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

Although Gu An's broken sword "Piercing Clouds" had left Shen Wan's slender and fragile neck, his large hand, gripping Shen Wan's left shoulder blade like an iron clamp, did not loosen its grip even slightly. The true energy of the Wood element within his body was poised to be unleashed; if the opponent made the slightest move, it could instantly shatter her meridians.

"How do we cooperate?"

Shen Wan repeated those four words, the mocking smile on her lips still lingering. She turned her head slightly, her gaze not falling on Gu An's fierce face, but on the dusty jade pendant at his waist.

"Is what you're relying on this broken 'Breath-Concealing Pendant'?"

Gu An frowned slightly, but did not reply; his eyes only grew colder.

"This thing is barely enough to fool those early and mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators whose divine sense hasn't been awakened. It might even be able to fool those late-stage Qi Refining cultivators as long as they don't deliberately probe."

Although Shen Wan's voice was hoarse and weak, his tone was filled with a confident and authoritative air. "But if you encounter a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even one who has just reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment, a single sweep of your divine sense will make your restless Wood Spiritual Power, which you have deliberately suppressed, as dazzling as a torch in the dark."

Gu An's heart sank suddenly.

The reason he could navigate the Soul-Severing Valley like a meat grinder with such ease was that his greatest trump card, besides his mastery of poison, was his ability to "play dumb to fool others." If his disguise failed, given his many dark secrets, he would likely be seized and dissected by the sect's enforcement hall immediately, or captured by the elders of the Corpse Puppet Sect to be turned into an armored corpse.

"What do you want to say?" Gu An asked in a low voice.

"I want to say that your current situation is not much better than mine."

Shen Wan struggled to lift her eyelids, her cold eyes staring directly at Gu An. "Although Manager Ma is dead, the existence of that ledger means that the buyers from the Corpse Puppet Sect will be coming soon. The person who comes will definitely not be a Qi Refining stage lackey that can be easily dismissed. At the very least, they will be a Foundation Establishment stage elder, or... a true disciple of the Corpse Puppet Sect at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining."

"Do you think you can hide it with that shabby jade pendant by then?"

Gu An fell silent. The cold sweat seeping from his back made his tattered servant's clothes even stickier. Shen Wan was right; this Concealing Breath Pendant was ultimately just a defective, standard-issue product used by ordinary prison guards, with very limited potential.

"Can you handle this?" Gu An stared at her, his eyes darting around.

"I have a secret technique called the 'Spirit Seal of Withering and Flourishing'."

Shen Wan slowly uttered a few words, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance, "This technique is a unique skill passed down in my family, specifically used in conjunction with wood-type cultivation methods. It is not simply about suppressing one's aura, but rather simulating the withering and flourishing of plants. By using this technique, one can conceal one's own vitality to the extreme, appearing outwardly like a piece of rotten wood. Unless a Golden Core Ancestor personally arrives, even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would find it extremely difficult to see through."

Withered and flourishing obscure the spirit seal... Rotten wood...

Gu An's heart skipped a beat. This was practically a divine skill tailor-made for his "Life-Growing Wood Technique"! If he could learn this technique, his chances of survival in the cultivation world would increase exponentially.

"Conditions." Gu An wasn't blinded by greed; he knew very well that this level of secret technique was not given away for free.

"It's very simple."

Shen Wan took a deep breath, seemingly gathering his strength. "I want you to make a Heavenly Dao Heart Demon Oath. First, you must never reveal to anyone that I have awakened and recovered some of my cultivation. Second, you must protect me during our time in Soul-Severing Valley. Third, if we encounter an unavoidable crisis, you must take me with you when you flee."

"A vow made by inner demons?"

Gu An's lips curled into a cold smile, and he tightened his grip, causing Shen Wan to frown slightly. "Miss, haven't you misunderstood something? The knife is in my hand, and your life is at your throat. Do you think you have the right to make me unilaterally swear an oath?"

The cultivation world is rife with deceit and treachery. While the oath of inner demons is extremely binding, it's not impossible to find loopholes. Besides, Gu An wasn't that foolish as to entrust half his life to someone who had just tried to kill him.

"So what do you want?" Shen Wan wasn't surprised by Gu An's reaction. If he had agreed immediately, she wouldn't have believed it.

"Mutual protection".

Gu An reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out the blue ledger stained with Steward Ma's black blood once again.

With a "rip" sound.

Without any hesitation, he tore a blank page from the last page of the ledger and laid it flat on the cold jade bed, right in front of Shen Wan's chest.

"I don't believe in verbal promises or one-sided vows. If we're going to make a vow, we should all make one together."

Gu An bit his right index finger, drawing bright red blood. He didn't write directly on the paper, but looked at Shen Wan, "You provide the secret technique, I'll provide the physical strength. We'll form a defensive alliance. During our time in Soul-Severing Valley, I'll protect you from being captured by the Corpse Puppet Sect, and you'll help me conceal my aura and improve my cultivation. If I break this agreement…"

Gu An's eyes were icy cold as he said, enunciating each word clearly: "...then your Dao heart will shatter, your cultivation will be completely lost, and you will be forever condemned to the Abyss!"

Looking at the sallow-faced man in front of her, whose eyes were as fierce as a wolf, Shen Wan's initial contempt completely vanished.

Although this person is a rogue cultivator, such temperament and scheming are extremely rare even among the inner disciples of major sects.

"it is good."

Shen Wan didn't hesitate for long. Circumstances forced her to act against her; she had no choice but to believe this "vampire."

She struggled to raise her still-functioning right hand and bit her fingertip as well.

Their fingers met in mid-air, then pressed heavily onto the yellowed page.

Blood smeared the paper as Gu An muttered incantations, activating a minor technique called "Blood Soul Pact" that he had learned from the "True Explanation of Hundred Poisons".

This is not the kind of enslavement contract that controls life and death, but an equal contract based on the free will of both parties. Once it is signed, if one party harbors malicious intent, the other party will immediately sense it, and the breaching party will suffer a backlash to their soul.

"Buzz—"

As the blood from their fingertips mingled, a faint yet eerie crimson light flashed in the dimly lit tent, then transformed into two extremely thin lines of blood that pierced into the brows of Gu An and Shen Wan respectively.

Gu An felt a faint connection in his mind, as if he could vaguely sense the life state of the person in front of him.

"The contract is complete."

Gu An withdrew his hand, and the left hand that had been gripping Shen Wan's shoulder finally loosened. He folded the bloodstained contract paper carefully and solemnly put it into the deepest part of his storage bag.

"Now, we can talk about the 'Seal of Withering and Flourishing Spirit'."

Gu An sat back down on the old, worn-out stool. Although he was more relaxed, the broken sword in his hand was still not sheathed and rested across his knee.

Shen Wan let out a long sigh of relief. With Gu An's suppression lifted, her tense body finally relaxed.

However, this sudden relaxation, coupled with the intense emotional fluctuations and mental exhaustion from making the vow, caused the already barely suppressed poison in her body to spiral out of control once again.

"Well……"

Shen Wan suddenly groaned, and her whole body trembled violently as if she had been electrocuted.

A strange, dark green hue instantly appeared on her deathly pale face. The wound, which had already scabbed over and stopped oozing pus, suddenly swelled up again like a boiling lava vent, with dark green venomous blood frantically surging against her fragile skin.

pain!

The excruciating pain is like being eaten alive by a thousand ants!

Shen Wan gripped the edge of the cold jade bed tightly with both hands, her fingernails snapping from the force, drawing blood. Her teeth were clenched, making a sickening "crunching" sound, and her body was curled up like a boiled shrimp.

"Help……"

She turned her head with difficulty, her eyes, which had just regained a sliver of life, now filled once more with pain and pleading. Trembling, she reached out a hand and gripped Gu An's sleeve tightly, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw.

Gu An raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at the scene before him.

He did not act immediately, but calmly observed Shen Wan's condition.

After confirming that this was not a ruse or a trap, but a genuine case of poisoning, a subtle smile appeared on his lips.

The poison took effect at just the right time.

This will not only further weaken Shen Wan's ability to resist, making her more dependent on him, but more importantly...

"I'm not going to refuse cultivation that's been offered to me."

Gu An muttered something to himself.

He reached out and grasped Shen Wan's cold and violently trembling hand, not to comfort her, but to steady her.

With his other hand, he skillfully pulled out the set of silver needles from his pocket.

"Bear with it."