Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 493 The Aftermath of Yunjiao's Death: Respectfully Sending Off the Sect Leader

————Qinghan Courtyard, Dormitory

"If we're going to Yingzhou, should we bring Yi'er and Xi'er along?" Fei Shuhe's beautiful eyes lit up, a hint of joy flashing in them.

A subtle, sensual scent filled the air. Kang Dabao, his forehead slightly damp with sweat, leaned against the wall with great interest, looking at his wife, who was only wearing a light veil and whose body was still warm, and whispered, "You can make your own decisions about things at home."

"In that case, we might as well present a generous gift to pay our respects to Madam Qi. No, no, no, she has very high standards. Rather than trying to please her, it would be better to give Master Qi some precious gifts."

After hearing this, Master Kang laughed again: "How come my Shuhe has also picked up these mercenary ways? It's so stingy."

Fei Shuhe gave him a disgruntled look, and although she was now a mother, she was even more lively than when she was young.

She rushed to the bedside in shame and anger, her small hands almost unable to cover the hideous thing. She breathed on it for a while, which startled Kang Dabao so much that his face changed color before he was satisfied. Then he grabbed her hair and pulled it domineeringly: "Considering that you served me in bed today, I will not punish you for this overstepping your bounds."

"Thank you, Madam," Headmaster Kang immediately feigned distress and begged for mercy. Only then did the noblewoman of the Fei family loosen her grip, and the ugly thing bounced on the former's stomach with a crisp sound, startling her into blushing. Just as she was about to run away, she was grabbed back by a large hand.

"With such kindness from you, Madam, how could I not repay you sincerely?"

Amidst the rolling white waves, two large whale oil candles flickered on and off, and a lingering fragrance appeared and disappeared intermittently.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When Kang Changxi came to pay his respects the next morning, he did see that his mother was less dignified than usual and more radiant. Even the maids who were attending to her seemed to be happier as well.

He was a Foundation Establishment cultivator in his thirties, and he was very clear-headed, but his face showed no sign of anything amiss. He respectfully bowed and greeted the cultivator.

Fei Shuhe was quite strict in raising her son, and she had high standards for etiquette. Headmaster Kang would sometimes find his eldest son's rigid manners displeasing, but he would never argue with his wife at this time.

"I'm all packed and ready to go at any time." After Kang Changxi looked up, he put those previous distracting thoughts behind him.

Gyeonggi Province is said to be the most prosperous place in the Kingdom of David, with its flourishing culture and abundant resources, which naturally makes Kang Chang-hee, who has never left Sannam Province, very eager to visit.

"Yes, we'll set off once your elder brother returns from Xuanwei City," Fei Shuhe said with a smile.

Kang Changxi nodded in agreement, showing no surprise whatsoever.

Since they were returning to their ancestral home in Yingzhou, the stepmothers naturally couldn't accompany them. If they did, the Fei family in Yingzhou might think that Headmaster Kang was returning to intimidate them, which could cause them a lot of trouble.

The remaining half-brothers and sisters-in-law are much more suitable in terms of status, but the Kang family is not a noble family. They may not be treated with courtesy after going to the Fei family's territory, and there may even be more trouble.

After much deliberation, only his eldest brother, Kang Changyi, could conveniently accompany him back. This was because he was only sixty years old, yet he was already close to reaching the late Foundation Establishment stage, and he had mastered the "Nine Tribulations of Wind and Flame Technique," a low-grade technique of the Universe Rank, and was a genuine Golden Core cultivator who had personally taught him.

With these multiple identities laid out, he was no less impoverished than Kang Dabao, who was still just the head of a Foundation Establishment sect. Even from the Fei family's Sheshan Hall in Yunjiao Prefecture, it would be difficult to find many who could rival him.

If Kang Changyi were to return to Yingzhou, not only would they be unlikely to face difficulties, but they might even gain face for the small Kang family of Chongming.

If he were to be chosen by a high-ranking official, it wouldn't be impossible for him to marry a legitimate daughter, just like his father.

The sect leader, Kang, was unaware that his eldest son had processed so many thoughts in just a few breaths. Faced with Fei Yeqing's summons again, he still felt somewhat uneasy.

Regardless of whether this ancestor, whom the Fei family reveres like a god, still harbors resentment about what happened back then, some preparations should be made.

Moreover, Fei Tianqin had not returned for several years, and now that he had returned to Yunjiao Prefecture, it was said that Fei Yeyi wanted to summon him to Yingzhou, which was something worth considering.

"It can't be a bad thing, can it?" Kang Dabao was not very sure. Gao Xiu often acted according to his own will, so how could he be judged by common sense?

Unable to figure it out, Sect Leader Kang paused his thoughts on Yingzhou and began to ponder: "I wonder if this trip to Yingzhou will be of any benefit to my Core Formation process?!"

————Xuanwei City, Fei Family

After Fei Tianqin returned from visiting Kuang Liuting at the Duke's mansion, this old bird couldn't help but marvel at Fei Nanying: "The Duke is becoming more and more unfathomable. Even I, the old ancestor, can't quite understand him. I wonder what kind of inheritance that person from the outer sea gave him?"

He knew that asking Fei Nanying about this matter would not yield any results, so he simply recited a sentence and then fell silent. However, he asked again, "Isn't the relocation of the Duke's mansion to Fengming Prefecture already underway? When will it begin?!"

The latter replied respectfully, "Zhu Tong, the chief clerk of the Duke's mansion, recently received a Golden Core pill bestowed by Prime Minister Gui. He has been in seclusion for the past few months, so this matter has not yet been settled. However, all preparations have been made, and regardless of whether Zhu Tong succeeds in forming the pill or not, this matter should be settled within half a year."

“Gui Nianzhi? Tsk,” Fei Tianqin scoffed, clearly showing little respect for this important figure. He suppressed some thoughts and turned to Fei Nanying, saying:
"In that case, my Fei family will also move to Fengming Prefecture. Remember to inform each other and make sure everyone knows which spiritual lands they should occupy, so as not to make a scene and become a laughing stock."

Don't abandon that mid-grade third-tier spiritual vein at Bearfall Peak in the Cold Raven Mountains; the spiritual land between it and Hong County also needs careful management. Speaking of which, how exactly has Sixth Sister managed the household all these years?

Both of us recruited independent cultivators, so how come Kang managed to turn a barren place into a thriving one, while my family is struggling to make ends meet and can barely survive?

This old bird never knew the meaning of tact. Fei Nanying could only feel fortunate for Granny Fei Liu. If she were here today, she might have cried out in grievance.

After all, managing the Badlands is never that simple. It's common to see no results after one or two decades, but Granny Fei has done her best.

After thinking it over carefully for a while, Fei Nanying changed his tune and said, "After all, my family's spiritual land far surpasses the Chongming sect, so managing it will naturally be much more difficult and arduous."

Furthermore, the number of respectable and humble individuals who migrated from Gyeonggi Province was ultimately limited, and those recruited locally were not particularly capable, which is why no results have been achieved. However, it is thought that things will improve in a few years once things become more familiar.

Given Fei Tianqin's personality, he didn't really care about these trivial matters. He had only mentioned it on a whim, and after hearing Fei Nanying's explanation, he let it go.

However, Fei Tianqin stopped speaking, but Fei Nanying had a sudden thought and asked again, "Then, Ancestor, what about Yunjiao Prefecture?"

Fei Tianqin glanced at him and said in a low voice, "What is there to miss about such barren land? Do you think there are any disciples left to guard this bitter place? Let's talk to that kid Zhu Tong and give it to your nephew-in-law. He has never eaten anything good, so he will be overjoyed. Consider it a dowry from my Fei family."

Fei Nanying had no objection, but added, "I wonder if the Yue family of Hancheng will stay and sulk with Kang. Yue Lin is still a troublesome character below the Golden Core stage."

"Ha, that brat Yue Lin's coveting of the position of Imperial Consort has already caused dissatisfaction among many noble families in the capital. If he hadn't done something stupid back then, he might have succeeded by now."

The officials in the capital are only worried about whether the Duke will still care about their past relationship; otherwise, that damned Yue family of Hancheng would have been slaughtered long ago.

But given the temperament of these members of the Kuang family, how many more years can they hold onto this old affection? The Yue family will have no ties then, so what is there to worry about? If young Kang can't even withstand such a powerful family, then there's no need for me to see him.”

Whether it was Fei Nanying's imagination or not, when Fei Tianqin mentioned Kang Dabao again this time, he felt that the latter's sharp eyes had a strange look.

However, when the old bird brought up the matter of Yue Lin coveting the position of concubine, Fei Nanying was indeed a little scared, and immediately put the surprise in her heart out of her mind.

After all, Kuang Liuting had already made Yue Hongguo a saintess of the Nascent Soul sect at that time, which shows how much favor she received.

If this wild girl were to actually win the position of imperial concubine, the Yue family of Hancheng, belonging to the Liang clan of Zhou, would have blatantly torn a hole in the heavily guarded foundation of the various families in the capital region, posing endless troubles and almost becoming a laughing stock in the world.

After hesitating for a moment, Fei Nanying said, "In that case, the Yue family might have to abandon their business in Hancheng and move away with the Duke's mansion."

"Well, if Yue Lin hasn't lost his mind, then there won't be a second decision. Away from the protection of the Duke of Qin's mansion, there are plenty of people who would be happy to take his life." Fei Tianqin lost interest at this point. After all, even if Yue Lin was the number one fake core cultivator in the world, he was still just a fake core cultivator. In terms of future prospects, he couldn't even compare to the likes of Wu Feng Shangxiu. This old bird naturally didn't want to waste any more effort on him.

It turned its head and pressed down on Fei Nanying, who was about to speak but hesitated, and said in a low voice, "Ancestor, I know what you want to say. My brother is just in seclusion at home and everything is fine. Don't worry, don't ask."

The latter lowered his head, his eyes seemingly wandering and flickering, but his movements remained meticulous: "I understand, lad."

Fei Tianqin then said in a low voice, "This time I will not stay for long, Ancestor. Dongwen is also busy with errands at home and cannot leave for the time being."

The other Golden Core cultivators aren't necessarily much stronger than you, and they all hold important positions, so for the time being, no one from Shannan Circuit will be sent here. Besides focusing on your cultivation, don't stay away from the government office for too long, lest someone with ulterior motives take advantage of you.”

"Yes!"

Ten days later, Xiao Huanshan

Kang Changyi's journey home on leave went very smoothly. If Chu Yanran had taken him under her wing before out of consideration for the relationship between Hei Lu and the head of the Kang sect, then decades later, the childless Lady Qi had developed a certain maternal affection for Kang Changyi.

For a young cultivator, being able to broaden his horizons in a bustling place like Gyeonggi Province is undoubtedly a good thing. How many cultivators in the surrounding provinces go through life without ever leaving even a single province or county? Isn't that pitiful?
Not to mention that the spiritual items Fei Shuhe prepared for Master Qi were very much to the latter's liking. However, the old cultivator sent Kang Changyi with a letter to inquire about the rare spiritual pill, "Lingyin Huancai Dan".

The couple had been childless, which had become a major worry for the old man. If Kang Dabao remembered correctly, this was the third time Qi Buxiu had sent a letter inquiring about this matter.

However, Master Kang is not yet qualified to request such elixirs, so he can only reply with some joking words, just like before.

Before parting, there were many things to be explained. Headmaster Kang summoned all his fellow disciples and stewards for a grand meeting to discuss recent important matters and future plans.

In the past, at such times, it was customary for the elder who was transmitting the skills to speak first, but...
Kang Dabao glanced at Pei Xiangcao, who was leaning against Zhang Qingran, but said nothing. He simply said softly to Ye Zhengwen, "I'll trouble Junior Brother Ye to preside over today's meeting."

"Disciple obeys." Ye Zhengwen showed no change in expression. After bowing, he turned to the cultivators in the hall and said loudly, "Any matters may be reported; state them quickly without delay."

Just as Zhou Yixiu was about to make a move, she seemed to remember something and gave Kang Rongquan beside her a wink. The latter hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed.
"Elder Kang Rongquan of Lingzhi has something to report to our sect leader. Lingzhi Hall has trained sixty-one cultivators who have entered the cultivation stage at Wild Fox Mountain. Most of them are innocent rogue cultivators who are honest and upright and have not been tainted by karma. Based on the observations of this disciple and Uncle Zhou over the years, we have not noticed anything unusual."

For the sake of the sect's future development, this disciple dares to make another petition, humbly requesting that the sect leader, in his great benevolence, grant them a path to advancement, so as to repay the sect's kindness in nurturing them.

No sooner had Kang Rongquan finished speaking than the sect leader fell into deep thought again. He knew that the Chongming Sect was opening more and more spirit fields, and it would be difficult to manage them all with only the current disciples.

However, employing independent cultivators has many drawbacks. At the very least, they cannot be involved in the cultivation of many vital spiritual plants, and they are also prohibited from attending to many crucial aspects.

While the path of the cultivator is less demanding than the more glamorous arts of alchemy, artifact crafting, and talisman arrays, some talent is still required to advance to the next level.

Therefore, if these honest rogue cultivators selected by Zhou and Kang could be recruited into the sect, it would solve the Chongming Sect's urgent problem.

However, while this is the rationale, Sect Leader Kang still harbors reservations about accepting rogue cultivators into the sect. Once this door is opened, other sects, seeing the benefits and conveniences that the Spirit Plant Hall has gained, will likely follow suit, making it difficult to deal with them later.

Kang Dabao did not agree immediately. After pondering for a while, he slowly said, "Junior Brother Zhou and Junior Nephew Kang, please select a list and include Master Jia's rogue cultivators according to the number of 21 mentioned today."

Before these thirty people enter the sect, they must undergo a heart-testing array to verify their character. After three years, they will need to be tested again on their skills, cultivation, and conduct before they can be formally accepted into the sect. After verifying the quality of these disciples, further matters will be discussed.

Kang Rongquan, who was in this position for the first time, let out a long breath. Seeing that Zhou Yixiu was also looking at him with encouraging eyes, he felt a chill and warmth in his body. With mixed feelings, he bowed to the headmaster Kang and returned to his seat.

As soon as Kang Dabao finished speaking, the heads of the various halls, who had been somewhat moved by Kang Rongquan's advice, calmed down.

From this, it seems that their sect leader does not have a good impression of rogue cultivators. People like Zhou Yixiu are really lucky and have chosen the right path.

Otherwise, if this were to happen in the current Chongming Sect, let alone a first-tier high-grade rogue cultivator, even a second-tier high-grade cultivator would not be accepted as a disciple by Sect Leader Kang.

After Kang Rongquan stepped down, Elder Duan Anle of the Beast Garden stepped forward and said, "Disciple has something to report to Master. There are currently three second-tier spirit beasts, two thousand two hundred first-tier spirit beasts, and countless mixed-blood spirit animals in the Beast Garden."

Currently, its uses are roughly fourfold: firstly, to supply the various merchant caravans within the alliance with riding beasts; secondly, to allocate them for the training of the Qingjue and Chizhang Guards; thirdly, to be distributed at a low price to Chongming Xiaolou for sale and consumption; and fourthly, to provide for the disciples of the sect when they go out.

However, these beasts are scattered across six pastures, and the animal enclosures are currently short-handed, making proper care difficult. Therefore, this disciple requests that the allocation of animal enclosures to the Yulin Hall be increased by 10% over the next five years to resolve this problem.

From any perspective, Sect Leader Kang was extremely satisfied with Duan Anle's two disciples. It was widely rumored that among all the second-generation disciples, only the former resembled Kang Dabao in his actions, a fact he readily accepted.

To be honest, even the sect leader Kang felt that Duan Anle's personality was more like his own than his two grown-up sons. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked him to preside over sect affairs alongside the other elders.

However, Kang Dabao, whose path is progressing smoothly and who is about to form his core, does not need to consider a successor for the time being.

Apart from Jiang Qing, the other junior disciples and younger generation in the sect would likely find it difficult to advance further without any major opportunities. Even becoming a pseudo-core cultivator would depend on luck, so they would have no way to handle the affairs after the death of Sect Leader Kang.

Although Duan Anle has not participated in major sect decisions in recent years, he has managed his small territory quite well after shifting his focus to cultivation and the Beast Garden.

Although Duan Anle has mixed spiritual roots, his cultivation is not much worse than Kang Rongquan's, who has three spiritual roots. If the two do not encounter any bottlenecks along the way, they can advance to the mid-stage of true cultivation in just a few years.

The scale of the Beast Garden has grown rapidly in recent years. Duan Anle is also very capable, managing the food and food of these spirit beasts very well. Recently, he has been able to hand over nearly 10,000 spirit stones to the sect every year.

And it is foreseeable that, as time goes on, this vital location of the Chongming Sect will become increasingly prosperous under Duan Anle's management.

Therefore, Kang Dabao must take Duan Anle's advice very seriously. This disciple is very reserved and rarely pleads for others. Since he has spoken out in public despite the opinions of his fellow disciples, this matter must be urgent and needs to be resolved immediately.

"As Anle requests," Headmaster Kang nodded slightly, and the matter was settled. He then turned to Ye Yaoling, the steward of Yulin Hall, and said in a low voice, "Nephew Ye, please discuss this with Anle. The Beast Garden is an important place for the sect to manage and should not be taken lightly."

Ye Yaoling dared not utter a single word of hesitation and immediately agreed.

The other hall leaders had different expressions, which Kang Dabao found unsurprising. After all, having reached this position, they were supposed to fight for the interests of their respective halls. If the Beast Garden gained more, the other halls would have less to share, so they were naturally somewhat dissatisfied.

Grand Master Kang's mind raced, but then he sensed something strange: "Could it be that I, a Daoist, have only been reviving my sect for seventy years, and there are already signs of internal strife?"

When the thought first came to mind, it was truly frightening.

However, after a moment's thought, Kang Dabao chuckled to himself and put the matter behind him. This was a sect he had built brick by brick; he should have some confidence in it. Even if there were some disputes later, it would never escalate to the point of brothers fighting amongst themselves.

After Duan Anle made his request, Ye Zhengwen discussed the expenditure of the treasury, Yuan Jin spoke about the expansion of the Chizhang Guard, Zhou Xinran reported on the addition of the Chongming Small Building, and He Yuanyi presented the renovation of the Refining Hall.
After the sect leader Kang listened attentively and answered each question seriously, he finally looked at the sky and realized that it was not long before the time he had agreed to meet Fei Tianqin.

Kang Dabao immediately severed his lingering attachment and bowed to each of the cultivators in the hall to bid them farewell: "Turbulence has already appeared in the southern region, and I, Kang, am unworthy, having to steal away to travel to the outer realms. I hope you will all guard your gates and refrain from causing trouble."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Qing led a group of disciples forward to bow and say, "Respectfully seeing off the sect leader!"

(Old Bai has also read everyone's recent comments. To be honest, like many readers, Old Bai doesn't appreciate the current book title. However, after changing it, the traffic has improved by about a third in the past two days, if not immediately. So, please forgive me. Old Bai isn't like any of you noble ladies to be ranked on; I still have to support my wife and children.)

(End of this chapter)