Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 570 Discussing Strategies, Seeking Righteousness, Embarking on New Journeys Together

————Xiao Huanshan, Chongmingzong
The high seats in the council chamber were empty, but the lower seats were filled with a group of fresh faces.

Elder He Yuanyi of the Weapon Hall, Ye Yaoling, the head of the Yulin Hall, Qi Ke, the steward of the Talisman Making Pavilion, and Shan Yong, the town garrison commander of Chongming Town, are among the newly emerging eighth-generation disciples.

Some of them, due to their superior aptitude, had already caught up with their senior brothers in terms of cultivation progress, but when they heard Yuan Jin speak, they all had solemn expressions and dared not be negligent.

Besides the aforementioned individuals, Duan Yunzhou and Zheng Wanbi, who had only recently established their foundations, were also fortunate enough to attend the meeting as observers, and they listened attentively.

In recent years, Yuan Jin has become increasingly concise in his speech, finishing his explanation in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea. After scanning the assembled cultivators in the hall, he put down the letter in his hand and asked in a calm voice:

"My lads, have you all remembered what I just said? The matter of rushing to the aid of Xianzhou cannot be taken lightly."

Upon hearing this, the heads of each hall immediately perked up and replied in unison, "We obey the elder's order and remember it clearly."

"The news can't be kept secret, but don't make it public. Yunjiao Prefecture may seem peaceful, but there may be demons and monsters lurking there. Be careful when you do things, and don't fall into someone else's trap."

"Yes,"

"Well, you are all pillars of the sect, so I won't say more. Although my senior brother personally ordered us to prepare supplies at home, the battle ahead may not be that dangerous."

After all, the sect leader is always cautious and prudent, and good at planning ahead, so if any of his disciples ask him about it, he should not be pessimistic.

"Just look at the Yunze Witch Lord's Palace, it sounds so prestigious, yet they just watched helplessly as our Chongming Sect reclaimed Xianzhou! Even with Huang Mi's infamous reputation and centuries of fame, how could he possibly gain the upper hand in a battle against our sect leader?"

"Yes! Your disciple will follow your teachings."

“Hmm,” Yuan Jin nodded, then beckoned to Duan Yunzhou before saying, “Go back to work, Yunzhou, stay here.”

"Yes,"

After bowing to the departing elders, Duan Yunzhou quickly approached Yuan Jin and bowed softly, asking, "May I ask what instructions Grandmaster Uncle has for me?"

The latter looked Duan Yunzhou up and down for a while, a hint of pleasure appearing in his eyes, before saying, "This time, the sect leader originally intended for you to cultivate diligently at home, but you insisted on volunteering to go to Xianzhou to serve the sect, which puts me in a bit of a dilemma."

Seeing that Duan Yunzhou was eager to explain, Yuan Jin waved his hand to stop him, and then said to himself, "Did Anle send you any letter? What is he saying?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Duan Yunzhou finally dared to speak:
"Reporting to Grandmaster Uncle, although my father did not explicitly state it in his letter, he still favored me to take the lead. I have achieved this level of success thanks to the cultivation of the sect, and I am certainly grateful for Grandmaster Uncle's consideration and care. However, if I were to fall behind my fellow disciples at this time, I would feel ashamed and deeply embarrassed."

Yuan Jin chuckled softly upon hearing this, his eyes showing even greater satisfaction: "Good boy, in that case, you will temporarily take charge of recruiting volunteers from the state."

All meritorious deeds will be rewarded with half a grade higher than before, and even independent cultivators can apply. This time, whether it's women providing provisions or spiritual veins and cave dwellings, all are welcome.

Duan Yunzhou carefully agreed, and he understood how the Chongming Sect, which had almost been emptied out, would allocate these resources, women, and spiritual vein caves in the future.

After all, the Yunze Witch Lord Palace has some of the things that the Chongming Sect doesn't have.

After Yuan Jinfu gave a few more brief instructions, he waved his hand again, and Duan Yunzhou bowed once more before leaving the hall.

At this moment, Yuan Jincai once again stroked the jade slip of the "Scripture of Clear Mind to Overcome Calamities and Enlighten the True Nature," which he had always kept close to his body and knew by heart, and frowned deeply:
"It's all in vain. So many years have passed, and I still can't alleviate my senior brother's worries. Sigh, I still need to think of another way. But what can I do?"

Yuan Jin's thoughts grew stronger and stronger. When he closed his eyes and chanted the incantation again, a phantom image of a monkey with a face that resembled Yuan Jin's appeared out of nowhere.

The phantom of the mind remained silent and still, projecting itself behind Yuan Jin with a bitter smile. Its two bright red eyes, each the size of a teacup, stared intently at Yuan Jin's back, silent and still.

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.

Without taking a break, Duan Yunzhou quickly assembled a team to recruit volunteers.

The so-called "righteous followers" were different from the local militia. The latter came to enlist naked and no one could say anything, and they also received a stipend and a salary every year;
Generally speaking, those who serve as volunteers must provide their own supplies, armor, weapons, and troops. Only after risking their lives to achieve merit on the battlefield can they, depending on the circumstances, beg their master to truly deliver those generous rewards.

For a righteous servant, there is absolutely no guarantee. It's one thing to have worked hard for nothing, as one can at least accept the bad luck, but if someone is injured or dies, whether anyone will take care of them depends entirely on the conscience of the master.

Therefore, it is often said that large families recruiting followers to serve them is no different from conscripting laborers, and this makes some sense to most people.

Recruiting volunteers is no easy task, but for the Chongming Sect, led by Master Kang, it was a much easier matter.

While Kang Dabao's reputation for "bullying women and being vindictive" was deeply ingrained in people's minds, regardless of how the families in his jurisdiction viewed him, they could not help but marvel at how he had indeed brought about earth-shattering changes to most of Yunjiao Prefecture.

Compared to most of the people in charge around here, Sect Leader Kang can be considered a reasonably good person. As for "reputation," it goes without saying that Kang Dabao is highly regarded and probably even more worthy of admiration than the one in the Duke of Qin's mansion.

With the backing of Master Kang, Duan Yunzhou's mission proceeded smoothly. Within three days, the quota allocated by Yuan Jin had already been mostly filled.

Not only are there local cultivators from Yunjiao Prefecture here, but cultivators from Zhaixing Tower and the Qin State Duke's Mansion also come to join us.

It wasn't that no other families within their jurisdictions were actively recruiting followers, but ordinary people had no future and only their lives to gamble on. However, if one were to risk their life to gain a path and resources, it would be more worthwhile to find a trustworthy master.

At first, Duan Yunzhou was overjoyed and accepted all applicants. However, as the recruitment process progressed, the number of applicants did not decrease, and he began to select cultivators based on their cultivation techniques, magical artifacts, and cultivation levels, which barely managed to suppress the overwhelming enthusiasm.

With the Chongming Sect's reputation as a stronghold, there was no need to worry about how arrogant the Foundation Establishment cultivators outside were. Duan Yunzhou didn't linger among the documents; he simply handed over the recording duties to a seasoned junior brother and then surveyed the long line of applicants.

Among them were those with weak cultivation and taciturn nature; those with a strong murderous aura and a face full of fat; and those with an icy expression and bright eyes and white teeth.

It is an undeniable fact that people come and go for profit. However, Emperor Chongming's ability to weave these diverse individuals into a cohesive group demonstrates his skill.

After watching for a while, Duan Yunzhou spotted two familiar faces in the crowd and asked in surprise, "Uncle Du, Uncle Mo, what brings you two here?"

No wonder Duan Yunzhou was surprised. Mo Ku and Du Qing were both over a hundred years old, especially the latter, who was already 120 years old and was at the age when their vitality was dissipating.

This joint, however, is also fraught with danger. One might be able to fight someone today, but by the next morning, he could be lying silently dead on his bed. The two of them coming to this place are certainly conspicuous.

There were too many people and too much chatter here, so it wasn't a good time to talk. Duan Yunzhou then invited the two men and their followers to a quiet room, where they were served tea and allowed to talk.

Mo Ku was getting old; his eyebrows and beard were mostly bald, but he was becoming more and more talkative. He began by saying:
"The sect leader has bestowed a special favor, forbidding us retired elders from applying and insisting that all our nephews and nieces be sent. Their aptitude is not good enough to enter the sect, and if they do not apply, they will find it difficult to get the opportunity to serve the sect outside, which is not good."

Du Qing's speech was not as fluent as Mo Ku's, so he did not rush to speak. Instead, he and Duan Yunzhou pointed to several young cultivators wearing the Du family's robes behind them, clearly indicating that they shared the same idea as Mo Ku.

Duan Yunzhou was slightly surprised to see this scene, because he had heard some things about the family circumstances of such senior disciples as Mo and Du who had returned to their hometowns.

Therefore, Duan Yunzhou could roughly see that these two had held nothing back, truly entrusting all their disciples to the task at hand. Before Duan Yunzhou could reply, Mo Ku spoke again:
"I still have some armor, spirit rice, elixirs and talismans stored at home, mostly given to me by my fellow disciples out of old friendship. I've donated them all to the sect this time, so I can at least do my part."

"That won't do. My uncle still needs to manage his household."

“Nephew, you are wrong. If it weren’t for the sect’s cultivation, Mo Ku would be all alone, without any relatives or friends. He might have rotted away in some unknown market long ago, and there would be no ‘home’ for him.”

Mo gave a wry smile, and Du Qing lowered his voice as well, after all, it was rare for the latter to be so generous.

But after hearing Mo Ku's words, he laughed and said, "However, that young man who is temporarily in charge of the Good Deeds Hall is quite interesting. He even gave me a donation slip, saying that the sect will return it with interest after the war. I wonder if I, Mo, really accept this, how will I face Elder Zhou in the future?!"

"I will certainly report the loyalty and righteousness of my two senior uncles to our grandmaster and all the senior uncles, and the time will be determined."

A slight smile appeared on Du Qing's deeply lined face, but Duan Yunzhou's high-sounding words were stopped by Mo Ku's gesture. The latter took a sip of the spiritual tea in front of him, enough to make all the cultivators of the Mo family in Maduo Ridge earn for a whole season, and then said in a low voice:
"I wonder if it was Senior Brother Duan who specifically taught you these platitudes to say to outsiders. Mo Ku may be somewhat useless, but you still disdain doing things like seeking credit in front of others."

I'm saying all this because we're close fellow disciples, but please don't go talking about it outside, lest I be laughed at next time I see my fellow disciples."

Duan Yunzhou remained silent for a while, and after pondering for a long time, he bowed and said, "Yunzhou was impolite, please don't blame me, Uncle Mo."

Du Qing inwardly groaned. He knew that Duan Yunzhou had been raised by Rong since childhood, and even the sect leader Kang had given him many pointers. So how could he possibly believe that what this young and vigorous new cultivator said was entirely from the heart?

Thinking of this, Du Qing quickly turned to Mo Ku and tried his best to give him a meaningful look. Unexpectedly, the latter bowed and apologized to Duan Yunzhou, but his expression did not improve. Instead, he looked like a senior member of a sect.

Seeing this, Du Qing became even more anxious, and even the young men and sons-in-law of the Mo family of Maduo Ridge and the Du family of Cong Ridge turned pale.

They never knew that Mo Ku, who was always extremely cautious, could be so strong when facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

However, when Mo Ku saw that Duan Yunzhou had not gotten up without permission, his anger immediately dissipated.

He then lessened the anger in his tone and continued, "So that my junior brother may know that we, as idle members of the outer sect, have been granted the grace of our sect to retire to our hometowns, establish our clans, reproduce, and raise our disciples. Firstly, this is to demonstrate the benevolence of our sect leader, and secondly, it is to ensure the continued development of the Daoist tradition."

Normally, the fellow disciples scattered in different places might not be without their share of resentment. But at this time, there are quite a few who are willing to sacrifice their families and homes to alleviate the hardship.

Mo Kuyan paused here, and without caring that Du Qing's old face was slightly red, he said directly: "In the more than four hundred households in Hanya Mountain, in the various villages and towns of the thirteen counties of Yunjiao Prefecture, where are there no Chongming disciples who have settled down and guarded the area?"

The spiritual grains transported from all over the country were almost enough to fill the entire prefecture's roads; the skilled alchemists and weapon makers invited from various places were almost unable to use the earth fire; although the disciples of various families were not up to great use, they all had some courage and could always shield my Chongming disciples from some blades."

At this point, Mo Ku took a deep breath, stepped forward to gently help Duan Yunzhou up, and said solemnly:
“Junior Nephew Duan, I hope you know that although we are somewhat useless, we are still disciples of Chongming. Whether the sect rises or falls, and how the lineage prospers, we care just as much as you do.”

At this moment, Duan Yunzhou also looked ashamed. He was about to say something more when he saw Mo Kuye get up to leave. He reached out to stop him, but the latter spoke first:
“Nephew, you have important matters to attend to in the sect, so it’s not good for you to spend too much time on us. I’m not busy, but there are still two acres of Firethorn Fruit in Maduo Ridge that haven’t been harvested yet due to insufficient heat. I’ll go back and guard them for three days and that should be enough.”

This is a medicinal herb that's difficult to obtain and hard to sell right now. Two acres of firethorn fruit are enough to exchange for a sought-after top-grade defensive magic weapon. We can't afford to delay."

After speaking, Mo Guyan didn't say another word to Duan Yunzhou. Just as he was about to step out of the hall alone, he suddenly turned back and admonished the disciples he had brought with him:
"Rest assured, the territory under my Chongming Sect is abundant and prosperous, unlike those small sects whose people are impoverished. What makes the Yunze Witch Lord Palace think it can compete with us? The cultivators of Yunjiao Prefecture may be cunning, lazy, greedy, and sly, and some may be lowly and uncouth, but they know their current situation. They are still inferior to the Zhaixing Tower and the Duke's Mansion!"

"Your Majesty's command,"

At this moment, Mo Gu turned around and said to Duan Yunzhou in a serious tone, "I know that the children in my family may not be up to par. I need my junior brother to be lenient and give them a chance to serve the sect."

Mo Gu's tone suddenly became more serious, and he continued, "Don't worry, they can't afford to lose face. Don't worry, as long as the sect leader bestows more favors, we can still hold onto our flying swords."

After hearing these words, Duan Yunzhou no longer harbored any criticism and was truly silenced by Mo Gu's heartfelt words.

Finally, a serious expression appeared on his face, and the regret he felt for looking down on the two of them before welled up from his heart. At this moment, Duan Yunzhou truly understood what the purpose was of the Grand Master Kang's insistence that outer disciples over ninety years old descend the mountain to cultivate.

"That's right, just as Uncle Mo said, what makes the Yunze Witch Lord Palace worthy of this?"

(End of this chapter)