Nighttime, Beiliang City.

Gu Yuan arrived at Gaoliu Lane.

It wasn't far from the Jade Cauldron Tower.

On the nighttime streets, there were few pedestrians, the cold wind howled, and moonlight spilled onto the ground, creating a rather cold and desolate atmosphere.

From the distant street, the sound of dogs barking occasionally echoed.

Gu Yuan, holding a long sword, waited silently.

After a while, Gu Yuan's gaze shifted to a dark corner, and he suddenly spoke, "Since Old Chen is already here, why not show yourself and have a chat?"

Moments later, an old man with white hair emerged from that dark corner.

The old man was slightly hunched, his figure thin and frail, with a head full of white hair, appearing quite aged and sickly, like someone halfway in the grave.

It was Old Man Chen!

But as Gu Yuan met his seemingly murky eyes, a chill ran down his spine, a chilling sensation he couldn't quite understand.

It was as if the sickly old man before him was just an illusion, hiding a ghost clad in human skin!

He instinctively tightened his grip on the sword hilt.

Unexpectedly, this subtle move was noticed by Old Man Chen, who raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Such a sharp young man."

Then, he dismissively waved his hand and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I harbor no ill intentions towards you, nor will I do anything to you. On the contrary, I'll offer you some benefits."

Gu Yuan, however, didn't let down his guard a bit, his hand remained on the sword hilt, and he spoke in a deep voice:

"What exactly did Old Chen mean by what he said yesterday morning?"

"Hehe..."

Old Man Chen grinned, revealing a few yellowing teeth, and in his gaze toward Gu Yuan, there was a hint of appreciation, "It's good for young people to be cautious. In this way, I feel even more certain that I've found the right person."

Then he continued, "As for what I meant, it's simple. I want to make a deal with you. You help me with something, and I shall teach you the Profound Turtle Armor Technique."

"A deal? Ha..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but ask, "Old Chen, you're not joking with me, are you?"

"Aren't you also from the Jade Cauldron Tower and should know its rules? If I remember correctly, the Third Miss said this morning that superior martial arts can only be exchanged for contribution points and need the Pavilion Master's approval, with no other way to obtain it."

"Since you don't believe it, why did you come here tonight?"

Old Man Chen smiled and asked in return.

Before Gu Yuan could say anything, Old Man Chen calmly said, "Of course I have to abide by the rules of the Jade Cauldron Tower, but this Profound Turtle Armor Technique, I practiced it in my youth, and given my special status, I naturally have ways to circumvent the rules and pass this martial art to you."

"Oh?"

Gu Yuan's gaze flickered, and he cupped his hands, "May I ask which sect and faction senior comes from?"

"I'm nothing special, I was once an Inner Sect Disciple of Medicine King Mountain, and later held the position of Outer Sect Steward there."

A hint of nostalgia and complexity flashed across Old Man Chen's face, "It was only due to an accident that I came to Beiliang County to oversee the storage houses at the Jade Cauldron Tower's branch."

"Medicine King Mountain?"

Gu Yuan suddenly realized and cupped his hands, "Pardon my ignorance, I didn't know senior is also an esteemed disciple of Medicine King Mountain, like the Pavilion Master..."

"Pardon my ass!"

Old Man Chen glanced at him and sneered, "Kid, you probably don't even know where Medicine King Mountain is, right?"

Gu Yuan wasn't embarrassed and instead argued confidently, "As a junior with humble beginnings, having only started cultivation a month ago, my ignorance is understandable."

Old Man Chen ignored him, took a few steps with his hands behind his back, and said softly:

"Although Xia Mingyang and I come from the same sect, he is just an Outer Disciple, and his status is far inferior to mine. With my standing, he has no say in whether I pass on the Profound Turtle Armor Technique to you."

Xia Mingyang was merely an Outer Disciple of Medicine King Mountain!

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan was inevitably surprised, and his view of Old Man Chen changed.

Even if Outer Disciples are Innate Martial Masters, then this Old Man Chen, claiming to be an Inner Sect Disciple, must be...

Old Man Chen seemed to know what he was thinking and said flatly:

"Indeed, I have stepped into the Celestial Human Realm and even mastered divine techniques. But due to certain events, my foundational cultivation was destroyed, my path was cut off, and seeing no hope ahead, I accepted the task of overseeing the storage houses, intending to spend my remaining years here."

"As for what I want you to do, it's actually to help me kill someone."

Gu Yuan felt heavy, "Who does senior want me to kill?"

It was indeed surprising, given Old Man Chen's impressive background as a former Celestial Human Realm cultivator, no wonder even someone with Xia Xiuxue's status treated him with respect.

Old Man Chen wasted no more words and said directly:

"This person's title is Xuan You Old Monster, a Celestial Human Realm evil cultivator."

"A Celestial Human Realm evil cultivator?!"

Gu Yuan was at a loss for words, "Old Chen, you're not joking with me, are you? Asking a mere Martial Master like me to deal with a Celestial Human Realm cultivator, you might as well tell me to slit my throat, it'd be more straightforward at least."

"Rest assured, since I'm asking you to do it, I'm quite confident in your success!"

Old Man Chen was very calm, looking at Gu Yuan with a peculiar gaze:

"Moreover, you kid, being able to rear a demon, certainly aren't an easy character, that's something you can hide from others, but not from me."

"Rear a demon? Old Chen, please don't accuse a good person wrongly, I'm a straightforward individual, how could I do such a thing."

Gu Yuan was frowning and loudly proclaiming his innocence, while internally becoming tense and alert.

Unexpectedly, this Old Man Chen had quite an eye, having seen through some of his secrets.

"Rearing just one demon isn't a big deal. At Medicine King Mountain's Spirit Beast Garden, many demons and demon birds are nurtured. The Gu God Sect even bases their practice on cultivating and refining Gu."

Seeing Gu Yuan's expression of being wronged, Old Man Chen was somewhat speechless and said, "Moreover, shouldn't you deal with that hint of demon qi on you before claiming to be wronged?"

"Demon qi? What demon qi?"

Gu Yuan feigned ignorance and refused to acknowledge anything.

Seeing Gu Yuan's stubbornness, Old Man Chen chuckled in exasperation and, without bothering further explanation, simply tossed an object to Gu Yuan:

"This is a copper plate magical artifact, which can help you track down the whereabouts of that Xuan You Old Monster."

Old Man Chen's tone was indifferent, but his face showed bone-deep hatred:

"Perhaps you have guessed, yes, it was this person who destroyed my cultivation foundation, severing my path, this is a life-and-death grudge, even the waters of the three great rivers cannot wash away the hatred in my heart!"

"This copper plate is a special magical artifact called the Spirit-Seeking Disc. Inside it carries the essence blood aura of the person. As long as the Xuan You Old Monster appears within a ten-mile radius, the copper plate will show a reaction. A few days ago, this copper plate started showing anomalies, indicating that the Xuan You Old Monster was in Beiliang County at that time, and might not have left even now!"

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