"Alright, let's stop talking about him. Let's talk about you instead. Are you really planning to stay in Qingxiao Sect for good?"
Li Qingqiu turned to look at Yang Jueding. His tone grew serious, and his expression matched it.
Yang Jueding was caught off guard. "What do you mean? Are you planning to kick me down the mountain?"
Li Qingqiu shook his head. "You joined Qingxiao Sect because you were badly injured and we saved you. Joining us wasn't your original intention. Now that you've recovered—and even grown stronger—you're free to pursue what you truly want."
Yang Jueding frowned and asked, "You're willing to let me leave after teaching me your sect's techniques?"
"You've also taught our disciples plenty," Li Qingqiu said with a calm smile. "You even passed your own school's palm technique to Wu Man'er. Why wouldn't I be content? You don't owe us anything, and we don't owe you. After all this time together, we're friends. And isn't it natural to wish a friend well?"
Li Qingqiu's tone was steady, his eyes distant as he looked back down the mountain.
Yang Jueding went silent for a long time.
Li Qingqiu didn't press him. Watching the disciples sparring below, he nodded with quiet satisfaction. Their progress was clear. Give them ten more years, and they'd be capable of standing on their own.
His plan was simple—once Qingxiao Sect became the top martial sect under heaven, he would then announce its transformation into an immortal cultivation sect. Until that day, he would secretly train only those disciples who showed both high talent and outstanding contribution.
It was a long-term plan, but time was something they had plenty of.
After a while, Yang Jueding took a deep breath. "Even if I go down the mountain, I'd just wander aimlessly. They call me the Dragon-Subduing Hero, but all I can do is help whoever's right in front of me—sometimes even causing more trouble for them. Staying here, watching Qingxiao Sect grow from a sapling into a towering tree, feels more meaningful. If one day Qingxiao Sect becomes as great as the Seven Peaks Alliance, I'll be able to help many more people."
There was a trace of emotion in his voice—clearly, there was a story behind it.
Li Qingqiu silently opened his Dao Lineage panel. Yang Jueding's loyalty had now surpassed ninety. He couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
Loyalty could rise and fall, but any increase meant his sense of belonging to Qingxiao Sect had deepened.
Li Qingqiu rose to his feet and looked down at Yang Jueding. "Since you've decided to stay," he said with a grin, "then show me what you've got. Qingxiao Sect is still young—we need more hands. My goal is to see Qingxiao Sect spread across the entire Taikun Mountain Range, with disciples' homes and training grounds scattered throughout the peaks."
Yang Jueding stood up too, chuckling helplessly. "Taikun Mountain Range is enormous. No sect in the martial world controls land that vast—not even close. At most, they can only claim authority over it."
He understood what Li Qingqiu meant. If Qingxiao Sect truly grew that large, its number of disciples would be terrifying—more like an army than a sect. If that day ever came, the very foundations of the Great Li Dynasty would tremble.
It was unrealistic, yet oddly inspiring.
"Setting a goal is all it is," Li Qingqiu said, waving it off lightly.
Yang Jueding's eyes grew firm. "Then I'll stand with you until that goal becomes real."
Li Qingqiu smiled faintly and turned to leave. "Let's wait and see, then."
He walked back toward the sect, heading for the forest behind the mountain to train.
Yang Jueding watched him disappear around the bend of the path and muttered under his breath, "Little brat, always scheming to win me over."
A smirk tugged at his lips. He didn't mind—it was hard not to admire Li Qingqiu's ambition.
As the number of disciples increased, Li Qingqiu found more time for cultivation. Aside from him, only Jiang Zhaoxia and Wu Man'er enjoyed the same privilege. Even Xu Ning was required to take part in daily tasks.
Autumn deepened, and the air grew cooler.
Another month passed.
That afternoon, just after noon, Li Qingqiu stood on a hillside overlooking the terraced fields below. Zhang Yuchun and the Seven Sons of Qingxiao were plowing the fields under the guidance of two farmers.
Those farmers were fathers of the disciples, villagers from the foot of the mountain who had come at Zhang Yuchun's invitation. Qingxiao Sect had decided to open its own farmland on a gentle slope halfway up the mountain—only a half-hour's walk from the sect.
Zhang Yuchun had even dug out a fish pond nearby. The only problem was that fish fry were hard to transport in bulk up the mountain, so they had to be carried in batches.
Besides the farmland and fish pond, a horse field had also been built. Back when the Seven Peaks Alliance attacked, they'd brought many horses, and Yang Jueding later led a group to recover most of them. Occasionally, they still came across a few stray ones roaming the forest.
Not only that—Li Qingqiu also encouraged disciples to raise pets and go hunting. He wanted them to develop skills beyond martial arts. Every month, he asked Zhang Yuchun to invite new teachers from nearby villages to come up and teach various crafts.
A sharp cry broke through the sky.
"Caw—!"
Li Qingqiu lifted his arm, and a small black hawk swooped down, landing gracefully on his wrist.
He turned his head slightly, smiling as he teased the bird.
Zhang Yuchun had brought back three young hawks and two unhatched eggs from a cliffside nest months ago. Two of the birds had since flown away, leaving only this one. The remaining eggs had just hatched, and the fledglings still couldn't fly.
This one had stayed behind—likely because of the vital energy Li Qingqiu had been feeding it daily. It had grown dependent on him.
He wanted to see if he could nurture it into a spirit beast. So far, things were looking promising.
"I wonder when you'll finally understand human speech," Li Qingqiu murmured softly, stroking its feathers.
The longer he looked, the more he liked it.
'If one day I could soar through the skies on your back, that would be incredible.'
Li Qingqiu chuckled softly to himself, holding the small black hawk on his arm as he watched the work going on below.
Compared to fighting and killing, he realized he much preferred this peaceful, quiet life—watching his sect grow stronger day by day gave him a deep sense of satisfaction.
"Senior Brother! Senior Brother!"
The sudden shout startled the hawk, sending it fluttering away into the air. Li Qingqiu frowned and turned his head.
Li Sifeng came running up the mountain path, carrying a bamboo basket on his back. The boy wasn't even trying to hide his speed—his feet moved with the Gale Technique, kicking up dust all along the way.
He stopped in front of Li Qingqiu, bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for air.
Li Qingqiu scolded, "You're a teacher to the younger disciples now. Why are you still so rash and reckless? Can't you behave with a little dignity?"
Li Sifeng looked up and blurted, "Officials are coming up the mountain—they're heading straight for Qingxiao Sect!"
Li Qingqiu's expression darkened. "Go tell Cheng Canghai to hide immediately."
"Got it!"
Li Sifeng shot off like a whirlwind, disappearing up the slope.
Li Qingqiu sighed. He noticed a pattern—every time Li Sifeng came running to him like that, bad news followed.
He didn't dwell on it, though. His gaze returned to the fields below, where Zhang Yuchun and the others were still hard at work. The sect now had enough strength to handle whatever trouble might come.
About half an hour later, as Li Qingqiu was about to leave, a group of people emerged from the forest in the distance.
At the front walked a man in a fitted official robe, a knife at his waist and a black hat on his head. He had thick brows, sharp eyes, and a commanding aura. His gaze swept over the fields, studying Zhang Yuchun and the others as he approached.
Behind him were nine uniformed constables, each armed with a blade.
The official stopped before Li Qingqiu and cupped his hands slightly. "I am Feng Dai, County Magistrate of Blackstone County. I'm here tracking the so-called King of Thieves, Cheng Canghai. May I ask, who are you in Qingxiao Sect?"
Li Qingqiu's robe was far more ornate than that of the other disciples. Feng Dai had already met several Qingxiao Sect members on the way up, and it was obvious from one glance that this young man was no ordinary disciple.
"I am Li Qingqiu, the Sect Master of Qingxiao Sect," Li Qingqiu said with a pleasant smile. "I've never heard of this King of Thieves you speak of. But if the magistrate doesn't believe me, you may search the mountain yourself. Qingxiao Sect will fully cooperate."
"Sect Master?"
Feng Dai blinked in surprise, and his men exchanged puzzled looks. The boy in front of them looked no older than seventeen—how could someone that young lead a whole sect?
"Your master, Lin Xunfeng—has he really retired from the martial world?" Feng Dai asked curiously. He wasn't part of the martial world himself, but the county jail held plenty of wanderers and martial artists, and he'd heard his fair share of rumors.
At that, Li Qingqiu's face turned bitter, his voice heavy with false melancholy. "Retired? Hardly. He lost his mind chasing immortality. Left us behind to seek the Dao. My junior brothers and sisters can barely eat or keep warm. What else could I do but start farming? What kind of martial sect has to grow its own food, Magistrate?"
He sounded so sincere that Feng Dai couldn't help but feel sympathy.
"I see. Then we'll go up and take a quick look. We'll try not to trouble you," Feng Dai said, leading his men up the mountain.
Li Qingqiu didn't stop them. Instead, he turned and walked down toward another slope, looking for a quiet spot to cultivate.
When he wasn't practicing by the Underground Spiritual Lake, he trained wherever he pleased. The mountains were vast, full of hidden, tranquil places suitable for cultivation.
By dusk, Li Qingqiu returned to the sect with Zhang Yuchun, the Seven Sons of Qingxiao, and the two farmers who had been helping in the fields. They planned to host a small feast to thank the farmers and have them stay the night.
But as soon as they passed through the mountain gate, Li Qingqiu noticed a large crowd gathered before the courtyard, packed so tightly that not even air could pass through.
'Did something happen?' he thought, raising an eyebrow—but he didn't rush.
A sect master must remain composed.
Zhang Yuchun, however, wasn't nearly as calm. He darted forward at once.
"Move aside!"
As soon as the disciples saw who it was, they stepped back and bowed. "Greetings, Sect Master!"
The crowd parted, and Li Qingqiu saw what lay at the center of the courtyard.
Magistrate Feng Dai sat cross-legged, eyes closed, trying to circulate his internal energy. His face was pale as paper. Around him, the nine constables stood in a tight ring, glaring warily at the disciples.
"Master's here!"
Qin Ye's voice rang out. Heads turned immediately, and all eyes fell on Li Qingqiu as he strolled into the courtyard, calm as ever.
He quickly scanned the area. Yang Jueding, Wu Baoyu, and Zhang Yu were present—but Cheng Canghai was nowhere to be seen.
"What's going on here?" Zhang Yuchun demanded as he stepped ahead.
Perched casually on the roof beam, Li Sifeng grinned. "That guy didn't know his limits and challenged Grandpa Wu to a fight. One move—and he was down! His men then accused us of wrongdoing and tried to drag us to the county yamen."
Li Qingqiu's gaze shifted to Wu Baoyu. The old man was off to the side, quietly chopping wood, not even looking up when Li Qingqiu entered.
Yang Jueding stood nearby, smirking in obvious amusement.
Zhang Yu, on the other hand, frowned deeply as he studied Wu Baoyu, his expression troubled.
Li Qingqiu walked forward until he stood before the line of constables. "Magistrate Feng," he said politely, "are you all right? I know a bit of medicine—perhaps I can help?"
Feng Dai opened his eyes. His face was ashen, his breathing strained. He turned toward Li Qingqiu, his voice trembling with anger.
"Sect Master Li," he said through clenched teeth, "this man is no ordinary wanderer. He's a demonic sect protector—a butcher who's slaughtered the martial world for twenty years! You've been deceived! He's committed countless atrocities—he's pure evil!"