If I become a saint, a celestial official will summon me to raise horses.

Chapter 351 The Order of Reincarnation
Anxin led Ye Yan to Gu An's attic and went upstairs to inquire.

Gu An had sensed Ye Yan's presence long ago, but he couldn't show it. Only after An Xin knocked on the door did he ask her to bring Ye Yan up.

Looking at the aged Ye Yan, Gu An smiled and said, "Long time no see, please sit down."

Anxin was secretly curious, but she didn't stay. Instead, she obediently closed the door and left.

Ye Yan sat down at the table and looked at Gu An, his heart filled with emotions.

After many years, my master is still so young, even more charming.

Gu An wore a celestial king's crown, and a golden pattern appeared on his forehead. Sitting there, he gave people the feeling of a celestial deity.

Ye Yan could sense that his master was at the Core Formation stage, just like him. Although they were both at the Core Formation stage, their spirit and energy were completely opposite.

"How could you..." Gu An frowned and asked hesitantly.

Fifty years ago, Ye Yan was in his prime, with a youthful face, and was one of Li Xuandao's most capable generals.

Now, Ye Yan looks so old.

Gu An could see that Ye Yan was nearing the end of his life, but he couldn't say it aloud; he could only ask.

In fact, Ye Yan's maximum lifespan has increased somewhat over the years, but unfortunately, it's only increased slightly.

Ye Yan smiled and said, "Everyone has their time to live. My time is coming soon, and I want to come back and take a look before I die."

Upon hearing this, Gu An sighed and then got up to pour him some tea.

Ye Yan followed his gaze and said, "Master, there's no need to sigh for me. I have achieved great success in my life and have no regrets."

He followed Li Xuandao in conquering the world and achieved the unification of the world. Li Xuandao enfeoffed him as a marquis. In these decades, he also enjoyed wealth and honor, even had many wives and concubines, and enjoyed the happiness of family life. He truly had no regrets.

"I am very pleased that you have come back to see your teacher," Gu An said, turning around after pouring the tea.

Even if he preaches to Ye Yan now, it will only extend his lifespan by a few years at most.

Moreover, he doesn't preach to people casually; if he does, he might easily expose his cultivation level.

The Third Medicine Valley and the Mysterious Valley have dozens of disciples graduating each year, so he cannot possibly preach to every single one of them.

"Without my master's help, I wouldn't have such a wonderful life. If I hadn't heard from His Majesty that you were doing well, I would have returned to repay you long ago," Ye Yan said with a smile as he took the teacup.

He shed the murderous aura of years of battle, becoming as amiable as Xiao Chuan.

Gu An sat down and began to ask him about his experiences over the years.

Ye Yan didn't hide anything and started talking from the moment they left the valley, and Gu An listened attentively.

He listened to it all night long.

As dawn approached, Ye Yan made a request: he wanted to be buried in the Third Medicine Valley.

Gu An remained silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

And so, Ye Yan settled down.

Gu An let An Xin go to find Zhen Qin. That evening, Zhen Qin returned. Seeing Ye Yan with his white hair, Zhen Qin felt very sad.

They stood in front of the wooden fence, watching the snow and reminiscing about the past.

When the Third Medicine Valley was first built, there were only Zhen Qin, Su Han, and Ye Yan in the valley. At that time, Zhen Qin's aptitude was the most ordinary, and her strength was not as good as the other two.

Three hundred years have passed, and Su Han has long since died. Now Zhen Qin is about to send Ye Yan away. How could she not be sad?
When Ye Yan mentioned Su Han, Zhen Qin did not hide anything. Upon hearing that Su Han had already died, Ye Yan fell silent.

Su Han, who cultivated the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword, was once famous throughout the Taicang Dynasty. Ye Yan heard about his deeds, but he did not know his fate.

"Life's journey is truly unpredictable," Ye Yan remarked.

He was already near death, so naturally he wouldn't be overly sad.

He looked at Zhen Qin and smiled, "Don't be sad. I'll go down and find him and give him my regards."

These words made Zhen Qin's eyes turn red.

Gu An stood by the window, watching their backs as they walked away, lost in thought.

Long Qing came downstairs, grabbed a handful of snow, and wanted to throw it at Gu An. But seeing his serious expression, Long Qing held it up for a while, and finally put his hand down. He turned around and threw it at the Blood Prison Great Sage.

The sleeping Blood Prison Great Sage was woken up by the blow. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Long Qing had already run away.

"You little brat!"

Enraged, the Great Sage of Blood Prison immediately rose and chased after Long Qing, his massive bull-like body stirring up snow and mist along the way.

The winter snow fell heavier and heavier, as if it would fill up the Third Medicine Valley.

The year is drawing to a close.

On a mountain peak at the edge of the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An stood in front of Ye Yan's grave, the snow melting before it even touched him.

Gu An's eyes were not sad, but calm.

He wasn't too sad; he was just reflecting on the past.

Ye Yan was not the first disciple he sent away; he was simply looking back on the first half of his life and reliving the emotions of the past.

Gu An was thinking about a question.

In the vast and boundless world of Heaven and Earth, how do people reincarnate after death?

What rules govern the so-called cycle of reincarnation?

Why do so many high-level cultivators choose reincarnation? Is the purpose of reincarnation merely to experience cause and effect and destiny?

Gradually, he entered a mysterious state.

Enlightenment.

……

In the sweltering summer heat, the Tai Xuan Sect branched out. Ye Mansion.

Gu An and Ye Lan sat inside drinking. After listening to Gu An's story, Ye Lan remained calm.

"Everyone dies eventually, it's just a matter of how long they live. I'll have my day sooner or later too, so don't be too sad then, senior brother," Ye Lan said softly, looking at Gu An.

Gu An put down his wine glass and asked, "If I were given the chance to live forever, but you would have to sacrifice a lot and follow certain rules, would you be willing?"

After witnessing Ye Yan's death, Gu An felt uneasy, fearing that his preaching would not keep pace with the passage of time.

His sermons to Ye Lan, Xiao Chuan, and others did indeed extend their lifespan limits, but each time the extension was shorter than the last. In terms of sermons alone, he only helped Ye Lan extend her lifespan limit by two hundred years. The last two sermons combined only extended her lifespan limit by one year.

The workings of fate are so terrifying and so merciless.

Ye Lan asked, "Will this rule keep me away from you?"

Gu An replied, "It's hard to say."

He remembered Tianzong saying that after becoming Tianzong, he abandoned many people, including his wife and children.

"Forget it then. Perhaps such immortality is a curse? At least I don't approve of it," Ye Lan said, shaking her head.

Gu An remained silent.

Ye Lan seemed to sense Gu An's emotions. She reached out and pressed down on the back of Gu An's hand, and said with a smile, "Senior brother, don't forget our final hundred-year promise. If I can spend the rest of my life with you, then this life will be enough. A hundred years is actually long enough."

Gu An smiled and asked, "Is a hundred years enough?"

"Perhaps that's enough. Over the years, I've chased power, and after a while, I've grown tired of it. I've been focusing on cultivation lately, and I'm thinking of finding something else to do, like you writing a book..."

Ye Lan began to recount her experiences over the years.

She is over three hundred years old and has her own views and insights on life.

She is now a Nascent Soul cultivator and holds a high position of power within the Tai Xuan Sect. Her pursuits are also changing.

Listening to her story, Gu An couldn't help but smile, feeling happy for her.

Life shouldn't be just about one thing. Ye Lan's ability to start thinking about enriching life is a kind of enlightenment.

"Senior brother, if you really have that opportunity, leave it to someone who is extremely eager to cultivate immortality. I don't think the level of cultivation is that important now," Ye Lan said with a smile.

Gu An laughed and said, "If you were to leave this world, wouldn't it be lonely for your senior brother to pursue immortality alone?"

Ye Lan blinked and smiled, "I haven't given up either. I was just saying it to you. Some things can't be fought for or forced, so just let it go. Don't let it become a burden on yourself, including me, Zhen Qin, and your disciples. If we die before you, don't be confused and develop a mental illness."

Upon hearing this, Gu An couldn't help but reach out and pinch her cheek, and she didn't dodge.

"What would you want to do in your last hundred years? Where would you go?" Gu An asked.

Ye Lan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Can I imagine it?"

"Of course, daytime is the best time to dream."

"Then I want to see just how big this world is. I've heard there are other continents beyond the sea. I also want to go to the sky and see just how high it is, and what the outer reaches of the sky look like..."

Ye Lan spoke with great interest, and Gu An listened attentively, his thoughts drifting away with her words.

Two days later.

Gu An first went to the Beihai Mountains to pick medicinal herbs, and then returned to Xuan Valley and stayed for an hour.

After returning to the Third Medicine Valley, he was in a good mood and played two games of chess with the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord.

It's approaching evening.

Shen Xinzi and Long Qing walked along the path between the medicine gardens. Long Qing hung his head, looking very dejected, and glanced timidly at his master who was walking ahead of him from time to time.

Shenxinzi appeared calm, but was inwardly confused.

Despite being taught for so long, Long Qing still hasn't managed to cultivate a single trace of spiritual power.

Even someone with mediocre talent shouldn't be like this...

Could it be that there's something wrong with his teaching?
"Master, do I still have hope?" Long Qing couldn't help but ask. He had lost his fighting spirit and even felt a little afraid of cultivation. He was afraid of disappointing his master.

Shen Xinzi said without turning his head, "Perhaps you have a special physique. Starting tomorrow, I will teach you how to refine your body."

"Body training?"

"Yes, the path of cultivation is not limited to absorbing Qi. Perhaps your physique needs long-term refinement, accumulating strength for a future breakthrough..."

As Shenxinzi spoke, his tone became increasingly firm.

Whether Long Qing believed it or not, he believed it first.

That's right, that's it!
Yang Jian was also very strong back then, so perhaps Gu An chose Long Qing because the two were very similar.

Upon hearing this, Long Qing immediately became happy and started jumping around.

When they returned to the attic area, Anxin greeted them with a smile and asked, "Senior, why have you been bringing this kid along every day lately?"

Shen Xinzi clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, I have a connection with this child, so I will take him around to play."

Since Long Qing has no cultivation level, no one can discover that he is secretly cultivating.

"Oh, Senior Sister, why do you care so much?" Long Qing said, dissatisfied.

Hmph, once I successfully refine my body, you can forget about controlling me!

An Xin looked at Long Qing with a smile, thinking to herself, "You brat, you've grown wings. I'd like to see what tricks you can learn from him."

She said, "Fine, I don't care about you."

After saying this, she bowed to the Divine Heart Child and then took her leave.

Shen Xinzi watched her retreating figure thoughtfully. This woman's cultivation had not improved, but she gave off a very subtle feeling that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

(End of this chapter)