Qin Ye did not conceal anything and recounted the entire process. After finishing, he said with a look of guilt, "The Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff is too fierce. It's very hard to restrain its force. Even leaking just a wisp of power can injure someone. I won't use this staff technique to spar with fellow disciples ever again."
Li Qingqiu's expression remained calm. "How badly is he injured?"
"His face is swollen."
"Then you really should apologize. But why hit someone in the face? If you'd injured him somewhere else, he could cover it with clothes. Injure his face, and his master is bound to find out."
Qin Ye was taken aback by Li Qingqiu's words. He hadn't thought of that. Hearing his master say this, he felt even more guilty.
Li Sifeng, still standing in punishment, chuckled. "Third Senior Brother has a pretty narrow mind. You're done for. He might just come looking for you to avenge his disciple personally."
Upon hearing this, Qin Ye showed no fear but replied earnestly, "I am willing to accept punishment from Third Uncle-Master."
Li Sifeng curled his lip and muttered something about not knowing when to quit.
Having understood the situation, Li Qingqiu didn't dwell on it. "Since he was the one who proposed the spar, you did nothing wrong. Just be more careful with your strikes next time. Third Junior Brother is proud by nature—he definitely won't come after you. But Xue Jin will surely seek you out again to save face. When that happens, just be cautious."
In martial arts sparring, injuries were inevitable. Li Qingqiu truly didn't see this as a major issue. He couldn't very well ban disciples from sparring altogether.
Qin Ye had won, but Li Qingqiu didn't praise him, because he also felt Qin Ye needed better control over his staff technique. Other disciples weren't as sturdy as Xue Jin.
Hearing this, Qin Ye still hesitated. He even suggested going to apologize to Third Uncle-Master. Li Qingqiu immediately kicked him, sending him flying.
"Not making enough trouble already? Get lost!"
Li Qingqiu said irritably. Qin Ye flew two zhang before crashing into a wall and stopping.
Collapsing at the foot of the wall, Qin Ye felt his insides churning and his whole body aching. Secretly marveling at his master's strength, he quickly rose and took his leave.
Li Sifeng turned his head to look at Li Qingqiu, clicking his tongue in wonder. "Senior Brother, is the staff technique Wu Baoyu passed on really that formidable? That's not good. Azure Firmament Sect needs its own martial arts to outshine the Ten Thousand Army Demon-Subduing Staff."
"Hmph, worry about yourself first. Stand properly!"
Li Qingqiu snorted coldly. He walked over to Li Sifeng and kicked him in the backside. In an instant, a sharp pain assailed Li Sifeng, making his face contort as he nearly fell to his knees. This kick had used spiritual energy transformed into internal force, stimulating the pain acupoints on Li Sifeng's leg, causing him unbearable agony.
"Do you still dare to bully the other disciples?"
"I just had him substitute for me in teaching class. How is that bullying?"
"Could he refuse you?"
"Well... not really..."
Li Qingqiu kicked him again. The pain made Li Sifeng grimace, and he quickly apologized, claiming he would never dare do it again.
...
At dusk, in a certain courtyard, the young Bai Ning'er sat at a table, one hand supporting his cheek as he gazed at the distant mountains, his thoughts drifting.
A disciple hurried into the courtyard, carrying four wild rabbits. He walked over to the table and said with a smile, "Hu Feng, today's harvest—four wild rabbits, all about five jin each."
Bai Ning'er snapped back to attention. He picked up a brush and began recording in the ledger before him, muttering, "Wild rabbits again? Are you trying to eat all the rabbits in the mountains?"
"The Taikun Mountain Range is vast—we'll never catch all the rabbits. When the rabbits here are gone, rabbits from other places will come to graze. Besides, I didn't see you holding back when we ate rabbit meat."
Hu Feng retorted good-naturedly. Seeing Bai Ning'er carefully record his contribution stroke by stroke, he grinned broadly.
"Tie them up before you put them down and leave."
Bai Ning'er reminded him. Hu Feng acknowledged and brought the rabbits behind Bai Ning'er. This courtyard had already accumulated quite a pile of fruits, flowers, and game—all contributions from the disciples.
Bai Ning'er's duty was to record these things daily. Because someone kept track, the disciples' motivation never waned.
After Hu Feng left, Bai Ning'er slumped onto the table and couldn't help sighing.
When would such days ever end?
Because he had learned to write from a young age and was physically slight, a senior brother had assigned him here. Of course, the bigger reason was that this senior brother wanted more time for martial arts practice. The senior brother usually treated him well, so he couldn't refuse.
Now, aside from morning exercises, he spent most of every day in this courtyard. It was truly boring.
Just as Bai Ning'er was sighing, a smell of urine reached him, making him frown. He didn't need to turn around to know a wild boar had relieved itself.
He would have to wait for other disciples to come take away the game, then clean the courtyard before today's tasks were finally finished.
Though wild pork tasted delicious when eaten, he truly hated live wild boars—dirty, smelly, and fond of grunting.
Because Azure Firmament Sect was a martial arts sect with high demand for meat, quite a few disciples were responsible for hunting. There were gains every day. Each time Zhang Yuchun went down the mountain, he would buy some dried or cured meat. Occasionally, villagers from the foot of the mountain would exchange meat for other grains. As a result, while Azure Firmament Sect disciples couldn't necessarily have meat at every meal, they could at least taste it daily.
When he first came up the mountain, Bai Ning'er had been won over by this treatment. But as time passed, he began to feel dissatisfied. He wanted to practice martial arts.
Bai Ning'er recalled the past, passing the time.
When it was almost dark, five disciples finally entered the courtyard. Seeing them, Bai Ning'er immediately cheered, then gathered up the books on the table and ran out.
The five disciples, accustomed to this by now, began tidying up the accumulated game and grain in the courtyard.
Leaving the courtyard, Bai Ning'er hopped and skipped up the mountain. He planned to slack off tonight and clean the courtyard tomorrow morning. Doing it alone was too difficult—he had to find his senior brother and complain, get him to help.
"Young friend up ahead, please wait a moment."
A female voice came from behind. Bai Ning'er stopped and turned around. He saw two women walking up the mountain path.
The one in front was dressed in green, with a petite figure. At first glance, she seemed only fifteen or sixteen. Her features were delicate and lovely, and she wore her hair in two braids. Bai Ning'er's eyes lit up.
The woman behind wore a plain white long robe and a light veil over her face. She carried a long wooden box on her back. Her bearing was dignified, and her eyes were bright and captivating. She followed the woman in green, her demeanor clearly that of a mistress.
Visitors from down the mountain?
Bai Ning'er was curious but not nervous. If he shouted, other disciples would come. Besides, the two women didn't look like bad people—in fact, they seemed to have no martial strength at all.
When the two women drew near, Bai Ning'er asked, "Who are you?"
The woman in green smiled. "My name is Su Xiling. My young lady's surname is Zhu. We were referred here by Liu Fanzhou. We'd like to discuss something with your Sect Master. Could you show us the way?"
She wasn't much taller than the fourteen-year-old Bai Ning'er, so he didn't feel particularly wary of her.
"Patron Liu? He's a really good person! He had people build this mountain path. Come on, it's almost dinner time. The Sect Master should be easy to find."
Bai Ning'er agreed readily, then waved his hand and turned to lead the way.
Su Xiling and the white-robed woman followed closely. Su Xiling was clearly very interested in Azure Firmament Sect and began questioning Bai Ning'er.
The questions she asked were all inconsequential—whether it was peaceful here, how many martial artists came and went, whether any bandits came up the mountain. He answered each one.
Along the way, they encountered other Azure Firmament Sect disciples, who all curiously asked who the two women were. Hearing Bai Ning'er mention Liu Fanzhou's name, their expressions cleared and they didn't stop them.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the highest courtyard. Bai Ning'er saw Li Qingqiu sitting at the long table and hurried over to introduce Su Xiling and the other woman.
"Good work. Eat here tonight—find yourself a seat."
Li Qingqiu reached out and tousled Bai Ning'er's head, smiling, then rose and walked toward Su Xiling and the other woman.
Bai Ning'er was pleasantly surprised. Grinning foolishly, he touched his head.
With his back to Bai Ning'er, Li Qingqiu opened the Daoist Legacy panel. Seeing that this Lucky Dog's loyalty had increased by a point, he smiled with satisfaction.
*Children are so easily moved.*
Li Qingqiu came before Su Xiling and the other woman and said with a smile, "Since you were referred by Brother Liu, shall we talk inside?"
Su Xiling nodded, and the two women followed Li Qingqiu into the newly built hall within the courtyard. The door remained open.
As soon as Li Qingqiu sat down, Su Xiling came to his side, took an embroidered pouch from her sleeve, placed it on the table, and opened it, revealing gold, silver, and jewels.
"My young lady heard from Liu Fanzhou that Azure Firmament Sect is a peaceful place, far from the secular world. She would like to stay here for two years. We won't stay or eat for free."
Su Xiling spoke softly. Her directness made Li Qingqiu look toward the white-robed woman.
The white-robed woman, carrying the wooden box on her back, gazed quietly at him without speaking.
Li Qingqiu didn't agree immediately. Instead, he asked, "May I ask why you wish to stay? Azure Firmament Sect is indeed a place for cultivation, but we also fear trouble."
Su Xiling replied, "The imperial court is vigorously suppressing the rebel forces. Everywhere is unsettled—only the Taikun Mountain Range is relatively peaceful. My young lady is a Guzhou luminary named Zhu Yan. She has never liked conflict. You should have heard of her."
Li Qingqiu actually hadn't heard of her. He usually only heard about martial world affairs; he knew little of literary circles.
"In that case, I agree."
After a moment's hesitation, Li Qingqiu smiled and stood up to show them the way.
Leaving the hall, he called over a disciple to arrange lodging for them.
Watching the two women walk away, Li Qingqiu felt a surge of emotion. *The martial world truly produces experts in succession.*
Zhu Yan appeared to be an elegant, refined woman with no martial ability whatsoever. In reality, her internal energy was not inferior to Yang Jueding's when he first came up the mountain.
As for Su Xiling, who played the role of a maid, she was even more astonishing. The depth and density of her internal energy were the greatest Li Qingqiu had ever seen in his life—even greater than Lü Dou of the Seven Peaks Alliance.
With their level of martial arts, it was no wonder they could come up the mountain safely. They had simply cultivated some secret technique that concealed their internal energy. The disciples along the way hadn't seen through it at all.
Li Qingqiu smiled and walked toward the dinner table.
In the days that followed, the melodious sound of a qin often echoed through the mountains, becoming a frequent topic of discussion among the disciples.
When Zhang Yu learned that Zhu Yan had arrived, he became extremely excited and wanted to visit her, only to be stopped by Su Xiling.
It was then that Li Qingqiu truly believed Zhu Yan was a celebrated luminary. In this world, those who could play the qin were not ordinary people. And Zhang Yu, usually so proud, had lost his composure for the first time.