Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 83: Goodbye, Gu Hong

Gu Hong put down the book in her hand and stood up, saying, "Please follow me, esteemed guest."

She remained calm as usual and led Li An into the inner hall.

Although he trusted Gu Hong, Li An still kept his spiritual awareness fully activated, carefully sensing his surroundings.

There were no preset traps or formations.

Gu Hong directly led Li An into her own chamber and closed the door.

"Li..." she turned around, her eyes filled with uncontrollable excitement and joy. She was about to speak, but Li An made a gesture to silence her, then quickly set up two formations.

One of them could weaken the transmission of sound, preventing the sound in this room from reaching the outside world. Of course, this was only an advanced formation and couldn't shield against the detection of spiritual awareness. So, hidden within this formation was a Thunderous Shock Talisman!

Over the years, Li An had purchased five talismans in the city, two Thunderous Shock Talismans and three Exploding Talismans. He had done this openly, making it even more difficult for people to associate him with the talisman master Li An.

The other formation was a killing formation.

After completing all of this, Li An turned around and smiled at Gu Hong, saying, "Fellow Daoist Gu, it has been many years. I hope you are well!"

Gu Hong's eyes were filled with long-lost joy, as if she had a thousand words to say, but in the end, she just smiled and said, "I hope you are well too."

The two of them sat down and began to inquire about each other's experiences over the years.

The information Li An had gathered was similar to what he had heard. Back then, Gu Hong had brought her master to seek help from their senior brother Zhang Deyi in Baihu City, hoping to ask for assistance in finding the medicine for the Little Returning Pill.

However, to their surprise, Zhang Deyi seemed to have changed completely. He only met them once and coldly rejected their request, then drove them away.

Gu Hong had no choice but to stay in the city with her master.

Originally, with Gu Hong and Gusuixi's abilities, they could have lived a good life in the city. However, they were constantly targeted, as if someone deliberately wanted to drive them away.

In order to avoid direct conflict with Zhang Deyi, Gu Hong and her master had been enduring all these years. In terms of business, they deliberately avoided competing with Zhang Deyi's side.

"Our senior brother used to be kind-hearted and generous, sigh..." Gu Hong sighed lightly.

"The human heart is the hardest to fathom," Li An also spoke up, but he couldn't help but think of his incomplete second-grade inheritance being exposed.

According to Gu Hong's account, there was a stark contrast in Zhang Deyi's behavior before and after!

"Was he possessed by someone?" This thought flashed through Li An's mind involuntarily.

It was highly possible.

His alchemy skills had made rapid progress, and his insights were extraordinary. Moreover, he was extremely hostile towards his former acquaintances...

Li An had a deep understanding of possession.

Generally speaking, after a possession, the original soul wouldn't immediately perish.

Instead, it would remain in the body, constantly being squeezed for survival space.

During this process of struggle and competition, if someone or something that the original soul cared about appeared, it could ignite a strong fighting spirit and unwillingness within the original soul, thus affecting the stability of the possessor.

If that was the case, everything could be explained.

Zhang Deyi definitely had a strong aversion towards Gu Hong and her master, and didn't want to see them. So, he mobilized his power and connections in the city to suppress them and drive them away.

There were even rumors circulating that a prominent figure in Baihu Mountain disliked Gu Hong and her master, causing everyone to be afraid to approach them for alchemy.

The source of all this should be Zhang Deyi.

Even Li An had concerns, so he only considered Gu Hong and her master as backup options.

If it weren't for Luo Yong's betrayal, Li An might have really sought out Zhang Deyi for alchemy.

But Gu Hong, in order to gather small Huan Dan pills for her master, stubbornly survived in the city. As a result, Zhang Deyi couldn't completely eliminate her. If Gu Hong and her master died or something big happened, the original owner's soul would also struggle violently.

It was a case of fearing the rat and avoiding the trap.

He could only pretend not to see.

These thoughts flashed through Li An's mind, but he didn't mention a word.

Gu Hong and her master were only Foundation Building cultivators and hadn't reached this level yet. Even if he told them, it would only add to their troubles.

He briefly recounted his own experience, only telling Gu Hong that when the demonic cult attacked the market, he happened to be away. Later, he hid in the Cuiyue Valley for many years to cultivate. After the Zhao family's calamity, he came directly to Baihu City.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Li, you mentioned in your letter that you need my master's help in refining Foundation Building pills. Have you gathered all the materials for the Foundation Building pills?" Gu Hong asked, taking out several second-grade spirit medicines. "I've collected some over the years, but I haven't been able to find high-quality Yuanhun crystal cores or Purple Soul Grass. However, Brother Li should have prepared them himself, right?"

Seeing this, Li An couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in his heart. Gu Hong clearly cared about his situation and even gathered materials for his Foundation Building.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Gu, but there's no need. I've already prepared everything," Li An said. "How is Master Gu Dan's health?"

"He has been recuperating and accumulating strength for these years, just to refine the Foundation Building pills for you," Gu Hong smiled. "After all, he is also counting on you to purify the Yuanhun crystal core for him as soon as you achieve Foundation Building."

Four years ago, Li An came to Gu Hong and gave her a Yuanhun crystal core and a letter. In the letter, he stated that he had come to Baihu City and was planning for Foundation Building. The Yuanhun crystal core contained a layer of gray death qi that couldn't be removed. Li An explained in the letter that he had found a method to purify it, but it required the success of Foundation Building.

So, Gu Dan had been waiting all these years.

This was also Li An's bargaining chip. The gray death qi originated from his own life seed, and only Li An could unlock it.

"Sorry to keep Master Gu waiting," Li An said.

"In that case, we shouldn't delay. Let's go find him now," Gu Hong said. "By the way, I didn't tell my master about your identity. I only told him that you asked him to refine Foundation Building pills as a reward for the Yuanhun crystal core. You don't need to tell him your true identity."

Li An was even more moved. Gu Hong was considering him in every aspect, even choosing to keep it a secret from her master to prevent his whereabouts from leaking.

...

Immediately, the two turned and left. Li An also put away two formations along the way.

Turning a corner of the corridor, they entered a quiet secret room. The room was simple, with only a cushion. An old man with white hair was meditating and recuperating on the cushion. He was none other than Gu Songxi.

After many years, he appeared even older.

"Master, the Fellow Daoist who wants you to refine Foundation Building pills has arrived," Gu Hong spoke up.

Gu Songxi opened his eyes and looked at Li An. A hint of scrutiny flashed in his old eyes, then he stood up and greeted him with a smile. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for generously providing the medicine that allows this old man to prolong his life. I am deeply grateful!"

He gave a slight bow as he spoke.

Li An also returned the gesture and said, "I should be the one thanking Master Gu for the help!"

Gu Songxi said, "Fellow Daoist Yuan, please don't be so polite. Have you brought the medicinal materials? We can start now!"

His old eyes were filled with anticipation!

...

(End of this chapter)