Returning to Qingxiao Sect

Sunlight cleaved across the land, skimming past Seven Peaks Town at the foot of the mountain.

Inside an inn, a woman in black stared at the gray-robed elder seated across from her, impatience written all over her face.

"You move fast. I'd barely arrived, and by the next morning, you'd already found me."

The woman in black spoke coldly. Her words left the gray-robed elder quite helpless.

The gray-robed elder looked to be over seventy, and even had brown spots on his face. He sighed and said, "Miss, don't be so impulsive. With your current martial arts, you'll surely suffer if you go to the Seven Peaks Alliance. Besides, I've learned that something major has happened there. Anyone who dares provoke them now will face a vicious counterattack."

"What happened?"

The woman in black asked, and Li Qingqiu came to mind. She was curious about what he had gone to the Seven Peaks Alliance to do.

The gray-robed elder's expression turned grave. "Last night, the Seven Peaks Alliance's First Alliance Leader, Lü Taidou, was murdered in his own room. They say another alliance leader was beaten to death while trying to stop the killer."

At this, the woman in black's face changed drastically. Shock filled her expression as she suddenly understood.

No wonder the Seven Peaks Alliance had made such a commotion last night.

But...

Lü Taidou had been murdered?

How had he managed it?

She remembered Li Qingqiu flicking her sword away with a finger, and thought he might indeed have that kind of strength.

But he was so young. How could he be so powerful?

Was he skilled in preserving his looks and disguising himself?

The more she thought about it, the more alarmed she became. That was Lü Taidou, a peerless expert whose every stomp could shake the martial world of Guzhou.

And Lü Taidou had died inside the Seven Peaks Alliance. It was utterly unbelievable.

She looked up at the gray-robed elder and hurriedly asked, "Who did it?"

The gray-robed elder shook his head. "No idea. They say the man had three heads and six arms, like a demon god descended from the heavens, unstoppable. He also took two children away. Maybe he went there for those two."

The woman in black rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Three heads and six arms? You believe that?"

"That's what the people of the Seven Peaks Alliance said. I'm only repeating it." The gray-robed elder shrugged.

He paused, then said earnestly, "Miss, the Seven Peaks Alliance is about to be swept up in a great storm. There'll be infighting over power within, and old enemies will come knocking from outside. The trouble weighing on you may well resolve itself. Why risk your own neck?"

The woman in black gave a cold laugh. "Lü Taidou is dead, so my troubles have naturally vanished. Don't worry. I'll go back with you today."

The gray-robed elder let out a sigh of relief and nodded, stroking his beard.

The woman in black hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Could you have someone investigate who killed Lü Taidou? I only want to know his name."

"I'll do my best. It was dark last night, so finding out his name won't be easy." The gray-robed elder agreed casually, giving it little thought.

Li Qingqiu's face and voice surfaced in the woman in black's mind again, stirring her curiosity.

Who was this man, really? How had he dared walk openly up to the Seven Peaks Alliance, then go up the mountain and kill someone?

What kind of grudge did he have against the Seven Peaks Alliance?

After leaving the Seven Peaks Alliance, Li Qingqiu traveled hundreds of miles before hiding in the mountains to rest and recover his Origin Energy.

Afterward, he used the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle to tend to little Yuan Li, while Yuan Qi gathered wild fruits and water on the mountain.

After a day's rest, they set out again. They avoided the main roads and didn't encounter anyone.

With the Gale Technique, Li Qingqiu moved quickly. He was slower than a carriage, but not by much.

Only when they reached the foot of Qingxiao Sect's mountain did Li Qingqiu finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Looking at the towering, rolling mountains ahead, Yuan Qi was full of confusion. Why did it feel like they were getting farther and farther away?

In his mind, martial arts sects were supposed to be near towns, where it would be convenient to recruit disciples and enslave the common people.

"Once we're up the mountain, don't mention the Seven Peaks Alliance to anyone. And don't say I've been there. You're just orphans who followed the refugees, and I brought you back. Understand?"

Carrying Yuan Li, Li Qingqiu walked ahead as he spoke. A large bundle was slung over his back, bought the day before when they passed through a town.

Yuan Qi followed behind and nodded. "I understand, big brother. Don't worry. I won't cause you any trouble."

Li Qingqiu began explaining how Qingxiao Sect worked. Yuan Qi had never heard of the sect, and learning that its disciples were all young filled him with anticipation.

At the Seven Peaks Alliance, he'd encountered nothing but adults, and they were always bullying him. He was now afraid of entering a place full of adults.

As he listened to Li Qingqiu describe the sect, Yuan Qi grew bolder and started asking questions nonstop. Li Qingqiu patiently answered every one.

The journey from the foot of the mountain to Qingxiao Sect's gate was long. They walked for half a day.

Ten days had passed since Li Qingqiu killed Lü Taidou.

It was nearly dusk.

Li Qingqiu looked at Qingxiao Sect's gate. Though it was nowhere near as imposing as the Seven Peaks Alliance, it felt familiar, and the tension in his heart finally eased.

From a distance, he saw a child crouching in front of the gate, playing with pebbles. It was Li Sifeng.

"Sifeng, slacking off again?"

Li Qingqiu's voice carried over. Li Sifeng sprang to his feet in alarm and turned around.

When he saw Li Sifeng's face, Li Qingqiu couldn't help laughing.

Half a month had passed, yet Li Sifeng's face was still bruised black and blue. At least the swelling had gone down. But when Li Sifeng smiled, the gaps where several teeth were missing made him look downright comical.

Li Qingqiu laughed, then immediately swallowed it back.

He couldn't laugh. That would be too cruel. After all, Li Sifeng had been injured for Qingxiao Sect.

"Eldest Senior Brother!"

Li Sifeng cried out in delight, then ran down like a gust of wind. His voice was so loud that it alerted the disciples inside the sect.

As soon as he reached Li Qingqiu, Yang Jueding, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Xu Ning raced along the cliff face and arrived at the gate. Yuan Qi was stunned by their lightness skill.

"Have you been behaving yourself?" Li Qingqiu asked with a smile, patting Li Sifeng's head.

Li Sifeng clung tightly to Li Qingqiu's waist, choking up. "Eldest Senior Brother, I was so worried about you. Why were you gone so long? I thought you didn't want us anymore..."

More and more disciples ran out of the sect. When they saw Li Qingqiu, they were all excited. He also spotted six unfamiliar faces, who had to be the Qin family's six children.

Two days earlier, Li Qingqiu had noticed six new disciples on the Legacy System panel. Unfortunately, their aptitudes were all ordinary, and none had a special Fate, so he hadn't paid them much attention. He hadn't even memorized their faces.

Jiang Zhaoxia quickly landed beside Li Qingqiu and looked him over carefully. Only after confirming he wasn't injured did she relax.

Li Sijin hugged Li Qingqiu too, overjoyed, while Li Dongyue stood nearby with tears in her eyes.

Yang Jueding also breathed a sigh of relief. He'd hidden the fact that Li Qingqiu had gone to the Seven Peaks Alliance and was nearly buckling under the pressure. Fortunately, Li Qingqiu was back.

"Senior Brother, where did you go? Why were you gone so long?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked, her voice full of reproach.

Li Qingqiu smiled. "Didn't I tell Yuchun I was going on patrol? I just got held up by something along the way. By the way, let me introduce you. This boy behind me is Yuan Qi, and the one in my arms is his younger brother, Yuan Li. They'll be disciples of Qingxiao Sect from now on."

At this, everyone's attention shifted.

Yang Jueding leaned in close to Yuan Qi and studied him carefully, making the boy uncomfortable.

Xu Ning's growth had proven Li Qingqiu's eye for talent. Not only Yang Jueding, but the other disciples were curious about what potential Yuan Qi had that had attracted Li Qingqiu.

Zhang Yuchun looked at Li Qingqiu with a furrowed brow, while Wu Man'er just grinned nonstop without saying a word.

"All right, let's go inside and talk. Have a meal prepared for us."

Li Qingqiu cut off the discussion and urged them on. The group climbed the mountain together, laughing and chatting. The disciples were all young and full of energy, and once they got talking, they couldn't stop.

"Senior Brother, let me carry the child."

Li Dongyue came up beside Li Qingqiu and spoke softly.

Li Qingqiu didn't refuse and handed Yuan Li to her.

After they returned to the courtyard, Zhang Yuchun took Yuan Qi to bathe, while Li Dongyue and Li Sijin took Yuan Li.

Li Qingqiu sat at the table and looked toward the Qin family's six children standing together. There were four boys and two girls, all eleven years old. Finding six children of a similar age was proof enough that the Qin family had a thriving household.

Under the sect master's gaze, all six children were nervous. Before they left, Qin Jue had warned them to behave at Qingxiao Sect. Anyone sent back early would be severely punished.

"Come sit down and introduce yourselves."

Li Qingqiu smiled warmly and beckoned the six children over.

His smile put them at ease, and they came over one after another to introduce themselves.

Li Qingqiu chatted casually with them, drawing them closer.

Three of the Qingxiao Seven Sons cooked. They worked quickly, heating the food and bringing it to Li Qingqiu.

Li Qingqiu didn't wait for Yuan Qi and started eating on his own.

Yang Jueding sat nearby, wanting to ask Li Qingqiu something, but with other people around, he could only hold his tongue.

A while later, Zhang Yuchun, Yuan Qi, and Li Dongyue also came to the courtyard. Everyone in Qingxiao Sect had gathered, twenty-four people in all.

They were nowhere near as numerous as the Seven Peaks Alliance, but Li Qingqiu was content.

He believed that in another ten years, every disciple before him would be able to stand on their own.

Li Dongyue sat on Li Qingqiu's other side, resting her cheek on one hand. She sighed, "Senior Brother, seeing you come back earlier reminded me of Master. Back then, when Master brought Sifeng and Sijin back, he was just like you, holding Sijin in his arms with Sifeng following behind."

Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Wu Man'er nodded at this, and they began reminiscing about Lin Xunfeng.

This made the disciples even more curious about Lin Xunfeng. What kind of hero had their grandmaster been?

Yang Jueding spoke up. "Lin Xunfeng was certainly a man of righteous gallantry, but he didn't do much for Qingxiao Sect. The sect never recruited disciples on a large scale from the day it was founded, so I think the Qingxiao Sect of today has nothing to do with the past."

Li Qingqiu glanced at him, secretly pleased. In the few days they'd been apart, Yang Jueding had learned how to read the room.

Zhang Yuchun chimed in, "That's right. Master abandoned us and left. From now on, Qingxiao Sect has only one sect master. We're the new Qingxiao Sect; Senior Brother is just nostalgic, so he kept the old name."