Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 630 Qingxia Resigns from Her Martial Uncle During a Meeting

It's hard for others to know exactly what abilities the current Grand Master of Chongming Zongkang possesses. All that is known is that about thirty or forty years ago, he and Marquis Feng'en, Kuai En, led troops to quell the three jurisdictions under the jurisdiction of Zhaixinglou.

Pu Honggu, the Grand Elder of the Liangyi Sect, possessed unparalleled Daoist skills at the Golden Core stage, and was always considered the foremost among the disciples of Shannan Dao. However, after a battle, he was still defeated by Kang Dabao's halberd and ultimately lost his life.

The Liangyi Sect, the Xianyu Family, and the Yunshui Sect were all remarkable lineages, yet they too perished under this trend.

On the contrary, those unremarkable families living under the Star-Picking Tower used to be able to beg for favors by bowing and scraping their necks.

This shows how lenient the Immortal Dynasty of David is towards Nascent Soul cultivators. They want you to be a little more respectful, and no matter how heinous your sins are, they will help you wash them away.

However, for those who cultivate to the Golden Core stage, especially those who lack loyalty and righteousness, the Kuang family members are willing to cut them down if they are determined to do so.

Therefore, regardless of whether there are any grudges in the hearts of each family over the years, at least on the surface they are all quite obedient.

Therefore, as soon as Master Kang, one of the most trusted henchmen of the Duke of Qin's mansion, entered the hall, the protagonist of this birthday banquet changed.

Even though the various cultivators had different thoughts, they all showed respect when they approached Kang Dabao to talk.

However, Kang Dabao merely nodded casually in response to this enthusiasm. The hem of his black brocade robe swept across the jade steps, and the wind he stirred seemed to be wrapped in concentrated spiritual energy, causing the spiritual mist that had been floating in the hall to quietly retreat to the sides.

"This is nothing like an ordinary golden elixir!"

The cultivators who were able to enter this hall to offer their congratulations were quite discerning; how could they not see that Master Kang, who had been in seclusion for thirty years, had made further progress?

You must know that when he killed Pu Honggu, he was only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Now he has advanced even further. How many people below the True Person realm can compare to him?

Seeing this scene, Lian Xuepu was reluctant to look away. His heart was surging with emotion that could not be summed up by the words "greatly pleased" alone. However, just as his eyes began to feel moist, he saw that Kang Dabao was already close in front of him.

Seeing this, the Spring Breeze Envoy and the Burning Peach Envoy, who had come to offer their congratulations and were seated on the honored seats, looked at each other for a while, but they all saw some hesitation on each other's faces.

You should know that even though the hall was so lively before, these self-important people didn't bother to even look up.

But among the great sects like the Hehuan Sect, and among those who serve the True Man, how could one possibly find a fool among these Spring Breeze Envoys and Peach Burning Envoys?
At this point, even someone like Kang Dabao had come to the banquet, so regardless of the relationship between everyone and Lian Xuepu, it was difficult for them to ignore this younger generation.

Under Lian Xuepu's slightly smug gaze, the cultivators found Kang Dabao and respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings, Marquis Wuning."

As a cultivator from a Nascent Soul Grand Sect, he certainly had face. At this moment, Sect Leader Kang did not give perfunctory greetings. After confirming each person's name, he returned their greetings one by one, which was considered a proper greeting.

As soon as these formalities were completed, the members of the Hehuan Sect returned to their seats with their own thoughts.

Seeing that Lian Xuepu, who was already very favored by Master Jiangxue, had gained even more, they were naturally not in a good mood.

It should be known that being a male concubine is not an easy job.

Good skills, ample resources, and handsome appearance—these are all things outsiders know, but they are merely stepping stones to advancement. If one wants to keep the real person's favor, then one must work hard in other areas.

The Chongming Sect is nominally the head of the Huangpi Road, making it a crucial gateway among the three southwestern routes. Based on this relationship, the Hehuan Sect and the Chongming Sect can complement each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Chongming Sect had previously frequently sent prisoners of war to Hehuan Sect on the battlefield, which had greatly enhanced Lian Xuepu's reputation. Not to mention, Chongming Sect could provide assistance to Lian Xuepu in many other matters.

Therefore, Lian Xuepu can be more favored in front of the real person, but others will not have such convenience if they do not have external assistance.

However, at this time, regardless of any personal grudges these colleagues might have against Lian Xuepu, they all had to put on an act of sincerely wishing him a happy birthday.

With everyone in such high spirits, the birthday banquet lasted for a full ten days before the guests finally dispersed.

For most of the cultivators who came to offer their congratulations, Lian Xuepu's birthday celebration was a joyous occasion. Even insignificant figures like Bo and Nong, after just ten days of feasting, felt that they had undergone a complete transformation and were on the verge of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

Not to mention the connections he made during this period, which are invaluable outside, plus the benefits he has already gained, he might be able to soar to great heights soon after leaving the mountain.

However, while the guests outside had all left, all the younger generation from Chongmingzong who had come to offer their birthday wishes to Lianxuepu stayed behind.

"The previous time, the Master summoned me to ask when you would emerge from seclusion, so that he could send Lanxin over to discuss some official business with you." Lian Xuepu spoke with great enthusiasm, clearly feeling proud of himself.

"Last time, as soon as that female Taoist arrived, her eyes were practically glued to Senior Brother. It would be best if Senior Brother Ye could go and explain things to her again, so that the sisters-in-law wouldn't be so jealous and resentful at home."

There were no outsiders present, and Yuan Jin spoke without regard for etiquette, which made Headmaster Kang look somewhat embarrassed, a rare occurrence indeed.

Ye Zhengwen laughed when he heard this, but then he saw Kang Changxi huddled in a corner. He immediately became serious, patted Yuan Jin beside him, and whispered a warning: "Be careful that your sister-in-law finds out, or she'll make it hard for you to even step into your senior brother's courtyard."

“My nephew isn’t the type to snitch,” Yuan Jin said casually, patting Kang Changxi on the shoulder even though Kang Changxi had already formed his Golden Core, making Kang Changxi look very tired and beg for mercy repeatedly.

"Shut up, shut up! How can you speak such impolite and unruly words in front of your martial uncle?" Kang Dabao immediately straightened his face, and sighed inwardly.

In recent years, after the region was somewhat pacified, he, the Great Master Kang, had some interactions with many cultivators of the Hehuan Sect.

Indeed, as Yuan Jin said, all the female Daoists in this sect, regardless of age, seemed to have strange appearances. Upon seeing her, they all seemed to have some improper thoughts about her.
It was a shameful thing to talk about, and in the end, it was only through Lian Xuepu's investigation that he learned that his spiritual power was extremely pure, yet he had not given these women who were fond of yin-yang sexual relations a good tonic, which made him a target of covetousness.

At that moment, Sect Leader Kang felt a chill in his heart. It wasn't that he was afraid of Lan Xin, a cultivator of the same level, pressuring him, but rather that he was afraid that if True Person Jiang Xue wanted to change things up, he would be in trouble.
Fortunately, Lian Xuepu immediately helped him resolve his inner conflict, stating that the "Jiangrui Ningyuan Shuangcan Jue" cultivation method practiced by Jiang Xue Zhenren was based on the Yang Xue spiritual essence within Jiang Xue Zhenren's body, and required the selection of a man with "superior appearance, clear spiritual root, and pure Yang Qi and blood" as the ginseng cauldron.

Fortunately, during dual cultivation, she achieved spiritual resonance, transforming the "pure yang energy" within the man's body into her own yang snow true essence. This not only boosted her cultivation but also nourished her appearance and slowed down the aging of her Dao foundation.

Simply put, it is true that Headmaster Kang possesses pure spiritual energy, making him suitable for absorbing nourishment, but he does not fit the description of "superior appearance and clear spiritual root," meaning that his cultivation method does not match that of True Person Jiangxue. Therefore, there is no need to worry.

When Kang Dabao heard this, he didn't know whether to be happy or worried. So, after settling the affairs of the sect, he went into seclusion in peace.

The kindness of Master Huquan in nurturing Master Kang goes without saying, and the essence of his Nascent Soul was far purer than any other elixir the latter had ever obtained.

With the help of the three jade pendants, many of his obstacles were overcome without him having to fight, and like simmering soup over a low flame, he was able to integrate the essence of his nascent soul with his own spiritual power.

This allowed the Star Pattern Golden Core to gradually grow stronger over two or three decades, eventually breaking through the mid-stage bottleneck and firmly establishing itself in the late-stage Golden Core realm.

However, Kang Dabao would never again be able to appreciate the true feelings and kindness of Master Huquan, which is a regrettable matter.

However, after he emerges from seclusion this time, just as Yuan Jin said, many female Daoists from the Hehuan Sect will likely have designs on him, which will be another troublesome matter of them coming to his door.

Putting all these worries aside for now, since he has now advanced to the late-stage advanced cultivator, even the Fei family's Tianqin Ancestor might not be able to easily defeat him, he doesn't need to worry about being forced into a relationship.

After he left the pass, he asked Duan Anle, who was temporarily in charge of the clan affairs, many questions.

This disciple has been diligently cultivating for decades since the great war, and has now reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

At Duan Anle's age of 170, such progress is not considered fast. After all, he is not only inferior to his master, but also to many Golden Core bloodlines.

However, just considering his four spiritual roots and his solid foundation, he has become one of the most likely successors of the Great Sect Leader Kang to form a Golden Core, along with Kang Rongquan and Kang Changyi.

The three have already made some progress in their alchemical theories, and Kang Changyi has even failed to form his golden core once and is preparing to try again. It seems that as long as they find the right opportunity and a suitable spiritual object, forming their golden core may be possible within one or two decades. Besides the three mentioned above, if you count carefully, there are at least ten more disciples of Chongming Sect who are expected to form their golden cores, not including those who are plotting to create fake golden cores, which shows how prosperous the sect is.

The fact that Chongming Sect has risen from a precarious Qi cultivation sect that was on the verge of collapse for over a century to its current state is undoubtedly due to the scavenging skills of its leader, Master Kang.

In addition, the Chongming Sect has a small number of members, and the number of disciples that can be trained is far fewer than other sects. However, the resources controlled by the Chongming Sect are in a class of their own among the Golden Core sects in the vicinity.

Even though Kang, Yuan, and Jiang have all devoted themselves to cultivation and become hands-off managers in recent years, it is not surprising that the prosperity is due to the hard work of their disciples, such as Duan Anle and Kang Rongquan.

Ye Zhengwen roughly guessed that Kang Dabao had already inquired about all the matters concerning the sect before his arrival, so he didn't elaborate further and simply asked about a troubling matter:
"Does Senior Brother know about the Fei family?"

He had only spoken halfway when Lian Xuepu, who had been listening with a faint smile, suddenly changed color and hurriedly said:
"You scoundrel, are you trying to betray your master and ancestors? How could I possibly hear such news?! Go back to Yangmingshan and tell them. If I hear it, wouldn't that be harming me?!"

Having been scolded by his master, Ye Zhengwen dared not show the slightest anger. He chuckled awkwardly for a moment, then spoke slowly:
"Master, you're being overly cautious. There are countless eyes watching Yingzhou right now. If there's truly a conclusion about Ancestor Ye Sui's Nascent Soul formation, how could such important figures as True Person Jiang Xue be the ones who know about it later than us?"

After hearing this, Lian Xuepu's expression softened slightly, but he did not change his tone: "In any case, this matter is not to be discussed on my Qingxia Mountain."

"Don't worry, Uncle-Master, I know what's important."

Kang Dabao glared at Ye Zhengwen. This old man, now over two hundred years old, seemed to have lost much of his composure compared to his younger days.

As Lian Xuepu said, this confidential matter should not be mentioned outside. Even young children who attend private schools know the principle that "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger."

Not to mention that Lian Xuepu was serving Jiang Xue Zhenren, a notoriously unpredictable Nascent Soul cultivator from another path, so one can only imagine how much fear he must have felt.

Master Kang knew that his martial uncle probably had many hardships that he could not tell outsiders, and was definitely not as calm and collected as he appeared on the surface.

After hearing what Master Kang said, Lian Xuepu was finally relieved. He then took out a spirit ring and said softly:
"These are the various grades of pills that you have exchanged for the resources you have given me over the past ten years. The methods of alchemy used by the Hehuan Sect may have some strange aspects, but compared with ordinary heretical sects, they are still a righteous method."

However, it's difficult to completely trust everything. I know you all have a good relationship with that alchemist surnamed Luan from the Fei family. Perhaps you could ask him to appraise it, lest the alchemists from the Hehuan Sect tamper with it and you be harmed without even knowing it."

Before Master Kang could speak, Yuan Jin interrupted, saying, "Those valuables are all gifts to our martial uncle, why bother?"

Lian Xuepu waved his hand to interrupt him, then softly recited, "I was originally all alone. After leaving the sect, my family was still able to receive your care, all thanks to Da Bao, which allowed me to have disciples to inherit my mantle."

He paused here, his gaze falling on Ye Zhengwen, before continuing:

"What use is all this wealth to me, a person whose path has been severed? I might as well take advantage of the connections I still have within the Hehuan Sect and do more things to help you. In this way, I can atone for my sins when I face the Patriarch and Senior Brother Sect Leader in the future."

Even though it was Mingming's birthday, Lian Xuepu's words were extremely serious, prompting the usually taciturn Jiang Qing to step in and offer words of comfort: "Uncle-Master, you're exaggerating. Back then, you were just..."

Lian Xuepu shook his head for a while, dispelling all the comforting words in his ears, before turning to Kang Dabao and speaking earnestly:
"I will not touch these items presented by various families this time; I will exchange them for some treasures within the Hehuan Sect. Also, do not complain that the Golden Core cultivators of the Hehuan Sect you associate with have a worldly air about them."

Currently, the cultivators of Wumu Mountain have ceased their activities in the northern part of the mountain. In other words, apart from Fengming Prefecture, the northern part of the mountain is now dominated by the Hehuan Sect, which is unchallenged.

If you can become familiar with them, it will be of great benefit to the future development and growth of my Chongming Sect.

"Thank you for the reminder, Uncle-Master," Headmaster Kang replied solemnly, but Lian Xuepu shook his head repeatedly: "Your vision and skills far surpass mine, so why would you need an old and useless person like me to give you a reminder?"

Lian Xuepu stopped abruptly here, and after a long silence, as if he had made a great decision, he finally spoke: "But you should not treat the Hehuan Sect as an ordinary sect. Based on the bits and pieces of information I heard from the True Man."

The Joyful Union Sect of the David Immortal Dynasty, like the Myriad Treasures Trading Company, is perhaps just a branch that has fallen into the hands of a behemoth. Therefore, even if we cannot befriend them, we absolutely cannot afford to offend them!

"A branch?!" This news was quite shocking, even making the Grand Master Kang change color. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke up in a questioning voice: "Uncle-Master, are you saying that the main sect of the Joyful Union Sect is also a force on par with the Bitter Spirit Mountain?!"

Lian Xuepu's expression was not very firm, and he said in a calm voice, "I will just say it for now, and you can just listen for now. I may not be telling the whole story, but you should know the general idea and be careful, that's enough."

Upon hearing this, everyone realized the gravity of the situation if Lian Xuepu's words were true, and no one in the hall could still maintain a mocking expression.

Lian Xuepu, however, was unaccustomed to this serious scene. He laughed first and pointed at Yuan Jinyan, saying:
"There is a pill in this spiritual ring called 'Yunyu,' which means the rich and moist substance condensed from the clouds of immortals. Ancient books say, 'Yunyu floats in a cup, and drinking it refreshes the mind.'"

This was won by me during a game of chess with Lanxin. It's a mid-grade third-tier item, highly effective for calming the mind. After you return, have Bao-ge'er or Qing-ge'er help you refine it; it might dispel your inner demons and help you form your core.

"It's such a small matter, why should I trouble you, Uncle-Master!" Yuan Jin's face immediately showed gratitude, but Lian Xuepu sighed again:
"Why thank me? If it weren't for the supplies and people you brothers have provided to me over the years, how could I possibly have any face in front of someone like Lanxin Shangxiu?!"

This is indeed true. Over the years, Lian Xuepu and Chongmingzong have complemented each other, and neither side has been consistently gaining an advantage.

Kang Dabao and his fellow disciples thanked him, but Lian Xuepu did not respond, only focusing his gaze on Ye Zhengwen:

"Your aptitude is poor, and it is only by chance that you were able to form a foundation. Even now that my Chongming Sect has such abundant resources, there is still a chance of achieving a false core. You still have forty years of lifespan left. Do not focus on worldly affairs, but concentrate on your cultivation. It is not that you have no hope at all."

Ye Zhengwen was clearly hearing these earnest words before, but his expression didn't change much. He simply nodded in agreement, and the other cultivators were filled with mixed feelings.

"Enough. We've had our fill of fun. You're all important figures now, so you shouldn't linger here and delay important matters. Go, go."

Hearing Lian Xuepu's words so sincere, Kang Dabao and the others did not linger. After paying their respects to the handsome middle-aged man once more, they boarded a spirit boat and headed back to Yangming Mountain.

When they arrived, Fei Shuhe, who had already achieved the false elixir state, was greeting them at the door with a group of maids and concubines.

After thirty years of seclusion, Master Kang did not inquire about his family at all. He only chatted with his disciple Duan Anle for a while before going alone to Qingxia Mountain to offer birthday greetings, which actually angered his wife, Fei Shuhe.

Seeing his wife's expression, Kang Dabao immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly pushed the silent Kang Changxi to the front.

Ignoring his son's panic, he immediately spoke up in front of Fei Shuhe: "This kid is arrogant. After I came out of the pass, I heard Anle tell me that he was dissatisfied with the marriage he had arranged with the Han family of Yukun."

Just as the Ice Man was about to arrive, he secretly went to Qingxia Mountain with several of his senior uncles under the guise of offering birthday greetings—truly a betrayal of the Heavenly Gang!

Kang Changxi was surprised that he had been so easily sold out by his own father, and seeing his mother's brows furrow, he immediately felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.

Fortunately, Fei Shuhe was already familiar with the strategy of sacrificing pawns to save the king that Master Kang often used. Although Kang Changxi was glared at, he still managed to escape temporarily.

Fortunately, the head wife still gave Kang Dabao some face in front of her fellow disciples. After the latter forced a serious expression and gave a speech, Fei Shuhe dragged him to the inner quarters.

As for how to atone for one's sins, the only way is to sleep together under the same quilt.
Three hearts yearning for love, accumulated over thirty years, yet how much true essence would it take to suppress them?

Despite abandoning the path of the Buddha Mother Mingfei, Yuan Xiyue's figure became even more graceful. Her beautiful face, like that of a celestial being, clearly showed a compassionate expression, yet her mouth uttered nothing but vulgar and obscene words. This contrast was incredibly alluring, enough to make Headmaster Kang quite pleased.

Zhang Qingran's former dignified demeanor is gone. Once a young woman is willing to give you her heart, she is willing to do any lowly thing in the world for you.

He thought to himself that even the Crimson Snow Immortal might be tempted by him. Fei Shuhe, who was most favored by her two sisters, felt a sense of pride rising in her heart.

This made her face even more beautiful and her eyes even more captivating. Even Kang Dabao was so charmed by her lovely expression that he momentarily forgot about his business.

The room was scorching hot, like a furnace. The sweet voices only wore down the iron man's spirit. The Great Master Kang had not tasted meat for a long time, and he was reluctant to part with this tenderness. So he had a lazy thought in his mind: "All important matters can wait until tomorrow morning."

(End of this chapter)