To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

The boy and Gu Fan locked eyes, their faces filled with surprise.

He had naturally seen Gu Fan in the Treasure Pavilion.

However, Gu Fan was dressed in luxurious clothes, which clearly made him someone Gu Fan was not someone Gu Fan could afford to offend, so he did not dare to look at him for long.

Being stopped by Gu Fan at this moment caught him somewhat off guard.

With a friendly smile, Gu Fan waved his hand in front of the boy's eyes: "Snap out of it, didn't you say you wanted five taels of silver?"

"Sir, I do need five taels of silver, just five taels." The young man nodded decisively, but did not immediately take out the token. Instead, he looked at Gu Fan with hope in his eyes, but also with a hint of wariness.

Gu Fan shook his head: "I just heard that you are buying medicine for your mother. Five taels of silver for medicine may not be enough to save a person. Why don't you take me to your house to take a look? I know a little about medicine and can examine her."

After a moment's thought, the boy slowly nodded: "Okay."

......

The boy led Gu Fan through Haifeng City for a long time before finally arriving at a cluster of dilapidated houses.

If the bustling, crowded city center is a glamorous heiress, then this place is a shadow beneath her skirt.

The two talked constantly along the way. With Gu Fan's gentle reassurance, the boy's wariness lessened, and he told Gu Fan about his background.

According to the boy, his name is Hou Ying, he is twelve years old, and he has lived in Haifeng City since he was a child. He is currently an apprentice in a carpenter's shop, hoping to learn a trade.

Hou Ying lived with only his mother. His mother usually worked at a laundry shop to supplement the family income, but recently she fell ill from overwork and is now bedridden.

Hou Ying invited a doctor to his home for a house call. Seeing that Hou Ying's family was poor, the doctor did not charge much for the consultation, but left a prescription for Hou Ying to get the medicine.

When he arrived at the pharmacy, he learned that these few doses of medicine would cost five taels of silver.

In Haifeng City, an ordinary family of five spends less than fifty taels of silver a year, so Hou Ying naturally couldn't afford five taels.

Left with no other choice, Hou Ying secretly took out the family heirloom without telling her mother, intending to pawn it at the Treasure Pavilion for five taels of silver.

Although the carving on that plaque was quite good, the material itself was not rare.

With Gu Fan, a distinguished guest, present, the people from Zhenbaoge naturally couldn't let the situation become too awkward. Offering two taels was already an attempt to get rid of Hou Ying as quickly as possible.

Gu Fan chose to catch up with Hou Ying simply because Hou Ying reminded him of his parents in this life. Since they had the chance to meet again, he thought he would lend a helping hand.

As the two talked, they arrived at Hou Ying's house.

Hou Ying stepped forward and pushed open the old wooden door, which creaked open, revealing the cramped house behind it.

The house was only a few steps inside, and the light shone through the paper doors and windows, making it slightly dim.

Although the house was small, it was not cluttered. Apart from the traces of daily life such as pots and pans, all kinds of utensils were neatly arranged, which showed that the owner was a clean and tidy person.

At the far end of the house was a low wooden bed, on which lay a woman who looked to be in her thirties. Her cheeks were flushed, her brows were furrowed, and her eyes were closed, and she was unconscious.

"Mother, Mother!" Hou Ying called out twice, but the woman did not respond. She had no choice but to turn back to Gu Fan for help.

Gu Fan stepped forward and briefly probed with his divine sense, discovering that the woman had a high fever.

In this mortal world, a cold or flu can be fatal. If he hadn't appeared today, it would have been another farewell.

"Go and fetch a bowl of water," Gu Fan instructed Hou Ying.

Hou Ying immediately turned to pour water, but Gu Fan took out a jade bottle from his sleeve and poured out a white pill that emitted a rich herbal fragrance. It was the Qi Gathering Pill.

Gu Fan had previously exchanged all his merits for Qi Gathering Pills in the sect, but after breaking through to the third level of Qi Refining, he still had one left.

When Hou Ying returned with a bowl of water, Gu Fan scraped some powder off the Qi Gathering Pill and dissolved it in the water.

It wasn't that he was reluctant to part with it, but rather that mortals are physically weak and lack spiritual roots, so they cannot withstand too much spiritual energy.

The powder dissolved in water, and Gu Fan fed it to the woman with a small spoon.

The woman was burning with fever. She felt the moisture on her lips and instinctively swallowed. After drinking half a bowl of water, a rosy glow rose from her cheeks, and Gu Fan knew that the pill was working.

He then took out a white jade bottle from his storage bag and poured out a brown pill, which was the same Bigu Pill he had received when he first entered the sect.

Gu Fan consumed only one of the bottle's fasting pills before sealing it in his storage bag.

After being fed a fasting pill, the woman finally slowly opened her eyes.

The woman saw Gu Fan, a stranger, sitting by the bed, and gasped softly. Fortunately, Hou Ying saw that the woman had woken up and rushed over, exclaiming happily, "Mother, you're finally awake!"

Seeing this, Gu Fan got up and went outside the house, leaving the mother and son to talk.

A quarter of an hour later, Hou Ying helped the woman out of the house and bowed deeply to Gu Fan, saying, "Hou Sun thanks the Immortal Master for saving her life!"

Gu Fan stepped forward and helped the mother and child up, then asked in surprise, "How did Madam Sun know I was a Celestial Master?"

Ordinary mortals rarely have the opportunity to come into contact with cultivators, even in Sea Breeze City.

But Madam Sun insisted that Gu Fan was a celestial master and must have had some kind of encounter before.

Upon hearing this, Madam Sun explained, "I was on the verge of death and thought I would follow my deceased husband in death, but now I am much better, even healthier than before I fell ill. How could even the world's most skilled physicians possess such abilities?"

Gu Fan nodded slightly, acknowledging Madam Sun's explanation, but a lingering doubt remained in his heart.

On the other side, seeing that her mother had recovered, Hou Ying took out the wooden plaque from her bosom and presented it to Gu Fan with both hands: "Thank you, Brother Gu, for saving my mother. This plaque is the agreed-upon reward. Please accept it, Brother Gu."

Madam Sun watched from the side, a hint of melancholy in her eyes, but she did not stop it.

The wooden sign is entirely purplish-black, about five inches long and three fingers wide. The material appears to be ordinary sandalwood, but the carvings on it are exquisite, depicting waves, large ships, and even the sailors on board.

Gu Fan had not intended to ask for anything in return for this trip, and was about to refuse when he suddenly stopped.

He reached out and picked up the sign, then brought it close to his eyes to examine it carefully before confirming that he hadn't misread it.

At the crest of those waves, the spray-like structures clearly resembled runes!

If Gu Fan hadn't spent his days drawing talismans and mastered all kinds of runes recently, he wouldn't have discovered the secrets within.

Using the Myriad Manifestations Eye, a wisp of magic power probed into the wooden tablet. Several runes were pieced together to form a pattern, and a restriction appeared in the wooden tablet.

This wooden plaque is actually a magical artifact!

Thinking of this, Gu Fan did not hide anything from Hou Ying and her son, and poured more magic power into the wooden tablet. The tablet emitted a faint glow, and a light screen rose from it, piecing together a sea chart.

After careful examination, Gu Fan discovered that it resembled the coastline of the Cloud Mist Sea, and not far from the shore, a red dot of light floated quietly there.

"This is... a map?"