Chapter 2

Spring turned to autumn, and a year passed unnoticed in the medicine valley of the Taixuan Sect. One day, the door of a pavilion opened, and sixteen-year-old Gu An stepped out alongside Meng Lang and Li Ya. The three turned back to bow respectfully toward the room before Meng Lang closed the door.

They all breathed a sigh of relief and then began descending the stairs.

Once they reached their own courtyard, Meng Lang couldn’t help but grumble, "How could he talk for an entire hour about that? Why didn’t he just hand us the 'Herbal Compendium' instead?"

Li Ya shook his head helplessly, then walked over to the corner of the courtyard, picked up the sword kept in the yard, and began practicing. Although his spiritual roots were ordinary, he came from a royal lineage and had a set of exquisite sword technique in his possession. He was determined to rise through the ranks using this swordsmanship.

The Taicang Dynasty respects the cultivation of immortality. All civil and military officials practiced it, and the dynasty classified its citizens into four ranks: Slave, Commoner, Official, and Immortal.

Merchants fell under the commoner rank, and only those who achieved the Immortal rank were considered true nobility. Ordinary officials could only hold positions in towns, while the lord of a county or the governor of a province all held the Immortal rank, not to mention the imperial city Changluo. If you want to enter Changluo, you must be an immortal.

Many noble families with Immortal status exiled their offspring with poor spiritual roots to preserve the purity of their bloodlines, and the royal family was no exception.

No matter how downfallen Li Ya was, Gu An, who held the slave rank, couldn’t afford to provoke him.

Over the past year, Gu An had focused on helping Li Ya and Meng Lang by harvesting medicinal herbs, mostly in the summer or early mornings. His efforts made the two of them hold good feelings for him.

But, at other times when they were doing other chores like planting, watering and fertilizing, Gu An refrained from helping them. And they were also embarrassed to ask him because Zhang Chunqiu would often stand in the attic and observe at them.

As Meng Lang continued to chatter away, Gu An kept his eyes on Li Ya, who was practicing his swordsmanship.

Every man has a dream of becoming a swordsman.

The three of them had spent a year together, living and working side by side, and had built a solid friendship. Li Ya didn’t mind them watching his practice, knowing that without the unique breathing techniques of the Li Clan, mastering the sword moves alone would be useless.

After a while, Meng Lang finally ran out of things to say. He patted Gu An on the shoulder and smiled,"You kid, you don't usually practice martial arts, why are you so interested in swordsmanship?"

Gu An casually replied, "My talents are mediocre, so I am too lazy to train. I watch him practice swordsmanship because I am bored. Don't you think life in Medicine Valley is boring?"

“Yeah, it’s too boring here,” Meng Lang sighed.. "Back home, I had four maids to keep me entertained, you know…" And with that, he started bragging again.

Gu An was used to his boastful nature and was too lazy to expose him.

It wasn’t until dusk that Li Ya finally finished his sword practice. He kept his sword back into the yard and wiped the sweat from his brow. 

"I’m going to take a walk in the grove," he said, and walked towards the gate of the yard without waiting for Gu An and Meng Lang to reply.

As soon as Li Ya left, Meng Lang muttered under his breath, "What do you think he’s always doing in that grove?"

Gu An shrugged. "How should I know? He’s a royal, after all. It’s normal for him to have some secrets. Who knows? Maybe one day he’ll return to be a prince."

"Impossible. He’s been sent here as a servant."

"But think about it, Why did he come to the Taixuan Sect out of all the places in the world? Why come here to be a servant?"

Meng Lang was taken aback by Gu An’s words.

Without saying more, Gu An walked over to the well, scooped up a ladle of water, and drank it in one gulp. He set the ladle down and began to head out of the courtyard.

Meng Lang didn’t follow; he knew what Gu An was up to. He muttered something and went back to the house to practice his skills. 

Gu An made his way to a garden where second-tier spirit herbs, Serenity Grass, were planted.

Throughout the year, Gu An had mostly been harvesting first-tier herbs. These spirit herbs weren’t like ordinary plants; they required much longer to mature, with many needing years before they could be harvested. Thus, Gu An’s harvest over the past year had been relatively small.

Zhang Chunqiu had mentioned that in another month, they could start harvesting the Serenity Grass in this garden. That would be their first time to pick second-level medicinal herbs. Gu An had been looking forward to it for a long time.

To him, the deep blue Serenity Grass was not just a medicinal herb— but a way for him to gain a lot of life.

Suddenly, Gu An noticed a stalk of Serenity Grass swaying unnaturally. He looked closely and his face changed instantly. He immediately climbed over the wooden fence and rushed over.

There, he saw a palm-sized white-furred rat digging at the soil beneath the Serenity Grass, as if it wanted to pull it up by the roots.

When Gu An charged forward, the white-furred rat was so frightened that it immediately bolted away, moving as fast as lightning, and quickly disappeared under the wooden fence at the edge of the area, vanishing without a trace.

Gu An wanted to chase after it, but he noticed that the Serenity Grass had been nibbled on, with its stem broken. He quickly squatted down and took out a piece of spirit protection paper from his waist.

He swiftly plucked the Quiet Heart Grass with his left hand, then wrapped its root with the Spirit Protection Paper using his right hand to prevent the spiritual energy from dissipating.

After securing it, Gu An stood up.

【You have successfully acquired 4 years of lifespan from the Serenity Grass (Second Tier)】

Before Gu An could smile, another line of text appeared before him:

【Your lifespan has exceeded 1,000 years for the first time, unlocking the Lifespan Inspection function】

Lifespan Inspection?

Gu An was curious, so he glanced at the Serenity Grass on the ground and mentally thought, 'Inspect lifespan.'

【Serenity Grass (Second Tier): 4/25/102 years (Age/Lifespan/Lifespan Limit)】

This Serenity Grass has a lifespan limit of 102 years?

The acquired lifespan differs from its original lifespan, so it seems that not all of a target's lifespan can be completely taken; most of it dissipates with the target's death.

Gu An didn't understand the difference between lifespan and lifespan limit, perhaps it had something to do with cultivation.

He picked up the bandaged Serenity Grass, stood up, and walked towards Zhang Chunqiu's pavilion.

All the herbs in the Medicine Valley had to be handed over to Zhang Chunqiu for safekeeping, and Gu An and the other two received their wages as miscellaneous disciples of the Taixuan Sect every six months, which consisted entirely of spiritual stones and elixirs for cultivation. Zhang Chunqiu would also reward them with herb seeds based on their performance.

Gu An had three Serenity Grass plants in his room, one more than Meng Lang and Li Ya, but the two of them didn't envy him.

As Gu An stepped out of the garden, he saw someone climbing the stairs to Zhang Chunqiu's pavilion. It was an elderly man dressed in black, carrying a bookcase on his back, wearing a black cloth hat, and giving off a very mysterious vibe.

Looking at the elderly man from a distance, Gu An's mind stirred, and he checked the man's lifespan. Two lines of prompts immediately appeared before his eyes:

【Cheng Xuandan (Eighth Level of Qi Refinement): 104/120/180】

Cheng Xuandan!

The master of Medicine Valley and Gu An's nominal master, who he'd only heard about from Zhang Chunqiu. Cheng Xuandan had been traveling for years, and today was the first time Gu An had seen him.

Cheng Xuandan, at the age of 104, had a lifespan of 120 years, with a lifespan limit of 180 years. That is to say, if nothing unexpected happens, he can only live for the next 16 years.

Gu An found the Lifespan Inspection feature quite interesting, as it allowed him to assess others' cultivation levels and potential.

He speculated that the lifespan limit might represent the peak of an individual's potential, though this hypothesis would need further testing to confirm.

Cheng Xuandan entered Zhang Chunqiu's room and closed the door behind him.

Gu An then walked into Zhang Chunqiu's courtyard, placed the bandaged Serenity Grass on a long table, and turned to leave.

He returned to his own courtyard and first visited Meng Lang, who was cultivating inside his room.

【Meng Lang (Second Level of Qi Refinement): 17/90/190】

Hmm, as expected, a weakling.

After learning Meng Lang's lifespan, Gu An didn't talk much and quickly returned to his own room.

He waited until nightfall. That is to say, if nothing unexpected happens, he can only live for the next 16 years.

Li Ya was about to head to his own room when he saw Gu An opening the door and couldn't help but ask, "What's the matter?"

Gu An checked his lifespan and replied, "Master is back. How about we go visit him together tomorrow?"

【Li Ya (Sixth Level of Qi Refinement): 18/210/1550】

Hiss—

A lifespan limit of 1,550 years!

Is this the talent of a royal descendant?

Isn't Li Ya also of mixed spiritual roots?

Gu An's view of Li Ya instantly changed. Perhaps Li Ya was a hidden genius who will shine sooner or later. 

Moreover, this guy's cultivation had already reached the sixth level of Qi Refinement!

What does this mean?

A wolf in sheep's clothing?

The cultivation stages Gu An was familiar with, ranked from lowest to highest, were Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Divine Transformation, with each major stage further divided into nine minor levels. 

Li Ya, at 18 years old, had already reached the sixth level of Qi Refinement. It wouldn't be long before he could establish his foundation and be promoted to an official disciple of the Taixuan Sect.

A genius like Li Ya must be befriended!

Hearing this, Li Ya raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded, saying: "Alright, you are very thoughtful. Call me when you get up tomorrow."

With that, he turned and walked towards his room.

Gu An watched as Li Ya closed the door and felt a wave of emotion.

Indeed, social hierarchies exist in every world. The difference in their statuses made it unlikely for him and Li Ya to become true friends.

But Gu An wasn’t upset. Having grown up as a servant, he was accustomed to being ignored and looked down upon. He didn’t resent Li Ya for this—after all who told him to look so mediocre.

It didn’t matter. 

With his golden finger that could steal lifespans, Gu An believed he would eventually achieve immortality. Before that, he needed to lie low and quietly accumulate lifespan.

If he wanted peace, he couldn’t afford to stir up trouble or get into conflicts. The quieter he remained, the better!

A smile spread across Gu An's face as he turned and closed his door.

The moon was full that night, and its light spread across the stone steps in the courtyard like water.

...

At dawn, in the main hall.

Gu An, Meng Lang, and Li Ya stood side by side. 

In front of them, Cheng Xuandan sat on a chair with a cup of hot tea in his hand. Zhang Chunqiu stood next to him.

【Zhang Chunqiu (Fifth Level of Qi Refinement): 54/110/175】

Gu An felt that this senior brother’s potential was quite low, but then again, a place like Medicine Valley was just one of many within the Taixuan Sect. Having someone like Li Ya emerge from it was already rare.

Besides, compared to these people, Gu An had initially been the most hopeless.

Cheng Xuandan raised his clouded eyes to look at Gu An and the other two and said, "I’ve heard about your performance from your senior brother. As this is our first meeting, I should give you a gift."

"You may choose from the Book of a Hundred Herbs, Qi Cultivation Technique, and the Poisonous Wood Vine Spell. You can only choose one, and you are not allowed to share it with others. If I find out you’ve done so, the punishment will be severe."

Meng Lang, eager as always, spoke first, "Master, I want the Poisonous Wood Vine Spell!"

Gu An thought that no one would want the Book of a Hundred Herbs, so he decided to let Li Ya choose first as a gesture of goodwill.

Li Ya then said, "This disciple wants the Book of a Hundred Herbs."

Gu An looked at him in surprise.

Brother, aren’t you playing against the rules?

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