At the hour of Xu, Jiang Beiran left the Water Mirror Hall after bidding farewell to the reluctant Shi Fenglan and headed straight for the back mountains. As he ascended, the faint sound of a flute reached his ears from afar. Quickening his pace, Jiang Beiran soon arrived outside the formation he had set up.
"Ah, Qinghuan is back," Jiang Beiran remarked with a smile as he spotted the flute player at the entrance.
Hearing his senior brother's voice, Gu Qinghuan lowered the jade flute and turned to bow respectfully.
"Greetings, Senior Brother."
"Come, let's talk further up."
Leading Gu Qinghuan back to the Purple Bamboo Courtyard, Jiang Beiran poured two cups of Moonlight White tea and handed one to Gu Qinghuan.
"How was the trip?"
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Accepting the teacup with both hands, Gu Qinghuan set down the large chest on his back and cupped his fists.
"I did not fail your expectations. I’ve brought back everything you asked for."
"Everything on the list?"
"Yes," Gu Qinghuan nodded.
"Excellent. You remain as outstanding as ever," Jiang Beiran said with deep satisfaction.
Gu Qinghuan was a junior disciple Jiang Beiran had taken under his wing three years ago while serving as an Iron Seal. Through their interactions, Jiang Beiran learned that Gu Qinghuan was neither a second-generation disciple nor blessed with extraordinary cultivation talent—much like himself, he had been picked up by the sect.
During their trials together, Gu Qinghuan's sharp wit and calm demeanor had impressed Jiang Beiran greatly. Even when Jiang Beiran was absent, Gu Qinghuan could flawlessly shoulder the responsibilities of a temporary team leader. This made Jiang Beiran consider taking him on as his right-hand man—the first time he had ever actively entertained such an idea.
Later, Gu Qinghuan smoothly passed all the covert tests Jiang Beiran arranged for him. More importantly, the System never presented any unfavorable options regarding recruiting him as an ally. Thus, Jiang Beiran laid his cards on the table, revealing a portion of his true strength and plans, and asked if Gu Qinghuan would like to follow him.
Gu Qinghuan agreed without hesitation, immediately pledging his loyalty to Jiang Beiran without a single unnecessary word. This only deepened Jiang Beiran's appreciation. He knew a clever person like Gu Qinghuan must have been observing him in secret, yet he never voiced it or tried to flaunt his intelligence with lofty speeches.
His simple response was, "I’ll rely on Senior Brother’s guidance from now on." Jiang Beiran admired those who could keep their brilliance hidden beneath the surface rather than flaunting it. Tasks requiring combat prowess, such as gathering rare treasures in the wild, had already been assigned to Wu Qingce.
Gu Qinghuan’s role was to trade Jiang Beiran’s unused or unnecessary items for useful resources. His reward, like Wu Qingce’s, was custom-made weapons, armor, and elixirs tailored by Jiang Beiran. Over the next three years, Gu Qinghuan performed as excellently as Jiang Beiran had anticipated.
Not only did he complete every assigned task, but he also leveraged the limited resources Jiang Beiran provided to build an extensive network of connections within the sect, weaving a vast web of trade—truly remarkable. After finishing their tea, Jiang Beiran hoisted the chest Gu Qinghuan had set down and beckoned.
"Come, let me show you something good."
Crossing two hills, Jiang Beiran led Gu Qinghuan to the new cultivation site he had obtained from the Hall Master.
"I’ve already set up the formation and planted the purple bamboo. You can come here to cultivate whenever you like."
Gazing at the completed cottage and courtyard, Gu Qinghuan turned and bowed solemnly to Jiang Beiran.
"Senior Brother’s kindness is engraved in my heart!"
It had to be said—the heavens were fair. Though Gu Qinghuan possessed wisdom and maturity far beyond his peers, his cultivation talent was lacking. Three years had passed, yet he had only reached the second rank of the Mysterious Practitioner realm.
While his progress couldn’t be called slow, it was merely average. With such aptitude, securing a back-mountain cultivation site through normal means would have been nearly impossible. Yet Gu Qinghuan was fiercely determined.
Despite his mediocre talent, he trained diligently while completing the tasks Jiang Beiran assigned him. Now that he had finally obtained the cultivation site he had long dreamed of, his emotions surged.
"Of course, you’ll also be responsible for taking care of them," Jiang Beiran said as he pulled a black jar from the chest and opened the lid.
Inside was a palm-sized, gray-furred Ghost-Faced Spider. The moment it saw light again, the spider immediately crawled out along Jiang Beiran’s arm and bit down on his wrist. Yet no matter how hard it tried, its fangs couldn’t pierce Jiang Beiran’s skin.
Refusing to give up, the spider was about to redouble its efforts when it suddenly found itself lifted into the air.
"Tsk tsk, such a naughty one. I haven’t done anything to you—why bite me?"
Naturally, the spider couldn’t understand Jiang Beiran’s words. Its eight legs and two chelicerae flailed wildly in the air, clearly agitated.
"Don’t be scared. I’m not some villain. Let me see what kind of specimen you are."
Jiang Beiran placed it on his palm for closer inspection.
"Hmm… about 12 centimeters long, likely male, cephalothorax shorter than the abdomen…"
Jiang Beiran parted the spider’s abdominal fur.
"Dark brown—good, that means its venom is potent."
Next, he flipped the spider over to examine its back, where he found a layer of carapace beneath the fur, indicating it had at least reached the first rank of exotic beasts. Subjected to such indignities, the spider’s eight eyes darted about frantically.
Seizing an opportunity when it was flipped upright, it sprayed silk at Jiang Beiran with all its might. But Jiang Beiran had anticipated this. With a quick grab of his right hand, he caught the silk mid-air.
"Is this all? Not sticky enough—below average. Can’t use it for artifacts."
Rubbing the silk between his fingers, Jiang Beiran sighed in disappointment. Gu Qinghuan, who had been sensing the spiritual energy of the area, immediately cupped his fists upon hearing Jiang Beiran’s verdict.
"My apologies, Senior Brother. I’ll be more careful in my selection next time."
"Oh, no worries," Jiang Beiran waved a hand.
"This Ghost-Faced Spider is a fine specimen—its venom should be strong. The silk was just a bonus; even if it’s unusable, it’s no big deal."
Though the spider couldn’t comprehend Jiang Beiran’s words, it felt deeply insulted and bit down hard on his index finger again. The result was the same—not even a scratch on his skin. After his preliminary inspection, Jiang Beiran crouched and set the spider on the ground.
Suddenly freed, the spider wasted no time scurrying toward the grass on all eight legs. But just as it was about to vanish into the undergrowth, a large hand descended from above and plucked it back into the air.
"Speed is decent—good for ambushes."
A spider’s legs contain no muscles—only fluid. By adjusting the pressure of this fluid, spiders can move their eight legs freely, allowing them to dart across their webs with ease. If physics existed in this world, Jiang Beiran would have explained this as hydraulic transmission.
A spider’s speed depended entirely on its mastery of fluid pressure, though innate talent also played a role. Some spiders were born with leg fluids that differed from others, enabling them to move several times faster under the same pressure. The Ghost-Faced Spider in Jiang Beiran’s palm was clearly one such prodigy.
"Not bad, not bad. Plenty of potential. With some nurturing, it’ll get even better."
With that, Jiang Beiran placed the spider back into the black jar. PS: Unlocked the achievement of three updates in one day!
(Throws flowers) (End of Chapter)