The Quest for Immortality

In the study of the Gu Family Master, Gu Shouyan.

Gu Shouyan sat like a mountain, with a frown on his brow.

Gu An and Gu Quan bowed their heads and said:

”... The Taoist Court was executing a mission, encircling a Demon Sect stronghold on a desolate mountain three hundred miles west of the Third Grade Maling City, but fell into an ambush...”

”Fortunately, the young master was cautious, laid out a meticulous plan in advance, and during the battle, led by example. Together with Xia Canonical Official, they suppressed the Golden Core Great Demon Cultivator on the opposite side, thus stabilizing the situation.”

”Later, reinforcements arrived, and after a fierce battle, they managed to completely annihilate this branch of the Demon Sect. But before dying, that Golden Core Great Demon Cultivator unexpectedly...”

Gu An paused, gritted his teeth and said, ”Unexpectedly threw himself at the young master, even detonated his Golden Core to perish together with the young master...”

”The explosion of the Golden Core was extremely powerful.”

”The young master did not retreat, directly withstood the self-destruction of this Golden Core Demon Cultivator, protecting the Gu Family disciples and most of the Taoist Court cultivators, but he...”

Gu An and Gu Quan looked guilty and pained.

Gu Shouyan, after listening, remained expressionless and only nodded, saying, ”I understand, you may leave now, take good care of your injuries.”

Gu An hesitated and said, ”What about the young master...”

Gu Shouyan waved his hand.

Gu An and Gu Quan did not dare to say more, paid their respects, and then withdrew.

In the study, only Gu Shouyan remained.

With no one around, he finally let out a deep sigh.

”A good seedling... but, unfortunately, so many calamities. Whether he lives or dies depends on his own fortune...”

...

Inside the Gu Family Pill Pavilion.

The door to the inner room was tightly closed, and several Danshi Elders were inside urgently saving the severely injured Gu Changhuai.

Elder Gu Hong waited outside.

She was not a Pill Master and couldn’t help, so she could only wait outside at this time.

After a while, a gentle woman in palace attire hurried over, her expression anxious. Upon seeing Gu Hong, she clutched her sleeve, her face pale, and said: ꭆ₳𐌽ο𐌱ÊŞ

”Aunt, where is Changhuai?”

Elder Gu Hong sighed and said, ”The elders are already treating him.”

”How is he then...”

Wenren Wan’s face was full of worry.

Elder Gu Hong wanted to say some comforting words, but remembering Gu Changhuai’s injuries and the dark deathly color between his brows, she ultimately shook her head and sighed, ”We’ll see what the heavens decide...”

Wenren Wan’s face turned pale, her heart felt as if it was being cut by a knife.

This younger brother, she had raised by her side since childhood, she watched him grow up.

After a moment, she looked at Elder Gu Hong almost pleadingly, her voice trembling, ”Aunt, Changhuai, he won’t...”

Elder Gu Hong patted her hand, her heart a bit sorrowful, and said with reflection:

”The disciples of the Gu Family all share this fate.”

”Our Gu Family has served in the Taoist Court for generations, capturing Sin Cultivators, eradicating Evil, exterminating the Demon Path, all of it is licking blood off the knife’s edge, injuries and even sacrifices are common.”

”As a child of the Gu Family, one must have this awareness, Changhuai is no different.”

”Now that things have happened, no words are useful, it depends on Changhuai and his own blessings...”

Wenren Wan pressed her lips tightly, her fingers turning white.

Elder Gu Hong felt equally heartache.

Despite her words, when it comes to her own nephew, suffering such serious injuries, bleeding on the bed, life or death unknown.

As an aunt, she still felt physical pain.

Time passed, Gu Hong and Wenren Wan waited outside all along.

The atmosphere became more oppressive, their hearts more anxious, and time increasingly difficult to endure.

Finally, after an unknown period, the door to the inner room opened, and several Danshi Elders came out.

Elder Gu Hong immediately stood up, her voice slightly trembling, ”How is it?”

The several Danshi Elders frowned, but for a moment, couldn’t express clearly.

Elder Gu Hong was a bit angry and said, ”Speak!”

A Danshi Elder gave a bitter smile and said, ”It’s hard to say... the bleeding is stopped, and life is temporarily sustained, but the root of the ailment cannot be addressed...”

Elder Gu Hong frowned, ”What do you mean?”

Another Danshi sighed, ”Young Master Changhuai’s injuries are twofold, in the flesh and in the brain. For the flesh wounds, one needs to replenish blood, repair meridians, strengthen the roots, and eliminate the Demonic Qi... these have ways to address.”

”But in the young master’s mind, it seems to have been invaded by an unknown Evil Qi, this Qi is extremely fierce, polluting the Young Master’s Sea of Consciousness. We Pill Masters are powerless...”

”For now, we can only use some methods to temporarily sustain the young master’s life.”

”But even if the external wounds were healed, without removing the Qi, it would...”

This Danshi paused, hesitant to continue out of consideration.

Impatient, Elder Gu Hong said, ”Don’t hide the diagnosis, speak up!”

The Danshi hesitated for a moment, then sighed, ”If the Qi is not removed... once the Evil Qi completely pollutes the Sea of Consciousness, even if life is sustained, it would be useless, he won’t survive more than two to three days...”

Upon hearing this, both Elder Gu Hong and Wenren Wan turned utterly pale.

Elder Gu Hong quickly asked, ”Then how can we expel the Qi?”

The Danshi said, ”Expelling this sort of Qi is a bit mystical, beyond the realm of flesh and Spiritual Power, nor does it belong to the way of Alchemy Doctor.”

”We Pill Masters can at best refine some pills for calming the mind.”

”These pills can only calm and soothe the mind, not address the root cause. They are useless against true malevolent Qi.” .

”Then who can cure it?” Elder Gu Hong asked.

The Danshi frowned and said, ”I’ve only heard, to deal with this kind of ’Evil Qi’ in the Divine Thought, one needs cultivators specializing in Divine Thought, like some Alchemists, Heavenly Mechanism Cultivators, wandering hermits, etc...”

”But all these are ’minor paths’ in Tao Cultivation, inherently varying in quality, with few practitioners, and true experts are elusive.”

”And the Divine Thought is obscure and profound, with many branches: Heavenly Inquiry, Causal Tracing, Calculation, Divination, Path Inquiry, Fortune Judgement, Calamity Diagnosis, Witchcraft, Curse Killing, Summoning God, Exorcism, and so on...”