Harvest?
Li Qingqiu's first thought was of Bai Ning'er. Had the Lucky Dog finally done his thing?
He rose and followed Li Sifeng. Yuan Li, still holding the Thousand Spirit Fruit, got up and toddled after them.
"First, tell me about your journey down the mountain." Li Qingqiu turned his head to ask Li Sifeng.
Li Sifeng now stood taller than Li Qingqiu's shoulder, nearly reaching his earlobe. Li Qingqiu felt a twinge of emotion.
This kid can finally stand on his own.
"Smooth sailing. Punished the wicked, made a name for ourselves. Nothing much to tell. Just wiping out bandits—hardly any experts worth mentioning." Li Sifeng said dismissively. This trip was far less thrilling than the Martial Arts Tournament excursion, but unlike last time, he had led the team. His sense of accomplishment was still considerable.
Just then, a group of disciples carried large chests through the courtyard gate. Li Qingqiu and Li Sifeng stopped.
Cheng Canghai followed them in. Looking at Li Qingqiu, he said excitedly, "Sect Master, come look! So much wealth!"
They had brought in three large chests altogether, each requiring two people to carry—they were clearly very heavy.
Li Dongyue and Wu Man'er walked behind. Compared to their haul, Li Dongyue was more concerned about whether Wu Man'er had been injured.
Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. "Where did this wealth come from? Don't tell me it was rewarded by the government. I won't believe that."
Li Sifeng stepped forward and opened one of the large chests, grinning smugly. "From wiping out the bandits! Those mountain thieves were really rich. But since they were wanted, they didn't dare spend it."
Li Qingqiu walked to the large chest and looked inside. It was piled with copper coins, gold, silver, jewels, and also some scroll paintings and books—all things that looked quite valuable.
He continued to the other two chests, inspecting them. The remaining two were similarly filled with riches. The disciples who had followed Li Sifeng down the mountain to eliminate bandits all looked at Li Qingqiu expectantly, hoping for his praise.
Seeing that Li Qingqiu's expression hadn't changed much, Li Sifeng thought his senior brother was displeased. He asked, "Senior Brother, is something wrong?"
"All this wealth was plundered by the mountain bandits from common folks and families. It's ill-gotten gain." Li Qingqiu stated.
Hearing this, the disciples' hearts skipped a beat. Li Sifeng grew anxious.
"What do the bandits' evil deeds have to do with us? Senior Brother, you're not going to make us give it back, are you? Sure, our martial arts are strong—killing bandits was like slicing vegetables—but this trip still risked our lives!" Li Sifeng's eyes widened as he spoke, voicing what the other disciples were thinking.
Li Qingqiu shot him a look. "Give it back? Give it back to whom? To the government? It would probably just get embezzled. Later, have Second Junior Brother inventory everything. Take two-thirds of the wealth, in batches bring it down the mountain to exchange for grain and cloth, and distribute it to the people around the Taikun Mountain Range. Build a good reputation for Azure Firmament Sect. This is what we deserve—it's your achievement."
"Each of you may choose one item from here as a reward."
Hearing this, the disciples were overjoyed and quickly thanked Li Qingqiu.
The Sect Master's words were blunt, but they didn't resent them. They could support the sect doing good deeds, but not without any recognition—especially since this wealth had been obtained at personal risk.
Li Qingqiu took an ancient bronze mirror from one of the large chests, then stepped aside and gestured for the disciples to start choosing.
Li Sifeng didn't join the scramble. He walked over to Li Qingqiu and said quietly, "Senior Brother, isn't two-thirds a bit much?"
"Two-thirds might seem like a lot, but when distributed among the villages and towns around the Taikun Mountain Range, it's not much at all. To accomplish great things, one cannot be petty. Besides, this wealth was unexpected to begin with—taken from the people, returned to the people."
Li Qingqiu said casually. Azure Firmament Sect wasn't exactly short of money; it could at least cover daily expenses and various construction projects.
Moreover, distributing this wealth would attract a steady stream of disciples to Azure Firmament Sect. In the long run, it was no loss.
Only with more disciples would the chances of finding geniuses increase. In the past six months, the cultivation aptitudes of new disciples had been very low. He had to heed Zhang Yuchun's advice—expand their reputation and attract more people to join Azure Firmament Sect.
Li Sifeng curled his lip. Hearing his senior brother put it that way, he could only drop the matter.
Li Qingqiu leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Keep taking Bai Ning'er with you when you go down the mountain in the future. I think that kid has some spiritual intelligence. When you have time, give him some guidance."
Having said this, Li Qingqiu patted Li Sifeng's shoulder, then picked up Yuan Li and walked toward the long table nearby.
Li Sifeng, after hearing this, looked at Bai Ning'er with a peculiar expression. Because Bai Ning'er was small, he was squeezed between two disciples, only half his body visible—it looked rather comical.
He didn't see anything exceptional about this kid. But since his senior brother had personally mentioned him, he would naturally pay more attention in the future.
Li Qingqiu set Yuan Li down and returned alone to his room.
Li Sifeng's haul from this trip was indeed substantial. But the real harvest wasn't those valuables—it was the mirror Li Qingqiu had just taken.
Back in his room, Li Qingqiu closed the door, sat at his desk, and took out the ancient bronze mirror.
This mirror emitted a faint aura of yin spirits.
If Li Qingqiu hadn't cultivated the Soul-Capturing Curse, he would have had difficulty sensing it—let alone Li Sifeng, whose cultivation was much lower.
The Soul-Capturing Curse was no simple spell. Added to the fact that Li Qingqiu only practiced it occasionally and hadn't yet fully mastered it, the benefit of cultivating it was that it sharpened his perception of spiritual entities.
This ancient bronze mirror looked ordinary, even somewhat worn, its surface not very clear.
He didn't rashly infuse spiritual energy into the mirror. Instead, he silently activated the mental method of the Soul-Capturing Curse, his gaze fixed intently on the mirror's surface.
In a trance, he saw within the mirror a white-robed woman with disheveled hair, barefoot, lying in darkness. Startled, he quickly averted his gaze.
There really is a ghost?
This wasn't Li Qingqiu's first encounter with a magic treasure. It suggested that cultivators had once existed on this land. As for why none were seen now, he had no way of knowing.
After much thought, he decided not to alert it for now, as he couldn't determine the ghost's strength within the mirror—at least it was currently dormant.
He rose and placed the bronze mirror on the windowsill, just out of direct sunlight.
After positioning the mirror, Li Qingqiu left the room.
Outside the window, sunlight gradually faded until night fell, and the mirror was plunged into darkness.
...
The New Year festival arrived once again. Compared to previous years, Azure Firmament Sect had gained more new faces, so the celebrations grew livelier with each passing year.
Slaughtering chickens and pigs, firecrackers echoing—this year's festivities were far better than last year's, allowing all disciples to feel the leadership's sincerity.
After three days of celebration, Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sifeng each led a team down the mountain—one seeking revenge, the other practicing chivalry.
With them gone, Azure Firmament Sect suddenly became quiet.
At noon, in a forest clearing, nine disciples stood in a line before Li Qingqiu. All were visibly excited, their eyes fixed intently on him.
These nine disciples had made the most progress in martial arts over the past year. Li Qingqiu was fulfilling his promise, transmitting to them the first layer heart method of the Chaos Genesis Scripture.
"The Chaos Genesis Scripture is Azure Firmament Sect's unique ultimate art. Mastering its first layer qualifies one as a true successor disciple. I won't require you to master it within any specific timeframe. Even if it takes you thirty years to reach the first layer, I will still transmit the second layer to you. But one thing you must remember: the Chaos Genesis Scripture must not be passed on to outsiders. Even if you someday leave the mountain and start families, you must not pass it to your descendants. If Azure Firmament Sect discovers anyone not registered in our rolls cultivating the Chaos Genesis Scripture, no matter where they are, Azure Firmament Sect will hunt them down until death."
Li Qingqiu spoke solemnly. These words sobered the nine disciples.
"Of course, if your children wish to cultivate the Chaos Genesis Scripture in the future, you may recommend them to join Azure Firmament Sect and receive the teachings openly and legitimately. Understood?"
Li Qingqiu's tone softened, his words earnest.
Once too many people cultivated the Chaos Genesis Scripture, it would eventually leak out. All he could do was establish rules in advance.
He would only transmit the Chaos Genesis Scripture layer by layer, ensuring that no one could surpass him without his knowledge.
Seeing the disciples somewhat intimidated, Li Qingqiu said no more and began imparting the Chaos Genesis Scripture's mental method, teaching them to meditate and absorb spiritual energy.
The first layer of the Nourishing Origin stage qualified one to roam the martial world.
The second layer enabled one, like Yang Jueding, to dominate a region.
The third layer allowed one to contend with anyone in Guzhou's martial world.
Li Qingqiu's current goal was to cultivate, within five years, a hundred cultivators at the first layer of the Nourishing Origin stage within Azure Firmament Sect.
This goal would not be easy to achieve. For many, the first layer of the Nourishing Origin stage was an insurmountable chasm.
Li Qingqiu taught them for only two days, then sent the nine disciples off to cultivate on their own.
The nine disciples had different friends, all of whom privately inquired about this matter. They kept tight-lipped, not revealing the Chaos Genesis Scripture, but they proved the Sect Master hadn't lied—by diligently practicing martial arts while fulfilling their duties, one could gain access to the sect's ultimate art.
Since Li Sifeng led his group down the mountain, Zhang Yuchun had remained at the sect, no longer going out. He began strictly managing affairs and cultivating his own management team, saving Li Qingqiu considerable trouble.
When the winter snow completely melted, people began coming up the mountain seeking medical treatment. Azure Firmament Sect's reputation had spread throughout the area around the Taikun Mountain Range.
On this day, Liu Fanzhou, the wealthy patron who had built the mountain path, arrived once again.
Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun, and Li Dongyue personally received him, and had his daughter Liu Yan join them in the hall.
Seeing Liu Yan's health much improved, her complexion rosy, Liu Fanzhou was even more delighted. Learning that Liu Yan had formally become Li Dongyue's disciple, Liu Fanzhou immediately took out a jade pendant and presented it to Li Dongyue as a teacher-apprentice gift.
After a lengthy exchange of pleasantries, Liu Fanzhou finally sat down and began speaking of worldly affairs.
"Sect Master Li, I've learned something. Your Azure Firmament Sect should prepare early." Liu Fanzhou's expression turned serious.
Li Qingqiu smiled and asked, "What is it?"
Liu Fanzhou didn't keep them in suspense. "The rebel forces across the realm have been suppressed. The various prefectures are still actively eliminating bandits. This catastrophe, which lasted several years, has completely awakened His Sagehood. The Great Li realm is vast—there are always places the imperial court and prefectures cannot fully govern. His Sagehood is preparing to invite martial arts experts from all factions across the land to the palace for a discussion. It's said he intends to establish official positions for martial arts sects, charging them with protecting the common people on behalf of the imperial court."