Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 546 Separation
—One month later, Xuanwei City
When Zhou Yixiu died, the mourning period for cultivators within the Chongming Sect was only three days, but for the sect's disciples, it lasted a full three months.

However, in the future, there will definitely be fewer and fewer elders as valuable as Zhou Yixiu.

In addition, besides farming, the old man's favorite thing to do during his lifetime was to mentor the younger generation. If you really think about it, most of the resources he received each year, apart from giving a portion to subsidize his children and disciples, were hardly used for himself.

Therefore, when Headmaster Kang set this rule, the disciples all respected it and few had any complaints.

Kang Changyi, with the white silk still on his right arm, rode a spirited steed alone along the main road of Xuanwei City. Since going to Shanbei Road to continue his cultivation with Chu Yanran, he had not returned to this great city for some time.

To be honest, even if one were to thoroughly examine the entire Chongming Sect, he was the only one who had cultivated here the longest. Even Yuan Jin, who brought his wife and children here to learn martial arts back then, stayed here for a considerably shorter time than him.

However, compared to before, Kang Changyi, the eldest son of the Kang family's leader, now has a different status in this great city.

Leaving aside the fact that Guan Cheng was all smiles before entering the city, even many of his former friends became much more obsequious when exchanging pleasantries on the road.

He knew this was human nature, but he didn't think much of it. After refusing one sincere request after another, he urged his mount to travel all the way to the entrance of the Lu Gong School's shop.

This major Nascent Soul sect had established a branch when the Niu family was in charge of this city. When the Duke of Qin's mansion moved, it did not relocate to Fengming Prefecture in the north of the mountain. It has indeed become one of the most prominent sects in Xuanwei City and has received many preferential treatments from the Chongming Sect.

Kang Changyi even remembered that the middle-aged shopkeeper who was always stationed at the Lu Gong School store had never changed. It seemed that even though Xuanwei City had changed hands several times, it had nothing to do with him.

However, the pretty maids standing at the door have changed quite a few times, but they are still only qualified if they are about to establish their foundation.

A century ago, they would have been figures unattainable to Kang Changyi's father's generation. Now, facing this handsome young man, they would intentionally or unintentionally reveal their seductive, infatuated expressions, which is quite laughable.

Kang Changyi's marriage was arranged before the new year, so he wouldn't want to attract any more romantic attention at this time.

The woman Kang Changyi was betrothed to was the legitimate daughter of Fei Shangyutang. According to the matchmaker, she was indeed quite beautiful and had a graceful demeanor.

However, unlike Fei Shuhe, she did not have the support of her uncle Fei Nanying and the inheritance from her father.

This woman's situation was different. Because her father was incompetent, she was not valued in the clan despite being the legitimate daughter. That's why she thought of getting married to change her way of life.

After all, Kang Changyi was the eldest son of the Marquis of Wuning, and he had the aptitude of two spiritual roots and a smooth path in cultivation. Even in the capital region, he could be considered a good match. As for the Fei family girl, it could hardly be called a marriage of convenience.

Kang Changyi was well aware of the drawbacks of marrying this woman. Leaving aside the meager dowry, the lack of support from her family afterward was a fatal flaw. As to how crucial this point was, one only needs to look at the experiences of the two marquises, Kang Changyi and Fei Nanying, to understand, so there is no need to elaborate.

However, Kang Changyi also understood the situation. After all, the marriage between his second brother Kang Changxi and the Han family of Yukun had made progress thanks to the hard work of the noblewoman Fei Shuhe. This was an opportunity for the Kang family of Chongming to form a marriage alliance with a famous family in the country. He didn't know how much effort Fei Shuhe had put in and how many favors she had done, so it was not something to be taken lightly.

Apart from the two brothers, none of the other sons of the Kang family had yet shown any outstanding talent. However, the relationship between the Chongming Kang family and the Yingzhou Fei family was about to deepen, so it was only natural that this marriage fell to Kang Changyi.

This has little to do with his personal thoughts. Having received the support and cultivation from his family, he naturally felt obligated to repay them with his own life. There was no other reason to argue about it.

Kang Changyi dodged the flirtatious glances from the pretty maids in front of him, straightened his clothes and composed himself, and walked up to the middle-aged shopkeeper who was leaning against the rocking chair, holding a jade slip and studying it. He bowed and said, "Chongming Kang Changyi greets senior."

"Hmm," the middle-aged man said indifferently, reaching into the cabinet behind him and rummaging around for a while, listlessly squinting as he counted the items. He then carefully placed everything he was holding into his storage bag, pushed it towards Kang Changyi, and said calmly:
"These five training spirit puppets can simulate the strength of cultivators from the first level of Qi Refining to the peak of Foundation Establishment. Your father ordered them from me before. Would you like to examine their quality?"

The latter shook his head, took the storage bag, glanced at the quantity, and then said respectfully, "My father is from the Yanlu Crafts School, a major sect in this era. How could he ruin his family's reputation for such a small business?"

The handsome young man's flattery did not improve the middle-aged shopkeeper's expression in the slightest. After hearing it, he did not make any move, but simply nodded, as if what Kang Changyi said was true.

He put down the jade slip in his hand, calculated for a while, and then spoke: "Your father only gave half of the spirit stones last time. I don't know the remaining amount. Did you bring it with you today, fellow Daoist?"

Kang Changyi lifted a heavy storage bag forward and said, "Please check the quantity, senior."

The middle-aged shopkeeper didn't even scan it with his divine sense, simply accepting it and placing it in the cabinet. He then picked up the jade slip to study it, lazily saying, "That's not necessary. Your father is quite a figure in the neighborhood. Compared to his Golden Core cultivation, his reputation built up over the years is much more valuable."

Praising one's father is a great honor, and Kang Changyi naturally bowed his head in gratitude upon hearing it.

However, after thanking him, he was not in a hurry to leave. He rummaged through his storage bag for a while, and after a flash of inspiration, he had several more jade slips in his hand, which he then presented to the middle-aged shopkeeper.

"Are these the weapon-refining manuals you're selling, fellow Daoist?"

The middle-aged shopkeeper raised his eyebrows slightly, clearly not very interested. However, Kang Changyi then chimed in at the opportune moment: "My father said that if you, senior, are interested, please give a reasonable price."

Kang Changyi could see that the middle-aged shopkeeper initially had no intention of making a move, but after the former mentioned Kang Dabao again, his face showed some seriousness.

Throughout this time, Kang Changyi's gaze never wavered. He watched intently as the middle-aged shopkeeper read through the jade slips before him, a hint of disgust flashing across his face, before finally hearing him speak in a low voice:
"To be honest, fellow Daoist, these items are not worth much here. Even if there are three or four manuals that are considered to be 'third-tier' items, they are still unorthodox and full of errors. I don't accept these here. Fellow Daoist, you'd better look elsewhere."

"I apologize for bothering you, senior."

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. Please see my guest out for me."

After saying that, the middle-aged shopkeeper simply pressed the crank, turned his back, and said nothing more.

Kang Changyi did not linger any longer. After dodging several more voluptuous women who came up to him, he finally managed to squeeze out of the wide doorway with great difficulty.

Afterwards, he did not go anywhere else, but went straight to the office of the Chongming Sect in the city, asked for a quiet room, and divided the selected weapon-refining notes into two categories according to his impression.

According to what Master Kang learned from his previous conversations with Gu Rong, this manager of the Lu Gong School stationed in Xuanwei City seemed to have some background and was not an ordinary craftsman.

Therefore, Kang Changyi could roughly tell the value of these notes just by the force with which he tossed them aside. These notes were all taken out by the Great Sect Leader Kang from several Golden Core storage bags. It was only because He Yuanyi, a second-level weapon crafter, was the only one in Chongming Sect who could recognize the value of these notes that Kang Changyi had to go through all this trouble.

Now, Chongming Sect is undertaking several major projects, including the construction of a new Battle Tower for disciples to practice. As a result, Headmaster Kang is short of spirit stones and has come up with the idea of ​​selling some spiritual items.

Kang Changyi, a complete novice, was afraid of selling his precious items too cheaply, so he came up with a rather good idea.

After all, given the aloof demeanor of the middle-aged shopkeeper in Gu Rong's words, a third-tier top-grade weapon master, it was impossible for him to deceive the junior's notes.

Kang Changyi, however, now has a general idea of ​​the situation and is unlikely to be deceived too much.

He left the quiet room and handed these notes one by one to Zhou Xinran, who had been transferred to oversee the area, explaining them carefully:
“Senior sister, these notes are of relatively low value. If any second-tier weapon masters come to visit later, we can raise the price and sell them. These other notes, however, can be considered treasures. They should be considered true third-tier items. In the next few Chongming Treasure Gatherings, we may choose one of them as the final item.”

The latter's eyes were still slightly red, but that didn't stop her from handling her business. Coincidentally, she was also having a headache because she was temporarily short of some high-level items to be the grand finale of the auction, and Kang Changxi had solved her urgent problem.

After all, it has been nearly a hundred years since the Great Master Kang first built Chongming Tower, and the Chongming Treasure Gathering has been held for almost half a century. Although it is still quite popular in remote places like Hanya Mountain, it has hardly made a splash since it came to Xuanwei City, a first-class prosperous city in Yunjiao Prefecture.

Ultimately, it's because the Chongming Sect lacks sufficient foundation. If it weren't for the reputation of Sect Leader Kang, the number of cultivators attending the Treasure Gathering would probably have decreased significantly.

However, Zhou Xinran pondered for a while before speaking again: "It would be inappropriate if the handbooks distributed at that time were vague about these notes. Outsiders might suspect that my family was deceiving people."

"My father has yet to find a high-level spiritual appraiser, and for the time being, there is nothing we can do but do this. Senior sister, please send someone with good writing skills to write a few ambiguous and nice words as a gimmick to lure people in."

Kang Changyi's words made sense. After nodding for a while, Zhou Xinran asked again, "Junior Brother, are you going back already?"

The former nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, yes, all the tasks have been completed, so I won't stay any longer. The old man is in seclusion again, so after I return to the sect to pay my respects to my mothers, I won't linger any longer and will head straight back to Fengming Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xinran smiled, revealing a few fine lines that were almost visible between her brows and eyes, nearly touching a strand of white hair at her temple.
"In that case, I have gathered some suitable pills for Zhou'er. He is preparing for Foundation Establishment, and many of these are essential for strengthening his foundation and nourishing his vital energy, which are hard to find outside. Please take them with you, Junior Brother."

Kang Changyi would naturally not refuse such a trivial matter.

Having finished his errand, he was in a good mood and jokingly said, "Does Senior Sister have any red envelopes or anything like that for Senior Brother Duan? I can take them back with me."

"Go away, you've grown up, how dare you tease your senior sister."

A blush crept onto Zhou Xinran's face, and even the sadness in her eyes faded considerably. As the two were chatting and laughing, another person entered the hall.

"Changxi, what brings you here too?" Kang Changyi asked with curiosity, and Kang Changxi also looked surprised, before laughing and replying:
"Just now, I accompanied Junior Brother Liu from the Punishment Hall to the City Lord's Mansion to catch a few scoundrels who were committing adultery during the mourning period. I was thinking of coming to Senior Sister Zhou's place to freeload a spiritual meal before returning to the sect."

"What about Junior Brother Liu Ya?"

"We took him back. He still has a lot to do and has only just reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Uncle Ye said he would help him switch to a different cultivation method, so we can't delay."

Kang Changyi nodded in agreement and then said to Kang Changxi, "In that case, let's go back together."

The latter laughed again, his expression boisterous: "Of course, it's rare to see my elder brother, so I must spend some quality time with him. Senior Sister Zhou, I'll save the spiritual food for my next visit."

"Be careful on the road. I've heard it's not very peaceful there, and there's been some strange activity lately. Oh well, it's just a few Foundation Establishment cultivators. They're probably nothing to you two brothers. If you encounter them on the road, it would be good to help the Xuanwei City Patrol Division get rid of this menace."

After Zhou Xinran finished speaking, he prepared some food and water for the two brothers, wrapped them up carefully, and stuffed them into a food box. Only then did the two brothers thank him and leave.

The two had been engaged in lively conversation in the hall, but once they were riding their horses and traveling along the road, they both fell silent for a while for some reason. Finally, Kang Changxi, who was more straightforward, spoke first:
"This time, I'm sorry to have troubled you, elder brother."

Kang Changyi was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head and laughed, "Second brother, you're overthinking it. How could I possibly harbor any resentment? If it weren't for my father and mother, how could I possibly marry the eldest daughter of the Fei family?"

After listening, Kang Changxi remained silent for a long time. After hesitating for a while, he said, "In a few months, Senior Shu, the Imperial Guard Commander of Shanbei Dao, will be leading that battalion of Imperial Guards back to the capital. My mother asked my maternal grandfather to make an offer so that my foolish younger brother can go back with her."

"Oh, going to the capital, Taiyuan?!" Kang Changyi didn't seem dissatisfied, but asked curiously, "Is there something important going on?"

Kang Changxi made no attempt to hide anything from his elder brother, stating frankly, "The resurgence of the heretics in Lianghedao is simply a ploy to gain military merit, which they use as leverage to marry a woman from the Han family."

The latter chewed for a while, then frowned and said, "That sounds dangerous too."

Kang Changxi remained nonchalant: "It's alright. Once I get back a fake Dan head, my elder brother and sister-in-law can come to my wedding."

"The Han family is so strict? My mother hasn't..." Kang Changyi began to speak, but Kang Changxi stopped him with a wave of her hand, then smiled faintly and said:
“How could my maternal grandfather and I dare to let her know? My mother is determined to have me marry a woman from the Han family to bring glory to our family, and how could I bear to make her give up this idea?”

Kang Changyi immediately retorted, "That's not right. Your mother hopes you will marry a noblewoman so that your path in cultivation will be smooth and your practice safe. How could she let you take such a risk?!"

"My father and maternal grandfather also discussed it, and they both said I should go and broaden my horizons again." Kang Changxi's carefree expression remained unchanged, and his smile deepened.
"This is also my wish. My father is in the prime of his life, but it is not yet time for my brothers to inherit the family business. It is certainly a wonderful thing to have children, but a great man should have lofty ambitions. Trying to break out of this small place is also a good idea."

Since things had already come to this point, Kang Changyi stopped trying to persuade him. Instead, Kang Changxi comforted him, saying, "My elder brother lives within the jurisdiction of the Duke of Qin's mansion. There will surely be many ups and downs to come, and he will certainly not lack opportunities."

"Yes, that's true." Kang Changyi nodded. The two brothers had different thoughts and didn't say much, walking in silence the whole way.

As soon as Kang Changyi saw the scene before him at Chongmingzong, he suddenly understood: "What did the old man have when he started out? What do I have now? Since that's the case, what is there to complain about?"

(End of this chapter)