Saint Who Lay Low

"You want me to find myself?"

Gu An almost laughed, but he held it in.

Ji Hantian wanted him to write about himself, while Jiang Qiong wanted him to find himself—though they referred to different identities, Gu An still found the situation ridiculous.

What kind of absurdity was this?

With a hesitant expression, Gu An replied, "My usual activities are mostly confined to the Medicine Valley, so it might be difficult for me to keep track of Pan An's whereabouts."

Jiang Qiong waved her hand dismissively. "That's not necessarily the case. Pan An loves to write, which means he must interact with people. His book Tai Xuan Immortal Sovereign has stirred up the emotions of many low-level cultivators. He likely communicates frequently with outer sect disciples and servant disciples. Just keep an eye out, and if you discover anything, let me know."

Hearing this, Gu An had no choice but to nod in agreement.

After discussing a few more things, Jiang Qiong called for Hu Mo, who was guarding the door, to retrieve a bag of high-level seeds and handed them to Gu An.

After leaving Jiang Qiong's residence, Gu An headed toward Heaven Mending Platform.

He had heard that Heaven Mending Platform had become the most popular attraction in the outer sect city, with disciples from both outer and inner sect cities coming to see it.

The battle a month ago had already spread across the cultivation world. Even Luo Hun from Tianya Valley had heard about it, indicating that Luo Hun occasionally left Tianya Valley.

As Gu An arrived at Heaven Mending Platform, he saw that at least ten thousand people were there.

Near the two large characters for "righteous path," many cultivators sat in meditation.

Gu An quickly spotted two familiar faces.

Zuo Yijian and Zuo Lin!

The father and son were meditating, observing the sword intent Gu An had left behind.

Gu An had used his sword intent to carve those characters, and the residual sword intent naturally attracted the sword cultivators of Tai Xuan Sect.

He also saw another person—his disciple, Su Han.

Su Han, also a sword cultivator, had made significant progress in his mastery of the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword, and his swordsmanship was rapidly improving, transforming his entire aura.

Gu An watched from a distance without disturbing anyone, listening in on the surrounding disciples' conversations.

"The Sword Master of the Dao's sword intent is truly overwhelming. I can't even imagine how profound his swordsmanship must be."

"I heard that the Sword Master of the Dao now possesses strength comparable to the deputy sect master. Even if he faced the sect master, he might not lose."

"Could the Sword Master of the Dao be the sect master himself?"

"Impossible. The sect master has already stated that he had no knowledge of Chu Xian's actions and has ordered a thorough investigation of anyone associated with Chu Xian. He promised that no matter their rank, anyone who violates the principles of Tai Xuan Sect will be punished."

"Just looking at these two characters fills me with passion. I heard that Pan An is planning to write about the Sword Master of the Dao in his book. I wonder what kind of story it will be."

The Sword Master of the Dao!

This was the title that Chu Tianqi, the sect master of Tai Xuan Sect, had given to the mysterious sword cultivator who killed Chu Xian.

The Sword Master of the Dao—upholding the righteous path. If Tai Xuan Sect were to engage in unjust actions or if any individuals violated the sect's principles, the Sword Master could act in the sect master's place, striking down corrupt figures, even the sect master himself, or slaying evil beings within the sect.

It sounded grand and authoritative, but to Gu An, it didn't seem very useful.

Chu Tianqi's proclamation served to protect his own reputation. Since conferring the title of Sword Master of the Dao, public opinion against him had significantly lessened. Instead, many praised him for his sense of responsibility, saying he was a sect master with remarkable poise and willingness to face challenges.

Gu An also overheard people questioning the sect master.

Specifically, they were questioning the Chu Family.

With Chu Tianqi and Chu Xian being related, it was hard for people not to associate them with each other.

This showed that there were turbulent undercurrents within Tai Xuan Sect. Some of the praise and criticism seemed to be deliberately staged, which was not the usual behavior of cultivators. Whether these people were merely pawns was uncertain.

However, none of this had anything to do with Gu An.

After spending a short time at Heaven Mending Platform, Gu An made his way to the Inner Sect's Transmission Array Platform.

He needed to go to the inner sect to purchase a large number of herb seeds. Although Gu Zong had given him many seeds on behalf of the sect, it was far from enough to cover a hundred miles of land.

The thought of filling an area of a hundred miles with his own herbs made Gu An feel excited.

A month ago, he had taken a risk and intervened. Not only had he saved those close to him, but he had also gained immense rewards—something he was quite satisfied with.

...

By the time the sun began to set, Gu An returned to the Third Medicine Valley. With the arrival of seven new servant disciples, the valley felt much more lively. They were busy clearing weeds and cultivating the land in all directions. In the distant mountains, the barking of spirit hounds echoed, giving the valley a peaceful, pastoral atmosphere.

Upon his return, Gu An immediately sensed the presence of Shen Zhen. She was once again waiting for him in his study.

As he climbed the stairs, he saw Shen Zhen standing by his bookshelf, reading. Hearing his footsteps, she put the book back and turned to face him.

After closing the door, Gu An asked, "Miss Shen, what brings you here today?"

"I heard you're going to write about the Sword Master of the Dao?" she inquired.

"I will include him, but the main focus will be on the events that took place in the outer sect a month ago."

"Be careful then. The Sword Master of the Dao's reputation has spread beyond the Tai Cang Dynasty. I just received a letter yesterday saying that sword cultivators from the Great Yu Dynasty are preparing to challenge him. Many believe that since you're writing about the Sword Master, you must have some connection to him. They think finding you will be easier than finding the Sword Master."

Shen Zhen chuckled softly as she spoke, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Gu An sighed. "How could I possibly meet the Sword Master of the Dao? To write about him, I have to go out and gather information from the outer sect."

"Don't worry. I haven't told anyone your identity. Not even my father, who tried to probe for information, could get anything out of me," Shen Zhen said as she placed a book on the table from her storage bag.

"Still, be careful. The Sword Master's strength has made many sects uneasy, and they're all trying to gather intelligence. Also, this is the book I wrote. In about a month, it will be available through the Scripture Pavilion for sale across the land. You can read it first," she said before walking out, brushing past Gu An as she left.

Since the two of them were already familiar with each other, Gu An didn't see her out. Instead, he walked to the desk, sat down, and picked up the book Shen Zhen had left.

Tai Xuan Secrets!

Hmm? It sounded quite proper.

Gu An began flipping through it, but as he read, his brows furrowed.

Goodness!

He had thought Shen Zhen's writing would be more restrained compared to The Adventures of Green Hero, especially when it came to relationships between men and women. He hadn't expected it to be even more explicit than that!

So, she acted all serious in front of him but was this uninhibited in her writing?

Surely this kind of content couldn't be published, right?

Gu An hoped that the Scripture Pavilion's review process would weed out the more problematic parts.

Despite his disapproval, he still found himself engrossed in the book.

Before he knew it, the entire night had passed.

As morning broke, Gu An gathered his disciples for their daily exercises. With more disciples now in the Third Medicine Valley, he felt that maintaining traditions was important. He even had Elder Tian join in.

After the exercises, Gu An assigned tasks. Three disciples stayed behind to plant seeds while the others continued clearing the land.

The area around the Third Medicine Valley was dense with forests, and transforming the landscape into farmland would take considerable time and effort. Even though Gu An could use spells to expedite the process, he preferred not to and reminded his disciples that this was a form of cultivation in itself.

The disciples, for their part, didn't feel tired. On the contrary, they were highly motivated. The larger the Third Medicine Valley became, the more they stood to benefit. With more herbs, they would have greater access to medicinal pills.

Life had taken on a peaceful rhythm.

Gu An spent most of his time in the Third Medicine Valley, focusing on farming and planting.

Five days later, Shen Zhen came to see him again, this time furious because her book had been rejected by the Scripture Pavilion.

Gu An almost laughed, but he managed to hold it in.

Shen Zhen, being stubborn, was determined to publish the book herself. She planned to secretly distribute it within the inner sect despite the pavilion's rejection.

Gu An advised her to revise the book and remove some content to get it approved, but she refused to listen.

Regardless, without the Scripture Pavilion's backing, Gu An doubted her book would become popular. His concerns eased significantly.

As winter snow blanketed the land, the world turned white.

At noon, Gu An visited Tianya Valley.

To his surprise, there was a new presence there, and the aura was not weak.

Sensing Gu An's arrival, Luo Hun leaped from the forest like a flying crane, landing gracefully in front of him.

"You've come at the right time. Let me introduce you to someone. He was sent here by the emperor. From now on, he'll take whatever herbs we harvest to assist in his cultivation breakthrough," Luo Hun said as he led Gu An toward the pavilions.

Gu An had never coveted the herbs in Tianya Valley; he only wanted to harvest them. After all, these herbs belonged to Li Xuandao.

As they approached a courtyard, the door to one of the houses opened, and a man dressed in white emerged.

[Yi Liuyun (Nascent Soul, Ninth Layer): 466/1208/2850]

Nascent Soul, Ninth Layer!

The emperor's forces were certainly formidable.

Yi Liuyun appeared to be in his forties, with a refined and elegant demeanor. His white robes accentuated his sword-like, aloof presence.

From across the courtyard, Yi Liuyun cupped his hands in greeting. "I am Yi Liuyun. Greetings, valley master."

Luo Hun introduced him further, saying, "Yi Liuyun is the emperor's first sword attendant. His swordsmanship is among the best in the Tai Cang Dynasty, and there are only a handful of people in the world who can match him in the way of the sword."

Gu An returned the greeting with a salute.

Yi Liuyun fixed his gaze on Gu An and asked, "Valley master, since you are a disciple of Tai Xuan Sect, do you know anything about the Sword Master of the Dao? What level of cultivation is he?"

The Sword Master of the Dao had gained worldwide fame, but people only knew that he had killed Chu Xian, who was at the Void Crossing stage. They didn't know that he had also crossed swords with Ji Hantian, the deputy sect master, and Ji Hantian had never mentioned it either, as if the battle had never occurred.

"I'm only an outer sect disciple, so I don't know much. However, there is sword intent left by the Sword Master at Heaven Mending Platform in the outer sect. You could go take a look, senior."

Swordsmen who inquired about the Sword Master were likely looking for a challenge.

Gu An figured it would be good for Yi Liuyun to visit Heaven Mending Platform and experience the overwhelming sword intent left behind, so he could see the vast difference between himself and the Sword Master.

As expected, when Yi Liuyun heard about the Sword Master's sword intent in Tai Xuan Sect, his eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he leaped into the air, flying directly toward the sect.

Gu An glanced at Luo Hun and asked, "He can just enter Tai Xuan Sect like that?"

Luo Hun nodded. "He carries the emperor's Sword Attendant Token, which allows him unrestricted access to all major sects."

Satisfied with the answer, Gu An made his way to the gardens, ready to harvest some of the nearly ripe herbs.

An hour later, he left Tianya Valley.

The new year arrived amid the chill of winter.

Shortly after the Spring Festival, Gu An returned to the outer sect. After collecting a batch of high-level herb seeds from Jiang Qiong, he went to Heaven Mending Platform to check out the scene.

Zuo Yijian and his son were still sitting cross-legged, deep in sword meditation. Gu An also spotted Yi Liuyun among the crowd.

The man was sitting near the two characters for "righteous path," his brow furrowed in intense thought.

Gu An's gaze shifted upward to the person sitting directly above the character for "Dao," and his expression darkened.