Gu Hong put down the book in her hand, stood up and said, "Please follow me, honored guest."

She was as calm as ever, leading Li An into the inner hall.

Although he trusted Gu Hong quite a bit, Li An's Divine Sense was still fully active, carefully sensing the surroundings.

There were no preset traps or arrays.

Gu Hong directly led Li An into her boudoir and closed the door.

"Li..."

She turned around, her eyes unable to hide the excitement and joy, just about to speak, but Li An made a hush gesture and quickly set up two arrays.

One of them could weaken the transmission of sound, preventing the sounds in this room from reaching the outside. Of course, this was only a high-level array and couldn't block Divine Sense detection, so a Thunder Shock Talisman was hidden in it!

——Over the years, Li An had purchased five talismans in the city: two Thunder Shock Talismans and three Bursting Talismans. These actions were done openly, making it even harder for people to associate him with Talisman Master Li An.

The other was a killing array.

After doing all this, Li An turned around, looked at Gu Hong with a smile, and said, "Fellow Daoist Gu, it's been many years, and I hope you're well!"

Gu Hong's eyes were full of long-missed joy, as if she had a thousand words to say, but she only smiled and said:

"I hope you're well."

The two sat down and recounted their experiences over the years.

According to the information Li An had gathered, Gu Hong had followed her master to White Tiger City to seek help from her senior brother Zhang Deyi to find materials for the Small Returning Pill.

To their surprise, Zhang Deyi seemed like a different person. He met with them only once, coldly rejected her request, and then chased them out.

Gu Hong had no choice but to stay in the city with her master.

In truth, with the abilities of Gu Hong and Gusongxi, they could have lived a good life in the city, but they were targeted everywhere, as if someone wanted them gone.

To avoid a direct conflict with Zhang Deyi, Gu Hong and her master endured all these years, deliberately avoiding business competition with Zhang Deyi.

"Senior Brother was kind-hearted and generous back then, sigh..."

Gu Hong said with a light sigh.

"The human heart is the hardest to fathom."

Li An spoke, recalling the time when his Second Grade incomplete heritage was exposed.

According to Gu Hong's account...the contrast in Zhang Deyi was significant!

"Could he have been possessed?" Li An couldn't help but have this thought.

Undeniably, it was very possible.

His alchemy skills advanced by leaps and bounds, with extraordinary insight, and he also became extremely rejecting of old acquaintances...

Li An had also studied soul possession deeply.

Generally, after soul possession, the original soul doesn't immediately perish.

It remains in the body, constantly oppressed for living space.

During this tug-of-war, the appearance of someone or something the original soul cares about could ignite a strong fighting spirit and resentment, affecting the possessor's stability.

If that's the case, it all makes sense.

Zhang Deyi must have been very repelled by Gu Hong and her master, unwilling to see them, so he used his influence in the city to suppress them, trying to drive them out.

There were even rumors that a big shot on White Tiger Mountain disliked Gu Hong and her master, causing various parties to avoid seeking their alchemy services.

The source of all this should be Zhang Deyi.

Even Li An had concerns, so he kept acting as if Gu Hong and her master were merely an option.

If Luo Yong had not turned traitor, Li An might have sought Zhang Deyi for alchemy.

But Gu Hong, in order to gather materials for her master's Small Returning Pill, survived tenaciously in the city afterward. Zhang Deyi couldn't just eliminate them. If Gu Hong and her master died or encountered significant trouble, the original soul would struggle fiercely.

He couldn't risk it.

So he pretended not to see them.

These thoughts flashed through Li An's mind, but he didn't mention them.

Gu Hong and her master were only Foundation Establishment cultivators, not at the level to understand, and saying it would only add to their worries.

He also recounted his own experiences briefly, only telling Gu Hong that he happened to be away when the Demon Sect attacked the market, then later hid in the Moon Tempering Valley for cultivation, and after the Zhao family incident, he came to White Tiger City directly.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Li, you mentioned in your letter that you needed my master's help to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill. Have you gathered all the materials for it?"

Gu Hong asked, taking out several Second Grade Spirit Medicines as she spoke, "Over the years, I've collected some, but I haven't found high-quality Primordial Soul Crystal Core or Purple Soul Herbs. But, Brother Li, you should have your own materials, right?"

Seeing this, Li An felt a slight warmth in his heart, realizing Gu Hong clearly cared about his matters, even gathering Foundation Establishment materials for him.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Gu, but there's no need, I have everything ready."

Li An said, "How is the Ancient Alchemist's health?"

"He's been nurturing his strength over the years, just to help you refine the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Gu Hong smiled sweetly, "After all, he's counting on you to purify that Primordial Soul Crystal Core after your Foundation Establishment."

——Four years ago, Li An approached Gu Hong, giving her a Primordial Soul Crystal Core and a letter.

The letter clearly stated he was in White Tiger City, preparing for Foundation Establishment.

The Primordial Soul Crystal Core contained a layer of gray Death Qi that couldn't be removed. Li An explained in the letter that he had found a method, but needed to succeed in Foundation Establishment to purify it.

So, Gusongxi had been waiting all these years.

This was also Li An's bargaining chip; the gray Death Qi was transformed from a Life Seed, and only Li An could unlock it!

Li An said, "Sorry to keep the Ancient Alchemist waiting."

Gu Hong said:

"In that case, we should go find him immediately."

"Oh, I didn't tell my master your identity, only that he's helping you refine the Foundation Establishment Pill as a return for the Primordial Soul Beast Crystal Core, so you don't need to reveal your true identity."

Li An felt a slight stir of emotion, realizing Gu Hong truly thought of everything for him, even choosing not to reveal it to her master to keep his whereabouts secret.

...

Immediately, the two turned and left, with Li An taking down the two arrays along the way.

They turned the corridor and entered a quiet chamber, simply furnished with only a cushion where an old man with white hair and beard was sitting in meditation. It was Gusongxi.

He looked even older than before.

"Master, the Daoist friend who asked for your help with refining the Foundation Establishment Pill has arrived."

Gu Hong spoke.

Gusongxi opened his eyes and looked at Li An, a hint of scrutiny flashing in his old eyes. Then he rose to greet him with a smile, "Thank you, kind Daoist, for your generosity with the medicine, allowing this old man to eke out an existence, I'm truly grateful!"

He said with a slight bow.

Li An returned the gesture, saying, "I should be thanking Ancient Alchemist for his help!"

Gusongxi said, "No need for courtesy, Daoist Yuan. Have you brought the materials? We can start now!"

His aged eyes were full of anticipation!

...

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