Cui Hao sat down across from Chen Baiqing and helped himself to the candied fruit prepared by his third senior sister without the slightest hesitation. Every so often, he would add, “Could the best third senior sister brew a cup of tea for her poor junior brother to savor?”
After refusing several times, Chen Baiqing finally gave in to Cui Hao’s incessant muttering and brewed him a pot.
Having gotten what he wanted, Cui Hao naturally quieted down quite a bit.
As he sipped his tea and felt the faint breeze brush against his face, the emotions that had been weighing on him gradually eased.
Today seemed no different from before.
Chu Xingchen made no effort to conceal himself. He came out together with Xie Lingyu in a grand and open manner, walking to the edge of the deep pool. While feeding the fish there, he also apologized for having left the spirit fish hungry during this period.
He sampled Chen Baiqing’s tea and joked around with Cui Hao.
Li Xingtian and Lin Luoyu arrived a little later, and soon everyone had gathered.
The second senior brother was the same as before. Most of the time, he simply listened without speaking, only joining the conversation with a few words whenever the topic turned to him.
Lin Luoyu had not fully entered a state of rest. She was still keeping an eye on Li Junzi’s new policies in Southern Jambudvipa.
The cultivators of Tianyan Sect were still protecting Li Junzi, ensuring that even if the new policies failed, he would be able to leave safely under their protection.
At present, Lin Luoyu could no longer help much with their implementation. Moreover, now that she was a cultivator, even though she possessed the qi of great righteousness, openly involving herself in this mortal reform could easily allow people with ulterior motives to turn her actions into yet another round of harvesting by the Celestials.
The costs and benefits were clearly out of balance, and Lin Luoyu understood which matters deserved priority.
Before the path to Sageship was complete, it would not be recognized. Until the policy of harnessing the nation’s destiny had taken deep root and become an irreversible mainstream, Li Junzi would not become a Semi-Sage.
Fortunately, the current situation was still encouraging. Most people understood that Li Junzi and Chu Xingchen had a very close relationship. At the very least, the immortal sects were exercising considerable restraint in this matter. Even when their own interests were harmed, they would not casually interfere.
That alone spared Li Junzi many troublesome problems.
Li Yingling arrived quite late today, strolling over only after everyone had nearly finished their conversation and was preparing to disperse.
Seeing this, Chu Xingchen teased her. “Senior Sister, you’re getting lazier and lazier.”
Naturally, Li Yingling refused to accept that. “Ever since I agreed to take on Master’s task, I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep. I’m either traveling from one place to another or dealing with affairs. I don’t even know how many years it’s been since I truly rested. Now that the matter has finally come to an end, shouldn’t I be allowed to sleep in for once—perhaps an earth-shaking, record-breaking sleep?”
“So, this is all your master’s fault?” Chu Xingchen asked.
“Of course.” Li Yingling lifted her chin slightly, as though it were simply the obvious truth.
Chu Xingchen immediately put on an expression of gratitude. “Then I must thank my beloved eldest disciple for showing such consideration to her master. Your contribution has been truly monumental, Ying Ling.”
Li Yingling shuddered at his words and said, “That’s so sickeningly sweet. It sounds like you’re insulting me.”
Chen Baiqing’s expression had also softened considerably, and the corners of her lips unconsciously curved into a faint smile.
No matter what the future held, having her master and the sect with her was the best thing she could hope for at present.
Yet this happiness also concealed the uncertainty and unease in her heart.
When it was time to be happy, one should not worry.
Otherwise, happiness would be diminished.
Cui Hao spoke noticeably less today. Compared to his usual role as the main creator of the lively atmosphere, today he merely drank his tea and occasionally offered a few words.
The reason was that he was observing his master, watching to see whether anything about him had changed.
But a master was still a master.
Even when they finally dispersed, Cui Hao had not noticed anything unusual about Chu Xingchen.
There were some questions, however, that did not need to be asked right away.
Time was as light as a cicada’s delicate wing. With the slightest breeze, it would easily slip away.
Half a month passed as if it had been only yesterday.
Peaceful and joyful days passed especially quickly.
Still, things had changed in some ways.
Qian Qing had already grown familiar with Wanhua Ridge. Earlier on, she had begun appearing by the deep pool to practice her punches.
As a martial artist, perseverance was practically carved into her bones.
This also meant that San Dong would arrive at the deep pool early each morning.
Chen Baiqing, who had once come alone at the same time every day, suddenly had company.
Qian Qing could almost always earn herself a piece of candied fruit each day.
Yuan Kong, meanwhile, really did carry a broom to sweep the mountain gate every day. He carefully cleaned every step and every corner. Clearly, using a spell or spiritual energy would have been much faster, but Yuan Kong continued to choose the most laborious method.
Chu Xingchen had already explained that asking Yuan Kong to sweep the mountain gate had only been a joke.
Yuan Kong, however, said, “Since I’ve come, I should do something. Besides, sweeping the mountain gate is especially suitable for someone like me—a monk.”
Since it was something Yuan Kong was happy to do, Chu Xingchen stopped trying to dissuade him.
Sometimes, after finishing her martial practice, Qian Qing would take a broom and help Yuan Kong clean up.
Everyone had found their place within the sect perfectly.
One month later, by the deep pool.
Today, everyone had received Chu Xingchen’s summons.
Chu Xingchen looked at the assembled group. Other than Ning Kun, who had remained behind at the sect because of his poor health, everyone currently in Wanhua Ridge had arrived. Even Qian Qing had been summoned.
Standing beside the deep pool, he swept his gaze over them and smiled.
“I suddenly feel that staying in the sect all the time, while comfortable, is ultimately a little lacking in excitement.”
“So I’ve decided that our entire sect will go out and search for the scattered Authorities.”
Li Yingling was not surprised in the least. Given her master’s personality, she had always felt that he would eventually join in. She grew serious and said, “In that case, I’ll take Xingtian to Southern Jambudvipa. Luoyu and Baiqing can go to Eastern Shengzhou. Cui Hao and Yun Li can go to Northern Juzhou…”
“No.” Chu Xingchen shook his head and interrupted her arrangements. “Everyone in the sect will go, except Ning Kun, who will stay behind because of his health. That includes Qian Qing and San Dong. Our first destination has already been chosen: the Black Tortoise Kingdom in Southern Jambudvipa.”
“As for the places we go after that, each person can name somewhere they’ve always wanted to visit.”
“The Authorities may be scattered anywhere from the far south to the far north. Since we’re leaving it to fate, we might as well follow the destinies in our hearts.”
“This time, the entire sect will set out together. We’ll all stay together.”
The moment Li Yingling heard this, her expression lit up with excitement.
Now that her master had put it that way, she naturally understood that he simply wanted to take the entire sect out for a trip and had come up with a perfectly respectable excuse.
That was quite unusual.
In the past, her master had always preferred to stay in the sect whenever possible. Yet this time, he was willing to take the entire sect out with him, even Qian Qing, who was not a cultivator.
That meant this would surely be a fairly long journey.
But…
Wasn’t that interesting?
Li Yingling decisively nodded in agreement with her master’s proposal.
Qian Qing hesitated slightly. She knew that she was not a cultivator and might not be able to keep up with the others. Yet she also found it difficult to refuse outright.
At that moment, Chu Xingchen’s gentle gaze fell upon the hesitant Qian Qing. He smiled and nodded at her.
Seeing this, Qian Qing stopped overthinking it. Since the sect master had made the proposal, she would simply accept the invitation.
Naturally, no one else objected.
Chu Xingchen looked down at the chorus of agreement and then smiled.
“We’re no longer the nameless sect we once were. These days, we can be considered famous far and wide. When we go out, we can afford to be a little more ostentatious.”
Li Yingling, Li Xingtian, and Chen Baiqing were naturally shaken when they heard this.
From the ruined temple to where they were now, they had walked this path together, step by step, from the very beginning.
Hearing this, Yuan Kong hesitated before speaking.
“Wait… I still don’t even know what your sect is called. I’ve been sweeping the entrance for a whole month, yet I haven’t seen the sect’s name written anywhere on the gate.”
“What… is our sect called?”
The next moment, everyone’s eyes turned toward Chu Xingchen.
Li Xingtian had once heard his master say that the sect was called the Heavenly Dao Sect, but afterward, his master had never mentioned the name again.
Ning Qianqian had also once said that Master called the sect the Myriad Laws Immortal Sect.
With the two names being tossed around within the sect, everyone understood that both of them were probably names Master had simply made up.
Still, no one had insisted that Master give them a definite name.
After all, Master was synonymous with the sect.
Chu Xingchen was the name of the sect.
Now that Yuan Kong had brought it up, the matter they had previously paid no attention to had resurfaced.
Chu Xingchen fell into thought as well. Then, as though he had remembered something, the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile.
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
