New Rule

The next morning, Yi Xuan got up bright and early, grabbed a few things from the courtyard that he didn't remember when he had made, and pushed open the courtyard gate to set up his little stall. Then he sat down in the rocking chair behind it and began another day of letting things slide.

The little stall didn't really matter to Yi Xuan. On a busy day, he might get one or two customers; at other times, three to five days might pass without a single visitor.

Yet Yi Xuan never tired of the little stall. It wasn't that he needed the small income it brought in. If he had really depended on that money, he would probably have starved to death long ago.

Yi Xuan simply liked the feeling of running a stall. He could set it up however he pleased and enjoy the peaceful hours in the rocking chair behind it. This easy life was something Yi Xuan had longed for in his previous life but never attained.

After becoming an immortal cultivator, even though he was later declared rootless, Yi Xuan had finally gained the means to enjoy this ideal life.

Sometimes Yi Xuan really couldn't understand why his transmigrator predecessors always set themselves the goal of attaining immortality and the Dao as soon as they arrived in a new world, then slaughtered their way in all directions. Weren't they tired? Since they had transmigrated and each had a golden finger, of course they should make sensible use of their resources to let things slide and enjoy themselves as much as possible!

Not a soul appeared in the alley all morning. It was partly because the alley where Yi Xuan's courtyard stood was simply too out of the way. What shopper would think there was a little stall tucked away in this forgotten nook?

Even if someone did find it, they would most likely hurry away. Any normal person would assume a stall like this had nothing good to offer, and the stallholder might even take the opportunity to swindle them. The loss wouldn't be worth the gain.

Seeing that he had no business, Yi Xuan was already preparing to pack up and return to the courtyard. He would see whether there was any need to come out again after his midday rest.

But just as he was about to put things away, a figure appeared at the entrance to the alley.

A woman with an ethereal, immortal air appeared at the mouth of the alley. She didn't come in, but simply stood there.

Yet even standing there quietly, the woman seemed like the protagonist of the world. Everyone who passed by couldn't help stealing a few glances at her.

A few people were so struck by her bearing that they felt unworthy of sullying the goddess. They covered their faces and hurried away.

Then the quiet woman suddenly started walking, heading straight for Yi Xuan's little stall deeper in the alley.

The woman stopped in front of the stall, gave Yi Xuan a sweet smile, and said, "Senior Brother Yi!"

Yi Xuan had already sped up his packing, but to his surprise, she still reached him first. He could only force a smile uglier than tears. "Oh! Isn't this Junior Sister Mu? Long time no see. But I'm really sorry, your senior brother has already closed up shop. How about you come back next time?"

As Yi Xuan spoke, he slowly pulled the bundle on the stall back toward himself. He was just about to pull it completely off the stall when, unexpectedly, a fair jade hand pressed down on it. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't move the bundle an inch.

Looking up at the peerless beauty before him, Yi Xuan put on an ingratiating smile. "Junior Sister Mu, what are you doing? Tell your senior brother what you need. If I can help, I definitely will!"

Mu Anqing found Yi Xuan's behavior very amusing, but when she remembered why she had come, she stopped teasing him. Her face turned serious as she said, "The sect master sent me to find you! He wants you to go up the mountain immediately. He's waiting for you at his residence!"

Seeing his junior sister wear such a serious expression for once, Yi Xuan asked curiously, "What happened? Why would the sect master suddenly send for me? Could something major have happened to the sect? No, that can't be right. Even if something happened to the sect, sending for me wouldn't help!"

"Something major did happen, but it wasn't directed at the sect. Or rather, this is only a major matter for you!"

Mu Anqing's words only made Yi Xuan more curious. He was a rootless person, so what major matter could happen in the sect that concerned only him?

He looked at Mu Anqing and saw that she too looked somewhat anxious when she spoke of the matter. So he asked, "What exactly happened?"

"The sect issued its latest rule today! Qi Refining Realm disciples who haven't broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm after more than twenty years will be expelled from the sect!"

Hearing his junior sister's words, Yi Xuan turned pale with shock. He had entered the sect twenty years ago; in another six months, it would be exactly twenty years.

Yet Yi Xuan was now rootless, which meant that in six months, his name would surely be struck from the sect's rolls.

Someone else might still be able to work hard over those six months and perhaps have a chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm afterward.

But for Yi Xuan, it was utterly impossible. If he were asked to break through to the hundredth layer of the Qi Refining Realm within six months, he wouldn't even blink. He wouldn't even need six months.

But as for breaking through to Foundation Establishment, let alone six months, it would be impossible even in a thousand years.

After giving it some thought, Yi Xuan's expression darkened slightly. "Junior Sister Mu, aside from me, who in the sect has spent the longest time in the Qi Refining Realm?"

"Let me think! It used to be Junior Brother Liu. He was only a year behind you, but he broke through to Foundation Establishment six months ago. Now it should be a junior brother surnamed Liu, but he's still a long way from twenty years. He has at least seven or eight years left. Besides, that Junior Brother Liu is already at the twelfth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. He might enter the Foundation Establishment Realm this very year."

After hearing Mu Anqing's answer, Yi Xuan's expression grew even uglier. He looked up at her and asked, "This rule was just issued today?"

Mu Anqing nodded.

Yi Xuan continued muttering to himself, "Isn't this a little too targeted? Is it aimed at me?"

Yi Xuan now understood why the sect master had summoned him. Presumably, someone in the sect disliked him but was held back by the fact that he had once been the prospective sect master's personal disciple, so they had resorted to this method.

In truth, Yi Xuan could take or leave the title of sect disciple. Ever since he had been declared rootless, he had left the sect and bought this courtyard at the foot of the mountain. Whether in daily life or cultivation, he had been entirely self-sufficient, without relying on the sect at all.

But Yi Xuan had feelings for the sect, and being suddenly told that he was going to be expelled left a bitter taste in his heart. After all, there were still quite a few people on the mountain he cared about.

At the same time, Yi Xuan couldn't quite understand it. The whole sect knew he was rootless; he could be called the most harmless person in the entire sect.

Why would anyone still want to drive him out, and do it by issuing a new sect rule? Wasn't the price a little too high?

Unable to make sense of it, Yi Xuan shook his head and prepared to go up the mountain to ask the sect master about the details.

He casually tossed his things into the courtyard, then headed out of the alley.