Bai Mo suppressed the greed and desire deep in his eyes, still unable to believe it as he closed the wooden box.

Bai Fei'er noticed the hesitation on Bai Mo's face. After all, the Bodhi Leaf was indeed a rare and precious item. Even giving it to her profit-driven father would be considered a significant gift. However, Bai Fei'er had seen true treasures of heaven and earth.

So she whispered a few words to him, telling him that in the collection of this Hidden World Master, the Bodhi Leaf wasn't considered that valuable, at least not compared to the Eternal Life Ironwood she had seen, which was over a hundred thousand years old.

Hearing his young lady say this, Bai Mo's hesitation diminished significantly. Seeing Gu Heng's indifferent demeanor, he felt that if he continued to be overly cautious, it would seem as if he was looking down on Gu Heng.

Indeed, in the eyes of such a supreme medical sage, these things were not particularly precious.

"Young Master Gu, since you have gifted such a precious item, I truly feel unworthy."

Gu Heng was momentarily taken aback, then laughed heartily, "It's just some leaves to brew tea. If you find them good, I can give you more."

He thought the taste of the tea was quite ordinary, but since Bai Mo seemed to value it, he couldn't very well say, "I find this stuff mediocre," right in front of him.

Bai Mo quickly declined, "There's no need for that! Such precious items shouldn't be taken in excess. What I have is already enough!"

Gu Heng raised an eyebrow noncommittally, thinking that Bai Mo might be more discerning than he was. Just a few tea leaves made him so hesitant, indicating that even in a prominent family, ordinary people still lacked confidence. He had seen it clearly earlier; if Bai Fei'er hadn't persuaded Bai Mo, he might have been too embarrassed to accept Gu Heng's gift.

"By the way, Miss Fei'er, last night was quite a spectacle for many people."

Gu Heng suddenly changed the subject, smiling as he looked at Bai Fei'er.

Bai Fei'er's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but look at him, "Last night... were you also at the Mo Family Residence, Young Master Gu?"

"Since the Mo Family gave me this thing, I had no reason not to go and see. And indeed, I saw something interesting."

Gu Heng took out the Marriage Proposal Scroll and waved it. Upon seeing the scroll, both Bai Fei'er and Bai Mo were shocked, yet they also felt a bit sorry for the Mo Family's lack of insight.

Such Marriage Proposal Scrolls were actually quite common. Not only the Mo Family, but even the marginal relatives of the Bai Family would send such scrolls to ordinary people when hosting weddings...

But they knew that Gu Heng was no ordinary person. Although the Medicine Hall appeared old and dusty, the treasures within its cabinets surpassed even the royal treasury of the Sunflare Empire. He even kept a Tribulation Crossing stage Nine-Lives Demon Cat as a pet. For the Mo Family's wedding, Gu Heng should have been seated higher than even the Mo Family's patriarch.

Yet the Mo Family sent him a scroll meant for ordinary people. It had to be said that such a family, confined to one city, had a limited vision and had likely forgotten the principle that there are always people beyond people.

Looking at Gu Heng's expression, it wasn't unpleasant; rather, it carried a hint of self-mockery, as if he found it amusing that he, a hidden supreme medical sage, was mistaken for a mere mortal by the local family.

Bai Mo felt that after being among mortals for so long, his mindset had become so indifferent. Or perhaps he had reached the pinnacle and was used to the world's warmth and coldness, so he didn't bother to fuss over the Mo Family's trivialities.

"That day, when I invited you in to shelter from the rain, were you troubled by this marriage?"

Gu Heng looked at Bai Fei'er and suddenly asked.

Bai Fei'er was stunned, then blushed and nodded slightly.

"If it weren't for Young Master Gu, last night I would have been sold off to that Mo Family wastrel. I truly have no way to repay this kindness."

After speaking, she lightly bit her lip and lowered her eyes. To her, Gu Heng's help in removing the residual poison and restoring her cultivation was like being given a new life. But she understood that to Gu Heng, such matters might not even be worth remembering, and he might forget them in a few days.

Gu Heng was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

Though he was just an ordinary mortal, he had only invited her in to shelter from the rain and given her a bowl of hot medicinal soup. Somehow, this had helped this cultivator woman, making her speak of "kindness."

But as people often said, the path of cultivation was about the intertwining of cause and effect. Although he was a mortal, perhaps he had inadvertently played a role in Bai Fei'er's "cause and effect."

Yes, it must be like that.

Otherwise, why would this young, beautiful, and humble woman be so grateful to him?

"A healer's heart is benevolent. Helping you was just a matter of convenience, not something to be called a kindness. You needn't dwell on it.

Moreover, a young lady like Miss Fei'er, with such high talent and a resilient nature, is rare in my lifetime. You will surely achieve great things in the future. Keep your mind open and don't let trivial worldly causes and effects hinder you, lest they become a burden."

Gu Heng's words were sincere, though there was a bit of flattery involved.

He had never met a "prodigy" like Bai Fei'er in his life, but since she was a cultivator, he had to speak with a bit of mystery, not too shallow.

However, these words struck Bai Mo like a thunderbolt!

It turned out that this senior had seen through his young lady's extraordinary talent at a glance. No wonder he had refined the "Star-Moon Divine Water" to help her return to her peak!

Having watched Bai Fei'er grow up, Bai Mo had witnessed all her past glories. From the age she could cultivate, Bai Fei'er had been praised to the skies, which naturally made her increasingly proud. Excessive pride was not a good thing, and then disaster struck.

She was poisoned, fell from grace, and the higher her pride had been, the harder the fall. She was eventually crushed by past praises and countless later mockeries.

But all this, in Gu Heng's eyes, was probably just "trivial worldly causes and effects."

He might have seen that Bai Fei'er was destined to face this ordeal, and she had indeed endured the humiliation and ridicule, walking a certain distance. Gu Heng must have believed that Bai Fei'er's fate was not yet sealed, and so he helped her!

With this thought, Bai Mo's emotions surged, and he immediately felt a deep respect. He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then bowed with cupped hands.

"Thank you, Young Master Gu, for guiding my young lady."

Bai Fei'er, upon hearing this, seemed to awaken from a dream. She gracefully bowed, "Young Master Gu, your words are indeed true. Fei'er will surely remember your teachings today and keep them in her heart."

Gu Heng waved his hand, his smile gentle, showing no hint of pride or self-satisfaction from the praise. He merely nodded slightly, indicating that although he was a mortal, he understood the cultivators' emphasis on "cause and effect."

In truth, it was just about saving face.

He could find a sense of accomplishment from these two.

See, although I'm a mortal, I'm connected to the cultivators' "cause and effect" and even helped her.

"Young Master Gu has helped me so much. Although Fei'er knows there's no way to repay you, please accept this sword. If you don't, I won't be able to rest easy."

As Bai Fei'er spoke, she removed the exquisite silver-sheathed longsword from her waist and respectfully presented it to Gu Heng. Seeing her sincerity, Gu Heng knew he couldn't refuse this gift, so he reached out and accepted it.

The sword felt cold to the touch, yet had a certain weight. He caressed it for a moment and drew it from its sheath, finding it rather ordinary.

This sword... was somewhat average.

Gu Heng wasn't dissatisfied with the gift; it was just that the sword seemed inferior to the scrap weapons he had forged himself. But seeing Bai Fei'er's sincere expression, this sword was clearly one she often used, and she seemed a bit reluctant to part with it.

This young lady from a prominent family still used such a mediocre weapon...

Weapons should be as strong as possible; otherwise, using a mediocre one would only be a burden. But perhaps this was Bai Fei'er's intention.

She wanted to hone her skills and techniques, deliberately using such a weapon to accumulate momentum.

Truly an extraordinary woman.

"This sword is called 'Qingming.' It was something Fei'er acquired by chance. I hope Young Master Gu won't disdain it."

Bai Fei'er was somewhat reluctant to part with the "Qingming" sword. She had found it in the imperial secret realm, a profound-grade divine weapon that had even birthed a "weapon spirit," nearing the earth-grade level.

Unfortunately, in the imperial secret realm, she not only gained the divine weapon but also got poisoned, causing her cultivation to decline rapidly. She hadn't even used the sword a few times.

As the saying goes, there are gains and losses, but Bai Fei'er felt the loss was greater.

However, compared to Gu Heng's help, this treasured sword seemed insignificant. Moreover, such a profound-grade weapon was likely trivial in the eyes of a Hidden World Master.

Gu Heng examined it closely, unable to help but clap his hands and laugh, "Though this sword seems ordinary to me, since Miss Fei'er has gifted me a weapon, what will you do?"

"Young Master Gu needn't worry. I may not have anything else to use, but I'm not in a hurry."

Gu Heng chuckled, "How can that be? Giving someone something, even if it's not the best, I can see you really like this sword. Just taking it would leave me with regrets."

Bai Fei'er was taken aback, "Is that so?"

"No worries, you give me something, and I'll give you something in return."

Bai Fei'er hesitated even more, "But... I..."

"Miss, just follow Young Master Gu's suggestion," Bai Mo interjected, "It's Young Master Gu's goodwill."

Bai Fei'er bit her lip, thought for a long while, and finally nodded.

So Gu Heng didn't delay, heading straight to the small courtyard behind the rear hall, opening a dusty room filled with various weapons—swords, knives, hammers, halberds, even nine-section whips and double-edged axes.

He placed the Qingming sword aside and selected a soft sword from the dusty weapon rack, one that looked the most exquisite to him.

This sword was one of Gu Heng's earlier works. From the blade to the sheath, he had forged it with aesthetics in mind, silver-white with intricate patterns. It was indeed beautiful, but its quality was merely average among the dusty weapons.

Of course, the soft sword was suitable for a woman, but a weapon forged by a mortal was ultimately mediocre in the eyes of a cultivator. Still, it didn't matter; it was a gift, a memento for Bai Fei'er. She surely didn't lack good swords, and using such an ordinary weapon was just a way to train herself.

Gu Heng returned to the rear hall with the sword and handed it to Bai Fei'er.

"Miss Fei'er, please accept it."

Upon receiving the sword, Bai Fei'er immediately sensed something unusual. The patterns on the scabbard seemed to conceal the mysteries of sword momentum, like a living thing. As soon as she touched it, a sharp chill seemed to cut through the air, making her instinctively shrink back.

This sword—it seemed to possess a spirit!

Her heart trembled as she looked up at Gu Heng, who nodded slightly. Cautiously, she gripped the hilt and drew the sword.

The moment the sword was partially unsheathed, Bai Fei'er felt her vision filled with the sword's momentum. Bai Mo, too, widened his eyes, barely restraining himself from losing composure.

What kind of divine weapon was this!?

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Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan