"Take care, Hall Master Lü!"
After seeing him to the gate of Yuanqing Courtyard, Yang Chan went back inside.
It was just as well that no more words were needed for Lü Zhenghai.
He had no intention of seeing Lü Zhenghai and his group off as they left the Cyan Yuan Sect.
Since Gu An hadn’t given him any other instructions, he could simply carry on as usual.
"Go see who’s leaving with Hall Master Lü!"
Yang Chan didn’t go himself, but he sent Han Bingyu to watch. He mainly wanted to see who was leaving to get a general sense of the situation.
The news would spread eventually anyway.
"Alright!"
Upon hearing his order, Han Bingyu left immediately.
’Let’s hope there’s less trouble and more peace for a while,’ Yang Chan thought to himself as he watched Han Bingyu’s retreating figure.
Lü Zhenghai’s arrival at the Cyan Yuan Sect had brought many good things, but it had also stirred the hearts of many within the Sect. Quite a few people had come looking for him over the past two days, but Han Bingyu had intercepted them all, sparing him from having to deal with such trivialities.
As the Chief Pharmacist of the Cyan Yuan Sect, he didn’t have to give anyone face if he didn’t want to. After all, most people depended on his goodwill.
After taking an elixir, Yang Chan headed to the Practice Institute to focus on his cultivation.
’There are too many distractions. Improving my cultivation is what truly matters.’
...
"I knew you wouldn’t succeed. I told you not to bother, but you wouldn’t listen!"
Gu An said, looking at Lü Zhenghai’s fruitless return. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
In fact, the day after Lü Zhenghai’s visit, Gu An had sought out Yang Chan to make sure he understood the current state of affairs in the Merak Sacred Land. He clearly explained the real situation on Chiyu Peak, particularly regarding the Cyan Yuan Sect disciples who had joined.
He had also given Yang Chan a copied version of the Peng Demon Bone Marrow Cleansing Scripture. It was the complete version he had promised, and while he didn’t think Yang Chan could use it yet, there was no harm in preparing it in advance.
After all, Yang Chan was still young; he would very likely need it in the future.
Furthermore, Gu An had told Yang Chan that once Lü Zhenghai’s group left, he would increase the supply of spiritual materials for him to practice refining the Seven Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill, giving him more opportunities to master it.
He would do everything in his power to help Yang Chan advance.
In other words, he had already given every possible benefit and promised many more.
Even though he was quite confident Yang Chan wouldn’t leave the Cyan Yuan Sect for the Merak Sacred Land, he still sweetened the deal.
Lü Zhenghai’s arrival had put some pressure on him. He had to admit that Lü Zhenghai had a point—Yang Chan would undoubtedly gain more by going to the Merak Sacred Land.
Some of those benefits were things the Cyan Yuan Sect simply couldn’t provide.
"How would I know I’d fail if I didn’t even try?"
"Besides, it’s not a big deal that I failed."
"Yang Chan is a good man. The way he serves the Sect now, he’s sure to do the same in the future."
"You need to cultivate a person like him properly. If he can become an Advanced Pharmacist before joining the Merak Sacred Land, he’ll be of even greater help to us."
"If he can become an Advanced Pharmacist in a place like Qing State, and at such a young age, he’ll surely be valued more than even Elder Hua. The cultivation resources allocated to him would be much greater."
"So, protect him. Don’t let Yang Chan end up on the border battlefield again!"
"If something like that happens again, you might as well just send him to the Merak Sacred Land. At least he’d be much safer there!"
Lü Zhenghai looked at Gu An, not with anger, but with a calm and even tone.
It would have been best if Yang Chan had come with him to the Merak Sacred Land now, but if that wasn’t possible, it would still be good as long as he joined in the future.
He had high hopes for Yang Chan’s future, which was why he gave these earnest instructions.
"I understand. I won’t let something like that happen again!"
"If you had just sent a message sooner back then, I would have had Yang Chan leave while he was on the road and head straight to the Merak Sacred Land, instead of having him face such immense danger!"
Gu An nodded, his tone shifting as he recalled how long it took to get a reply after sending that message to the Merak Sacred Land.
Even now, he still harbored some resentment that hadn’t completely faded.
Even though they had provided the complete Peng Demon Bone Marrow Cleansing Scripture and a good deal of Spirit Medicine, he still felt a surge of anger whenever he remembered what had happened.
"You know our situation. The Merak Sacred Land isn’t the Cyan Yuan Sect. Even though Sect Leader Liu Xuan is in the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm, that doesn’t count for much in the Merak Sacred Land!"
"There are Elders who aren’t even Peak Masters whose cultivation is higher than Sect Leader Liu’s. If it weren’t for the appearance of a special Little World like Taiyin Heaven in the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, we would never have had the chance to become Peak Masters!"
"We’re facing some trouble now, but as long as Sect Leader Liu can secure his position as the Peak Master of Chiyu Peak in the Merak Sacred Land, the future benefits that will flow back to us will be substantial!"
"These elixirs we brought this time are only part of the reward for successfully suppressing the Earth Demons."
"The rest of the elixirs are for the surviving disciples. After experiencing so much, they’ll mature quickly. Their futures are promising."
"I’m also taking so many Servant Disciples with me this time to see if we can cultivate a few promising ones from the group."
"In the future, instead of just dismissing the Servant Disciples, send word to the Merak Sacred Land. These Servant Disciples are, at the very least, more trustworthy than the people there!"
"Even if we can’t develop their talent, they can still be useful."
"Our losses were disastrous last time we suppressed the Earth Demons because we were ill-prepared."
"If we had had Servant Disciples to bog down some of the Earth Demons, our casualties would have been much lower!"
In front of Gu An, Lü Zhenghai didn’t hide these confidential matters, explaining the true purpose of taking the Servant Disciples.
They were essentially cannon fodder.
If any of them showed potential and managed to grow, Lü Zhenghai and the others would naturally be willing to nurture them. It was a much crueler system than the one in the Cyan Yuan Sect, but for many, it was a chance to change their destiny.
This was especially true for the Servant Disciples who were about to be dismissed. If they left the Cyan Yuan Sect, they had virtually no future. Most would live out their days as commoners, mired in poverty!