Talent Emerges

Qin Ye didn't hide anything and recounted the entire process. After finishing, he said with a guilty expression, "The Ten Thousand Army Demon Subduing Staff is too fierce, and it's hard to control its power. Even a slight leakage of force can injure someone. I will never use this staff technique to spar with fellow disciples again."

Li Qingqiu's expression was calm as he asked, "How is his injury?"

"His face is swollen."

"Then you really must apologize. How can you hit someone in the face? If you injured him elsewhere, he could cover it with clothing. But if you injure his face, his master will definitely know."

Li Qingqiu's words stunned Qin Ye. He hadn't considered this point. Hearing his master say this, he felt even more guilty.

Li Sifeng, who was being punished by standing, chuckled, "Third Senior Brother is very petty. You're done for. Maybe Third Senior Uncle will come looking for you to avenge his disciple personally."

Qin Ye didn't seem scared upon hearing this. Instead, he said seriously, "I am willing to be punished by Third Senior Uncle."

Li Sifeng pouted and muttered something about not knowing his limits.

Li Qingqiu understood the reason and didn't take it to heart. He said, "Since it was the other party who proposed the spar, you are not at fault. Just be careful with your strikes in the future. Third Junior Brother has an arrogant personality and definitely won't trouble you, but Xue Jin will definitely seek you out again to save face. Pay attention then."

Injuries were inevitable in sparring matches. Li Qingqiu truly didn't consider it a big deal; they couldn't possibly stop disciples from sparring.

Qin Ye had won, but Li Qingqiu didn't praise him because he also felt Qin Ye needed to control his staff techniques. Other disciples weren't as durable as Xue Jin.

Hearing this, Qin Ye still hesitated. He even offered to apologize to Third Senior Uncle, but Li Qingqiu directly kicked him, sending him flying.

"Still not causing enough trouble? Get lost!"

Li Qingqiu said irritably. Qin Ye was kicked over twenty feet away, crashing into a wall before stopping.

Lying in the corner of the wall, Qin Ye felt his insides churn and his body ache. He secretly marveled at his master's power and quickly got up to take his leave.

Li Sifeng turned to look at Li Qingqiu and exclaimed in amazement, "Eldest Senior Brother, is the staff technique taught by Wu Baoyu that powerful? This isn't a good thing. Qingxiao Sect needs its own martial arts to suppress the Ten Thousand Army Demon Subduing Staff."

"Hmph, you worry about yourself first and stand properly!"

Li Qingqiu snorted. He walked to Li Sifeng's side and kicked him in the backside. Instantly, a sharp pain shot through him, causing Li Sifeng's expression to change, and he almost knelt down.

This kick had transformed Origin Energy into internal force, stimulating the pain points on Li Sifeng's leg, making him unable to bear the agony.

"Will you dare to bully disciples again in the future?"

"I was just having him cover my classes, how is that bullying?"

"Could he refuse you?"

"It's not impossible..."

Li Qingqiu kicked him again. Li Sifeng grimaced in pain and quickly apologized, saying he would never dare to again.

At dusk, in a courtyard, the young Bai Ninger sat at a table, propping his cheek with one hand and gazing at the distant mountains, his mind adrift.

A disciple rushed into the courtyard, carrying four wild rabbits. He walked to the table and said with a smile, "Hu Feng, today's haul: four wild rabbits, each weighing five catties."

Bai Ninger snapped back to attention. He picked up a brush and began to record in the ledger before him, saying, "Why more wild rabbits? Do you want to eat all the wild rabbits in the mountains?"

"The Tai Kun Mountain Range is vast, and the wild rabbits can't be eaten. Once the wild rabbits here are gone, other wild rabbits will come to graze. Besides, when eating rabbit meat, I haven't seen you eat less."

Hu Feng said exasperatedly. Seeing Bai Ninger meticulously record his achievements, he immediately beamed with joy.

"Tie them up before putting them down and leaving."

Bai Ninger reminded him. Hu Feng acknowledged and brought the wild rabbits behind Bai Ninger. This courtyard was already piled with many fruits and flowers, and game, all the disciples' harvests.

Bai Ninger's duty was to record these daily. Because someone was recording, the disciples' motivation never waned.

After Hu Feng left, Bai Ninger slumped onto the table and couldn't help but sigh.

When would this kind of life end?

Because he had learned calligraphy from a young age and was physically weak, his Senior Brother had assigned him this task. Of course, the bigger reason was that his Senior Brother wanted more time to practice martial arts. His Senior Brother usually took good care of him, and he couldn't refuse.

Now, apart from morning exercises, he spent most of his day in this courtyard, which was truly boring.

Just as Bai Ninger sighed, a smell of urine wafted over, making him frown. He didn't need to turn his head to know it was a wild boar.

He had to wait for other disciples to take away the game and finish cleaning the courtyard before his day's task would be considered complete.

Although he enjoyed eating wild boar meat, he truly detested live wild boars. They were dirty, smelly, and liked to grunt.

Because Qingxiao Sect was a martial arts sect, the demand for meat was high, and there were many disciples responsible for hunting. They had harvests every day. Zhang Yuchun would buy some dried or cured meat every time he went down the mountain. Villagers would occasionally trade meat for other grains, allowing Qingxiao Sect disciples not to eat meat at every meal, but to taste meat daily.

When he first arrived at the mountain, he was impressed by this treatment. But as time passed, he became dissatisfied and wanted to practice martial arts.

Bai Ninger reminisced about the past to pass the time.

When it was almost dark, five disciples finally entered the courtyard. Seeing them, Bai Ninger immediately cheered and then tidied up the ledger on the table before running out of the courtyard.

The five disciples were used to this and began to pack up the game and grains piled in the courtyard.

After leaving the courtyard, Bai Ninger skipped and hopped, heading up the mountain. He planned to be lazy tonight and clean the courtyard early tomorrow morning. It was too much for him alone, so he had to find his Senior Brother to complain and ask him to help.

"Little brother ahead, please stop."

A female voice came from behind. Bai Ninger stopped and turned to look. He saw two women walking up the mountain path.

The one in front was a young woman in green, petite, looking like she was only fifteen or sixteen at first glance. Her face was delicate and cute, and she had two braids, which caught Bai Ninger's eye.

The woman behind her wore a simple white long dress, a veil covering her face, and carried a long wooden chest on her back. Her posture was dignified, and her eyes were bright and moving. She followed the woman in green, clearly appearing to be the mistress.

Mountain visitors?

Bai Ninger was curious, but not nervous. After all, he only had to shout once and other disciples would come running. Moreover, these two women didn't seem like troublemakers; in fact, they looked like they couldn't even lift a chicken.

As the two women approached, Bai Ninger asked, "Who are you?"

The woman in green smiled and said, "My name is Su Xiling. My young lady's surname is Zhu. We were introduced by Liu Fanzhou and would like to discuss something with your Sect Master. Can you lead the way?"

She wasn't much taller than the fourteen-year-old Bai Ninger, so he didn't feel overly wary of her.

"Master Liu? He's a great man! He had people repair this mountain path. Let's go, dinner is almost ready, and the Sect Master should be easy to find."

Bai Ninger agreed immediately, waved his hand, and turned to lead the way.

Su Xiling and the woman in white followed closely. Su Xiling was clearly very interested in the Qingxiao Sect and began asking Bai Ninger questions.

Bai Ninger found her questions to be about trivial matters, such as whether it was peaceful usually, if many martial world people passed through, and if there were any bandits on the mountain. He answered them one by one.

As they walked, they encountered other Qingxiao Sect disciples along the way. Those disciples curiously asked who the two women were. Upon hearing Bai Ninger mention Liu Fanzhou's name, the disciples understood and no longer blocked their path.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, they arrived at the highest courtyard. Bai Ninger saw Li Qingqiu sitting at the long table and quickly ran over to introduce Su Xiling and the other woman.

"Thank you for your trouble. You can eat here tonight. Find a seat yourself."

Li Qingqiu reached out, ruffled Bai Ninger's hair, and said with a smile before standing up to approach Su Xiling and the other woman.

Bai Ninger was overjoyed and sheepishly touched his head.

Li Qingqiu, with his back to Bai Ninger, opened the Legacy System and saw that the Lucky person's loyalty had increased by one point. He smiled with satisfaction.

Children are easily moved.

Li Qingqiu approached Su Xiling and the other woman and said with a smile, "Since Brother Liu introduced you, shall we talk inside?"

Su Xiling nodded, and the two women followed Li Qingqiu into the newly built main hall within the courtyard. The door was open.

As soon as Li Qingqiu sat down, Su Xiling came to his side, took out a brocade bag from her sleeve, placed it on the table, and then untied it, revealing gold and silver jewelry.

"My young lady heard from Liu Fanzhou that the Qingxiao Sect is a place of tranquility, far from the secular world. Therefore, she wishes to stay for two years. We will not impose without offering something in return."

Su Xiling said softly. Her directness made Li Qingqiu look at the woman in white.

The woman in white, carrying a wooden box on her back, looked at him quietly without speaking.

Li Qingqiu did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked, "May I ask why the two young ladies wish to stay? The Qingxiao Sect is indeed a place for cultivation, and we also fear trouble."

Su Xiling replied, "The imperial court is currently cracking down on rebels, and there is unrest everywhere. Only the Tai Kun Mountain Range is relatively peaceful. My young lady is a renowned scholar from Guzhou named Zhu Yan. She has always disliked conflict. You should have heard of her name."

Li Qingqiu had never heard of her. He usually only listened to matters of the martial world and knew little about literary circles.

"Since that is the case, I agree."

Li Qingqiu hesitated for a moment, then said with a smile before standing up to lead the way.

After leaving the main hall, he called a disciple to arrange accommodation for them.

Watching the backs of the two women as they left, Li Qingqiu was filled with emotion. The martial world truly had many hidden masters.

Zhu Yan appeared to be an elegant person with no martial strength, but in reality, her inner energy was no less than Yang Jueding's when he first arrived at the mountain.

Su Xiling, as her servant, was even more astonishing. Her inner energy was the most profound he had ever seen, stronger than Lü Taidou of the Seven Peaks Alliance.

With the martial arts of these two, it was no wonder they could ascend the mountain safely. It was just that they had cultivated some secret technique that allowed them to conceal their inner energy, which the disciples along the way failed to detect.

Li Qingqiu smiled and walked towards the dining table, ready to eat.

In the days that followed, a melodious zither music often echoed through the mountains, causing the disciples to discuss it widely.

Zhang Yu was ecstatic upon learning that Zhu Yan had arrived and wanted to visit, but he was stopped by Su Xiling.

Only then did Li Qingqiu believe that Zhu Yan was truly a renowned scholar. In this world, someone who could play the zither was no ordinary person. Moreover, Zhang Yu was usually arrogant, and this was the first time he had lost his composure like this.

Thanks to Wenren Fu for the 100 Qidian coins reward~

During the new book period, two chapters totaling 6,500 characters are not slow.