After cutting the Gordian knot and punishing Duanmu Ren, Li Chengxuan returned to Mount Taixuan.
Inside the General Affairs Hall, an acquaintance was already waiting.
"It has been a long time, Daoist Li."
Immortal Alliance Deacon Xue Yang took a sip of tea, sizing Li Chengxuan up and down with astonishment. "How long has it even been? Daoist, you have already reached mid-stage Qi Refining! Congratulations are truly in order."
Li Chengxuan shook his head and sighed. "To be frank with you, Daoist Xue, this breakthrough not only exhausted my mental strength, but even used up our sect's bottom-of-the-chest precious pills."
"I was truly forced by circumstances."
"A chaotic situation is coming. If I do not break through as quickly as possible, how can I gain a foothold in Nanya Province?!"
Xue Yang nodded secretly to himself; put that way, it did make sense. He smiled reassuringly and said, "Daoist, there is no need to worry. With the Immortal Alliance here, and with my Qixia Mountain standing tall, the sky over Nanya Province will not collapse."
Li Chengxuan naturally would not refute him, nodding as if accepting the advice.
Xue Yang was a core figure on Qixia Mountain as well. He had naturally not come to Mount Taixuan just to chat, but to conduct routine inspections of the various sects.
Mount Taixuan was relatively special.
Under its jurisdiction was a New Method sect from the Central Continent: the Qingyun Sect.
Xue Yang let out a sigh, speaking with deep worry, "I specially went to take a look at the Qingyun market, and it was truly an eye-opener."
"Inside the market, pills, talismans, artifacts, and arrays are all readily available."
"In particular, the Qingyun Sect possesses the method of spiritual farming. Without needing to fight or kill, they can gather rogue cultivators and harvest them—a truly brilliant maneuver."
"Those spiritual farmers lease spiritual fields to cultivate, and more than half of the output must be handed over, making them no different from mortal tenant farmers and serfs. How is there even a trace of a cultivator's demeanor?"
"Yet those rogue cultivators indulge in it endlessly, even feeling deeply grateful to the Qingyun Sect."
"What a baffling piece of absurdity."
Li Chengxuan did not find it strange at all upon hearing this.
At the end of the day, the Qingyun Sect had given mortal martial artists with no way to enter the Dao and down-and-out rogue cultivators with no hope of cultivation something inconspicuous yet extraordinarily precious.
Hope!
By working hard at farming to earn spirit stones, even if one had no spiritual root, one could still rely on pills to refine the body and become a New Method Qi Refining cultivator.
Even if their Dao path ended there, returning to the mortal world would be enough to guarantee a lifetime of glory, wealth, and prosperity.
Not to mention that when cultivators mated, the probability of producing offspring with spiritual roots increased greatly.
Naturally, this drew rogue cultivators like moths to a flame.
However, since the Qingyun Sect generously shared thirty percent of the market's revenue with Mount Taixuan, they naturally would not fail to share with the Immortal Alliance.
To be precise, it was shared with the Xue family, who held power over the Immortal Alliance.
Although Xue Yang complained verbally, making an appearance at the market was already tantamount to giving his endorsement.
Mount Taixuan had some heritage and possessed few cultivators on the mountain, so it did not care about the market's revenue.
The Xue family controlled the Immortal Alliance and even possessed an ancestral secret realm, so they cared even less.
Seeing that Li Chengxuan's expression remained calm and he wasn't calling for blood against the market, Xue Yang dropped the topic and shifted to another matter instead: "At the foot of Mount Taixuan, I also ran into members of the Chu family blocking my way, begging me to punish rioting cultivators, but I chased them away."
"Does Daoist know the inside story?!"
Li Chengxuan glanced at Xue Yang and nodded slightly. "I know roughly. Master mentioned it in the past."
Pausing for a moment, he added, "When Master was still alive, he despised the Chu family and strictly ordered Mount Taixuan disciples not to meddle in mortal secular affairs."
"I shall not disobey Master's command."
"So that is how it is." Xue Yang nodded in sudden realization, then smiled and said, "When passing by the White Dragon River, I encountered someone gathering qi by the riverbank. What an exceptionally dense aura of 【Kan Water】!"
"I originally intended to bring him back to Qixia Mountain, but only after asking did I learn he is actually your esteemed disciple!"
"Daoist, your blessings are profound indeed, and Mount Taixuan's fortune flourishes!"
"To think it was such a coincidence?!" Li Chengxuan smiled upon hearing this and let out a sigh. "My disciple wasted too much time in the mortal world, missing the optimal age for cultivation."
"His future Dao path will likely be even more arduous than mine."
"Daoist, stop being overly modest, and do not treat me, Xue, as blind or foolish." Xue Yang set down his teacup with a look of displeasure. "I saw with my own eyes that not only was his aura dense, but his character and disposition were extraordinarily refined."
"That qi-gathering method was so profound and subtle that even I could not see through it."
"Oh?!" Li Chengxuan was somewhat surprised and hastily asked with concern, "Ever since he went down the mountain to gather qi, I have been deeply worried."
"Daoist Xue, please tell me in detail..."
...
Mount Yandang had grown much quieter.
Deng Gang had risen in rebellion, taking away most of the young and strong men from the foot of the mountain.
After the rebel army took Yandang Prefecture with irresistible momentum, the surviving men returned to take their relatives to settle in the prefecture capital.
Next, seeing that the general situation had settled, many disaster refugees returned to their hometowns one after another.
Most of those left behind were the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, who had no one to rely on and nowhere to go.
Deng Gang possessed a deep sense of loyalty and righteousness; he did not abandon them to their fate, but instead periodically sent people to deliver grain.
With Liu Zhijian and Elder Luo looking after them as well, the old and weak at the foot of the mountain were safe from harm and had plenty to eat and wear.
Liu Zhijian had undergone no real change, remaining focused on fishing as before.
"Is fishing really that fun?"
Jiang Xiaoyu was very puzzled. Cocking her head, she looked at Liu Zhijian. "You go every day. Don't you get tired of it?!"
Liu Zhijian froze, momentarily at a loss for how to answer.
Fishing was the only thing he liked and the only thing he was good at. How could he ever get tired of it?!
Liu Zhijian could not even imagine a scenario where he was not fishing.
Without fishing, wouldn't his life be a complete blank, devoid of all meaning?
Liu Zhijian smiled and shook his head. "No."
Jiang Xiaoyu did not believe him, begging Liu Zhijian to take her along to try fishing.
The waters of the White Dragon River were deep and the winds strong, with rugged rocks littering the bank, making it somewhat dangerous for Jiang Xiaoyu.
Liu Zhijian naturally refused.
Unable to resist Jiang Xiaoyu's constant pleading, however, he obtained Elder Luo's permission, crafted a small fishing rod for her, and brought her to a shallow bank by the river.
Jiang Xiaoyu excitedly began fishing.
Yet she quickly lost her patience; before even a quarter-hour had passed, she abandoned the rod and went off to play with snail shells.
Liu Zhijian was helpless and could only take her back.
At the foot of Mount Yandang, quite a few figures of soldiers had appeared.
Near the thatched cottage halfway up the mountain, there were even armored elites.
"Brother Liu!"
Deng Gang wore a set of bright armor, appearing mighty and majestic, radiating dominant charisma. Looking at the fishing rod and basket in Liu Zhijian's hands, he could not help but laugh. "I still remember the days outside Danzhou City when we drank warm wine and talked freely after fishing."
"Looking back now, it truly feels like a lifetime ago."
Liu Zhijian smiled and nodded upon hearing this, though he did not share such profound sentiments.
Whether outside Danzhou City or at the foot of Mount Yandang, it was merely changing the location where he fished.
Deng Gang knew Liu Zhijian's temperament and did not mind. Turning slightly to step aside, he introduced, "Brother Liu, this is my wife, Qiao Yuniang. While I charge in the front, it is thanks to her holding down the rear."
He then introduced Liu Zhijian: "Yuniang, this is Brother Liu Zhijian whom I often mention to you. Not only do our temperaments align, but he also saved my life!"
The smile on Liu Zhijian's face broadened slightly as he nodded. "Yuniang manages military affairs with great hardship; you truly prove that women are equal to men."
Qiao Yuniang was dignified and elegant. Even when smiling, she possessed an air of authority, clearly coming from a distinguished background. "Brother Liu flatters me; I hardly deserve such praise."
Reuniting with good friends naturally called for a long, pleasant chat.
Qiao Yuniang was indeed a virtuous wife, having prepared wine and dishes early on.
Liu Zhijian's life was monotonous and plain, a simple routine between two points: going down the mountain daily to fish and coming back up to sleep.
Deng Gang's experiences, on the other hand, were exceedingly thrilling.
Whether dodging successive assassinations by Huang Kingdom cultivators or slaying enemy generals in battle to breach fortified cities, each feat called for a large cup of wine in celebration.
Deng Gang's return to Mount Yandang this time was, of course, not merely to show off Qiao Yuniang, but primarily to invite Liu Zhijian to join his great cause.
In the past, when he had been penniless and empty-handed, Liu Zhijian had refused despite all his earnest entreaties.
Now he commanded a vast army with fierce generals, backed by the full support of the Qingyun Sect's Qiao family; destroying the Huang Kingdom was only a matter of time.
Surely Liu Zhijian wouldn't refuse now, would he?!
"Thank you for valuing me so highly, Brother Deng." Liu Zhijian shook his head without the slightest hesitation. "However, my ambitions truly do not lie in this."
Deng Gang's expression shifted slightly, his gaze turning somewhat gloomy.
"The wine has grown a bit cold."
Qiao Yuniang had been pouring wine and serving food at the side. Reaching out, she took the flask from Liu Zhijian's hands. "I shall have someone warm it up."
Deng Gang, having been tempered by experience after all, managed a strained smile and nodded. "Thank you, my wife."
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