The eldest senior brother entered the sect master's room first.
Zhang Qingyuan sat in the main hall and pointed to the seat on his right.
"Eldest senior brother, have a seat."
"Right, right." Zhao Guangqi was still rather reserved. He was an honest man, after all, and honest men tended to overthink.
He thought that his junior brother was now the sect master. As the sect master, there had to be a hierarchy between them.
But then he remembered that he was still the eldest senior brother and the grand elder, so sitting down should be fine. And so he sat.
Sixth senior brother acted as secretary and brought over a cup of tea.
"Junior brother, what did you call me here for...?"
Since he had gone straight to the point, Zhang Qingyuan dispensed with the pleasantries.
He said frankly, "I'll have third senior brother work out how much silver the sect has left in a moment. After that, I'll hand all of it over to you."
"All of it?"
"Yes. There are too many things we need to buy right now, and that money probably won't be enough. But don't worry. I'll find a way to make money, so all you need to do is get everything on this list."
He handed his eldest senior brother a sheet of paper listing the things they needed to purchase.
Then he continued, "As head of the logistics department, you've got a lot of work ahead of you, eldest senior brother."
"Ah."
Looking at the items on the list, Zhao Guangqi sighed and said helplessly, "This really is a difficult burden for you. Actually, there's no need for Old Third to count it. I know how much money we have left.
"Back in our great-grandmaster's generation, expenses already exceeded income.
"By our grandmaster's generation, there wasn't enough money to support the sect, so he only accepted five disciples. Two couldn't endure it and went down the mountain to roam the jianghu on their own. Only Master and our two martial uncles kept holding on.
"Fortunately, Master was exceptionally gifted. When he roamed the jianghu in his youth, he earned six thousand taels of silver.
"Besides that, over the years, we've occasionally sold some surplus grain from the fertile fields on the mountain. Adding everything up, I worked out that we have about five thousand four hundred and twenty-eight taels left."
"Mm." Zhang Qingyuan nodded.
Since ancient times, teaching disciples had always required money and grain.
That was stating the obvious. What didn't require money?
"Junior brother, how are you planning to make money?"
His eldest senior brother's question was practical. Without money, they couldn't sustain any of the sect's affairs, large or small.
Traditional sects, whatever their affiliation, all had businesses or property.
That was because they charged no tuition for accepting disciples, yet still had to provide for all their disciples' food, clothing, and daily needs.
Take the Mount Hua Sect in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, a typical jianghu sect. Yue Buqun accepted so many disciples, but when had anyone seen him ask them for money?
Not only did he charge nothing, but Old Yue paid for the sect's food and clothing, as well as Linghu Chong's carefree outings.
That was because their recruits were either orphans or children from ordinary families.
Wealthy families paid to hire their own masters. Why would they need to go up a mountain to learn?
So most disciples had no money and could only depend on their sect to support them.
Then someone might ask: if sects charged no tuition, where did their income come from?
Buddhist and Daoist sects received incense offerings. No matter how much Wudang and Shaolin involved themselves in the jianghu, they were religious orders at their core.
Religious orders had faith, and faith meant enshrined deities, which brought worshippers and believers to offer incense.
Aside from religious orders, other sects either owned land and supported themselves or had businesses.
The Tianyang Sect, for instance, had two hundred mu of fertile fields behind the mountain.
In earlier years, it had been self-sufficient, with disciples growing their own grain.
With food secured, they could earn income by upholding justice and accepting patronage or paid work.
Every sect had a regular clientele of wealthy merchants.
Some rich and influential people hired bodyguards, recruiting either from the jianghu or from sects.
As for patronage, ordinary merchants who weren't particularly wealthy would support several sects or factions for fear of being bullied, hoping those powers would protect them.
Other sects owned businesses themselves.
They opened restaurants, martial arts schools, or even grand restaurants at the foot of the mountain. Some even dealt in grain, cloth, timber, and other trades.
Some sects also killed the rich to aid the poor, looted corpses, or even took on dirty, grueling work.
At its height, the Tianyang Sect held shares in several wealthy merchants' businesses in Phoenix Cry City and received their patronage.
With the two hundred mu of fertile fields behind the mountain and its disciples' acts of chivalry, it had no shortage of money.
Later, either those wealthy merchants fell into decline or the Tianyang Sect itself failed to amount to anything.
All those negative influences snowballed until no one supported them, no one hired them, and they had no businesses left, only two hundred mu of land.
Those two hundred mu were farmed by villagers from Phoenix Mountain Village at the foot of the mountain, who paid a portion as rent every year. The Tianyang Sect counted as a landlord.
Now they had nothing else, which was why Zhao Guangqi worried about how he intended to make money.
Zhang Qingyuan took out three banknotes worth one thousand taels each and handed them to his eldest senior brother. "Take these too. I found them in this room. They're probably Master's private savings. Keep them. Don't worry about the rest. I'll handle everything."
"All right!" His eldest senior brother could only trust him.
He lowered his head to the list again. "Don't worry. As long as the money's there, I'll get everything together for you."
"Remember, when you buy things, make it clear that we'll be working with them long-term. Get the prices as low as possible," Zhang Qingyuan reminded him again.
"Understood!"
Eight thousand taels of silver could buy a large residence even in the capital.
But supporting an enormous sect would burn through those eight thousand taels in an instant.
Finally, Zhang Qingyuan took out two Maltesers and placed them in his eldest senior brother's palm. "This is a Minor Rejuvenation Pill, and this one's a Creation Pill. Master left them behind. Taking them will improve your constitution and give you three years' worth of True Qi cultivation."
"No, no. Treasures like these belong with the capable. My talent isn't outstanding. Such precious pills should be saved for our other brothers." Zhao Guangqi refused repeatedly, not out of affectation, but genuine unwillingness.
Among the seven brothers, if anyone sincerely wished the best for the others, it was their eldest senior brother.
Zhang Qingyuan pressed the pills into his hand. "Just take them. I have more."
"That still won't do. Even if you have more, how many could there be? How many could Master have left behind?
"Better to save them so we can reward talented disciples in the future," the eldest refused again.
Zhang Qingyuan put on a stern face. "Take them now. If they help you enter the fourth-rank realm, our Tianyang Sect will have another expert."
"Well... all right." He accepted the pills, still feeling it was a terrible waste of precious things.
After the eldest left, Old Second entered the room.
"Second senior brother."
"Mm."
Zheng Jianxin held his treasured sword against his chest and watched him quietly.
Seeing his expression, which said he would do whatever he was told, Zhang Qingyuan suddenly thought of a line.
Command Daji to your heart's content, Master.
He really wanted to tell his second senior brother that being a swordsman meant having no emotions, not having no brains.
Forget it, forget it. Nobody has it easy.
"Second senior brother, over the coming days, I need you to wipe out every bandit and brigand around Phoenix Cry Mountain, big or small."
"Mm."
"They're all small groups that haven't amounted to much. We ignored them before, but things are different now. We need outsiders to see a safe, clean, pleasant Tianyang Sect."
"Mm."
"Remember, once you've cleaned them out, publicize it loudly. Ideally, everyone in this little patch of territory around Phoenix Cry City should know your name."
"Hm?"
Zheng Jianxin froze, looking troubled.
Killing, I can do. Publicity isn't my thing.
"Forget it, forget it." Zhang Qingyuan waved a hand. "I'll handle the publicity afterward. But remember to leave your name after you kill them."
"Mm."
Leaving his name was something he could do. Swordsmen were best at making a name for themselves.
"Once you're done, you can expand your range. Find some evil demons and followers of crooked paths, kill a few more, and make your name even louder. If you really can't find any, challenging established experts will work too. Three months from now, I want your name ringing throughout Phoenix Cry City, Donglin City, and Ripple Water City."
"Mm."
Zhang Qingyuan took out three sword manuals, a Minor Rejuvenation Pill, and a Creation Pill, handing them all over. "I found these three sword manuals in a hidden chamber in the library. Take a look and see whether they can help your sword Dao.
"The Minor Rejuvenation Pill gives you three years' worth of True Qi cultivation. The Creation Pill improves your innate constitution and comprehension."
Zheng Jianxin's eyes lit up, his gaze fixed on the sword manuals.
He didn't care about Zhang Qingyuan's claim of discovering a hidden chamber. What mattered was that the sword manuals were real.
He read the words on one manual: Flying Immortal from Beyond Heaven (Andy Lau film version).
What does 'Andy Lau film version' mean?
He didn't understand, but it was a fine name. Flying Immortal from Beyond Heaven sounded free and ethereal.
An image instantly came to mind: himself in robes black as ink, his sword descending from the heavens.
Cihang Sword Canon-he didn't know who Cihang was, but he understood that anything called a sword canon was no ordinary thing.
The final volume was One Sword Separates Generations.
What an overbearing sword art. One Sword Separates Generations-it sounds like an immensely powerful sword move.
He accepted the three sword manuals and carefully tucked them into his robes, then tossed the two pills into his mouth like candy.
Though he was restraining himself with all his might, Zhang Qingyuan could clearly see that he could barely keep the corners of his mouth down.
Yes, his second senior brother might look cold, but he had chuunibyou and was secretly a show-off.
"Farewell."
Perhaps afraid he would laugh aloud, Zheng Jianxin cupped his fists, took his sword, and flashed away.
After he left, Zhang Qingyuan tossed his own Creation Pill and Minor Rejuvenation Pill into his mouth.
They tasted sweet, with no strange flavor.
After swallowing them, Zhang Qingyuan was still wondering whether taking them like this really posed no problems.
Before he could ponder further, every bone in his body began cracking and popping, and his head felt as though it had exploded.
At the same time, his dantian burned hot. His internal force rapidly transformed into True Qi, which condensed again and again, nourishing his meridians with a purity like water.
A quarter of an hour later, Zhang Qingyuan puffed out a breath of turbid Qi.
At the same time, sweat poured over his entire body like a tide. It was faintly yellow and looked extremely filthy.
This was the Creation Pill's tendon-cleansing, marrow-purifying effect. His meridians and bones had been reshaped, and impurities expelled from his body.
The Minor Rejuvenation Pill had also helped transform his internal force into True Qi, breaking him through to the sixth rank of martial arts!
The martial artists of this world were divided into nine ranks. The ninth rank was considered body tempering: training the body beyond an ordinary person's level, improving physical fitness enough to use certain moves.
Eighth rank: the meridians were unblocked, allowing the practice of internal arts and the development of basic internal force. Moves gradually became more complex, and their power increased with the support of internal force.
Seventh rank: with internal force assisting them, martial artists could release it in simple ways and produce special effects.
These were the lower three ranks, which were broadly similar. Some gifted individuals at the Ninth-Rank Realm could even kill seventh-rank martial artists if they used their moves well.
But most situations weren't that fantastical. Having internal force simply made someone faster and their moves stronger than someone without it.
Those killed by lower-ranked opponents were either fools, or their opponents were too strong.
Things changed at the sixth rank. Sixth rank: internal force transformed into True Qi, moves became more dazzling, and True Qi could be released outside the body.
Fifth rank: greater proficiency with True Qi allowed the use of powerful skills.
If sixth-rank True Qi could only power minor skills, fifth-rank experts could unleash ultimate moves.
Fourth rank: enough True Qi to unleash multiple powerful skills and touch the threshold of the Dao.
In other words, if a fifth-rank expert only had enough True Qi for one ultimate, a fourth-rank expert could use several. Those with abundant True Qi or special cultivation methods could even use ultimates as basic attacks.
These were the middle three ranks, where strength was judged by the skills one could unleash.
Third rank: martial artists found their own Dao, their bodies became more refined, and their True Qi automatically protected them. Ordinary moves couldn't hurt them.
With True Qi automatically protecting the body, their defenses grew stronger. Ordinary blades, swords, and martial arts couldn't breach their protective True Qi.
The Dao meant finding one's own martial path and comprehending one's own "domain."
Second rank: they could soar through the heavens and burrow through the earth, their lifespans increased, their martial Dao grew refined, and they possessed their own domains.
For instance, splitting the heavens with one sword, slaying a flood dragon with a saber, breaking ten thousand arts with one punch, or being invincible within three feet... these were the powers of domains.
First rank: earthly immortals. Absolutely freaking awesome!!!
Zhang Qingyuan had previously been seventh rank. Only after the transformation brought by those two pills had he entered the sixth-rank realm.
Judging by the growth of his True Qi, the fifth rank wasn't far off.
The difference between the sixth and fifth ranks was whether one could use an ultimate.
Take the Tianyang Nine Swords. Zhang Qingyuan could use it, but the Sword Qi he released only reached six feet. That made it a minor skill.
He couldn't use the even more powerful eighth and ninth forms because his True Qi wasn't sufficient to support unleashing an ultimate.
At the fifth rank, however, he could unleash one or two ultimates without exhausting his True Qi.
Zhang Qingyuan could use them now too, but the price of unleashing one ultimate would be at least three days in bed.
Thanks to the Minor Rejuvenation Pill, however, his True Qi was growing rapidly.
Fortunately, his sixth senior brother had gone to fetch his third senior brother and wasn't in the room, giving Zhang Qingyuan time to wipe himself down and change.
He hurriedly wiped his body and changed clothes. Before long, his third senior brother arrived.
Upon entering, he sniffed and frowned. "What's that smell?"
"Is there a smell?" Zhang Qingyuan played dumb.
"Something stinks. Like sweaty body odor?"
"It's probably because I just broke through."
"Mm." Bian Zhenxuan didn't dwell on it. "What have you called me here to do? Let me say this first: I'm not doing anything too complicated."
"Third senior brother, you can't be like this. Why would I call you if it weren't complicated? You're the head of our Finance Department. All the sect's most important matters fall to you."
Old Third slumped in his chair and said gloomily, "No, listen. I came up the mountain to learn martial arts precisely because I didn't want to do business. Now that I'm here, you're still making me do business. Doesn't that mean I climbed this mountain and learned martial arts for nothing?"
"Third senior brother..." Zhang Qingyuan pleaded. "You're the only one for this."
"What, have you come up with some brilliant idea?"
Old Third narrowed his eyes. Even if he didn't want to do it, he had no choice now. "I'm telling you, if it's ordinary business, like what my family does, I'm not doing it. If it's something new, I could give it a try."
"I may dislike trouble, but if there's a challenge, I'm still willing to play around."
"It's challenging. Definitely something new."
Zhang Qingyuan leaned toward Bian Zhenxuan and asked mysteriously, "Third senior brother, do you know what media is?"
"Hm?"