"Senior Brother, what's wrong?"
Zhang Yuchun asked cautiously, his tone tense.
Li Dongyue also came closer, her eyes full of confusion as she studied Li Qingqiu's expression.
Li Qingqiu slowly withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "This sword should be the Emperor Xuan Sword. That boy really has incredible luck. Take him inside first."
Seeing that Li Qingqiu didn't seem to be possessed or in a trance, Zhang Yuchun finally relaxed. He carried Li Sifeng into the inner room while Li Dongyue followed close behind.
Li Qingqiu returned to the long table and carefully placed the Emperor Xuan Sword upon it.
Now he finally understood why this weapon was so famous. The sword wasn't just any weapon—it was a true magical artifact, far more powerful than even the Flying Fish Blade.
Within the Emperor Xuan Sword dwelled a sword soul, a spiritual entity that had already bonded with Li Sifeng's soul. When Li Qingqiu examined it closely, he could see Sifeng's soul imprint etched into that sword soul.
Even without channeling his vital energy, Li Sifeng could borrow the sword soul's power.
However, the sword's nature was highly sinister. If the wielder's body wasn't strong enough, repeated use would damage both flesh and spirit. Cultivation could strengthen both physique and soul, so Li Qingqiu wasn't too worried about Sifeng wielding it.
Although the Emperor Xuan Sword was more formidable than both the Flying Fish Blade and the Thunder-Summoning Banner, Li Qingqiu had no intention of keeping it. After all, it was his Sixth Junior Brother's life-earned prize.
Right now, he was simply fascinated by the sword soul itself—curious about how it recognized its master.
Once the Emperor Xuan Sword accepted an owner, no one else could use it unless they could unravel that binding process.
With his Mortal God and Ghost Fate, Li Qingqiu's eyes could perceive the spiritual layers of the sword, peeling them apart thread by thread.
A short while later, Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue returned, stopping opposite him.
"Someone was hunting down Sixth Junior Brother," Zhang Yuchun said, frowning. "When we went down, those pursuers hesitated for a while before retreating. This won't end easily."
Li Qingqiu lifted his eyes and gave a cold snort. "Good. Saves us the trouble of finding them ourselves."
"According to the earlier reports," Zhang Yuchun continued, "it's most likely connected to the Pei family."
"What? Do the people of the Pei family not have heads on their shoulders?"
That single remark was enough for Zhang Yuchun to know his Senior Brother was truly angry. Inwardly, he mourned for the Pei family.
The Pei clan might be powerful, but if they pushed Li Qingqiu too far, he wouldn't hesitate to annihilate them.
In terms of personal strength, Zhang Yuchun couldn't even imagine his Senior Brother's limits. He believed that if Li Qingqiu ever wanted to storm the imperial capital and slay the emperor himself, it wouldn't be impossible.
"Senior Brother, we shouldn't let Sifeng go down the mountain again," Li Dongyue said with a frown. "He's too impulsive and easily gets himself into trouble."
Li Qingqiu nodded. This time, he had truly been frightened. The mere thought of Sifeng dying outside made his heart tighten.
Zhang Yuchun chuckled. "Exactly. The Hall Master of the Training Hall spends all his time training outside—his own disciples can't even find him. Ridiculous."
He couldn't discipline Li Sifeng, only Li Qingqiu could. Even when Sifeng went down with Jiang Zhaoxia, he still acted willfully. Jiang Zhaoxia once said he wanted to give Sifeng a good beating—but every time he saw how grown-up the boy had become, he hesitated, afraid to wound his pride.
Li Qingqiu motioned for them to sit. "Since the Pei family and the Imperial Clan might retaliate, we need to prepare early instead of waiting for them to strike first."
Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue both agreed, and the three of them began discussing countermeasures late into the night.
…
Spring passed, and summer quietly arrived. The air grew warmer day by day.
In a small town, a man dressed in black entered a tavern, followed by twelve of his junior brothers and sisters.
The man in front was Xue Jin.
As soon as he stepped through the door, the inn's waiter hurried forward with a bright smile to greet them.
After they sat down, Xue Jin casually ordered a few dishes.
To his left sat Zheng Yunqiao, ranked second among the Thirteen Swords of Qingxiao's Might. He turned to Xue Jin and asked, "Senior Brother, we've been out for so long—are we still going to keep searching?"
The others looked at him expectantly.
Xue Jin took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Even if we can't find him, we must bring back some news. We can't return empty-handed."
A female disciple sighed. "That Hall Master Li really is something. With such a high position, he should just stay on the mountain and enjoy his status, but no—he has to run around everywhere. Is that Emperor Xuan Sword really that powerful? I'd rather just stay on the mountain cultivating. Honestly, I miss the peace of those days."
Some agreed with her, others didn't. More than half preferred the thrill of wandering the martial world—it was dangerous, but exciting.
Xue Jin didn't join the debate. No matter what anyone else thought, he had to find Li Sifeng.
Jiang Zhaoxia was his master, and the Sect Master was the man who changed his destiny. As their disciple, it was his duty to find their junior brother and ease their worries.
Just then, the waiter returned, carrying a tray of dishes. He overheard their earlier conversation and said curiously, "Emperor Xuan Sword? Oh? Are you all interested in that legendary demonic sword?"
Zheng Yunqiao gave him a sideways glance. "What? You know something about it?"
The waiter looked around nervously, then leaned closer and lowered his voice. "A word of advice—don't get any ideas about that sword. The Pei family is searching the entire city right now. Rumor is, the Emperor Xuan Sword was snatched right from under their noses. The Pei clan isn't someone you can provoke. The current Imperial Censor bears that surname, and one of their clan members is even a general. No one in the martial world dares touch what they want."
Xue Jin and the others exchanged glances. They had already known the Pei family was involved in the fight for the sword.
One male disciple asked, "Waiter, do you know who took the Emperor Xuan Sword?"
"That, I don't know," the waiter replied, shaking his head. "They say it was a very young swordsman."
The waiter left after placing the dishes down.
Zheng Yunqiao leaned toward Xue Jin and whispered, "Could it be Hall Master Li?"
Xue Jin's eyes flickered. "We can't keep wandering around like headless flies. We'll go find the Pei family. Once we ask them directly, we'll know."
The disciples had long grown used to his boldness, but barging into the Pei residence was no small matter.
"Senior Brother, this isn't something to joke about," Zheng Yunqiao warned with a frown.
Xue Jin scanned the group and said coldly, "Even if it takes blood, we must find out where Hall Master Li is. They're in this city anyway. After we eat, we move. Don't eat too much—you'll regret it if we end up having to kill someone."
After saying that, he calmly picked up his chopsticks and began eating.
The disciples exchanged nervous glances, but seeing his resolve, they said no more. Each silently started eating.
…
One morning in early summer, Jiang Zhaoxia returned to the sect.
"It went surprisingly smooth," he said, sitting down at the table. "That Provincial Governor really did hold a banquet just to take a concubine."
Zhang Yuchun frowned. "That's not right. They must've realized you weren't our Sect Master, that's why they didn't make a move."
Jiang Zhaoxia looked at him. "They treated me with respect. I couldn't exactly start a fight for no reason, could I?"
Zhang Yuchun nodded, then turned to Li Qingqiu. "Senior Brother, I think there's a spy within the sect."
Li Qingqiu replied calmly, "Not necessarily. Many pilgrims have seen me before. If the Provincial Governor didn't act rashly, then we'll let it be. I imagine he'll behave for a while."
With that, Li Qingqiu told Li Dongyue to fetch paper and a brush.
As Zhang Yuchun sat down again, he grinned at Jiang Zhaoxia. "Third Junior Brother, Sixth Junior Brother came back before you, and he brought the Emperor Xuan Sword. He said once his injuries heal, he's challenging you to a duel. You better be ready—Senior Brother said that sword isn't ordinary. If you're careless, you might actually lose."
Jiang Zhaoxia raised an eyebrow and turned to Li Qingqiu. "Senior Brother, are you looking down on me?"
Li Qingqiu shot Zhang Yuchun a glare before saying, "Third Junior Brother, I wasn't mocking you. That kid's strength is far beneath yours, but that sword—its legacy runs a thousand years deep."
Jiang Zhaoxia's expression turned thoughtful.
Li Dongyue soon returned with the writing tools. Li Qingqiu took them and began writing.
Jiang Zhaoxia asked, "Second Brother, you mentioned he was injured. What happened to him?"
Zhang Yuchun recounted what Li Sifeng had told them—how the Pei family had hunted him, and how the siblings who saved him were now resting on the mountain.
"Pei family…" Jiang Zhaoxia's tone went cold, though he didn't comment further.
Standing beside Li Qingqiu, Li Dongyue said seriously, "Brothers, we must be careful. Our enemies are growing. The Cui clan of Linchuan will definitely continue investigating Chen Huilan's whereabouts—that's a hidden threat. The Pei family and the Provincial Governor are already powerful foes."
Zhang Yuchun sighed. "It's only natural for trouble to come once a sect grows. We'll just face them one by one. I've already told Hall Master Yang to make connections with those clans and sects that approached us first. We'll see which of them bear grudges against those three factions and plan accordingly."
Li Dongyue smiled. "As long as you've thought it through."
She didn't seem pressured at all. In fact, she found comfort in knowing the seven of them could each handle different matters and push forward together. It was a rare kind of happiness.
Soon after, Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue started asking Jiang Zhaoxia about what he had seen on his trip.
Meanwhile, Li Qingqiu finished writing and handed the sheet to Zhang Yuchun. "These disciples—keep a close eye on them. There's at least one traitor among them."
Zhang Yuchun took the paper and looked down. There were seventeen names written on it. He blinked in surprise. "Senior Brother, how do you know?"
Li Qingqiu smiled faintly. "Just because I don't handle mundane tasks doesn't mean I do nothing when I go down the mountain."
He spoke mysteriously, but the truth was clear—these disciples had dangerously low loyalty levels. Some even showed zero loyalty—definite spies.
Zhang Yuchun still looked doubtful, but Li Qingqiu was already standing up. He needed to tend to the Prison Qilin's injuries.
Li Sifeng's safe return was thanks to that divine beast. That auspicious creature had somehow sensed its master's peril from a thousand li away and rushed to save him. The more Li Qingqiu thought about it, the more amazed he felt. For the first time, he found himself wanting to raise an auspicious beast of his own.
…
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Just after noon, Li Qingqiu had finished lunch. He had spent the previous night at the spiritual mine, returning to the sect early that morning.
Suddenly, Yuan Qi came running into the courtyard, panic written all over his face. From his expression alone, Li Qingqiu could tell trouble was coming.
"Sect Master! Something big has happened!" Yuan Qi said quickly. "A man came up the mountain calling himself Shen Yue! He wants to challenge all of our sect's experts! He said if he wins, we must hand over the Emperor Xuan Sword!"
Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. "Who is this Shen Yue, to be so arrogant?"
Anyone daring to name the Emperor Xuan Sword outright likely wasn't from the Pei family. Could it be that the sword's whereabouts had already spread across the martial world?
Yuan Qi swallowed hard and replied, "On the way up, I overheard the others say that Shen Yue is known across the martial world as the Sword God. Even the founding ancestor of the Great Li Dynasty once offered him a fortune to serve in the palace, but he refused. This man is truly a peerless master—far beyond any provincial champion."