Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses - Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Chapter 78 Demon Gu An, Renowned Throughout the World

The end-of-summer moon was very round, but the clouds were too many, and the bright moon was quickly obscured.

Gu An and Zhang Chunqiu sat inside the house, chatting leisurely. Zhang Chunqiu spoke of his experiences over the years while Gu An listened attentively.

Zhang Chunqiu’s story was like one written by a scholar. He left the Supreme Sect for a woman he loved, only, that woman was a demon.

Years ago, Zhang Chunqiu went to the Supreme Sect seeking immortality. On the way, he was attacked by demons, and was luckily saved by a female demon named Lotus. Eventually, he safely entered the Supreme Sect.

He always remembered Lotus’s kindness. Every year, he would go out to visit her. Their feelings for each other grew rapidly. Many years later, having no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, he chose to descend the mountain and spend the rest of his life with Lotus.

After they met again, they came to this town, bought a mansion, got married, and had a son.

After being with a demon for a long time, Zhang Chunqiu’s spiritual power was drained, along with his Qi-Blood. Lotus couldn’t bear to drag him down, so one morning, she left without saying goodbye.

Hearing the story up to this point, Gu An wanted to say something but held back.

“You might think I was deceived by her, but that’s not the case. A human and a demon together end up this way. The reason I came down the mountain was also because there was no hope on the path of immortality. I do not regret it. Her lifespan is longer than mine. I don’t have many years left. It’s better she left earlier to avoid the pain of parting.” Zhang Chunqiu said with a smile, appearing kind. His cloudy eyes seemed to have seen through the vicissitudes of life in the Mortal World.

Looking at him, Gu An couldn’t help but think back to when he first entered the Mystic Valley. How young was Zhang Chunqiu then.

Truly, things had changed.

He detected that Zhang Chunqiu only had three years left to live, which made him feel a bit sad.

An hour later, the demon energy that Gu An had previously sensed entered the courtyard; it was Zhang Chunqiu’s son.

[Zhang Buku (Foundation Establishment Realm Second Layer): 22/460/2300]

At twenty-two years old and in the Foundation Establishment Realm Second Layer, he was absolutely a genius!

Could it be easier to give birth to geniuses from the union of humans and demons?

Gu An suspected it might be because Lotus’s aptitude was exceedingly high.

“Buku, this is your Martial Uncle, Gu An.” Zhang Chunqiu called out to Zhang Buku, who had climbed over the wall.

Zhang Buku looked like a boy of sixteen or seventeen, with rather dense hair on his cheeks.

“Greetings, Martial Uncle Gu.” Zhang Buku walked over, greeting shyly.

Gu An smiled and nodded, then took out a bottle of elixirs from his storage bag, saying: “This is a Top-Grade Spirit Energy Elixir, just a little gift for our first meeting.”

“How can we accept this?”

“Senior Brother, are you refusing out of disdain?”

“How could I! I just think it’s too precious.”

After pushing back and forth for a long time, Zhang Chunqiu couldn’t argue against Gu An and had no choice but to let Zhang Buku accept it.

Zhang Buku curiously observed Gu An. It was the first time he’d received a gift from someone other than his parents, making him feel good about Gu An.

Zhang Chunqiu began asking about the situation in Mystic Valley, and Gu An did not hide anything.

Upon hearing that Cheng Xuandan and Meng Lang had died, Zhang Chunqiu was not sad but rather a bit emotional and reminded Gu An to be careful in the future.

Then, Gu An mentioned that Li Ya had already reached Core Formation. Zhang Chunqiu exclaimed in wonder, saying he’d always seen that Li Ya would soar to great heights.

The two chatted for a long time.

Until Zhang Chunqiu could no longer hold on, Gu An finally said his goodbyes.

Before leaving, supported by Zhang Buku, Zhang Chunqiu turned around and said: “Junior Brother Gu, you’ve already reached Foundation Establishment, which means your aptitude isn’t terrible. Keep cultivating diligently. See how the world changes after hundreds of years for me.”

Gu An stood at the door, looking back at him and nodding slightly.

From beginning to end, Zhang Chunqiu did not ask him for anything, just reminisced.

As Gu An walked out of the courtyard, he couldn’t help but look back. He could hear Zhang Chunqiu whispering to his son, asking where he had been causing trouble today, while Zhang Buku said he encountered a young boy and they fought.

The boy he met was An Hao. Earlier when they fought, Gu An felt it. Although there was a gap in cultivation level, Zhang Buku did not have the intention to kill. After several exchanges, he left.

This could be considered fate.

Zhang Buku had the potential for a lifespan of two thousand three hundred years, likely becoming a famous Great Demon among the Demon Clan. As for An Hao, there was no need to mention that, he had the potential to be the best in the world.

Many years later, when they meet again, will they recall their childhood battle in this small town?

Gu An smiled, then disappeared into the night.

…

At dawn.

In the wilderness, at the edge of a cliff, An Hao and An Xin sat in meditation on either side of Gu An, facing the rising sun and practicing together.

The sunshine poured down on them, making a harmonious picture.

Three blood marks on An Hao’s left cheek were left by Zhang Buku. He had been searching for Zhang Buku all night but couldn’t find him. Even after leaving the town and arriving at this desolate place thousands of miles away, he was still indignant.

Gu An couldn’t sit still anymore. He stood up and said: “I have to go out for a while. I’ll be back by evening. Hao’er, take care of your junior sister.”

With that, he disappeared from the cliff.

An Hao and An Xin opened their eyes, looked back, and saw that their master was gone.

“Do you think our master is really who he says he is? Why does he only accompany us at night?” An Xin asked curiously.

Touching his chin, An Hao thought: “Remember the storyteller who came to our village two years ago and mentioned the tales of the martial world? I think our master is one of the top demon lords in the world. However, his reputation as a demon lord should be misunderstood. Otherwise, why would he save us? It’s because of this that he doesn’t want us to be implicated by his reputation.”

An Xin’s eyes widened, and she asked: “If Master really is a demon lord, then what is he going to do now?”

“I don’t know… But no matter what, he is our master. Anyway, he treats us very well, and we must remember his kindness.”

“Mm!”

…

Gu An, who was referred to as the great demon lord by his disciples, returned to Mystic Valley and directly used the Teleportation Array to travel to the Third Medicine Valley.

Sure enough, after the big battle ended, someone came looking for him!

Gu An walked into his loft and saw Shen Zhen drawing at the desk.

“I say, Holy Daughter Shen, have you made my place your home? Coming and going as you please, aren’t you afraid of offending me?” Gu An said helplessly.

Without lifting her eyes, Shen Zhen said: “Come quickly and see!”

Gu An immediately walked over, looked at her drawing, and frowned.

“Is this Han Ming?”

“Yes, how is it? Did I draw well?”

“Aren’t you afraid he’ll hold a grudge against you?”

“Would he dare? My father isn’t someone to be trifled with!”

Shen Zhen huffed, making Gu An fall silent.

Having backers is indeed impressive!

Gu An took a closer look. He had to admit that Shen Zhen’s painting skills were extraordinary. The scene of Han Ming being nailed to the city wall was depicted very clearly, including the cracks on the wall.

“How is it, what do you think?” Shen Zhen asked proudly.

Gu An grabbed her brush and added a few strokes to the paper.

Shen Zhen squinted at it, then her eyes widened.

Gu An had added some wind and shadow effects, making the scene more dynamic. This was a drawing technique from Earth’s comics.

Such a technique did not necessarily mean it was better than Shen Zhen’s, but the key was that Shen Zhen had never seen this style before.

Although it was just a piece of paper, it made her feel the movements, as if painting the process of Han Ming smashing against the wall.

She turned to Gu An and couldn’t help but say: “You know how to draw?”

“A little.”

“What about poetry and song?”

“I know a bit of everything.”

There was admiration in Shen Zhen’s eyes, which made Gu An lift his chin slightly.

“Showing off, are we!”

“Well, after all, you did write ‘Investiture of the Gods.’” Shen Zhen sighed.

Gu An then asked: “Why did you draw this picture?”

Could it be that Shen Zhen had a grudge against Han Ming?

“To tell the truth, I’m very interested in Sword Venerable Fudao. I always felt he would be a handsome and aloof swordsman. So many people came to watch the battle, yet he didn’t show himself. He really has charisma.” Shen Zhen’s eyes revealed a look of admiration.

Gu An’s lips twitched: “What if he isn’t a handsome young man, but an old man?”

“That’s not impossible. Besides writing books, I’ll be investigating Sword Venerable Fudao. I must find him.”

“Why?”

“To become Daoist friends, of course. Pan An, don’t think I keep coming here because I like you. Even though I don’t love cultivating, my Daoist friend must be the top Great Cultivator in the world. Just in case I offend someone while writing or drawing, he should be able to handle it.” Shen Zhen rolled her eyes at Gu An, then tidied up her drawing and walked towards the door.

Gu An shook his head with a smile, not following her.

After Shen Zhen left the Medicine Valley, he went downstairs to check on the medicinal herbs.

The Servant Disciples were still discussing Sword Venerable Fudao, each with a look of fanaticism on their faces. Listening to their praises, Gu An felt very happy.

Despite his recent display of power, Gu An couldn’t afford to be complacent. He still had to accumulate his lifespan steadily and diligently.

The Nine Layers of the Unification Realm were not enough to satisfy him!

…

In the blink of an eye.

A year passed, and another summer arrived.

By now, Gu An did not visit An Hao and An Xin daily, but only twice a month. An Hao’s cultivation had reached the Ninth Layer of the Energy Cultivation Realm and could protect An Xin well.

Last month, An Hao passed the test Gu An arranged, personally killing the wolf demon that had previously chased them. Gu An had let the wolf demon go to leave it for An Hao to kill.

Alright, he admitted, upon first seeing An Hao’s aptitude, he had already thought of a plan to nurture him extensively.

The reason they hadn’t gone to the Supreme Sect was that An Xin’s cultivation level wasn’t sufficient yet. Besides, the two were still young and could learn more from Gu An.

One day at noon, Gu An went alone to the Outer Sect, first heading to the Heavenly Repair Platform.

There were more and more Sword Cultivators on the Heavenly Repair Platform, and many were not from the Supreme Sect.

The news of Sword Venerable Fudao severely injuring the Mad Swordsman of Great Yu with two leaves swept the Immortal Cultivation World. Now, Sword Venerable Fudao had become the most revered figure among the Supreme Sect disciples.

Even though a year had passed, every time Gu An came to the Outer Gate City, he could hear the disciples talking about it.

After the fame of that battle spread, more and more Sword Cultivators came to visit. The Supreme Sect did not refuse them but increased the defensive forces in this part of the Outer Gate City. This also resulted in Jiang Qiong’s authority rising significantly since she was the Great Elder of the city.

Gu An looked from afar and saw Han Ming standing by Zuo Lin, scolding him impatiently, while Zuo Lin sat on the ground with a sullen face.

Gu An laughed.

He wanted to see this scene, which was why he recommended Han Ming to take Zuo Lin as a disciple.

Zuo Lin was a genius in every aspect, except for his exceedingly poor understanding of Sword Dao. Yet he loved Sword Dao the most.

Gu An chuckled to himself, then shifted his gaze to the others on the platform, looking for any unfamiliar Great Cultivators.

As he scanned, he really found one!