Chapter 157: Choice, Value

Upon hearing that Lingtian Sect intended to massacre the Li Clan, Li Qingqiu’s expression turned cold.

He didn’t care about the Li Clan, but he was very displeased with such actions. If they wanted to deal with Qingxiao Sect, they could come for him directly. What was the meaning of involving innocents?

Zhang Yuchun then said, “Lingtian Sect’s actions must be based on something, but they don’t have absolute confidence against us.”

Li Qingqiu said, “Go find Shen Yue and have him replace Third Junior Brother.”

Zhang Yuchun nodded, immediately jumped off the cliff, and departed on his Flying Sword.

Li Qingqiu closed his eyes and continued to Cultivate the Soul-Snatching Flying Sword.

Early the next morning, Jiang Zhaoxia returned. Sensing his aura, Li Qingqiu emerged from his Immortal Cave and came to Lingxiao Courtyard, while simultaneously instructing Yuan Qi to summon Li Yang and Xu Ning.

“Senior Brother, what’s the rush?” Jiang Zhaoxia asked, his tone perplexed.

Li Qingqiu told him to sit down, then recounted Lingtian Sect’s actions. After listening, Jiang Zhaoxia’s expression remained unchanged, as if he truly had no connection to the Jiang Clan.

Li Qingqiu sighed and said, “In front of Senior Brother, you don’t need to feign composure. Senior Brother knows your pride; you indeed don’t want any involvement with the Jiang Clan, but it’s impossible for you to be completely unaffected by the Jiang Clan’s extermination.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxia’s face gradually darkened. He said, “I’ll go down the mountain. I can’t let them continue to act so recklessly.”

“Mm, you’ll go down the mountain tomorrow, but not alone.”

“Who else?”

“Li Yang will also go. Lingtian Sect is endangering the Li Clan, so he must contribute to his Family. Xu Ning will also go with them. She has already reached the Nourishing Origin Realm Eighth Layer, and she’ll take fifty True Disciples with her.”

Li Qingqiu said calmly, but his resolve was clear: Lingtian Sect must be annihilated!

Jiang Zhaoxia’s expression subtly changed upon hearing that Xu Ning had reached the Nourishing Origin Realm Eighth Layer, but he said nothing.

He also didn’t refuse Li Qingqiu’s arrangement. He understood that there was a different meaning between him annihilating Lingtian Sect alone and sending many Disciples.

This time, Li Qingqiu wanted the entire Martial Forest to feel the wrath of Qingxiao Sect.

“Jiang Nian is here. Do you want to go see him first? Anyway, you’re not leaving until tomorrow. Regardless, he is your brother after all,” Li Qingqiu asked, looking at Jiang Zhaoxia.

Jiang Zhaoxia subconsciously wanted to refuse, but seeing his Senior Brother’s gaze, he swallowed his words.

“Alright.”

Jiang Zhaoxia got up and left, not even asking where Jiang Nian was.

Li Qingqiu believed he could find him, so he didn’t call out to him.

An incense stick’s time later, Xu Ning flew into Lingxiao Courtyard, while Yuan Qi had not yet returned. Presumably, Xu Ning had rushed over from Ziyang Peak as soon as she received the news.

“Master, what is it?” Xu Ning asked with a slightly expectant tone.

She hadn’t gone down the mountain for a mission in a long time and was eager for action.

“Let’s wait until everyone is here,” Li Qingqiu replied. Upon hearing this, Xu Ning was no longer in a hurry and sat down beside him.

Master and Disciple sat in silence, waiting.

Another half an hour passed, and Yuan Qi finally entered the courtyard with Li Yang.

Traveling back and forth between the two mountain peaks left Yuan Qi a little breathless. Li Qingqiu wasn’t in a hurry for a moment, so he deliberately put him through this to motivate him to train harder in the future.

“Sect Leader, what is it?” Li Yang asked curiously.

These past few days, he hadn’t gone to the blessed land to Cultivate, but was practicing Spells on Qingxiao Mountain.

Li Qingqiu once again recounted Lingtian Sect’s actions, causing both of their expressions to change, and even Yuan Qi, who was nearby, was startled.

There was actually a School that dared to provoke Qingxiao Sect?

And so cruelly, completely an attitude of fighting to the death.

Li Yang was furious when he heard that Lingtian Sect was using the Li Clan to threaten Qingxiao Sect, but he was no longer the impulsive top scholar in martial arts he once was. He suppressed his anger and waited for the Sect Leader’s command.

“You two go prepare. Tomorrow morning, gather at the Spirit Control Hall. Hall Master Zhang will give you the intelligence on Lingtian Sect,” Li Qingqiu ordered.

Xu Ning and Li Yang nodded, then rose, bowed, and took their leave.

After they left, Li Qingqiu took out several papers from his Storage Pouch, on which were written the names of fifty True Disciples.

“Tell the Disciples on the list to also prepare for a mission. Tomorrow morning, gather at the Spirit Control Hall,” Li Qingqiu instructed Yuan Qi.

Yuan Qi took the lists, immediately bowed, and withdrew.

Li Qingqiu looked up at the peach tree in the courtyard and muttered, “martial arts myth, huh? I hope you’re truly that tough.”

…Another day passed.

The next day, at dawn, Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, and Li Yang led fifty True Disciples down the mountain. So many Disciples descending together made the Disciples who witnessed this scene very curious.

Close to noon, The Three Xiao Brothers were brought into the courtyard by Yuan Qi.

After Yuan Qi withdrew, Invincible Xiao curiously asked, “Sect Leader, why did so many True Disciples go down the mountain this morning?”

Xiao Wuqing frowned and said, “Big Brother, don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask.”

Li Qingqiu didn’t hide anything and explained the cause and effect of this operation, making the three brothers extremely angry, wishing they could go down the mountain themselves.

“There’s something I must tell you,” Li Qingqiu said seriously, looking at them.

“What is it?” Xiao Wuqing asked cautiously. He suddenly realized that the Sect Leader summoning them at this juncture might not be a good thing.

Li Qingqiu’s face was calm as he softly said, “Lingtian Sect’s Second Protector is named Xiao Wuhui.”

As soon as these words came out, the three brothers’ expressions all changed.

Xiao Wuqing quickly said, “Sect Leader, we have no connection with Lingtian Sect.”

Invincible Xiao then angrily said, “That beast Xiao Wuhui really doesn’t do good things! I didn’t expect him to join such a School!”

Xiao Wuming didn’t say a word, just stared fixedly at Li Qingqiu, his gaze so sharp that if Li Qingqiu didn’t know his destiny and loyalty, he would have thought he had an issue with him.

“I know this matter has nothing to do with you, but it has come to this. The grievances between Qingxiao Sect and Lingtian Sect are irreconcilable. If your father manages to escape, then so be it. If he dies, don’t blame me,” Li Qingqiu said seriously.

He liked to lay things out clearly to avoid any thorns in their hearts later on.

Invincible Xiao gritted his teeth and said, “Grandpa changed our names to the ‘Wu’ generation precisely because he didn’t want to acknowledge him as a son. Sect Leader, if this matter was led by him, even if the School decides to hunt him down, we will absolutely have no objections.”

In their memories, Xiao Wuhui’s appearance was already blurred. If Xiao Wuhui hadn’t left so early, how could their grandfather have died of illness?

If they hadn’t met True Man Qingxiao, they probably would still be in that village, living a dull and uninspired life.

“If the Sect Leader is worried, the three of us can abolish our cultivation and leave the mountain ourselves,” Xiao Wuming suddenly said.

Li Qingqiu rolled his eyes and said irritably, “Am I such a narrow-minded person? I’m telling you this to avoid misunderstandings later. Although the three of you haven’t formally acknowledged me as your Master, in my heart, you are no different from Disciples. I just hope you can understand me and not resent me.”

The Three Xiao Brothers all breathed a sigh of relief.

They weren’t afraid of being purged by Li Qingqiu; it was just that they truly couldn’t bear to leave their current life. Moreover, Lingtian Sect had actively provoked Qingxiao Sect and committed such heinous acts. They had no way to excuse Xiao Wuhui, nor did they want to.

“Alright, go down and train.”

“Yes!”

The three brothers quickly bowed to Li Qingqiu, then withdrew together.

Yuan Qi watched their retreating figures, deep in thought.

After they left Lingxiao Courtyard, Yuan Qi turned to Li Qingqiu and quietly asked, “Sect Leader, do you need me to have someone keep an eye on them?”

Li Qingqiu glared at him and said, “Even you think I’m that petty?”

Yuan Qi scratched his head, gave an awkward smile, and explained, “This has nothing to do with whether you’re petty or not. After all, it involves Family ties.”

“This is the Jianghu; conflicts between position and emotions are inevitable. It will be even more so on the path of cultivation. There will always be choices, and this is also a test for them,” Li Qingqiu said, shaking his head.

If The Three Xiao Brothers were to betray him because of this, he wouldn’t be angry; he would simply eliminate them.

In this life, he didn’t seek to accumulate great Karma, only to have a clear conscience.

Yuan Qi pondered Li Qingqiu’s words.

For some reason, he suddenly wondered if he and his brother would ever find themselves on opposing sides of the School. If so, how would he choose?

As soon as the thought emerged, he quickly shook his head. What was he thinking?

On the other side.

After leaving Lingxiao Courtyard, The Three Xiao Brothers fell silent.

Walking all the way to a deserted mountain forest, Xiao Wuqing stopped and said, “I don’t know what you two are thinking, but I want to stand with Qingxiao Sect, not just because I think Lingtian Sect is doomed to lose, but also because I like everything about Qingxiao Sect. I believe Qingxiao Sect can fulfill my ambitions, and I don’t want to let the Sect Leader down.”

Invincible Xiao turned to look at him, glaring, “Second Brother, what kind of talk is that? Do you think we should betray the School for that beast? How could we? A life for a life is only right and proper!”

The reason he called his father a beast was because his grandfather also called Xiao Wuhui that.

Xiao Wuming followed up, saying, “He became a Protector, yet never thought to find us. What father-son affection should we still harbor?”

Xiao Wuqing smiled and said, “Perhaps he didn’t look for us due to some unspeakable difficulty, but please remember, no matter who comes to find us on his behalf in the future, even if it’s him personally, no matter how pitiful or unavoidable the reason, we must not soften. From now on, we might become weapons for him and Lingtian Sect to use against Qingxiao Sect.”

Invincible Xiao and Xiao Wuming nodded.

Despite their words, the three brothers still felt a little uneasy, because they didn’t know how the Sect Leader truly viewed them.

However, in the days that followed, Li Qingqiu continued to guide them in Cultivation and instruct them in practicing Spells, just as before, as if the matter of Xiao Wuhui never happened. This put the three brothers at ease and made them even more grateful to Li Qingqiu.

If they were in his shoes, they honestly would find it hard not to harbor resentment… Late at night, a bonfire glowed in the mountain forest.

Xue Jin and a young boy sat opposite each other by the bonfire. The boy looked only twelve or thirteen years old, holding a pancake in his hand. He occasionally looked up at Xue Jin, his eyes filled with worry.

Xue Jin was meditating, his sword sheath standing beside him, deeply embedded in the soil. He was circulating his Qi to heal his injuries, his face slightly pale.

“Senior, why don’t you leave alone? You don’t have to take me,” the boy said, gritting his teeth.

Xue Jin didn’t open his eyes and said, “Saving you isn’t just because you’re pitiful, but also because you have value. Perhaps our Sect Leader can make use of you.”