Full Support

"Appointing official positions to martial sects? Is this an attempt to bring them under imperial control, or a trap?"

Zhang Yuchun asked with a frown. Because of Wu Baoyu's affair, he was filled with doubt toward the current Emperor's actions. He did not believe that this Emperor was benevolent.

The reason the Emperor had resolved the great disorder ravaging the world was merely that it threatened his imperial authority. Otherwise, how could he have allowed it to continue for so many years?

Li Qingqiu also felt that this matter was no good thing. Liu Fanzhou knew nothing of what the Emperor had done in pursuit of immortality. He waved his hand and said, "That's the Emperor we're talking about. If he wanted to scheme against the martial sects, would he need to go to such great lengths? He could simply send troops to suppress them under the pretext of quelling bandits. Which martial artist hasn't killed someone? If they were truly convicted according to the law, most would be sentenced to death. Besides, summoning so many martial arts experts to the Imperial Palace would put His Majesty at risk as well."

Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun exchanged a glance, knowing that there was no way to reason with Liu Fanzhou on this matter.

"Will they be forcibly conscripted, or are they going voluntarily?" Zhang Yuchun continued asking.

Liu Fanzhou smiled. "Naturally, they're going voluntarily. If they were being forcibly conscripted, that would truly prove something was wrong. However, the imperial city is a long way from here. Anyone competing for this official position will be competing over who hears the news first and who sets out first."

Li Qingqiu nodded. "Regardless, thank you, Lord Liu, for releasing this news to us."

"Don't mention it, don't mention it. We're all family here."

Liu Fanzhou waved his hand. He was an old fox and could see that Li Qingqiu and Zhang Yuchun resisted this matter, so he did not bring it up again.

He began chatting about other matters in the martial world and even mentioned the Juesheng Sect.

"Yan Wujin forced his way into Iron Peak Sect and defeated all eighteen Peak Masters, becoming famous in a single battle. He is truly one of the supreme experts of this age. He established a sect on the border of Guzhou called the Juesheng Sect. It's said that he has already gained the support of the Linchuan Tang Clan. The Tang Clan is one of the four great surnames of Linchuan. Even in the Central Heaven Continent, it would be considered a first-rate Aristocratic Clan. With the Tang Clan's support, combined with Yan Wujin's martial prowess, Guzhou will have an eighth major sect."

Liu Fanzhou sighed with emotion, holding Yan Wujin in high regard.

Liu Yan looked at her father, wanting to speak but hesitating. Everyone in the sect knew about the Juesheng Sect's previous attack.

The Juesheng Sect's leader had been defeated by Xu Ning. That battle had caused Xu Ning's prestige within the sect to soar to its peak, placing her on equal footing with Jiang Zhaoxia. Which of them was stronger had become a topic the disciples often discussed in private.

Liu Fanzhou looked at Li Qingqiu and smiled. "Sect Master Li, in my view, Guzhou ought to have nine major sects. The ninth should be the Qingxiao Sect. Why don't you spread your wings and pursue your grand ambitions? If you need anything, I, Liu Fanzhou, will certainly give you my full support!"

He had been extremely surprised by his visit to the Qingxiao Sect this time. The changes in the sect were simply too great, and there were many more disciples. All these signs proved that the Qingxiao Sect had lofty ambitions.

Li Qingqiu asked with a beaming smile, "What does 'full support' mean?"

Liu Fanzhou thumped his chest. "I will support the Qingxiao Sect with my entire fortune. My connections and every favor I have accumulated will all be at the Qingxiao Sect's disposal."

"Lord Liu, do you trust the Qingxiao Sect that much?"

"Heh heh. After all, the Qingxiao Sect has a certain historical foundation, and it also has the second-ranked martial artist in the world today. Sect Master Li is a young genius with a kind and generous heart. How could I not trust the Qingxiao Sect?"

"Then what do you want?"

"What could I want? What I wanted has already been achieved by the Qingxiao Sect. This daughter of mine is the one I love most. Now that she has joined the Qingxiao Sect, helping the Qingxiao Sect is helping her."

Liu Fanzhou spoke with deep sincerity. His gaze fell upon Liu Yan, his eyes full of fatherly affection.

Seeing this, Li Qingqiu naturally sighed at the depth of their father-daughter bond.

An hour later, Liu Fanzhou left with Liu Yan. The father and daughter needed some time alone to catch up.

Li Qingqiu picked up his teacup and asked, "Second Junior Brother, what do you think of his proposal?"

Zhang Yuchun pondered. "We can't agree. For one thing, we don't know anything about Liu Fanzhou's family background. It's impossible that Liu Yan is his only daughter. For another, we aren't short of his money right now. We're a martial sect. Wealth is important, but it isn't the most important thing. The Qin family is a case in point. Qin Jue recently wrote me another letter, hoping that I could arrange for more Qin family disciples to come here. If we let Liu Fanzhou get involved, there will be no end of trouble in the future."

"Exactly. I thought you had a good relationship with him and had already been won over." Li Qingqiu chuckled. Seeing how rational Zhang Yuchun was, he felt even more at ease entrusting him with authority.

Zhang Yuchun shook his head. "Liu Fanzhou is ultimately a merchant. He treats everyone who can benefit him with such enthusiasm. I certainly won't assume that he and I are truly friends across generations."

Li Qingqiu nodded in satisfaction, while Li Dongyue could not help laughing aloud.

Zhang Yuchun turned to her in surprise. "Why are you laughing, Fourth Junior Sister?"

Li Dongyue restrained her smile and gave a fake cough. "I just remembered our childhood. Eldest Senior Brother hasn't changed, but Second Senior Brother, you weren't nearly so resourceful back then. Eldest Senior Brother often toyed with you."

At the mention of their childhood, Zhang Yuchun's expression grew awkward, and he hurriedly began arguing his case.

Li Qingqiu suddenly realized that his junior brothers and sister had grown up.

He would turn twenty this year, while Zhang Yuchun would turn nineteen, and Li Dongyue would turn eighteen.

They were no longer youths, and each of them possessed the ability to stand on their own.

For some reason, Li Qingqiu suddenly felt that time was slipping away from him.

If their cultivation could not reach a higher Spiritual Sense Realm, Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue would live for at most another hundred and twenty or thirty years.

Li Qingqiu pursued immortality, and he also hoped that his junior brother and sister could accompany him farther along the road.

The cultivation methods he currently possessed were still insufficient to change his junior brother and sister's fates. He needed to make the Qingxiao Sect grow stronger quickly, allowing him to learn more Spells and secret arts.

This time, Liu Fanzhou did not hurry down the mountain after coming to the Qingxiao Sect as he had before. He said that he was tired from traveling for business and wanted to rest for a while.

After that, he was always running to Zhu Yan's courtyard. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried to curry favor, Su Xiling refused to let him in.

Liu Fanzhou stayed for half a year.

During those six months, Li Sifeng descended the mountain twice. Apart from Cheng Canghai and Bai Ninger, he brought back a different group of disciples each time. He took disciples down the mountain to gain experience, causing his prestige to rise greatly. He was no longer the mischievous youth he had once been, but an Elder respected by the disciples.

It was not only Li Sifeng whose disciples were growing in number. Li Dongyue's apprentices were also increasing, providing the Qingxiao Sect with more people to treat the sick and wounded.

Li Sijin had already achieved some mastery of the Earth Talisman Treasure Codex. She was also teaching disciples to make talismans and cultivate spirit plants, though those disciples did not yet understand what they were really doing. They thought it was merely a way for the sect to make money.

It was autumn.

Li Qingqiu stood atop the mountain with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the new courtyard below. Zhang Yuchun was personally interviewing those who had come to take him as their master.

Li Sifeng and the others acted as chivalrous heroes at the foot of the mountain. Whenever they visited a village or town, they generously gave away money and goods. In only half a year, the Qingxiao Sect's reputation for chivalry and benevolence had begun to spread. At last, people were voluntarily coming up the mountain to seek apprenticeship.

This was a good sign. What famous sect would personally descend the mountain to recruit disciples?

However, Li Qingqiu was not happy. His thoughts were fixed on Jiang Zhaoxia.

By all rights, Jiang Zhaoxia, who was in the fifth layer of the Nourishing Yuan Realm, should have been more than enough to overcome the Heavenly Saber Sect. Yet the martial world was treacherous and human hearts unfathomable, so he could not help worrying.

Come to think of it, Jiang Zhaoxia was indeed strong, but she was always getting injured.

As Li Qingqiu's thoughts ran wild, he suddenly glanced toward one direction. He saw a group of constables walking along the mountain road toward the sect gate.

Two people were leading the constables. One was Feng Dai, the magistrate of Black Stone County. The other wore brocade clothing and carried a saber at his waist. He had a dignified appearance and an imposing bearing, and his aura was far stronger than Feng Dai's and the others'. Feng Dai kept glancing back at him, clearly showing that he was no ordinary person.

Seeing this, Li Qingqiu turned and leisurely walked down the mountain.

The new courtyard was packed with people. Besides more than a dozen Qingxiao Sect disciples watching the spectacle, there were also many commoners. They had all brought their children to seek apprenticeship. There were ten young people seeking to become disciples.

"Elder Zhang, people from the Imperial Court have arrived!"

Yuan Qi hurried into the courtyard and came to Zhang Yuchun's side, speaking softly.

Zhang Yuchun held the authority in the sect, and the disciples were accustomed to coming to him whenever something happened. Upon hearing that people from the Imperial Court had arrived, he did not panic. Instead, he instructed, "Yuan Qi, take them to settle in. For now, accept them as Registered Disciples."

"Yes!"

Yuan Qi immediately turned around and led a large crowd noisily out of the new courtyard. As soon as they left, they saw Feng Dai and the others approaching.

Commoners loved joining in the excitement. When they saw a group of officials arriving, they stopped one after another, wanting to see what had happened. If the Qingxiao Sect had committed some offense, they would not dare let their children become disciples.

Zhang Yuchun stood up, walked around the table, and looked at Feng Dai and the others entering the courtyard. He immediately raised his hands in greeting.

"I am Zhang Yuchun, the Qingxiao Sect's Elder in charge of administration. May I ask why all of you have come?" Zhang Yuchun asked neither obsequiously nor arrogantly.

Feng Dai smiled and raised his hand in introduction. "This is Lord Jia from the Heavenly Protection Guard in the imperial city. He has come to deliver His Majesty's decree."

His Majesty's decree?

Zhang Yuchun was surprised. The disciples in the courtyard, meanwhile, were curious. What matter could alarm the Emperor?

The brocade-clad man named Jia Yi rested one hand on the hilt of his saber and held the other behind his waist. He sized up Zhang Yuchun and asked, "Where is the Qingxiao Sect's leader?"

Zhang Yuchun answered, "My Senior Brother is in seclusion cultivating. Even I don't know exactly where he is."

Jia Yi snorted. "Your Qingxiao Sect is truly interesting. Your leader is cultivating, yet you put such a young man in charge. Enough. I won't waste words. His Majesty has decreed that the leaders of all the martial sects under Heaven are to enter the Central Heaven Continent and appear before him. Those who distinguish themselves may be granted official positions and titles. The Qingxiao Sect's leader must arrive at the imperial city before spring next year."

Seeing that Jia Yi could not even be bothered to produce the imperial decree, Feng Dai knew his attitude toward the Qingxiao Sect. This was also why he had insisted on coming.

Wu Baoyu's affair had made Feng Dai worried that the Qingxiao Sect would come into conflict with people from the Imperial Court.

After hearing this, Zhang Yuchun frowned and asked, "Must he go? But I heard from others that this wasn't compulsory."

Jia Yi's gaze sharpened. "Who told you that?"

"A friend in the martial world. He heard it from someone else as well."

"I'm telling you personally. Can't you understand?"

Jia Yi shouted in a low voice. He suddenly raised his hand and reached toward Zhang Yuchun from across the air. Internal Energy erupted, forming a powerful suction force that dragged Zhang Yuchun toward him.

Caught off guard by Jia Yi's sudden attack, Zhang Yuchun staggered two steps forward. Fortunately, he managed to steady himself in time.

Facing that powerful suction force, Zhang Yuchun's sect robes billowed violently, and his sideburns whipped wildly. He frowned at Jia Yi as clouds of dust rolled up around him. The Qingxiao Sect disciples hurriedly scattered, blocking the entrance to the new courtyard.

Jia Yi's expression changed slightly. He had not expected Zhang Yuchun to withstand his Demon Capturing Skill.