Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 602 Pei Xiangcao Receives the Pill with Great Kindness; Discussion Hall Determines the Inheritance of the Pill

Despite being within the sect, Pei Xiangcao was not wary of the visitors. She touched the spiritual barrier in front of the gate, causing the runes on it to ripple outwards, revealing the imposing figure of Sect Leader Kang right before her eyes.

"Disciple greets Sect Leader,"

Pei Xiangcao was surprised that Kang Dabao would come in person. Her face showed surprise and a hint of apprehension. The latter did not dwell on Pei Xiangcao's reaction, but merely glanced at her before sighing inwardly.

Originally, Fei Shuhe had planned to take Pei Xiangcao with her to Yingzhou before she left, hoping that she might even encounter some good fortune. However, Headmaster Kang rejected his wife's idea.

After all, for the young men of the Fei family in Yingzhou, this prejudice against different social classes would not disappear immediately just because Kang Dabao had killed several people in Shannan Road and spent years cultivating.

Even after Kang Changyan and Kang Changzhao, two illegitimate sons, went to Shangyutang, they might not have been highly regarded by the Fei family. Moreover, Pei Xiangcao, a junior disciple of Kang Dabao, was considered by the Fei family to be a distant relative.

With Pei Xiangcao by his side, Kang Dabao could at least reassure her to work from the rear without having to risk her life on the battlefield. Even though the girl's aptitude was only average, he wouldn't shortchange her on supplies. Ensuring she reached the Foundation Establishment stage shouldn't be a problem.

At least until the next promising descendant of Pei Yi emerges, Sect Leader Kang will not be willing to stop eyeing Pei Xiangcao.

"Well, you can accept these two Foundation Establishment Pills. It's enough for just the two of us to know about this. Don't show it to anyone else. If you encounter any problems and can't figure them out on your own, be sure to inform me and the elders immediately. Don't hide anything from them."

"Thank you for your generous gift, Sect Leader, but I am ashamed and dare not accept it."

Kang Dabao didn't care whether Pei Xiangcao's excuse was sincere or not. He simply placed the pill in her hand and then left without saying anything more, transforming into a rainbow and disappearing.

"Now that this girl has completed her Foundation Establishment, I will need to keep a close eye on her and see if there are any suitable juniors nearby who can help her find a good match."

When Master Kang left, a thought came to him, but he didn't pay much attention to it. He simply sent a letter to Ye Zhengwen's residence.

The talisman pierced through the floating clouds, swept past the mysterious lightning and ice crystals within, and landed directly in the hand of Ye Zhengwen, who was presiding over the council meeting.

After glancing at it, he first kept the matter in mind, but since it wasn't urgent, he put it aside for the time being. He then turned his gaze to the group of younger generation members who were arguing, but felt that his prestige was gradually waning and he was beginning to lose control over these eighth-generation pillars of the Chongming Sect.

Duan Anle noticed the displeasure in Ye Zhengwen's eyes at the head of the table, so he shouted in a deep voice, "Silence!"

He was, after all, the eldest of all his disciples and held considerable prestige.

So when Duan Anle spoke, it was as if a large chime resounded in the hall, making a clear and melodious sound. This brought the Chongming Sect leaders, who were all blushing and almost losing their dignity, back to their senses, and they all bowed to Ye Zhengwen first.

"Disciple, I'm sorry, please forgive me."

"Heh, elders and deacons are the backbone of Chongming Sect. How could I possibly offend them?" Ye Zhengwen was originally a rogue cultivator, and his banditry was three pounds heavier than that of Sect Leader Kang. However, since joining the sect, he has toned it down considerably.

Especially since Pei Yi's death and the fact that he had been focusing more on teaching his disciples, his tone was extremely heavy, and even many of the more senior disciples had not heard it.

Thus, the tense atmosphere in the hall seemed to be quelled by Ye Zhengwen's few words. The disciples obediently returned to their seats, not daring to utter a sound.

"There are only five Foundation Establishment Pills left. Even a hundred years ago, when the sect leader and we were penniless, it would have been difficult for us to fight over them like this."

Has the Chongming Sect truly become a powerful sect in the southwest, free from external threats, to the point where it can tolerate its disciples' discord and infighting?!

Ye Zhengwen's expression and tone remained unchanged, yet they made the disciples in the hall lower their heads even further.

In the end, it was Duan Anle who stepped forward to smooth things over. He stepped into the hall, bowed, and said, "My junior brothers may have just come from the battlefield and their minds have not yet returned to normal. That is why they behaved improperly in front of the hall. Please forgive them, Uncle Ye."

“Heh,” Ye Zhengwen’s single eye narrowed, his tone still unchanged: “Anle, do not try to cover for them. Each of them has built a foundation for the Dao and made outstanding contributions. They all have the duties of elders and stewards.”

Therefore, if we're talking about sect rules, you should be on equal footing with this old man like me. I just wonder if the sect leader and my two junior brothers, Yuan and Jiang, were here, would you still be as natural as you are today?!

These words sent a chill down the spines of all the cultivators. Fortunately, although Ye Zhengwen's anger hadn't subsided on the surface, once he had extinguished the arrogance of each Chongming disciple, his heart had calmed down, and he began to speak of serious matters:
"As I just mentioned, since we have obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill, the Pill Hall will have to work much harder in the future. Therefore, I will allocate the quotas to the Pill Hall first. If a Foundation Establishment Pill is produced in the Pill Hall, the Foundation Establishment Pill will be much more stable in the future. Do you two or three have any objections to this matter?!"

Jin Shilun, who had just been handpicked by Yuan Jin to serve as one of the ten generals of the Qingjue Guard, was still sickly at this time, but upon hearing Ye Zhengwen speak again, he still stepped forward despite the reproach on his face, bowed, and said:
"Uncle-Master Ye, it's not that Shilun doesn't understand the principles, but the Qingjue and Chizhang Guards are both severely crippled after this battle, and we desperately need to select a group of capable disciples. We can't just rely on the local militia and righteous followers to maintain appearances! To be honest, this is much more urgent than the alchemy, weaponry, talisman, and array halls."

Jin Shilun had only spoken halfway when Kang Rongquan, who had already fallen silent, stepped forward. His injuries were still not healed, but his voice was booming:
"Junior Brother Jin, you seem to have forgotten to mention my Spirit Plant Hall. Pills, artifacts, talismans, arrays, beast gardens, and spirit plants—which of them hasn't contributed to this battle? Why do you insist on being inferior to your Second Guard?"
The Azure Jade and Crimson Jade Guards need capable and courageous individuals; the sect's century-long cultivation of spiritual arts has been destroyed in an instant. Shouldn't the Spirit Planting Hall promote its next generation? And shouldn't the Pill Hall, having received such a stroke of good fortune, urge its alchemists to improve quickly?

At this moment, Jin Shilun, who had been accused, looked displeased and said in a deep voice, "Senior Brother Kang, this is a sect meeting. I am just stating the facts. I hope you will not misunderstand my meaning."

Kang Rongquan became even angrier and shouted, "What misinterpretation?! You let Senior Uncle Ye make the judgment, am I not telling the truth?!"

"Uncle-Master, please speak politely," Duan Anle said, stepping forward again to mediate the tense atmosphere. However, after glancing at Ye Zhengwen, he stepped forward and bowed softly.

"Uncle-Master, if we follow your suggestion, the Azure Jade and Crimson Jade Guards are crucial to the safety of the sect and the continuation of our lineage. Therefore, could you consider allocating one less of the five Foundation Establishment Pills to the Pill Hall?"

Hearing Duan Anle speak in this way, Kang Rongquan did not say anything, but the anger in his eyes intensified. The group of fellow disciples behind him seemed to be dissatisfied as well, but since they had just been reprimanded by Ye Zhengwen, they did not make any move and just waited for the old cultivator at the head of the table to speak.

Ye Zhengwen took in the expressions of his disciples. It was only five newly acquired Foundation Establishment Pills. If he multiplied that number tenfold, he wouldn't find the disciples' commotion bothersome.

However, it was clear that the two factions led by Kang Rongquan and Jin Shilun had ulterior motives, which made Ye Zhengwen frown slightly and start to think.

After the old cultivator pondered for a while, he finally spoke again:
"The Dan Hall will receive two quotas, the Lingzhi Hall will receive one, and the disciples in charge of the Qingjue and Chizhang schools will each receive one. As the sect leader said, from this day forward, the breakthrough pills in the Shangong Hall will no longer be accumulated, but will all be displayed."

In addition, the merit points that can be borrowed by elders, deacons, and true disciples will each increase by five; the merit points that can be borrowed by inner and outer disciples will each increase by three. This will be announced immediately.

"Do not conceal anything; all disciples must know that the current situation is urgent and time is of the essence."

Ye Zhengwen's words clearly displeased both factions, but it was ultimately just a matter of pride, and the cultivators did not dwell on it, and all accepted the order.

After a cup of tea, Ye Zhengwen accepted the nourishing treasures presented by Kang Rongquan and the precious spiritual treasures offered by Jin Shilun. Only then did the hall disperse, leaving only his disciple Liu Ya in attendance.

Ye Zhengwen suddenly felt exhausted and asked abruptly, "What do you think of today's events, Ya'er?!"

Liu Ya smiled, ignoring Ye Zhengwen's words, and instead comforted him, saying, "Master, perhaps you've been in the sect for too long and haven't had many assignments to take on at the Merit Hall."

In my early years, when I went to mediate and intervene in the internal strife among some families in my jurisdiction, they were almost at each other's throats, wishing they could go to the death row directly.

Compared to that kind of scene, my matter at Chongming Sect today is nothing more than a minor skirmish; how could it possibly cause my master, the Grand Elder, such worry?"

"Don't talk nonsense! When has my Chongming Sect ever had such a position as Grand Elder?!" Ye Zhengwen, perhaps feeling embarrassed by his disciple's words, earnestly continued:
"Don't you know the saying 'a thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole'?" Liu Ya smiled confidently as usual: "How could I not know? It's just that no matter how fiercely Senior Brother Kang and Senior Brother Jin argue, how can we not trust each other to entrust our backs to each other on the battlefield in the future?!"

Ye Zhengwen was slightly taken aback, but felt that his disciple's words made sense. However, he was still quite worried, and then asked, "In your opinion, why are they fighting over this?!"

“Master, you are wise. If it were only five Foundation Establishment Pills, none of the fellow disciples who came to the hall for discussion today could not contribute one or two pills if they were willing.”
Let alone the Qingjue and Chizhang Guards, who have reaped considerable spoils in battle; or the ever-prosperous Lingzhi Hall; even I, a meager elder of the Punishment Hall, have no reason to argue so heatedly with my own people.”

At this point, Liu Ya cautiously glanced at Ye Zhengwen's single eye, and seeing that the latter did not resent her for showing off her words, she then spoke again:
"Today's dispute is because Senior Brothers Kang and Jin have both realized that Master has received instructions from the Sect Leader to slightly favor the halls that acquire resources in the future, such as alchemy, artifact crafting, and talisman arrays, in order to facilitate their development."

This greatly displeased Senior Brother Jin and the majority of the sect leaders, who naturally wanted to compete for power.

"The sect leader's lineage?" Ye Zhengwen chewed on the new words he had never heard in the sect before, and sneered: "You talk as if the disciples of my Chongming Sect are now clearly divided into different factions."

"Master, you are wise. Though I have not yet arrived, I am not far off." Liu Ya's smile faded, and after a few breaths, she became serious and spoke softly:
As the saying goes, "Within a sect, there are all sorts of strange and wonderful things." When fellow disciples are assigned to various posts, who doesn't have to show some personal favors?
Those of high status and with good teachers naturally enjoy certain advantages; while those of low status and with poor teachers inevitably suffer some unpleasant losses. These losses may seem insignificant at first, but over time, even the most magnanimous person will inevitably develop some unhappiness.

Senior Brother Kang, as the eldest disciple of Uncle Pei, has led all the fellow disciples of Master Li's lineage for many years without any dissent.
Among the disciples of the sect leader, Senior Brother Duan was somewhat detached from worldly affairs. Therefore, when Senior Brother Jin saw that Senior Brother Kang was constantly vying for profit, he would not be happy to see his own interests gradually being eroded.

As this went on, it became increasingly common for both sides to engage in petty squabbles, which is hardly surprising.

Ye Zhengwen went through Liu Ya's words in his mind, recalling many recent events, and found them to be exactly as she had said. He had previously thought that Jin Shilun and Kang Rongquan were at odds, but he never expected that they had always been fighting for their side.

After thinking it through, Ye Zhengwen's expression became even more complicated: "Am I really too old to do anything? Why are my eyes not as bright as these younger people's?!"

He sighed inwardly, his tone softening: "You say they're just fighting over pride because you've seen them only compete over these trivial matters and then form a tacit understanding. But when it comes to matters of principle, they've never acted out of self-interest?"

"Master is wise!" Liu Yacheng replied.

"Me, a clear-headed person?!" Ye Zhengwen shook his head for a while, then became much more clear-headed. After thinking it over carefully for a moment, he spoke again:

"The sect leader's faction? Uncle Li's faction? When it comes to figures and power within the sect, how can these two be compared? Rong Quan is truly fighting a battle of pride. If it weren't for An Le knowing his limits, how could he possibly stand up to Shi Lun?!"
But if they don't fight, the strong will grow stronger and the weak will remain weak. This so-called lineage of Uncle Li will truly decline to an unbearable state. The balance they strike is not easy to strike.

Even though he understood that Kang Rongquan and Jin Shilun had their own difficulties, Ye Zhengwen still sneered again:

"Ha, these kids should focus their energy on improving their cultivation instead of wasting it on these things. Even if they only achieve a pseudo-core, their status within the sect will be vastly different from what it was before. Why waste it on these childish jokes?!"

At this point, Ye Zhengwen glanced at his disciple again, his single eye filled with suspicion as he tentatively asked, "Then which faction do you belong to, kid?"

Liu Ya immediately laughed and said calmly, "Master, you're wronging me. Our lineage is small, and we rely on gathering the disciples of the ladies to stick together and keep warm, so that we can be on good terms with both sides."

After hearing his disciple's joke, Ye Zhengwen's expression softened slightly. He then murmured, "Old Kang has always been insightful about people's hearts. I don't need to advise him on these matters. However, how to weigh and handle things is something I need to think about carefully, so as not to disturb his cultivation."

After he finished reading, his gaze returned to his own disciples, and he gave them another instruction: "You should be as clear-headed as you are in front of me. These so-called factions and schools are just a joke and should not be taken seriously."

You, the elder of the punishment hall, must know your place and refrain from any framing, false accusations, favoritism, or other such sordid acts. Otherwise, the taste of my ruler will remain unchanged.

Upon hearing her master's admonition, Liu Ya immediately stopped smiling and bowed earnestly, saying, "Disciple understands."

Ye Zhengwen waved for Liu Ya to leave, then sat alone in the empty council hall, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the pill box on the table. The light outside the window was gradually dimming, casting a long shadow of him; the hall was so quiet he could hear his own breathing.

He recalled Liu Ya's words and suddenly realized that the affairs of this sect were like the clouds outside the hall, seemingly calm, but hiding countless wisps of inexplicable currents beneath, which could only be slowly unraveled and carefully savored.

"Heh," Ye Zhengwen chuckled again as he sat alone. He was quite experienced, and often, as long as he was willing to think deeply, he could always get the gist of things.

After pondering for a while, Ye Zhengwen's worried expression disappeared, and when he spoke again, his tone was full of mockery: "Not bad, we have worked hard and finally managed to get the sect to this point where it is 'small temple with big demons and shallow water with many turtles'."

He tapped his knuckles lightly on the low table beside him, and with each tap, he murmured, "I'm getting old, aren't I?"

—————Three days later, Lingzhitang temporary residence
As soon as Kang Rongquan returned to the room, his fellow disciples, who were lacking a leader, immediately surrounded him.

To be honest, the lineage of Master Li, as Liu Ya mentioned, is actually weaker than that of Elder He's descendants.

This is because among these people, apart from Kang Rongquan, the only notable figures are Ye Yaoling and Jiang Tangpei, who are in charge of Yulin Hall; Zhu Yunsheng, who is no longer in charge of the Jiachou military camp and is now being dispatched by the authorities; and Shan Yong, the former garrison commander of Chongming Town, who is in a similar situation to the former.

Besides these three, if we exclude He Chang, the sect leader's nephew whose affiliation is ambiguous, then we must count Qi Ke, Gun Fangmu, and Chen Zihang, these three outstanding juniors who have already taken control of the crucial Dan Hall.

As for the people mentioned above, there are some other Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they are all mediocre, with no valuable tasks or outstanding skills. They are so ordinary that even some sect masters may not remember their names, and can only be considered marginal figures.

Compared to the sect leader's lineage, which boasts a wealth of prominent figures, it is indeed quite desolate.

At this juncture, if Kang Rongquan were to let things drift, in a few years, the incense offerings of his own grandmaster might not even be worthy of a grandmaster uncle who had never taught any disciples. This was something Kang Rongquan felt his late master, Pei Yi, would not want to see.

Since everyone in the hall was considered a close friend, Kang Rongquan didn't bother with pleasantries. He simply lined up all the spirits he had just received from the Shan Gong Hall.

Besides the three most tempting Foundation Establishment Pills, other Foundation Establishment spiritual items were also included: Wood Willow Heart, Water Mysterious Pearl Dew, Earth Yellow Rock Crystal.
For some reason, apart from the most sought-after fire-type Foundation Establishment spiritual item, the Six Harmonies True Yang Jujube, which the Mingzong Sect has always only taken in and never gave out, so Kang Rongquan replaced it with the even lower-grade Red Jade Seed, other Foundation Establishment spiritual items are considered scarce even in the current Shannan Dao.

This also shows that Ye Zhengwen was instructed by Kang Dabao and did not hide those bottles and jars.

"Junior Brother Han of Shan Gong Hall, out of courtesy, brought back two more red jade stones of slightly lower quality. Therefore, all of you junior brothers can select two more disciples to try the Foundation Establishment stage."

Kang Rongquan tapped the spiritual objects on the table with his fingertips, his gaze sweeping over Ye Yaoling, Zhu Yunsheng and the others sitting around him, and said in a deep voice: "The Pill Hall has obtained two Foundation Establishment Pills, while my Spirit Plant Hall only has one. In my opinion, all three should go to Junior Sister Qi and the two junior nephews of the Pill Hall."

"Senior brother, you are truly righteous,"

"Yes, we must not lose the key places."

……

Seeing that all his fellow disciples in the hall agreed, Kang Rongquan was also pleased. He then spoke up and said, "I ask my fellow disciples not to let your personal disputes ruin your cultivation. We have never had any enmity with the sect leader's lineage. We only ask that our lineage continue undefeated and that we fight without breaking apart."

The cultivators nodded in agreement, and Kang Rongquan dismissed the meeting and began his own cultivation.

“Junior Brother Jin, you seem to have forgotten that when it comes to cultivation, you are far from being a match for your elder brother…”

(End of this chapter)