At the start of summer, the weather on Qingxiao Mountain turned cool.
In the woods, eight-year-old Li Huaizhen played with three-year-old Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin. Several other children were with them, the oldest about the same age as Li Huaizhen.
Ever since their mother, Madam Xu, had brought them to Qingxiao Sect for treatment, they had stayed there. Li Huaizhen had also successfully joined the sect, becoming a true disciple of Qingxiao Sect.
Not far away,
Yuan Qi watched them listlessly. Looking after this bunch of kids was terribly boring, but Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin were important, and he didn't dare let the two boys out of his sight.
His gaze drifted to Li Huaizhen. The boy had extraordinary aptitude; Yuan Qi wondered if he might become the sect's next prodigy.
But even if he did become a prodigy, it wouldn't mean much. Yuan Qi had already seen too many of them.
Qingxiao Sect held sway over the Nine Provinces and welcomed talented people from across the land. Many of the current Menial Disciples would have been admitted directly ten years ago. The threshold for joining kept rising, with new standards almost every year—a testament to just how quickly Qingxiao Sect was growing.
Just then, a disciple dropped from the sky, bringing a shower of leaves down beside Yuan Qi.
The disciple leaned close to Yuan Qi's ear and spoke in a low voice.
After listening, Yuan Qi frowned. "Keep watching him. Memorize what he looks like."
"Yes!"
The disciple answered, then leaped up and disappeared above the trees.
The person who had Yuan Qi so concerned was naturally his younger brother, Yuan Li.
Yuan Li was seventeen this year. As the sect leader's disciple, he naturally drew plenty of attention. Sure enough, people had begun approaching him