Had their Yunshui Sect sacrificed something far more valuable for a trivial gain? Gu Miao’er clearly possessed the aptitude of a pure water spiritual root and had reached Foundation Establishment at seventeen. Yet after that, her cultivation had stalled.
Now, more than ten years later, she had only reached middle Foundation Establishment, while Feng Qiwu, whose reputation had once matched hers, had already formed her core. If Tang Yubai’s engagement to Feng Qiwu had not been dissolved, her achievement would have been a great occasion for the Yunshui Sect too.
If they had known back then that Gu Miao’er would have so little potential left, they would never have agreed to end Tang Yubai and Feng Qiwu’s engagement. Now Feng Qiwu had reached Golden Core, and she was far beyond the Yunshui Sect’s reach.
Given the Sword Sect’s forceful stance now, Feng Qiwu would most likely take a husband who joined her sect. Who in this world would willingly send a carefully nurtured disciple to someone else’s sect?
After another discreet glance at Gu Miao’er, the Yunshui Sect elder sighed deeply. Should he suggest something to his senior brother, the sect leader, when they returned? They ought to find Tang Yubai a suitable future Dao companion soon and stop binding him to Gu Miao’er.
Standing beside Tang Yubai, Gu Miao’er shivered. She had noticed her martial uncle’s scrutiny. Looking up at the dazzling Feng Qiwu, she bit her lip hard.
This was not how things had been in her dreams. In them, she had always kept Feng Qiwu beneath her feet. Why was she now standing below, looking up at her instead?
Gu Miao’er dug her nails into her palms, yet still had to look congratulatory. She simply could not understand. Why had everything gone smoothly in her dreams, with opportunities coming one after another, while in reality her cultivation remained stagnant?
Besides, her low cultivation kept her from even leaving the sect. Those opportunities from her dreams were now entirely beyond her reach. Remembering the way her fellow disciples usually looked at her made her feel even more painfully exposed.
Watching the shifting expressions on Gu Miao’er’s face below, Mo Yu poked Jiang Chan and gave her a wink. They had both come to Feng Qiwu’s Golden Core ceremony.
They were simply seated somewhere inconspicuous. After all, this was also to protect Jiang Chan.
The Sword Sect’s senior members all knew about her fighting ability. She was good at escaping, but in a real fight, she could not withstand even one move from a Sword Sect elder.
What could Jiang Chan do? She was helpless too. This really was not her fault. Xiao Jin’s little body was what it was. However hard she worked, she could not turn herself into someone like Mo Yu, able to fight hard and withstand attacks.
Seeing Mo Yu making faces at her, Jiang Chan calmly looked away. Such a perfectly good face, yet she insisted on pulling ridiculous expressions. It really ruined her image.
After glancing at Feng Qiwu and Tang Yubai standing below, Jiang Chan was about to look away when Gu Miao’er raised her head and met her eyes. At the sight of Jiang Chan’s eyes, the image of a little black mouse with a golden line between its brows suddenly appeared in Gu Miao’er’s mind.
The next moment, she shook her head. How could that be? That was a Treasure-Hunting Mouse, while this person was a distinguished Nascent Soul elder. They were entirely different.
As Gu Miao’er lowered her head again, a glint of golden light flashed through Jiang Chan’s eyes. In truth, she had not deliberately kept track of Gu Miao’er over the years. To think she was still carrying on.
If someone cultivated diligently, even with Thousand-Thread Vine inside them, they could not possibly advance only one level in more than ten years. Seeing the disdainful looks the Yunshui Sect disciples directed at Gu Miao’er, Jiang Chan understood.
It seemed she had developed an inner demon. That was good. It saved Jiang Chan from having to act again. In fact, as long as she did not activate it, the Thousand-Thread Vine would remain dormant inside Gu Miao’er.
If Gu Miao’er cultivated diligently, she could still form her core or even reach Nascent Soul with the vine inside her. But judging by things now… Jiang Chan rubbed her chin and stopped paying attention to her.
She would do nothing more to Gu Miao’er. Her present demeanor was enough for Jiang Chan to know that she would not travel much farther along the long path of immortal cultivation. How far could someone consumed by an inner demon go?
As soon as Feng Qiwu’s Golden Core ceremony ended, Mo Yu was impatient to drag Jiang Chan back to Alchemy Peak to cultivate. But Jiang Chan had her own idea. “Now that Feng Qiwu has reached Golden Core, she’ll definitely go out to gain experience. Why don’t we go along and broaden our horizons?”
Mo Yu could never sit still. At this, she was tempted, but she also wanted to refuse. She had planned to enter seclusion and cultivate diligently. Yet Jiang Chan’s suggestion was so enticing. What should she do?
“What’s there to agonize over? For someone like you, cultivating in seclusion won’t do much good. Going out and fighting battle after battle will help you improve more. Don’t you want to keep beating Feng Qiwu into the ground in the future?”
Knowing Mo Yu’s love of battle, Jiang Chan deliberately provoked her, and she took the bait at once. Seeing her undisguised excitement, Jiang Chan shook her head. She really was recklessly fearless.
Feng Qiwu acted quickly. Once her Golden Core ceremony was over, she set off to gain experience, bringing Mo Yu and Jiang Chan along.
Jiang Chan justified it readily. She was going to search for medicinal ingredients. Only with rare ingredients could she refine better pills, right? Mo Yu’s reason was simpler still. As Jiang Chan’s bodyguard, she naturally went wherever Jiang Chan went.
Feng Qiwu was exasperated. Who brought a bodyguard when going out? But remembering Jiang Chan’s pitiful fighting ability, she understood. Quietly, she changed her original destination, doing what little she could to help protect her.
Although Jiang Chan could endure solitude, remaining on the Sword Sect’s Alchemy Peak all the time was rather difficult. She rarely had a chance to visit a cultivation world. Surely she could go out and see something of it?
Of course, her main reason was to search for Soul-Nourishing Wood. The notice seeking information about it had hung in the Sword Sect’s Mission Hall for more than ten years without producing a single lead.
Jiang Chan was certain those people did not know what Soul-Nourishing Wood looked like. She therefore planned to go out and rely on her Treasure-Hunting Mouse abilities. Even if she could not find it, gathering other treasures would make the trip worthwhile.
She had many young disciples, after all, and Alchemy Peak’s alchemical tradition had to be passed on. Without sufficient resources, how could she teach them well?
At night, Feng Qiwu lit a campfire, while Jiang Chan took her true form and lay on Mo Yu’s belly. It was soft and wonderfully warm. Feng Qiwu sat beside Mo Yu, absentmindedly stroking the thick fur on her back.
In their third year away, Mo Yu had revealed her true form in a battle, and Feng Qiwu had happened to see her. Jiang Chan and Mo Yu had simply stopped trying to hide it. It was no great matter anyway.
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