Dongting Immortal Clan

Old Zhang was the first to react, and quickly gave Chen Xiaohu a wink, as if reminding him to kneel down and become his disciple.

Chen Xiaohu then came to his senses, bent his knees, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed three times.

His mind was blank; all he knew was to kowtow. When he finished kowtowing and raised his head, there was a mud stain on his forehead and his eyes were red.

"Disciple Chen Xiaohu kowtows to his revered teacher!"

Chen Xiaohu's voice trembled slightly, but his words were still clear.

Zhou Yan nodded slightly, and with a slight lift of his hand, Chen Xiaohu felt as if a pair of large hands were supporting him from his knees, helping him up.

"Don't rush to become an apprentice."

He chuckled softly and then said:

"I have only just come down from the mountain and am busy with worldly affairs. I really don't have time to teach you cultivation. In a few days, when people from the sect come to recruit disciples, you can return to the sect with them."

"I will give you a letter in advance. Once the elders of your sect see it, they will arrange a master for you."

At this point, Zhou Yan flipped his hand and took out a palm-sized brocade pouch from his sleeve, handing it over.

The brocade pouch was blue with cloud patterns embroidered on it. It was very light, but Chen Xiaohu could feel something inside that was slightly warm.

"Among these is a bottle of 'Nourishment Pill,' which can help you solidify your foundation and shorten the time required to enter the third realm, Jade Spring."

"There is also a 'Pulse-Regenerating Ointment,' which is specifically designed to repair damaged meridians."

As he spoke, Zhou Yan looked at Chen Changhe.

"I observe that your second brother's meridians are damaged; this medicine should be effective for him."

Chen Changhe was stunned for a moment, then his body trembled, his eyes instantly reddened, and he took a deep breath and said:

"Many thanks to the Immortal Master for his great kindness!"

Zhou Yan hummed in agreement, then took out a small cloth bag from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Chuansheng.

The bag wasn't big, but it was bulging, and something was inside.

Chen Chuansheng took the cloth bag, opened it, and found several handfuls of grains, each grain plump and white, not the golden yellow of ordinary rice, but jade-white, gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

"These are seeds from the White Jade Valley."

Zhou Yan smiled and explained:

"The Taixu Sect has supported many cultivation families in various places. These families are responsible for collecting spiritual items and gathering information for the sect. In return, the sect bestows upon them cultivation techniques, elixirs, and spiritual seeds to help them cultivate."

"Since your Chen family has the foundation for cultivation and guards the spirit clams in the lake, why not become a cultivation family under my sect and retrieve spirit clams for the Taixu Sect in Dongting Lake?"

"Hand over the spirit clams you catch to the sect, and the sect will give you the appropriate reward."

Chen Chuansheng's hands were trembling.

He held the bag of spirit grain seeds as if they were a rare treasure, handling them with utmost care, afraid of dropping even a single seed.

"Immortal Master...this..."

His voice trembled; he didn't know what to say.

"No need for such formalities."

Zhou Yan waved his hand and said in a normal voice:

"Our Taixu Sect has always been fair in its rewards and punishments; this is the rule, not a favor."

"You work for the sect, and the sect provides you with resources. It's a fair trade, and everyone gets what they need."

"As for this token—"

Zhou Yan then took out a black iron token from his sleeve. It was about the size of a palm, with the words "Tai Xu" engraved on the front and cloud patterns and a small magic array engraved on the back.

"Bearing this token means you are a family recognized by the Taixu Sect. Any rogue cultivator within a hundred miles will have to give you some face when they see this token."

Chen Chuansheng took the token with both hands, held it in his palms, lowered his head, and stared at the two characters on the token for a long time.

At this moment, Chen Dajiang, who had been silent all along, looked at Zhou Yan and suddenly spoke:

"Immortal Master, will that thing in the lake... ever return?"

He had a vivid memory of that day, when he was almost killed by something in the lake. How could he not hold a grudge?

Zhou Yan glanced at him and felt that this man's blood and energy were incredibly robust, unlike someone who had just ignited his inner fire. He even possessed a certain air of having refined the Jade Spring. After a moment of silence, he said:

"I have searched the lake for a long time, but I have not found any trace of it."

"Perhaps he was injured and hid in deep water, or perhaps he followed the current and went into the river."

"Immortal Master".

Chen Changhe frowned, a look of fear on his face, and said:

"To be honest, my body was injured by that thing's yin energy."

"Today it fears your majesty, Immortal Master, and dares not show itself. But if it returns to the lake after you leave, we will be no match for it, and wouldn't that delay our mission to retrieve the spirit clams for our sect..."

"If this thing is not eliminated, there will be no peace on Dongting Lake."

……

Zhou Yan pondered again upon hearing this.

Logically speaking, as an outer sect steward of the Taixu Sect, he was in charge of the Yunmeng area, and Dongting Lake was his subordinate territory. Since there were evil spirits causing trouble in the lake, it was his responsibility to deal with them.

The problem is that I have been patrolling the lake for a long time, but I have not seen the legendary monster, nor have I detected any strange aura.

"This Dongting Lake is no ordinary lake; it is a remnant of an ancient marshland, connecting three rivers and four streams, and is related to countless waterways."

"Logically speaking, since the Immortal Dynasty cast the Twelve Golden Men to suppress the world, every prefecture in the world has been protected by a powerful immortal. All demons and evil spirits have been subdued and killed. Even if a few are missed, they only dare to live in the wilderness and dare not show themselves again."

"In the direction from Dongting Lake to Yunmeng Marsh, there is a Dongting Pass. Although ancient demons dwell in the marsh, there are also great immortals guarding the pass, so it is impossible for any demons to come out from there."

"Since it did not come from the Great Swamp, then this monster must be something from the river. I wonder what kind of spirit it is that has gained power and traveled upstream to reach Dongting Lake."

These were the only guesses Zhou Yan could make.

He paused, then said to the Chen family members:

"Since you encountered that creature in the lake and only suffered some injuries, it's likely that the creature's cultivation level wasn't very high, at most only at the early stage of Qi Refining."

"As an outer sect steward, it is inconvenient for me to stay here for a long time."

"Then I will give you three more things, in case you need them."

As he spoke, he flipped his palm and took out three more treasures from his sleeve.

One of them was a jade slip, with a faint bluish hue, and nearly a foot long.

Zhou Yan handed the item to Chen Changhe and said solemnly:

"This jade slip contains a Water Element Profound Technique, which can be cultivated up to the fourth level of the Golden Marrow Realm. It also records more than ten kinds of major and minor spells. Although they are not very powerful, they are very practical."

"This box of cold iron can be arranged into an array, which has the ability to stabilize and disrupt water veins. When used in conjunction with this water measuring ruler, it should have a miraculous effect."

He handed over the other two items at the same time.

One of them was a jade box containing more than ten pieces of cold iron.

The other was a metal ruler of unknown material, with a dark luster and looking quite old.

Zhou Yan paused, looked at Chen Xiaohu, and said solemnly:

"Since you have decided to join my Taixu Sect, you must know that you must cultivate diligently without ceasing, and you must not be lazy or seek comfort."

"Once you have completed your cultivation, if the monster in this lake is still there, the sect will send you to deal with it personally. At that time, whether you want to take revenge or rid the people of this scourge, it is up to you."

Chen Xiaohu clenched his fist and nodded forcefully.

"Alright then."

After Zhou Yan finished giving his instructions, azure clouds immediately rose from beneath his feet, and he soared into the air once more.

"That's all for today. I'll go take another look at the lake. Remember to come to Yunmeng City in seven days, and don't miss the day to join the sect."

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Immortal Master!"

The people in the courtyard immediately bowed in thanks and respectfully saw Zhou Yan off.

In the blink of an eye, the figure had disappeared into the sky.