Longevity: Starting as a Sect Servant

"This Array... is extremely complex. This disciple can only make out some of the simplest things. To comprehend it on a deeper level, I’m afraid it will take a very long time."

Li An answered respectfully.

"A very long time, hmm..."

Gu Xuening pondered for a moment, then said, "Take it and study it properly. This item did not come easily; it is the very essence of the path of Arrays. However much you can comprehend from it will be your own good fortune."

"If you can gain something from it, perhaps in the future you really can rely on Arrays to gain a foothold within Qingyuan Mountain."

She did not tell Li An what use researching this Bone Transformation Array would be, and Li An did not ask. He immediately expressed his thanks respectfully, took the Array Map, and withdrew.

After he left, Gu Xuening let out a sigh and said, "Without this Bone Transformation Array, how could we block the prying of Taiyi, or even Daluo? That thing... is ultimately not easy to obtain."

"Wait a little longer."

...

After obtaining the Array, Li An buried himself in it, pretending to study.

In truth, what he was mainly doing was continuously absorbing the eerie qi to restore his own Cultivation.

After all, he should already be the only person in this world who has truly mastered the Bone Transformation Array. To fool Gu Xuening and the others was easy as could be; he only needed to periodically show some "progress."

Zhao Yulu, on the other hand, was quite warm toward Li An, sending letters from time to time. Using all sorts of pretexts—sparring over Cultivation, discussing Dao Scripture—she probed him indirectly, extracting tidbits of information about Three Elements Valley.

When she learned that Li An was currently under his master’s orders to study an Array, she became all the more interested and wanted to obtain that Array Map. Li An refused.

It was necessary to give her a little sweetness, but only to let her see it.

When it comes to what a woman wants, letting her have it versus letting her feel she can have it—that’s the dividing line between an honest man and a Tea King.

Sure enough, Zhao Yulu took even more notice of Li An and grew closer to him. Even Zhou Ruidao, Chen Zhuang, and the others had heard some rumors and envied him immensely.

But it also brought him some trouble, and some malice.

"Brother Xue Sword and I really are just ordinary friends. He’s the person I admire most. A man ought to be like him—never bowing to fate, possessing a powerful drive to improve himself!"

As for these rumors, Zhao Yulu only offered this explanation.

...

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, another dozen or so years passed. During this period, Gu Xuening had only summoned Li An three times, each time to inquire about the status of the Bone Transformation Array. Li An had his measure just right: he performed prominently, but not to a heaven-defying degree. He looked, in truth, just like a fairly talented disciple who had reached his limits after exhausting himself in bitter Cultivation.

Gu Xuening neither affirmed nor denied, but Li An could tell that she had grown increasingly fond of this disciple she had originally taken on just to serve as a facade.

After all, a person who is endlessly diligent and refuses to submit to fate is easy to inspire sympathy for.

"Not bad..."

That day, when she once again tested Li An’s Cultivation成果, Li An, seeing the time was ripe, deliberately revealed some heavy-weight material.

This made Gu Xuening nod repeatedly, with a faint gleam in her eyes!

She truly hadn’t expected that Li An had researched it to such a depth.

Though this man’s Spirit Root was extremely poor, this level of comprehension and perseverance was indeed quite impressive.

"Many thanks for Master’s great kindness. This Array has raised my understanding of this path by more than one level. This disciple will surely go through fire and water for Master, without the slightest hesitation!"

Li An spoke up at just the right moment—this was him hooking her.

Come on, what exactly do you want to do? Just follow this line and say it.

But Gu Xuening’s gaze flashed with a trace of hesitation, and in the end she merely waved a hand and said, "Just having this intention gladdens your teacher greatly. Go back and continue your Cultivation."

Li An couldn’t help being surprised. She still restrained herself, not letting Li An take part?

However, when he thought about it, he also felt at ease. Although Li An was her personally recruited disciple, what she wanted was clearly of enormous import. Even with Li An... she probably still couldn’t bring herself to trust him fully.

So she was still hesitating.

Letting Li An study the Array in the early stage showed she truly needed someone’s help.

Not directly bringing Li An into the game now, however, meant she had her misgivings.

Li An kept his expression steady and said, "This disciple obeys."

After leaving.

A few days later, he met Zhao Yulu again.

On a deserted peak, the two of them stood side by side watching the sunset. Zhao Yulu naturally slipped her arm through Li An’s and leaned against his shoulder. She wore a moon-white skirt and blouse, her fine hair streaming in the wind, a faint fragrance blowing over. Li An’s heart thumped wildly.

"Brother Xue Sword, I want to meet your master. After all, I... ought to pay my respects to her elder self."

A blush spread over Zhao Yulu’s cheeks. Like ordinary mortal lovers, they had finally reached the stage of talking about "meeting the parents," and Li An’s heart instantly started pounding.

A smug little smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"Master, her elder self, is currently at a critical juncture. If her closed-door Cultivation succeeds, she may leave, but where to, I don’t know either... she probably doesn’t have time in the near future."

Li An casually let slip a piece of information.

Zhao Yulu stiffened slightly and said, "You’re her chief disciple. She didn’t tell you?"

Li An shook his head. "Master only had me study an Array before, but when I asked her a few days ago, she said nothing about where she planned to go and seemed unwilling to let me know."

Zhao Yulu thought for a moment, then pressed her scented lips close to Li An’s ear, her breath orchid-sweet at his ear as she whispered, "Brother, what Array exactly did Valley Master Gu teach you? Will you tell me, please?"

She planted a kiss on Li An’s cheek.