At dusk, all the hall masters gathered here. Yan Daozong also arrived.
After Li Qingqiu entered the courtyard, his expression was solemn. This immediately made everyone stop joking around, and all eyes turned toward him.
He sat down on a chair and swept his gaze across the crowd, lingering a moment longer on Yan Daozong, which made Yan Daozong feel uneasy.
"Everyone, something major happened a few days ago. At the same time, I've also come to understand the potential crises facing Qingxiao Sect and the entire world. Compared to this, all past calamities pale in comparison."
Li Qingqiu's opening words instantly weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
He then began from how Hua Daozang plotted against Zhao Zhen. Upon hearing this, Yan Daozong's expression changed drastically, and the others also glanced at him.
So it was Tianxuan Mountain courting death.
The group secretly let out a sigh of relief. They had never taken Tianxuan Mountain seriously. But when Li Qingqiu reached the matter of Ancestor Su Xing, no one could remain seated.
A mysterious cultivator, attempting to seize Zhao Zhen's body?
This was an earth-shattering matter. If Zhao Zhen could face a possession attempt today, would they face the same danger in the future?
Most importantly—did this cultivator have a force backing him?
By now, everyone clearly understood why Qingxiao Sect had developed so smoothly. It was because there were no other cultivation sects on this land.
Yan Daozong was equally shaken. He had never imagined that Hua Daozang would collude with a cultivator.
No wonder Hua Daozang had been so obsessed with Zhao Zhen. Yan Daozong had previously thought Hua Daozang merely wanted to recruit Zhao Zhen and have him support Tianxuan Mountain's future.
He did not doubt Li Qingqiu's words. After so long together, he understood Li Qingqiu's character. Moreover, given Qingxiao Sect's strength, Li Qingqiu had no reason to fabricate such a story.
When he learned that Zhao Zhen's mother, his two attendants, and Hua Daozang were all dead, Yan Daozong could not help but close his eyes, his heart heavy.
Even though he often argued with Hua Daozang, in his heart, Hua Daozang had been important to him.
At this moment, he shared the same emotions as Zhao Zhen.
From this day forward, he had no family left in this world.
Li Qingqiu continued. When everyone heard that Jiang Zhaoxia had nearly been possessed by Ancestor Su Xing, panic deepened further. Jiang Zhaoxia was at the ninth layer of the Nurturing Essence realm, an existence they all looked up to.
Just how strong was that Ancestor Su Xing?
Li Dongyue and Li Sijin frowned, caring most about Jiang Zhaoxia's safety.
Fortunately, Li Qingqiu said that both of them had already escaped danger, allowing the two women to finally relax.
Li Qingqiu raised his hand and took out the Soul-Refining Banner. He then released Ancestor Su Xing's soul. The soul flew out of the banner, only its upper body visible. With disheveled hair, he looked like a ferocious ghost, terror written all over his face.
"De… demon…"
Seeing this neither-human-nor-ghost form of Ancestor Su Xing, everyone was badly startled.
Yan Daozong's eyes widened as well. This was his first time seeing a ghost, and it completely overturned his understanding.
Li Qingqiu then retrieved Ancestor Su Xing back into the Soul-Refining Banner and tossed the banner into his storage pouch.
He did this simply to make Yan Daozong believe his words and to let the hall masters understand the gravity of the situation.
"Through Ancestor Su Xing, I learned that to the north lies the Demon and Monster Lands. Those demons and monsters may march south at any time. Therefore, our sect's construction plans must be accelerated, especially the tasks of the Heavenly Works Hall. I hope all halls will give full support and not obstruct one another."
Li Qingqiu swept his gaze across everyone as he continued.
Yang Jueding asked, "Does this Ancestor Su Xing have a cultivation sect backing him?"
He voiced the concern that weighed on everyone present.
"No. He was a rogue cultivator. He came to Jiuzhou to seek treasures with friends, was betrayed by them, and then hid in Tianxuan Mountain to recover. However, the fact that he could reach Jiuzhou means that other cultivators can come as well."
Li Qingqiu's answer allowed everyone to breathe easier.
None of those present had ever fought cultivators to the death. Moreover, Qingxiao Sect had grown from nothing, so when facing other cultivation sects, instinctive fear and concern naturally arose.
Li Qingqiu looked at Zhu Yan and asked, "Are the Qingxiao Swords finished?"
Zhu Yan hurriedly replied, "Three thousand have already been forged."
Li Qingqiu nodded. "Starting from the end of this month, distribute the Qingxiao Swords to the true disciples first. After autumn begins, distribute them to the inner disciples."
Any lower than that were ordinary disciples who had not yet cultivated vital energy. Giving them Qingxiao Swords would be a waste.
No one objected. No one dared demand that artifacts be distributed according to merit anymore. They all felt the looming sense of crisis.
After that, Li Qingqiu began assigning tasks hall by hall. Everyone listened attentively, not daring to slack off.
Half an hour later.
Li Qingqiu looked at the crowd and said, "Everyone, the matter of the Demon and Monster Lands must not be spread. You only need to focus on the tasks at hand. As long as Qingxiao Sect is strong enough, we can deal with any trouble."
Everyone responded in unison. Li Qingqiu waved his sleeve, signaling them to leave, and instructed Yan Daozong to stay behind alone.
Yan Daozong sat in his seat, his expression ugly. He did not dare meet Li Qingqiu's gaze. For the first time, he felt guilty.
Li Qingqiu had treated him extremely well, yet his junior brother had plotted against Li Qingqiu's disciple, even causing his disciple and junior brother to be severely injured. He truly had no face to face Li Qingqiu.
"Do you need to go back and settle things?" Li Qingqiu asked.
Yan Daozong looked up at him and asked in surprise, "Settle things? Are you planning to drive me down the mountain?"
Li Qingqiu glared at him and said irritably, "Your junior brother is your junior brother. You are you. What kind of person you are—I have my own judgment. I just think Tianxuan Mountain is leaderless now and needs you to return and stabilize things. Once you've arranged everything, you must come back and continue serving as the Martial Hall elder."
Yan Daozong was deeply moved, to the point that he felt an impulse to die for one who truly understood him.
At Tianxuan Mountain, he had never been trusted to this extent—not even his master had ever placed such great trust in him.
Yan Daozong took a deep breath and said, "I won't go back. My martial uncles are still there; they can naturally preside over the overall situation. From today onward, I'm willing to give my wholehearted loyalty to Qingxiao Sect. I only ask that Sect Master spare Tianxuan Mountain and do not destroy its Dao lineage."
As he spoke, he stood up, stepped to the side, lifted his robe, and was about to kneel. However, an invisible force lifted his knees, preventing him from kneeling.
He looked up in shock and saw Li Qingqiu raising his right hand—yet he had not used vital energy.
This was…
Yan Daozong was completely stunned by this move.
Li Qingqiu looked at him with a reproachful gaze and said, "When did I ever say I would destroy Tianxuan Mountain? Yan Daozong, do you really think I'm that heinous—someone who kills without batting an eye?"
Yan Daozong hurriedly straightened up and said, "No, I was just worried…"
"You've truly disappointed me."
Li Qingqiu let out a sigh, his expression dim. This only made Yan Daozong even more flustered.
"Sect Master, I truly didn't think that way. I was just afraid that others in the sect might have their own thoughts, putting you in a difficult position. I…" The more Yan Daozong spoke, the more anxious he became, feeling that he truly wasn't worthy.
"That's enough. Time reveals people's hearts. Just watch and see."
Li Qingqiu cut him off, then stood up and walked toward his own dwelling.
Yan Daozong looked at Li Qingqiu's retreating back, wanting to speak but stopping himself. From that back, he somehow sensed a trace of weariness, filling his heart with guilt.
He could only raise his hands in salute, then turn and leave.
On the way back to the Martial Hall, Yan Daozong secretly swore to properly train the Martial Hall disciples, using this to repay Li Qingqiu.
Putting himself in Li Qingqiu's shoes—if someone's junior brother had schemed so viciously against his own disciple—it would truly be difficult to be so magnanimous.
For the first time, Yan Daozong felt that Li Qingqiu possessed qualities worth learning from.
Perhaps this was precisely why he had been unable to lead Tianxuan Mountain toward true prosperity.
On the other side, after leaving Lingxiao Courtyard, Li Qingqiu's mood became noticeably lighter, because Yan Daozong's loyalty had increased again.
The reason he could say those words earlier was precisely because Yan Daozong's loyalty had not decreased. He had seized the opportunity to further bind Yan Daozong to the sect.
He admitted that doing so was rather despicable.
But for the sake of Qingxiao Sect, he was willing to be despicable.
…
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, and the others finally returned.
The moment Zhao Zhen saw Li Qingqiu, he knelt down directly to admit his guilt.
Li Qingqiu did not blame him. Instead, he said in a serious tone, "Everyone makes mistakes. A master's role is to guide you after you've made one, leading you toward something better. I don't demand that you become exceptionally strong or make enormous contributions to the sect. I only hope you can place a bit more trust in me. If you had expressed your feelings to me back then, I might not have stopped you."
"Of course, I was also at fault. I shouldn't have used destiny to pressure you. You'll become a master yourself one day—I hope you can do better."
Hearing this, Zhao Zhen could no longer hold back his emotions. He threw himself into Li Qingqiu's arms and began to sob uncontrollably.
Jiang Zhaoxia, Xu Ning, and Shen Yue did not laugh at him. Shen Yue bowed to Li Qingqiu, then turned and left. Xu Ning did the same.
Li Qingqiu did not stop Zhao Zhen, letting him vent properly.
After Zhao Zhen finished crying, Li Qingqiu patted him on the back and said, "Go back and recover from your injuries first."
Zhao Zhen looked up at him and said, "Master, I won't let you worry again, and I won't cry anymore."
Li Qingqiu smiled and rubbed his head.
Zhao Zhen stood up, bowed, then turned and left.
Jiang Zhaoxia walked up to the table, removed a storage pouch from his waist, and said, "The artifacts from that person are inside."
Li Qingqiu looked at his bandaged right arm and asked, "That arm of yours…"
"It's crippled, but it's fine. It might be possible to recover in the future," Jiang Zhaoxia said with an easygoing tone.
"Senior Brother, I'm sorry. This time, I didn't handle the task well and disappointed you."
As he said this, his expression became unnatural.
He truly felt that he hadn't done a good job.
Li Qingqiu glared at him and said, "What didn't you do well? I only asked you to bring Zhao Zhen back alive. You already did exceptionally well."
Chu Jing had told Li Qingqiu that even if he hadn't intervened, Jiang Zhaoxia could have relied on his own will to resist Ancestor Su Xing's possession.
There was a kind of presence about Jiang Zhaoxia that Chu Jing couldn't understand—a presence that even condensed into a jiao dragon, strange beyond measure.
Jiang Zhaoxia did not feel comforted. He still believed he hadn't done enough and continued, "I inherited a divine ability. Once my injuries recover, I'll teach it to you. After all, Senior Brother, your comprehension of the sword Dao is even stronger than mine—you'll definitely be able to master it."
With that, he turned and left.
Li Qingqiu watched his departing figure, a gratified smile appearing on his face. The youth who had once given him so much trouble had finally grown up—worthy of trust and utterly reliable.