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

Chapter 5 That’s it?

The night was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Leaning against the wall, Gu An was filled with resentment. Why was his heart beating so fast?
For some reason, although he couldn't hear any noise outside, he inexplicably felt that the demon of greed and anger was approaching his house.

His gaze moved back and forth between the door and the window. Moonlight seeped in through the cracks in the door and window, so bright, so terrifyingly bright.

The white rat's trembling made Gu An's chest itch, making him want to throw it away, but he couldn't bear to.

Time passed slowly as Gu An held his breath and concentrated.

Gu An had never looked forward to the arrival of daylight as much as he did now.

This Tai Xuan Sect is not safe at all!
From now on, I need to accumulate more lifespan, and while keeping a low profile, my strength must not stop growing!
Gu An was lost in thought, and before he knew how much time had passed, his gaze suddenly landed on the threshold of the door.

The door was on his left, less than a meter away. The threshold was illuminated by the moonlight, and a dark shadow appeared through the crack in the door. At that moment, his scalp tingled.

Greed, anger, demons, and ghosts!

He is coming!

Gu An's heart was in his throat, and his whole body was tense.

He even had the urge to rush out!

suddenly!

Gu An's body stiffened. He felt a wet hand pressing down on his head, sharp nails imprinted on his forehead, sending chills down his spine.

His mind went blank for a moment. He cautiously looked up and saw a fair arm emerge from the darkness above his head, like a woman's arm, with its palm pressed on his head and its nails sharp as claws.

The owner of this arm emerged from the darkness, her disheveled and ferocious face emerging from the shadows. Her true features were obscured, only her mouthful of fangs dripping blood were visible.

She is laughing!
Grass!
Gu An was so frightened that he went completely mad, raised his arm and swung it out, slapping the greedy and angry demon across the face.

boom!
The eaves of the house were blasted open, blood and flesh flew into the house, and tiles and grass on the eaves flew dozens of feet high and disappeared into the night.

The night sky was so dark, and the mountains and forests surrounding Medicine Valley seemed to be filled with demons and monsters.

"Huhuhu..."

Gu An gasped for breath, his raised right arm trembling, his palm covered in blood, the blood of the greedy and angry demon splattered all over his face.

Even after everything fell silent, Gu An still couldn't calm down.

The moonlight shone down and illuminated the room.

A huge blood flower bloomed on the wall, terrifying and horrifying, and a pale, severed arm lay at Gu An's feet.

After a dozen or so breaths, Gu An finally calmed down.

You have successfully stolen 52 years of the lifespan of the Greedy and Anger Demon (Second Tier).

He was still panting heavily as he looked at the notification that popped up in front of him, but his eyes turned strange.

"That's it?"

Gu An found it absurd. Was he too strong, or were Chu Jingfeng and the others too weak?

Just as he was confused, he vaguely heard the sound of a door opening. He immediately lay down, closed his eyes, and casually draped the arm of the demon of greed and anger over himself.

That wasn't enough. He then raised his hand, pried open the hand of the demon of greed and anger, and then grabbed his own neck. After doing all this, he spread his hands and pretended to faint.

……

Autumn is approaching, and the weather will no longer be so hot.

Gu An was picking calming herbs in the garden, while Li Ya and Meng Lang stood outside the wooden fence, watching him work.

Li Ya's body was half wrapped in white cloth, and there were two shocking scars on his face, almost touching his right eye. It was hard to imagine what he had gone through.

Meng Lang seemed unharmed. He stared at Gu An and clicked his tongue in amazement: "This kid can be so happy picking herbs, as if he has never encountered the demon of greed and anger before."

Li Ya remained expressionless, though the scars on his face added to his menacing aura. He calmly said, "Perhaps he's finding joy in suffering. How do you know he can still maintain a smile after closing the door?"

The night four days ago felt like just last night. Li Ya recalled his battle with the demon of greed and anger, and couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

He survived purely by luck.

Chu Jingfeng's injuries were more severe than his; he had an arm torn off. Cheng Xuandan, Zhang Chunqiu, and Meng Lang, on the other hand, were unharmed.

That morning, the Tai Xuan Sect sent several cultivators, all of whom were more powerful than Chu Jingfeng, with the highest reaching the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. They questioned Gu An about the specific situation, but Gu An pretended to be in shock and knew nothing. In the end, the cultivators concluded that someone else had intervened and saved the menial disciples of this medicine valley. After all, Gu An had no spiritual power, so it was impossible for him to have killed the Greedy and Wrathful Demon.

Later, Gu An deliberately changed rooms, and Zhang Chunqiu treated him even better, seemingly feeling very guilty.

While Li Ya and Meng Lang were discussing Gu An, Gu An was enjoying the pleasure of seizing the lifespan of a second-tier medicinal herb.

The second-tier herbs could grant him two to five years of lifespan. He helped Li Ya and the other person pick them, and this time he could pick a total of sixty second-tier herbs, which was incredibly satisfying.

At the same time, he couldn't help but think of greed, anger, demons, and ghosts.

Killing the demons of greed, anger, and hatred brought him fifty-two years of lifespan. Doesn't that mean he can gain more lifespan by slaying demons and monsters?

However, when he thought of the terrifying experience that night and the injuries of Chu Jingfeng and Li Ya, he immediately gave up the idea.

No need!
He's not in a hurry to become stronger, so why should he risk his life?
Okay. No need to be reckless, play it safe and develop your strength!

after awhile.

Gu An finally finished picking all sixty Tranquil Grasses. He carried the bamboo basket on his back and came to Meng Lang, ready to hand it over to him.

Meng Lang coughed lightly and said, "This time, you can hand it over to Senior Brother."

Thinking back to his pathetic performance that night, he was too ashamed to steal Gu An's credit.

Gu An didn't refuse and smiled, "Okay."

He nodded politely to Li Ya, then walked towards Zhang Chunqiu's attic.

Li Ya didn't stay any longer and turned to walk towards the woods in the distance. Meng Lang looked back and forth, awkwardly touching his nose.

In the lobby.

Gu An handed all the calming herbs to Zhang Chunqiu. Zhang Chunqiu did not ask him to leave immediately, but instead pulled him aside and asked him if he had been sleeping well lately.

Whenever Zhang Chunqiu thought of the scene of Gu An being strangled by the demon of greed and anger, his heart was filled with guilt. As the senior brother, he could not protect his junior brother, which was truly pathetic.

Gu Anping was usually so honest and obedient. To be honest, he felt sad just thinking about his junior brother dying.

"By the way, don't mention the matter of the demon of greed, anger, and hatred again. Today when I went to the outer sect, I heard that the demon was raised by a senior in the sect. This matter cannot be spread. Just pretend it never happened," Zhang Chunqiu said seriously.

Upon hearing this, Gu An frowned.

So that's how it is. No wonder that demon was able to roam freely for so long.

Zhang Chunqiu seemed uneasy and added, "We can't afford to offend such a senior. A single word from him could wipe out our entire Medicine Valley. You come from humble beginnings, so you should understand the difference that comes with status and position. Only by being patient can you survive."

He then raised his hand and took out a secret manual from his bosom, saying, "This is a secret technique that your master prepared for you. Your master spent five years' worth of sect contribution points in exchange, after all, you were indeed wronged."

Gu An was overjoyed and took the manual, noticing three words written on the cover.

Crippled Wind Kick!
"Thank you, Senior Brother! Thank you, Master!" Gu An immediately bowed and expressed his gratitude.

Zhang Chunqiu blinked and smiled, "Practice more when you have free time. Maybe you can protect yourself in the future. Don't give this manual to Meng Lang. As for Li Ya, he has shown extraordinary talent. Master has decided to help him break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. I estimate that he will leave Medicine Valley in two years at most."

Gu An was not surprised to hear this; it would indeed be a waste for someone with Li Ya's cultivation level to stay in the Medicine Valley.

After exchanging a few polite words with Gu An, Zhang Chunqiu asked him to leave.

After Gu An closed the door, Zhang Chunqiu murmured with emotion, "What an honest child. He'll definitely be able to take care of Master for me in the future, and then I can finally go down the mountain... Xiao Lian, wait for me..."

Gu An, who was going downstairs, paused for a moment, then continued walking down.

……

Although the attack by the demons of greed and anger did not kill anyone in Medicine Valley, it made the atmosphere in Medicine Valley different from before. Li Ya became more and more mysterious, and he would hide in the forest after finishing his chores. Even Meng Lang began to cultivate diligently.

Gu An practiced the Crippled Wind Kick technique for a month before he could barely get it to appear on his character panel. This was a huge blow to him, and he gave up on training altogether, preparing to spend his life on it in the future.

As the sun and moon rise and set, autumn leaves carpet the valley of medicinal herbs.

Gu An's figure kept appearing in various parks, making him the busiest person in the Medicine Valley. Zhang Chunqiu trusted him more and more and stopped supervising his work. As for Cheng Xuandan, he stayed in his room all day refining pills, and it was difficult to see him even once a month.

As autumn faded into winter, snow fell, blanketing the Medicine Valley in white.

The new year arrives amidst heavy snow.

It wasn't until the first snow of winter melted that someone from outside the valley finally came to visit, specifically to see Gu An.

Inside the house, Gu An closed the door, then walked to the table and poured hot tea for the young man who had already sat down next to him.

The young man, dressed in the blue robes of an outer disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect, surveyed the room and asked, "How have you been these past year and a half?"

Five people followed Ji Xiaoyu to join the Tai Xuan Sect, of whom only Gu An and the young man in front of him were servants.

The young man's name was Du Ye. He possessed the aptitude of four spiritual roots and, with the help of the Ji family, he entered the outer sect of the Tai Xuan Sect. After more than a year, his entire demeanor had changed.

"It's alright," Gu An replied casually.

Du Ye looked at him and shook his head slightly, saying, "You, you, why did you insist on coming here? With the face of the Third Miss and the Ji family, it would have been easy to find a way to get you into the outer sect. Why did you have to come here to suffer, and where you can't see any hope of cultivation?"

Looking at his lifespan of less than 150 years, and comparing it to his own lifespan of nearly 1,000 years, Gu An smiled and said, "My talent is mediocre to begin with, and I'm afraid of death and pain, so this quiet place suits me better."

Du Ye shook his head and chuckled, then criticized him a few more times before revealing the purpose of his trip: "Young Master Ji Lin is preparing to build momentum and network for the Third Miss within the Tai Xuan Sect. We also need to do our part. You should do your best to collect medicinal herbs, and I will come to collect them from you every six months. These medicinal herbs can be used as leverage for Young Master Ji Lin to win over other disciples."

“Okay, no problem.” Gu An readily agreed, since the medicinal herbs weren’t that important to him anyway.

Seeing that Gu An was so easy to talk to, Du Ye smiled.

The two chatted for a while longer before Gu An escorted Du Ye to the mouth of the valley and then turned back.

He had just returned to the courtyard when he saw Li Ya waiting for him.

Li Ya approached Gu An, placed a secret manual on his chest, and said, "I'm about to leave. Consider this sword technique a farewell gift to thank you for what you've done for me over the past year and a half."

(End of this chapter)