Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

After Gu Yao and the others returned to Tian Shui Market with the news from outside, the organizers and cultivator teams in the market became busy. They worked to build defensive fortifications, called for more cultivators to join the defense against the sea beast tide, and took out their stored powerful disposable magical treasures. The uncontrollable variables in this beast tide were too many; no matter what, they had to resist it.

Several disposable magical treasures were indeed astonishing in power. When thrown into the chaotic sea beast horde, the explosion created a massive wave, with many sea beast corpses and debris mixed in.

After several successive explosions, the riotous sea beast horde was thrown into disarray, making it even more chaotic. This was actually advantageous for the cultivators, as the confusion led to many beasts trampling each other to death. Some of the sea beasts lost direction, not advancing toward the human cultivators but running blindly back to the sea. The remaining beasts that continued forward could be barely resisted by the organized cultivators.

During this time, Jiang Yan and Chi Changye entered and exited Tian Shui Market several times, participating in the battle. Gu Yao would occasionally join the fight as well. More cultivators witnessed Gu Yao’s combat ability, and no one questioned his methods anymore.

With all the cultivators working together, the large-scale sea beast tide caused by human interference was finally pushed back. The cultivators who had been fighting non-stop sighed in relief. Fortunately, Valley Master Hu from Cuiyan Valley had brought a batch of alchemists, ensuring a steady supply of medicinal pills. Some stores, under pressure from public opinion, had slightly reduced the prices of the pills.

Tian Feiyang looked grimly at the bodies in the prison. The sect’s elder had immediately captured and imprisoned Ba Yuankui’s accomplices. Before any interrogation results could be obtained, an accidental oversight had turned these people into corpses.

Needless to say, it was one of Tian Hai Market’s disciples who had been bribed and took advantage of the chaos to silence them. “Where are the ones who did this? These traitorous disciples…”

The elder sighed and said, “He’s escaped. Left the market early. I don’t think he’ll return to Tianhai Sect. He must have planned this outcome before acting.” It was easy to track down the culprit, so after carrying out the deed, the person had hurriedly fled.

“Of course, he may have been silenced by someone. Unfortunately, this disciple didn’t leave behind a soul lamp, so we can’t know if he’s alive or dead.” There’s no way to tell if he was just recently bribed or if he had been planted in Tianhai Sect earlier as a spy. “As for Gu Master, you should be honest with him.”

Tian Feiyang returned to Tianfu Academy and recounted the situation in Tianhai Sect. However, he did not see any signs of surprise or anger from Gu Yao and the others. His second brother, on the other hand, had a look on his face that said, “I knew this would happen.” Tian Feiyang was confused—what was going on here that he didn’t know?

“Big Brother Tian, it’s fine, thank you for your hard work. Whether or not this matter has a conclusion doesn’t change anything. We will stay vigilant. You should be careful when you’re out there, too.” The unpredictable situations in the cultivation world were too many. Who would have thought that when he first arrived in Tian Shui Market, he would offend Miss Ruan just by refusing her offer? Of course, she was just a superficial figure; he didn’t believe that Elder He from the City Lord’s Manor would be unaware of what was going on.

“Yes, Big Brother, safety comes first,” Tian Feiyang’s second brother also reminded him with concern. In fact, following Gu Yao and Chi Changye was far safer than being with Big Brother, and now that he and the chubby guy were in charge of handling Gu Yao’s alchemy orders, they had more status than Big Brother when going out.

Tian Feiyang temporarily put aside his confusion, feeling gratified that his second brother had truly grown up.

Gu Yao wasn’t too concerned about the matter. After the beast tide subsided, he sent a letter to Valley Master Hu from Cuiyan Valley, asking when he would be available to visit. This time, Gu Yao planned to take the initiative to meet Valley Master Hu, as the elder had supported and guided him in the past.

Hu replied, and after a bit of preparation, Gu Yao set off with Chi Changye, Tian Feirong, and the chubby guy. To outsiders, the four of them were a group, so their actions didn’t seem unusual.

When they arrived, the disciples of Cuiyan Valley greeted them. Gu Yao noticed that there were a lot of disciples standing guard at the door. Even though there were only four of them, did they really need to send out a dozen disciples to greet them? And they were casting furtive glances at him.

Chi Changye ignored it. As long as Gu Yao didn’t mind, he pretended the looks didn’t exist. The chubby guy wasn’t concerned with it either, but Tian Feirong couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. Could these Cuiyan Valley disciples make it any more obvious? Did they really think their little actions hadn’t been noticed?

Gu Yao was impressive. Even these Cuiyan Valley alchemists secretly admired him.

In fact, more people would have come out, but they had been reprimanded by a steward responsible for miscellaneous tasks, who said it would damage the reputation of Cuiyan Valley. This was why the current situation was as it was. The disciples weren’t admiring Gu Yao secretly; they were just curious to see what the legendary genius alchemist was like. What made him so special—did he have extra eyes or two more hands?

Well, looking at him, he didn’t seem much different from them. He even had the Four Spirits Root talent. How did he manage to become a ninth-tier senior alchemist at such a young age and reach the ninth level of Qi Refining? It was truly unbelievable. Maybe he had some special bloodline or physique suited for alchemy.

At first, the disciples of Cuiyan Valley were dissatisfied with having a low-ranking, unremarkable cultivator like Gu Yao overshadowing them. After all, whenever people mentioned him, they would say, “He’s not even from Cuiyan Valley, yet he’s better than their disciples.” How could any disciple of Cuiyan Valley hear such comparisons without getting upset? Were they trying to climb over their heads?

However, after a while, Valley Master Hu had a long conversation with Gu Yao for several days, personally acknowledging Gu Yao’s extraordinary alchemy skills. Then, with the development of the Hongxuan Pill, where the success rate and quality of the pills far surpassed theirs, they were convinced and accepted the defeat willingly.

Those who sought Gu Yao for alchemy never experienced failures, and the pills he made were mostly top-quality, with very few even reaching mid-tier quality. The gap was simply too large for anyone to think about competing with him.

Gu Yao remained composed, walking into Valley Master Hu’s private reception room under their watchful eyes, his demeanor calm and steady, entirely unlike a teenager. Spiritual tea and fruits were served to him. Valley Master Hu, suppressing his excitement, waved his hand, and the disciples immediately dispersed.

From a distance, no one knew what the Valley Master and Gu Yao would talk about, but they didn’t mind gossiping.

“Finally, we get to see him in person. I thought he’d be a particularly arrogant alchemist, like Brother Sang or Sister Wan in the past.”

“Why bring them up? Back then, they looked down on us alchemists. They never thought that they might face an unexpected situation. Who can guarantee that they’ll always succeed? I think alchemists should be more like Gu Master.”

“No, I mean not all alchemists can be like Gu Master, calm and composed even when facing the Valley Master. Think about how we felt when we were in front of the Valley Master—nervous, apprehensive, and full of respect. Gu Master, though, seems to have a more equal relationship with him. Of course, that’s not to say he disrespects the Valley Master. He even took the initiative to send an invitation to meet him.”

“That’s true.”

In the reception room, the chubby boy—no, Hu Weicai—felt a bit flustered under Valley Master Hu’s gaze. When he saw his grandfather pointing at his face, he suddenly remembered that he was wearing a disguise. He hurriedly reached up to remove the mask. Gu Yao and the others also saw this, and Tian Feirong nearly exclaimed in surprise. Gu Yao quickly pulled him to a nearby room, deciding to let the grandfather and grandson have some time alone.

Valley Master Hu had already set up a barrier to isolate the room from the outside, and after Gu Yao and the others entered the adjacent room, they set up their own barrier to prevent eavesdropping.

Tian Feirong couldn’t help but lower his voice in astonishment: “I didn’t expect the chubby boy to look like this. This… he’s so young and cute!”

Gu Yao couldn’t help but chuckle. He hadn’t expected it either. He had never really focused on seeing the chubby boy’s real face before—he just needed to know it was him. But now, seeing him like this, Gu Yao almost had the impulse to pinch his cheeks. His face looked so soft and plump, like a fluffy bun, pale and tender, probably because it hadn’t seen much sunlight, which made him appear even paler.

Gu Yao couldn’t imagine how the chubby boy had been able to face his fellow disciples and that female cultivator who had scolded him for offending her. Didn’t they feel any sympathy? Didn’t they feel like they were bullying a child?

Valley Master Hu wanted to pat his grandson’s head, but he worried that his grandson might not like it. He thought about how much his grandson had suffered during his years at Cuiyan Valley, all because of his own blindness, his biased listening, and misplaced trust. As a result, his hand stretched halfway before it froze in midair.

Hu Weicai, however, no longer minded. He had calmed down long ago. Looking back coldly, he now understood better what kind of person his grandfather was. Those people had simply taken advantage of his grandfather’s nature. Moreover, his own poor aptitude meant that no matter which other faction he had joined, his situation wouldn’t have been much better. His original sin was his lack of talent, paired with a powerful background that others envied.

He had heard Tian Feirong say that Gu Yao had also been greatly mistreated in his previous family, and his situation wasn’t much better than his. In the end, he had been forced to leave his family due to schemes, even trading a Longxian Sect token for his freedom. Thinking of it this way, Hu Weicai felt a bit better about his own situation. At least, under his grandfather’s watchful eye, others would make sure he lived safely.

Hu Weicai’s eyes reddened, and he stepped closer, grabbing his grandfather’s hand. “Grandfather, it’s my fault for being unfilial…”

“Nonsense,” Valley Master Hu interrupted his grandson’s self-blame. In the next moment, Hu Weicai’s tears began to flow freely. The great alchemist, known as the number one alchemist in the Tianlin Continent, was completely flustered at this sight. He hurriedly wiped his grandson’s tears, speaking in a soothing tone as if comforting a child. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. It’s my fault… It’s Grandpa’s fault.”