Can I Get in Through the Back Door?

Mo Yuanjiao was about to turn back to the sect when he suddenly noticed a figure cautiously running towards Heart-Questioning Road from the direction of Xiushui Village.

The person was dressed as a man, wearing a large straw hat with the brim pulled low, and exuding a faint but stable Spiritual Qi.

But Mo Yuanjiao recognized the person at a glance.

"Why are you here, Han..." Before he could finish speaking, the other person saw him and immediately rushed over.

"Young Master Mo! This is a congratulatory gift from the Clear River Sect, wishing the Lingxian Sect a smooth start to its disciple recruitment!" With that, the man handed a Storage Bag to Mo Yuanjiao.

Looking at Han Weishu, who was wrapped up tightly in front of him, Mo Yuanjiao had no idea what she was up to. Seeing the gift, he assumed that she was there on behalf of the Clear River Sect deliver the gift, so he thanked her and accepted it.

Previously, because of his Baojian skills, Mo Yuanjiao frequently visited the Lin Household's courtyard, so Han Weishu was quite familiar with him. Seeing that he had accepted the sect's congratulatory gift, she then asked in a low voice:

"Hey, Mo Yuanjiao, could you pull some strings for me and let me take the disciple recruitment test first?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Yuanjiao did not answer her, but instead asked:

"Didn't you say you weren't interested in cultivation? You always said you'd be content to live a carefree life as an ordinary mortal."

Han Weishu scratched her cheek a little embarrassedly.

"I heard that Mr. Sun plans to have A-Liang undergo treatment at the Heart-Questioning Road... and actually, I've always thought about becoming Mr. Sun's disciple and learning medicine from him, which might help A-Liang's condition. It just so happens that I heard the Lingxian Sect is preparing to accept disciples."

What she didn't say was that she had actually snuck out this time.

Recently, she heard that her father was planning to send someone to the Lingxian Sect to deliver congratulatory gifts, and she got the idea. Later, she cooperated with the Earth Spirit Qiuqiu to secretly knock out the Qi Refining disciple who was sent to deliver the gifts, and then took the gifts herself.

Originally, Han Weishu intended to take the opportunity of delivering gifts to visit Tong Jialiang and see if she could successfully join the Lingxian Sect. If she could, all the better; if not, she would obediently return home.

She had no intention of harming her fellow disciples. She left a letter for the one who had been knocked unconscious, explaining that he could return to report.

However, Han Weishu felt that her father, as the head of the Clear River Sect, would definitely not agree to his daughter joining another sect, so she planned to act first and inform him later.

After hearing her explanation, Mo Yuanjiao helplessly shrugged and said:

"If you had said this a year ago, it would have been fine, but now there's nothing we can do. Our sect leader has already locked this Heart-Questioning Road, and it won't be reopened to outsiders until the day we officially recruit disciples."

He only explained why she couldn't take the assessment ahead of schedule, but he didn't mention Lin Xiao's seclusion.

After all, as Senior Liao had said before, the fact that the most powerful elder or sect leader in a sect goes into seclusion is a sect secret and cannot be easily revealed. In the future, if the sect has more members, such matters may not be known to the entire sect.

Although Han Weishu was an acquaintance, she was not a member of the Lingxian Sect, Mo Yuanjiao was very clear about this.

Upon hearing this, Han Weishu realized that her plan to move forward was no longer feasible. She didn't say anything more, but thanked Mo Yuanjiao with slight disappointment before returning to the Lin Household courtyard, intending to stay there temporarily and wait for the Lingxian Sect's formal recruitment.

She just hoped in her heart that her sect leader father would be busy and not come to take her back too soon.

Han Weishu prayed in Xiushui Village, unaware that Han Shangyi, the head of the Clear River Sect, had already learned of her secret trip to the Lingxian Sect from the disciple who returned with the letter she had left behind.

Upon seeing the letter she left, and considering that the Clear River Sect and Lingxian Sect had exchanged gifts so many times before, yet she only chose this one time to sneak out, coupled with the recent sensational recruitment of disciples by the Lingxian Sect, Han Shangyi immediately guessed what his daughter was up to.

However, contrary to Han Weishu's expectations, Han Shangyi did not stop her from going to another school. He simply put the letter away quietly after reading it.

Upon seeing this, the eldest disciple Yu Jie, who was sitting to the left, asked:

"Master, should I go and bring my junior sister back?"

Han Shangyi glanced at him, then sighed and shook his head, saying:

"No need. She won't cultivate properly even if she comes back. Now that she wants to try her luck at the Lingxian Sect, let her go. If she can successfully join the Lingxian Sect and cultivate diligently afterward, it's better than staying at home and just being an idle mortal every day."

--

The next morning, Hu Liang carried a bucket of water from a small spring near Returning to the Garden Mountain Dwelling to the Ten-Li Peach Blossom Tree the entrance of the mountain path. He carefully watered the peach tree and then took out a Spirit Stone to feed it.

For the past three years, Lin Xiao has watered and fed the Ten-Li Peach Blossom Tree with Spirit Stone every morning. If he is not available, he will entrust the task to others.

Whether it's due to the daily care and maintenance, the Ten-Li Peach Blossom Tree no longer looks as slender as it was after Wei Hai's attack, when it saved Mo Yuanjiao and the others. Instead, it's much thicker than it was when it was first planted three years ago.

Moreover, Lin Xiao has been careful not to pluck its branches and leaves like she did at the beginning, and now it looks even more lush with dense, bright pink flowers.

After admiring the Ten-Li Peach Blossom Tree swaying in the wind, Hu Liang headed towards the valley that Liu Yunan had arranged with them the night before.

When he arrived at the wide valley, he found several people already working.

Because the division of labor and grouping, as well as how to build it, were all discussed last night, and with three years of tacit understanding, everyone got to work without any unnecessary chatter. They all started working diligently on their assigned tasks as soon as they arrived, only occasionally exchanging whispered messages.

Liao Pantu also came to help.

Although he was busy researching the fusion of cultivation techniques, this was not something that could be accomplished overnight. He would participate in all major events related to the construction of the sect whenever he could.

With Liao Pantu, a Golden Core cultivator, present, and most of the others being Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining Late Stage, the construction of the sect plaza progressed very quickly.

As evening approached, the square began to take shape, with a large, smooth, and clean area appearing amidst the dense forest.

If someone were to look down from above, they would see that this place resembles a bare, square-shaped open space.

However, a grand sect square cannot simply be like this. It also needs to build a high platform and have a sound transmission system that can accommodate those with lower cultivation levels, so that everyone in the square can clearly hear what the person speaking on the high platform says, regardless of their cultivation level.

In addition, there must be various decorations that can showcase the sect's grandeur, which will not be discussed here.

These aspects were all completed through the collaboration between the Artifact Refining Hall and the Formation Hall under Liao Pantu's guidance.