Old Man Xie sat in his room, and outside the door, he could hear his children and grandchildren whispering amongst themselves.
"Is the school in town finished?"
It was his eldest daughter-in-law's voice.
"It's finished," his eldest son said. "The immortals of the Nine Mountains Sect came to build it themselves; it was completed in just one hour. It's a three-courtyard house, and it's very beautiful."
"Truly divine!"
"Keep your voice down, Dad doesn't like hearing us talk about the Nine Mountains Sect!"
Old Man Xie blinked but didn't say anything.
The eldest daughter-in-law paused for a moment, then her voice not only didn't lower, but actually became even louder:
"Don't like it? But everyone in the village loves it!"
"Without the Nine Mountains Sect, where would my family have our own land?"
"Without the Nine Mountains Sect, where would Xiao San go to school?"
His eldest son, listening, seemed unable to refute it, only saying helplessly, "I didn't tell you not to speak, I just asked you to keep your voice down..."
"I know our father served immortals," his eldest daughter-in-law added, "But did his young master ever visit him? Did he ever care about us? Did you even see him?"
"The immortals from the Nine Mountains Sect come to town every ten days to half a month."
After his eldest daughter-in-law said that, his eldest son seemed speechless, finally managing to stammer, "Don't say that in front of Dad."
Old Man Xie squinted, gazing at the round, red sun outside the window.
He has been watching this sun for decades, and it has always been the same, never changing.
Another ten days or so passed.
Old Man Xie sat in front of the house, his eyes vacant as he thought about the young master who had become increasingly anxious a few days ago, scolding him for being incompetent and even slapping him.
The two grandsons ran home from outside the village.
"Master!"
"Sigh!" Old Man Xie chuckled and asked, "Is school fun?"
"That's fun!" exclaimed Xiao Si. "Grandpa, I can write the word 'thank you' now!"
"Real?"
Old Man Xie's heart skipped a beat.
Although he was born into the immortal race, he was just a servant and was not qualified to attend a family school.
When he first came out to take charge, he was just a minor leader. He finally learned to use an abacus, but he still couldn't read.
"I'll write it for you, sir!" Little Si took a twig and spent a long time writing a character on the ground that looked somewhat familiar. "Sir, see if it's well written!"
"Good! Good!" Old Man Xie nodded, squinting. "Square and neat, looks good!"
"My teacher also said I wrote well!"
"A gentleman from the Nine Mountains Sect?"
The young woman interjected, "Yes! The teacher was so kind. He said if we study hard, those with good grades can become immortals!"
After saying that, he hurriedly covered his mouth and looked at Old Man Xie, saying, "I forgot, I don't like immortals!"
Old Man Xie reached out and touched his grandson's forehead, thought for a moment, and said, "I've never seen such a celestial being before."
The two grandsons blinked, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Old Man Xie, however, seemed not to be speaking to them, but rather to himself:
"I've lived my whole life and never seen such a celestial being."
One thing after another happened that Old Man Xie had never seen before.
"Build a factory?"
At the dinner table, his second son brought up something new that he had never heard of before.
What does "building a factory" mean?
Old Man Xie's second son, as if he had found out clearly, said, "It's a large workshop! A really large workshop!"
"The immortals from the Nine Mountains Sect have traveled around and said that the fish and shrimp here are excellent, and they want to try raising fish and shrimp!"
Old Man Xie nodded and finally spoke, "It's good. Even immortals love to eat it, saying it contains the bloodline of a spiritual seed, and we even have to make offerings to it."
"When I used to travel around, the fish and shrimp from our area were the best-selling, because they were so rare and expensive that ordinary people couldn't find them."
His second son, hearing his reply, raised his voice even louder. "The immortals of the Nine Mountains Sect said that the fish and shrimp here are treasures. If we can raise them, life will be much better in the future."
"They say you can pickle them and sell them, make sauce, or sell them fresh!"
"If we can't sell them, we can eat them ourselves; that's fine too."
The eldest daughter-in-law, being shrewd, immediately said, "If we open a workshop, won't we need to hire workers?"
"We are hiring! But not many. The immortals of the Nine Mountains Sect said we have to try first and see if it works."
The eldest daughter-in-law looked somewhat disappointed.
Old Man Xie nodded and said, "This is the right way. Let's try it first; that's the only long-term solution."
A silence fell over the dinner table as everyone stared at Old Man Xie, seemingly surprised that he was speaking well of the Nine Mountains Sect.
Old Man Xie's face darkened, and his second son quickly chuckled and flattered, "Father is right! The immortal also said that one treasure isn't enough; we have other treasures here. We can't stay poor forever."
Old Man Xie was stunned by what he heard, and then he heard his children and grandchildren talking:
"How about letting the eldest and second eldest brothers try recruiting?"
"Give it a try! We can still handle the work in the fields!"
"The younger ones are in school, and the older ones are earning wages. If we hold on for a few years, our family's life will get better."
Old Man Xie listened, a smile crept onto his lips without him even noticing.
The immortals of the Nine Mountains Sect are truly different from those that Old Man Xie has seen, heard of, or heard of in legends.
The immortals of the past were high above and difficult to find in the mortal world. Even the young master he once served went to the Immortal Sect and only returned two or three times in several decades.
However, the immortals from the Nine Mountains Sect often wandered around the county, not bullying anyone, but just looking around, saying they were researching some industry.
Later, a group of literate people, who didn't seem to be immortals, came to the town.
They either taught students, helped build factories, or became managers in the town.
Although these people claimed they were not immortals, they could all move about in great heights. The townspeople mustered up the courage to ask and learned that in the Nine Mountains Sect, mortals could practice martial arts even if they couldn't cultivate to become immortals.
Oh, it should be called Nine Mountains Realm ).
Now everyone knows that the immortals all come from the Nine Mountains Sect.
Those who didn't cultivate immortality came from the Nine Mountains Realm. Although they weren't immortals, they were literate, could write and calculate, and knew how to raise fish and shrimp. They knew more than the most learned teacher in the town before.
They are all remarkable people.
"The teacher said they're no better than us." Every time he heard this, the grandson would retort, "The teacher said they also went to school, that's why they know so much."
"If we study and learn martial arts, we can become just as powerful."
The table is now filled with matters concerning the Nine Mountains Sect.
The immortals of the Nine Mountains Sect.
A gentleman from the Nine Mountains Sect.
His family loved to talk, and Old Man Xie listened, never returning to his room.
Late that night, Old Man Xie secretly called his eldest grandson over.
"Master?"
Are you going to work tomorrow?
"Um!"
Old Man Xie hesitated for a long time, still afraid of the immortal's methods, and dared not speak directly, but only whispered, "It's alright, just help me see when the immortals from the Nine Mountains Sect will come to town again."
The next day, the eldest grandson went to town, but someone he never expected came.
" Xiao Qing Fairy?"
The whole family was stunned when they saw Xiao Qing standing at the door.
Xiao Qing was the leader of the disciples in the Nine Mountains Sect, and she was also very beautiful, making her extremely eye-catching.
The name "Xiao Qing Green Fairy" is known to many children in the school, and they talk about it every day.
Although she seems very busy, traveling to several counties, everyone in the village knows her.
"Is this Grandpa Xie's house?"
Xiao Qing asked.
"Yes!"
Old Man Xie felt a slight tremor in his heart, and a hint of fear appeared on his face.
Xiao Qing quickly said, "Don't be afraid! I just wanted to check on you, Uncle Xie."
The Xie family members were stunned, as if they hadn't understood.
"My mission is finished, and I'll be returning to the Nine Mountains Sect in a while. I don't have much to do," Xiao Qing explained with a smile. "I'll just look around. Grandpa Xie is getting old, so I'm here to check on his health."
Old Man Xie understood, but his face still looked confused.
Seeing that she couldn't explain it clearly, Xiao Qing simply used her Spirit Eye Technique, her eyes glowing with a blue light as she looked at Old Man Xie.
"Uncle Xie, you're in good health... Oh?" She paused, then looked up abruptly and asked, "Were you recently slapped in the face?"
Old Man Xie's face twitched, and he mumbled, "He fell."
"Did you fall?"
Xiao Qing frowned, glanced at his two sons with suspicion in her eyes, and placed her right hand on his wrist.
Old Man Xie's hands were trembling slightly.
Xiao Qing's face darkened further, clearly realizing something was wrong. "Uncle Xie, did you eat something you shouldn't have?"
"I..."
"My medical skills are limited... I can only try to treat you first."
Looking at Xiao Qing's earnest yet slightly embarrassed face, Old Man Xie suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
When Shi Nandang saw Xiao Qing again, he looked somewhat surprised.
This little guy just talked about earning Merit, and now he's earned a huge one.
"This poison isn't difficult to cure," he said to Xiao Qing. "After all, this old man is just a mortal."
To be honest, even top-grade poisons cost Spirit Stone...
Ordinary people don't have that kind of luck.
"According to Old Man Xie's description, the person who gave him the poison was a Nascent Soul Cultivator Old Freak Li. He had also come to the Hundred Immortals Alliance a few days ago, but recently disappeared without a trace. It turns out he's here."
Xiao Qing exclaimed in surprise, " Nascent Soul Cultivator?"
"Heh... With so many Divine Nine Mountains Sect Divine Firmament Warship patrolling everywhere now, ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator are too busy hiding to dare to show their faces."
Looking at Xiao Qing's slightly frightened face, Shi Nandang felt relieved.
"Not to mention having the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government), if he were to attack a disciple of the Nine Mountains Sect, it would immediately attract the attention of others."
Seeing Xiao Qing's confusion, Shi Nandang shook his head and said, "Do you think the Sect Leader didn't make any arrangements for you when you came out?"
What arrangements are needed?
"Each state has at least three Nascent Soul patrolling, and a Spirit Transformation overseeing things from behind," Shi Nandang laughed. "Otherwise, he'd be afraid those traitors would resort to desperate measures."
"This area is under my jurisdiction."
Xiao Qing finally understood and nodded repeatedly.
"You deserve a lot of credit, though."
Shi Nandang looked towards the valley. He hadn't paid attention before and had misjudged it. Now, combined with the clues given by Old Man Xie and the control of the Nine Mountains Sect over this place, after some investigation, these people naturally had nowhere to hide.
About a hundred monks.
There are also three Nascent Soul among them.
Shi Nandang felt that Old Freak Li was somewhat wronged to have his whereabouts exposed by Xiao Qing, who was only at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
It's not that Old Freak Li was careless; it's just that who could have imagined Xiao Qing would discover the problem so easily...
How did you notice that Old Man Xie was acting strangely?
Shi Nandang asked, puzzled.
"Something's not right?" Xiao Qing blinked, looking confused. "I don't think there's anything wrong with him."
"Then you'll come to his home to see him?"
"Didn't you teach me this, True Person?"
"..."
Shi Nandang listened with increasing confusion and looked at Xiao Qing.
" True Person, you tell me, I'll carry out my duties exactly as I've always done." Xiao Qing's voice was low, as if she lacked confidence. "In Half-Mountain City, I just went out to treat patients every day..."
Shi Nandang was stunned. He looked at Xiao Qing, unable to hide his surprise. "You went to every village?"
"Um."
"So many people, so many villages, can we possibly see them all?"
Xiao Qing looked up at him, but became even more puzzled. "What does it matter whether I finish reading it or not?"
Shi Nandang listened to Xiao Qing say, "Going to one more place means one more place that likes Master and the Nine Mountains Sect."
Looking at Xiao Qing's matter-of-fact face, Shi Nandang remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "This Old Freak Li... deserved his fate."
" Old Freak Li, I'm getting really scared. Is the person you found reliable?"
"In the valley where the traitor is hiding," the old woman suddenly said.
"I've investigated, and there haven't been any caravans departing recently," Old Freak Li said, frowning. "And it wasn't just one person they searched."
The old woman frowned and said, "Then you'd better be careful."
"With the Mirage Mirror, what are you afraid of!" Old Freak Li sneered.
"Those people are all mortals; how could the Nine Mountains Sect possibly notice them?"
The people I choose aren't the kind who don't value their lives.
The old woman asked, but had nothing to say.
Old Freak Li is not a man without foresight.
But she still felt uneasy. She frowned and said, "There are no caravans now. How long am I supposed to wait?"
Old Man Li remained silent for a moment before transmitting his voice to her. "If we still can't find a caravan in another month, we'll leave on our own."
The old woman froze, then looked at the other middle-aged Nascent Soul.
This person was formerly an elder of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, but has now also defected.
Those minor sects of the Hundred Immortals Alliance were secretly gathering around him.
"The reason we're looking for caravans is simply because they're too conspicuous, and we can't leave our disciples and followers behind."
He glanced at his disciples behind him, his eyes filled with a meaningful look.
You mean... you escaped alone?
Old Freak Li nodded.
"Then come find me..."
The old woman's gaze grew increasingly strange.
Old Freak Li grinned. "Without the Mirage Mirror, these people are going to die anyway, so why not..."
The old woman was startled, realizing that he harbored murderous intent towards everyone in the cave.
There were only three Nascent Soul in the cave.
The reason they sought her out was simply because they feared the middle-aged Nascent Soul and wanted the two of them to join forces to seize his treasure.
"Think about it, the treasures they possess are the culmination of many sects' accumulated wealth over many years."
A hint of attraction flashed across the old woman's face.
Old Freak Li added, "If they live, they will inevitably expose our identities."
Hearing this, the old woman finally made up her mind and asked, "You don't want a disciple anymore?"
Old Freak Li shook his head slightly and said, "Too conspicuous. We'll rebuild our foundation after we leave the Hundred Immortals Alliance."
With Spirit Stone in hand, why worry about not having disciples?
The old woman understood that if it were just one or two people, disguising themselves would be very easy.
If there are many people, it's a different story.
Looking at her disciples, she felt a pang of reluctance—these were people she had nurtured over the years, and it was difficult to abandon them so suddenly.
After a long while, Old Freak Li saw her nod slightly.
The next day.
A furious roar erupted from the cave.
" Old Freak Li, how dare you plot against me!"
The middle-aged cultivator's face was ashen, he clutched his abdomen, and glared at Old Freak Li with eyes wide with fury.
He looked to the side and saw the old woman standing at the entrance of the cave, blocking his way.
"You're quite quick-witted."
Old Freak Li's expression also turned somewhat ugly. He hadn't expected that this middle-aged Nascent Soul would actually evade his sneak attack.
"You..."
Seeing the Nascent Soul cultivators fighting each other, everyone in the cave was terrified.
They tried to escape from the cave, but the old woman blocked the entrance.
He could only cower in the corner, watching the three confront each other.
The middle-aged Nascent Soul's gaze shifted from Old Freak Li to the old woman, as if he sensed that the two had reached a tacit understanding.
"As expected... you bunch of Rogue Cultivator, utterly without integrity!"
Suppressing his frustration, Old Freak Li mentally calculated that he had a sure chance of winning against the middle-aged cultivator, and even laughed as the middle-aged cultivator cursed him, saying, "Xinyi, you are the traitors of the Hundred Immortals Alliance!"
"..."
" Alliance Leader Zheng might even have to thank me for cleaning up his own house!"
The middle-aged cultivator's face turned pale and then red, and he was rendered speechless. He gritted his teeth and said, "Are you determined to kill us all?"
Old Freak Li remained silent, but a black rope appeared in his hand.
The old woman also took out a blue butterfly-shaped hair ornament and held it in her hand.
Old Freak Li said coldly, " The Mirage Mirror cannot conceal spiritual energy fluctuations. We must finish this quickly and withdraw in time."
The old woman's face also turned somber.
Old Freak Li wanted to launch a sneak attack because he was afraid of attracting the attention of the Nine Mountains Sect. However, he did not expect that the middle-aged Nascent Soul was so vigilant, and now he has delayed the attack for a while.
Although the middle-aged Nascent Soul escaped a fatal blow, he was severely injured. Facing two Nascent Soul, he knew he had no chance of escaping.
Hearing him say that, a sinister smile appeared on his face.
"A quick victory?"
"Afraid of being discovered by the Nine Mountains Sect?"
"Let's see where you can run to!"
Old Freak Li was terrified and shouted, "No!"
Then, the middle-aged cultivator's Nascent Soul flew out from the top of his head, his spiritual power like a giant wave.
Several rumbling sounds came from the newly excavated cave, and the cracks in the rock wall deepened, allowing rays of sunlight to seep in.
"Fellow Daoist! Why must it be like this!"
Old Freak Li never expected this person to be so decisive, detonating himself as soon as he said he would.
He flew away while shouting, filled with deep regret.
The power of Nascent Soul's self-destruction is something the Mirage Mirror could not possibly conceal, and the Nine Mountains Sect is not blind; they would definitely notice the problem.
After the explosion, most of the treasure will likely be lost.
More importantly...
He was too close!
Even his most powerful defensive techniques couldn't stop this middle-aged cultivator's self-destruction; even if he survived, he would be severely injured.
Escaping the Hundred Immortals Alliance in the future will be extremely difficult.
Seeing that he was about to die here, he was filled with remorse and vowed that if anyone could stop this middle-aged cultivator, he would repay them by serving them like a cow or a horse!
Someone actually made a move.
But Old Freak Li would rather not have it, and rather bear this blow himself.
A golden figure slowly descended from the sky. With his five fingers spread, the spiritual power that had been like a raging storm was smoothed out in his palm.
Shi Nandang grabbed the middle-aged cultivator, turned to look at the four Nascent Soul Nascent Soul from the Nine Mountains Sect behind him, and said, "Not bad, the injuries were a bit severe, but they're being treated well."
rule?
A look of surprise appeared on Old Freak Li's face.
Shi Nandang seemed to see through his expression, chuckled, and said, " The Sect Leader said that... it's better for you people to be alive than dead."
Shi Nandang's expression was strange, as if he wanted to laugh, "What did he say... It's a pity for such fine cattle and horses to die."
Old Freak Li secretly regretted his earlier oath; it was like he'd just made a fart, who knew it would come true so quickly this time!
"By the way, look at my eyes..." Shi Nandang frowned as he looked at Old Freak Li, then suddenly asked, "Do you know me?"
"..."
Seeing his expression, Shi Nandang naturally understood the answer. He looked at Xiao Qing on the Divine Firmament Warship behind him and thought to himself, "This little guy's No-Mind act has not only made a great contribution, but may have even saved my life."
(End of this chapter)