Gu An slipped the Purple Cloud Goose Egg into his storage pouch. He had already checked—it was a dud. A dead egg. Safe to store.
"Tch… couldn't have given me a fertilized one instead?"Greedy thoughts stirred. He could already picture himself soaring across the sky on a Purple Cloud Goose.
One day I'm buying a flying beast. A good one. Preferably raised from birth—loyal and dependable.And hey, if things ever go south, it can feed me some spiritual energy. Maximum beast-life value. Win-win.
After that bit of daydreaming, Gu An summoned Bai Zhi, sending her back to Blackrock City to relay a message to the city lord:bring all the Black-Veined Iron to White Mirror Lake tomorrow.He granted her half a month of leave, and seeing Qingliu staring at him hopefully, he allowed her to go home as well.
Once the two girls finished lunch, they rowed off the island together.
Gu An ate slowly, letting the lake breeze wash over him. Only now did the tension in his body unwind.That spirit beast earlier… even though the misunderstanding had been resolved, a late-stage Qi-Refining monster at arm's length wasn't exactly relaxing company.
After eating, he went down to the lake. With Binding Vines unleashed at full strength, eight vine tendrils shot into the water like green serpents, weaving and twisting until they had captured all sixty-three Black Spirit Fish, each tossed into his spirit beast bag.
The bag wasn't large—those few dozen fish already filled half of it. He let in some water to keep them lively.
The Next Morning
Just after Gu An finished his meditation, movement sounded outside his courtyard.
He opened the gate to find Blackrock City Lord with four black-armored soldiers unloading crates from a boat.
There was only one chest—redwood, medium-sized—but the four men carried it with extreme caution.
You don't mess around with materials meant for an immortal.
The city lord rushed over as soon as he saw Gu An.
"Immortal Gu! This year we collected thirty-two jin and seven liang of Black-Veined Iron Ore. All here. Please inspect it."
He signaled his men to open the chest.
Inside lay ore blocks of dark gray, laced with natural blood-red veining like dried cracks. The lines shimmered faintly under the light, metallic yet eerie.Each chunk was angular and heavy; when Gu An tapped one, it hummed with a low, muffled vibration.A faint earthy smell drifted up. Spiritual fluctuations were subtle but present.
Gu An recognized it immediately—Black-Veined Iron Ore, a low-grade, tier-one spiritual metal, often used in crafting simple artifacts. Raw ore like this would refine down to about three jin, worth around ten spiritual stones.
Rarely, if the ore was buried in a land saturated with blood-fiend energy, it could transform into Blood-Veined Iron, a high-grade tier-one material, worth several dozen stones per jin.
After a quick evaluation, Gu An flicked his sleeve and stored the ore.
"Good. City Lord Zhang, you've done well. I will report your merits."
The city lord trembled with excitement.In the Cloud Nation, everything revolved around the Qingyuan Sect. A local official's promotion depended far more on pleasing cultivators than governing mortals.
"I will be returning to the royal capital to report soon," Gu An continued. "At least half a month. You must guard White Mirror Lake carefully."
After issuing the warning, he activated Lightfoot Technique, gliding across the lake like a startled swan. A few steps and he was already on the distant grassland.
A sharp whinny cut through the air.
A black blur rushed toward him—Little Black, his Black-Scaled Horse.
In one year, even with Gu An barely feeding it more than basic grains and a few eggs a day, the spiritual energy of White Mirror Lake had fattened it up nicely. Its scales gleamed under the sun, glossy and strong.
Gu An stroked its mane and smiled."Let's go, Little Black."
He mounted and headed straight toward the Red Maple Mountain Spirit Field.
Red Maple Mountain
In the spiritual rice fields, two clan members were chatting while picking up stray ears of rice.
"Second Uncle, the Golden Cloud Rice harvest was huge this year. Did the clan head say anything about increasing our stipend?"
"Nope. Just raised the quota by six hundred jin. Stipend? What stipend?"
"At least give us more rice then. I've been stuck at Qi-Refining Stage Two for four years now…"
Their grumbling was interrupted by the echo of approaching hooves.
A young man on a black horse rode toward them. They stiffened, wary, until they spotted the Qing Cauldron insignia on his chest. Their posture instantly relaxed.
The rider stopped and cupped his hands."Are you members of the Lin Clan of Red Maple Mountain? I am Gu An, Qingyuan Sect's appointed cultivator for Blackrock County. I've come to visit your clan head."
The middle-aged man hurried forward."We are indeed Lin Clan members. I am Lin Changfeng, and this is my nephew Lin Qing'an. We greet Daoist Gu."
Gu An frowned.He remembered every name recorded during his previous visit, and he knew Lin Changfeng—but Lin Qing'an? That name wasn't listed.
He pointed at the youth."When Road-Steward Lu Ping came to my residence, I heard no mention of this Daoist. Why?"
Lin Changfeng exhaled in relief, cupped his hands, and explained,"Daoist Gu, please forgive us. My nephew's real name is Lin Qingsong."
"Oh? Then why the deception?"
Lin Qingsong's name matched the records, but Gu An's curiosity deepened.
Lin Changfeng hurriedly replied:"It was not intentional deceit. The Lin Clan has always been loyal to Qingyuan Sect. But… certain circumstances forced us to act cautiously."
Gu An raised a hand."No need for long speeches. I trust your clan isn't rebellious. Just speak plainly."
Lin Qingsong finally summarized in one breath:"There are bandit cultivators nearby."
"Yes, yes—bandit cultivators!" Lin Changfeng echoed."They committed atrocities in another district not long ago. Wiped out a small clan entirely."
The word bandit cultivators made Gu An's heart jolt.
Bandit cultivators were rogue cultivators who made a living through robbery and murder. They ambushed travelers, set traps, robbed shops, or—the worst kind—invaded spiritual lands to massacre entire families.
The only reason they survived was because they were strong. Very strong.Weak ones didn't last long enough to become a problem.
Qingyuan Sect's doctrine was clear:show no mercy.
Gu An wasn't some justice-obsessed idiot. Evil and righteous were labels; interests were the real dividing line. He just happened to be under Qingyuan Sect's umbrella right now, so siding with them was natural.
But as a Qi-Refining Stage Four cultivator, even fighting someone at early-stage Qi-Refining carried risks.Bandit cultivators?That was a whole different level.
Please let them stay far away from me, he prayed silently.
Seeing Gu An's interest, Lin Changfeng continued,"We don't know the details. Daoist Gu should speak with the clan head. Please, follow us up the mountain."
Gu An nodded."Lead the way."