Li Qingshan stood in the Hall of Discarded Treasures, feeling the surging power of the seventh level of Qi Refining within him. Yet he felt little joy. Instead, a faint unease lingered in his heart.
His growing strength was welcome, but the threat Zhang Hongxiu posed remained.
Once her six-month confinement ended, her vindictive nature meant she would never let the matter rest.
She might not dare storm into the Hall of Discarded Treasures and kill him in broad daylight again, but covert harassment, traps, or pressure from her Lineage would be impossible to guard against.
He had the strength of a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator and plenty of hidden cards, but exposing them would bring endless scrutiny and trouble.
A hundred-year-old man soaring from the first to the seventh level of Qi Refining in just over two years?
That would shock the world even more than a Heavenly Spirit Root!
Even Golden Core elders would probably come in person to cut him open and study him.
Openly falling out with Zhang Hongxiu would be the worst possible move.
I have to leave this trouble-ridden place for now, avoid her wrath, and find somewhere safer to cultivate and grow stronger...
Li Qingshan frowned deeply as he considered how to get away.
Deserting the sect was out of the question. His only option was an assignment outside the sect.
But he was a Hall of Discarded Treasures guard supposedly at the first level of Qi Refining. He carried the title of outer disciple, but in practice he was only a menial disciple. He probably had no way even to apply for such an assignment.
While he racked his brains, light footsteps sounded outside the hall, followed by a clear, sweet voice trembling with excitement. "Grandpa Qingshan! Grandpa Qingshan, are you there?"
That voice... Li Qingshan froze for a moment, then delight flashed in his eyes.
It was Er Ya—Zhou Taoyao!
He hurriedly reined in his aura, suppressing his apparent cultivation to around the second level of Qi Refining.
For a hundred-year-old man with a Heavenly Spirit Root but few resources, that was a barely passable rate of progress.
After all, Ye Lingshuang had given him Spirit Stones and pills twice before. The second level of Qi Refining was not startling, and it fit his image as a diligent cultivator.
He strode out of the stone house and saw a graceful young woman standing outside the hall.
In the more than two years since they had last met, the little girl with braided pigtails had changed beyond recognition.
She wore the pale blue dress of an inner disciple. Slender and lovely, she still had a trace of her childhood liveliness in her eyes, but she now carried the otherworldly air of a cultivator. And she had reached the third level of Qi Refining!
"Er Ya? It really is you!"
A heartfelt smile spread across Li Qingshan's face, smoothing many of his wrinkles.
"Grandpa Qingshan!"
Zhou Taoyao's eyes lit up at the sight of him. She hurried over and looked him up and down. "Grandpa, you look so much better than last time! And... you've reached Qi Refining?"
She could sense the faint but unmistakable fluctuation of power around him. It was much stronger than it had been two years ago.
Li Qingshan nodded with a smile. "Yes, thanks to you. This old body of mine didn't toil for nothing after all. But look at you! In two years, you've grown into a young woman, and your cultivation has advanced so quickly. That's wonderful!"
Zhou Taoyao smiled shyly, then said with excitement, "Grandpa, I've become Elder Liu Yunyan's disciple. She's from Danxia Peak and at the Golden Core Late Stage! My master treats me so well. It took a lot of pleading to get her permission to come and see you this time."
"A Golden Core elder? That's wonderful! You have someone powerful looking after you now, Er Ya!"
Li Qingshan was sincerely happy for her.
"Grandpa, guess what I brought you?"
Zhou Taoyao spoke with a playful grin.
"What is it?"
Li Qingshan was curious.
With that, Zhou Taoyao took a brand-new identity jade token, a small cloth pouch, and a jade bottle from her storage bag and pressed them into Li Qingshan's hands. Beaming, she said, "Grandpa, this is a real outer disciple identity token!
"I asked my master to arrange it. From now on, you're a registered outer disciple of the Spring Autumn Sect. You can collect five low-grade Spirit Stones and a bottle of Qi-Boosting Pills every month! And take these Spirit Stones and pills I've saved up. You can use them first!"
Li Qingshan looked at the weighty pouch in his hand, which held at least fifty low-grade Spirit Stones, then at the bottle of fine-quality Qi-Boosting Pills. As he rubbed the green jade token that marked his official status, a warmth he had not felt in a long time welled up inside him.
This girl had grown up. She'd thought of me.
"Er Ya... Taoyao, thank you."
Li Qingshan's voice was a little hoarse. He would remember this kindness, offered when he needed it most.
In truth, Er Ya had been a benefactor to Li Qingshan.
If she had not pleaded with Ye Lingshuang, Li Qingshan would never have discovered his Heavenly Spirit Root at the age of a hundred, much less entered the Spring Autumn Sect.
More importantly, Er Ya had been the one to give him the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd.
Li Qingshan was moved from the bottom of his heart.
"Grandpa, you don't need to thank me!"
Zhou Taoyao gave him a reproachful look. Then she glanced around the dilapidated Hall of Discarded Treasures, and her expression dimmed. "It's just that my cultivation is still low, so I don't have much say with my master. Otherwise, I could get you moved somewhere better..."
Li Qingshan's heart stirred. This was the perfect opportunity!
A fitting mix of reassurance and worry appeared on his face. He sighed. "Taoyao, knowing you want to help is enough for me. The Hall of Discarded Treasures may be remote, but it's peaceful. I can cultivate here with a clear mind.
"It's just... I'm getting old, and sometimes I'd like to go out, see different places. It might even help my cultivation... Does the sect have any easy assignments that require a disciple to be stationed elsewhere for a while?"
Zhou Taoyao's eyes brightened. "An assignment stationed elsewhere? Yes, there are some! The Hall of External Affairs should have them. Do you want a change of scenery, Grandpa? I'll go with you and ask!"
"Then thank you, Er Ya!"
Li Qingshan smiled.
Yet he felt a little guilty. Er Ya had been so good to him, and he was using her. But he had no choice if he wanted to stay alive.
Li Qingshan silently resolved to remember her kindness and repay her one day.
The two of them went to the Hall of External Affairs in the outer disciples' administrative hall.
The disciple in charge of assigning tasks initially looked impatient when he saw Li Qingshan's aged appearance and feeble second-level Qi Refining cultivation. But the moment he noticed Zhou Taoyao beside him in her inner disciple robes, his manner turned exceedingly warm.
"Junior Sister, how may I help you?"
The disciple asked respectfully.
Zhou Taoyao got straight to the point. "My grandfather wants an easy assignment stationed outside the sect. Something longer-term, preferably far from the mountain gate. Do you have anything suitable?"
The disciple hurriedly searched through the jade slips listing assignments. Before long, he found one. "Yes, yes! Qingyang Market! It's thirteen hundred li from the mountain gate, a medium-sized market jointly run by our sect and several nearby Lineages. We need a disciple stationed there for three years to handle some simple coordination and liaison work. It's usually very quiet, though the spiritual energy isn't as abundant as it is here. What do you think...?"
Qingyang Market? Three years?
Li Qingshan was secretly delighted. It was exactly what he wanted!
Far enough away, and for long enough!
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