Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

The faint sandalwood scent that had been lingering in the display cabinet now seemed to have become heavy.

Behind the counter, Manager Li's shrewd little eyes were fixed on the purple bamboo pipe on the counter. His hand, which was playing with walnuts, froze in mid-air, and his knuckles turned slightly white from the force.

"A withered tree comes back to life..."

Manager Li repeated himself to himself, his voice soft yet tinged with a sense of weariness and vicissitude. He didn't immediately reach for the pipe, but instead raised his hand and tapped the array plate on the side of the counter several times.

Buzz. A thicker, soundproof light curtain rose up, completely isolating this small counter from the outside world.

After doing all this, Manager Li finally let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. His once straight back hunched slightly. He looked up, his gaze no longer that of a businessman scrutinizing him, but rather one filled with inquiry and reminiscence, as it landed on Gu An's disguised, sallow face.

"That old farmer... is he still farming?"

Gu An lowered his bamboo hat, his voice hoarse and cold: "The land is still there, but the people are gone."

There are only six characters.

Shopkeeper Li's eyelids twitched suddenly. After a long silence, he gave a bitter laugh: "Gone...it's better that way. That old man was stubborn his whole life, refusing to bow down to me until his death. It's a good thing he got his wish to die in the ground, clean and tidy. It's just a pity that he was such a good person..."

He didn't ask who Gu An was, nor how Old Zhang died. In this world of cultivation, death is like a lamp going out; questioning the cause and effect often only invites trouble. Since the token had arrived and the code had been correct, then their fate had arrived, and their karma had been resolved.

"Since I have been entrusted with this task, I will be loyal to it."

Manager Li turned around, but instead of opening the dazzling array of goods behind him, he squatted down and rhythmically tapped a few times on an inconspicuous floor tile.

Click. The floor tile flipped over, revealing a hidden compartment.

Manager Li took out a dusty lead box. The box was made of a special material that could block divine sense from detecting it, so it had obviously been stored for a long time.

"This was left here by that old man thirty years ago." Manager Li pushed the lead box in front of Gu An, his tone complicated. "Back then, when I was robbed in Black Wind Valley, if he hadn't risked his Dao foundation to save my life, the manager of this Treasure Pavilion would have been replaced long ago. He left this thing here with me, saying that if one day someone holds this pipe and says those four words, they will be his successor."

Gu An reached out and pressed his hand on the lead box; it felt cold and heavy to the touch.

"Open it and take a look."

Without hesitation, Gu An used his fingertips to forcefully lift the lid of the box.

There was no dazzling light in the box; there were only two items inside.

A palm-sized, dark blue-black alchemy furnace, its body engraved with ancient cloud patterns, exudes a profound and weighty texture despite lacking any spiritual light.

A blue jade slip with a damaged edge.

"A second-tier, low-grade Azure Condensation Furnace," Manager Li pointed to the furnace. "While it's not a particularly renowned artifact, its superior temperature control makes it ideal for beginners and less prone to exploding. As for that jade slip..."

Manager Li gave Gu An a deep look and lowered his voice: "That's the complete formula for the Lesser Foundation Establishment Pill, which he risked his life to bring out from an ancient cultivator's cave, along with all his insights into pharmacology."

It's actually a complete elixir formula!

Gu Anxin was suddenly jolted. What he had found in the pipe earlier was just a fragment of a scroll, which mainly recorded the processing of auxiliary medicines. But this jade slip must contain the most core ingredients, the proportions, and the refining methods.

In the cultivation world where Foundation Establishment Pills are monopolized by major sects, the value of this jade slip is enough to attract the pursuit of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Thank you." Gu An flipped his hand and quickly put the lead box into his storage bag, his movements so fast it was as if he was afraid someone would snatch it away.

Seeing this, Manager Li smiled nonchalantly: "No need to thank me, this is what he returned to you. Now that the item has been handed over, my grudge with that old man is settled."

As he spoke, he picked up his teacup, a gesture to see the guest out.

Gu An didn't move. He touched the bag in his arms that had just been filled with spirit stones and hadn't even warmed up yet, a resolute glint in his eyes.

This money was prepared specifically for this moment.

"Shopkeeper, let's make a deal."

Shopkeeper Li paused, put down his teacup, and asked, "What else do you need? If it's just ordinary magical artifacts, you can find them at the counter outside."

"Breakthrough Pill," Gu An uttered three words, "and also a hundred-year-old Pure Spirit Grass and three coins' worth of Jade Marrow Fungus."

Manager Li's pupils contracted again.

Breakthrough Pills are excellent for breaking through from the early to the middle stage of Qi Refining, or from the middle to the late stage, increasing the success rate by 30%. However, these pills are extremely potent and highly toxic.

Qingling grass and jade marrow mushroom are precisely the auxiliary medicines used to neutralize erysipelas and protect the meridians.

This person... is not only rich, but also very knowledgeable, and more importantly, he values ​​his life.

"Fellow Daoist... what a generous gesture." Manager Li re-examined the seemingly down-on-his-luck rogue cultivator. The Breakthrough Pill was worth 150 spirit stones, and even then, it was often hard to find. With the two auxiliary ingredients added, the 300-odd spirit stones would probably be gone.

"Do you have it or not?" Gu An asked without wasting words.

"Yes, we do, but..." Manager Li tapped his abacus, "Breakthrough Pills are in short supply lately. The battle in Black Wind Valley is intense, and many rogue cultivators want to break through to save their lives. The price has gone up by 20%."

"One hundred and eighty," Manager Li announced.

Gu An remained expressionless, but his heart was bleeding. He knew this was the going rate, and if he complained about the price now, he might lose his life.

"Get the medicine."

He pushed the heavy bag of spirit stones he had just received back into his pocket. Three hundred and twenty spirit stones—he hadn't even had a chance to warm them in his pocket before most of them were gone.

Manager Li didn't hesitate. He turned around and took out a sealed bottle of elixir and two brocade boxes from the display case behind him.

"A high-quality Breakthrough Pill, made by an inner sect alchemist of the Hundred Herbs Sect, with toxicity controlled to below 40%." Manager Li pushed the items over. "Including the auxiliary ingredients, it costs a total of 240 spirit stones. The batch of silk and miscellaneous items you gave me, fellow Daoist, still have a little left over after conversion. Shall I exchange them for mid-grade spirit stones?"

"No need," Gu An shook his head. "Replace them all with Qi-restoring pills and poison-avoiding pills, and make sure they're top-grade."

Since we're going to break through, we need to be fully prepared. The remaining spirit stones are just inanimate objects; we might as well exchange them for life-saving supplies.

Manager Li was somewhat surprised, but he still did as instructed.

A moment later, the spirit stone pouch in Gu An's arms was empty, replaced by several medicine bottles kept close to his body.

The sudden loss of wealth created a sense of disillusionment for a brief moment.

But Gu An felt more at ease than ever before. With these, the barrier of the fourth level of Qi Refining was no longer an insurmountable obstacle.

"The transaction is settled."

Gu An cupped his hands in greeting, lowered his straw hat, and turned to leave.

Just as he was about to step out the door, he heard Manager Li's soft voice behind him.

"Fellow Daoist, even withered trees can bloom again in spring, but one must be wary of a sudden cold snap. Things have been rather unsettled outside the market lately, so if there's nothing urgent, it's best to avoid taking side streets."

Gu An paused slightly, but did not turn around. He simply nodded and then disappeared into the bustling crowd outside the door.

Manager Li watched Gu An's disappearing figure, picked up the pair of walnuts again, and his eyes gleamed.

"With the aptitude of four spiritual roots, yet possessing such temperament and wealth... Old Zhang, you've probably passed on your mantle to an extraordinary and ruthless character."