Village Gossip

Hearing the village chief bring up the past, Liu Yunan couldn't help but recall the old days, and his eyes involuntarily reddened.

"Back when I was so hungry I had nothing to eat, Brother Xiao risked getting beaten by Uncle Lin to often bring me dry rations."

Seeing him so moved, Patriarch Hu patted his shoulder and smiled amiably:

"You are all good children who value relationships. Our village will have to rely on you youngsters in the future. With good kids like you around, us old folks can rest easy."

Village Chief Du also nodded and said:

"Indeed, our Xiushui Village has been poor for generations. We have only survived until now by relying on everyone's strength and steadfast diligence. After bending our backs for a lifetime, now, thanks to the glory of the sect you all have established, there is finally a sign that we can straighten up. In our hearts, we are truly overjoyed."

Listening to the two elders speak one after another, Liu Yunan suddenly felt a surge of heroic pride in his heart. He immediately patted his chest and declared:

"Village Chief, Patriarch Hu, rest assured. Brother Xiao told us long ago that our Lingxian Sect will definitely work hard to lead everyone toward a better life together!"

Hearing this, the two elders laughed:

"We are very happy that you have such intentions. But going too far is as bad as falling short. The villagers are already doing very well in their current situation. It's best to let nature take its course. There's no need to try and make them fat with a single bite; people don't have the stomach for it, and they will only overeat.

We can also somewhat understand your difficulties.

In daily life, if there is anything you need us to cooperate with, just come down the mountain and tell us. We will try our best to find a way to get everyone to cooperate.

Don't just ponder over everything by yourselves up on the mountain. Most of the people in the village are relatives, the uncles and aunts who watched you grow up. Many people, just like you, hope that our village will prosper and that all of us can live a good life together."

Hearing their words, Liu Yunan remembered when his father passed away. His family was in dire straits, and his mother struggled bitterly to support them alone. It was the neighboring villagers who helped a little here and a little there, preventing his mother from collapsing from exhaustion.

And when his eldest uncle came to their house to cause trouble, it was also the villagers who went to tip off the village chief, which led to the village chief and the clan elders bringing people over to uphold justice for their family.

It wasn't just his family.

Every household in Xiushui Village was like this.

Whenever a major event happened in someone's home, most of the villagers would offer help within their capabilities.

Although there were occasional minor frictions between certain households, and some people had loose tongues.

But when it came to major matters, everyone was still very united and mutually supportive.

Therefore, Liu Yunan nodded heavily and said:

"Village Chief, Patriarch Hu, I understand."

He didn't specify what he understood.

Hearing this, Village Chief Du and Patriarch Hu didn't ask what he understood either, but simply smiled amiably at him and said:

"Good, good child, go on and get busy with your work."

Then Liu Yunan bid farewell to the two elders and returned to the mountain.

When he returned to the mountain, it just so happened that everyone in the Lingxian Sect had just entered the cultivation room and hadn't started cultivating yet.

Liu Yunan greeted everyone and then said to them:

"From now on, we don't have to hide whenever we see the villagers."

Hearing his words, everyone was somewhat surprised:

"But if we don't hide, the villagers will ask about our sect."

Hearing this, Liu Yunan replied:

"It's fine, let them ask. Apart from some crucial matters, there's nothing about the basic situation of our sect that can't be told to others. Moreover, they are all from our village. If they ask again, just tell them according to the story we agreed upon before."

Hearing the few youngsters chatting so lively here, Old Master Lin on the side nodded in strong agreement:

"Indeed, Kid Nan is right. It's not good for us to always hide when we see the villagers. Over time, this will chill the hearts of the villagers."

Jiang Youfu also nodded and said:

"Yes, Brother Xiao predicted earlier that our sect would be exposed. Now that we have gained a bit of a reputation, if we still hide from the villagers, Brother Xiao surely wouldn't approve if he knew."

Thus, the people of the Lingxian Sect decided that they would no longer hide from the villagers in the future. If they asked about the sect, they would pick some permissible things to share a little, satisfying the villagers' curiosity under the premise of not exposing the sect's true strength.

Twenty days later, within the capital of the Pusi Kingdom.

Inside the imperial study in the royal city.

At this moment, there were only three people here.

A person wearing a black-based dragon robe sat at the head position. A eunuch waited by his side below the first step, a meter away, while another person dressed in martial attire stood with his head bowed in the hall below the desk.

Looking at the envelope brought back by Wei San in his hand, the reigning Emperor Li Zhouxuan did not open it immediately.

Instead, he asked Wei San, who stood below with his head bowed awaiting orders:

"You only saw a young man?"

Wei San immediately cupped his fists and respectfully replied:

"Yes."

Li Zhouxuan, who had just passed thirty, had a calm expression, revealing no emotion. He kept examining the envelope in his hand and asked a moment later:

"Did you encounter anything else?"

Wei San then recounted all his experiences from the moment he stepped into Xiushui Village, including the fact that he had stepped onto that Path of Questioning the Heart.

However, regarding his dream on the Path of Questioning the Heart, he did not answer truthfully. He merely altered it slightly, mentioned a few sentences, and brushed over it lightly.

Li Zhouxuan did not know much about the Path of Questioning the Heart and did not inquire further.

He merely sat at the head position, pondering secretly.

It seemed that this newly emerged immortal sect was nine times out of ten the real deal.

He just didn't know how the strength of this new sect compared to the Shangyang Sect...

Thinking of the Shangyang Sect gave Li Zhouxuan a headache.

Such a large sect was actually casually invaded by a foreign cultivator who killed the sect master and usurped the nest to become the new sect master.

If it was only that, it would have been fine.

But within the Shangyang Sect, there was a group of elders who were unwilling to be subordinate to that foreign cultivator. Therefore, they feigned compliance while secretly opposing him, and led a group of people to sneak out using a secret technique left by the Shangyang Sect's patriarch.

The leading elder had sent a letter to the imperial court a few days ago, clearly stating that they wanted to rebuild the Shangyang Sect, and they were currently on their way to the capital.

It was also at this time that Li Zhouxuan learned that the Nascent Soul patriarch of the Shangyang Sect, who had gone into seclusion many years ago, had long since passed away.

Now, the entire Shangyang Sect from top to bottom consisted only of Golden Core cultivators and below.

No wonder their mountain gates and sect master's position were so easily seized by a foreign Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, none of these matters were the main point for Li Zhouxuan.

The most uncomfortable thing was that with the Shangyang Sect, one of the three great sects, reduced to this state, they could no longer be considered a rival to the other two sects.