In the courtyard, all the disciples were gathered together. Even Yang Jueding stood at the back of the crowd, tiptoeing to see over their heads.
Li Qingqiu crouched in the center of the group. In front of him, on the ground, sat a bird's nest containing three baby eagles and two eagle eggs.
The three chicks were covered in dark gray down. From their sharp beaks, one could already see the faint shape of true eagles. They were still very young, unable to fly, chirping endlessly as they bumped into one another inside the nest. Fragments of eggshells were scattered nearby.
Zhang Yuchun was explaining where he had found the nest.
It turned out that when he went down the mountain last time, he had bought a few herbal medicine books, wanting to learn some basic medical skills. Following one of those books, he went up the mountain to look for herbs—and happened to find this nest perched atop a cliff.
He described the process with great exaggeration, making it sound full of danger and near-death escapes, drawing gasps and wide eyes from the disciples.
As Li Qingqiu watched the small eagles, he thought of the Guardian Beast option in his Dao Lineage Interface. He wondered if these chicks could somehow be guided onto the path of cultivation.
"Master, what about their parents? Did you see them?"
The question came from Huang Shan, Zhang Yuchun's personal disciple. Among the seven newly recruited students, Huang Shan was the oldest at thirteen years old. He had become the unofficial leader of the group. Although he hadn't yet cultivated qi, his martial aptitude was impressive—he was the most skilled among them.
Zhang Yuchun shook his head. "No. If I had seen them, I wouldn't have gotten away so easily."
Li Qingqiu stood up, smiling. "Well done. Raise them carefully—especially those two eggs. Try to hatch them if you can. In the future, they'll become Qingxiao Sect's guardian beasts. Just imagine it: when people of the jianghu see eagles in the sky, they'll know Qingxiao Sect has arrived and scatter immediately. Wouldn't that be magnificent?"
The moment he said that, everyone's eyes lit up—including Jiang Zhaoxia's. Even he couldn't hide the spark of excitement in his gaze as he looked at the nest.
Yang Jueding couldn't help but pour some cold water on the idea. "Eagles aren't dogs. They're not easy to tame. When they grow up, they'll just fly away."
"That's why we'll have to come up with a few tricks," Li Qingqiu replied nonchalantly. "If it works out, great. If not, no harm done."
Life on the mountain was monotonous aside from cultivation. Raising animals might actually bring some fun.
The disciples quickly began throwing out ideas, discussing methods to raise and train the eagles.
Li Qingqiu listened patiently and helped guide their thoughts, encouraging creative thinking.
Qingxiao Sect was too quiet and rigid. It needed initiative—just like how Zhang Yuchun had taken it upon himself to study medicine and ended up bringing back a nest of eagles.
As the conversation continued, Li Qingqiu suddenly realized something: he needed to formalize Qingxiao Sect's structure.
For example, once every month, he and his six junior brothers and sisters could hold an official meeting to plan the sect's direction for the next month. That would keep them from growing lazy and also train their leadership abilities.
The martial disciples should be divided into different branches and styles. Only that way could Qingxiao Sect's martial arts lineage expand and flourish.
As for the cultivator disciples—they would serve as the sect's elite force. The Dao Lineage Inheritance reward for turning the whole sect into cultivators had already been claimed.
Now, the most important task was to lay a strong foundation for Qingxiao Sect's growth.
Internal affairs needed rules. Finances needed structure.
Resources had to be managed for long-term development.
It was time to begin expanding their territory.
The more Li Qingqiu thought about it, the more his mind raced. He suddenly felt that time was slipping away—he had been far too relaxed before.
That very night, he called all six of his junior brothers and sisters into his room for a meeting.
Wu Man'er might have been slow, and Li Sifeng and Li Sijin might have been young, but Li Qingqiu still wanted them all to be involved.
As they talked, enthusiasm spread. Even Jiang Zhaoxia contributed several practical suggestions.
After the meeting ended, they all returned to their own rooms—and held smaller discussions with their own disciples. That night, the entire sect was buzzing with energy until late.
The next morning, when everyone gathered for their morning training, half of them had dark circles under their eyes.
Yang Jueding stood at the mountaintop stretching his limbs. Looking down at the lively, full-of-vigor disciples in the courtyard below, he couldn't help but feel emotional.
For the first time, he had a premonition: in ten years, Qingxiao Sect would become famous across the land. The sect would grow larger, stronger—and utterly transformed.
'Maybe,' he thought, 'I'll have to work even harder myself.'
Having come to that conclusion, Yang Jueding resolved to focus on training the seven village disciples carefully. They would be Qingxiao Sect's future backbone.
As for Xu Ning, she wouldn't listen to him anyway. That girl only had eyes for Li Qingqiu now.
In the days that followed, the disciples began expanding their range of activity. Staying confined to the three courtyards for martial practice and cultivation no longer satisfied them. They started heading down the mountain to train in the forests, where Yang Jueding guided them personally.
His dedication impressed Li Qingqiu, who began to see him in a new light.
…
In the blink of an eye, three months passed. The weather grew hot.
The ever-restless Li Sifeng was lying under a tree halfway up the mountain, unable to focus on his practice.
This place was about two hundred zhang from the sect gate at the summit. He was alone, training in secret. His senior brother had told him not to let Yang Jueding or the others see him practicing the Gale Technique.
He had been practicing the technique for half a month, but still couldn't grasp the key to it. Frustrated, he felt like giving up.
"It really feels better not to cultivate at all," he sighed, resting his head on his hands. His bare feet swayed lazily as he leaned against the trunk.
He thought life was pretty good as it was—carefree, with plenty of little things to keep him entertained each day.
Today, for example, he wanted to go dig up a rat's nest. The big rat he'd spotted last time had escaped, and he still hadn't forgotten about it.
Suddenly, voices came from the distance.
Li Sifeng sat up quickly and squinted. Two figures were walking along the path—a man and a boy, covered in dust, parting the tall weeds as they came closer.
"Hey! There's a kid over there!" one of them called out.
The boy in coarse clothing walking ahead suddenly pointed at Li Sifeng and exclaimed.
Behind him followed an elderly man with snow-white hair, tall and broad-shouldered. Though his hair was pale, he carried himself with the solid strength of a warrior, a travel pack slung across his back.
The old man looked up and caught sight of Li Sifeng. His brows furrowed slightly.
This area was far from the village below—far too distant for a child to have reached on his own.
Something flickered in his eyes as he called out, "Child, are you a disciple of Qingxiao Sect?"
Li Sifeng didn't run. He sat cross-legged on the ground and answered bluntly, "Yeah. Who are you?"
When the boy in coarse clothes heard that, he immediately brightened and sped up, running toward him.
"Young Master, slow down!"
The white-haired elder followed behind, sighing helplessly.
The boy stopped before Li Sifeng, beaming. "My name's Jiang Nian. I'm thirteen. What about you? What's your name? How old are you?"
Li Sifeng stood up and said, "I'm Li Sifeng. I'm thirteen, too."
He compared their heights and realized Jiang Nian was a little taller, which made him sulk a bit.
At that moment, the white-haired elder stepped forward and asked, "Little brother, is your master Lin Xunfeng still here?"
Li Sifeng looked at him and replied, "My master's long gone. Didn't you hear? He announced his retirement from the martial world during that Xiaoyao Gathering."
Ever since Lin Xunfeng publicly withdrew from the jianghu, Li Qingqiu had stopped hiding that fact from outsiders.
The old man didn't look disappointed. In fact, a faint smile crossed his face as he asked, "Then… is Jiang Zhaoxia still in the sect?"
"You know my Third Senior Brother?" Li Sifeng's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
They both had the surname Jiang. That wasn't a coincidence.
Something felt wrong.
Li Sifeng might have feared Jiang Zhaoxia's strictness, but the bond between brothers ran deep. They were all orphans, none of them knowing their true origins.
Could it be that Third Senior Brother actually had family down the mountain?
And if his brother took him away… what would happen to Qingxiao Sect?
Despite his childish appearance and carefree attitude, Li Sifeng's mind worked fast. In that instant, a dozen unpleasant possibilities flashed through his head.
Right now, Qingxiao Sect couldn't function without Jiang Zhaoxia.
"He's my brother," Jiang Nian said cheerfully. "We came to bring him home."
He had delicate features and fair skin, and his smile was warm and bright—pleasant to most eyes.
But to Li Sifeng, that smile was unbearably irritating.
"Third Senior Brother went down the mountain with my master a while ago," Li Sifeng said, putting on a look of feigned sympathy. "You've come for nothing."
The old man frowned slightly but still said, "Then at least let us stay the night. It's too late to head down the mountain now."
Li Sifeng shook his head. "We already have guests at the sect. There's no space for you."
"We'll just take a quick look," the old man pressed.
He could tell from the boy's tone and body language that something was off—Li Sifeng was too tense, too defensive.
Without another word, the elder grabbed Jiang Nian's arm and started walking up the mountain path.
Li Sifeng panicked and leapt in front of them, blocking their way. "You're not allowed to go up the mountain!"
The white-haired elder frowned, his patience thinning, but he still asked evenly, "Little brother, why are you stopping us from finding Young Master Jiang?"
Li Sifeng glared fiercely. "You abandoned my Third Senior Brother, and now you want to take him back like you can just order him around? Who do you think you are?"
The elder sighed. "There were reasons for what happened back then. You're too young to understand. If your Third Senior Brother comes home with us, he'll live a good life—far better than staying up here. If you can't bear to part with him, you're welcome to come too."
Jiang Nian, curious and friendly, chimed in. "Yeah! Come with us. My father's a big official now—we live well!"
But instead of being tempted, Li Sifeng's anxiety spiked. He felt as if Jiang Zhaoxia were already slipping away from them.
"No! Absolutely not! You're not going up that mountain!"
His small fists clenched tight, trembling with anger. As he shouted, he pulled a dagger from his waist, its blade flashing in the sunlight.
Seeing the weapon, the white-haired elder actually smiled. Stroking his beard, he said with a hint of mockery, "Child, do you have any idea who I am? If we were in the jianghu, drawing a blade against me would seal your fate. Not even the gods could save you."
"Yeah? Go brag to your dad!"
Li Sifeng snapped back, his neck stiff, voice full of defiance. It was a phrase he'd picked up from his senior brother.
The old man didn't understand the slang, but the tone was enough to tell him the brat was insulting him.
His expression turned cold. "So be it. I'll teach you on Lin Xunfeng's behalf how to speak properly to your elders!"
He reached out suddenly, his hand striking toward Li Sifeng.
But before he could grab him—
Li Sifeng moved.
His left hand shot up like lightning, seizing the old man's wrist and yanking it sharply. The sudden force pulled the elder off balance, stumbling forward.
At the same moment, Li Sifeng's right hand drove the dagger straight toward his chest.
The old man's pupils dilated, his eyes filled with disbelief.