Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses - Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Chapter 69 Sword Venerable Fudao, Renowned Throughout the World [Part 4]

Looking for myself?

Gu An wanted to laugh but restrained himself.

Ji Hantian asked Gu An to write about himself, and Jiang Qiong asked him to find himself. Despite the different identities, he still found it absurd.

What kind of matter is this?

Gu An said hesitantly, “My usual activity range is mostly within Medicine Valley. I’m afraid it’s difficult for me to notice any news about Pan An.”

Jiang Qiong waved her hand and said, “That’s hard to say. Pan An loves writing books and naturally socializes. The book ‘Supreme Immortal Venerable’ stirs the emotions of lower-level cultivators. He might often interact with outer and servant disciples. In any case, keep an eye out and tell me if you find anything.”

Gu An could only nod upon hearing this.

Jiang Qiong then discussed some other matters and had Hu Mo, who was guarding the door, fetch a bag of high-rank seeds for Gu An to take away.

After leaving Jiang Qiong’s residence, Gu An headed towards the Heavenly Repair Platform.

It was said that the Heavenly Repair Platform had become the most notable attraction in this outer gate city, attracting disciples from other outer and inner cities to visit.

The grand battle a month ago had spread throughout the immortal cultivation world. Even Luo Hun from Tianya Valley had heard of it, indicating that he occasionally left the valley.

Upon reaching the Heavenly Repair Platform, Gu An saw that at least ten thousand people were on the platform.

Beside the words ‘righteous path,’ many cultivators were meditating.

Gu An first noticed two familiar faces.

Zuo Yijian and Zuo Lin!

This father and son pair were observing Gu An’s sword intent.

Gu An had carved words with his sword intent, naturally leaving behind his sword intent, which held a great attraction for the sword cultivators of the Supreme Sect.

Gu An also saw another person, his disciple Su Han.

Su Han was also a sword cultivator. Having grasped the essence of the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword, his accomplishments in sword dao had grown rapidly, and his overall bearing was transforming.

Gu An watched from afar, not disturbing anyone while listening to the discussions of other disciples.

“The sword intent of Sword Venerable Fudao is truly majestic. One can’t imagine how high his sword dao accomplishment is.”

“It’s said that Sword Venerable Fudao has strength comparable to that of the vice sect leader. Even if he faced the sect leader, he might not lose.”

“Perhaps Sword Venerable Fudao is actually the sect leader?”

“That’s impossible. The sect leader himself stated that he has no idea what Chu Xian did. He also said there will be a thorough investigation of everyone associated with Chu Xian, regardless of status. Anyone who goes against the ethics of the Supreme Sect will be severely punished.”

“Looking at these words ‘righteous path,’ they truly stir my heart. I heard Pan An wants to write about Sword Venerable Fudao in his book. I wonder what kind of story it will be.”

Sword Venerable Fudao!

This was the title given to Gu An by Chu Tianqi, the sect leader of the Supreme Sect. More precisely, it was conferred upon the mysterious sword cultivator who killed Chu Xian.

Sword Venerable Fudao, upholding the righteous path. If any unjust matters or people reappeared in the Supreme Sect, the Sword Venerable could act in the sect leader’s stead to uphold justice, cutting down unjust sect leaders and vanquishing evil within the sect.

This sounded imposing, but Gu An thought it was useless.

Chu Tianqi’s proclamation protected himself. Ever since he conferred the title Sword Venerable Fudao, the criticism against him within the sect had significantly reduced. Instead, people praised him for his actions, believing he had the magnanimity to face responsibility.

Gu An also overheard people questioning the sect leader.

More accurately, questioning the Chu family.

Chu Tianqi and Chu Xian were hard to separate in people’s minds.

This indicated the undercurrents within the Supreme Sect. Those who praised and those who questioned publicly did not match the typical behavior of cultivators. It was hard to determine if they were being used as pawns.

However, none of this concerned Gu An.

After spending some time at the Heavenly Repair Platform, Gu An headed to the transmission array platform of the inner sect.

He needed to purchase a large number of medicinal herb seeds from the inner sect. Although Gu Zong’s delegation had given him many seeds, they were far from enough to cover an area of a hundred miles.

The thought of having his medicinal herbs cover an area of a hundred miles excited Gu An.

A month ago, taking the risk not only saved those around him but also brought him great benefits, which made him very satisfied.

…

By evening, Gu An returned to the Third Medicine Valley. The arrival of seven new servant disciples added some vitality to the valley. They were weeding and clearing land in various directions while the distant mountain forests echoed with the barks of spirit dogs, adding a pastoral feel.

As soon as Gu An returned, he sensed Sheng Zhen’s presence, who was once again waiting in his loft.

Upon heading upstairs, Gu An saw Shen Zhen standing by the bookshelf, reading. Hearing the footsteps, she returned the book to the shelf and turned to face him.

Gu An closed the door and asked, “Ms. Shen, what brings you here today?”

“I heard you’re going to write a book about Sword Venerable Fudao?”

“He’ll be part of it, but it won’t be solely about him. Mainly, it will recount the events from a month ago in the outer sect.”

“Then you must be careful. The reputation of Sword Venerable Fudao has spread beyond the Taicang Dynasty. Just yesterday, I received a letter saying that sword cultivators from the Great Yu Dynasty are preparing to challenge him. Many believe that since you’re writing about Sword Venerable Fudao, you must have a connection with him. They think finding you is easier than finding him.”

Shen Zhen laughed lightly as she spoke, her eyes gleaming with mirth.

Gu An sighed helplessly, “How could I possibly meet Sword Venerable Fudao? To write about him, I need to gather material from the outer sect.”

“Don’t worry. I haven’t disclosed your identity to anyone. Even my father wanted to know about you, but I refused.” As Shen Zhen spoke, she took out a book from her storage bag and placed it on the table.

“Though I haven’t told anyone, you should still be careful. The power of Sword Venerable Fudao makes many sects uneasy. They all want to gather information about him. Additionally, here is the book I wrote. Within a month, the Book Collection Hall will start selling it nationwide. You can take a look first.”

With that, Shen Zhen walked out, brushing past him.

They were already familiar with each other, so Gu An did not see her off. Instead, he went to the desk and picked up the book Shen Zhen had written.

Supreme Secret Records!

Hmm?

It sounded very serious.

Gu An immediately started to read, but as he continued, his brows began to furrow.

Really?

He had thought Shen Zhen’s writing wouldn’t surpass “Green Hero Travelogue,” especially regarding matters between men and women. To his surprise, she wrote in even greater detail.

This person acted demure in front of him but wrote so uninhibitedly in private?

This content shouldn’t be published, right?

Gu An hoped that the scrutiny of the Book Collection Hall would do its job.

Though he was displeased, he continued reading with great interest.

This reading lasted the entire night.

At dawn, Gu An gathered the disciples to begin their exercises. As the number of disciples in the Third Medicine Valley increased, he believed tradition should be maintained, even getting Elder Tian involved.

After the exercises, Gu An began assigning tasks. He left three disciples to sow seeds while the others continued clearing the land.

The dense forests around the Third Medicine Valley needed a significant amount of time and effort to transform into cultivable fields. Gu An, even without using spells, did not feel tired and even told his disciples that it was also a form of cultivation.

In truth, the disciples did not feel tired either and were very motivated. The larger the Third Medicine Valley grew, the more benefits they would receive, as Gu An was generous in sharing the medicinal herbs, providing them with more elixirs.

Life settled into a peaceful routine.

Gu An spent most of his time in the Third Medicine Valley, busy with clearing land and sowing seeds.

Five days later, Shen Zhen came looking for Gu An again, very angry because her book had been rejected by the Book Collection Hall.

Gu An almost laughed, but he held it in.

Shen Zhen was very adamant. The more the Book Collection Hall refused to publish her book, the more determined she was to publish it. She decided to print it herself and secretly spread it in the inner sect.

Gu An advised her to revise it, delete some content, and maybe it would pass, but she didn’t listen.

Either way, without the help of the Book Collection Hall, Gu An believed her book couldn’t become popular, easing much of his concern.

Winter snow gradually fell, blanketing the earth in white.

At noon, Gu An arrived at Tianya Valley.

To his surprise, there was an additional person inside the valley, and they had a formidable presence.

Luo Hun, sensing Gu An’s presence, leaped out of the forest like a flying swan, landing in front of him.

“You came just in time. Let me introduce you to someone. They were sent by His Majesty. From now on, let them take any medicinal herbs they need to help them break through as soon as possible.”

Luo Hun said, leading Gu An to a distant area with lofts.

Gu An never coveted the herbs in Tianya Valley. He only wanted to gather them. Afterward, it was up to Li Xuandao to distribute them, as they originally belonged to Li Xuandao.

When they reached the loft, the door of a nearby house opened, and a white-robed man stepped out.

[Yi Liuyun (Divinity Transformation Realm, Nine Layers): 466/1208/2850]

Divinity Transformation Realm, Nine Layers!

His Majesty’s forces were not weak either.

Yi Liuyun looked to be in his early forties, with an elegant and refined demeanor. His white robe highlighted the charming and reserved temperament typical of a swordsman.

From across the wall, Yi Liuyun cupped his hands and said, “I am Yi Liuyun, a pleasure to meet you, Valley Master.”

Luo Hun introduced, “Senior Yi is the first sword servant by His Majesty’s side. His sword dao accomplishment is among the best in the Taicang Dynasty. Only a few in the world can compare in sword dao, countable on one’s fingers.”

Gu An raised his hand in greeting to Yi Liuyun.

Yi Liuyun stared at Gu An and asked, “Valley Master, you are also a disciple of the Supreme Sect. Do you know anything about Sword Venerable Fudao? What exactly is his cultivation level?”

Sword Venerable Fudao was famed throughout the land, but everyone only knew he had slain Chu Xian of the Void Crossing Realm. Few were aware he had also fought Vice Sect Leader Ji Hantian. Ji Hantian himself had not mentioned it, as if it had never occurred.

“I am merely an outer disciple of the Supreme Sect with limited knowledge. However, there is a remnant of his sword intent on the Heavenly Repair Platform in the outer sect. Senior could take a look.”

Guessing that this sword cultivator sought a challenge with Sword Venerable Fudao, Gu An suggested the platform to make him realize the gap between himself and the Sword Venerable.

Indeed, upon learning of Sword Venerable Fudao’s sword intent at the Supreme Sect, Yi Liuyun’s eyes brightened, and he immediately leaped out of the valley, flying through the air.

Gu An looked at Luo Hun and asked, “Can he go directly to the Supreme Sect?”

Luo Hun nodded, “He has the emperor’s sword servant order, allowing him unrestricted access to all major sects.”

Upon hearing this, Gu An asked no further questions and headed toward a certain garden area to harvest the nearly ripe medicinal herbs.

An ancient hour later, he left Tianya Valley.

The new year arrived amid the winter cold.

Right after the Lunar New Year, Gu An returned to the outer gate. He first requested another batch of high-rank medicinal herb seeds from Jiang Qiong and then went to the Heavenly Repair Platform to join in the excitement.

Zuo Yijian and his son were still sitting in meditation, seeking sword enlightenment. Gu An also saw Yi Liuyun.

He, too, was meditating near the righteous path words, frowning in deep thought.

Gu An’s gaze shifted above the word ‘path,’ and his brow furrowed slightly.