Chapter 4: The Demon of Greed and Rage

It was noon.

Gu An, Meng Lang, and Li Ya stood in front of the wooden fence surrounding a section of the garden. Meng Lang curiously stared at the white-furred mouse in Gu An's hand.

Li Ya muttered, "This should be a White Spirit Mouse. They're attracted to heavenly treasures rich in spiritual energy and are thus known as treasure-hunting mice. You could say it's barely a spirit beast."

Meng Lang, intrigued, asked, "What's the difference between a spirit beast and a demon beast?"

"Demon beasts cultivate on their own, while spirit beasts are born with the ability to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. They can also cultivate, but their aura isn’t as bloody as demon beasts. In short, spirit beasts aren’t as dangerous as demon beasts," Li Ya explained.

Hearing this, Gu An suddenly didn’t feel like killing the mouse anymore.

Meng Lang’s interest grew, and he chuckled. "Gu An, how about giving me that mouse?"

Gu An raised an eyebrow, cursing Meng Lang silently. This guy really had the nerve to ask!

Li Ya spoke coldly, "White Spirit Mice don’t usually live alone. If you see one, there’s likely a nest nearby. Go catch one yourself. Trying to take even a mouse seems beneath you."

Meng Lang's face flushed with anger, and he grumbled, "Fine, I’ll catch one myself!"

He turned and walked away.

After he left, Gu An said to Li Ya, "Thanks."

Gu An had come to realize that, despite Li Ya's cold demeanor, he was actually quite easy to get along with and generous. He never stopped Gu An from watching him practice swordsmanship, and today he had stood up for him.

If Li Ya hadn’t spoken up, Gu An would have been in a tricky situation.

If Gu An had made Meng Lang cry, the commotion that followed would surely have been loud and noticeable!

Li Ya looked at Gu An closely, examining him before speaking softly, "It feels like something about you has changed recently, but I can’t quite put my finger on it."

Suddenly, Li Ya reached out and grabbed Gu An’s wrist. His movement seemed slow to Gu An, but Gu An didn’t evade; instead, he acted surprised.

"Brother Li, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," Li Ya replied, pulling back his hand. After hesitating for a moment, he added, "Your aura is steady, and your body seems fine, but you still lack spiritual power. No matter how poor your aptitude is, don’t forget to cultivate. As long as a person works hard, there’s always hope."

Gu An nodded and started chatting casually in response.

Li Ya seemed to be in a good mood today and was particularly talkative. Thanks to him, Gu An gained more insights into the world of cultivation.

One had to admit, being part of the royal family really set Li Ya apart. Even without having traveled the world, his knowledge was vast.

Half an incense stick’s time later, Meng Lang returned in a hurry.

"Something big has happened!" Meng Lang said nervously as he approached Gu An.

Gu An looked toward the entrance of the Medicine Valley.

"What’s going on?" Li Ya asked.

Meng Lang's eyes widened as he said, "There’s a cultivator standing guard at the valley entrance. I asked him a few questions, and he said he's an inner sect disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect, here on a mission assigned by our master to protect us for a month." �

"I’m guessing the reason Master issued the mission is because of the demon he mentioned before. If that inner sect disciple can’t stop the demon, won’t we all die?"

Gu An had already spotted the inner sect disciple in the distance. With his enhanced vision, he could clearly make out the man’s features.

It was a young man in a long cyan robe, with a refined and handsome appearance that set him apart from ordinary mortals.

[Chu Jingfeng (Foundation Establishment Stage 1): 19/290/870]

Nineteen years old and already at the Foundation Establishment Stage 1?

A genius!

No wonder he had become an inner sect disciple.

As Gu An observed the information displayed by his investigation ability, he couldn’t help but marvel.

The Tai Xuan Sect truly lived up to its reputation as the number one sect in the Great Cang Dynasty. Talents abounded everywhere.

Li Ya and Meng Lang began discussing the mysterious demon. Meng Lang found it hard to believe. How could a demon have infiltrated such a powerful sect as Tai Xuan? And after half a month, it still hadn’t been caught.

Li Ya, however, thought it made sense. In his opinion, the Tai Xuan Sect was vast, and the Medicine Valley was on its outskirts. It wasn’t unusual for disciples in remote areas to encounter danger.

"A hundred years ago, demonic cultivators invaded the Tai Xuan Sect, slaughtered hundreds of disciples, and then escaped without a trace. This demon may know some secret techniques, making it difficult to capture," Li Ya said in a somber tone.

"Not just the Tai Xuan Sect—there’s no place in this world that’s truly safe. Every year, the royal court allocates an astronomical sum to fund the various Demon Suppression Offices across the land..." Li Ya began talking about the broader world, and both Gu An and Meng Lang listened intently.

Gu An’s family, the Ji family, was a family of cultivators, but having grown up in the household, his understanding of the wider world was limited. It was only now that he realized just how dangerous the world was.

Demons and evil spirits were everywhere, wreaking havoc. Three or four out of every ten cultivators died at the hands of demons or malevolent spirits.

Hearing this, Gu An became even more fearful.

He absolutely couldn’t venture outside. He had to stay in the Tai Xuan Sect and keep accumulating lifespan!

He would stay hidden for a thousand or ten thousand years, even until the Tai Xuan Sect itself crumbled!

"But our Medicine Valley has so many valuable herbs. It’s so important to the sect, yet they only sent one inner sect disciple?" Meng Lang said, clearly dissatisfied.

Li Ya shook his head. "There are over fifty valleys like this one in the Tai Xuan Sect. The herbs we grow aren’t considered particularly valuable. There are other medicine valleys within the sect that cultivate true heavenly treasures. Each plant there has the power to change the fate of mortals."

Hearing this, Gu An's eyes lit up, and he began asking more about those medicine valleys.

However, Li Ya only knew of their existence and didn’t have any detailed information.

After chatting for a while longer, the three of them went their separate ways to perform their routine checks of the garden, ensuring none of the herbs were damaged.

Once Gu An finished his inspection, he returned to his room.

He tied a rope around the White Spirit Mouse’s body to prevent it from escaping.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Gu An placed the White Spirit Mouse on his lap and began cultivating.

He focused on practicing the Dragon Force Divine Essence Art, which could enhance his strength and lifespan. As for other techniques, he wasn’t interested in cultivating them—he would just use his lifespan to evolve them once he had accumulated enough.

As night fell, the Medicine Valley became eerily quiet.

With his enhanced senses, Gu An could hear the conversation between Cheng Xuandan and Chu Jingfeng, even from a hundred zhang away. Cheng Xuandan treated Chu Jingfeng with great respect, and from their conversation, Gu An sensed that Chu Jingfeng was no ordinary inner sect disciple.

Through their discussion, Gu An learned the name of the demon.

Demon of Greed and Rage!

Chu Jingfeng didn’t seem to think much of the demon, and his confident tone reassured Cheng Xuandan. Gu An could even feel Cheng Xuandan's heart rate return to normal.

"Demon of Greed and Rage..."

Gu An's eyes flickered with curiosity. He couldn’t help but wonder whether his Dragon Force Divine Essence Art would be effective against the demon.

According to the memories passed down through the Dragon Force Divine Essence Art, its dragon force had the power to subdue demons and banish evil.

He had to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. What if Chu Jingfeng couldn’t handle the demon?

No matter how long Gu An’s lifespan was, he still only had one life!

He couldn’t afford to take any risks!

That night, the atmosphere in the Medicine Valley was tense, with everyone’s breathing patterns erratic, clearly influenced by their emotions. This only made Gu An even more anxious.

It wasn’t until dawn that Gu An finally fell asleep.

Over the next five days, the Demon of Greed and Rage did not appear, and Gu An’s tense nerves gradually relaxed.

On the sixth day.

As usual, Gu An returned to his room after dark. This time, he had brought back four travelogues from the library, eager to expand his knowledge of the world.

The White Spirit Mouse scampered out from under the bed and quickly jumped onto the table. Ever since it had sensed Gu An's Dragon Force Divine Essence Art during cultivation, the mouse had become attached to him. Now, even without being tied up, it didn’t try to run away.

Gu An sat down at the table, played with the White Spirit Mouse for a while, and then began reading a book titled Adventures of the Green Hero.

The window was half-open, allowing a cool breeze to blow in. The flickering oil lamp caused the White Spirit Mouse’s shadow on the table to stretch and shrink.

Gu An found the travelogue surprisingly interesting.

However, it seemed to focus too much on romantic encounters. The Green Hero traveled the world, enjoying the landscapes of the north and south, slaying demons and monsters, and frequently engaging in fleeting romances.

As he read late into the night, Gu An began to feel something was off.

Why did every woman the Green Hero encountered fall in love with him? And this guy always acted conflicted, only to give in after some gentle persuasion…

Could this book have been written by a scholar?

Gu An scoffed at the author but continued reading with great interest.

Whoosh—

A cold wind suddenly blew in from outside. Despite practicing the Dragon Force Divine Essence Art, Gu An shivered. He put the book down and stood up to close the window.

Before he reached the window, he heard a commotion in the distance and stopped in his tracks, listening carefully.

"Monster! Prepare to die!"

Chu Jingfeng’s low shout made Gu An’s hair stand on end.

The Demon of Greed and Rage was here?

But Chu Jingfeng didn’t seem afraid—in fact, he sounded excited and confident.

"Ahhh—"

Just as Gu An was beginning to feel relieved, Chu Jingfeng’s scream echoed in the night. Startled, Gu An rushed to close the window and blew out the oil lamp.

He retreated to the corner of the room, and the White Spirit Mouse, sensing danger, leaped into his arms.

This little creature was trembling!

Its fear only intensified Gu An’s own terror.

In all his life, Gu An had never encountered a demon or an evil spirit. The Ji family had always been a safe haven, and as a child, the scariest thing he had ever seen was the family’s guards, who looked as fierce as Zhang Fei or Li Kui.

"Chu Jingfeng, you better live up to your bragging. And Li Ya next door—I’ve seen your exceptional talent and unique destiny. You must be the protagonist of a novel. Slay that demon, and your destiny will change like a dragon rising to the clouds…"

Gu An tried to calm himself, clenching his fists as he began gathering dragon force within his body.

Moments later, he heard the door next to him open—it was Li Ya. He was carrying his sword as he rushed out to aid Chu Jingfeng.

As for Meng Lang, he was even worse off than Gu An. He had crawled under his bed, making Gu An so furious that he almost cursed out loud.

This coward usually acted all tough, claiming to be their leader, but now that trouble had arrived, he was hiding like a turtle.

Every second that passed felt like torture for Gu An.

In his heightened senses, Chu Jingfeng’s aura suddenly vanished—was he dead?

"Monster! Stop!"

Li Ya's voice reached Gu An's ears, sending a chill down his spine.

The demon was planning to devour them?

Then Gu An heard a loud crash, and Li Ya’s voice was abruptly cut off.

He’s down too?

So weak?

Gu An’s heart pounded like a war drum, refusing to settle.

Cheng Xuandan and Zhang Chunqiu were hiding in their rooms, pretending not to hear the commotion. Truly, like master, like disciple...

The outside fell into silence. Even with Gu An’s sharp senses, he could no longer detect the movements or aura of the Demon of Greed and Rage.