『System space』
『Common-grade spiritual medicines +566 stalks, common-grade weapons +1023 pieces』
『Gold +12,000 taels』
『Silver +98,000 taels』
…
A merchant’s treasury naturally held more of these vulgar items.
But Gu Lan did not mind.
After all, in this world, all resources can be bought with money; there is no saying that once one’s realm is high enough, gold and silver become as worthless as dung.
Who would ever dislike having too much money?
Gu Lan covered the lower half of his face, and the Hongmeng Sword beneath his feet flickered with flowing light as he sped swiftly back toward Langzhou City.
At one point, he suddenly sensed a gaze falling on him.
Although that gaze held no hostility.
Being noticed at a time like this definitely meant the other party was a top expert… Gu Lan had already reached that conclusion and, not wanting to stir up trouble, pretended not to notice and kept traveling.
However, that gaze kept following him.
Until.
Beside the old pagoda tree below came a timely shout: “Fellow Daoist, Fellow Daoist, please stop! This poor Daoist has been waiting here for a long time!”
Hearing that the other party was waiting for him, Gu Lan stopped and looked back.
An old Daoist priest and a young Daoist priest walked over together. The young Daoist priest looked at him curiously, while the old Daoist priest was all smiles and beaming with joy.
Gu Lan first checked their cultivation.
Good heavens!
That plain-looking old Daoist had actually already reached the peak of the Immortal Realm!
At such a young age, the young Daoist priest was already at King-level!
Looking across all under heaven, aside from himself, there were probably few who could beat these two Daoists.
With such strength, they probably were not from the Jing Kingdom… Gu Lan pondered briefly, trying to infer where the two Daoists were from.
Suddenly.
He saw a faint clear light in the old Daoist priest’s eyes as he sized him up.
That seemed like a very exclusive secret technique introduced in the original novel…
A moment later.
Gu Lan’s heart stirred, his starry eyes flashing as he guessed aloud, “Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, qi-observing technique?”
As soon as he said that, both the old and young Daoists were stunned!
There were not many in all under heaven who knew this secret technique!
And anyone who could recognize them yet remain as calm as still water was definitely no ordinary person!
“Fellow Daoist can tell our origins at a glance. You really are a destined and extraordinary person!” the old Daoist priest praised with a smile.
“Then this poor Daoist won’t hide it anymore. Let me introduce myself first: my Daoist name is Yunlong, and I am the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion of this generation.”
“This is my disciple Zhong Ren… Disciple, hurry and greet Fellow Daoist!”
The young Daoist priest obediently walked up to Gu Lan.
Just when Gu Lan thought he was going to bow, he unexpectedly dropped to his knees right in front of Gu Lan: “I, Zhong Ren, greet Fellow Daoist!”
The corner of Gu Lan’s mouth twitched; he thought to himself that the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion really had impeccable manners when making friends.
However, hearing the two Daoists personally state their names still surprised him a little.
Daoist Master Yunlong, the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, was said to have calculated everything under heaven and devised plans without missing a single detail.
Not to mention his peak Immortal Realm combat strength; just his qi-observing technique for divining fortune and heavenly secrets made countless people rush to seek his guidance. He was truly in great demand!
Although they were people detached from the mundane world, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Pavilion Master had always been someone all the great dynasties and powers desperately wanted to curry favor with!
In the original novel, the protagonist later only got to know the outer sect disciples of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion by chance, and only then did he get onto the line to meet the Pavilion Master…
However.
Why were they waiting for me here?
Gu Lan looked at the two of them in confusion and said calmly, “I have long admired your reputation, Daoist Master. May I ask why you have waited here for me today?”
“I want to ask Fellow Daoist to save my disciple’s life!”
Daoist Master Yunlong looked at Gu Lan sincerely and got straight to the point.
Gu Lan froze for a moment and looked at the young Daoist priest in front of him in surprise.
The young Daoist priest also looked up at him, a somewhat youthful face wearing a carefree smile, as if he had long since come to terms with this matter.
It was hard to imagine that this was actually a child fated to die young!
“Daoist Master Yunlong, even someone like you is helpless. I’m afraid I…” Gu Lan wanted to politely decline.
This was not standing by and doing nothing.
He simply feared that it would shatter the only hope they had left again, making the cruelty even worse!
“Fellow Daoist, there are very few people in this world who can save my disciple. You just happen to be one of them. This has nothing to do with cultivation; it is due to fortune.”
The old Daoist priest shook his head and explained:
“My disciple Zhong Ren has a special constitution and is the ideal successor to my legacy. However, divining heavenly secrets easily invites the jealousy of heaven. If there is no one with great fortune by his side, his lifespan will not exceed fifteen years.”
Upon hearing this,
Gu Lan understood.
He suddenly remembered that some time ago, after he fused the Qiyang Immortal Physique, he had also received another blessing of one thousand points of fortune!
It had directly changed from a mortal’s white fortune to cyan-grade.
Fortune and a body of peerless cultivation can protect one who is condemned by heaven and conceal his fate’s tribulations.
“So that’s the reason.”
Gu Lan nodded.
Seeing him thinking it over, Daoist Master Yunlong thought he was hesitating and quickly added, “Actually, Fellow Daoist doesn’t need to pay anything. You only need to bring my disciple with you when you go to the capital for next year’s spring imperial examinations.”
“With Fellow Daoist’s fortune, combined with the dragon aura of Great Jing’s capital, the heavenly punishment will surely be concealed.”
“As long as Fellow Daoist agrees to this poor Daoist’s request, from now on my Heavenly Secrets Pavilion will be your eternal backing. Whatever you ask for, I will agree to it without fail…”
Although the favor of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was something countless people in this world desperately longed for!
Gu Lan had not even waited for him to finish before repeatedly waving his hands. “Daoist Master, you may have misunderstood. I won’t pass the imperial examinations, and I also won’t take part in next year’s spring imperial examinations, much less go to the capital to sit them.”
Gu Lan was very certain that he would never pass the imperial examinations.
Because this year’s autumn provincial examinations, he planned to hand in a blank paper!
That would be the safest option.
He would not get involved in the capital’s struggles, and he would also avoid increasing the chance of running into the protagonist and getting entangled with him.
Every year he would fail the autumn provincial examinations.
He would spend his life in this tiny Langzhou City with his wife.
Hearing this, Daoist Master Yunlong frowned and began counting on his fingers, as if he were calculating heavenly secrets.
A moment later.
Daoist Master Yunlong paused. His brows immediately relaxed, and he smiled meaningfully at Gu Lan in a way that carried hidden meaning: “Fellow Daoist, Heaven’s will cannot be defied…”
“???”
Gu Lan grew even more confused at that.
Heaven’s will cannot be defied… what did that mean? Could it be that Heaven’s will was different from my own wishes?
“Could Daoist Master explain that in more detail?”
Who knew the old Daoist would shake his head and say solemnly, “Fellow Daoist, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed.”
The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion spies on the Heavenly Way and calculates the fate of the human world.
Calculating a few mortals was nothing special, but if they tried to calculate truly powerful figures, the people who spy on heavenly secrets would suffer corresponding backlash.
So at this moment, Daoist Master Yunlong only dared to calculate a little of Gu Lan’s recent fate, and did not dare say it out loud.
This world’s setup was still fairly complete; it was just a bit damn annoying to only be told half the story… Gu Lan nodded helplessly, indicating understanding.
“I can agree to it, but I also have a few things I want Daoist Master to help me settle.”
Gu Lan said bluntly.
Since he intended to help them, and they were such a powerful faction, merely accepting empty verbal promises was naturally not enough.
That way, the other side would not feel at ease either.
“Please speak, Fellow Daoist!”
Daoist Master Yunlong immediately felt much more at ease. Stroking his young disciple’s topknot, he generously said, “As long as Fellow Daoist is willing to save my disciple, even if you want the East Sea Dragon Lord’s reverse scale, I would be willing to go and scrape it off!”
It could be seen that this old Daoist priest truly doted on his disciple.
“No need for that.”
Gu Lan smiled. “I have a pill formula in my hands. I heard that the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is also a gathering place for renowned alchemists who refine pills all under heaven, so I wanted to trouble Daoist Master…”
“Easy enough!” Daoist Master Yunlong nodded and agreed. “Fellow Daoist, this poor Daoist will refine it for you personally.”
The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion cultivated both the Heavenly Way and the Dao of alchemy. Every generation’s Pavilion Master had extremely deep attainments in alchemy.
It was just that very few people in the world could get him to take action, so he rarely stepped in personally.
A Pavilion Master personally refining pills…
That was far stronger than an alchemist from any random branch office!