Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

“Gu, don’t push your luck! If you keep this up, you won’t even last another day in this academy!”

“One hundred spirit stones, do you agree? A thousand spirit stones! Still no? How about ten thousand!”

The overbearing girl continued yelling at Gu Yao with an air of superiority. Gu Yao was so stunned he almost lost the ability to respond. Pointing at Chi Changye, he said, “From start to finish, it’s Big Brother Ye who’s been rejecting you. If you’ve got the guts, convince him instead!”

He hadn’t even said a word in all of this!

Chi Changye shot Gu Yao a displeased look. Gu Yao quickly gave him a fawning smile. It wasn’t his fault—the annoying girl was relentless. Just how many people had their sights set on Chi Changye?

And she was filthy rich! Tossing out “ten thousand spirit stones” so casually—what kind of background did she have?

Finally, the girl turned her attention to Chi Changye. To Gu Yao’s shock, there was even a hint of shyness on her face. He felt like his eyes were about to bleed—wasn’t this the same aggressive girl from just moments ago? Her voice now carried a slight bashfulness as she said, “I can…”

“Scram!” Chi Changye cut her off impatiently before she could finish. With a wave of his sleeve, he sent the two attendants blocking their path flying. He then summoned his sword, grabbed Gu Yao, and flew off without another word.

“I can make you successful! I can give you plenty of cultivation resources…” The girl’s voice still echoed behind them, stubbornly persisting until they were too far away to hear her anymore.

Gu Yao couldn’t hold it in any longer. Hugging his stomach, he burst into muffled laughter. What a naive girl! Did she think Brother Ye’s cultivation resources were restricted or that he couldn’t make it on his own? Ridiculous!

He was well aware that some retainers were bound by blood oaths or other restrictive methods that prevented them from betraying their masters. For such retainers, regaining freedom required their original master to dissolve the contract. However, his relationship with Chi Changye was clearly that of two independent individuals.

Chi Changye’s face darkened. “Is that funny to you?”

Gu Yao hurriedly stifled his laughter and waved his hands. “Not at all, not one bit. But seriously, once we’ve dealt with the matters at The Pill Peak, let’s quickly sort out your status, Brother Ye. It’ll avoid unnecessary misunderstandings like this, and save me some trouble too.”

A one-off incident could be amusing, but repeated occurrences were nothing but a nuisance and harassment.

“That’s a good idea. It’s my fault for causing you so much trouble, Xiao Yao.”

“Not at all, not at all,” Gu Yao denied, shaking his head.

The journey from the Archive Pavilion to the Commercial Street was quite a distance. By the time Gu Yao and Chi Changye arrived, the two pill peak alchemists waiting for them were already so annoyed that veins bulged on their foreheads. In contrast, Tian Feirong and the chubby boy were as relaxed as ever, with Tao Yue standing nearby, chatting and laughing with them. The others who had come to support The Pill Peak were stomping their feet in frustration, shouting curses, but since The Pill Peak hadn’t followed proper procedures, their complaints had no grounds.

As soon as Gu Yao and Chi Changye appeared, someone shouted, “They’re here! They’ve arrived!”

The attention was drawn not to Gu Yao, but to Chi Changye, whose fame had skyrocketed after his battle with the Mad Snake Gang. Seeing him made it obvious that the youth beside him was Gu Yao.

Tian Feirong folded his fan and waved enthusiastically. “Gu Yao! Hurry up! Someone’s challenged you. The bet is a shop! You absolutely must win it for us. That way, we won’t have to set up stalls anymore.”

This statement immediately sparked discussions among the crowd. At a glance, Gu Yao appeared to be very young. Even if he had started learning alchemy from birth, he couldn’t possibly match the experience of the alchemists from The Pill Peak. Such bold words—was this ignorance, recklessness, or the fearlessness of youth?

“Senior Brother Li, Senior Sister Liu, these new students are truly arrogant! You must teach them a hard lesson; otherwise, they’ll think The Pill Peak is defenseless!” one of the Pill Peak students, who had come to support, said angrily.

Liu Lingge, who had been boiling with rage, suddenly calmed down and sneered, “Of course. Do they really think The Pill Peak is without talent? That just anyone can be part of The Pill Peak?”

Senior Brother Li was equally incensed. “Exactly! Some people are so desperate for fame that they think they can trample on The Pill Peak’s reputation to climb up. They’re gravely mistaken!”

If Gu Yao had heard this, he would have cried out in protest. He had never intended to step on The Pill Peak for recognition. Everything was just The Pill Peak’s overreaction.

As Gu Yao and Chi Changye were escorted by the crowd, the Pill Peak students saw their approach as arrogant and insolent, fitting the image of a presumptuous upstart. In reality, Gu Yao was doing his best to maintain a friendly expression. If given the chance, he was willing to spar in alchemy with others, as exchanging ideas and opinions could help both sides improve through mutual verification and learning.

“Are you an alchemist?” Liu Lingge asked bluntly, her eyes shining with disbelief and contempt.

“Yes, I can refine a few types of pills. How do you propose we compete?” Gu Yao replied calmly. After hearing Tian Feirong’s mention of the shop, he was genuinely interested. Securing a shop in a good location wasn’t easy, and if it came for free, why not accept it?

Even if the other side had better skills and he lost, it didn’t matter. He would recognize his shortcomings and work hard to improve. With this mindset, Gu Yao’s demeanor remained composed.

“Senior Brother Li, will you go, or shall I?” Liu Lingge asked Li Shurong.

“I’ll go,” Li Shurong said decisively. In terms of alchemy skills, Liu Lingge was slightly superior to him—though not by much. However, he didn’t want her to steal all the attention this time. He believed that his participation alone would be enough to humiliate Gu Yao into hiding. There wouldn’t even be a need for Liu Lingge to step in.

Although Liu Lingge had her own reservations about Li Shurong, she knew it was not the time for internal strife. She calmly stepped aside and said, “Very well, let Junior Brother Li measure this fellow junior’s abilities.”

Gu Yao courteously cupped his hands and said, “Then I’ll humbly seek Senior Brother Li’s guidance.”

Li Shurong adopted an air of seniority and declared, “Since you can refine mid-grade superior pills, I assume refining high-grade pills won’t be a problem for you. Let’s each refine a batch of ‘Restorative Spirit Pills’ in front of everyone.”

As soon as he spoke, a wave of astonished murmurs erupted around them. Restorative Spirit Pills serve the same purpose as Qi Restoration Pills—they both replenish spiritual power and energy. However, Qi Restoration Pills are mid-grade, while Restorative Spirit Pills are high-grade, suitable for cultivators at the seventh to ninth levels of the Qi Refinement stage.

Tian Feirong and the chubby boy quickly turned to look at Gu Yao. All the pills Gu Yao had showcased so far were mid-grade. For Li Shurong to demand a high-grade pill outright was blatantly unfair. After all, Gu Yao’s cultivation level was only at the fifth stage of Qi Refinement.

Tao Yue also looked at Gu Yao with concern. “I didn’t expect Li Shurong to stoop this low. Junior Brother Gu, as a new student, if you could already refine high-grade pills, you’d be eligible to join the ‘Cuiyan Valley’. Why endure this humiliation from him?”

Others in the crowd began jeering, “If you can’t refine it, just admit defeat. Senior Brother Li is magnanimous!”

Gu Yao clenched his fist and coughed lightly into it, glancing at the chubby boy. This turn of events not only exposed the chubby boy’s background but also left Gu Yao’s identity barely concealed. Still, being pushed this far, backing down would make him feel less than a man. If he admitted defeat, he could kiss his future earnings from selling pills goodbye.

“Fine, Restorative Spirit Pills it is. But I don’t have all the materials for refining them with me,” Gu Yao said candidly. He had gathered some materials back in Shifang City, but they’d already been used up. Besides, since it was Li Shurong’s proposal, shouldn’t he be the one providing the ingredients?

The others were momentarily stunned—this challenge seemed improper. After all, the challenger should be the one to prepare everything.

“The materials will be provided by the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce,” Zhou Li stepped forward from the crowd, clapping his hands. Behind him, attendants brought out boxes filled with spiritual herbs.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Zhou, for helping out. I’ll do my best not to ruin these herbs and waste them,” Gu Yao said gratefully.

“Haha, even if you ruin them, it’s fine. It’s not my spirit stones paying for them. Junior Brother Gu, go all out!” Zhou Li laughed heartily.

With the involvement of Xingyue Chamber of Commerce, the challenge became more formal. Perhaps the Pill Peak disciples hadn’t anticipated that Gu Yao would accept the challenge. To them, Gu Yao was a pretentious fraud who would automatically admit defeat at the sight of The Pill Peak disciples.

The Xingyue members quickly cleared a space for the duel and invited the two challengers to refine pills in public. Only this way could the results be convincing to everyone.

Gu Yao stepped forward confidently, calm and composed. However, in the eyes of the Pill Peak disciples, this seemed like sheer posturing—someone unwilling to admit defeat and clinging to false bravado.

Zhou Li, who had some insider knowledge, leaned toward Chi Changye and whispered, “The ‘Restorative Spirit Pill’ is the only high-grade pill that Li Shurong can reliably refine. Does Junior Brother Gu have a chance?”

Their understanding of Gu Yao was limited to his skill in refining mid-grade superior pills.

The chubby boy looked at Gu Yao with suspicion, becoming increasingly convinced that the person who made him take the fall was indeed Gu Yao. If that were true, it made sense, but then he couldn’t understand why Gu Yao would hide his identity and refuse to come forward.

Chi Changye, standing with his hands behind his back, simply said, “Xiao Yao will do his best.”

This was clearly not a direct answer to Zhou Li’s question, but Zhou Li didn’t dare press Chi Changye for more. Chi Changye’s strength was enough to crush him. Yet, judging by his demeanor, he seemed utterly unconcerned about whether Gu Yao would win or lose. Either he had absolute confidence, or to him, the result didn’t matter.

Suddenly, Zhou Li thought of something and leaned closer, chuckling in a low voice. “I heard on your way here, a woman stopped you two and tried to buy you from Junior Brother Gu?”

Chi Changye’s expression darkened instantly. Tian Feirong and the chubby boy’s jaws dropped in shock. Tian Feirong was so astonished he dropped his folding fan. Good heavens, who was the daring woman trying to ‘buy’ Chi Changye?!

Quickly picking up his fan, Tian Feirong couldn’t contain his curiosity anymore, abandoning all focus on Gu Yao’s challenge. He grabbed Zhou Li and whispered excitedly, “Who is that audacious woman? I’m absolutely in awe of her guts!”

Zhou Li chuckled uncontrollably. “That woman is quite famous in the outer academy. Her name is Shi Yanyan, from the Shi family of the Stone City Chamber of Commerce. She lacks nothing except spirit stones and has a thing for handsome men. She even pursued Senior Brother Jiang in the past but was taught a lesson and hasn’t dared to bring it up since. Hey, don’t mention this in front of Senior Brother Jiang! If you do, I won’t forgive you.”

This was Senior Brother Jiang’s dark history. If he found out Zhou Li had spilled the beans, Zhou Li might not live to see another day.

Chi Changye exuded a frosty aura, while Tian Feirong and the chubby boy couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably.

“They’ve started refining pills. Can’t you all behave for once?” Tao Yue grumbled from the side.