Though Zhang Yu had tried to raise his price at the last minute, Li Qingqiu agreed. He planned to observe the man's teaching ability first. If he turned out to be incompetent, Li Qingqiu could always send him away later.
That evening during dinner, Li Qingqiu announced that from the next day onward, every disciple would attend Zhang Yu's lessons. Classes would be held on the newly cleared ground below the mountain gate, and no one was allowed to skip.
So the next morning, after martial training ended, everyone except Li Qingqiu went to attend class. Even Yang Jueding joined, curious to see whether this self-proclaimed scholar was truly worth the money.
In his eyes, Zhang Yu's price had been outrageously high.
Since being appointed Martial Arts Elder, Yang Jueding had started to look at things from the perspective of the Qingxiao Sect as a whole—always weighing the sect's benefit above personal feelings.
By noon, when Li Qingqiu returned to the courtyard, he listened to his junior brothers and sisters share their impressions. To his surprise, their evaluation of Zhang Yu was overwhelmingly positive. They said his lessons were interesting and lively. Even Yang Jueding admitted that "the man actually has some learning in him."
Hearing that, Li Qingqiu finally felt at ease.
Still, no matter how good a teacher was, students would eventually grow tired of lessons.
A month passed in a blink.
That day, Li Qingqiu led Xu Ning up the mountain. They had gone to the Underground Spiritual Lake, where Xu Ning had successfully advanced to the second layer of the Nurturing Essence realm. Her small face glowed with pride, her joy impossible to hide.
When they reached the clearing below the mountain gate, Li Qingqiu spotted Zhang Yu teaching five disciples.
"I'm very pleased with your eagerness to learn," Zhang Yu was saying sternly. "But don't follow that rascal Li Sifeng's example. That boy will suffer sooner or later because of his mischievous nature."
Hearing this from afar, Li Qingqiu immediately knew what had happened—Li Sifeng had probably pranked Zhang Yu again.
Ever since they'd grown familiar, Li Sifeng had taken to teasing him constantly, mocking him for being "a weak scholar" who didn't practice martial arts.
Indeed, Zhang Yu had never trained in combat. He claimed that his master, the Hermit of Nine Veins, had forbidden him to do so. "If you learn the Art of Stealing Heaven," his teacher had said, "you must never practice martial strength." And he had obeyed that command faithfully ever since.
Li Qingqiu shot Xu Ning a quick glance. She understood immediately, and together they tiptoed quietly around behind Zhang Yu.
But Zhang Yu caught sight of them out of the corner of his eye. His face lit up, and he hurriedly waved. "Sect Master! I have something to discuss with you!"
Li Qingqiu pretended not to hear and strode up the steps quickly, with Xu Ning following right behind him. Master and disciple disappeared through the mountain gate, leaving Zhang Yu standing awkwardly in mid-sentence.
Suppressing a sigh, Zhang Yu dropped his hand and forced himself to maintain his scholarly composure. In front of the disciples, he couldn't lose his temper or utter any crude words.
Meanwhile, Li Qingqiu continued into the courtyard, where he found Li Dongyue sitting under a tree, holding little Yuan Li in her arms while Yuan Qi stood beside her, playing with the child.
In another corner of the courtyard, two female disciples were sewing clothes. When they noticed Li Qingqiu enter, they immediately rose and greeted him with a respectful salute—a new custom Zhang Yu had introduced.
Zhang Yu had insisted that Qingxiao Sect's rules lacked proper formality. He believed that even small gestures of respect, such as bowing, helped preserve discipline and hierarchy. Without such customs, juniors might grow lazy and stop honoring their elders.
Although Li Qingqiu personally found the practice a bit excessive, Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Yang Jueding had all supported it, so he had let Zhang Yu continue teaching etiquette as part of the sect's lessons.
After nodding to the two female disciples, Li Qingqiu was about to approach Li Dongyue when Zhang Yuchun came hurrying out of the side building.
"Senior Brother, I need to borrow someone," Zhang Yuchun said seriously, grabbing Li Qingqiu by the sleeve.
Li Qingqiu blinked. "Borrow who?"
"Third Junior Brother," Zhang Yuchun replied quickly. "You know how I've been going down the mountain to recruit new disciples with no luck. Well, I met a martial expert. He claims that if anyone can defeat him, he'll fulfill one request—no matter what it is, even if it means serving as a slave for life! So I want Third Junior Brother to take the challenge. But he refuses to go, saying he's worried about the Seven Peaks Alliance or the Qing Sect causing trouble."
Zhang Yuchun looked helpless. He was convinced Qingxiao Sect wouldn't face any serious danger in the next six months. Even if something happened, they could handle it without Jiang Zhaoxia.
Li Qingqiu asked calmly, "Are you sure he's really an expert?"
"Yes," Zhang Yuchun nodded. "He lives in a forest on the edge of the Taikun Mountain Range. He's been there for several years. They say he's eccentric, but I met him myself—he's definitely skilled. I couldn't beat him, so I came back to get help. I'm afraid he'll leave, or someone else will reach him first."
His face showed genuine anxiety.
He truly cared about recruiting strong members for Qingxiao Sect. Other than the villages at the foot of the mountain, he couldn't find new disciples anywhere else. Most people thought joining Qingxiao Sect was pointless—no future, no fame—and to make things worse, Zhang Yuchun himself looked too young, making him seem unreliable.
Right now, Qingxiao Sect had plenty of projects but not enough manpower. Most disciples were still children, so they needed stronger recruits to share the workload.
Li Qingqiu thought it over. Since Zhang Yuchun had challenged that man and returned unharmed, it was clear the stranger wasn't a killer. Letting Jiang Zhaoxia go to test him wouldn't hurt. Zhang Yuchun had been working tirelessly lately—he deserved this small victory.
"Go," Li Qingqiu said finally. "Tell Third Junior Brother I've agreed."
Zhang Yuchun's eyes lit up with joy. He bowed gratefully, then turned and ran off at once.
Their brotherhood ran deep—if Zhang Yuchun said Li Qingqiu had approved, Jiang Zhaoxia would trust him completely. And of course, Zhang Yuchun was an honest man. He would never use Li Qingqiu's name without permission.
Watching him leave, Li Qingqiu turned back to Li Dongyue, smiling. "Dongyue, make sure to take good care of this little one. I have a feeling he'll become the pride of Qingxiao Sect someday."
Li Dongyue smiled gently. "Even if he doesn't, I'll still take good care of him."
"Sect Master, if you really think so… could you take my little brother as your disciple?" Yuan Qi asked hopefully.
Ever since arriving at Qingxiao Sect, his relationship with Li Qingqiu had grown distant. He knew gaining the Sect Master's recognition wasn't easy. He hadn't shown any outstanding martial talent, and on some nights, that thought made him quietly sad.
Li Qingqiu smiled. "Sure. When he grows up and can read, I'll take him as my disciple."
The boy's face lit up in pure joy. He dropped to his knees immediately, bowing deeply to thank Li Qingqiu.
Li Dongyue noticed that Li Qingqiu didn't stop him. That surprised her—could it be that little Yuan Li's talent was truly exceptional?
Xu Ning's accomplishments in cultivation had already proven that Li Qingqiu's judgment was sharp. Out of all the disciples in the sect, he never accepted students lightly, which showed just how strict his standards were.
"Get up, Yuan Qi," Li Qingqiu said kindly. "Don't focus only on your brother. You must also work hard in your own training. Talent matters, but so does effort."
His tone carried a mix of patience and seriousness. Yuan Qi stood up, nodding solemnly in acknowledgment.
After exchanging a few quiet words with Li Dongyue, Li Qingqiu returned to his room. He felt unusually tired—most likely from overusing his vital energy while practicing the Rejuvenation Ghost-Immortal Needles.
Cultivators could go without sleep, but only when their vital energy wasn't depleted. For Li Qingqiu, occasionally dreaming wasn't a bad thing.
He fell into a deep sleep, so sound that he didn't stir until the noise outside woke him. When he opened his eyes, night had already fallen.
Frowning, he wondered why no one had come to call him for dinner.
He sat up and was about to get dressed when he heard shouting and begging from the courtyard outside—voices raised in anger and panic.
"Huh? An intruder?"
He got to his feet and headed straight for the door.
Meanwhile, near the main gate of the courtyard, a dozen disciples had gathered around. In their midst knelt a young man in black clothes, his face bruised and swollen, streaked with tears. He held his hands together in a desperate plea for mercy, looking utterly pitiful.
Xu Ning stood in front of him, her expression stern and cold.
With Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia both down the mountain buying provisions, no one had stepped in to dismiss the crowd, so the courtyard had become a noisy commotion.
Yang Jueding vaulted over the courtyard wall and landed with a light thud. Seeing the man kneeling on the ground, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Cheng Canghai? What are you doing here?" Yang Jueding demanded.
The black-clothed man looked up at him—not with joy, but with shame. He immediately lowered his head, wishing he could dig a hole and crawl into it.
As Li Qingqiu stepped out of his room, Li Dongyue came over carrying little Yuan Li. The two exchanged glances, and she shook her head—she had no idea what was going on either.
"What's all this noise about?" Li Qingqiu's voice cut through the chatter as he strode forward.
At once, the disciples parted, bowing respectfully to him.
Watching from the side, Zhang Yu nodded in satisfaction at the discipline displayed.
Qin Ye spoke up first. "Master, this man sneaked into our sect to steal something. Senior Sister caught him."
He naturally meant Xu Ning. Though younger than him, she had been accepted as Li Qingqiu's disciple earlier, and her strength commanded everyone's respect.
"Stealing?"
Li Qingqiu didn't doubt it. Qingxiao Sect was no longer the impoverished place it once was—it now had plenty worth stealing.
He approached Cheng Canghai and gave him a quick, appraising look.
The man stammered, "I was just hungry… I only wanted to take a little food…"
Xu Ning's sharp voice cut in, "A little food? You stole an entire roasted chicken! And you carried off two jars of wine! Those jars smashed on the ground—you think this matter will just end there?"
Li Qingqiu's expression darkened.
Though the sect had grown wealthier, feeding everyone still required careful budgeting. A whole roasted chicken was a rare luxury—and this fool had stolen one!
"I'll pay it back! Please, give me a chance! I swear, within five days, I'll bring money to repay everything!" Cheng Canghai pleaded desperately. He turned toward Yang Jueding, crying, "Dragon-Subduing Hero, you know my word counts for something—help me out here!"
But Yang Jueding's nostrils flared when he heard about the wine. His temper snapped. "Help you? I'm ashamed to even know you! The so-called King of Thieves—stealing from the rich, robbing corrupt officials—and yet here you are, sneaking up a mountain to steal chicken and wine! And worse, you got caught by children! Don't you feel any shame?"
His words hit hard. Cheng Canghai's face crumpled. Tears welled up as he cried, "Yang Jueding, are you blind? These aren't children! That girl is a demon! You couldn't beat her either!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Yang Jueding's anger flared. "What did you say? I can't beat her?"
Impossible. He had watched Xu Ning grow up on the mountain—how could she possibly surpass him already? She hadn't even been cultivating that long. It didn't make sense.
Yet when his eyes accidentally met Xu Ning's calm gaze, something in his chest trembled uncontrollably.