I am just a mortal, why do you all worship me as a saint?

Chapter 44: Coming to their door

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the early morning, Old Man Lao's shop was still hidden deep in the alley. For the past three days, a sign saying "No Customers Welcome" had been hung in front of his shop, and he had not come out. Of course, no one took it seriously. Most of the ordinary people living in the west of the city knew him. Old Man Lao was eccentric and quite reclusive, which made people wonder if he had suffered some kind of misfortune in the past, and they felt sorry for him.

However, his carving skills were indeed very exquisite.

For the past three days, Old Gu has not rested, and even Lu Yan has been watching over him for three days.

"Such vigorous and profound meaning, so vast, is truly a rare sight in the world... I, Gu Yin, have truly received a great blessing..."

Inside the small house, the old man was bent over his desk, his carving knife slowly tracing the sandalwood plaque. Each stroke seemed to carry his deepest understanding of the essence of calligraphy. The scroll of calligraphy that Gu Heng had given him had already been stored in his spatial ring.

Old Gu knew that his understanding of calligraphy was far inferior to Gu Heng's.

Therefore, he still cannot truly understand the profound meaning contained in that scroll. Thus, carving plaques is just a matter of course for Old Gu Tou; he can make a plaque with a sweep of his true energy.

But not this time.

In order to firmly imprint the insights he gained from that scroll into his mind, the old man chose the most traditional method—slowly carving it.

The very slow kind.

"...Master has entered a state of enlightenment."

Lu Yan sat to the side, watching the old man's carving with great tension. With each stroke of the knife, a faint light seemed to flash in his eyes, and his understanding of calligraphy deepened. His eyes were dry and bloodshot from watching.

The same goes for the old man.

For the past three days, he has been working tirelessly, focusing solely on comprehending the profound wisdom contained within the scroll. This is the key to his breakthrough; if he doesn't cherish this opportunity, he may never reach a higher realm in his lifetime.

He didn't want to miss it.

Before you knew it, another two or three hours had passed.

Old Gu Tou breathed a sigh of relief and put down the carving knife.

In the end, he managed to complete the task that Young Master Gu had asked him to do.

"Phew...finally done!"

He wiped the sweat from his brow, letting out a slight sigh of relief, then looked down at his work. The four powerfully carved characters of "Gu's Medical Clinic" on the plaque, though carved, were imbued with profound meaning. The characters depicted landscapes, with dragons and phoenixes dancing, were lifelike and almost alive. If a cultivator were to examine them closely, they would be able to feel the vast and boundless spirit they contained.

"Sigh, it still falls short in the end..."

A sigh of regret appeared on the old man's face.

“But Master’s calligraphy is already quite good. I can only understand a fraction of its charm…” Lu Yan couldn’t help but feel sorry for the old man.

"What do you know?"

Old Man Gu stared wide-eyed: "It only has the form, but not the meaning; it's just my clumsy imitation."

He wasn't even sure if the plaque would satisfy Gu Heng.

The old man said to Lu Yan with a serious expression, "Remember, that being is far superior to me. If you want to reach that level, you need to study diligently to have any hope. Do not slack off."

"Yes, yes, I remember."

Lu Yan quickly agreed.

This senior's skill level is unmatched in the entire Sunflame Dynasty. Lu Yan's family is not that powerful, and his vision is not high. He originally had the attitude of seeking knowledge, so he is naturally extremely respectful now.

Whatever Master says is what it means.

"You should contemplate this carefully. Judging from your true energy, you should be about to break through. Wait here while I take this plaque to Young Master Gu."

After giving his instructions, the old man carried the large plaque out the door.

……

...In the clinic south of Yunling City.

"Master, I need to go out for a while."

Qin Yiyao fastened her belt, looked at the cloud-embroidered boots on her feet and the "Cold Moon" sword at her waist, and called out to the back hall.

"Go ahead, go ahead, come back soon."

Gu Heng's voice came out.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yiyao paused for a moment before walking out the door.

Today is the day the Black Forest Gang will pay the price!

She devoted herself to cultivation for three days and also took Gu Heng's Foundation Establishment Pill. She has now reached the second level of Foundation Establishment.

Only four days had passed since Qin Yiyao was taken in by Gu Heng.

With the bloodline of the descendant of the immortals and the assistance of peerless cultivation techniques from the Taixu era, Qin Yiyao may seem weak now, but if she were to actually fight someone, no matter who the opponent is, they would definitely be shocked by her power!

Qin Yiyao looked at her dress, which was bluish-white. It wouldn't look good if it got stained with blood. Putting everything else aside, this dress was a gift from her master.

It must not be soiled.

If someone with only the second level of Foundation Establishment wanted to wipe out the entire Black Forest Gang, it would seem like a pipe dream to others. But what she was thinking about was how to prevent her dress from being stained by the blood of those ants.

Qin Yiyao pondered as she walked out of the south of Yunling City and headed towards the edge of Yunling Forest.

The Cloud Spirit Forest is teeming with venomous insects and ferocious beasts, and there are many demonic creatures among them. Not to mention mortals, even weaker cultivators often perish there. Qin Yiyao, dressed in a thin dress like the cold snow of early spring, stood out strikingly. Her beauty and exceptional bearing made her stand out even in such an environment, like a crane among chickens. Occasionally, passersby would see this pretty young girl, and most would admire her beauty. However, some men, though, were filled with greed or drooling…

"This girl is so beautiful..."

"It's a pity, judging from her appearance, we don't know which family's young lady she is. We're not fortunate enough to enjoy her..."

"Hmph, what's there to be afraid of? No matter how pretty she is, she's just a little girl..."

Qin Yiyao was sharp-eared and quick-witted. Hearing the thieves' unrestrained discussion, she frowned, looked over sharply, and the scabbard at her waist trembled slightly, exuding a cold aura!

When the men realized that she had her eye on them, they quickly dodged away and fled in panic.

"waste."

Qin Yiyao curled her lips into a cold smile and continued walking forward.

She had lived in the south of Yunling City for ten years, and Qin Yiyao knew very well what forces were entrenched outside the city. The Black Forest Gang was hidden on Black Forest Mountain, four miles away. Black Forest Mountain was steep and easy to defend, and it was said that the Black Forest Gang leader was at the tenth level of Core Formation, and ordinary cultivators could not do anything to him. Therefore, it was considered a local tyrant.

Using her inner energy to travel, Qin Yiyao quickly arrived at the foot of the Black Forest Mountain.

She looked up at the dense forest on the precipitous mountain peak, touched the Heavenly Grade Longsword at her waist, her gaze resolute, and climbed to the top with her sword.

……

In the Black Wind Gang's main stronghold.

The gang leader, Huang Su, has been experiencing twitching eyelids for the past few days.

That day, he sent his second most capable subordinate, Chong Jiu, with a group of men to gather information in the south of Yunling City.

Then there is no more.

He hasn't returned for three days. Either Chong Jiu stole the treasure and went to start his own sect, or all his subordinates have perished at the hands of that young Core Formation cultivator.

Huang Su felt that the latter possibility was more likely, but the latter was more terrifying.

The Black Forest Gang had already incurred the wrath of the other party, and none of the men they sent had returned alive, so even if he understood the situation perfectly, he dared not send anyone else.

But if they just swallow this loss in silence, how will the Black Forest Gang survive in the future?

Just as Huang Su was filled with a dilemma, the voice of his subordinates came from outside the stone village!

"Report——!"

"Reporting to the leader, a woman has come up Black Forest Mountain!"

"Oh?"

Huang Su raised his eyes and then asked, "A woman? What is her identity? Do you know?" "We don't know, but her cultivation is only at the second level of Foundation Establishment. We have already set up an ambush on the mountain road. Please make a decision, Chief!"

Huang Su narrowed his eyes, revealing a fierce look.

"Who cares who she is? A mere Foundation Establishment Stage 2 dares to trespass into the Black Forest Gang's mountain pass! Tie her up and bring her here!"

Huang Su was not afraid, though he didn't know who had come to him.

Foundation Building Stage Two?

What kind of waves can this make?

On the mountain path of Black Forest Mountain, all the members of the Black Forest Gang had gathered. They looked at the beautiful figure walking in the distance with greedy eyes.

Her skin was as white as jade, and although her figure was slender, she already had a graceful and delicate figure. The thin dress fit her well, and she still looked a bit immature, but given time, she would surely be a beauty of unparalleled elegance.

But at this moment, her expression was extremely cold, and her aura was surging. Qin Yiyao moved lightly, stopping on the mountain path, and looked coldly at the Black Forest Gang members.

The deputy leader held a large hammer in his hand, his face full of contempt and a lewd smile, seemingly not posing any threat to this little girl who was only at the second level of Foundation Establishment.

They weren't afraid at all.

Qin Yiyao silently gripped the hilt of her sword, her voice carrying: "Where is the leader of the Black Forest Gang?"

"Little girl, have you thought this through? This is Black Forest Mountain, the territory of my Black Forest Gang!"

"If you're looking for the gang leader, you'll have to get past the road guarded by us brothers first. Behave yourself, and maybe we'll take you back up the mountain for some fun, hahaha!"

The Black Forest gang members burst into laughter.

A flicker of anger burned in her eyes. How could she bear being insulted like this by these guys?

Of course, even without insults, it makes no difference. They're going to kill anyway.

"Then I'll kill you all, and then I'll go and kill your gang leader."

His tone was icy cold, as if a chilling wind was blowing through him.

The deputy gang leader seemed taken aback by Qin Yiyao's arrogant attitude, but then he slammed his hammer handle on the ground and roared, "Hmph! You mere Foundation Establishment Level 2 brat, how dare you spout such nonsense here! Get her! Capture her, and I'll reward you handsomely!"

At that command, the henchmen instantly became excited, and more than a dozen of them rushed towards Qin Yiyao with shouts.

"court death."

Qin Yiyao let out a cold shout, and with a flick of her wrist, the Cold Moon Sword was drawn from its sheath, seemingly transforming into a shimmering silver moonlight!