After inheriting the memories of Yongsheng, Gu An’s life returned to tranquility. None of the disciples in the Dao Field knew that he had cultivated the Immortal Emperor Pupil, and he continued refining Dao Treasures as usual.

Aside from crafting a Dao Treasure for the Deep Sea Dragon Koi, he also planned to prepare treasures for Jiang Qiong, Long Qing, Yang Jian, and Zhang Buku.

Of course, he was merely preparing them in advance. Whether and when he would give them out depended on his mood.

Refining treasures, gathering herbs, occasionally guiding disciples—time flowed like a swiftly turning wheel in this rhythm of life.

A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

During the Primordial Era, the Heavenly Spirit World was constantly creating wonders. The heavens not only nurtured beings with extraordinary talents but also gave birth to top-tier heavenly materials, treasures, and innate artifacts.

Artifacts were not solely refined by cultivators; the world itself could birth Innate Treasures. Such artifacts were more easily attuned to the laws of heaven and earth, each containing immense power. Those who obtained an Innate Treasure had a much higher chance of becoming figures who stirred the fate of the world.

Amid this phenomenon, discussions about Heavenly Dao’s divine will began spreading among mortals once again. Those who obtained supreme treasures were said to be favored by the Heavenly Dao, making the common people revere and long for it even more.

On this particular day, Gu An had just finished refining a Dao Treasure. After setting the foundation for his next creation, he stood up.

Without informing Shen Zhen, he walked away.

Shen Zhen didn’t mind, remaining focused on the Dao Treasure inside the great cauldron. She could sense a completely new kind of Dao resonance she had never perceived before.

"How does he control so many Dao powers..."

Shen Zhen muttered to herself. In her understanding, mastering even one Dao power was enough to reign over countless beings. Yet, Gu An had already displayed over a dozen kinds of Dao power, each unfathomably deep.

It was just a passing thought, and she quickly set it aside, immersing herself in understanding the Dao.

In the past thousand years, as she delved into Dao comprehension, a longing arose in her heart. It felt as though she was searching for something, though she had no idea what. It was merely an instinctual yearning.

This longing made her more diligent in pursuing the Dao than in the first half of her life—she no longer slacked off.

Meanwhile, Gu An arrived at a mountain cliff, overlooking the winding mountain path below.

On both sides of the trail stood towering peaks that blocked out the sunlight, their rocky faces covered in creeping vines, making the atmosphere both serene and desolate.

At this moment, a scholar carrying a book chest, using a wooden staff as a walking stick, was making his way forward.

The path was steep, lacking proper stone steps, and wild grass obscured sharp rocks, slowing his progress.

This scholar was none other than the reincarnation of the Heavenly Spirit God.

Following closely behind him was a white fox—an entity that had been searching for the Heavenly Spirit God’s reincarnation for ten thousand years.

Ten thousand years ago, an elder brother had killed a villain in the city to save his youngest brother. Because of this, the authorities pursued him, while three white foxes fulfilled their promise to revive the youngest brother.

However, after taking lives, they could no longer restrain their killing intent. Whenever people caused them trouble, they would find ways to eliminate them.

Over time, their actions attracted the attention of cultivation sects.

Since their cultivation was weak, they stood no chance against the cultivators’ capture.

After being caught, the youngest brother—who had inherited demonic power—was also taken by the sect.

For decades, he cultivated within that sect, until he finally found an opportunity to rescue the three foxes.

But by then, two of them had already been killed.

He managed to escape with the last surviving fox, but it was gravely injured, barely clinging to life.

The sole surviving fox was named Su Jin.

Due to her severe injuries, she had to rely on the youngest brother for protection as they fled.

That sect, however, continued hunting them down.

Because Su Jin had once disguised herself as an entertainer in brothels, the cultivators maliciously speculated about their relationship, spreading vile rumors that fueled their pursuit.

Under the pressure of both the mortal world and the cultivation world, the youngest brother and Su Jin eventually fell in love.

When he finally escorted Su Jin to the Demon Realm, he stayed behind to buy her time to escape, dying under the swords of the cultivators.

Such tragic stories were not uncommon in this world.

However, Su Jin was lucky.

She found a powerful demon master, one who taught her the way of tracing reincarnation.

She had searched for Xiao Wu for ten thousand years, and only in this life did she finally find him.

Of course, the reason she was able to locate him was also because of Gu An. After all, the Heavenly Spirit God was shrouded by his causality, and if Gu An did not wish for him to be found, she never would have been able to.

The Heavenly Spirit God had already reincarnated countless times, experiencing every kind of life. Each time he died, his will would briefly awaken, allowing him to accept the cycle of reincarnation once more.

Gu An could sense the changes in his mentality, which was why he gave him this chance.

In this lifetime, the Heavenly Spirit God was named Bai Sheng.

He came from a remote town and was now on his way to the imperial capital to participate in the imperial examinations.

After climbing to the highest point of the mountain path, he reached a downward slope. He stopped, set down his book chest, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Turning around, he looked back along the path he had taken. The rolling mountain forests stretched endlessly, majestic and grand, bringing a bright smile to his face and filling his heart with pride and ambition.

"To travel ten thousand miles, even if studying brings no reward, this life will still be worth it."

Bai Sheng sighed sincerely, his handsome face beaming with satisfaction and confidence.

Just then, he caught sight of a small white fox in the grass below.

Smiling, he waved and called out, "Little fox, we meet again. Are you reluctant to part with me?"

Upon hearing his voice, Su Jin emerged from the grass and trotted up the mountain, quickly reaching Bai Sheng’s side, rubbing affectionately against his pant leg.

Bai Sheng was amused and took out a piece of dry rations, breaking off a portion for the fox.

From atop the mountain, Gu An gazed down at the joyful reunion between the scholar and the fox.

The story of a scholar and a demon reminded Gu An of the ancient Chinese classic "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" from his past life.

In the Heavenly Spirit World, relationships between humans and demons were not uncommon, though they were rarely as tragic and entangled as in the stories of his past world.

Few mortals who betrayed demons ever met a good end—after all, the power gap was an undeniable reality. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

This lifetime of Bai Sheng and Su Jin was destined to end in tragedy. However, with Gu An’s interference, things might take a different turn.

He planned to use Su Jin to test the Heavenly Spirit God.

If the Heavenly Spirit God still lacked compassion, then he would continue to be trapped in the cycle of reincarnation.

Only when Gu An no longer feared the Heavenly Court would it be time for him to be completely annihilated.

With nothing better to do, Gu An decided to involve himself in this matter.

He turned and strode into the mountain forest, and in an instant, his attire transformed—becoming that of a wandering swordsman, dust-covered but still exuding the aura of a chivalrous hero.

He wore a bamboo hat, with the Azure Swan Sword strapped to his waist.

As Su Jin ate the biscuit, her eyes never left Bai Sheng.

Watching him, she felt a sense of daze and disbelief.

Ten thousand years had passed, and he was completely different from before.

In her memories, Xiao Wu was never this calm and composed. He always carried a look of worry and unease.

Yet, the secret art she cultivated told her that the soul within this body was undoubtedly Xiao Wu’s.

"This time, I will never let you suffer again." Su Jin thought to herself.

Suddenly, she turned her head sharply.

Her sudden movement made Bai Sheng look up as well.

The trees beside them rustled, and a figure stepped out from the forest.

Seeing Gu An’s attire, Bai Sheng immediately grew tense, fearing that he was a bandit.

Without hesitation, he quickly stuffed Su Jin into his book chest and turned to face Gu An, pretending to be calm.

Gu An lifted his head, revealing a young but slightly weathered face beneath his bamboo hat.

The way he smiled made Bai Sheng suddenly feel less nervous—he had the feeling that this was a good man.

"I am Gu An. Passing through this place, I rarely see people, so I thought I’d come to meet you. I didn’t scare you, did I?" Gu An smiled warmly.

Bai Sheng quickly raised his hands in greeting and said, "How could I be scared? I am Bai Sheng, a scholar from Lu Prefecture, on my way to the imperial capital."

Gu An raised an eyebrow. "You’re taking the imperial exam, aren’t you?"

"That’s right. Might I ask, where is Brother Gu heading?"

Gu An grinned. "What a coincidence—I’m also heading to the imperial capital. Why don’t we travel together? I can protect you, and in return, you can tell me about scholarship and literature. You scholars know a lot, but I’ve been practicing martial arts since I was young, never had much time to study. To be honest, I admire your world."

His casual and familiar attitude made Bai Sheng warm up to him immediately.

The two sat down and chatted, finding themselves getting along remarkably well.

Suddenly, Su Jin jumped out of the book chest, startling Gu An for a moment.

Bai Sheng hurriedly introduced her, saying that he had formed a bond with this little fox.

"Foxes are very intelligent creatures. Since ancient times, there have been many stories of scholars and fox demons. Brother Bai, you’d best be careful—what if she’s actually a demon?" Gu An teased.

Su Jin immediately glared at Gu An, feeling that he was talking too much.

Bai Sheng’s face flushed red, and he quickly retorted, "That’s impossible! Even if she were a demon, there’s no way I’d ever be involved in that kind of story!"

At these words, Su Jin turned her gaze to Gu An, her eyes filled with annoyance.

Bai Sheng, however, didn’t notice the change in her expression.