bit closer.
Gu An suppressed his discomfort and said, "This is something a disciple grandson should do, but I have some perplexing questions."
"Ask them."
Jiang Qiong responded while shakily walking toward the pill furnace.
Gu An watched her and asked, "Since alchemy can help you recover quickly, why didn't you let my master help you before?"
Cheng Xuan Pill thought Jiang Qiong had been dead for seventy years, which meant she had been hiding here for seventy years and Cheng Xuan Pill had never discovered she was still alive.
Jiang Qiong, with a grin that didn't reach her eyes, said, "Because I didn't trust him. Your master was only forced to become my disciple. His heart wavers; who knows when he might betray me. Half of the disciples in this cave's coffins are his."
Gu An remained silent.
He believed Jiang Qiong was telling the truth because Meng Lang had met such an end.
Jiang Qiong sat in front of the pill furnace, raised a hand, and a pile of medicinal herbs beside her flew into the furnace.
"Five years have passed, what level of the Foundation Establishment Realm are you now?" Jiang Qiong asked.
Gu An's apparent cultivation level was the fifth stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm, but Jiang Qiong determined he was actually at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Gu An replied, "Almost to the third stage."
"Too slow. Don't neglect your cultivation in everyday life. Back in the day, I reached Foundation Establishment at eighteen and Core Formation at forty. If I hadn't been researching the Alchemy Dao and Formation Dao for decades, I would have been in the Nascent Soul Realm by now. Have you heard of the Nascent Soul Realm?" Jiang Qiong casually said while staring at the pill furnace.
Gu An nodded quickly and said, "Nascent Soul Realm cultivators are like immortals, rarely seen in the Outer Sect."
"Humph, what immortals, just stronger cultivators. Once I fully recover, I'll find a place to hit the Nascent Soul Realm. Then, you'll have another Nascent Soul Realm backer. How does that make you feel? Excited?" Jiang Qiong said, her tone smug.
Her voice was charming, in stark contrast to her horrifying appearance.
"Thank you, Ancestor, for looking after me. I wonder if there's anything I can help you with?" Gu An stepped forward and said.
Jiang Qiong replied, "Just watch from the side and see how I perform alchemy. We can chat as well."
She gestured for Gu An to sit beside her with a pat of her hand.
Gu An sat down but kept a safe distance, staying alert internally.
No matter how kind Jiang Qiong was to him, he would remain cautious until she left.
Meng Lang served as a cautionary tale, likely never suspecting Cheng Xuan Pill before his death.
Jiang Qiong asked about his background, and he didn't hide much, sharing a rough outline of his early life, though he didn't mention the Ji Family and only claimed to have been from a house servant background. He was accepted into the Supreme Sect after his spirit root was detected.
After a full hour of conversation, Jiang Qiong let Gu An leave, instructing him to attend her for the next three nights, promising a great reward after the task was complete.
Gu An arrived as expected.
The third night came.
Gu An sat cross-legged opposite the pill furnace, holding the Yin Yang Technique, occasionally asking Jiang Qiong questions.
Irritated by his questions, Jiang Qiong couldn't help but scold, "Are you trying to fool me? So young, yet you have reached the Foundation Establishment Realm. How can your comprehension be so poor?"
Gu An retorted, "Alchemy is alchemy, and Qi absorption is Qi absorption."
Jiang Qiong suddenly didn't know what to say, her focus abruptly drawn to the pill furnace.
More steam emerged from the furnace, and its lid's vent turned an inky green, exceedingly eerie.
Gu An was chilled to the bone. What kind of elixir was she concocting?
Why did it feel like a poison pill?
Jiang Qiong's eyes showed excitement. She stopped speaking, her gaze fixed on the pill furnace.
Time ticked by second by second.
Gu An stayed wary, prepared to avoid a sudden attack from Jiang Qiong.
Time unfathomably passed.
From inside the pill furnace came a muffled sound, followed by a smile on Jiang Qiong's face, as ugly as a weeping one.
She lifted her right hand, extended two fingers, and the lid of the furnace flew off. Her right hand followed with a grasp, and a pill shot into her hand, immediately tossed into her mouth.
So quick!
As if she feared Gu An would grab it.
After consuming the elixir, Jiang Qiong immediately sat cross-legged to cultivate energy, and in less than three breaths, wisps of white steam emitted from her body's surface.
Gu An stood up and slowly retreated, increasing the distance between them.
More and more white steam appeared, swirling around Jiang Qiong, blurring her figure as if she were a zombie in white fog.
Gu An continuously checked on her life span, wary of her suddenly crossing into the Nascent Soul Realm.
Jiang Qiong's current life span began to increase. It was the first time Gu An saw someone's life span extend this way, which was quite astonishing in numerical terms.
He suddenly became very interested in Jiang Qiong's elixir. What kind of miraculous elixir was this?
Jiang Qiong's life span wasn't the only thing increasing; her aura also soared, quickly surpassing the aura of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
A true Core Formation Realm cultivator!
Gu An keenly noticed that Jiang Qiong's body was recovering, her form continuously thickening as though being inflated like a balloon.
"There's something here!"
He waited patiently.
Gradually, the sound of Jiang Qiong's breathing filled the cave, growing heavier and culminating in a roar akin to that of a beast.
A long time passed.
Jiang Qiong's panting abruptly stopped, and Gu An noticed that her realm had not broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, so he wasn't too tense.
Through the white mist, Jiang Qiong stretched lazily, her shapely figure unfolding, making her seem like a different person altogether from before.
She emerged from the white mist, her hair still disheveled and her clothing ragged, yet beneath her worn-out garments lay patches of fair skin. In the dim cave, this made Gu An's face heat up, forcing him to avert his gaze.
"It's been a long time since I've walked like this."
Jiang Qiong said in a nostalgic tone, walking all the way up to Gu An. Leaning forward, she pushed her hair aside with both hands and asked, "So, how is it, dear disciple-grandson? Is your ancestor beautiful?"
Gu An stole a quick glance. Although her face was dirty, her features were of rare beauty. In his experience, only Ji Family's Third Miss, Ji Xiaoyu, and Outer Disciple, Li Xuanyu, could compare in terms of looks.
"Ancestor, you are undoubtedly the most beautiful in the world, but I'm more concerned about your health. Have your injuries healed?"
Gu An clasped his hands and asked sincerely.
Get better soon and leave!
"Healing will take a while, I still need to rest for another five years," Jiang Qiong laughed, her bright eyes evaluating Gu An, her thoughts unknown.
Hmph!
Suddenly, she struck a palm toward Gu An, swift as lightning, stopping just before his chest. The strong wind pulled his robes backward relentlessly.
Jiang Qiong asked with a half-smile, "Why didn't you dodge?"
Gu An's face stiffened, "I couldn't react in time..."
In fact, this wasn't true. In his eyes, Jiang Qiong's movements were too slow; in an instant, his Dragon Force could have rebounded her spiritual power.
She didn't spare Gu An's life; rather, she saved her own.
Jiang Qiong couldn't help but laugh heartily, eventually even holding her sides as she laughed.
Gu An watched her laugh, not interrupting her.
After laughing for a good while, Jiang Qiong turned and walked toward the pill furnace, saying, "Rest assured, I wouldn't kill my own pupils and descendants. When Cheng Xuan Pill wanted to betray me, I spared his life, even using his protection to hide within the Supreme Sect. As long as you respect me, I will not let you down. If anyone bullies you, I won't sit by idly."
Hearing this, Gu An couldn't help but laugh too.
Jiang Qiong stood before the pill furnace and turned to look at Gu An, "Leave a set of new clothes, and you may go now. Return tomorrow night, and I'll teach you a spell."
Gu An immediately took out a set of his own white robes from his storage pouch, gently placing them on the ground, then raised his hand, saluting Jiang Qiong, and departed.
Once he disappeared into the darkness, Jiang Qiong finally turned around. She approached the white robe, raised her hand, and it floated to her palm. She sniffed its scent and chuckled lightly.
...
At dawn, Gu An was leading the people of Medicine Valley in exercises.
A person approached from the entrance of the valley.
It was Li Ya.
Li Ya was still clad in black, and compared to five years ago, his aura was imposing, exuding an air of authority.
His arrival immediately drew everyone's attention.
"It's Senior Brother Li Ya!" Xiaochuan exclaimed excitedly.
Gu An immediately walked toward Li Ya, instructing everyone to continue with their exercises.
He reached Li Ya, just about to speak when Li Ya beat him to it, "Let's talk upstairs."
Hmm?
Is something up?
Gu An suddenly grew tense. What event warranted Li Ya's personal visit?
He immediately took Li Ya up to the attic, closed the door behind them.
Li Ya walked to the table, motioned with his hand, and a Cang Teng Fruit appeared on the table, leaving Gu An stunned.
"Four years ago, the Outer Sect's Elixir Hall acquired a Cang Teng Fruit. I bought it, but due to heavy tasks, never got the chance to give it to you," Li Ya said with a smile.
Gu An looked puzzled.
Li Ya asked, "What's wrong?"
Gu An thought it pointless to hide it, so he coughed lightly and said, "I was the one who sold that fruit to Elixir Hall."
To remove suspicion, he had sold it at a low price, which earned him praise from the elders of Elixir Hall for his gratitude to the sect.
Gu An dared to sell it because Li Ya had said that Cang Teng Fruits were not rare in the Supreme Sect. While Outer Sect had none, the Inner Sect was full of heavenly treasures.
He never expected Li Ya to buy it back...
Li Ya said helplessly, "What a mess... This fruit can enhance Qi-blood, an extremely rare heavenly treasure. How could you sell it? How much did you sell it for?"
"Twenty pieces of middle-grade spirit stones..."
"What? I spent ten pieces of top-grade spirit stones!" Li Ya's eyes widened.
One top-grade spirit stone was equivalent to a hundred middle-grade spirit stones.
Both of them sank into silence.
Gu An didn't feel it was a loss. With the Cang Teng Fruit, he had established a good friendship with Zhu Qinglu of Elixir Hall. Over the next four years, Zhu Qinglu took good care of him, offering many conveniences. But facing Li Ya, he felt somewhat embarrassed.
Li Ya sighed, "Forget it, let's consider it a contribution to the sect. Aside from this fruit, I have another matter to discuss with you."