The Sect Master's Token Is Sent Out

The tokens in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's council hall are now useless.

The shelf was made of rosewood, with three tiers and six compartments, each compartment having a groove carved to match the size of the token. The wood had been polished again and again, and the edges gleamed to the touch.

Normally, there are seven tokens displayed on it, corresponding to the seven branches of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The largest one in the center is the Sect Master's Token.

Ning Fengzhi stood in front of the shelf, looking at the largest recess. It had been empty for three days.

Rosewood has a cool nature; your palms will feel cold after touching it for a while. The groove still retains the imprint left by the token, making it slightly shinier than other parts.

Three days ago, he personally took the sect leader's token out of the groove, wrapped it in a piece of bright yellow silk, and handed it to the messenger.

As the messenger left, he asked him, "Sect Master, when is the reply due?"

He said, "No need for a receipt. Just make sure it's delivered."

After the messenger left, he stood in the council chamber. He stood on the first day, sat on the second day, and walked back and forth on the third day.

He hadn't eaten much for the past three days. Ning Qing brought in porridge and urged him to eat three times. He drank half a bowl, and left the rest on the table to cool completely.

A skin had formed on the surface of the half-bowl of porridge, with the rice grains sinking to the bottom.

Ning Rongrong came back this morning.

She rushed back from Sea God Island, her shoulders still carrying the chill of the outside air, and the soles of her boots stained with the white dust from the teleportation array.

As soon as she entered, she saw her father standing in front of the empty token rack. His back looked much thinner, a piece of his robe had fallen down his shoulder, and there were more white hairs in his hair, which were very conspicuous in the light coming in from the window.

She called out "Father".

Ning Fengzhi turned to look at her, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

You're back?

"You're back."

Ning Rongrong walked over, stood next to him, and also looked at the empty shelf.

"The sect leader's order has also been sent?"

"It's been sent." Ning Fengzhi nodded. "The letter was sent three days ago. Nan Feng replied with a note, just two words."

Which two characters?

"Receive."

Ning Rongrong didn't ask any more questions. She reached out and touched the edge of the shelf; the wood was cool.

She remembered what Nan Feng had said to her on the day she returned from Heaven Dou City after the grand ceremony.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has submitted to the Immortal Dao, but your relationship with Tang San will not change. You are you, and the sect is the sect.

At the time, she felt that these words were spoken too lightly, as lightly as cutting the matter between the two families cleanly with a single stroke.

Standing in front of the empty token rack, she suddenly understood. Nan Feng's words, "You are you, and the sect is the sect," meant that he had left a path for her.

"Father, do you regret it?" she asked.

Ning Fengzhi didn't answer immediately. He turned around, walked to the window, and opened it a crack.

A breeze blew in from the courtyard outside, carrying the lingering scent of osmanthus blossoms. Most of the leaves on those osmanthus trees had fallen, with only a few remaining clinging to the branches.

He stood there for a while before speaking.

No regrets.

Ning Rongrong watched his retreating figure.

"Nan Feng's path is higher than Tang San's."

Ning Fengzhi turned around and looked at her, his tone calm, as if he were talking about something he had thought about many times before.

I said that to you months ago. Months have passed, and I still say the same thing.

"After the fall of the Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect lost its greatest balancing force. Among the Upper Three Sects, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was severely weakened by the Yu Xiaogang incident, while the Clear Sky Sect remained neutral and did not get involved."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect may look impressive, but it's actually surrounded by gaps on all sides."

He paused, walked back to the shelf, and ran his finger along the edge of the empty slot.

"When Nan Feng came looking for me, I pondered for three days. I wasn't pondering whether or not to submit, but rather what the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could offer him, and what he could offer the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"He gave the sect far more than we gave him," Ning Rongrong added.

Ning Fengzhi glanced at her and smiled.

"You seem to understand things better than your father."

"I haven't had a moment's rest during my time on Sea God Island."

Ning Rongrong walked to the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and took a sip. It was cold, but she didn't pay much attention. There was a ring of old tea stains on the rim of the cup.

"Tang San told me about Nan Feng's Immortal Dao cultivation method. After the Immortal Dao Introductory Chapter method was passed down to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the cultivation speed of the younger generation in the school increased threefold."

"What does three times mean? In the past, it would take a disciple five or six years to cultivate from Soul Elder to Soul Ancestor, but now it only takes two years to even get close to the threshold."

"This is just the introductory chapter; the later techniques haven't been passed on yet."

Ning Fengzhi nodded.

"I've seen it. I went through the cultivation progress chart sent from the teleportation array, and it's indeed faster than in previous years. The chart was sent rolled up, and the edges were frayed."

"Several disciples with average talent, who couldn't improve no matter how much they practiced before, have now reached their limits."

So you don't regret it.

No regrets.

Ning Fengzhi closed the window and turned around.

"I've been keeping an eye on Nan Feng since his time at the Nuoding Academy. Back then, he refused the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's offer to recruit him, saying he would choose his own path."

"At the time, I thought this kid was arrogant, but now that I think about it, his arrogance was justified. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect couldn't give him the path, so he forged his own way."

"The Dao he's giving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect now is far stronger than what the sect could give him back then. If I still cling to my position as sect leader and refuse to bow down, I'd be truly foolish."

Ning Rongrong held her teacup without saying a word.

Ning Fengzhi looked at her for a while, then suddenly asked a question.

What are your plans regarding Tang San?

Ning Rongrong put down her teacup, looked down at the tea stains inside, and spoke after a while.

"I told my third brother. I said that although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has returned to the Immortal Dao, I am still me."

"He asked me if I was still with him, and I said yes. He asked me if I still considered him my husband, and I said yes. He asked me if I still considered Xiao Wu my sister, and I said, 'Of course.'"

Ning Fengzhi chuckled.

"When Nan Feng told me, 'You are you, and the sect is the sect,' I didn't really understand."

Ning Rongrong raised her head.

"Later, I went back and told my third brother about it. He was silent for a long time, and finally said something to me."

"He said that Nan Feng always leaves room for maneuver in his actions. He made the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Immortal Dao submit to the Immortal Path, and he didn't sever my relationship with you."

"I didn't sever ties between Xiao Wu and you, and I even preserved the little bit of friendship I had with him."

He may seem carefree, but he's more meticulous than anyone else.

Ning Fengzhi sat down in the chair, picked up the bowl of cold porridge on the table, and took a sip, not minding the cold temperature.

"Tang San is right."

He put the bowl down, and the bottom of the bowl made a sound as it hit the table.

"Nan Feng didn't force the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to turn against Tang San Tang San, nor did he force you to do so. He gave the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect face, left room for Tang San, and even gave this old fox a way out."

"This thoughtfulness is even more admirable than his Immortal Power level in immortality."

Ning Rongrong stood up, walked to the token rack, and reached into the largest recess.

The sandalwood was polished very smoothly, and the shallow imprint of the token was still left in the groove. She ran her fingertip along that imprint.

"Father, what's the future of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

"Fully support the Immortal Dao."

Ning Fengzhi stood up and patted the dust off his clothes.

"From today onwards, the sect's resources will be open to Nan Feng, disciples will cultivate according to the Immortal Dao cultivation methods, and the intelligence network will be under his command."

"He had the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect mark the Abyssal Rift, and they finished. He had the sect provide manpower and resources, and they did. If he has any other plans, he'll continue."

He walked up to Ning Rongrong, reached out and pressed lightly on her shoulder.

"Go back and tell Tang San that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will always be his friend, but the sect's future has already been decided."

Ning Rongrong nodded.

"There's one more thing," Ning Fengzhi added.

"Tell him that if he still can't figure it out, he should come to me. As his father-in-law, I'll make him a pot of tea, and we can sit down and have a good talk."

Ning Rongrong chuckled.

"Okay, I'll go back and talk to him."

As she walked out of the council hall, Ning Fengzhi called out to her from behind.

"Call Ning Qing in. The shelf's empty now, so be it; we'll find someone to build a new one later."

"The new shelf no longer displays tokens; instead, it displays the jade slips of the Immortal Dao cultivation method that Nan Feng gave us. Seven slips, one slip per shelf."

Ning Rongrong turned around and glanced at her father.

The old man stood in front of the empty token rack, his back straighter than a few days ago. He still had a lot of white in his hair, but his face looked much more relaxed.

She nodded and turned to walk out.

When she reached the corner of the courtyard, she stopped and took out the letter that Tang San had asked her to deliver from her sleeve.

The letter was unopened, and the seal was intact. The corners of the envelope were wrinkled from her gripping it so tightly.

She stood in the wind for a while, clutching the letter, then tucked it back into her sleeve and continued walking.

Tang San gave her this letter before she arrived, saying she should open it when she got to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

She didn't open it. She could roughly guess what the letter said. It was nothing more than telling her not to make things difficult for herself, to handle sect matters according to sect rules, and that he didn't need to worry about it.

Tang San is good in every way, except that he always thinks too much about others.

She walked to the sect's teleportation array, and the disciple guarding the array came up to her and asked where she was going. She said Sea God Island.

The disciple activated the array. The patterns on the array plate lit up, and white light spread upwards from the soles of her feet.

Before the white light enveloped her completely, she glanced one last time toward the council hall.

The empty token stand stood behind the window, waiting to be replaced.