The male supporting character was actually myself.

I will repay my father for all the shame and pain he suffered in the same ring!

The woman in the red dress tilted her head, pouted, and smiled, "Although I don't know what humiliation and pain your father suffered, you want to become stronger and I need strong people to provide spiritual power, so we can reach an agreement!"

You can become my apprentice, and I can help you conquer Kyoto within six months.

In exchange, you must diligently cultivate and continue to use your spiritual power to nourish me in your spare time.

They managed to take Kyoto in just six months?

Gu Xingzhou was slightly taken aback. That would require at least three consecutive levels of cultivation within six months to reach the peak of level four.

Moreover, after many years, no news of the Gu family clan in Kyoto has come to him. He really doesn't know what level of cultivation his peers, who have lived in Kyoto and enjoyed luxurious conditions since childhood, have reached now...

"Young man, have you ever heard of alchemists?" Seeing his slightly doubtful gaze, the woman in the red dress put her hands behind her back, raised her head slightly, and exuded pride from within.

"An alchemist?!" Gu Xingzhou's breathing quickened.

That's a profession that everyone dreams of! Not to mention Junxi Town, even the prefect of Yiqin City has to spend a lot of money to hire a first-level alchemist to refine spiritual medicine!

Extraordinary people who come from ordinary backgrounds and have no money to buy spiritual medicines can only go into the mountains to find some spiritual plants to brew as herbs. They can absorb some spiritual energy, but that will damage the medicinal properties too much, the utilization rate is extremely low, and it is very likely to have the opposite effect due to incorrect methods. If they can rely on an alchemist, that would be a great thing!

Imagine being able to extract all the medicinal properties of spiritual plants and combine them to achieve better results, and even concoct miraculous elixirs that can cure all diseases...

He swallowed hard and asked cautiously, "You...you're an alchemist?"

“That’s right!” The woman in the red dress finally saw the effect she wanted, and a smug look appeared on her beautiful face. She cleared her throat and said in a melodious voice, “Not only can I help you refine spiritual medicine to advance quickly, but I can also teach you how to refine spiritual medicine to become an alchemist in the future.”

More importantly—I possess numerous precious medicinal formulas. As long as you can find the corresponding spiritual plants, I can concoct priceless elixirs. But the prerequisite is that you must become my disciple and diligently supply me with spiritual energy so that I can recover my strength.”

Chapter Twenty-One: Ideals are lofty, but reality is tragic.

Only a fool wouldn't agree to a win-win situation like this!

Besides, he had nothing left to lose, so he wasn't worried that she had ulterior motives.

Most importantly, Gu Xingzhou had long been captivated by her stunning beauty, which even made Hua Yue pale in comparison. His restless heart saw her, clearly weakened and unable to protect herself, as his possession, and planned to spend time with her day and night in a cooperative relationship, believing that one day she would truly belong to him!

Fantasizing about becoming a king who would surpass imperial power and have beauties in his arms, Gu Xingzhou excitedly slammed his right fist into his left palm. "Alright, I'll become your disciple and provide you with more spiritual power so that you can regain your strength and reshape your human form as soon as possible."

At the same time, he silently added in his mind: "Become my woman, Gu Xingzhou's woman!"

"Ahem." The woman in the red dress cleared her throat and introduced herself: "My real name is Hong Luo. As for my background, you will know when the time is right. From today onwards, you are my apprentice, and I will impart all my knowledge to you."

She ceremoniously straightened her red skirt, sat upright on a rock by the stream, waved her hand, and instructed, "Perform the apprenticeship ceremony."

Gu Xingzhou was excited and curious, and hurriedly stepped forward to solemnly perform the apprenticeship ceremony.

"Hmm, not bad, your attitude is very proper." Hong Luo covered her cherry-like mouth and smiled slightly. "I'm not the kind of stingy person. Since you've become my disciple, I'll give you a small gift."

After closing her eyes and sensing for a moment, she opened her beautiful eyes and pointed southwest with her slender finger. "I'll take you to find some spiritual plants and refine them into a spiritual medicine to cleanse your marrow. Although you have good talent for cultivation, it's only passable. If you want to cultivate at a faster pace, you must solidify your foundation."

The marrow cleansing process will be somewhat painful, but as long as you succeed and make progress, your future cultivation path will be twice as effective!

"Thank you, beautiful master!" Gu Xingzhou blurted out the two words with a hint of frivolity, his palms already sweating with excitement.

The other party clearly didn't mind at all. Their transparent body floated into the ring, and only one sentence echoed in my mind: "In order not to attract the attention of others, I will mostly not show myself but will communicate with you using the secret method of sound transmission."

Aside from when I'm meditating and cultivating, I usually keep an eye on your surroundings. If you encounter any danger, I can help you out. But since I'm just a remnant soul, I can't be of much use. You shouldn't be arrogant; try to play it safe.

Moreover... I'm quite sensible, and unless it involves cultivation or matters of life and death, I won't easily interfere in your affairs.

Let's go now. I'll guide you to the location of the spiritual plant.

Overjoyed, the boy shot off like an arrow, rushing in the direction indicated by the other party.

At the same time, he felt a restless youthful energy, and she didn't seem to mind his slightly flirtatious way of addressing her!

Beautiful Master, hehehe, it seems that even a powerful being with a mysterious origin likes to be praised for her beauty as long as she is a woman, and can even tolerate the slightly provocative word "beauty".

Does this mean that she also has some kind of feeling about herself?

At the very least, they don't reject these hints and tests from themselves...

Filled with immense excitement, Gu Xingzhou traversed the mountains and forests at an extremely fast pace.

At the same time, Jiang Chen, with a slightly conflicted expression and an indescribable emotion, raised her little paw and frowned slightly, "Xiao Bai, are you sure you really want to do this?"

"Host, don't look at the prop names!" The impatient little white cat's eyes gleamed with excitement as it licked its paws and comforted the user, "You know what I mean, the script team is terrible at naming things."

Forget about hamster wheels and the like; we can completely ignore the item names just by looking at the effects! Look how great this wheel is! You can stay inside and sleep soundly without worrying about tripping or falling, it's not tiring, and you don't have to worry about being seen. It can even go over mountains and valleys—it's incredibly practical!

Jiang Chen sighed, her fuzzy little face drooping. "Look how excited you are! It's just making me crawl through wheels. You're the one doing all the work, aren't you? I'm just worried you'll get tired!"

"Not tired, not tired at all!" The fluffy little ball excitedly rubbed its paws and hopped around on its tiptoes. "With the boost from the props, carrying the running wheel won't add any weight. Host, don't be shy about me, come on, get on the running wheel!"

After waiting two seconds without a response, the little white cat raised its right paw high, holding up the button prop, and shouted, "Please, host, get on the running wheel!"

Jiang Chen: (￣ω￣;)

Oh well, I have to spoil my own cat even if I have to kneel down!

“Come on, I’m ready.” After hesitating for a while, he finally put his little black paw down and took a step forward.

The little dumpling couldn't wait to see the effect, and when she saw this, she threw a button at him.

"boom!"

A wisp of white smoke rose from the prop, invisible to others. Jiang Chen discovered that it was indeed encased in a transparent wheel, with a rope of moderate length attached to the fluffy ball's paws.

He reached out his paw and touched it. The transparent substance had a soft, jelly-like texture. He couldn't see any ventilation holes, but there was plenty of air inside, so he didn't need to worry about lack of oxygen.

"Host, let's go!" The little white cat hopped from the treetop to the roof and darted away in an instant, glancing back at the same time.

Jiang Chen initially felt fine in the running wheel, since he wouldn't bump into anything.

But problems soon became apparent – ​​there were no safety belts or anything to hold onto in the running wheel, so he rolled uncontrollably in and out of the running wheel as the fluffy ball bounced around.

"Meow~ This is so much fun, ahahaha!" The fluffy ball, with a large transparent ball trailing behind it, was having a blast, its pink little tongue sticking out. "Hehehe~ I can finally take my host everywhere without any worries!"

Jiang Chen: |ω?`)

|?ω?｀)

|Wall|ョ?ェ?;)

(((φ(◎ロ◎;)φ)))

_(|3　∠)_

Even using the Horcrux couldn't keep Jiang Chen's balance for more than a few seconds as the little white cat ran and jumped around. In the end, Jiang Chen had no choice but to give up and curl up his small body, letting the black kitten roll around in the running wheel.

As a system, the fluffy ball can run in a straight line without any constraints.

While Jiang Chen, trapped in the hamster's running wheel, was unable to maintain his balance and could only slack off, he did not slow down the little white cat's speed at all. With visible results, they quickly arrived at the outskirts of Kyoto and advanced towards Junxi Town, crossing mountains and valleys.

"Phew! I finally picked them!" Guided by Hong Luo, Gu Xingzhou found several spiritual plants deep in the mountains and spent a lot of effort climbing up to the mountainside to successfully pick them.

The beautiful master did not offer any assistance. Apart from occasionally releasing a terrifying aura to drive away some ferocious beasts, she stayed in the ring the whole time, waiting for him to find a way to harvest the spiritual plants himself.

Gu Xingzhou knew this was a kind of training and tempering, and he needed to use perseverance and courage to prove to the beauty his determination to become stronger. So no matter how difficult it was, he gritted his teeth and persevered without actively seeking help.

"Hmm, not bad." Hong Luo sat in the dark void environment of the ring, sensing the meager spiritual energy around her that was almost negligible. She idly swung her two white jade-like little feet, causing her red skirt to sway gently.

She stretched and transmitted her voice secretly, saying, "While there's still time, find a quiet place and I'll teach you how to draw out spiritual energy and transform it into flames to brew spiritual medicine."

Although the Marrow Cleansing Elixir has excellent effects, it is only applicable to levels up to level three, therefore its level is not high.

You can successfully refine it even without a special furnace for making elixirs; all you need is a clean bottle to hold the spiritual liquid. If you succeed today, you can soak in the water to cleanse your marrow tonight.”

Since the ring space was not filled with spiritual energy, Hong Luo could not actively cultivate to strengthen herself, so she could only place her hopes on Gu Xingzhou.

Hopefully, he can successfully cleanse his spiritual marrow to the crystal-clear state. That way, his cultivation will be twice as effective, and he will be able to contain more spiritual energy than others of the same level. Gu Xingzhou will then be able to provide him with even more spiritual energy.

We need to recover our strength quickly, otherwise...

Hong Luo looked down at her fair and tender feet, which she then idly lifted and wiggled a few times. She thought that if she hadn't fallen to this state, she wouldn't have revealed the secret of the demon race, the Marrow Cleansing Elixir, to the human race. She hoped that he was a reliable young man, otherwise, if she couldn't recover quickly, it would be too late!

Carrying the spiritual plant, Gu Xingzhou headed towards the cave where he often stayed when gathering herbs in the mountains. There, he kept some emergency supplies, and the secluded location ensured he wouldn't be disturbed while studying pill refining.

"Host, we've arrived at Junxi Town, meow!" The fluffy ball dragged its transparent running wheels and raced all the way to finally arrive at a remote town.

Although it's called a town, it's actually quite large and has a large population. Aside from the obvious poverty, it's bustling and lively, more like a small city nestled deep in the mountains.

"Meow~ It seems that Gu Xingzhou hasn't had his personal old man for long. Look, he hasn't even been able to fight back against the Gu family yet." The little white cat dragged its running wheel and quickly scurried around the town before running towards the desolate mountain. "Let's go! Let's see if there's anyone in the dilapidated thatched hut on the mountain."

"Meow meow meow? Why is it only Gu Feiyue and his wife? Where is the wild pseudo-master Gu Xingzhou?"

"Shouldn't he be practicing his martial arts at this time?"

"Let's go, let's walk around and look for it again!"

The little white kitten bounced around and mumbled to itself, while Jiang Chen, inside the running wheel, was so dizzy and disoriented that his mind was practically blank.

"Where has Xingzhou run off to again?" Gu Xingzhou's mother was wearing patched coarse cloth clothes. The poverty of her life left traces of fatigue, but it could not hide her beautiful face. If it weren't for such difficult living conditions, she would be a beautiful and enviable woman.

Gu Feiyue leaned against the broken bed board, covered with a patched quilt. He coughed a few times and said in a hoarse voice, "He was probably in a bad mood after I scolded him, so he sneaked into the mountains to play and slack off again."

“Our conditions are so difficult, and our child is still working so hard to study. Why do you always scold him?”

"How can he learn to improve if he isn't reprimanded?" Gu Feiyue coughed again, looked at the dilapidated thatched hut with its bare walls and drafts, and said coldly, "Back then, my father only complained about me a few times. It's a blessing for a son to be reprimanded and educated by his father. It's much better than ignoring him."

Xingzhou's cultivation level isn't very high, but he's quite arrogant. He insisted on falling out with his grandfather and moving out.

If it were just the two of us, father and son, it would be fine, but you're suffering from hunger and cold! Staying in the Gu family means facing some exclusion, but at least you don't have to worry about food and drink, and you can live in a house that's safe from wind and rain.

If he really puts in the effort to show his potential and is willing to endure hardship and persevere, he will eventually have his day and turn his life around!

Now look what's happened! He's causing his own parents to have an uneasy life, while he's lazy, playful, and unwilling to improve himself.

I simply said that he's nowhere near as advanced as I was back then in terms of cultivation, and he got so angry that I couldn't find him all afternoon.

A hint of worry appeared on the woman's face. "Xingzhou just couldn't stand seeing us being mistreated. He's just a child; how could he be so considerate?"

"He's already a teenager, how can he still be called a child?"

Gu Feiyue coughed even more violently as he got agitated. "All my earnest advice to him was for nothing! He won't listen to a single useful word! A true man can bend and stretch; before he has absolute strength, he must know how to assess the situation. Now look what's going on, what benefit can he gain from forcibly moving out?"

"Ha, it's nothing more than being afraid of hardship and unwilling to cultivate properly, and resenting having others in the Gu family to constantly spur him on. He even says he can't bear to see his parents humiliated or mistreated, but I think he just doesn't want to be constantly outdone by others, and he's using us as an excuse."

"Sigh, you two, father and son..." The woman sighed helplessly and sat silently in the corner, stuffing firewood into the simple stove.

The pot, blackened by smoke, contained only a few grains of rice, while chopped wild vegetables sat on the cutting board on the other side. This was the dinner for the impoverished family of three.

She had considered getting her son a job in town; after all, as a Level 1 superhuman, he would at least be able to live a comfortable life.

In this respect, the father and son were surprisingly aligned in their goals—never to violate the Gu family's ancestral precepts, and if they were to serve the family, they would only do so by securing a good position in the capital's government.