Return to Qingxiao Sect

The sunlight broke through the earth, sweeping across Seven Peaks Town at the foot of the mountains.

Inside an inn, a woman in black looked at the old man in grey robes sitting opposite her, her face filled with impatience.

"You're fast. I just arrived, and you found me by the next morning."

The woman in black said coldly, her words making the old man in grey robes feel helpless.

The old man in grey robes looked over seventy years old, with even age spots on his face. He sighed and said, "Miss, please don't act rashly. With your current martial arts skills, going to the Seven Peaks Alliance will surely lead to trouble. Moreover, I've learned that something big has happened at the Seven Peaks Alliance. Anyone who dares to provoke them now will face a furious backlash."

"What happened?"

The woman in black asked, her mind involuntarily recalling Li Qingqiu. She was curious what Li Qingqiu was going to the Seven Peaks Alliance for.

The old man in grey robes' face was solemn. "Last night, the Seven Peaks Alliance's first leader, Lü Taidou, was assassinated in his own residence. It's said that another leader was beaten to death while trying to intercept the killer."

As soon as he said this, the woman in black's face changed drastically, her expression stunned. She suddenly understood.

No wonder there was such a commotion at the Seven Peaks Alliance last night.

But...

Lü Taidou was assassinated?

How did he manage it?

The woman in black remembered Li Qingqiu flicking her precious sword away with a finger, and felt that he might indeed have that capability.

But why was he so strong at such a young age?

Did he master the art of staying young and makeup?

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

Moreover, Lü Taidou died within the Seven Peaks Alliance. This was too unbelievable.

She looked up at the old man in grey robes and quickly asked, "Who did it?"

The old man in grey robes shook his head. "I don't know. It's said that the person had three heads and six arms, like a demon god descended from the heavens, unstoppable. He also took away two children, possibly going for those two children."

The woman in black couldn't help but roll her eyes and said irritably, "Three heads and six arms? You believe that?"

"That's what the people from the Seven Peaks Alliance said. I'm just relaying it," the old man in grey robes shrugged.

He paused and said earnestly, "Miss, the Seven Peaks Alliance will be in great turmoil. There will be internal power struggles, and external enemies will attack. The trouble you're worried about might dissipate on its own. Why must you put yourself in danger?"

The woman in black sneered. "Lü Taidou is dead, so my troubles will naturally disappear. Don't worry, I'll go back with you today."

The old man in grey robes breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, stroking his beard.

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

"I'll do my best. It was dark last night, and investigating his name won't be easy," the old man in grey robes replied casually without thinking much.

The image of Li Qingqiu's face reappeared in the woman in black's mind. She felt curious.

Who exactly was this person, to dare to openly come to the Seven Peaks Alliance, ascend the mountain, and kill someone?

What grudges did he have with 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 treat little Yuan Li's body, while Yuan Qi gathered fruits and water on the mountain.

After a day of recuperation, they set off again, not taking the main roads, and did not encounter anyone.

With the Gale Technique, Li Qingqiu's travel speed was fast. Although not as fast as a carriage, it wasn't much slower.

When they arrived at the foot of the Qingxiao Sect's mountain, Li Qingqiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the majestic, undulating mountains before him, Yuan Qi was filled with confusion. Why did it feel like they were going further and further away?

In his mind, martial arts sects must be close to towns so they could easily recruit disciples and enslave the common people.

"Once we get up the mountain, you are not to mention the Seven Peaks Alliance to anyone, nor say that I went to the Seven Peaks Alliance. You are just orphans who followed the refugees and were brought back by me, understand?"

Li Qingqiu said as he carried Yuan Li and walked ahead. He carried a large backpack, which he had bought when they passed through a town yesterday.

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

Li Qingqiu began to introduce the situation at the Qingxiao Sect. Yuan Qi had never heard of the Qingxiao Sect. Hearing that the disciples of the Qingxiao Sect were all very young made him look forward to it.

At the Seven Peaks Alliance, he only encountered adults and was always bullied by them. He was now afraid of entering an environment full of adults.

Listening to the situation at the Qingxiao Sect, Yuan Qi's courage grew, and he began to ask questions nonstop. Li Qingqiu was patient and answered them one by one.

It took them half a day to walk from the foot of the mountain to the Qingxiao Sect's mountain gate.

Ten days had passed since Li Qingqiu assassinated Lü Taidou.

It was now close to dusk.

Li Qingqiu looked at the Qingxiao Sect's mountain gate. Although not as grand as the Seven Peaks Alliance's, it made him feel a sense of closeness, and his tense heartstrings finally relaxed.

He saw a child squatting in front of the mountain gate, playing with pebbles. It was Li Sifeng.

"Sifeng, slacking off again?"

Li Qingqiu's voice carried over, startling Li Sifeng into quickly getting up and turning around.

Upon seeing his face, Li Qingqiu couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Half a month had passed, and Li Sifeng's face was still bruised and black and blue. Fortunately, there was no swelling. It was just that when Li Sifeng smiled, the missing teeth made him look rather comical.

Li Qingqiu stifled his laughter as soon as it started.

I can't laugh, that's too mean. Li Sifeng got hurt for the Qingxiao Sect, after all.

"Eldest Senior Brother!"

Li Sifeng shouted in surprise, then ran down like a gust of wind. His voice was so loud that it alerted the disciples within the sect.

As soon as he reached Li Qingqiu, Yang Jueding, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Xu Ning stepped onto the mountain wall and quickly arrived at the mountain gate. Their lightness skill stunned Yuan Qi.

"Haven't been misbehaving lately, have you?" Li Qingqiu asked with a smile, ruffling Li Sifeng's hair.

Li Sifeng hugged Li Qingqiu's waist tightly and choked out, "Eldest Senior Brother, I was so worried about you. Why did you take so long? I thought you didn't want us anymore..."

More and more disciples poured out of the sect. When they saw Li Qingqiu, they were all very excited. Li Qingqiu also spotted six unfamiliar faces; they should be the six sons of the Qin family.

Two days prior, Li Qingqiu had noticed six new disciples on the Legacy System. Unfortunately, their aptitude was very ordinary, and they had no special Destiny, so Li Qingqiu hadn't paid much attention to them, not even remembering their faces.

Jiang Zhaoxia quickly landed beside Li Qingqiu and examined him carefully. After confirming he wasn't injured, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Sijin also hugged Li Qingqiu, overjoyed. Li Dongyue stood beside them, her eyes teary.

Yang Jueding also breathed a sigh of relief. He had concealed the fact that Li Qingqiu had gone to the Seven Peaks Alliance. He had been under immense pressure and was glad Li Qingqiu had returned.

"Senior Brother, where did you go? Why did it take so long?" Jiang Zhaoxia asked, his tone full of grievance.

Li Qingqiu smiled, "Didn't I tell Yuchun I was patrolling the mountains? I was just held up by other matters along the way. Oh, right, let me introduce you. This kid behind me is Yuan Qi, and the one I'm holding is his younger brother, Yuan Li. They'll be disciples of the Qingxiao Sect from now on."

As soon as he said that, everyone's attention shifted.

Yang Jueding leaned in front of Yuan Qi and examined him closely, making Yuan Qi very uncomfortable.

Xu Ning's growth had proven Li Qingqiu's judgment. Let alone Yang Jueding, other disciples were also curious about what kind of talent Yuan Qi possessed to attract Li Qingqiu.

Zhang Yuchun looked at Li Qingqiu, his brow furrowed. Wu Man'er just kept grinning foolishly, saying nothing.

"Alright, let's talk inside. Prepare some food for us."

Li Qingqiu interrupted their discussion and urged them on. The group then went up the mountain, chatting and laughing. As the disciples were young and energetic, once they started talking, they couldn't stop.

"Senior Brother, let me hold the child."

Li Dongyue came up to Li Qingqiu and said softly.

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

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

Li Qingqiu sat at the table, his gaze falling on the six members of the Qin family standing together. There were four boys and two girls, all eleven years old. Finding six disciples of similar age was enough to show the Qin family's prosperity.

Facing the Sect Master's gaze, the six Qin children were very nervous. Before coming, Qin Jue had instructed them to be obedient at the Qingxiao Sect, warning that anyone sent back early would be severely punished.

"Come and sit. Introduce yourselves to me."

Li Qingqiu smiled gently and beckoned to the six Qin children.

Seeing his smile, the six Qin children relaxed and walked over, introducing themselves one by one.

Li Qingqiu chatted with them casually, building rapport.

Three of the Qingxiao Seven Sons were cooking. They were quick, and the food was soon heated and brought before Li Qingqiu.

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

Yang Jueding sat to the side, wanting to ask Li Qingqiu something, but with others present, he held back.

A while later, Zhang Yuchun, Yuan Qi, and Li Dongyue also entered the courtyard. All twenty-four members of the Qingxiao Sect gathered together.

Although far from the prosperity of the Seven Peaks Alliance, it satisfied Li Qingqiu.

He believed that in another ten years, these disciples would all be able to stand on their own.

Li Dongyue sat on Li Qingqiu's other side, propping her cheek with one hand, and sighed, "Senior Brother, the way you returned reminds me of our Master. When Master returned with Sifeng and Sijin back then, he was like you, holding Sijin in his arms with Sifeng following behind."

These words made Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Wu Man'er nod. They began to reminisce about Lin Xunfeng.

This made the disciples even more curious about Lin Xunfeng. What kind of heroic figure was that Ancestral Master?

Yang Jueding spoke, "Lin Xunfeng was indeed a man of Righteous Gallantry, but he didn't help the Qingxiao Sect much. Since its founding, the Qingxiao Sect has never recruited disciples on a large scale, so I feel the current Qingxiao Sect has no connection to the past."

Li Qingqiu glanced at him, secretly pleased. After a few days apart, Yang Jueding had become more sensible.

Zhang Yuchun added, "That's right. Master abandoned us and left. From now on, the Qingxiao Sect has only one Sect Master. We are the new Qingxiao Sect. It's just that Senior Brother is nostalgic and uses the old name."

Thank you to Shattered Shadow Dancing in the Setting Sun for the 500 Qidian coins reward~