Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

Hu Ting’s smile was radiant, seemingly more delighted by his grandson’s accomplishment than by the honor he received from establishing the Alchemist Association. He modestly added, “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s all because of the boy’s own efforts. He was dissatisfied with how the people in Cuiyan Valley were overly cautious with him because of my influence, and he couldn’t get the necessary training. So, he left Cuiyan Valley to gain experience on his own. As they say, a young eagle must be let out to fly in order to grow. These years, he has gained a lot outside. If he had stayed in Cuiyan Valley, perhaps after ten or twenty years, we could have relied on spiritual herbs and pills to forcefully push him into Foundation Establishment, but that would have been the only way.”

“Since everyone here cares about my child, when he returns, I’ll have him come to pay his respects to all of you.”

The elders knew that Hu Ting didn’t want to reveal his grandson’s whereabouts, so they just smiled and agreed, saying they would wait to give him a gift when he returned.

They all had descendants of their own and couldn’t help but feel envious upon hearing that Hu Ting’s grandson, with a triple spiritual root, had reached the Foundation Establishment stage at such a young age. They wondered what kind of fortuitous encounter he must have had during his travels. They also wished they could find such opportunities for their own juniors.

The elders had never known that Hu Ting had such an amusing side. They understood that he was showing off his grandson, but they also had to consider their feelings. If Hu Ting’s grandson had reached Foundation Establishment at such a young age, and Hu Ting still considered him unremarkable, what did that say about their own children?

Well, never mind. Hu Ting’s life hadn’t been easy either. He had lost a son when he wasn’t even aware of his existence, and his grandson had suffered quite a lot in recent years. For now, let him be proud.

After the elders left, they didn’t keep the news to themselves. Soon, it spread far and wide, reaching Cuiyan Valley. The news that Hu Weicai had been out training and had already reached Foundation Establishment caused a stir among the disciples of Cuiyan Valley, leaving them all shocked.

At the time, in such a deliberately guided atmosphere, not many disciples viewed Hu Weicai favorably. Compared to the personal disciples of the Valley Master back then, he was far behind—light years away. Some disciples even blamed him for embarrassing the Valley Master. His existence was almost seen as a stain and disgrace on the Valley Master’s reputation.

But now, this so-called useless person was actually ahead of most, having reached the Foundation Establishment stage, while the two personal disciples who had once been admired by the crowd were nowhere to be heard of.

Without the deliberate guidance, the public opinion within the valley about Hu Weicai gradually improved. Whenever someone spoke ill of him, there would always be an admirer of the Valley Master who would step forward to defend him.

“You all keep saying the Young Valley Master is bad, but what exactly did he do to deserve everyone’s anger? Did he bully men and dominate women, or cause harm to Cuiyan Valley? There were two elders’ disciples who were far more arrogant and domineering than him, but they still had their way in the valley, with many sycophants following them. If the Valley Master hadn’t suppressed them, who knows how out of control they would have become.”

“Exactly. When you really think about it, the Young Valley Master didn’t do anything wrong. I remember back then, the Young Valley Master was very quiet in the valley and rarely caused trouble. Instead, it was…”

“Instead of what?”

“I think I remember that Senior Brother Sang and Senior Sister Wan always urged the Young Valley Master to cultivate harder, so he wouldn’t disappoint the Valley Master. They would also point out where the Young Valley Master went wrong, but for some reason, whenever they cleared things up, it seemed to stir up everyone’s anger. The Young Valley Master was even scolded by the disciples who supported them. Now, looking back…”

“Could it be that they were jealous of the Young Valley Master’s status, worried that the Valley Master would pass on Cuiyan Valley to him, leaving them out of the picture? That actually makes some sense.”

This theory gradually gained traction, and by the end, everyone fell silent, each of them thinking the same thing. If it were true that the two seniors had intentionally targeted and suppressed the Young Valley Master, then their subsequent misfortunes would definitely be worth questioning. However, if it was indeed their doing, then the Valley Master had every right to get rid of them. After all, they had reached out to harm the Valley Master’s own grandson—how could they have any respect for the Valley Master? Such a heinous act, harboring malicious intent, deserved to be condemned.

What disappointed everyone was that the Young Valley Master hadn’t returned to Cuiyan Valley to reveal himself. Disciples began to speculate about his whereabouts. For such a young Foundation Establishment cultivator, it would be difficult to find him even if they searched the entire continent. Some disciples secretly began searching for young cultivators who had recently reached Foundation Establishment, but none of them seemed to fit the bill. There were many who appeared suspicious, but it seemed that the Young Valley Master was not one of those who had publicly made a name for himself.

The news of the young, chubby disciple beside Gu Yao successfully reaching Foundation Establishment spread to the outside world as well. Some doubted if he might be the one, but back then, what kind of position did Tianfu Academy hold? Would the Young Valley Master really join Tianfu Academy with such a reputation?

But when they thought of how much the Valley Master had cared for Gu Yao, if that chubby disciple truly was Hu Weicai, it wouldn’t be surprising that the Valley Master treated Gu Yao so well—better than his personal disciples. It wasn’t without reason.

The more they speculated, the more suspicious it seemed. This information reached Jiang Yan and others through the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce, prompting them to visit The Sword Peak and inquire with the person involved. They had already learned that these people possessed a technique for creating masks that could resist others’ spiritual detection, so it was likely that the chubby disciple had been wearing a mask the entire time, never revealing his true face.

The chubby disciple, holding the crystal snake, remained undisturbed, unaware that his grandfather had, in his joy, inadvertently exposed the secret, leading to suspicions about his identity. Even though he was indeed Hu Weicai, the second-generation heir.

Though the chubby disciple had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he tightly clung to the crystal snake, wary of anyone trying to peel off his mask. With the crystal snake around, who would dare approach? “Let go of Liuli!”

“Are you guys really that idle? The Qianxue Sect hasn’t retreated from the Qiuqiu Mountains yet, and who knows when they’ll attack again. Plus, the Alchemist Branch is still being established. You should be paying more attention, right?” the chubby disciple grumbled.

“Is it really that hard to admit? Just give us a clear answer, and we’ll leave right away,” Lu Qiusheng insisted, not willing to let go. By now, the answer was already very clear, but he kept pestering the chubby disciple just to tease him.

Back then, Cuiyan Valley definitely had its issues. Otherwise, why would the grandson of Hu Valley Master end up at Tianfu Academy, following Gu Yao around? At that time, Gu Yao hadn’t yet shown his talents and kept a low profile. Additionally, the chubby disciple’s personality didn’t match the infamous second-generation heir at all, which is why no one had ever suspected his true identity.

Gu Yao appeared at the door, looking at the mischievous Lu Qiusheng and the curious Jiang Yan, and helplessly said, “Can you two just spare the chubby disciple? He’s just the chubby disciple—how is he any different from you two?”

Lu Qiusheng reluctantly clicked his tongue but, in the end, gave Gu Yao face and stopped pressing the issue.

Jiang Yan smiled, saying, “Gu Yao, you’re right. The chubby disciple is just the chubby disciple. Lu Qiusheng and I are actually here to congratulate him on his successful Foundation Establishment. We even brought a gift, so chubby disciple, please don’t be upset.”

In truth, when the news from Hu Valley Master reached their ears, Jiang Yan immediately deduced the chubby disciple’s true identity. Apart from other clues, the most telling factor was that, as the one in charge of the Ascension Conference, Jiang Yan knew the chubby disciple’s spiritual roots very well. At the time, he hadn’t expected the chubby disciple to hide his identity, so it never crossed his mind. But now, hearing the news, he realized that the chubby disciple’s spiritual roots were exactly the same as those of the infamous second-generation heir from Cuiyan Valley.

This was the best evidence.

Jiang Yan then took out a jade box. The chubby disciple, of course, wasn’t genuinely angry, so he thanked them and took the box, opening it with curiosity. When he saw the contents, he exclaimed in surprise, “Senior Brother, this thing is too precious.”

Gu Yao also took a look. The item inside the box appeared to be an ordinary stone, but in fact, it was far from ordinary. Hidden within the stone was a substance known as the “stone marrow,” which was extremely beneficial for earth-type cultivators. With the help of this stone marrow, the chubby disciple could not only stabilize his current cultivation but also make slight progress, equivalent to several years of cultivation.

For earth-type cultivators, the stone marrow also had the ability to cleanse impurities from their bodies, which helped improve the purity of their spiritual roots.

Jiang Yan laughed heartily, “Both Lu Qiusheng and I don’t primarily cultivate earth-type spiritual roots. Although the stone marrow is valuable, it’s of no use to us. It’s better off in the hands of someone who can make better use of it. Take it, and have Gu Yao refine a few more batches of pills for us. We can exchange them for even better things.”

The chubby disciple was both amused and helpless. Every time they asked Gu Yao to refine pills, Gu Yao would agree, but he didn’t decline the gift this time. He felt the pure earth spiritual energy emanating from the stone marrow and couldn’t wait to absorb it.

Gu Yao understood his thoughts, waved at him, and told him to hurry up and enter seclusion. The chubby disciple dashed off, leaving the crystal snake with Gu Yao. Jiang Yan and Lu Qiusheng then enjoyed watching the “battle” between the cat and the snake, laughing heartily.

A couple of days later, Hu Valley Master sent a special caravan with a batch of items to Gu Yao. Half of it was for Gu Yao, and the other half was carefully prepared by Hu Valley Master for his grandson, with cultivation resources suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The branch of the Alchemist Guild in Fang City had been completed, and similarly, a branch was set up in Tian Shui Market. Although Tianhai Sect was still being bothered by small beast hordes, Tian Shui Market remained unaffected. The local cultivators still remembered the kindness of Hu Valley Master and Gu Yao, so they warmly welcomed the branch and worked together to build it.

So far, the various branch locations were either still under construction or just completed, with no further incidents of being attacked or destroyed. This was due to an incident during the establishment of the first branch, when unknown assailants surrounded the location. However, this resulted in other cultivators uniting in anger to fight back. Only three or four of the assailants managed to escape.

After that lesson, no matter the disputes, everyone tacitly avoided conflicts around the guild or its surrounding areas. The guild and its territories became a neutral zone where, at most, verbal arguments could occur, but no one was allowed to use force—otherwise, they would become the target of everyone’s wrath.

This unwritten rule, though not enforced by law, was voluntarily followed by cultivators across the continent, and it persisted for a long time.

Learning from previous mistakes, special patrols were arranged on Sword Peak. That day, the patrols were doing their rounds as usual when suddenly, the entire Sword Peak seemed to hold its breath, and the atmosphere became tense. Several of the cultivators were startled, wondering if something had gone wrong.

Then, the ground beneath them began to tremble, increasing their shock. They quickly sent out messages, and just then, several figures appeared in the air above The Sword Peak. The leader was Elder Yi, who showed no signs of concern, but instead, he fixed his gaze tightly on the direction of the Sword Pavilion.

Gu Yao also arrived, stepping onto his magical artifact, and excitedly asked, “Elder Yi, is it true that my senior brother is about to emerge from seclusion?” The cultivators below heard this and immediately calmed down, their hearts lifted with joy. It turned out that the commotion had come from Chi Changye entering the Sword Pavilion! The louder the commotion, the better!