Chapter 11
The Next Day.
Early in the morning.
Gu Changqing unusually did not absorb the morning’s purple aura.
There was no other way.
The cave dwelling leaked wind.
Although he had set up formations to block it, he still felt unsafe.
The broken walls and main gate needed new materials to be rebuilt. There wasn’t enough time yesterday, so they only cleared out the clutter.
“Senior Brother Gu.”
Chen Jian came to report early in the morning.
“Uncle Thirteen.”
Gu Xing’an also came bearing building materials.
Gu Changqing nodded and instructed them to repair the cave dwelling, then prepared to go out to pay respects to his master.
“Senior Brother Ji hasn’t woken yet?”
Gu Xing’an was full of complaints.
Gu Changqing sighed deeply. “Soon.”
The one who had been unconscious was obedient, but unfortunately, his temperament after waking was unpredictable.
Gu Xing’an snorted. “Troublemaker.”
Gu Changqing couldn’t help but smile silently. He had no intention of intervening in their conflicts; he would wait to see what Ji Yan would do after waking.
“I’m leaving first.”
“Going to the Scripture Pavilion?”
Gu Changqing glanced at him. “You’re so clever.”
“Hehe!” Gu Xing’an laughed.
Gu Changqing ignored him and turned to leave.
He definitely planned to visit the Scripture Pavilion, but first, he wanted to pay respects to his master.
He felt it was always better to secure what one has in hand.
His master had promised him the mountain-protecting formation but had not yet delivered it.
He wanted to remind his master and make his presence felt.
However, things proved otherwise.
His master was a man of his word.
The reason, however, was somewhat complicated.
At Little Spring Peak.
Gu Changqing had just reached halfway up the mountain.
“Ninth Junior Brother.”
Tang Zhiping called out from afar.
“Third Senior Brother.”
Gu Changqing cupped his hands respectfully.
“I was just about to look for you.”
Tang Zhiping moved swiftly and appeared before him.
“Is something the matter?”
Since the eldest senior brother had passed away, at Little Spring Peak, the second and third senior brothers held respect, and any matters involving the master were entrusted to them.
“Sigh!”
Tang Zhiping smiled faintly but looked at him sympathetically.
“The master knows you’re busy and told you not to come over to pay respects. This is the mountain-protecting formation; he instructed me to deliver it on his behalf, along with thirty thousand spirit stones. These were sent to you by Bing Ning.”
Gu Changqing was slightly stunned. What exactly did his master mean?
Tang Zhiping sympathized. “The master said you should head to North City as soon as possible, no need to bid him farewell.”
Gu Changqing: “...”
He never expected his master to be even more anxious than himself.
“This isn’t good, is it?”
“There’s no good or bad about it. The master is also annoyed over there. Master Ji is unreasonable, and Ji Yan is restless. You should leave the sect to avoid trouble. The master has already instructed that you need not worry about sect missions for ten years, just keep an eye on Ji Yan.”
“By the way, don’t cause trouble and come back.”
Tang Zhiping quickly added this, showing how much the master was troubled, treating him like a plague bearer.
“My disciple is unfilial; I have caused the master trouble.”
“Sigh, it’s not your fault.”
Everyone knew Gu Changqing was innocent.
“Don’t worry, you are still the ninth true disciple of Little Spring Peak; the master will not forget you.”
Gu Changqing chuckled inwardly.
His master never really remembered him while he was in the sect; it would be strange if he suddenly did after he left. But exempting him from sect missions for ten years was something he was very satisfied with.
He and his master were never close. Getting a generous compensation was enough.
...
Leaving Little Spring Peak,
Gu Changqing went to the Scripture Pavilion.
The sect leader had already instructed that he could come anytime to exchange for cultivation methods.
“Gu Changqing, right?”
An old man guarded the entrance. He was not a mere janitor; Gu Changqing had already assessed him as a fully accomplished Foundation Establishment elder.
“Greetings, Senior Uncle.”
Gu Changqing handed over his token.
“Hm!”
The old man responded flatly. “You may select freely below the fifth floor. You have one hour.”
“Yes!”
Gu Changqing bowed respectfully, knowing the rules of the Scripture Pavilion.
He had only ever visited the bottom two floors before; now, at last, he could behold the higher levels’ splendor.
Gu Changqing ascended directly to the fifth floor.
The sixth floor was the sect’s secret core zone, accessible only to Nascent Soul True Lords.
“What terrifying restrictions.”
Gu Changqing marveled inwardly. The higher he went, the greater the pressure he felt. Layers of barriers and dangers lurked everywhere, as if any misstep would shred him to pieces.
No wonder the sect entrusted such a place to a Foundation Establishment disciple.
Even Nascent Soul True Lords might hesitate to enter recklessly.
Countless glowing orbs floated in the fifth-floor pavilion.
Gu Changqing broadened his horizons, casually grasped one, and a stream of information flooded his mind.
“Qianyang True Scripture,” a Golden Core cultivation method, six layers in total, containing three secret techniques and two divine powers. Cultivation produces Qianyang True Fire, immensely powerful, but with no follow-up methods.
“Not bad.”
Pity it wasn’t his style.
He released the orb and grabbed another.
“Divine Movement Nine Changes,” a secret technique of nine layers, which, when mastered, allows shape-shifting at will and concealment of aura, undetectable by anyone less than two levels higher.
Gu Changqing’s eyes lit up. “Essential for killing and arson!”
He hadn’t expected to find a favorite secret technique so easily.
“But...”
He hesitated. He had already decided to choose a Heavenly Secret Technique.
Yet, encountering Divine Movement Nine Changes, he wanted both.
“Is this the sect’s profound heritage?”
Gu Changqing took a deep breath and gazed at the countless floating orbs before him, then calmly said, “Remove cultivation methods.”
“Swish.”
In the blink of an eye, a third of the orbs vanished.
“Only disguise techniques and heavenly secrets remain.”
“Swish!”
More orbs disappeared, leaving only a few.
But these all represented the sect’s essence.
No simple cultivation methods or secret techniques existed on the fifth floor.
Gu Changqing examined them one by one.
As for the Vital Energy Nourishment Scripture Fang Yaowen had mentioned, Gu Changqing never considered it; he didn’t think any method could nourish the body better than the Green Wood Longevity Art.
“Little Heaven-Cutting Technique, Plum Blossom Yi Dao, Divine Movement Nine Changes— which should I choose?”
Gu Changqing furrowed his brow, deep in thought.
The Little Heaven-Cutting Technique could intercept heavenly secrets and observe the future. The drawback was that it consumed life force heavily. Every use harmed the user, and the greater the event observed, the greater the damage.
The Plum Blossom Yi Dao could divine auspiciousness or misfortune, its accuracy depending on one’s cultivation depth. Its drawback was a backlash, but the backlash was not severe.
Divine Movement Nine Changes was essentially a disguise technique.
Essential for the sixth brother.
When traveling, who doesn’t have a few aliases?
Gu Changqing hesitated a while but ultimately chose the Plum Blossom Yi Dao.
As a cautious man, he coveted the Little Heaven-Cutting Technique but wouldn’t risk his life to intercept heavenly secrets.
The Plum Blossom Yi Dao’s small damage could be repaired with his Green Wood Longevity Art, so backlash wasn’t a concern.
Also, disguise techniques were not as mysterious as heavenly secrets. Though high-level methods were unavailable outside, he could use the Void Treasure Mirror to synthesize low-level ones, so no need to waste this opportunity on them.
Gu Changqing was self-aware; earning contribution points on his own, he might never get another chance to visit the fifth floor of the Scripture Pavilion in this lifetime.
He was satisfied to obtain one Heavenly Secret Technique.
With his decision made,
Gu Changqing pressed the orb to his forehead, and countless pieces of information flooded his mind.
The next moment,
He appeared outside the Scripture Pavilion.
They really wouldn’t let him stay a moment longer.
Gu Changqing, still dazed, reviewed the secret technique’s mysteries.
The old man guarding the door glanced at him and said flatly, “You’re done. Register.”
Then he threw him a magical device for recording information.
This was the sect’s way of controlling its disciples, recording all the cultivation methods they learned.
Gu Changqing entered the information.
The old man frowned.
Gu Changqing was the most eclectic disciple he had seen, exchanging the most cultivation methods.
“Young man, don’t be too ambitious.”
Gu Changqing smiled. He had previously exchanged methods just to have the Void Treasure Mirror appraise them.
“Go on, go on!”
The old man waved lazily and resumed dozing.
“Disciple takes his leave.”
...
Gu Changqing left the Scripture Pavilion.
On a nearby high mountain.
“Is the information accurate?”
“Accurate. It came from Little Spring Peak.”
“What if they find out?”
“What’s there to fear? We’ll have the freelancers handle it. I’ve already checked—he has at least thirty thousand spirit stones.”
“When will they set off?”
“Not sure. It should be within a few days. I heard Master Yu is also urging them to leave.”
“Good. Then I’ll make this move.”
“Haha, that’s the spirit. Don’t worry, senior brother, things won’t escalate. The Ji family still has Ji Heng, and Master Yu probably won’t interfere much. As long as we act carefully, no one will find out.”
“Besides...” The gray-clad man sneered, “You think I know this information for what reason? Probably someone wants to cause them trouble.”
Thirty thousand spirit stones was no small sum. Not to mention Ji Yan’s wealthy background, this heist was definitely worth it.
Even Gu Changqing hadn’t expected that as soon as he took possession of the thirty thousand spirit stones, many already knew.
Human hearts are ever-changing.
If he stayed in the sect, no one would scheme against him.
But once he left,
Forget sect loyalty; there was no friendship before interests.
Those disciples struggling in the outer and inner sects, along with impoverished freelancers, would be fools not to seize such a big opportunity.
As the saying goes, wealth should not be flaunted.
Pulling off a big score would bring vast resources, and some would be willing to take risks.
Moreover, since he and Ji Yan were of low rank, the risk of robbery was limited.
Of course, the main reason was that neither of them held high status; though their surface looked bright, the sect had already abandoned them.
Ji Yan’s spiritual roots were destroyed and could not cultivate.
Gu Changqing was destined to suffer backlash.
Therefore, they were both people without futures. Robbing them might cause minor trouble but would not provoke a major conflict.
Once over, it would be forgotten with time.
Gu Changqing was unaware of these schemes for now.
Returning to the cave dwelling.
Chen Jian was still diligently moving stones.
“Uncle Thirteen.”
Gu Xing’an happily toyed with a magical device.
“Swish, swish, swish!”
A first-rank superior-grade magical device was very sharp.
He grinned ear to ear.
Seeing Gu Changqing, he hurried to show off, “Uncle Thirteen, what do you think of this magical device? Aunt Thirteen... Senior Uncle Ji gave it to me as a welcome gift.”
Gu Changqing was slightly stunned. “He’s awake?”
“Yes. Senior Uncle Ji has a really good temper. I glared at him, and he still gave me a gift. He also gave Chen Jian a device, but that guy is sly and already hid it, saying he wants to keep it as a trump card.”
Chen Jian: “...”
His cheeks flushed slightly, feeling awkward.
Gu Changqing: “...”
A single magical device bought you over? Where’s your integrity?
Gu Xing’an babbled on, “Senior Uncle Ji speaks so gently. Uncle Thirteen, you’re lucky. In the future, go easy on him. Senior Uncle Ji said he’s just a bit unwilling, didn’t expect to involve you. He won’t take risks anymore. He said...”
Gu Changqing was too lazy to listen and turned away. Whoever wanted this nephew could have him.
Ji Yan’s “gentle” temper my foot.