Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 607 Jiang Qing bids farewell to Fei Mansion as Fengming searches for medicinal ingredients

"You're leaving already?!" Fei Nanying, who had just stepped out of the closed room, looked at the handsome man with a jade-like face in front of him, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry.

With his keen insight, he had already discerned that Jiang Qingdan's theory had reached perfection, and that forming the Golden Core was only a matter of time.

Those who could comprehend the "Primordial Chaos Suppressing the Sky" sword technique during the Foundation Establishment stage were rare talents, even among the noble families of the Immortal Dynasty. Fei Nanying couldn't help but wonder if this young man's brilliance could surpass that of his own son-in-law after he achieved Core Formation.

Upon hearing the question, Jiang Qing offered no further explanation, but simply bowed deeply and said, "I have troubled you for many days, and I am grateful for the many favors you have received from the Fei family. I dare not linger any longer and disturb your peaceful cultivation."

"What a pity, what a pity." Fei Nanying sat on the futon and sighed inwardly, tapping his knees lightly with his fingertips. Suddenly, he chuckled and thought to himself, "Just as the ancestor said, no matter how much affection one has for a person like this, it is difficult to bind him with sentimentality."

However, Fei Nanying quickly regained his composure and spoke again with a more solemn tone: "Since you have made up your mind, I will not try to stop you. With your talent, I think that forming a core is just a normal step on your path. I think that soon you will be able to be my equal."

These were already extremely high praises, and even though Jiang Qing was upright and honest, he dared not accept such flattery. He bowed even more respectfully.

Seeing that Fei Nanying would not give any further instructions, he simply smiled and waved his hand, then turned and stepped out of the Fei family mansion. His back was as straight as a sword, showing no lingering attachment to the place where he had been treated so lavishly.

Fei Nanying watched the figure gradually disappear at the end of the street, the smile on his face slowly fading, leaving only a soft sigh: "Why is it that my Fei family has so few talented young men?"

The resources held by the Fei family of Yingzhou are many times greater than those of the Chongming Sect, yet in recent years, only their eldest daughter, Fei Wanqing, has been able to achieve the Golden Core stage.

Furthermore, in terms of potential for advancement, Fei Wanqing and the other members of the Fei family of this generation are far inferior to Jiang Qing.

Jiang Qing's exceptional talent is one reason, but the deep-seated problems within the Fei family are also a significant contributing factor.
These elders and leaders already harbored their own ambitions while Ancestor Ye was still alive. If Ancestor Ye were to pass away in the future, wouldn't the family be even more mired in internal strife?

The thought flashed through Fei Nanying's mind, and he focused his attention back on the stack of brochures on the table.

That was a victory report sent back by Fei Tianqin from Shanbei Road, filled with tales of bloodshed and carnage.

He ran his fingertips over the pages, his eyes gradually hardening with determination: "Just as Ancestor Tianqin said in his letter, no matter how the matter of the Ninth Prince becoming an infant comes to pass, even if the Fei family of Yingzhou were to sacrifice all the lives of their children in this northern mountain road, they must not have the slightest thought of changing their flag or their allegiance."

Although the current emperor enjoys prestige, he may not dare to defy public opinion and shake the foundation of the imperial clan. Therefore, the future of Duke Kuang Liuting of Qin is unlikely to be bad. However, if something unexpected happens, and the chaos of the "Six Kings' Struggle for the Capital" truly recurs...

Fei Nanying's heart sank as he recalled Fei Yeyi's instructions in his personal letter: "Even if it means abandoning the foundation in Yingzhou, you must help the Duke of Qin emulate the old ways of Lanmeng Palace in the southwest and stand on equal footing with Taiyuan, so that you can reclaim the Mandate of Heaven in the future."

Ultimately, since the time of their ancestor Ye Sui, the Fei family has never cared who ultimately controlled the Immortal Dynasty; they only hoped that their descendants would continue to follow the Kuang family and enjoy wealth and honor for generations to come.

With this in mind, Fei Nanying no longer hesitated. He immediately ordered the remaining guards in Xuanwei City to be on high alert, then turned and returned to his quarters. The war situation in Shanbei Road was urgent, and he could only seize every second to improve his cultivation in order to give his family more confidence.

Unaware of Fei Nanying's grand schemes for the nation and the people, Jiang Qing flew directly to the Xuanwei Town Garrison after leaving the Fei family residence.

Upon hearing the news, Duan Yunzhou hurriedly summoned his staff and personally went out of the mansion to greet him.

At this moment, the tense atmosphere in Xuanwei City had been somewhat diluted by time.

The streets and alleys were bustling with noise, the shouts of vendors and the clamor of taverns blended together, and even the air was filled with the aroma of cooking.

The pedestrians were neatly dressed and had smiles on their faces. The stalls selling spirit rice and magical artifacts were crowded with people, showing that the lives of the people in the city had gradually returned to normal and the market was more prosperous than before.

However, Jiang Qing was unaware that most of the credit should be attributed to Kang Xiangyi, the descendant of the Grand Master Kang.

Not long after assuming the position of assistant garrison commander, the latter began to organize the trade routes of Yunjiao Prefecture and Xian Prefecture, with Xuanwei City as the core.

He Degong, who used to be in charge of all the business affairs of Chongmingzong, was merely a diligent worker. With his talent and vision, he was able to manage this position to such an extent after his brother's death, which can truly be described as making the best of a bad situation.

Even so, He Degong's decades of hard work were not as fruitful as the results achieved by Kang Xiangyi after taking over and carefully managing the situation for several years.

At least Xuanwei City has visibly become the most important source of revenue for Chongming Sect, as evidenced by the fact that Ye Zhengwen even sent messages of commendation.

However, Kang Xiangyi, who was full of expectations, did not receive any praise from Third Master Jiang, who disliked tedious affairs. The latter seemed unaware of the bustling changes in the city, and simply summoned Duan Yunzhou to his side, then ordered everyone else to leave the hall.

"My senior brother, the sect leader, wrote to me asking me to wait for him in the city. In the days to come, Yunzhou, you should dismiss all idlers and prevent them from entering the garrison's residence."

"Yes, Third Grandmaster Uncle, Yunzhou understands." Duan Yunzhou replied respectfully, and Jiang Qingsui did not give any further instructions. He simply chose a quiet room to cultivate diligently.

Just two days after Duan Yunzhou accepted Jiang Qing's request, a streak of light swept across the sky above Xuanwei City. When the light landed, it raised a little dust, revealing Kang Dabao's figure.

He ignored the monks who came to pay their respects and instead drove them straight into the garrison's residence.

Knowing that his master was coming in person, Duan Yunzhou had recently suspended his cultivation and was instead studying Kang Xiangyi's recent policies in the city lord's mansion, carefully pondering and absorbing their wisdom.

Only then did he hear the commotion and hurriedly came out to greet them. He saw that Master Kang and Jiang Qing were already standing arm in arm in the courtyard, so he stopped and did not move, so as not to disturb the two brothers from having a heart-to-heart talk.

Kang Dabao made no attempt to hide his satisfaction; he truly hoped that the sect would produce another Golden Core cultivator. His own junior brother, whom he had raised in his own basket, was so promising—how could he not be delighted?!

However, upon seeing Duan Yunzhou come out to greet him, he smiled kindly and said, "Back when I appointed you, Yunzhou, to be the garrison commander of Xuanwei Town, your father was always worried about your ability to govern. Now that I've seen you, I realize there's no need for him to worry."

Duan Yunzhou, though flattered by the praise, did not take credit for it, but simply bowed and said:
"Yunzhou dares not accept the praise from Grandmaster. I only want Grandmaster to know that all the changes in this city are the work of Senior Kang Xiangyi. Yunzhou is only benefiting from Grandmaster's favor."

"Ah, the ability to employ people is a skill; don't be modest,"

When Master Kang was teaching his own disciples, he was much less strict. I wonder if his disciples would recall this and feel some emotion after seeing it.

"From the beginning of this year onwards, the regulations for the Chongming Sect's Ascension Ceremony will be expanded further. The requirements for family members and immortal seedlings, as well as the age requirements, can be relaxed."

Those who are recruited into the outer sect can enter the sect as long as their background is verified to be clean, regardless of whether they are skilled in any craft. As long as they have outstanding skills, even those who come to the sect with their own skills can be admitted.

With the news out, the people attending the Ascension Ceremony will inevitably be of mixed quality. Therefore, the county officials and the two major cities of Xuanwei and Hancheng in the state must be even more serious and not take the selection process lightly.

Furthermore, although the sect is newly established, the disciples are working extremely hard, and the various halls, including those producing alchemy, artifacts, talismans, arrays, spiritual plants, and beast gardens, will gradually begin to produce their own products. Most of these will continue to be supplied to Shanbei for military needs, and the remainder, besides being used by the sect itself, will also be selected and sold in Xuanwei City.

Besides managing the auction house well, Chongming Pavilion in the city also needs to do its best to recruit talented cultivators and practitioners of various arts. Times have changed; the sect is now in dire need of rebuilding, so it would be beneficial to have some capable retainers and servants.

In terms of scale, Xuanwei City was unmatched by Xian and Yun Prefectures, and the Xuanwei Town Government needed to provide assistance in these matters.

The local militias in Yunjiao Prefecture are already depleted, and with the chaos in various regions, it's inevitable that there will be ambitious individuals within the territory who will cause trouble. The reorganization of the Xuanwei City garrison requires close monitoring of the local atmosphere; no evil cultivators or bandits should be overlooked.

You must understand that it took me nearly a century to clean up the customs of these thirteen counties. But if we sit idly by and let those wicked villains do evil, the cruel customs may return in just a few years. We cannot be careless.

The chief officials of all the counties in Xianzhou have gradually arrived, and all regulations must follow the example of Yunjiao Prefecture. Yunzhou, you and Jintang Lu of Hancheng must set a good example. Soon, all the chief officials of Xianzhou will need to come and study this.

Master Kang's style of doing things was different from that of Third Master Jiang. The former only glanced at him a few times on the way here, and combined with what he saw and learned in the city, he and Duan Yunzhou sorted out several things that urgently needed to be done.

None of these matters could be taken lightly; they were all of utmost importance. This made Duan Yunzhou feel a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, and he dared not miss a single word, keeping them firmly in mind.

After Duan Yunzhou had answered all the questions from above, Sect Leader Kang spoke up again and asked, "Is there anything the sect can help us with?"

The former hesitated for a moment before saying, "Grandmaster, I know that many of my fellow disciples in the sect have attained the Foundation Establishment of the Dao, but there is a shortage of capable people in Xuanwei City. I wonder if I could ask some fellow disciples to come and help us?"

"Yes, there are indeed a dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators, but that's still not enough to compensate for those who died on the battlefield. The sect itself is also short of capable people." Kang Dabao's tone turned serious at this point, but he didn't outright reject the matter; he simply stated:

"If that's the case, then you should go and ask your Grandmaster Ye to assign some tasks within the Hall of Merit. That way, even if you don't have any fellow disciples permanently stationed there, there will still be some disciples who can come and take turns serving you."

Although Duan Yunzhou's wish was not fulfilled, he was still very satisfied.

Sect Leader Kang is currently so busy that it's already a rare treat that he can spare a few moments to speak with his disciples about these matters. Therefore, despite having traveled a long way, he didn't say anything more to Duan Yunzhou, but only gave a few key instructions before setting off with Jiang Qing on a flying boat towards Fengming Prefecture.

The flying boat pierced through the clouds and mist, speeding past the war-torn lands and heading straight for the outskirts of Fengming Prefecture.

The two brothers were very in sync. The latter did not ask any questions, but he knew why Master Kang had come here, so they entered the city together.

This is the location of the Duke of Qin's mansion. Even though the war at the front is raging, the bustling atmosphere here has not diminished much.

Without lingering, the two headed straight for Wanbao Trading Company, which had the best location in the city.

This trading company is located in all twenty-seven strategic locations of the Immortal Dynasty, and its variety of spiritual materials is unmatched.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the trading company, the manager in a blue robe greeted them with a smile. This time, Master Kang received much more respect than before.

The steward's face seemed to show a hint of flattery. "I didn't expect it to be the Marquis of Wuning who has come in person. My crew has failed to greet you properly. Please forgive us."

While these polite words lacked originality, they were pleasant to hear at this moment. Kang Dabao knew very well that even if the old fox Fei Tianqin came in person, he might not be able to get away with it at Wanbao Trading Company, so he simply asked:
"I have come here today perhaps to see your esteemed manager, Fengmingzhou."

The manager in the blue robe was not surprised, but simply smiled and said, "Our shopkeeper has already heard the news and is waiting for you in the private room. We would like to invite Marquis Wuning to come into the city."

Kang Dabao nodded in agreement and stepped into the trading company with Jiang Qing, only to hear the latter whisper, "Senior Brother Sect Leader, the war in Shanbei Road is raging, yet my brother and I still have time to come here to seek treasure. Once this news gets out, won't we be criticized?!"

"The Yunjiao Prefecture expeditionary force has rendered meritorious service in defeating the enemy and is granted temporary rest by the Duke himself. If that is the case, even if there are a few gossipy people who speak ill of him behind his back, would the Duke's mind change because of this?"

"Don't worry, he values ​​his reputation and dignity above all else. If it were truly up to us, we wouldn't hesitate for a moment! Words spoken are law."

Jiang Qing's ability to think of this was enough to make Master Kang very happy. The two followed the manager in green through the main hall of the business and headed to the private room on the second floor.

The corridor is lined with traditional Chinese ink paintings of landscapes, and a faint scent of sandalwood wafts through the air, isolating it from the hustle and bustle downstairs.

As soon as they arrived at the door of the elegant room, a beautiful woman dressed in a crimson silk dress lifted the curtain and came out. A red gold and kingfisher feather hairpin was inserted in her hair. Her appearance was gentle and graceful, but her aura was calm and reserved. She was obviously a highly cultivated person.

"I am deeply sorry for not welcoming you properly, Marquis Wu Ning." The beautiful woman curtsied to the two of them, her expression charming. "Please come in quickly. We have freshly brewed Ancient Mystic Cloud Mist Tea in the elegant room. Please have a taste."

Kang Dabao and Jiang Qing followed Su Mei inside. After the maid served tea and left, Su Mei got straight to the point: "I heard that the Marquis has come for materials for Core Formation? Is it for this fellow Daoist Jiang beside you?"

“This is my junior brother Jiang Qing.” Kang Dabao pointed to Jiang Qing beside him. “His alchemy theory has just been perfected. I would like to ask Manager Su to recommend some milder spiritual materials to avoid any problems when he forms his core.”

Su Mei's gaze fell on Jiang Qing. Seeing that he was indeed as rumored, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a hidden sword intent around him, a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes: "Fellow Daoist Jiang, you have such cultivation at such a young age. You will definitely be one of the best among the Golden Core cultivators in the future. As for the milder Golden Core materials, I have a few that I can recommend."

Having said that, Su Mei spoke with confidence, calmly taking out three jade boxes from her storage bag and placing them on the table one by one.

The first jade box was opened, revealing a pure white Ganoderma lucidum with a faint purple tinge on its cap: "This is an eight-hundred-year-old Purple Mansion Dragon-Nourishing Ganoderma, growing beside a spiritual vein deep within Phoenix Cry Mountain. Its spiritual energy is pure and rich, making it most suitable for cultivating a sound Dao foundation. After consumption, it can nourish the Dao foundation and slowly help cultivators condense their Golden Core, with minimal risk."

Jiang Qing leaned closer for a look and felt that the spiritual energy emanating from the Ganoderma lucidum was gentle and lingering, subtly resonating with his own Dao foundation. A hint of interest flashed in his eyes. Kang Dabao, however, was not in a hurry to make a decision and asked, "Manager Su, take another look."

Su Mei smiled and opened the second jade box. Inside was a bead the size of a pigeon egg, pale blue in color and cool to the touch: "This is the Azure Water Condensing Pill Bead, made from the inner core of the third-tier demon beast, the Azure Water Clam, through a secret method. Holding it in your hand during the formation of the golden core can stabilize spiritual energy fluctuations and nourish the nascent golden core. Its effect is even better when used in conjunction with the Purple Mansion Dragon-Nourishing Mushroom."

"The third jade box contains three-hundred-year-old Moonflower Grass," Su Mei continued, opening the last jade box. Inside were several silvery-white grass leaves, with specks of dew still clinging to them. "Moonflower Grass can purify the mind and concentrate the spirit. When taken during the Core Formation process, it can reduce the growth of inner demons. Although it is not a rare spiritual material, it is a superior aid during the Core Formation process."

"These Core Formation spiritual items don't seem to be plentiful for Wanbao Trading Company; they're mostly ordinary goods,"

Seeing that what Su Mei took out was not only inferior to the Emperor Yue Stone used by Fei Nanying to form his Golden Core in legend, but even inferior to the Golden Core used by Luan Gongfeng, Headmaster Kang was still somewhat dissatisfied, even though his trip was specifically to cover up his true intentions.

The beautiful woman, who was adept at discerning people's hearts, clearly noticed this unusual situation and spoke up again: "You are well aware of the recent war situation, my lord. However, there is an auction about to be held, and there are some rare items that you will surely take a liking to."

Upon hearing this, a book of spiritual light appeared in Su Mei's hand. Headmaster Kang merely glanced through it for a moment before nodding in agreement: "In that case, we two will wait for a while."

(End of this chapter)