The Azure Origin Sect

Hu Tieniu stepped forward, circled the gleaming black heavy machine gun halfway around, and nodded repeatedly:

"Young master, judging by the weight of this thing, it's even more powerful than the previous submachine guns. Don't worry, I'll definitely have the most reliable brothers guarding it; there won't be the slightest mistake."

Shen Jingchuan didn't say much, and immediately broke down the steps for him, teaching him how to feed ammunition, how to adjust the firing angle, and how to pull the trigger to fire.

Hu Tieniu already knew how to use a submachine gun, so he learned very quickly and soon grasped the basics.

"Try firing a burst at the cliff opposite."

Shen Jingchuan stepped back half a step, gesturing for him to take over.

Hu Tieniu took a deep breath, steadied himself using the method he had just been taught, aimed at the cliff face three or four hundred feet away, and pulled the trigger hard.

Instantly, a deafening "rat-a-tat-tat" sound shook everyone's eardrums, and tongues of fire spewed from the muzzles of guns as a dense barrage of bullets rained down on the opposite cliff.

A series of dull impacts echoed from the rock face, sending fragments of stone flying everywhere. The once smooth cliff face was instantly riddled with a row of deep, dense pits. Dust mixed with stone chips fell down in a flurry, and even the few weeds rooted on the cliff were pulverized and scattered.

After the entire magazine was fired, the echoes of gunfire still reverberated through the valley.

Hu Tieniu put down his gun, stared wide-eyed at the marks on the opposite cliff face, and his voice rose several decibels with excitement:

"Good heavens! It can still have such power from three or four hundred feet away! Young master, to be honest, even without this treasure, I was confident that I could hold off the Government Army with the terrain of this stockade."

With this guy in our ranks, our Azure Cloud Stronghold is practically impregnable! Even if they sent 30,000 more Government Army, they wouldn't be able to set foot on our stronghold!

The village guards surrounding them were dumbfounded, their mouths agape, their eyes filled with awe as they stared at the heavy machine gun, feeling incredibly reassured.

The two walked down the stone steps of the stockade wall, with Hu Tieniu following beside Shen Jingchuan. After a few steps, he couldn't help but voice his concerns:

"My lord, to be honest, I'm not afraid of a direct assault, but I'm worried that the Government Army will just stay at the foot of the mountain and hold out without attacking. We can hold out for a year or two, but if the siege goes on for too long, I'm afraid the food supplies in the village won't last."

Shen Jingchuan didn't stop walking, his tone calm:

"You don't need to worry about the provisions; you don't need to bother with that. Just focus on training the brothers well and keeping a close watch on the defense of the stronghold. That's your duty."

"Oh, young master, don't worry."

Hu Tieniu immediately replied:

"I've arranged both visible and hidden sentries perfectly. There are several hidden stakeouts at the foot of the mountain, so we'll receive the news immediately if the Government Army make the slightest move. Besides, with this machine gun you gave us mounted on the stockade wall, they won't be able to build any more checkpoints within sight."

He paused, then added:

"I haven't been idle these past few days. I've had dozens more houses built in the village, and their living quarters are all ready. You can rest assured, I'm keeping an eye on everything in the village, nothing will go wrong."

Shen Jingchuan came down from the village wall and went straight back to the small courtyard in the back village.

Inside the courtyard, the Lin Household members and their two wives were busy tidying up their luggage and making their living quarters. The scene inside and outside the courtyard was busy but orderly.

He went inside and gave Lin Qingyao and Bai Ruoli a few words of advice, then greeted Lin Weiyuan, saying that he had to go back to Yuxi Prefecture to take care of some things and that he didn't need to wait for him.

He summoned his flying sword, soared into the air, and flew straight out of the mountain.

Although his Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation was somewhat insufficient for controlling a flying sword, his Dantian had ample Spiritual Power, making a round trip to Yuxi Prefecture more than enough.

In a short while, he crossed the Government Army camp at the foot of the mountain and landed silently in the backyard of his own mansion in Yuxi Prefecture. The courtyard was quiet.

Shen Jingchuan dusted off his clothes, strode towards the east wing, and upon reaching the door, gently knocked on the door panel, calling out:

"Sister, I'm home."

"Come in."

Xiao Mingshu's voice immediately came from inside the room.

He pushed open the door and went in, and saw Xiao Mingshu sitting at the table, with her personal maid Huan'er standing beside her, holding a teacup and waiting.

Seeing him enter, Huan'er curtsied, then turned and brewed a cup of hot tea, bringing it over quietly without making a sound.

Shen Jingchuan sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at Xiao Mingshu:

"Sis, you said you had something to say to me when I got back, and I'm listening."

Xiao Mingshu glanced at Huan'er and waved her hand gently. Huan'er understood, bowed, and left, closing the door behind her.

The room fell silent for a moment. Xiao Mingshu tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her expression more serious than usual, and said:

"We've known each other for a while now, and there are some things I should tell you."

Seeing her like this, Shen Jingchuan also abandoned his usual casualness, sat up straight, and said seriously, "Sister, go ahead, I'm listening."

Xiao Mingshu looked at him and slowly spoke:

"How much do you know about the situation in our Great Qian Kingdom, and the surrounding countries?"

Shen Jingchuan pondered for a moment, then replied:

"My teacher had Yan Shuyao bring me a travelogue before, which I read through. The book contains detailed descriptions of the power divisions, geography, and customs of the surrounding countries, so I have a general understanding of the situation."

"And what about the cultivation world?" Xiao Mingshu asked again.

"That book was written by an ordinary person, and it only mentions cultivation in a few words, and even those words are vague." Shen Jingchuan shook his head.

Xiao Mingshu nodded, her expression solemn:

"Alright, then today I will explain it to you from beginning to end in detail. Listen carefully. The neighboring countries around our Great Qian Kingdom are ostensibly imperial kingdoms, but their royal families are actually all cultivation Aristocratic Clan rooted in the mortal world."

Shen Jingchuan was taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously repeated, "A cultivation Lineage?"

Xiao Mingshu nodded slightly:

"That's right. Every royal family in every country, when traced back to their origins, is Aristocratic Clan of cultivators. The land of our Great Qian was conquered by my Xiao Household."

The surrounding countries have similar backgrounds, and while they frequently experience border skirmishes and minor disputes, they never erupt into a war of national annihilation. This is the root cause of their problems.

The strength of each faction is not far apart, and each usually has three to five Foundation Establishment cultivators in charge, with about ten Qi Refining cultivators assisting them. None of them can swallow the others whole.

Shen Jingchuan nodded slightly as he listened; these words completely refreshed his understanding of the mortal dynasty.

Xiao Mingshu paused, then slowly said:

"These mortal dynasties, large and small, appear to govern themselves independently, but in reality, they are all under the jurisdiction of the same supreme sect, called the Azure Origin Sect."

Shen Jingchuan's expression shifted, and he blurted out, "A cultivation sect? The Azure Origin Sect?"