Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

Hu Master, accompanied by the alchemists from Cuiyan Valley, was halfway to Tian Shui Market when he received a message from there. After reading the contents, Hu Master let out a slight sigh of relief. It seemed that the Lord’s Mansion’s actions were not as well-received as he had feared, and Gu Yao’s situation wasn’t as bad as he had thought.

He had high regard for Gu Yao’s alchemy skills and didn’t want him to be suppressed by the Lord’s Mansion. He also didn’t want him to carry an ill reputation or become a stain on his future, which could affect his legacy. At the same time, he was concerned about his grandson being implicated, which is why, upon learning of the situation, he decided to go offer support.

Tian Shui Market.

The streets had been buzzing with controversy over Gu Yao’s actions, but soon after, a new voice began to spread among the cultivators. Some of those who had harshly criticized Gu Yao’s methods started asking why they didn’t direct their anger at the merchants who had hiked up the prices of pills. Why not criticize the alchemists of the Lord’s Mansion and other factions who hadn’t even shown their faces? How many pills had those alchemists even made for the fighters on the front lines? Those who were angry only directed their ire at Gu Yao, simply because he didn’t have a strong backing. They were picking on him because he was an easy target.

Others listed the merchants with the highest prices for pills, and, unfortunately, Duobao Pavilion topped the list. It wasn’t a surprise, though. The staff at Duobao Pavilion were arrogant and looked down on regular cultivators, a reputation that had been well-known for a while. Many lower-tier cultivators had been called “paupers” by them. And everyone knew which faction backed Duobao Pavilion. It was likely that most people were aware of this connection, so why didn’t the Lord’s Mansion’s forces focus on helping the cultivators at the front line?

Some even brought up Gu Yao’s name, accusing him of not caring about the lives of the cultivators fighting the sea beasts. To this, others brought up Duobao Pavilion. They said, “If you have the ability to make Duobao Pavilion lower their prices and sell pills at a fair price, we’ll happily join you in criticizing Gu Yao. But the real question is, do you dare? Which sect are you from? Where are the alchemists from your sect? Why don’t you call them over or have them make some pills for the front line?”

With such criticism directed at other targets, the accusations against Gu Yao slowly started to fade. The crowd’s collective anger was no longer solely aimed at him.

As Gu Yao, preparing to depart to hunt the sea beasts, heard about the situation in the market, he blinked and asked, “Could it be Brother Jiang’s doing?”

It was obvious that someone was secretly influencing things; otherwise, how could the public opinion have changed so quickly? Moreover, the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce had some involvement here, though the outsiders were unaware. The Xingyue Chamber of Commerce had quietly amassed wealth.

Jiang Yan smiled and glanced over at Chi Changye, then said, “Sort of. The actions of the Lord’s Mansion were really excessive, and Gu Yao, you’re a member of our Tianfu Academy, and you came out with us on this mission. It’s only right and necessary to protect your reputation. As long as you’re unaffected, that’s all that matters.”

This was something he and Chi Changye were both concerned about, which was why Chi Changye had come to him in secret to quickly reverse the public opinion. If the Lord’s Mansion had pushed Gu Yao into the fire, then let the Lord’s Mansion taste the consequences themselves. Although they couldn’t shake the Lord’s Mansion’s position, they could at least make them uncomfortable.

Jiang Yan didn’t do much. He just had people from the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce and Tianfu Academy change their identities and infiltrate various parts of the market. As long as they casually mentioned a few things during conversations, the rumors would spread. Compared to Gu Yao working alone to refine pills, the medicines in the shops were ready-made. These merchants would rather hoard them than lower their prices.

Would those merchants dare to say they were running out of pills? Even if they were low, they would organize shipments from the inland, which was much faster than Gu Yao refining pills on-site. No matter how great an individual’s power, there were limits.

Sure enough, with a little guidance, the discussions outside quickly became heated.

Fortunately, Gu Yao wasn’t greatly affected, which pleased Jiang Yan. Gu Yao’s current achievements were not by chance; his mental fortitude was impressive.

“It’s nothing. Who hasn’t been talked about? As long as you stand high enough, those rumors will disappear on their own,” Gu Yao waved his hand indifferently. He had been through this before. When you reach a high enough position, there will always be people who support you, and Gu Yao was already calm and composed, unaffected by these trivial matters.

“That’s right! Well said!” Lu Qiusheng slapped Gu Yao’s shoulder excitedly. Those words really suited his temperament. Many of the people who criticized Gu Yao outside were actually envious and jealous, “Come on, let’s go! I’ll show you, Junior Brother Gu, my power!”

Gu Yao couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Lu Qiusheng in action before. Didn’t he see him personally in Ganggu Town?

The group left Tian Shui Market, chatting and laughing along the way. Occasionally, someone greeted Jiang Yan and Gu Yao. The truly wise ones would never follow the crowd in criticizing Gu Yao. Who would they turn to for pill refining if they offended him? While most pills could be bought with spirit stones, high-grade pills weren’t so easily obtained, so befriending Gu Yao had its advantages.

Even if they really managed to force him into the Lord’s Mansion to refine pills, did they think those pills would fall into the hands of the cultivators who were harshly criticizing him? Dream on!

Gu Yao, with his great temperament, responded to those who greeted him. The little black cat on his shoulder caught a lot of attention. Some people who saw them leaving the market immediately guessed their destination was the front lines to fight the sea beasts. Those who had planned to rest quickly followed suit, and after Gu Yao’s group disappeared from view, several teams started to leave the market one after another.

Some of these people were hoping to get to know Gu Yao, perhaps offering help in a crisis, securing a favor in return. Others followed with a more malicious attitude, doubting that a mere alchemist could have much combat ability, eager to see if he would slow down his teammates. There was also a team that secretly followed them with less honorable intentions.

At the Lord’s Mansion, Ruan Xinhui’s mood soured again. At first, she was pleased with the public criticism of Gu Yao. She wanted to see if he could keep his composure after stirring up so much anger. But unexpectedly, the backlash quickly hit Duobao Pavilion, which infuriated her so much that she angrily threw the cup she was holding.

“Those poor fools! If they don’t have spirit stones, they shouldn’t buy pills! I bet they’ll die early!” Ruan Xinhui sneered, “Want Duobao Pavilion to lower their prices? Dream on! If they have the guts, they shouldn’t come to Duobao Pavilion to buy!”

A typical case of double standards!

“Where is Gu Yao? Where is he hiding? Didn’t he say he was going to kill the sea beasts? In the end, he’s still a coward!” Ruan Xinhui cursed.

“Miss,” while she was still cursing, someone ran in to report, “I just saw the people from Tianfu Academy and Gu Yao leaving the market. Those people followed them, so just wait for the good news.”

Ruan Xinhui immediately felt a sense of relief, as though she had just had a glass of iced tea on a hot summer day, the coolness refreshing her: “Haha, I want to see if he comes back alive. Who told him to challenge me!”

Elder He also received the news and narrowed his eyes. Too many geniuses wasn’t a good thing. He had tried to get close to Chi Changye, trying to persuade him to join the Lord’s Mansion, and hinted that after making certain contributions, he could go to Changxian Sect. But it didn’t have any effect. Was this person unable to understand, or was he pretending to be deaf?

Compared to Gu Yao, He felt that Chi Changye posed a greater threat. Now, most people were focusing on Gu Yao, while neglecting Chi Changye, which was not a good thing. Moreover, the Lord didn’t like situations that weren’t under control.

Looking at his bone age, he was at most in his twenties. A Golden Core at that age was a rare talent, even in the Changxian Sect, he would be considered an outstanding genius. Thinking of his own situation, a hint of jealousy flashed in Elder He’s eyes. Those who were too talented always made others uneasy.

In fact, without Chi Changye, what could Gu Yao accomplish? How much self-preservation power could an alchemist have?

Gu Yao’s group arrived at one of the outposts a day later. Before they set out, they received urgent news that sea beasts were attacking, so they rushed here.

Looking down from above, even Gu Yao, who had witnessed the insect race invasions, couldn’t help but take a sharp breath. Below, the sea beasts were packed tightly together, the mixture of salty and foul odors overwhelming the senses. The scene was indescribable. Perhaps someone with a weaker will might be so overwhelmed by the stench that their legs would give out, wanting to flee.

However, Gu Yao simply took a deep breath and showed no other signs of distress. Chi Changye, seeing this, felt relieved and softly advised, “There are quite a few people following us, and their intentions may not be the same. Be extra cautious.”

Even though he was keeping watch, Chi Changye still hoped that Gu Yao would remain vigilant. He didn’t want to see Gu Yao getting hurt.

Gu Yao glanced back. There were several different auras behind them, and he could clearly sense one that carried ill intentions. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, but when he looked at Chi Changye, he smiled and said, “Big Brother Ye, don’t worry. I’ll protect myself first, then go hunt the sea beasts.”

“Mm.” Chi Changye nodded, not finding anything wrong with this approach. The road to the grand path was difficult, but first, one had to stay alive in order to have a chance to advance.

Moreover, he felt that traveling the grand road would be much more pleasant with Gu Yao by his side. He just hoped that Gu Yao shared the same sentiment.

Various spiritual lights flickered below, as some cultivators who had arrived earlier were hunting the demon beasts. Jiang Yan, experienced as he was, scanned the area and pointed to a location below, saying, “Let’s go there. We’ll use that spot as a base and gradually push forward, clearing out the sea beasts.”

“Okay, we’ll follow Brother Jiang’s lead.” The others agreed. The location was high up with a broad view, and they wouldn’t have to worry about being suddenly ambushed by sea beasts.

The group flew down on their magic tools, and before they landed, various attacks were already unleashed because the high ground had already been occupied by sea beasts. They needed to reclaim it first.

With a loud roar, Gu Yao saw a hard-shelled crab-like sea beast below, its claws blasted off, though its large pincers still swung wildly in the air. The defense of its hard shell was no joke, but then a sword qi, crackling with thunder, descended and split the sea beast cleanly in half. The surrounding sea beasts were also caught in the blast, and a large number of them were killed.

Cultivators from Tianfu Academy who had seen Chi Changye in action weren’t too surprised, but the disciples from Tianhai Gate, who had never witnessed such power, were left dumbfounded, almost forgetting to continue their attack.

In no time, they had cleared out the high point, but the stench remained unbearable. Several cultivators worked together to deal with it, dousing the area with water and using fire to burn away the bodies of the sea beasts. Useful parts were harvested, and the rest was set alight.