Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses - Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Chapter 93 Gu An’s Background

“Isn’t the Crown Prince very virtuous? Senior Brother Li holds him in high regard, indicating they should have a good relationship,” Gu An asked using the Sound Transmission Skill, his tone puzzled.

Yang Ni snorted, “That’s just because Li Ya is naive. Over the years, the Crown Prince has dispatched many shadow agents to assassinate him. I’ve blocked one attempt myself.”

“Then why don’t you tell Senior Brother Li to be more cautious?”

“It’s his father’s decision. His father fears that alerting the enemy would provoke the Crown Prince into staging a coup. His father is of mediocre cultivation and no match for the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince ascends to the throne, it would only be more dangerous for Li Ya.”

Yang Ni’s answer made Gu An want to laugh.

Li Xuandao was almost in the Void Crossing Realm, yet he wasn’t a match for the Crown Prince?

In this way, it seemed Li Xuandao was someone like Gu An.

To this day, Li Xuandao had never revealed his cultivation level. The only reason Gu An knew his true cultivation was because he had opened his Golden Finger.

“I understand. I’ll be careful of the Crown Prince,” Gu An replied using the Sound Transmission Skill.

Yang Ni nodded and no longer stopped him.

Watching Gu An’s departing figure, Yang Ni slightly shook her head.

“Why am I starting to genuinely care about this kid’s safety?”

Ever since Yang Ni learned that Gu An had Medicine Valley within the Inner Sect, she felt his identity was not simple. At the very least, within the Supreme Sect, he was well taken care of and unlikely to be in danger.

Immediately, Yang Ni stopped thinking about it. In the next few days, the Dusk Flower she had planted with her own hands was about to bloom. She very much anticipated the scene when it blossomed.

On the other side.

Gu An arrived at the Third Medicine Valley. He walked straight to the Mystic Pure Tree.

The Mystic Pure Tree had already grown into a large tree, its leaves were dense, and the White Spirit Rat was napping under it. Since the Mystic Pure Tree had shade, it seldom ran around and spent its days sleeping under the tree.

Gu An did not mind this; on the contrary, he looked forward to it.

Lv Baitian once said that the Mystic Pure Tree could not only enhance the spiritual energy of the area but also improve one’s comprehension if one cultivated under it.

If the White Spirit Rat slept under the Mystic Pure Tree all day, would it gain Dao comprehension in its dreams?

Let’s experiment!

If it worked, he would also nap under the tree in the future.

Gu An took an Ancient Gold-Swallowing Insect from the insect bag at his waist and let it fly onto the tree. Then, he found Xiaochuan and instructed him to place a hundred pounds of iron ore under the tree every month to nourish the Ancient Gold-Swallowing Insect.

The best thing about Xiaochuan was that he never asked unnecessary questions and agreed to the task directly.

After checking the Mystic Pure Tree, Gu An moved on to the Human-Faced Tree and the Purple Mist Bamboo, ensuring that these treasures were growing well. He then began to patrol the Third Medicine Valley.

The Third Medicine Valley now cultivated many high-rank medicinal herbs. Last year, when Lv Baitian came to visit, Gu An specifically requested an increase in the number of servant disciples. Lv Baitian immediately agreed, raising the number to three hundred.

Even with three hundred people, Gu An still felt understaffed. But if he wanted to increase the number further, he would need to produce enough yields to prove himself.

It wasn’t until evening that Gu An returned to the loft.

Today, he had harvested another batch of medicinal herbs, gaining thousands of years of lifespan, bringing him closer to the million mark.

…

A month later, in the morning, after leading the Mystic Valley disciples in exercises, Gu An returned to the loft and spread out a map on the table.

This map was hand-drawn by a Great Cultivator of the Supreme Sect, and it even had restrictions. When he extended his divine sense into it, he could see detailed topography, giving him the feel of using a VR map from his previous life.

No wonder the map’s price reached five top-grade spirit stones; it was truly worth the cost.

Gu An immersed himself in searching for a suitable place for a breakthrough.

By noon, someone from Mystic Valley came to visit. Yang Ni transmitted a message to Gu An, “The Crown Prince is here, handle it yourself. I can’t show up.”

Upon hearing this, Gu An slowly put away the map, then got up and walked out of the loft.

He came outside and saw a white-clad man holding a folding fan walking towards him. The man had an elegant demeanor, a smiling face, looking every bit like a gentle scholar.

Gu An cast a life span detection.

[Li Dai (Nascent Soul Realm, First Layer): 189/960/1250]

No special cultivation techniques, cultivation level was as it appeared.

A Nascent Soul cultivator under two hundred years old, he was indeed a genius.

Instead of approaching Gu An, Li Dai walked towards Chu Jingfeng, who was inspecting the garden in front of the wooden fence.

“Chu Jingfeng, long time no see.” Li Dai greeted from a distance.

Chu Jingfeng turned to look and frowned.

They met and started to chat, with Li Dai’s laughter being very hearty, attracting the attention of other disciples in the valley.

In front of Li Dai, Chu Jingfeng appeared very tense. It was mostly Li Dai talking about old times while he nodded along.

After chatting for quite a while, Li Dai finally walked towards Gu An.

He came to the front of the loft and saluted Gu An, saying, “My name is Li Dai; I am from Cangzhou. May I ask if you are the Valley Master Gu An?”

Gu An raised his hand in salute, “Greetings, Your Highness. I am Gu An. Would you like to come up and talk?”

Li Dai smiled and nodded, then went upstairs.

The servant disciples became excited, not expecting this person to be the present Crown Prince.

Although they had already joined the Immortal Sect, they were still very curious about the current Crown Prince, wondering why he had come to see the Valley Master.

Some of them surrounded Chu Jingfeng, asking how the two knew each other before.

Gu An and Li Dai chatted for a full hour. When Gu An escorted him downstairs, his face was full of smiles. Before parting, Li Dai even held Gu An’s hand, making Gu An feel uncomfortable.

“Junior Brother Gu, we really hit it off. When I return to the Supreme Sect next time, I must come and chat with you again,” Li Dai said with a warm smile, appearing to have no hidden motives.

Gu An agreed with him, and then watched as he flew out of Mystic Valley.

The two had not talked about anything significant. Li Dai seemed to have come just to make friends. They even talked about Li Ya, and Li Dai’s words were full of concern. If not for Yang Ni’s prior warning, Gu An would have thought they were really good brothers.

Until he left, Li Dai made no demands and did not try to recruit Gu An.

Gu An could sense that a Divinity Transformation cultivator was hiding in the mountains and forests nearby, likely to protect Li Dai.

After leaving Mystic Valley about ten miles, Li Dai’s smile disappeared, replaced by a grim expression.

An elderly man in a green robe flew to his side and whispered, “Your Highness, there is a Nascent Soul cultivator in the valley.”

“Yes, I already felt it. It’s Yang Ni. Father has actually sent Yang Ni to guard him. This person’s relationship is certainly not simple. Look into his background, find out what his identity really is within the Supreme Sect,” Li Dai said coldly, his eyes filled with murderous intent when he mentioned Yang Ni.

The elderly man in the green robe asked, “If he has no backers, should we capture him?”

“I’ll first see the Sect Leader. The Sect Leader’s attitude is crucial. If the Sect Leader supports me, then we’ll directly eliminate Li Ya and Gu An, cutting off Father’s spies and pawns,” Li Dai responded.

The two did not know that their conversation was overheard by Gu An.

In front of Gu An, a Divinity Transformation cultivator was no different from an ant on the roadside.

“Want to kill me? Interesting,” Gu An smiled. He did not take it to heart.

Even if he stood still without fighting back, Li Dai and the old man in the green robe couldn’t kill him.

Gu An turned and went upstairs. It didn’t take long before Yang Ni entered through the window.

Yang Ni’s face was grim. “He probably sensed my presence. It looks like his cultivation technique has reached the Transformation Realm.”

Gu An asked in confusion, “Do you have a grudge against him?”

“Of course, my sister’s death is related to his mother. How could I not have a grudge?”

“Does Senior Brother Li know about this?”

“No, because it’s just suspicion without evidence. This guy came to the Supreme Sect, most likely to seek a relationship with the Venerable Pavilion or the Sect Leader. His previous supporter, Chu Tianqi, has already fled, so he needs to find new backing.”

“Let him be.”

Gu An took out a book and began reading.

Yang Ni, standing beside him, asked in surprise, “Aren’t you afraid he will capture you to scheme against Li Ya?”

“What can I do? I am not his match. Since His Majesty sent you to watch over me, I cannot refuse. If he wants to kill me, I can’t stop him either. It’s better to pretend nothing is wrong and enjoy my days in peace,” Gu An casually responded. His open-minded attitude made Yang Ni involuntarily look at him with a bit more admiration.

Yang Ni assured, “Don’t worry, if he really wants to take action against you, I will definitely protect you. Just don’t run around recklessly.”

Gu An was too fond of running around, sometimes going to the Outer Gate City and sometimes to his Inner Sect Medicine Valley, both places she dared not intrude.

“Thank you for your protection, Senior. Don’t worry, under the Supreme Sect’s watch, he shouldn’t dare act recklessly,” Gu An smiled at Yang Ni.

Yang Ni nodded and left without saying more.

Gu An sensed her entering the forest to practice cultivation. It seemed she was under a lot of pressure. During her many years in Mystic Valley, she only practiced cultivation in the dead of night.

Gu An also wanted to become stronger. He pulled up his attribute panel and smiled at the lifespan figure.

Almost there!

…

In a residence surrounded by birdsong and fragrant flowers, where trees were full of brightly colored flowers, a small stream encircled a pavilion.

Lv Baitian and Li Dai sat opposite each other in the pavilion. Li Dai picked up a wine jug and poured wine for Lv Baitian.

“Being the Crown Prince for a hundred years must have been tough on you. Some voices from the populace have reached my ears over the years,” Lv Baitian said casually as he took the wine cup.

Li Dai sighed, “Father actually did quite well. Unfortunately, his cultivation is too weak to suppress the prefects and aristocratic families. Under the prosperous exterior of the Taicang Dynasty, suffering and darkness are hidden. I want to make life better for the people. My mother’s family has already promised to fully support me.”

Lv Baitian looked at the small stream beside him without staring at Li Dai. He said indifferently, “Who becomes the Emperor doesn’t matter to the Supreme Sect. What matters is that they must live up to the Supreme Sect’s trust.”

Li Dai hastily guaranteed, “The Supreme Sect is the Orthodox Sect of the world. If I become the Emperor, the Supreme Sect can oversee my actions!”

“Tell your men to stop investigating Gu An. No matter how your Imperial Family fights, do not involve Gu An,” Lv Baitian said nonchalantly. Upon hearing this, Li Dai’s face changed dramatically.

At this moment, Li Dai thought of many possibilities.

He cautiously asked, “Which family does Gu An come from?”

Gu An’s cultivation was too low, leading him to subconsciously think he belonged to a certain family but had modest qualifications, thus coming to the Supreme Sect to spend his life in peace.

“He has no family background. His only background is me. Is that enough?”

Lv Baitian said this while looking at Li Dai, startling him into a cold sweat.