Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 547 Gathering
—Six months later, Xiao Huanshan and Chongmingzong
The furnace room was scorched by the earth fire like a steamer. As wisps of bluish-gray smoke drifted along the dragon-patterned furnace, He Yuanyi's fingers, with his eyes tightly closed, were already filled with charred fragments.

The fire, modified by a second-tier geomancer specially invited by Chongming Yuan Er, who used his own family connections, was quite powerful.

If the latter hadn't recently acquired and studied several handwritten notes that his sect leader had picked up from outside, and had made considerable progress in the art of weaponry and fire control, he probably wouldn't have been able to control it.

A few breaths later, after hearing some rustling sounds coming from inside the hall, the He family member opened his eyes again and peered forward.

On the heavy anvil lies a mid-grade second-tier Xuan Turtle carapace. Just by looking at the irregular cracks on it, one can tell that the processing of this spiritual material will not take much longer.

With each strike of the bronze-colored giant hammer driven by He Yuanyi, the dark red flames at the bottom of the furnace would climb up and lick the unfinished vessel greedily, as if they were living creatures.

As the last fiery pattern condensed into golden veins on the embryo, the veins on He Yuanyi's right arm suddenly taut. When the quenching spirit pliers, holding the dark red embryo, were immersed in the cold marrow liquid, a large cloud of icy mist suddenly rose up, almost swallowing him whole.

Three fingernail-sized second-tier spirit amber beads settled in the jade bowl containing the cold marrow liquid. As soon as they were exposed to the sudden heat, they were naturally melted into the Xuanjia artifact embryo.

He Yuanyi timed it perfectly, bit his tongue, opened his mouth, and spat out, which invigorated the vessel and made it shine brightly. However, when it recovered, it seemed to taste some rust, which made its white teeth ache and clang.

However, the large beads of sweat on his face were not from the high temperature in the room, but from the tension in his heart.

As they rolled down his cheeks and neck, they often vaporized into smoke before even touching the ground, merging into the soot surrounding He Yuanyi.

He didn't know how much time had passed, and He Yuanyi felt that he was about to be drained of sweat, before he heard the furnace trembling and humming.

A string of dark gold runes completely overturned the half-closed lid of the cauldron, causing it to gush out. He Yuanyi probed with his divine sense and could clearly see another fragment of tortoise shell melting into a translucent fluid in the dark blue flames, already about to be cast into shape.

He Yuanyi dared not delay and immediately knelt on the ground, frantically forming incantations. Only when he saw the last two golden seals embedded in the vessel, and the palm-sized tortoise-shell shield floating in mid-air, emitting a cold light, with continuous Mount Sumeru patterns appearing on its surface, did he feel at ease.

At this moment, the three drops of blood essence that had been deliberately left on the broken iron felt suddenly evaporated into smoke. He Yuanyi caught them and wrapped them in his burning palm, then placed them against the scorching shield, making a sizzling sound.

"The second-tier mid-grade defensive spirit artifact is finally complete. Using this as a farewell gift for Junior Brother Kang is not too stingy."

He Yuanyi could hardly hide the joy in his eyes. At this moment, he had no time to calculate how much resources he had spent in order to obtain the higher grade of the spiritual weapon.

After all, he is now highly regarded by his teachers and mentors because of his exceptional talent, so there is no need to worry about him lacking the materials he needs for refining weapons in the future.

He Yuanyi changed his spell and placed the still-hot magical artifact into the large storage bag he had just obtained through good deeds. Perhaps due to the Chongming Sect's well-known reputation, this type of mustard seed magical artifact was considered one of the shortcomings of He Yuanyi, the head artifact maker.

As soon as he stepped out of the equipment room, the inner disciples on duty at the door bowed in unison.

Because Yuan Jin had changed his livelihood and become engrossed in military affairs in recent years, he had long ago given up the position of Elder of the Weapon Hall to He Yuanyi, a true disciple.

Although he has only been a Foundation Establishment cultivator for ten years, he is highly respected in the Weapon Hall. He handles all matters, big and small, and has managed the Weapon Hall to be quite prosperous over the years.

Therefore, in terms of cultivation, He Yuanyi may not be considered outstanding among the disciples; and in terms of seniority, he is not particularly experienced.

But seriously speaking, He Yuanyi, Duan Anle of the Beast Garden, Kang Rongquan of the Spirit Plant Hall, and Jin Shilun, the garrison commander of Jiachou Military Village, are the three senior brothers who are truly capable of managing affairs in their respective areas among the eighth generation of disciples.

After he stepped out, he gently swiped his waist and released a tall, cloud-riding steed from his spirit beast pouch.

After years of improvement and breeding by Duan Anle, these mounts have become considered top-notch riding beasts in Yunjiao Prefecture. However, the population is not large, and apart from a few breeding beasts, most of them are allocated to Yehushan and handed over to Yuan Jin for military training.

Therefore, even within the Chongming Sect, only outstanding disciples like He Yuanyi could be granted a head of cattle for use as a means of transportation.

However, He Yuanyi felt that the spirit beast lacked a bit of ferocity and might, so he asked his nephew Tang Jiu, who was in charge of the patrol office at Jia Chou Military Camp, to keep an eye out for any ferocious monsters outside the border of the more than four hundred households in Han Ya Mountain that he could capture, refine, and train.

This junior disciple has only been at the Foundation Establishment stage for three years, but he has already made a name for himself in the Jiachou military camp.

Unlike weapon masters like He Yuanyi, whose combat skills are not particularly outstanding, Tang Jiu, the number one disciple of the ninth generation of Chongming Sect, is skilled in swordsmanship and the art of semen manipulation.

Back when he was still in the Qi Refining stage, he had already collected the heads of many others of the same level. After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, with the resources and careful cultivation provided by his teachers, he did not fade into obscurity.

First, he helped Yang Xun, the head of the Yang family of Hongshan, to dispel the covetousness of many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the vicinity; afterwards, he and his master Jin Shilun sorted out the more than four hundred families of Hanya Mountain.

As the saying goes, "among a hundred people, there are all sorts of people," even though Emperor Chongming had sent people like Sun Fu to vet these families before they moved into Ansheng, it was still inevitable that there would be a mix of good and bad.

Therefore, it was inevitable that a few treacherous factions would emerge from among them, disrespecting their superiors and secretly colluding with outsiders.

At that time, once it was verified, Tang Jiu had killed two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He was also quite bloodthirsty, and led his disciples in carrying out a series of cruel methods, making his reputation among the various families in Cold Crow Mountain much more famous than that of his master, Jin Shilun.

However, Duan Anle, who was temporarily in charge of sect affairs and had inherited the kind and gentle nature of the head of the Kang sect, was displeased upon hearing this.

He first ordered Tang Jiu to hand over what he had gained in battle, and then sent the latter to gather a team to go to the border to protect the more than 400 families in Hanya Mountain and clear away wild animals, as a gesture of appeasement.

However, none of the sect leaders expected that Tang Jiu would handle this arduous task so well. Not only did she bring back a considerable number of demon beast skeletons, but she also managed to acquire several rare demon beasts from the Beast Garden, effectively giving them a boost of vitality.

Unlike Duan Anle, He Yuanyi greatly admired Tang Jiu's actions.

He knew that his sect leader was used to being benevolent, but there had to be villains in the sect. Otherwise, if he indulged his followers too much, trouble would surely follow.

"I wonder which of my fellow disciples will be able to come this time?"

The equipment room was not far from Kang Changxi's secluded residence. He Yuanyi had only been thinking for a short while when his cloud-riding steed slowly carried him to a luxuriously decorated courtyard.

The person standing at the door was an outstanding member of the Chenjiang Kang clan who had just been selected.

Currently, Kang Xiangyi is stationed in Guo County with the Kang family of Chenjiang. This county can be considered one of the most prosperous places in Yunjiao Prefecture, apart from Xuanwei and Hancheng, but it still cannot compare with the old territory of the Kang family of Chenjiang.

Therefore, there have indeed been many complaints and grievances circulating in recent days.

However, unlike those shallow-minded clansmen, Kang Xiangyi was indeed a sensible person.

Not only was he able to maintain his proper status and be extremely respectful, but he also took the initiative to select elite members of his clan to work in places like the Crimson Guard, which made the Grand Master Kang value him highly.

However, even cultivators like Chen Jiang and Kang Shi, who were nominally of the same clan as Kang Dabao, harbored such resentment.

One can easily imagine the reaction of the sons of the eight noble families who came from afar from the capital to provide dowry for Fei Shuhe. Yunjiao Prefecture was, after all, impoverished, and even if they were distributed and settled in various counties, it would be difficult to ensure their complete well-being.

Not to mention the disputes between the local people and the Hakka people that used to frequently occur in the Yunjiao Prefecture court and were scorned by the Grand Master Kang, which are now causing him the same annoyance as he is in his current situation.

Yunjiao Prefecture, being such a poor place, simply cannot support so many fake alchemy sects. Therefore, how to expand its territory is a matter that the leaders of Chongming Sect need to seriously consider.

Most people wanted to expand further into Hanya Mountain, but Yuan Jin felt that those areas were not fertile ground and would be difficult to develop in a short time. He preferred to move towards Xianzhou, which borders Huangpi Road and Yunjiao Prefecture.

The Ghost Sword Sect, located in the Xianzhou direction, is a truly unorthodox sect, which is why it is very close to the Yunze Witch Lord Palace, which was recently turned upside down by Master Kang and his group. However, the Yunze Witch Lord Palace is currently facing a headache, as news of the deaths of several Golden Core cultivators in their family has already reached the ears of the other three forces in Huangpi Dao.

These four families were each in their own way and had never shown any affection for each other. Seeing this, they could no longer restrain themselves and naturally took frequent actions.

Moreover, there has been concrete news coming from Wuwei Tower recently. It is said that a rogue cultivator who was once taken in by Yunze Witch Venerable Hall has turned against them in battle, causing Huang Mijia to lose many of his elite disciples. This is a very infuriating time for them.

The old cultivator from the Ghost Sword Sect was frail and sickly; every bit of his vital energy he used was depleted, and it was impossible to replenish it completely. He was far from being a match for the current sect leader, Kang, who was in the prime of his life.

Therefore, if Chongming Sect acts quickly, it can not only easily take over Xianzhou, but may also divide and dismantle the spiritual lands under the jurisdiction of Yunze Wuzun Temple with the other three families of Huangpi Dao.

This is yet another thing that no one has accomplished in the nearly three hundred years since the founding of the Chongming Sect.

His master's plan was somewhat tempting, but when He Yuanyi arrived at the meeting, he didn't sense that the Grand Master Kang was interested in anything, nor did he know what he was wary of.

Chongming Sect has always sought stability in its actions, and matters such as those involving the lives and careers of all its disciples and the sect's long-term development plan cannot be easily decided.

Therefore, He Yuanyi did not think too much about it at this time. After shaking his head to dispel the idle thoughts in his mind, he handed over his mount and stepped into Kang Changxi's courtyard.

When He Yuanyi entered, the owner of the place had not yet come out for some reason.

Greeting the guests outside were Kang Changxi's two half-brothers, Kang Changyan, the second son, and Kang Changzhao, the third son, who were twins born to Yuan Xiyue. However, compared to their two elder brothers, these two brothers were somewhat less glamorous.

The talent of a pair of four spiritual roots is nothing special. Even with the great cultivation of their parents and the sect leader, they are now over thirty years old and have only just touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment, which is somewhat inconsistent with their status as the sons of the sect leader and descendants of the upper cultivators.

However, since they were born into certain circumstances, their chances of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage were much higher than those of ordinary people.

Kang Changyi and Kang Changxi were not mean-spirited, and they were given a considerable share of their family fortune. Even if they did not achieve great things in the future, it would still be enough to make most cultivators in the world envious.

The two were very friendly to He Yuanyi, since the latter usually stayed in the equipment room to do his cultivation and rarely showed himself.

Even though they were the sons of the sect leader, they rarely had the opportunity to get close to this second-tier weapon master, whom even Kang Dabao valued highly.

However, guests kept arriving, and the two of them were too busy to leave. They could only exchange a few words with He Yuanyi before returning to the door.

Fortunately, He Yuanyi and Kang Changxi had been friends for many years, so he didn't feel constrained when he entered the courtyard. Instead, he strolled around very freely.

Now that Chongming Sect has grown larger, the fellow disciples who have supported them along the way are gradually taking on responsibilities and tasks. Even lips and teeth must grind against each other; it would be strange if they could still abandon their selfishness and tolerate each other as they did in their youth.

Over the years, whether due to personal grudges or disputes over official duties, it is perfectly normal for there to be some discord among the cultivators.

For example, when the same batch of spiritual charcoal arrives, the alchemy hall is eager to refine pills, the artifact hall is rushing to refine materials, and the spiritual plant hall also wants to start a fire to dry the old medicine. With so many disputes, some friction is bound to arise.

The sect leaders of Chongming Sect were aware of these things, but they did not interfere much.

After all, Chongming Sect is still on the rise. There may be some hidden conflicts among the disciples, but it is far from being "without any external enemies." It is not enough to make the sect leader and his fellow disciples worry.

However, this gathering was to see Kang Changxi off as he went to Taiyuan. He Yuanyi and his fellow disciples also attended, and despite their previous unpleasant expressions, they chatted happily.

Kang Rongquan seemed to have also emerged from the tragedy of Zhou Yixiu's death. However, he had become much more composed and steady, and even when drinking, he did not let his guard down.

This seems somewhat out of place given the current joyful atmosphere.

He walked alone to the back of the kitchen. Whenever there was an important matter, Jin Shilun would always take the time to work there for a while.

Although there are many chefs in Chongming Sect who are far more skilled than him, the people at the main table are still eagerly anticipating the dishes cooked by Jin Shilun himself.

Even younger generations like Jiang Tangpei and Zheng Wanbi could no longer taste the special flavor in it.

"Senior brother, are you here to help?" Jin Shilun smiled when he saw him, completely unable to bear the ferocious face he had shown a month ago when he represented the Jia Chou Military Camp Garrison and fought with Lingzhi Hall for people at Yulin Hall.

This time, Kang Rongquan refrained from using foul language and simply chuckled softly, "Well, we still need Senior Brother Duan to help with the cooking. He's good at making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and our great-aunts and uncles love them the most."

Upon hearing this, Jin Shilun shook his head as he worked and said, "Xi-ge'er means that he had already bid farewell to his parents and elders, so only we younger ones are gathered here today."

The Yun Gu Zhang family and the Feng Shi Fang family had a dispute ten days ago over some spiritual land whose ownership was unclear, and both family heads have already intervened.

Upon hearing the news, the second senior brother, to avoid trouble, decided to mediate himself and hasn't returned yet, so he can't come to see Xi-ge off this time.

Kang Rongquan knew that Jin Shilun was referring to two fake imperial clans that had just moved from the capital region.

However, this time there was a dispute involving the Pill Master. Duan Anle, a mere True Cultivator, actually dared to go alone. He truly deserves to be admired by all the eighth-generation disciples. His courage goes without saying.

After thinking for a while, he said, "The Zhang family of Yun Gu seems to have a second-level peak alchemist who can refine Foundation Establishment Pills. If his family is respectful enough, the younger generation in the sect will have a much easier time in the future."

"Senior brother knows Second Senior Brother's temperament perfectly well. Even if Brother Zhou is just about to establish his foundation, how could he possibly show favoritism?!" Jin Shilun's words were full of admiration. After he finished speaking, he chuckled.
"However, Junior Sister Qi and her two junior disciples, Chen Zihang and Gun Fangmu, have just returned from receiving instruction from Senior Dao Luan of Shanbei. Junior disciple Chen has made great progress this time and is now a second-level low-grade alchemist. Before long, our Chongming Sect may also be able to refine a batch of excellent Foundation Establishment Pills."

"My junior brother's information network is indeed as good as mine as ever,"

It was a great joy that one of his own disciples had actually produced a genuine second-tier alchemist. Upon hearing this, Kang Rongquan immediately smiled and then said, "Later at the banquet, I must properly toast Junior Nephew Chen."

"Of course, Senior Sister Zhou can't leave the shop, but she sent her disciples to deliver some good wine. Senior Brother, please have a couple more cups."

"Oh? When did you take on your disciple, Senior Sister?"

"A few days ago, she was a clever girl named Shao. It seems she has some connection with the Shao lady who lived in Chongming Market back then."

At this moment, Jin Shilun finally finished his work, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.

He skillfully scooped up the dishes and naturally placed them in Kang Rongquan's hands. The latter didn't seem to notice anything amiss, and instead naturally became a waiter with the chef in front of him, busying himself with tasks and having a great time.

As the elaborate dishes prepared by Jin Shilun were served one after another, the atmosphere in Kang Changxi's courtyard became even more lively.

After Ye Yaoling, Liu Ya, Han Xundao, and other busy people who had just achieved Foundation Establishment made their appearances with their disciples, the host stepped out from the backyard, cupped his hands in thanks, and expressed his gratitude.

Unlike his gentle and refined elder brother Kang Changyi, Kang Changxi inherited his father's rough and bold nature, which made him most suitable for such drinking occasions.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became much more lively, though the latter was not one to refuse a drink. By the end, he had no idea how much he had drunk. He had to be carried by his two half-brothers, and, completely drunk and laughing, he accepted a pile of gifts from his fellow disciples.

Towards the end of the banquet, the eldest son of the Chongming Kang family could no longer speak clearly, and could only mumble:
"Ha! Thank you all so much for your kindness this time. When Changxi returns, Momo, don't forget that Youyou must come here for a drink!"

(End of this chapter)