When I Achieved Sainthood, the Immortal Official Actually Called Me to Raise Horses!

Chapter 173: Heavenly Dao’s Trap and the Mortal-Immortal Divide

The new year arrived, and this year’s Spring Festival atmosphere was livelier than ever. With Gu Zong and Xuantian Yi joining the Third Medicine Valley, excitement was in the air. Rumor had it that the True Legacy First Disciple had sworn brotherhood with the Valley Master. The four hundred errand disciples were ecstatic, their gazes filled with admiration for Gu An.

Xuantian Yi constantly tried to pull him aside to chat about Daoist Xunchun, much to Gu An’s frustration.

By evening, Gu An found an excuse to slip away, returning to Xuan Valley to celebrate the festival with his junior martial sister and disciples.

The disciples sat around the table, drinking and feasting merrily.

Ye Lan and Zhen Qin started talking about the cultivation world again.

Despite the efforts of various sects, the number of demons and fiends in the Five Dynasties had not decreased. Instead, they were multiplying, along with the rise of demonic cultivators and criminals.

Many people believed that the human world was doomed. Some chose to indulge in pleasure before the inevitable end, while others resorted to murder and robbery, fleeing south across the sea afterward. In short, chaos reigned, both in the cultivation world and among common folk.

As long as the Demonic Cataclysm remained unresolved, the world would remain in turmoil.

Zhen Qin had once complained about why the Mountain God did not intervene. Gu An, pretending not to be the Mountain God, remained silent.

“The Mountain God already said it—why should he protect humanity? If demons worship him, should he not support them as well? In the end, a race’s strength must come from itself, not the favoritism of gods or immortals,” Ye Lan remarked nonchalantly.

Her time in the Law Enforcement Hall had exposed her to too much evil, shaping her views on life.

The more sins she witnessed, the more she cherished Gu An, Zhen Qin, and Xiao Chuan.

How many cultivators ended up lonely in the end? Simply having companionship in this life was already a blessing.

Gu An listened, occasionally adding his thoughts.

No matter how chaotic the world became, he had no intention of shouldering its burdens.

Still, he would sometimes descend the mountain to help those in need, as long as it did not alter the grand scheme of things.

After all, he was unsure of the strength of the Seven Star Spirit Realm. Even if he knew, he could not protect the entire continent alone. Otherwise, every catastrophe in the future would fall on his shoulders, and all enemies targeting the continent would come for him first. Just the thought of it gave him a headache.

Zhen Qin brought up Su Han again. Apparently, Su Han had followed the Thirteen Fiends of Nine Nether to Tianwei. Recently, he had absorbed the spiritual energy of a Transformation Stage cultivator, sending shockwaves through the cultivation world.

Taixuan Sect had dispatched grandmasters to eliminate Su Han, only for them to be gravely injured by the Thirteen Fiends of Nine Nether instead.

Gu An speculated that the attackers were only wounded rather than killed because of their connection to the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

As the world’s turbulence continued, Gu An chose to observe from the sidelines.

His targets were the Demon Emperor and the Demon Ancestor.

When the Demonic Cataclysm erupted and the world fell into chaos, he would take the opportunity to eliminate them, cutting off the source of the disaster. The remaining demons and fiends would then serve as whetstones for the cultivation world.

The conversation stretched into the late night.

Ye Lan and Zhen Qin decided to stay in Xuan Valley for the night and leave in the morning.

Ye Lan, however, made her way to Gu An’s private quarters for a more personal conversation.

As they talked, Ye Lan suddenly blew out the candle.

“Junior Sister, what are you doing?”

“Senior Brother, I fear that catastrophe could strike at any moment. I don’t want to have regrets before I die.”

“You again?”

“Senior Brother, I won’t be your Dao companion, but can’t we just cherish the moment?”

“Junior Sister, this isn’t right between us!”

“Senior Brother, I really like you...”

“Stop right there!”

“Senior Brother, don’t make me force you!”

BANG! CRASH! BANG!

The sounds of fists and feet colliding echoed within the room...

At dawn, Gu An and Ye Lan came downstairs. Gu An walked ahead, looking rather pleased with himself.

Ye Lan rubbed her wrist, gazing at him resentfully.

Last night, she had tried to overpower him, only to realize that she was no match. In the end, she failed to get her way, leaving her somewhat disappointed. ṝАɴốᛒΕš

But the memory of being pinned down by Gu An made the corners of her lips curl upward involuntarily.

“So Senior Brother is into this kind of thing...” Ye Lan muttered, beginning to understand Gu An better.

She discreetly rubbed her backside, counting how many times he had smacked her.

After finishing their morning training, Ye Lan and Zhen Qin departed.

Gu An quietly made his way to the Eight Views Celestial Realm.

As he approached the Spirit Tree, Jiang Qiong, eyes closed, remarked, “Last night was Spring Festival, wasn’t it? Sounded lively.”

“Mhm. I brought you some pastries the disciples made,” Gu An replied as he crouched down, taking out the pastries and some fine wine.

Jiang Qiong opened her eyes, looking at him. “Do you like your Junior Sister Ye?” she asked.

“To say I don’t like her at all would be a lie,” Gu An admitted. “But I feel like accepting her now would only hinder both our cultivation.”

“Oh? And why do you think that?” Jiang Qiong asked with interest.

“Once someone takes up residence in your heart, you can’t help but think of them. If a relationship is confirmed, affection turns into responsibility. Every decision must consider the other person, which inevitably affects cultivation.

“I don’t mind being affected, but I want her to focus on her training without distractions,” Gu An said seriously.

These were his honest thoughts.

Ye Lan’s aptitude was poor. She needed to cultivate the Innate Reincarnation Technique to break past her lifespan limit.

Gu An could choose to accompany her for her final hundred years, but he didn’t want her life to be limited to just a hundred years.

“If love is true, does it matter how much time you spend together?” Gu An lifted his wine bowl and handed it to Jiang Qiong.

She looked into his clear eyes, feeling like she was seeing him in a new light.

So this kid was a romantic after all.

Jiang Qiong countered, “How can you be so sure you’ll outlive her? What if you die first? Then all her years of cultivation would only leave her with regret.”

Gu An grinned smugly. “To be honest, I own two Medicine Valleys now, with an endless supply of herbs. Even if I don’t cultivate much, I can use alchemy to extend my life for centuries.”

“Centuries?”

Jiang Qiong chuckled. This boy’s vision was too small.

But for some reason, the thought of Gu An perishing in a few hundred years while she continued chasing the distant path of immortality left her feeling inexplicably unsettled.

“Come on, drink! No going home till we’re drunk!” Jiang Qiong suddenly declared, her expression stern.

Gu An immediately raised his bowl.

Half an hour later, Jiang Qiong was still eager to drink. Sensing danger, Gu An tried to excuse himself, but she grabbed hold of him.

Jiang Qiong began forcibly pouring wine down his throat.

To keep up appearances, Gu An had no choice but to pretend he couldn’t handle his liquor.

This was spiritual wine—too much of it could certainly intoxicate a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

In the end, Gu An had no choice but to feign drunkenness and lie on the ground.

Jiang Qiong sat nearby, watching him as she let out a sigh of relief.

"This brat is only at the Foundation Establishment Stage—how can he drink this much?" Her flushed face betrayed her inner frustration. She had nearly been outdrunk by Gu An.

A Nascent Soul cultivator losing a drinking contest to a Foundation Establishment cultivator? If word got out, she would become the laughingstock of the cultivation world.

She continued staring at Gu An, her gaze drifting, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Gu An silently counted the hours.

Three more hours, and he would get up and leave. He had already "gotten drunk" once, and if Jiang Qiong still tried to stop him, he wouldn't hesitate to turn hostile.

Time passed.

Suddenly, Jiang Qiong crouched beside him and reached out, brushing his hair away from his face.

Gu An tensed up.

Wait a minute!

This old demonic cultivator isn’t eyeing my body, is she?

Gu An felt ridiculous for even thinking it.

Why were so many women interested in him?

Was it just because he was a bit more handsome than the average person?

Had these female cultivators never seen a good-looking man before?

A soft whisper brushed against his ear.

"Why is this brat getting better looking? So strange..."

Upon reaching the Wandering Immortal Stage, even though Gu An concealed his cultivation, his demeanor and features still exuded an aura of transcendence.

Jiang Qiong assumed that her perception of him had changed because she was starting to develop feelings for him.

Sigh... What am I even thinking? she chastised herself. He’s my disciple’s grandson. Even if I’m a demonic cultivator, I can’t be so shameless…

She retracted her hand and sat down, falling into a moment of silence.

Then, out of nowhere, she kicked Gu An.

Right in the waist.

Gu An cursed inwardly. What the hell is wrong with this woman? Why is she hitting me?

Jiang Qiong kicked him again.

Gu An rolled away to put some distance between them, slurring his words as he mumbled, "More... more wine... what Grandmaster... I don’t recognize you... You definitely can't outdrink me..."

Seeing him utterly wasted, Jiang Qiong couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

After that, she didn’t try anything else.

When the three-hour mark arrived, Gu An groggily got up, only to find Jiang Qiong sitting in meditation. Taking his chance, he quickly slipped away.

Even though she didn’t open her eyes, the corners of Jiang Qiong’s mouth curved into a smirk.

After leaving the Eight Views Celestial Realm, Gu An traveled to the Nianchu Cave Dwelling in Phoenix Mountain. He harvested some medicinal herbs before turning his attention to Tian Yao'er, giving her a strict and thorough training session.

He vented all the frustration he had bottled up from dealing with Jiang Qiong on Tian Yao’er.

Tian Yao’er, however, didn’t think much of it.

When Gu An was about to leave, she suddenly clung to his arm, trying to keep him around.

Frightened, he vanished on the spot.

Back in the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An found himself deep in thought.

Was it the arrival of spring that made emotions run high, or was he just unlucky?

Why had Ye Lan, Jiang Qiong, and Tian Yao’er all been so handsy with him?

Fortunately, Lu Lingjun only talked big and hadn’t actually treated him as a Dao companion.

It was all a trap set by the Heavenly Dao!

It wanted him to get entangled in these women’s affections, dragging him into worldly struggles.

So long as Ye Lan, Jiang Qiong, and Tian Yao'er were around, they would inevitably encounter various troubles. If he formed a relationship with any of them, could he really just stand by and watch?

The more he intervened, the more he would attract powerful enemies.

Karma is a complicated thing, he mused. The higher one’s cultivation, the more one must respect its consequences.

The connections and relationships in the mortal world seemed coincidental on the surface, but they actually followed an intricate set of laws.

As he pondered, he made his way to his private quarters, lost in thought about the nature of karma.

In the distance.

Xiao Chuan stood by a wooden fence, watching the spirit hounds he had raised as they wrestled. His gaze drifted toward Gu An, who was ascending the stairs to his residence.

For some reason, he suddenly found himself staring in a daze.

Gu An's figure, silhouetted against the light, gave him an inexplicable feeling—

As if his senior brother might take off and fly away at any moment.

The sensation was strange and hard to describe.

He shook his head, chuckling at himself.

"Senior Brother has sworn brotherhood with a Grand Ascension cultivator. He’s already on a completely different level from me.

"I’m just living under his protection. One day, I will die, and he will remain as youthful as ever..."

Thinking about this, Xiao Chuan was filled with emotion.

He admired Gu An but held no jealousy toward him.

He felt that his senior brother deserved everything he had achieved.

And when he passed on—if the underworld truly existed—he would pray for his senior brother’s smooth path to immortality, free of hardships.

"Uncle Xiao Chuan! The White Spirit Mouse has returned!"

An Xin suddenly ran over, pulling him out of his thoughts.

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