The Happiness of Four People
With a sudden "clang," a cold glint flashed before everyone's eyes, heading straight for the disciple who was about to leap over the courtyard wall. The glint pierced through the figure, and a splash of blood erupted in the air. The disciple lost his balance, letting out a mournful scream that echoed throughout the General's Mansion. Before the scream subsided, two, three, four... more cold glints flashed from the hall, their target still the disciple who hadn't yet landed. Nearly a hundred cold glints swarmed in, like crows fighting for food. In the blink of an eye, the screams ceased, and the disciple disappeared from sight. Only a cloud of blood mist dispersed in the air, with the cold glints appearing and disappearing within it, and occasionally, pieces of cloth drifted down.
Suddenly, as if given a command, nearly a hundred cold lights shot out from the blood mist and into the hall. Everyone followed the direction of the cold lights and saw them all disappear into the Storage Bag at Yue Qianchou's waist. One of the flashing cold lights slowed down and transformed into a flying sword that circled around him. After a few seconds, it flipped up and, with a "clang," went straight into the scabbard on Yue Qianchou's back.
Good heavens! Only now did everyone realize that those nearly a hundred flashes of cold light were actually flying swords. They had never seen anyone control so many flying swords at once. A gust of wind rose outside, rustling the Ye Zi on the trees in the courtyard. Looking over, they saw the blood-red mist of sorrow dispersed by the wind, scattered pieces of cloth on the ground fluttering down, and a layer of blood staining the walls. A thought flashed through their minds... Gone without a trace!
Yue Qianchou stared at the bloodstains on the wall and the rags on the ground, feeling a little regretful. The power of these hundred flying swords attacking simultaneously was still quite different from what he had imagined. Otherwise, they shouldn't have left bloodstains and rags; they should have all turned to ashes.
What just happened, though seemingly slow, was actually only a matter of moments. The hall fell completely silent; not a single disciple dared to utter a sound, all subdued by the power of the simultaneous sword strikes. Those who had just shared the same thought turned pale, utterly despondent, realizing they had no chance of escaping such an attack.
Is this the power after Foundation Establishment? Shi Xiaotian stared at the silent Yue Qianchou, his fists clenched, his face flushed, and he was even trembling with excitement. The goal that the two of them had strived for years ago, his boss had already achieved before him.
"Who dares to fight here! Are you courting death!" A sharp shout rang out, and then seven figures appeared on the courtyard wall. Seven middle-aged men with sharp eyes, dressed in plain robes, stood on the wall, surveying the situation inside.
"Are you courting death?" Yue Qianchou was slightly annoyed. Seven cold lights flashed towards the seven people from his Storage Bag like lightning. Suddenly, Shi Xiaotian shouted, "Boss, assistant!"
Seven flying swords were pressed against the throats of the seven men. Had Shi Xiaotian not shouted in time, they would already have bloody holes in their necks. The seven men on the wall turned ashen-faced and dared not move. Those who could wield flying swords were no ordinary people.
Yue Qianchou stared coldly at Shi Xiaotian, who bowed with a bitter smile and pleaded, "Boss, please let them go! They are not ordinary servants, but retainers of my General's Mansion. They have been loyal to my family for generations and are my father's most trusted subordinates. They have been protecting the safety of the family members in the mansion for a long time. They did not offend you on purpose, Boss."
Yue Qianchou thought about it and agreed. He guessed they had come after hearing the disciple's scream. He looked back at the seven people on the wall; they were all standing there stiffly, looking like heroes, but their faces were pale with fright. He nodded slightly and said, "Tell them not to reveal what happened here." The seven cold glints disappeared into their Storage Bag.
"Don't worry, boss. They know what to do without any instructions." Shi Xiaotian turned and walked to the courtyard, cupping his hands towards the seven people on the wall and saying, "Seven uncles, please step back. There's nothing to worry about here."
The seven men knew the rules of the manor; no one was allowed to come here. They wouldn't have come if they hadn't heard the screams. The leader glanced at the bloodstains at his feet, then looked at Yue Qianchou, who sat high in the hall, before bowing to Shi Xiaotian and saying, "Third Young Master, please be careful. We will take our leave." The seven men slipped back outside the courtyard...
This was just a minor incident. When Shi Xiaotian turned back into the hall, he was immediately stunned. Just moments ago there had been a large group of people, but now only Yue Qianchou and Ling Feng remained. The three of them stared at Ling Feng Yue Qianchou in shock. Just now, Yue Qianchou's figure flashed through the crowd, and everyone who passed by vanished into thin air. More than a dozen people were gone just like that? They had seen it clearly, yet they were still completely bewildered.
Ling Feng pointed to the spot in the hall where those people had disappeared and said in astonishment, "Uncle-Master, they..."
"Don't worry, they're perfectly fine. I just sent them to another place," Yue Qianchou said with a smile. These people were all there to assist Chen Feng; otherwise, it would be quite difficult for Chen Feng to maintain the logistics of that small army on his own. Once they were sent to Utopia, his sister would naturally take control of their natal Primordial Spirit first.
"Uncle-Master, this... this..." The three of them were clearly still finding it hard to accept this reality.
"Alright, from now on, don't call me 'Uncle-Master' anymore. Just call me 'Boss' like Xiao Tian does." Yue Qianchou waved his hand and said, "Besides, I've already reached the Core Formation stage, so calling me 'Uncle-Master' is a bit outdated. I should call you 'Grandmaster' by now. But you're no longer disciples of Fu Xian Island, so we can skip 'Grandmaster' and just call me 'Boss'!"
The four were stunned. He had already reached the Core Formation stage? Shi Xiaotian exclaimed in surprise, "Boss, you've really reached the Core Formation stage?"
Yue Qianchou rolled his eyes at him and waved his hand, saying, "Let's not talk about this anymore. While I'm here, I can protect you. You four should hurry up and Foundation Establishment! I have some things to tell you to do afterward."
The four nodded in delight, then sat cross-legged in the hall, swallowed the pills, and focused their minds to refine them. Before long, the painful process of Foundation Establishment began to manifest in their bodies. Yue Qianchou sat down beside them, watching them silently. He had long planned for these four; he needed them to do things for him outside. As long as they weren't allowed to enter Utopia, there was no need to strip away their natal Primordial Spirit; otherwise, over time, it would be easy for those with high cultivation to detect it. As for Shi Xiaotian, he had indeed entered Utopia once, but he had been trapped by the formation inside and knew nothing about it.
Of the four, Shi Xiaotian had the best talent. Yue Qianchou gave him another Foundation Establishment Pill, and he successfully Foundation Establishment with just three pills. Ling Feng and Bei Zi succeeded with their own three pills, but they had used three pills before on Fu Xian Island. Xuan Ping, the taciturn fellow, however, needed five pills to succeed this time.
Shi Xiaotian didn't say anything, but Ling Feng and Bei Zi Foundation Establishment, desperately suppressed their excitement and immediately knelt before Yue Qianchou, expressing their deepest gratitude. Xuan Ping, who succeeded last, silently kowtowed three times.
Afterwards, Shi Xiaotian led the three of them, freshened up and looking refreshed, to stand before Yue Qianchou. Ling Feng and the other two, in particular, looked at Yue Qianchou as if he were their second parents; it was hard for outsiders to understand the feelings of being pulled back from the brink of despair. But this was precisely what Yue Qianchou had planned for many years.
"This is your Storage Bag." Yue Qianchou tossed a bag over. Shi Xiaotian caught it, was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, repeatedly thanking him, "Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Boss!" He had been coveting this legendary item for a long time.
"What are you laughing at?" Yue Qianchou's words immediately made him stand aside with a chuckle, but he still kept touching the bag in his hand. The former tapped the tea table next to him with his finger, pointing to the four jade tablets, four large porcelain bottles, and four swords on the table, saying, "The jade tablets contain the 'Fu Xian Sword Art' of Fu Xian Island, and the bottles contain 'Origin Qi Pill.' Each person gets one, so take them and cultivate diligently. Don't be lazy."
The four were overjoyed. They had just successfully Foundation Establishment, Yue Qianchou had already prepared everything they needed. Where else could they find such a wonderful leader? The group thanked him profusely as they took their belongings. Shi Xiaotian was practically rolling on the floor with laughter, clutching a pile of things, his mouth never closing. Happiness had come too suddenly; he couldn't help it. Little did he notice that Yue Qianchou's expression gradually darkened upon seeing his smug look.
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