The King of Thieves

When Zhang Yu raised his price at the last minute, Li Qingqiu agreed anyway. He decided to see how well Zhang Yu taught first. If he did a poor job, Li Qingqiu could always send him packing.

At dinner that evening, Li Qingqiu announced that beginning the next day, all the disciples would start studying under Zhang Yu. Their lessons would be held on the newly cleared patch of ground below the mountain gate, and no one was allowed to skip class.

So the next morning, after their martial arts training, everyone except Li Qingqiu went to attend class. Even Yang Jueding was curious whether this teacher was any good.

As far as he was concerned, Zhang Yu was asking for far too much!

Ever since becoming the Elder of Martial Arts Transmission, Yang Jueding had started considering matters from the perspective of Qingxiao Sect.

At noon, Li Qingqiu returned to the courtyard and listened to his junior brothers and sisters share their opinions. They had a surprisingly high opinion of Zhang Yu, finding his lessons very entertaining. Even Yang Jueding admitted that Zhang Yu had some learning in him.

Hearing the results, Li Qingqiu felt reassured.

Unfortunately, no matter how good the teaching was, students would eventually grow bored.

A month later.

Li Qingqiu took Xu Ning up the mountain. They had visited the underground Spirit Lake that day, and Xu Ning had successfully reached the second layer of the Yangyuan Realm. Her little face glowed with excitement, and she couldn't hide her smile.

When they arrived at the clearing below the mountain gate, Li Qingqiu saw Zhang Yu teaching five disciples.

"I'm very pleased to see your eagerness to learn. Whatever you do, don't take after that rascal Li Sifeng. His temper will get him into trouble sooner or later."

At the mention of Li Sifeng, Zhang Yu's voice brimmed with indignation.

Li Qingqiu heard him from a distance and immediately knew Li Sifeng had played another prank on Zhang Yu that day.

Since the two had grown familiar, Li Sifeng had enjoyed joking around with Zhang Yu and picking on him for not practicing martial arts.

That was right: Zhang Yu didn't practice martial arts. He said his master, the Nine Veins Old Man, had made it a rule: once he learned the Heaven Stealing Art, he could no longer practice martial arts. He had kept that rule firmly in mind.

Li Qingqiu gave Xu Ning a look. She understood, and the two of them softened their footsteps and quietly slipped behind Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu caught sight of them out of the corner of his eye. His eyes widened, and he hurriedly waved and called, "Sect Master! There's something I need to discuss with you!"

Li Qingqiu pretended not to hear and hurried up the steps. Xu Ning followed close behind, and the two entered through the mountain gate, one after the other.

Zhang Yu lowered his hand in dismay. In front of the disciples, he had to maintain the dignity of a teacher and refrain from foul language.

Meanwhile,

Li Qingqiu made his way into the courtyard, where he saw Li Dongyue sitting beneath a tree with Yuan Li in her arms. Yuan Qi stood beside her, amusing the baby.

In another corner of the courtyard, two female disciples were sewing clothes. When they saw Li Qingqiu enter, they quickly stood and raised their hands in greeting. Zhang Yu had taught them this form of etiquette.

Zhang Yu felt that Qingxiao Sect's rules weren't clear enough. A greeting might seem old-fashioned, but it reinforced the hierarchy. If juniors didn't pay their respects to their elders, they would grow lax over time, and might even become disrespectful.

Li Qingqiu couldn't agree, but Zhang Yuchun, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Yang Jueding all supported the idea, so he had no choice but to let Zhang Yu teach etiquette.

Li Qingqiu nodded to the two female disciples and was about to walk over to Li Dongyue when Zhang Yuchun came out of a nearby room and hurried over to him.

"Senior Brother, I'd like to borrow someone from you!" Zhang Yuchun grabbed Li Qingqiu and said with a serious expression.

"Who?"

"Third Junior Brother. You know how I went down the mountain to recruit people and came back empty-handed? Well, I finally met a martial arts expert. He claimed that if anyone could defeat him, he'd grant them one request—even if it meant serving them hand and foot for the rest of his life. So I'd like to ask Third Junior Brother to deal with him. But Third Junior Brother is worried the Seven Peaks Alliance or the Azure Cult might attack, so he won't leave the mountain."

Zhang Yuchun sounded helpless. He felt Qingxiao Sect wouldn't run into trouble for the next six months, and even if something did happen, they could handle it without Jiang Zhaoxia.

Li Qingqiu continued, "Are you sure he's an expert?"

"Yes. He's in a patch of woods on the edge of the Tai Kun Mountain Range, and supposedly he's been there for years. He's an odd one. I went to see him a few days ago, and he really does have some skill. I couldn't beat him, so I hurried back to ask Third Junior Brother for help. I'm afraid he'll leave or someone else will get to him first."

Zhang Yuchun replied, his face growing anxious.

He was genuinely worried about recruiting disciples for Qingxiao Sect. He couldn't find recruits anywhere beyond the villages at the foot of the mountain. As soon as people heard the name Qingxiao Sect, they assumed it had no future. On top of that, he was too young and didn't look reliable.

Qingxiao Sect had many things to do, but its disciples were too young and labor was scarce. He had no choice but to find a way to recruit skilled fighters.

Li Qingqiu thought it over. Zhang Yuchun had returned safely after losing to the man, so the other party wasn't bloodthirsty. Sending Jiang Zhaoxia to take a look was fine. Zhang Yuchun had been working himself to the bone lately; Li Qingqiu should let him have his way for once.

"Go tell Third Junior Brother that I approve," Li Qingqiu said.

Zhang Yuchun was delighted. He quickly thanked Li Qingqiu, then turned and left.

The brothers shared a deep bond. As long as Zhang Yuchun said Li Qingqiu had approved, Jiang Zhaoxia would believe him. Of course, Zhang Yuchun wouldn't lie; before Li Qingqiu gave his approval, he wouldn't issue any orders in Li Qingqiu's name.

Li Qingqiu went over to Li Dongyue and smiled. "Dongyue, make sure you take good care of this little fellow. I have a feeling he'll become a source of pride for Qingxiao Sect."

Li Dongyue smiled and said gently, "Whether he's exceptional or not, I'll take good care of him."

"Sect Master, if you really mean that, would you take my little brother as your disciple?" Yuan Qi asked hopefully.

Since coming to Qingxiao Sect, his relationship with Li Qingqiu had grown more distant. He knew it wouldn't be easy to earn Li Qingqiu's approval. At least, he hadn't shown any extraordinary talent for martial arts, and some nights he would feel dejected.

Li Qingqiu smiled. "Sure. Once he's grown up and can read, I'll take him as my disciple."

Yuan Qi was overjoyed. He immediately knelt and thanked Li Qingqiu.

Li Dongyue noticed that Li Qingqiu hadn't stopped him, and she was quietly surprised. Could little Yuan Li really have extraordinary talent?

Xu Ning's progress in cultivation had already proved Li Qingqiu's good eye. With so many disciples in Qingxiao Sect and so few he had taken on as students, it was clear how strict he was about choosing disciples.

"Get up, Yuan Qi. Don't always put your little brother first. You need to work hard at martial arts yourself, too. Talent is one thing, but effort matters just as much."

Li Qingqiu spoke earnestly. Yuan Qi stood and nodded solemnly.

After exchanging a few words with Li Dongyue, Li Qingqiu returned to his room. He felt a little tired that day, perhaps because cultivating the Spring Return Ghost Immortal Needle had consumed too much Origin Energy.

Cultivators could go without sleep, but only if they hadn't expended their Origin Energy. As for Li Qingqiu, he didn't mind having a dream now and then.

He slept deeply, and didn't wake until he heard a commotion.

He opened his eyes. It was already dark outside.

He wondered why no one had called him to dinner.

He got out of bed, then heard someone pleading for mercy in the courtyard, while other disciples berated them.

Hm? Has an outsider come in?

Li Qingqiu stood and headed for the door.

Meanwhile, more than a dozen disciples had gathered near the courtyard gate. In their midst, a young man dressed in black knelt on the ground, his face bruised and swollen and tears streaming down his cheeks. He clasped his hands and begged for mercy, looking utterly wretched.

Xu Ning stood before him, her little face stern.

Zhang Yuchun and Jiang Zhaoxia had already gone down the mountain with provisions. With no one to disperse the crowd, the gathering of disciples had grown noisy.

Yang Jueding vaulted over the courtyard wall and landed on the ground. He stood behind the disciples and peered ahead, then let out a startled exclamation.

"Cheng Canghai, what are you doing here?" Yang Jueding asked.

The man in black looked at him. He showed no relief; instead, he lowered his head in shame, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him.

When Li Qingqiu stepped out of his room, Li Dongyue came over as well, carrying little Yuan Li. The two exchanged a glance, and Li Dongyue shook her head to show she didn't know what was going on either.

"What's all the commotion about?"

Li Qingqiu strode over and asked.

At the sound of his voice, the disciples quickly moved aside and bowed to him.

Zhang Yu, standing at the edge of the crowd, nodded in approval.

Qin Ye spoke first. "Master, this man sneaked into our sect to steal something. Senior Sister caught him."

The Senior Sister he meant was Xu Ning. Although Xu Ning was younger than he was, she had become Li Qingqiu's disciple first, and her formidable martial arts skills had won his respect.

Stealing something?

Li Qingqiu wasn't surprised. Qingxiao Sect was no longer what it used to be; there were things worth stealing now.

He walked up to Cheng Canghai and looked him over.

Cheng Canghai hurriedly said, "I was just hungry and wanted to grab something to eat..."

Xu Ning snapped, "You call that grabbing something? You stole a whole roast chicken and took two jars of wine. You smashed both jars on the ground. I'm not letting this go!"

Li Qingqiu's expression darkened as well.

Qingxiao Sect had money now, but there were plenty of mouths to feed, so they had to watch every coin. A whole roast chicken was a rare luxury, and this man had dared to steal one!

"I'll pay you back! Just give me a chance. In five days at most, I'll bring the money and repay you!"

Cheng Canghai pleaded desperately. He turned to Yang Jueding, too flustered to care about anything else. "Dragon Subduing Great Hero, you know the weight of my word. Say something for me!"

When Yang Jueding heard that two jars of wine were gone, he was so angry his eyes bulged and his mustache bristled. Now Cheng Canghai was asking him to plead on his behalf, and Yang Jueding said scornfully, "Speak up for you? I'm ashamed to know you! You're the King of Thieves, and instead of stealing the people's hard-earned wealth from corrupt officials, you come up here and steal a chicken and wine from us? And if that weren't bad enough, a little girl caught you! Aren't you embarrassed?"

That only made things worse. Cheng Canghai couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears. "Yang Jueding, you call her a little girl? She's a little demon! Even you couldn't beat her!"

Yang Jueding flew into a rage. How could he possibly be unable to beat Xu Ning?

He had watched Xu Ning come up the mountain. How could she have surpassed the power of his twenty years of arduous cultivation in such a short time?

But when his gaze happened to sweep over Xu Ning's profile, his heart inexplicably gave a little flutter.

Thanks to Shuixiu for the 2,388 Qidian Coins~