Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 522 The Treasure of the Golden Core
———Ten days later, Xiaohuan Mountain
Wei Gu, the newly promoted elder of the Array Hall of Chongming Sect, looked at the jade slip in his hand with a worried expression. Then he whispered to Han Xundao, the steward of the Good Deeds Hall opposite him:
"Junior Brother Han, isn't the amount of array flags needed a bit excessive? You should know that, from me down, there are less than ten advanced array masters in the Array Hall. How can we possibly handle this task?"

Since Wei Gu's fortunate Foundation Establishment, Han Xundao had shown him much more respect. After all, if it were before, hearing Wei Gu's evasiveness, Han Xundao would have likely invoked the authority of his sect elders to pressure him. But this time, Han Xundao spoke kindly:

"Senior Brother Wei is well aware that there have been many battles within the sect these days. The battle flags were just a pre-arranged task. Afterwards, what will be lacking in drums, horns, armor, weapons, and blades?"

After Senior Brother finishes his work here, he'll probably have to take all the disciples from the Array Hall to Senior Brother He's Weapon Hall to help out. It seems Senior Brother Wei is really working hard.”

Wei Gu's expression grew even more troubled upon hearing this, but Han Xundao, seeing this, spoke up to comfort him again:
"As you all know, Senior Brother Wei has a heavy burden. At Wild Fox Mountain, they are already recruiting advanced array masters to serve you. The junior brothers in charge of the outer sect's construction department are also working overtime to guide the earth fire and cold springs for Senior Brother Wei to use in refining arrays and crafting weapons."

Upon hearing this, Wei Gu's expression improved slightly. He carefully put away the jade slip in his hand and then bid farewell to Han Xundao. Like most of his peers, Wei Gu felt that the latter was somewhat arrogant and snobbish, so their relationship was not particularly good, and therefore he did not exchange any pleasantries.

This time, the quota of array flags sent by the Good Deeds Hall was several hundred. Although most of them were of the lower-middle grade of the first rank and the standard array flags did not require much effort from the array master, the date was set too hastily. Therefore, Wei Gu really had no confidence.

As he walked towards the treasury to select spiritual materials, his mind was filled with the numerical combinations of various spiritual items. Even when he arrived at the entrance of the treasury, he still hadn't figured it out. However, he did see an acquaintance in front of the sect's treasury.

"Why is Senior Sister Zhang back?"

Standing in front of the Chongmingzong Mansion's treasury was an old woman adorned with jewels; she was none other than Zhang Le, who had married into the Shan family and become the mistress of the house.

Wei Gu hadn't had much interaction with this plain-looking senior sister before. It was only after he became Zhang Qingran's disciple that their relationship became closer.

When Zhang Le saw Wei Gu approaching, a smile appeared on her face. Their close relationship was one reason, but the latter was now considered a powerful elder within the Chongming Sect. As the matriarch of the family, Zhang Le naturally needed to maintain this relationship.

She said with a faint smile, "My aunt's 150th birthday is in ten days, so I'm coming early to show my filial piety."

"Oh, so that's how it is." No wonder Wei Gu didn't care much about his master. Zhang Qingran hadn't spoken much with anyone in the Chongming Sect over the years, and apart from often being taught array formations by her, Wei Gu knew very little about his mentor.

To be honest, Wei Gu didn't even know the exact year and month of his master's birthday, let alone know, like Zhang Le, that he had traveled all the way from the Shan family to offer his congratulations.

Thinking of this, Wei Guyi also began to consider the congratulatory gifts he needed to prepare. While he was lost in thought, he heard Zhang Le speak up from the side: "When I heard that Senior Sister Ye had achieved the Dao Foundation, I should have come back to do my part, but I had something to do at home and couldn't refuse, so I was delayed."

Wei Gu was preoccupied with his duties and his master's birthday celebration, so he didn't pay much attention to what Zhang Le said. He simply replied perfunctorily, "Oh, I see."

After speaking, Wei Gu stopped Zhang Le from speaking again, bowed his head apologetically, and said:
"Junior brother is also on a mission assigned by Uncle Ye, so it's rare for him to stay for so long. Now that senior sister is back, after junior brother has settled everything, we'll gather the brothers to welcome her back."

When Zhang Le heard that Wei Gu had other duties, he wouldn't blame him, so he didn't dare to delay the latter. After the two parted, he went alone to Zhang Qingran's residence.

Despite being the daughter and son of Chongming Zong, the Chongming Zong clan has undergone tremendous changes since her marriage, making it difficult for her to find her way around.

Fortunately, a group of senior disciples from the Punishment Hall who were swimming above the low peak recognized her as their senior sister and came down to pay their respects to her.

The leading inner disciple was distinguished by his imposing presence, dressed in a black brocade robe adorned with tortoise shell patterns and cross-shaped designs. Zhang Le could tell at a glance that it was no ordinary item.

The Cloud Steeds ridden by these disciples were also quite remarkable. After batches of improvements, they were almost a completely different species from the original ones.

These spirit beasts played a particularly outstanding role in the Chongming Sect's operation to eliminate bandit cultivators. The elite cavalry built from them were unanimously relied upon by the leaders of various factions as a powerful backup plan. Even many people who had spent years building up their foundations and were rumored to be able to obtain fake cores died in their ambush.

Dan Shijie, the head of the Dan family in Feiyue, had been very tempted by this spirit beast, but the ones sold outside were not of good quality, and the Chongming Sect had no intention of selling them, so he was unable to make the trip.

Moreover, the Chongming Sect's Beast Garden has produced more than just spirit beasts like the Cloud Steed in recent years; its spirit beasts are not only used for battles.

If the pangolin can be trained to be obedient, it can be used to mine high-level mineral veins; one pangolin can be as useful as six cultivators of the same level.

The Qingfuzi is not of high grade and its combat ability is even worse, but it can drip a drop of Qingfuzi Dew every ten days. It is indeed a wonderful thing to nourish high-grade spiritual plants such as the Sanyuan Vine. If you persist, it is not surprising to shorten its fruiting period by one-third.

There is also the Star Bone Magpie, which enjoys eating gold dust and can be used to purify the raw materials for magical implements; and the Water Mirror Toad, which is good at eating spiritual insects and guarding the spiritual fields.

Just as the headmaster Kang explained to his disciples when they were beginning their education, the so-called myriad arts of cultivation, though seemingly distinct, are actually interconnected.

Duan Anle has devoted considerable effort to managing the Beast Garden over the years. Despite his young age, he has managed the affairs of the Beast Garden with remarkable efficiency. Furthermore, his diligent cultivation of internal energy within the Beast Garden has led to significant progress in all departments and divisions of the Chongming Sect, a truly remarkable achievement.

Of course, the fact that the Beast Garden could be run to such a thriving state is something that even a matriarch of a small family like Zhang Le could only envy, and even many established Golden Core sects might not be able to achieve.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Le was filled with envy, but her burning gaze quickly subsided, and she turned to the disciple of the Punishment Hall who was speaking and said softly, "Please, nephew, lead me to Madam Zhang's residence."

The punishment hall was a crucial place that Jiang Qing had put a lot of effort into organizing back then. Even though the leading disciple recognized Zhang Le's true appearance, he did not let his guard down. He carefully asked the latter to hand over the token and examined it carefully before he could feel at ease.

He turned his head and solemnly instructed, "I will personally lead Uncle Zhang to pay respects to Madam Zhang. You all continue with your work and do not delay the tasks assigned to you in the hall today."

After hearing this, the remaining disciples of the Punishment Hall continued to wander above Chongming Sect according to the order.

Zhang Le followed the inner disciple and observed that after many years, the sect not only had many unfamiliar disciples, but also a considerable number of new buildings.

After all, Sect Leader Kang wouldn't be reluctant to use the large sums of resources he gained from his campaigns on his disciples.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that the spiritual veins of Xiaohuan Mountain have a low upper limit, Kang Dabao might have already followed the example of the Liangyi Sect back then and moved other people's palaces and halls to his own mountain for his own use.

It is foreseeable that even if Xiaohuanshan is the place where Chongmingzong was restored, it will gradually become a remote place with a much greater symbolic meaning than a practical one.

At that time, Sect Leader Kang will probably only arrange for some unambitious disciples to go inside and take care of it, so that the spiritual fields that Zhou Yixiu and Kang Rongquan of the Chongming Sect have worked so hard to manage will not be abandoned again.

The disciple from the Punishment Hall was quite familiar with the courtyard where Zhang Qingran lived, and the two arrived there in no time. After bidding farewell to the distinguished disciple, Zhang Le handed the token in his hand to the two young Taoist boys at the gate. A moment later, a young maid led him inside.

At the outermost edge of the courtyard was a small grove of second-tier Golden Bone Bamboo, one of the finest materials for refining array flags. A narrow path had been carved out within it, seemingly neglected, as the branches and leaves of the Golden Bone Bamboo on both sides grew vigorously, almost touching the path. Even Zhang Le, who had become quite plump and robust with age, found it difficult to walk through.

Fortunately, the maid had a black jade staff in her hand. When she led the way, she only waved it slightly, and the golden bamboo on both sides of the narrow path would bend down and make way for her because it disliked the jade's aura.

After passing through the bamboo forest shrouded in mist, Zhang Le saw a woman dressed in a plain Taoist robe, sitting on a boulder, practicing her spiritual cultivation.

Her two long, smoky blue sleeves cascaded down the green rocks, and her jade-like fingers occasionally tapped lightly on the stone surface beneath her, drawing out specks of fluorescent light. Even without close scrutiny, Zhang Le could tell that the beautiful woman's eyes held a hint of weariness.

However, her dark blue hair, lightly tied into a bun, was interspersed with a serene aura that came from her cultivation, making her quite alluring.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew out from the bamboo forest, carrying dewdrops that landed precisely on her delicate, crescent-shaped eyebrows.

The female cultivator seemed to sense Zhang Le and his companion's arrival. Her beautiful eyebrows suddenly furrowed, and as she opened her eyes, she trembled slightly, causing a few dewdrops to fall onto her eyelashes, making her eyes, which were just about to open, appear to hold the stars and the moon, and adding great color to them.

"Your unfilial granddaughter pays respects to your great-aunt."

"Hmm, get up," Zhang Qingran said, her tone not revealing much satisfaction. She simply gestured for the already wrinkled and white-haired Zhang Le to climb the boulder and sit down next to her.

The pretty maid, having received a wink from the former, obediently withdrew to prepare food and water.

Before Zhang Le arrived, he hadn't expected that his elder would show such a listless demeanor, something he hadn't seen before. Therefore, he didn't know how to begin, and simply sat quietly to the side, head bowed, sipping his drink.

However, upon witnessing this scene, Zhang Qingran felt a surge of resentment. She concealed it well, so even Zhang Le, standing nearby, couldn't fathom the source of her melancholy.

There is a reason why Zhang Qingran is in this state. If it is true that Zhang Qingran was coerced by Fei Shuhe through despicable means to submit to Master Kang, then there is a reason why she was forced to submit to him.

However, after the latter formed a mid-grade Golden Core and was granted a title, the resentment in Zhang Qingran and Yuan Xiyue's hearts vanished in an instant.

It's no wonder the two women were initially arrogant but later became respectful, because most people in this world behave this way.

In the past, Zhang Qingran would complain that Headmaster Kang whipped her too hard, or that he was unromantic. But all these grievances subsided after he formed his Golden Core.

In fact, even the eldest wife, Fei Shuhe, completely dispelled the spells cast on her and Yuan Xiyue the moment she returned to the mountain from Yingzhou.

The reason is that the former also understands human nature. In the past, he was indeed afraid that the two women would abandon him and run away, but he also knew that even if he took flying swords and talismans to drive them away, he might not be able to drive away these two beauties.

This cannot be said to be the two women willingly degrading themselves. After all, if they were in each other's shoes, no one could honestly say that they could definitely stick to their original intentions and escape from this former "devil's den".

However, Zhang Qingran then faced other troubles.

Those close to him all know that even though Master Kang has a bad reputation and always wears a hat that says "good at bullying women" when he goes out, he can be considered a loyal and affectionate person.

When the foundation was laid, there were only four wives and concubines. After the foundation was completed and the house was renovated, there were still only two couples in the house.

Zhang Qingran had always been someone who never competed or fought for anything, but now that she's finally realized she wants to, she finds herself unable to compete with anyone.
Needless to say, the first wife, Fei Shuhe, still relies heavily on the Fei family of Yingzhou, and the two still share the affection of a poor but loving couple.

Therefore, from an outsider's perspective, even if the Kuang family's clansmen were to go mad and insist on marrying a princess to the head of the Kang family, the latter might not accept it, and Fei Shuhe's position as the principal wife would remain unshakable.

Yuan Xiyue, who was in a similar situation to Zhang Qingran, was a practitioner of the Buddhist Mother Mingfei Dao. She had spent decades studying how to please the Mingwang. If she were to serve him seriously, she could keep the headmaster Kang from resting for several days and give birth to several children in succession, which shows how much he favored her.

Zhang Qingran believed that she was no less beautiful or attractive than this vixen, but to be honest, with her blockheaded nature—she had been slapped on the butt and didn't even know to change her position—how could she possibly compete with Yuan Xiyue in this area?

Moreover, their family backgrounds are incomparable. The Yuan family is the largest power in Dingzhou, apart from the Zhanglongting established by Wufeng Shangxiu. Even though they are in other states, they have never stopped responding to and supporting the series of new policies of the Marquis of Wuning.

Not to mention the Yuan family members who have left their hometown and are scattered throughout Yunjiao Prefecture, even the family head, Yuan Buwen, has repeatedly collaborated with the two alchemy masters, Xu Liuxian and Bian Hu, to eliminate three heretical fake alchemists. To be honest, this could even be described as diligence.

Therefore, Yuan Xiyue is skilled in many despicable methods, has a good womb, and although her family background is far inferior to that of the head wife, it is still far superior to that of Zhang Qingran, whose family has long been destroyed. She can still provide assistance to the head of the Kang family.

Huo Ying, besides these two, was considered kind and harmless, but she was already quite old and naturally unable to serve the emperor. However, when Headmaster Kang was not cultivating, he would occasionally take some time to visit and talk to her. This was a rare treat for Zhang Qingran, which naturally made her unhappy.

However, Zhang Qingran understood the situation and ultimately did not vent her resentment on Zhang Le, who was returning to his ancestral home.

The latter had written to her many times before, and Zhang Qingran knew what he was writing about. Seeing that Zhang Le remained silent for a long time, she assumed that he was too shy to ask her directly, so she very considerately spoke up:
“A month from now, there will be a batch of castrated horses ready for market. At that time, take my letter to your senior brother Duan and see if he can allocate a small amount to the Shan family separately. That way, your hard work won’t have been in vain.”

As Zhang Qingran spoke, a sense of exhaustion arose in her heart.

It's a pity that the Zhang family of Chongming can't help him like the Yuan family and Yuan Xiyue did. Instead, he has to go to great lengths to plan for them.

However, Zhang Qingran did not expect that after hearing Zhang Le's words, the joy in his eyes was only fleeting, and he immediately changed to a serious expression: "Granddaughter thanks Grandmother for her care, but the reason for my visit today is not just for this matter."

Zhang Qingran raised her beautiful eyebrows, a hint of surprise in her eyes. But before she could ask a question, Zhang Le, sitting opposite her, quickly leaned close to her ear and whispered something:
"To be honest, my husband seems to have discovered a storage bag at the Golden Core level a month ago!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qingran's pretty face lost all composure, and she hurriedly asked, "Where is it?"

"It seems to be at the Yang family's residence in Hongshan."

(End of this chapter)