章 42: Chapter 42: Gu Chuanfei Comes Out of Seclusion
"This person has superb talisman skills and has long held aspirations for the position of the talisman master. His determination is unwavering."
"And most importantly, he has the support of the Grand Elder, and his strength is not much inferior to the Sect Master."
Lu An was greatly surprised by this information. He had anticipated the eldest disciple's interest in the position, but he hadn't expected this person to be connected with the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder had always been elusive, and even he had never seen him. During previous conversations, the Sect Master had mentioned him briefly, stating that the Grand Elder was sent by the headquarters to balance him out, but nothing more.
Since he could balance the Sect Master, his cultivation level was at least late-stage Foundation Establishment, comparable to the Sect Master.
Lu An pondered for a moment and asked:
"Thank you for the warning. I will pay attention to this matter."
After Shi Zhi left, Lu An returned to the back courtyard where Ying Chang and his wife were still waiting.
"Lu An, come, let's practice together," Fang Ling said, her injuries nearly healed and seeing Lu An's rapid progress made her eager to spar.
Lu An shook his head and frowned:
"Sister Fang, have you heard of the Lingxiao Sect?"
At the mention of this name, both of them were startled.
"Lu An, why are you asking about the Lingxiao Sect? Are you thinking of taking action against someone?"
"Although the Lingxiao Sect has a good reputation and delivers on its promises, their prices are not cheap."
"This small talisman shop of yours has just started making a bit of spirit stones; you can't afford such expenses."
"If you want to deal with someone, Brother Ying and I will help you."
Lu An smiled faintly, his voice turning cold:
"I'm not looking to eliminate anyone. Someone is trying to eliminate me."
He recounted Shi Zhi's words and explained the situation to them.
They understood now and exchanged worried glances.
Seeing their expressions, Lu An asked seriously:
"Is the Lingxiao Sect really that difficult to deal with? Even you two Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot protect me?"
Fang Ling shook her head and explained:
"It's not that. The difficulty with the Lingxiao Sect is that their methods are hard to guard against. They use all means to achieve their goals, even targeting people around you to draw you out."
"Besides that, they use poison, assassination, and other methods—anything you can think of, they'll use. So they're very troublesome."
"But there is one piece of good news: you're only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. The Lingxiao Sect likely won't send anyone too high-level to deal with you. At most, they'll send Foundation Establishment cultivators."
Hearing this, Lu An understood more about the Lingxiao Sect and realized he needed to be more cautious and not act alone in the future.
Since the issue originated with the Second Elder, it had to be addressed at its root. He decided to communicate with the Sect Master to get his perspective.
Without delay, he took out a communication jade slip and sent a message.
After a while, he withdrew his spiritual sense, his face darkened.
Within the Spirit Talisman Sect, not long after his lecture, the Grand Elder had written a report to the headquarters accusing the Sect Master of various issues.
The accusations and entanglements between both sides had increased.
More critically, at a crucial moment, the Second Elder had also come forward with accusations, increasing the Sect Master's pressure daily.
Now, the Sect Master was somewhat overwhelmed, and Shen Mi's situation was not ideal either.
Fortunately, most of the disciples in the Spirit Talisman Sect stood firmly with the Sect Master, including Lu Xian.
However, upon hearing that Shi Zhi still supported the Second Elder, Lu An's mind shifted. Shi Zhi might be the key to breaking the deadlock.
He informed the Sect Master about Shi Zhi's visit, and the Sect Master was delighted to hear the news.
After advising him to stay safe, Lu An quickly cut off the communication. He shook his head helplessly. It seemed that the Sect Master's situation was also difficult; ultimately, he would have to rely on himself.
He wasn't too worried, though. Since the Lingxiao Sect would only send Foundation Establishment cultivators, and he had two Foundation Establishment cultivators by his side, as long as he was careful, it shouldn't be a big problem.
Just as he was contemplating this, a burst of wild laughter came from above, followed by a figure descending from the sky. This person had black beard and hair and looked to be in his forties or fifties, but the spiritual pressure emanating from him was quite astounding.
Ying Chang and his wife's expressions changed drastically, and they exclaimed in surprise.
"A Core Formation cultivator!"
Seeing this person, Lu An's face lit up with joy, and he quickly went to greet him.
"Congratulations, Senior Gu, on breaking through and entering the Core Formation stage."
He bowed deeply, pleased.
Gu Chuanfei waved his hand and smiled.
"There's no need for such formalities. I must thank you for the Perfect Clear Heart Talisman that helped me achieve this breakthrough."
Having reached the Core Formation stage, his lifespan had increased to five hundred years, and even his originally white hair had turned black, making him look full of vitality.
Lu An humbly acknowledged this and then changed the subject.
"Since you've successfully broken through, you won't be staying in Guxian County for much longer, right?"
Gu Chuanfei nodded and said.
"That's right. Soon, I'll be going to Yongning County to take up the vacant position of the steward."
"I came this time to bid farewell and to give you this."
As he spoke, he took out a long sword from his storage bag and threw it over.
Lu An quickly caught it, and his eyes sparkled.
The Soul Devouring Sword!
He had previously asked Gu Chuanfei to make a black box into a sword sheath, and it seemed that it had now been completed.
The sheath was pitch black, blocking all external spiritual senses.
Drawing the sword, he found it three feet long, still pitch black, like a king of the night, looking down on everyone present.
Ying Chang and his wife also noticed the sword's peculiarities. The sunlight reflected off it without any glare, and they both silently admired the sword.
Lu An admired the sword for a while, then sheathed the Soul Devouring Sword and bowed again.
"Thank you, Senior, for the gift!"
Gu Chuanfei laughed heartily and said.
"This item is well-deserved by you. No need for further thanks. After I leave, I hope you can take care of Yuer. He's still young and might not be able to support the Gathering Source Pavilion."
"Don't worry, Senior. I will take care of it."
Gu Chuanfei nodded in satisfaction and was about to leave when Lu An called out to him.
"Senior, I have another request."
Gu Chuanfei stopped and turned to him.
"Speak freely, little friend."
"I would like you to help me get an introduction to the County Guard."
Gu Chuanfei was surprised. He knew the County Guard was the only Core Formation cultivator in Guxian County and even he had never met him. Now that he had reached Core Formation, he was indeed qualified.
"What is this about?"
"This matter concerns you as well. Let me explain in detail."
Lu An then recounted his connections with the Fang family and the background of Ying Chang and his wife, explaining everything to Gu Chuanfei.
Gu Chuanfei pondered for a long time and his expression grew serious.
"The Fang family? Little friend, forgive me for speaking frankly, although we have a close relationship, the Fang family has two Core Formation cultivators. Just relying on connections is not enough for me to confront someone of the same level."
"I'm not a cold-hearted person, but this matter…"
He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear. Although Lu An had helped him break through to Core Formation, the value of the Soul Devouring Sword he gave him was already equivalent or even higher than the Perfect Clear Heart Talisman.
It was out of the question for him to fight against someone of the same level for Lu An.
Lu An had anticipated his reaction and explained.
"It's not that I need you to confront Core Formation cultivators now, but if the Fang family discovers us, I hope you can protect us."
"Of course, I'm not an unreasonable person. I wouldn't ask you to work for nothing."
"Senior, please take a look at this item and see if it meets your standards."
With that, he took out an item from his robe and presented it to Gu Chuanfei.
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