Initiative and Factions

Zou Chongying had arrived.

He originally lived in the courtyard next door to Tian Wan.

After Spirit-Drawing Entry, all five human senses improved to a certain extent. Hearing the commotion next door was not difficult.

Of course, this was only the case in the courtyards of Prospective Disciples.

That was because the Prospective Disciples' courtyards were not covered by formations. To the Qin Clan, those who had not advanced to Qi Refining Level One did not yet count as cultivation disciples.

After Zou Chongying came in, he lowered his voice and said to Yue Shuo:

"Don't worry, I've already made the arrangements!"

Yue Shuo:???

Yue Shuo was utterly baffled.

When Tian Wan heard that, he first froze, then immediately looked outside in alarm. Seeing no one there, he glared furiously at Zou Chongying.

"Don't stir up trouble!" Tian Wan said in a low voice.

Zou Chongying raised a brow and sat down.

At first, Yue Shuo did not understand.

But seeing their reactions, he immediately thought of several possibilities.

He did not know whether to laugh or cry.

It concerned him, and it was stirring up trouble.

How could he possibly fail to connect it to Chong Ying's words yesterday about giving Gu Jiu an explanation? He had truly put his words into action.

He glanced at Zou Chongying.

The other man's brows and eyes were brimming with swagger.

This kid was far too quick to act!

Couldn't he build up more strength and connections first?

Of course, when it came to connections, perhaps Zou Chongying did not lack them.

A Three-Element Spirit Root, said to cultivate at no slow pace, with a steward taking a liking to him and preparing to accept him as a disciple—perhaps he had even received some benefits in advance.

In short, among the newly arrived Prospective Disciples,

Zou Chongying was one of the best.

He was also bold and generous by nature.

Yue Shuo had judged that much from the expressions and attitudes of others when he had asked around about where Zou Chongying and Tian Wan lived.

At the very least, Zou Chongying had probably not wasted this past month or so.

"How did you arrange it?"

With a turn of his mind, Yue Shuo knew he could not possibly avoid being connected to this matter. After all, he had come here today.

No matter how others looked at it, he seemed to have taken part.

Somewhat helplessly, he began asking questions.

"Didn't you see it when you came?"

Zou Chongying smiled. "Maybe it's not time yet. Little Shuo, don't rush off. Stay a while and watch a good show!"

Zou Chongying was pleased that Yue Shuo had not tried to stop him.

His attitude toward him grew even closer.

Yue Shuo had originally wanted to ask exactly what had been arranged, to see whether there were any gaps to fill.

However, he had never expected

Zou Chongying's efficiency to so thoroughly surpass his expectations.

Yue Shuo recalled the details of his journey here. He had only encountered several people hurrying along the road, and they seemed to have had some minor conflict.

But it had nothing to do with him, and he did not know them.

Of course, one or two of them might have looked vaguely familiar.

Perhaps one of them was among this batch of Prospective Disciples.

Tian Wan seemed to want to speak, but stopped himself.

Then he said solemnly, "Little Shuo still has to tend the Spirit Field. If something happens to it, he'll be in deep trouble!"

After thinking it over, Zou Chongying nodded in agreement.

"Then Little Shuo, hurry back. I'll come see you again tomorrow and tell you the outcome!"

Yue Shuo: "...All right!"

At this point, if he said something like, don't come, I don't need this, Yue Shuo felt he would seem too ungrateful.

More importantly, this was also a way to draw closer to those in the same faction.

After all, he naturally belonged to the guest disciple faction.

Yue Shuo fell into thought.

This matter was probably not only triggered by his family's martial servant being injured. There was another cause he had previously overlooked.

Shopkeeper Qin Yan from the market, and Uncle Tong.

Perhaps it involved a much wider circle.

After all, no matter how extensive Zou Chongying's connections were,

to complete some plan yesterday evening and put it into action today—his ability to rally people was simply too astonishing.

If the people he had encountered on the road had also participated in the plan,

then this matter was not limited to their Prospective Disciples.

Clearly, among those people on the road,

several looked to be around twenty years old.

They were formal cultivation disciples.

"Gu Jiu is still bedridden. I'll go back and check on him. Oh, right, Ah Wan..."

"You need Life Essence Powder, right? Here! The little bit left from yesterday would probably only be enough for one or two dressing changes. I got some more last night!"

Tian Wan seemed to have long been prepared. He rose, took a few steps, and dug out a packet of medicinal powder.

Yue Shuo asked, "How much... gold does it cost?"

"No money needed! I'm helping out under a Lineage alchemist now. No one else even cares about this stuff!"

Tian Wan firmly pushed the medicine packet toward Yue Shuo.

Yue Shuo paused.

Then he accepted it.

He had heard that Life Essence Powder was a byproduct of refining Life Essence Pills, something like medicinal dregs. It was useless to cultivation disciples.

But it still had value for martial servants.

"This afternoon, I'll have Huang Sunming deliver the things you bought. Oh, and I'll have him bring dinner too..."

Yue Shuo's heart stirred.

But he still refused the offer to deliver food.

After exchanging a few more words with Zou Chongying, Tian Wan saw him out of the courtyard and had Huang Sunming escort him back.

Yue Shuo could not refuse.

After all, Huang Sunming, Tian Wan's martial servant, had also mentioned wanting to visit Gu Jiu.

After Yue Shuo left, Zou Chongying remained at Tian Wan's place.

Tian Wan frowned as he looked at him.

"We're only Prospective Disciples right now. You... at the very least, you can't let Little Shuo get dragged into this. At home, he only has himself and a crippled elder brother..."

Zou Chongying was speechless, but he had always been close to Tian Wan.

He did not get angry over it.

He merely explained:

"Uncle Tong isn't here, so unpleasant rumors have spread."

"If we get bullied and slapped in the face now without reacting, this kind of trouble will flow in without end!"

"They're testing us!"

"Only by striking back are we acting as we should, and besides, we're striking back within the Qin Clan's rules!"

Tian Wan was rather surprised.

"Did you think of that yourself, or did someone tell you?"

Over this past month or so, everyone had seen more of the world. Together with the sharper ears, clearer eyes, and clearer minds brought by cultivation,

they truly were completely different from before.

But Tian Wan was still exceedingly shocked that Zou Chongying could think of so much.

After all, this kid had been quite reckless before, and his curiosity was heavy too.

Zou Chongying said smugly:

"I went to school and read quite a few books too. Before, I just hadn't seen enough things and hadn't thought much about them!"

Tian Wan shot him a sidelong glance.

"You certainly have read plenty of storybooks!"

Without the slightest shame, Zou Chongying lifted his chin and boasted, "Even Teacher reads storybooks. What's wrong with me reading them!?"

At the mention of their shared teacher, Yue Shuo's father,

the two fell silent for a moment.

"Over on Fire Gourd Island, their target is the population. They probably won't kill people casually. Let's wait until we receive definite news before telling Little Shuo."

"Your sources are broad, so keep paying close attention. It really isn't suitable for Little Shuo to worry too much right now."

"If only we had attended the Ascension Assembly five years ago!"

Zou Chongying keenly felt that he had cultivated for far too short a time.

Five years ago, the two of them had already been eight or nine years old.

If they had attended the Ascension Assembly and begun cultivating then, they would probably be at Qi Refining Level Three now, no worse than Qin Feng!

"Back then, were you sure you could understand cultivation techniques and grasp how to cultivate?"

"Uh... we could have asked Uncle Tong and Sister Qin Yan for guidance!"

The two were very close to and trusted Tong Qian and Qin Yan.

While Zou Chongying and Tian Wan chatted about the past in the small courtyard and waited for news, Yue Shuo had already returned to Little Brook Valley with Huang Sunming.