Chapter 49 Ghosts, Five-Year Plan

Harvest?

Li Qingqiu first thought of Bai Ninger; had the lucky guy made a breakthrough?

He stood up and followed Li Sifeng. Yuan Li, holding the Thousand Spirit Fruit, also stood up and followed behind them.

“First, tell me about your experiences down the mountain,” Li Qingqiu asked Li Sifeng, tilting his head.

Li Sifeng was now taller than his shoulder, almost reaching his earlobe, which made Li Qingqiu feel a bit emotional.

This kid can finally stand on his own.

“It was smooth sailing, punishing evil, and making a name for ourselves. There’s nothing much to say. It was just bandit suppression; we didn’t encounter many masters at all,” Li Sifeng said indifferently. This experience was far less exciting than the previous Martial Arts Assembly trip, but unlike before, he was the leader of the team, and his sense of accomplishment was quite strong.

At this moment, a group of Disciples carrying large boxes walked into the courtyard entrance, and Li Qingqiu and Li Sifeng stopped.

Cheng Canghai followed them in, looking at Li Qingqiu and excitedly saying, “Sect Leader, come take a look, so much wealth!”

They carried in a total of three large boxes, each requiring two people to lift, indicating their considerable weight.

Li Dongyue and Wu Maner walked behind. Compared to their gains, Li Dongyue was more concerned about whether Wu Maner was injured.

Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow and asked, “Where did all this wealth come from? Don’t tell me it was a reward from the government; I don’t believe it.”

Li Sifeng stepped forward, opened a large box, and said with a proud smile, “It was obtained from suppressing bandits. Those mountain bandits were truly rich, but they were wanted and dared not spend it.”

Li Qingqiu walked to the large box and looked inside. It was filled with copper coins, gold, silver, jewels, and some scrolls and books, all of which looked very valuable.

He continued to walk over and inspect the other two large boxes. The remaining two boxes also contained wealth. The Disciples who had gone down the mountain with Li Sifeng to suppress bandits all looked at Li Qingqiu expectantly, hoping for his praise.

Seeing that Li Qingqiu’s expression hadn’t changed much, Li Sifeng thought his Senior Brother was displeased, so he asked, “Senior Brother, is something amiss?”

“All this wealth was plundered by the mountain bandits from the common people and families; it is ill-gotten gains,” Li Qingqiu said.

These words made the Disciples’ hearts sink, and Li Sifeng became even more anxious.

“What do the evil deeds of the mountain bandits have to do with us? Senior Brother, you’re not going to make us return it, are you? Although our martial arts are powerful, and killing mountain bandits is like cutting melons and vegetables, this journey also involved risking our lives!” Li Sifeng said, wide-eyed, voicing the thoughts of the other Disciples.

Li Qingqiu rolled his eyes at him, annoyed, “Return it? Return it where? Return it to the government, and it’ll probably be embezzled. Later, I’ll have your Second Senior Brother inventory it, take two-thirds of the wealth, and bring it down the mountain in batches to exchange for grain and cloth, which will be given to the common people around the Taikun Mountain Range to establish a good reputation for the Qingxiao Sect. This is what we deserve, and it is your contribution.”

“Each of you can choose one item from here as a reward.”

Upon hearing this, the Disciples were immediately delighted and bowed in thanks to Li Qingqiu.

The Sect Leader’s words were very straightforward, but they didn’t dislike them. They could support the School in doing good deeds, but they couldn’t do so without expecting anything in return, especially since this wealth was obtained at great risk.

Li Qingqiu took an ancient bronze mirror from one of the large boxes, then stepped aside, raising his hand to signal the Disciples to start choosing.

Li Sifeng did not participate in the Disciples’ scramble. He walked to Li Qingqiu’s side and whispered, “Senior Brother, isn’t two-thirds a bit much?”

“Two-thirds might seem like a lot, but when distributed among the villages and towns around the Taikun Mountain Range, it’s not much. To achieve great things, one cannot be petty. Moreover, this wealth was an unexpected gain; it comes from the people and should be returned to the people.”

Li Qingqiu said indifferently. The Qingxiao Sect before was not short of money, at least enough to cover daily expenses and various construction plans.

Furthermore, distributing this wealth could attract a continuous stream of Disciples to the Qingxiao Sect. In the long run, it wouldn’t be a loss.

Only with more Disciples would the chance of a Genius appearing be greater. In the past six months, the cultivation Aptitude of new Disciples had been very low, and he had to follow Zhang Yuchun’s advice to expand their reputation and attract more people to join the Qingxiao Sect.

Li Sifeng pouted. Hearing his Senior Brother put it that way, he could only give up.

Li Qingqiu leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Next time you go down the mountain, continue to bring Bai Ninger. I think that kid is quite spiritual. When you have time, give him more guidance.”

After speaking, Li Qingqiu patted Li Sifeng’s shoulder, then picked up Yuan Li and walked towards the long table not far away.

Upon hearing this, Li Sifeng looked at Bai Ninger with a strange expression. Bai Ninger, being small, was squeezed between two Disciples, with only half his body visible, looking quite comical.

He hadn’t noticed anything extraordinary about this kid, but since it was Senior Brother who personally brought him up, he would naturally pay more attention in the future.

After putting Yuan Li down, Li Qingqiu returned to his room alone.

Li Sifeng’s gains from this trip were indeed significant, but the true gain was not the wealth, but the mirror Li Qingqiu had just picked up.

Back in the room, Li Qingqiu closed the door, then sat at his desk and took out the ancient bronze mirror from his embrace.

This mirror emitted a faint aura of lingering souls.

If not for Li Qingqiu cultivating the Soul Capturing Incantation, it would have been difficult to detect, let alone for Li Sifeng, whose cultivation was lower.

The Soul Capturing Incantation was not a simple Spell, and since Li Qingqiu only cultivated it occasionally, he hadn’t fully mastered it yet. The benefit of cultivating the Soul Capturing Incantation was that it made his perception of soul bodies more sensitive.

This ancient bronze mirror looked unremarkable, even somewhat old, with an unclear surface.

He did not rashly inject Origin Qi into the mirror but silently ran the Soul Capturing Incantation Mind-Cultivation Technique, his gaze fixed on the mirror surface.

In a trance, he saw a white-clothed woman with disheveled hair, bare feet, lying in the darkness within the mirror, which startled him, and he quickly withdrew his gaze.

There really is a ghost?

This was not the first time Li Qingqiu had encountered a Magical Artifact, which indicated that cultivators once existed on this land. As for why they were no longer seen, he did not know.

He thought it over and decided not to alert the enemy for now, because he couldn’t determine how strong the ghost in the mirror was, at least she was still in a state of slumber.

He got up and placed the bronze mirror by the windowsill, just out of direct sunlight.

After placing the bronze mirror, Li Qingqiu left the room.

The sunlight outside the window gradually dimmed until night fell, and the bronze mirror completely plunged into darkness… The Lunar New Year arrived once again. Compared to previous years, the Qingxiao Sect had some new faces, so the festival became livelier each year.

Killing chickens and pigs, firecrackers booming, this year’s celebration was much grander than last year, allowing all Disciples of the School to feel the intentions of the higher-ups.

After three days of revelry, Jiang Zhaoxia and Li Sifeng each led a team down the mountain; one team sought revenge, and the other performed acts of chivalry.

Once they left, the Qingxiao Sect suddenly became quiet.

At noon, in a forest, nine Disciples stood in a row before Li Qingqiu, all looking excited, their gazes fixed on him.

These nine Disciples were the ones whose martial arts had improved the fastest throughout the previous year. Li Qingqiu would fulfill his promise and transmit to them the First Layer Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Hunyuan Scripture.

“The Hunyuan Scripture is the unique absolute art of the Qingxiao Sect. Cultivating the First Layer of the Hunyuan Scripture qualifies one to become a True Disciple. I will not demand how long it takes you to Cultivate it; even if you achieve the First Layer thirty years from now, I will still transmit the Second Layer Mind-Cultivation Technique to you. One thing must be remembered: the Hunyuan Scripture must not be transmitted externally. Even if you go down the mountain and start a Family in the future, you must not pass it on to your descendants. If the Qingxiao Sect discovers that someone not on record has learned the Hunyuan Scripture, no matter where they are, the Qingxiao Sect will pursue and kill them until death.”

Li Qingqiu said solemnly, and these words calmed the nine Disciples.

“Of course, if your children wish to Cultivate the Hunyuan Scripture in the future, you can recommend them to join the Qingxiao Sect and openly receive the Legacy, understand?”

Li Qingqiu’s tone softened, and he spoke earnestly.

Once more people cultivated the Hunyuan Scripture, it would eventually spread. All he could do was set rules in advance.

He would only transmit the Hunyuan Scripture layer by layer, ensuring that no one could surpass him without his knowledge.

Seeing that the Disciples were a bit scared, Li Qingqiu stopped talking nonsense and began to teach the Hunyuan Scripture Mind-Cultivation Technique and instruct them on sitting in meditation to absorb Qi.

The Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer, grants one the qualification to roam the Jianghu.

The Nourishing Origin Realm, Second Layer allows one to dominate an area, like Yang Jueding.

The Nourishing Origin Realm, Third Layer, allows one to contend with anyone in the Guzhou Prefecture Martial Forest.

Li Qingqiu’s current goal was to Cultivate one hundred Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer cultivators for the Qingxiao Sect within five years.

This goal was not easy to achieve; for many, the Nourishing Origin Realm, First Layer, was an insurmountable chasm.

Li Qingqiu only taught them for two days, then sent these nine Disciples to Cultivate on their own.

The nine Disciples had different friends, and they would all be asked about this privately. Their lips were sealed; they did not reveal the Hunyuan Scripture, but they proved that the Sect Leader had not lied: as long as they diligently practiced martial arts while completing their own tasks, they would have the opportunity to access the School’s unique absolute art.

Ever since Li Sifeng led people down the mountain, Zhang Yuchun had remained in the School, no longer going out. He began to strictly manage and Cultivate his own management team, saving Li Qingqiu a lot of worry.

When the winter snow completely melted, people began to come up the mountain seeking medical treatment, and the Qingxiao Sect’s reputation had spread around the Taikun Mountain Range.

On this day, the wealthy man Liu Fanzhou, who built roads for the Qingxiao Sect, came again.

Li Qingqiu, Zhang Yuchun, and Li Dongyue personally received him and also invited his daughter, Liu Yan, to join them in the hall for a discussion.

Seeing that Liu Yan’s physique was much stronger than before and her complexion was rosy, Liu Fanzhou was even happier. Upon learning that Liu Yan had become Li Dongyue’s Disciple, Liu Fanzhou immediately took out a jade pendant and presented it to Li Dongyue as a formal apprenticeship gift.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Liu Fanzhou finally sat down and spoke of current affairs.

“Sect Master Li, I have inquired about something, and your Qingxiao Sect should prepare early,” Liu Fanzhou said seriously, his expression straightening.

Li Qingqiu smiled and asked, “What is it?”

Liu Fanzhou did not keep them in suspense and continued, “The rebel armies in various parts of the world have been suppressed, and various prefectures are still actively suppressing bandits. This catastrophe, which lasted for several years, has thoroughly awakened the Emperor. The Great Li Dynasty empire is too vast, and there are always places that the imperial court and prefectures cannot manage. The Emperor is preparing to invite Martial Forest masters from various Schools across the land to the imperial palace for a discussion. It is said that he intends to establish official positions for Martial Forest Schools to protect the people on behalf of the imperial court.”