Night had fallen when Su Xiling returned to Zhu Yan's courtyard. She saw Zhu Yan sitting at a stone table, a single oil lamp flickering beside her, its warm glow casting soft light across her veil and delicate brows.
Zhu Yan looked up and asked calmly, "Has the trouble at Qingxiao Sect been resolved?"
Su Xiling sat down across from her, her expression absent-minded. She picked up the teapot and poured herself a bowl of tea.
Seeing her so dazed, Zhu Yan frowned. "Did something happen?"
Su Xiling took a deep breath, then looked at Zhu Yan and asked quietly, "My Lady, do cultivators truly exist in this world? Officials pursue warlocks, and all kinds of tales about immortals circulate among the people…"
The candlelight illuminated the confusion on her face. She couldn't forget what she had seen earlier—Li Qingqiu slaying the Seven Fiends of the Demonic Sect, then soaring into the heavens atop his eagle.
She couldn't comprehend his level of martial skill. It went far beyond the scope of mortal martial arts. The only explanation she could imagine was that of the immortal beings found in myths.
Zhu Yan replied softly, "The world is vast, filled with countless wonders. Whether immortals truly exist, I cannot say. But the so-called warlocks serving the court are nothing more than charlatans—tricksters pretending to command divine powers. It's precisely those parasites who've thrown the Great Li Dynasty into years of turmoil, nearly shattering its mountains and rivers."
Su Xiling hesitated, then recounted everything she had seen and heard that day in detail.
After listening, Zhu Yan fell silent. The two of them sat quietly across from each other, master and servant, neither speaking a word.
Outside, the courtyard grew lively. Disciples of Qingxiao Sect were returning from the mountain's base, all of them excited, animatedly discussing the thrilling battle from earlier.
The name they mentioned most often was Xu Ning's—not Li Qingqiu's.
Zhang Yuchun had already instructed the disciples that it was fine to discuss their Sect Master, but only behind closed doors, since guests were still on the mountain.
Meanwhile, in another guest courtyard—
Ku Yi stood beside Yan Lan, his face filled with anxiety. He had been trying to persuade him for a long time, but Yan Lan still refused to leave.
Hearing the noise from outside, Yan Lan finally said, "We'll leave tomorrow. Even if we must go, we should at least bid farewell to Sect Master Li. That's proper etiquette."
He hadn't told Ku Yi or Ku Er about what he had witnessed earlier. First, because he wasn't sure if it had been an illusion; and second, because this was not something that should be spoken aloud.
If Li Qingqiu truly was a hidden immortal, then once word reached the imperial court, countless people would seek him out—especially his father, the emperor.
Ku Yi heard the chatter outside and frowned deeply, his heart full of unease.
The Seven Fiends of the Demonic Sect had appeared—and yet Qingxiao Sect still achieved a complete victory?
He didn't dare let his guard down. If even one of the Seven Fiends had survived and infiltrated Qingxiao Sect, tonight could be dangerous. He had to stay on high alert.
Within Lingxiao Courtyard—
Li Qingqiu pushed open the door and stepped out, humming a cheerful tune. He was in an excellent mood. He couldn't resist bringing up the glowing system prompt once more to savor it.
[In view of Qingxiao Sect overcoming a great calamity without any loss of life, you have obtained one Fortune Opportunity.]
He still had two Dao Lineage Inheritance Rewards left—one from his disciple's discovery of auspicious signs, and another triggered when Jiang Zhaoxia destroyed the Qing Sect.
He planned to open all three tomorrow, just to see what surprises awaited.
Li Qingqiu sat down at the long table in the courtyard, waiting for Zhang Yuchun and the others to return.
After slaying the Seven Fiends of the Demonic Sect, he had observed the battlefield carefully to ensure that Xu Ning was no longer in danger before departing.
With Xu Ning's strength, not a single one of the Seven Fiends could match her one-on-one. However, with all seven working together, Li Qingqiu had feared she might get hurt. So he left one surviving expert for her to practice on before withdrawing.
He wasn't worried about news of him riding Xiao Ba into battle spreading. Even if it did, he had nothing to fear. There were no paintings or recordings to prove it, and besides—this world was full of self-proclaimed legends and miracle stories.
At the edge of the Taikun Mountain Range alone, there was a sect whose leader claimed to be blessed by the River God and able to see spirits.
Countless sects and clans claimed mastery over mystical arts just to fool commoners, build prestige, and enhance their reputation.
If even false immortals weren't afraid of exposure, why should a real immortal sect be?
Still, Li Qingqiu preferred steady, gradual development. Recruiting disciples couldn't be done blindly—after all, every disciple he accepted needed to eat.
After sitting in the courtyard for a while, Li Dongyue and Li Sijin walked in quickly. They approached him together.
"Senior Brother, the trouble at the foot of the mountain has been handled," Li Dongyue said softly. "Second Senior Brother is leading people to bury the bodies. Xu Ning and Elder Yang are with them."
Li Sijin, however, was far less composed. She came up behind Li Qingqiu, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him energetically, chirping excitedly, "Senior Brother! That move you used today—was it Third Senior Brother's Art of Sword Control or the Supreme Sword Defense Technique? And how did you stand on Xiao Ba's back like that? Teach me! I want Xiao Jiu to be my mount too!"
Li Qingqiu let her shake him and replied irritably, "Xiao Jiu isn't as big as Xiao Ba. Aren't you afraid of falling off?"
Li Dongyue smiled faintly and stopped interrupting their playful banter. She turned toward the kitchen to prepare some food for Zhang Yuchun and the others to bring down the mountain later that night.
The road from Qingxiao Sect to the mountain's base had been difficult once, but ever since it was rebuilt, traveling up and down became much faster. Even delivering meals at night wasn't too troublesome—just bring torches and oil lamps.
Li Qingqiu pulled Li Sijin to sit beside him and asked her to tell him how the disciples had performed against the other sects.
After he left earlier, Qingxiao Sect's disciples had fought another fierce battle, defeating the ragtag coalition of various gangs and sects. They slew hundreds of enemies in total.
Without the three major sects acting as their main force, those small factions were nothing but rabble—villainous bullies who preyed on commoners.
Li Qingqiu listened carefully, nodding in satisfaction.
At least every disciple had gained valuable experience.
After this battle, peace would likely return for a while.
When Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Sifeng, and the others returned, Li Qingqiu decided to keep them within the sect. With their presence, the sect's overall strength would rise sharply.
With Jiang Zhaoxia around, Li Qingqiu no longer needed to descend the mountain himself. If he and Xu Ning joined forces, they could easily wipe out the Seven Fiends of the Demonic Sect at the foot of the mountain.
Then there was Wu Man'er—although his cultivation level hadn't increased much, his talent in martial arts was extraordinary. At the third layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm, even the strongest among the Seven Fiends couldn't stand against him one-on-one.
Thinking about it this way, Li Qingqiu felt that Qingxiao Sect had finally gained a firm foothold. From here on, he needed to focus on training the second-generation disciples.
Other than Xu Ning, he had to cultivate a few disciples among the younger ones who could handle things independently. Qin Ye and Xue Jin still lacked the necessary skill.
It was a pity that Yuan Li was still young—and awakening his Indestructible Tyrant Body remained an unsolved problem.
After Li Sijin went off to help Li Dongyue prepare food, Li Qingqiu sat alone, sipping wine, and sighed. "Heaven above, grant me another genius on par with Ning'er."
That night, lights glowed brightly in every courtyard of Qingxiao Sect. The heavy snow finally began to ease, as if signaling the end of winter.
...
By the time the moon set and the sun rose again, it was already noon the next day.
Yan Lan arrived before the mountain gate, requesting to meet Li Qingqiu. After waiting for a while, he was informed that he could enter Lingxiao Courtyard.
Early that morning, Li Qingqiu had gone to receive his Dao Lineage Inheritance Rewards. He obtained two items—Foundational Array Compendium and Divine Curse of the Mountain Lord.
The Foundational Array Compendium contained methods for creating and cultivating various basic formations. The knowledge had already imprinted itself deeply into Li Qingqiu's mind, perfectly suiting his taste. He planned to transcribe it later to see which disciple might be suited to studying formations.
The Divine Curse of the Mountain Lord was a spell technique capable of summoning a Mountain Lord's divine body for battle. The so-called Mountain Lord referred to a tiger that had lived deep in the mountains for over 100 years. The spell's full power was difficult to gauge, but from the inherited memory, Li Qingqiu could tell the divine form was extremely intimidating—ordinary people would probably go weak in the knees at first sight.
These two inheritances pleased him greatly—especially the Foundational Array Compendium. After all, what kind of immortal sect didn't have formations?
In high spirits, he sent Yuan Qi to summon Yan Lan and his two attendants waiting outside the mountain gate.
Xu Ning sat to Li Qingqiu's right, and Yuan Li to his left. The three waited together for lunch.
Li Qingqiu glanced sideways at Yuan Li. The boy's cultivation aptitude truly lived up to the label of extremely low. Even after frequent visits to the Underground Spiritual Lake, he still hadn't reached the first layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm.
Without awakening the Indestructible Tyrant Body, it would be hard for him to ever become a true cultivation genius.
Soon, Yuan Qi arrived with Yan Lan, Ku Yi, and Ku Er.
Yan Lan approached the table, bowed respectfully with clasped fists, and smiled. "Sect Master Li, I came to bid you farewell."
Seeing Yan Lan bow, both Ku Yi and Ku Er frowned slightly, full of confusion.
Although His Highness treated others with kindness, he rarely bowed to anyone, let alone bent his waist in respect.
Li Qingqiu looked at him with a smile. "Why not stay a few more days? The New Year is almost here."
Yan Lan shook his head. "No need. I won't impose any longer. After leaving here, I'll head to the Prefect's Office. The newly appointed Prefect is from my mother's clan. I'll ask him to look after Qingxiao Sect as repayment for Sect Master Li's life-saving grace."
Life-saving grace?
Xu Ning's eyes flickered with confusion. Could it be that the Seven Fiends of the Demonic Sect had actually come for him?
The Seven Fiends and the Blood Severing Saber Dian Ming were far stronger than the martial experts from other sects, and they didn't seem to be on the same side. Those martial experts had been utterly terrified of Dian Ming's strength.
Li Qingqiu immediately understood what Yan Lan meant and replied calmly, "It wasn't exactly saving your life. They simply trespassed into Qingxiao Sect's territory and attacked my disciples. That's all."
He had never tried to curry favor with Yan Lan and had barely interacted with him, even after unintentionally saving his life. He hadn't asked for anything in return.
Of course, if Yan Lan insisted on offering repayment, Li Qingqiu wouldn't refuse either.
In Guzhou, the Prefect held authority equivalent to a local king. With the Prefect's protection, Qingxiao Sect would have far fewer obstacles to deal with in the future.
After all, many tasks would eventually have to be carried out by disciples—and they didn't have his cultivation level. They could easily run into trouble without official support.
Yan Lan continued sincerely, "Regardless, without your intervention, I wouldn't have survived. Also, I have another favor to ask."
"What is it?" Li Qingqiu asked.
"I'd like to send my son here to learn martial arts. He's been gifted since childhood—he learned to read at two and began practicing martial arts at three. The elite guards of the Heaven-Guardian Division all call him a once-in-a-generation prodigy. Allowing him to train at Qingxiao Sect won't tarnish your reputation. Treat him as an ordinary disciple—use him however you like."
Yan Lan spoke with complete sincerity. After a pause, he added, "When the time comes, I'll have Ku Yi and Ku Er personally escort him here. From then on, both of them will remain in Qingxiao Sect under your command. You may assign them any task as you see fit."
Ku Yi and Ku Er were shocked and immediately tried to dissuade him, but no matter how they pleaded, Yan Lan refused to change his mind.
At first, Li Qingqiu also intended to decline. But Yan Lan's attitude was firm—he even seemed ready to kneel for his son's sake—so Li Qingqiu had no choice but to agree.
After they descended the mountain, Li Qingqiu pondered quietly.
'If what Yan Lan said is true, could that child really be a peerless genius?'
Yan Lan didn't strike him as the boastful type.
Two days later, just as Yan Lan and his men had left, Jiang Zhaoxia, Li Sifeng, and the others finally returned together with Jiang Zhaoxia's group.
Li Qingqiu personally went out to greet them.
Besides wanting to see his junior brothers safe and sound, he was especially eager to witness the so-called auspicious omen they had discovered.