If I become a saint, a celestial official will summon me to raise horses.

Chapter 1 Stealing Lifespan
Under the blazing sun and clear blue sky, surrounded by mountains, the heavens and earth seemed to ripple, the forests swayed, and a mountain breeze swept through, blowing into the valley and bringing a touch of coolness to Gu An, who was standing in the garden.

Gu An wiped the sweat from his forehead and stared intently at the blooming flowers and plants on the ground. Each plant was brightly colored and showed no signs of wilting even under the scorching sun.

Two young men stood on either side of him. The three of them had just entered the Medicine Valley under the Pill Hall of the Tai Xuan Sect. Compared to Gu An's excitement, the other two seemed uninterested, absentmindedly wiping their sweat.

Standing in front of them was a young man in plain clothes, with an ordinary appearance but a strong physique and bright eyes. He was Zhang Chunqiu, the eldest disciple of the Medicine Valley, and he was explaining to Gu An and the other two the key points of picking spiritual flowers and herbs.

“All the flowers and plants in this garden are first-tier medicinal herbs. When picking them, you cannot pull them up by the roots. You need to cut them off from the stems close to the soil. After cutting them off, you must wrap them with the spirit-protecting paper in your hands to prevent the spiritual energy from leaking out…” Zhang Chunqiu’s voice was loud and clear, and he was full of energy, completely unaffected by the scorching sun.

Gu An held scissors in his right hand and strips of white paper in his left, carefully writing down every word Zhang Chunqiu said.

Unlike the two people next to him, he cherished this position. He had endured a lot of disdain to get this opportunity.

Everyone thought he was giving up and was going to fall into depravity, but little did they know that this was the most suitable path for him to become stronger!

"Alright, let's begin. Everyone pick one plant, and I'll check it." As soon as Zhang Chunqiu finished speaking, Gu An squatted down.

Gu An put down the spirit-protecting paper in his hand and carefully held the stem of the red flower in front of him with his left hand.

“Brother, you’re too nervous. It’s okay if you cut it badly. It’s just a first-grade herb. These are common herbs used to refine basic pills. I wouldn’t even look at them at home.” Meng Lang, who was to Gu An’s right, spoke up. He was dressed in rich clothes and looked like he came from an extraordinary family.

Indeed, that was the case. Apart from Gu An, who was a servant, the other two were from wealthy families. However, even the children of wealthy families who entered the cultivation world had to pay attention to their spiritual roots. They were both the most mediocre of the five spiritual roots, and if they wanted to stay in the Tai Xuan Sect, they could only become menial disciples.

Gu An ignored Meng Lang's words and focused on cutting flowers.

He pinched the stem, made a gentle cut with scissors, and then wrapped the base of the safflower with spirit paper.

After doing all this, he stood up and handed it to Zhang Chunqiu for inspection.

Zhang Chunqiu took a look and smiled with satisfaction: "Well done, you are very meticulous."

Gu An didn't reply, but stared intently at the red flower in his hand.

At this moment, he was even more nervous than before.

A few breaths later, a line of text that only Gu An could see appeared in front of him.

You have successfully seized one year of the Crimson Spirit Flower's (Tier 1) lifespan.

Become!

Gu An smiled, feeling a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

Sure enough, only plants and animals imbued with spiritual energy could have their lifespans taken away by him.

Gu An first gained a lifespan when he was ten years old. He accidentally bumped into a flowerpot being carried by another servant, causing the spiritual flower to spill onto the ground, thus gaining twelve years of lifespan.

At that time, the guards were furious and insisted on cutting off one of his hands, but the Third Miss Ji Xiaoyu intervened and saved him.

This time, Gu An was able to join the Tai Xuan Sect thanks to Ji Xiaoyu. Ji Xiaoyu is a rare dual spiritual root, and many major cultivation sects have been trying to recruit members of the Ji family. Ji Xiaoyu brought five members of the Ji family to join the Tai Xuan Sect, and Gu An was one of the only two servants.

Without Ji Xiaoyu, someone with his five spiritual roots would only be able to join a third-rate sect.

While Gu An was secretly pleased, Meng Lang and another boy named Li Ya had already finished picking the fruit.

Zhang Chunqiu placed the three Crimson Spirit Flowers into the storage bag at his waist and said solemnly, "Your task today is to pick fifty Crimson Spirit Flowers together. You can only move around in this garden and must not trespass into other gardens. After you finish, bring the Crimson Spirit Flowers to the pavilion to find me."

After saying this, Zhang Chunqiu turned and left.

Meng Lang waved his fist at Zhang Chunqiu's retreating figure and muttered under his breath, "You've been talking about such a trivial matter for so long, haven't you ever mentored your junior brother?"

Li Ya sat directly on the dirt, frantically wiping away sweat with his sleeve.

After seeing Zhang Chunqiu go upstairs, Gu An turned to Meng Lang and Li Ya and said, "Brothers, judging from your rich clothes, you must be from very wealthy families and not capable of doing this kind of rough work. I am different; I am just a servant. Why don't you let me do it for you and complete the task? You can find a shady place to rest and take good care of me in the future."

Upon hearing this, Meng Lang's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed with delight, "Not bad, brother, you're quite the go-getter! If you ever find yourself unable to stay here, I'll guarantee you a life of comfort and security."

Li Ya was too weak to speak, so he nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, the two left behind their respective protective paper offerings and helped each other walk out of the garden.

Gu An picked up the spirit-protecting papers, turned back to look at the garden, his eyes shining brighter than the blazing sun in the sky.

In his eyes, the garden full of Crimson Spirit Flowers were not flowers, but the steps leading to the heavens on the road to immortality!

He began to act cautiously, not only to complete the task but also to do it well, so as not to lose this perfect job.

The blazing sun radiates its own dazzling light, showing no regard for the feelings of the common people.

Meng Lang and Li Ya rested in a small pavilion. They kept wiping their sweat and didn't even have the strength to speak. Their eyes followed Gu An.

Time ticked by, and Gu An was drenched in sweat, but he was extremely excited, and the smile on his face never faded.

Looking at Gu An's flushed face, Meng Lang couldn't help but sigh, "In this heat, this kid is really going all out. I like him. We should take good care of him from now on, make sure he eats and drinks well, and not let anyone bully him. That way, he can continue to help us."

Li Ya rolled his eyes and said irritably, "There aren't many people in this valley, who can bully him? If Senior Brother bullies him, would you dare to talk back?"

Meng Lang coughed lightly, looked at Li Ya, and asked, "Brother, which Li family are you from?"

Li Ya calmly replied, "The Li family of Changluo in Cangzhou." "Changluo? Isn't that the imperial city? You share the same surname as the royal family?" Meng Lang asked in surprise, his eyes widening as soon as he finished speaking.

Li Ya did not answer, but quietly looked at Gu An.

Meng Lang became uneasy; he hadn't expected to run into a member of the royal family here.

But then he thought about it again and realized it was normal. This was the Tai Xuan Sect, the number one cultivation sect in the Tai Cang Dynasty. The fact that it shared the same name as the dynasty showed how extraordinary the Tai Xuan Sect's status was. It wasn't unreasonable to encounter a member of the royal family at the bottom of the Tai Xuan Sect.

for a long time.

Gu An finally finished picking fifty Crimson Spirit Flowers. He put all the wrapped flowers into a bamboo basket, slung the basket over his shoulder, and looked towards the other areas, his face full of anticipation.

There are more than fifteen gardens in the valley, and the garden they are in is just a small corner. He guessed that the herbs in the other gardens are more valuable.

There is ample time!

Gu An didn't want to reveal his cheat ability, so he decided to stop here for today.

He walked along the path toward the attic, beckoning to Meng Lang and Li Ya, who then got up and came over.

"Brother Gu An, thank you for your hard work. Let me carry you." Meng Lang said with a smile. The three of them had introduced themselves when they met the Valley Master before, so they remembered each other's names.

Gu An saw through Meng Lang's little scheme, smiled and nodded, then handed him the bamboo basket.

Li Ya curled his lip, his eyes revealing disdain.

Gu An only wanted to keep his job; he didn't want to be transferred because he performed too well, so he couldn't be bothered to argue with Meng Lang.

The three of them went into the pavilion and met their eldest brother, Zhang Chunqiu.

Zhang Chunqiu was holding a book when he saw Gu An and the other two enter. He put down the book and said, "Put down the Crimson Spirit Flower. These three books are the basic techniques left by Master. Practice them diligently during your rest time and strive to leave here one day and become a true disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect. Five years ago, a disciple obtained Master's elixir, successfully established his foundation, and became an outer disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect."

As he spoke, he waved his right hand, and three secret manuals flew out from his sleeves, heading towards Gu An and the other two.

Gu An took the book and read the words on the cover.

Chunmu Gong!
That sounds so low-class!
Gu An wasn't disappointed, after all, he was at the bottom of the Tai Xuan Sect.

Zhang Chunqiu gave them a few more instructions and then told them to find rooms to stay in the next courtyard. Those rooms were reserved for the handymen disciples. Currently, there were only four disciples in this Medicine Valley. The Valley Master was away and would not be back for another two years, so Zhang Chunqiu was in charge of the Medicine Valley for now.

After one stick of incense.

Gu An lay on the wooden bed, panting heavily, his face flushed, after all, he had just been exposed to the scorching sun.

A thought struck him, and lines of text appeared before his eyes.

Name: Gu An

【Lifespan: 15/151】

[Spiritual Root: Ordinary spiritual root of the five elements (can be invested in lifespan evolution cultivation)]

[Cultivation Level: Unranked (Can be invested in lifespan evolution cultivation)]

[Technique: Fire Control Technique (Not yet mastered) (Can be incorporated into lifespan evolution cultivation)]

……

Gu An seized eighty-eight years of life in one go!
Before this, his lifespan was 63 years, 12 of which were gained when he broke the flower bed at the age of 10. In other words, he could only live to be 50 at the beginning.

First-tier herbs can only provide one to two years of lifespan, but for mortals, a year is an incredibly long time!

Looking at his attribute panel, Gu An became more and more excited. In such a short time, he had gained eighty-eight years of lifespan. This job was just too wonderful!
He's determined to be a holdout in the medicine valley!
He looked down on both outer and inner disciples.

It is said that to become a formal disciple, one must go out on missions to slay demons and monsters in the human world, which is extremely dangerous.

From childhood to adulthood, Gu An had never killed a chicken. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person on Earth. He couldn't bring himself to fight.

Staying in Medicine Valley is so great! You'll hardly encounter any danger and can earn lifespans like crazy!

Who says cultivating immortality requires risking your life?

Gu An was lost in wonderful daydreams, unable to pull himself out.

The night passed.

Gu An woke up early in the morning, and after a quick wash, he went to find Zhang Chunqiu to receive his mission.

Zhang Chunqiu was not asleep; he was cultivating his inner energy. He smiled with satisfaction at Gu An's diligence, then got up and walked to the door, pointed to a garden, and said, "You can pick the Spirit Heart Grass in that garden. After you've picked it, just leave it at the door; there's no need to knock."

With that, he waved his sleeve, and strips of protective spirit paper fell into Gu An's hands.

Looking at Gu An, who was barely able to contain his excitement, Zhang Chunqiu hesitated for a moment, then smiled kindly and said, "Junior brother, work hard. As long as you are diligent and willing to endure hardship, you will definitely succeed."

(End of this chapter)